Mandaue blast… A scary thought!

Well, as of press time, the 5th anniversary of the 9/11 Terror Attack of the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York and the Pentagon went without any anniversary or celebratory explosions courtesy of Osama bin Laden. But by mid morning yesterday, the news radios were agog over a report that there was an explosion in Gene's Laundry in Highway Basak, Mandaue City killing a Mrs. Diosdada Jao and a Mr. Felipe Herposo and a few others were injured. As expected of most of our radio reporters, speculation was heavy that this was a terror attack.

However, after intently listening to the frantic radio reporters, I quickly learned that the explosion wasn't due to any terrorist attack, rather it was due to gas leak inside the laundry room, where the caretaker Lorna, despite her smelling gas inside, still turned on an electrical appliance which probably triggered a spark that caused the explosion. This explosion was merely a "calamity" not an act of terror.

This unfortunate incident should serve as a warning to those people who work in the kitchen that whenever you smell gas inside the room, get a flashlight and find out what it is. Don't even switch on your lights, because that could trigger the explosion! The explosion in that Laundromat in Mandaue was no doubt a scary thought, as many mistook it as a terrorist act.

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Still about Mandaue City issues, I thought I was already finished writing about the issue of the leased lot by Norkis Trading from Mandaue City, when I got this emailed letter last Friday evening. Here's the letter in full:

"Dear Mr. Avila, greetings. I have been reading your columns on the legality of the Mandaue Reclamation. You brought up the issue you used as basis the earlier statements of Mr. Bert Emphasis that Mandaue City is not the owner of all reclaimed lots in the city. In your column you posed a question to him, whether he thinks the reclaimed property where Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) stands is not owned by Mandaue City.

It was Mandaue Mayor Thadeo Ouano who wrote a letter to you and clarified that the Mandaue Reclamation stands on legal ground and that there is no question that Mandaue City owns the lot where CICC stands. The mayor even dared critics to go to court or simply shut up. Mr. Emphasis, on the other hand, did not have the balls to lock horns with you in your column.

Instead he answered you on his radio program over dyLA-AM last September 8, Friday. He lambasted you and called you names, an antic that Mr. Emphasis s seemed to have perfected. If I may ask, is this the same Mr. Bert Emphasis who was once a Norkis executive before he became a presidential assistant only to be sacked? Was this the same person who was named DOTC undersecretary but was later fired? Now he is reportedly a director of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA). If this is the same person, then I would like to pose this question to the Ombudsman who I believe reads your column.

Is the radio program of Mr. Emphasis over dyLA-AM sanctioned by Malacañang considering that the title of his radio show is "Kapihan ni Ate Glo"? Having claimed to have been appointed as PRA director, he could be a government employee. If so, how come his radio program claiming to be a "Kapihan ni Ate Glo", is being held at a private facility of Norkis near dyLA-AM? What is a government employee doing in a private facility, like Norkis?

Earlier, I read in your column that Mr. Empacis is trying to help Norkis in a land dispute with Mandaue City. Is there no conflict of interest there? I call on the Ombudsman to use this letter as basis for an investigation. Thank you. Very truly yours, Alberto Ylanan Cebu City "

Thanks to you Mr. Ylanan, last Friday, I was in Dumaguete City attending the Infrastructure Development Committee (IDC) meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC) upon the request of Mayor Toting Perdices. I never knew until this letter that Mr. Bert Emphasis used the "Kapihan ni Ate Glo" to attack my person. I will make sure that the President will know of this when I met her next time she's in Cebu.

I thought that Mr. Emphasis would be aboveboard and would have answered my queries and the challenge posed by Mandaue City Mayor Teddy Ouano for him to declare the Mandaue City Reclamation an illegal reclamation. Obviously, he was not about to do such a stupid thing, hence Emphasis trained his guns attacking my person. Whenever a radioman runs out of answers, they usually go below the belt to destroy their opponent's reputation. Yes, blocktimers like Mr. Emphasis give the media a bad name.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit's columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com