Why can't DPWH light up those lampposts?

Last Saturday morning, we huffed once again to Balamban for the official launching of the P540 million Fabrication and Out loading facility of Metaphil International, Inc. a member of the Aboitiz Construction Group Inc. (ACGI) that is capable of fabricating metal works of 18,000 tons per year. This plan effectively puts Metaphil as a competitive player in the ever-growing world construction market giving Cebu the opportunity to be a player in building or fabricating metal works for the mining or oil industry.

During the presscon, I asked Mr. Roberto “Bobby” Aboitiz why they opened this facility at a time when a global recession is looming over the horizon. He pointed out that in the past, most businesses have that “sari-sari” store mentality, where we set up shop or a store and wait for customers to pass the store and buy what we are selling. Today the world has changed, therefore we should change our attitude and not wait for our customers but go out and sell our products. In fact the Internet is a good place to start this. This is a very good advice!

As for the Metaphil’s opening their new facility in the midst of a global recession, Mr. Aboitiz showed confidence in his marketing team who is poised to close a P2 billion deal. The Philippines is now a player in the oil drilling industry, therefore this is a new potential market for Metaphil. No doubt the Aboitiz Construction Group is bullish these days because even when there is a global recession, it also opens up new opportunities that we need to exploit to the fullest! Congrats to Metaphil!

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The controversial lamppost cases filed against government officials are either weak or strong, depending on who is sending out the press releases that we read in newspapers. In trying to “cleanse” their already tainted names, those who were charged have issued press releases insisting that the cases filed against them is weak, while those who filed the charges say that the evidence is strong. Actually it is not difficult to ascertain as to who is right or who is wrong.

Even if the accused can present a strong evidence that those confounded lamps were not overpriced, the fact that it is no longer working in just a year after they were installed tells us that these government bureaucrats bought a very inferior product made in China. That only means that buying those lampposts at any price, even below what they really cost was disadvantageous to the government! This alone should be enough to prove that the accused did something wrong!

There are lampposts also in other parts of the country, most notable is the Bay Walk in Roxas Blvd. which is lighted every night. You could never miss looking at those lampposts, especially at night because they are beautiful to watch. Last Saturday evening, we attended the 15th anniversary bash of the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort & Spa and the only lamppost that’s in full working order is ironically the one in front of the residence of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza.

This week, Cebu plays host to the 6th International Tourism Forum for Parliamentarians and Local Authorities, a United Nations World Tourism Organization sponsored event. The only hitch is that these lampposts have lost their decorative reason for being. This coming Wednesday, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) will be gracing the gala night for this forum. I hope that when she passes by the route to Shangri-La, she would open her windows and see for herself how many lampposts are in working order. Even simple maintenance to have those lamppost lighted, the DPWH has failed miserably! Can DPWH at least maintain these confounded lamps?

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Last Sunday, the Easyriders Motorcycle Club led by our President Ed Gonzales, with Stevie Paradies, Cheling Sala, Joe Abellana, Boom Fonacier, this writer and my son JV rode to Boljoon upon the invitation of Mr. Stu and Antonet “Babie” Gould of the Granada Beach Resort and Spa. It’s an eight-bedroom boutique resort, which I call Cebu’s best kept secret as this resort is along a promontory called Baluarte Granada.

My cousin Joe Suaco and I used to hunt wild pigeons in that place we called Enden. Today, it is a resort with a great view, beautiful forests and a perfect diving location. What was the most surprising for this visit was when Babie told me that we may be relatives because her ancestors were sired by Fr. Luciano Fernandez Parish priest of Boljoon in the late 1800s whom she says is the brother of Carcar Parish Priest Fr. Manuel Rubio Fernandez, the father of my Lolo Jose Avila. I will have to check this out.