WINDOWS
Gabriel L. Cardinoza
 
I had a chance to talk to Tondaligan Park Administrator Dino Zabala when he dropped by my office one day last week. Actually, he was there to see a city councilor to ask for financial assistance for his program this summer to ensure zero drowning in the treacherous waters off the historic Bonuan Beach.
 
He told me he has posted five trained lifeguards, each capable of administering life-saving first aid for drowning victims, as beachgoers begin to crowd the beaches of Tondaligan. These lifeguards will be perched on makeshift watch towers, armed with megaphones and whistles to warn swimmers who may be accidentally wandering to restricted zones.
 
And yes, Dino has also marked the waters’ swimming area with colorful buoys, for every beachgoer to see where they should be swimming.
 

From what we have gathered, most of those who had drowned in Tondaligan were either children who could not swim or young adults and adults who could swim but are too drunk to save their own lives.
 
And we can say that Councilor Joey Tamayo’s newly passed ordinance prohibiting drunk persons from swimming is timely for this year’s Pistay Dayat celebration. But to implement this simply means that there should be a team of law enforcers who are in constant watch for those who are in the beach sheds partying and drinking. These law enforcers should also be familiar in conducting alcoholic breath tests to properly document the ordinance violation and impose the necessary penalty.
 
Dino also made it a point that the so-called ’salbabida’ boys are properly identified. He actually made them wear t-shirts also to make their presence felt in the whole stretch of Tondaligan.
 
Dino’s greatest challenge perhaps, will be against profiteers and litterbugs. Based on experience, it is during occasions like these that prices of beach sheds, and even food, become so unreasonably expensive, discouraging tourists and creating bad impressions on Dagupan, especially, if it’s their first time to be in Tondaligan.
 
Dino agreed with me that garbage will still continue to be a challenge in crowd-drawing festivities like these. Busloads of picnickers arrive in Tondaligan everyday complete with food and cooking implements. When they leave the place, however, they also leave in the park their garbage.
 
I told Dino that maybe, just maybe, we can try an experiment: how about distributing plastic trash bags to all vehicles entering the beach area and telling them to take home with them their garbage or dispose of them in the city’s garbage bin as they exit from the beach area?
 
Dino, of course, smiled. I know he is going to do it.
 
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With the tv and radio Bangus Festival ads featuring Mayor Benjie Lim airing almost every hour everyday, there’s no doubt now that he has decided to slug it off with Speaker Jose de Venecia   in next year’s congressional elections.
 
The mayor’s visibility is very impressive and we often wonder how much money was spent just for these ads. I said, money, not public money. I believe Mayor Lim and Councilor Nick Aquino when they announced in a news conference in February that the city government will not spend even a single centavo for this year’s Bangus Festival because there are sponsors for the event. I know, this is better said than done. But they said it so we have to believe them. After all, there will be a financial report on the festival expenditures after the celebration.
 
Or better still, ask the City Budget Office or the City Treasurer’s Office. I’m sure they will be able to provide documents that will show that the people’s money was not used for the festival. Public records naman ang mga ito, di ba?
 
We also expect them to publish a report on how much the city actually gained for the holding of the festival as well as the opportunities it generated for the people vis-à-vis the expenses incurred to hold it.

 This way, we become transparent and we eliminate doubting Thomases. (Here’s wishing you good luck in your wish, Ging! – Ed)