By DANNY O. SAGUN

‘WHAT’S happening to our province, colonel?’

This exactly is the big question in the minds of Pangasinenses these days as they paraphrase the famous words of former Vice-President Emmanuel Pelaez when he asked a military general: “What’s happening to our country, General?” who was among the first to arrive at the scene after he (Pelaez) was ambushed.

Indeed, what is happening to this big province peace and order-wise? Murders , with the tell-tale marks of hired killers, are again on the rise. We hate to think that Col. Isagani Nerez is not doing his job, or that he is not doing his best.

It now appears it is easy to snuff out the life of one whose face we do not like anymore thru a hired assassin. Ladies are not spared.

Take the case of Sandra Frias of Cenpelco, who was shot dead in her own car as she was going home late night after working overtime. Hired killers don’t seem to be bothered at all even by their seared conscience and have no qualms whether their quarry is a woman or a kid. Her killer/s or the mastermind/s could be that real mad she had to be disposed of by all means.

Before her, there were killings in San Carlos City, San Nicolas, Malasiqui and other places. And prior to these, there were sensational cases involving prominent persons, most of which were never solved successfully despite police’s claims of having filed complaints against suspects.

Well, the police considered a case solved if the matter already reached the courts whatever is the outcome. But people are not contented with that even as they feel tired of the usual refrain ‘We are leaving no stone unturned in our investigation.’

The families of the victims are still looking for justice, yes, the closure of cases involving them. San Carlos Mayor Julier Resuello and his siblings, we think, are losing their hope the police will ever get the other suspects or the mastermind in the killing last year of their father Jolly. And the Resuellos are not alone having such feeling. The Aquinos of Mapandan, the Rodrigos of San Nicolas, the Peraltas of Balungao, and the other prominent families in San Manuel, Bani, Aguilar, Dagupan, Urdaneta and other areas whose identities could not be readily mentioned here.

Well, how about those ordinary victims, will they and their families ever get justice?

We are glad the sitting provincial Executive has made peace and order number one priority in his agenda which also included education and health. Well he should, being a former police official himself- once a provincial director in his own province and later Region 1 director. It must really pain him to see this province remain stagnant development-wise because of problem in peace and order. No investor in his right mind would come and risk his money in a tension-filled area where kidnappers, robbers, carnappers, hired killers, etc. operate with impunity.

We hope Gov. Espino will succeed in his agenda of progress although his timetable might have suffered a setback recently because of killer typhoon Cosme which left so much damage no one ever imagined.

As the national government wants eradication of povety (Labanan ang Kahirapan is the message you will note in those tarps located around), the province can do its part not only to alleviate poverty but to bring progress with its huge natural resources. What is lacking may be a good manager.