By Alex P. Vidal
“My cell phone is my best friend. It’s my lifeline to the outside world.”—Carrie Underwood
ASKING members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) not to use cellphones so they can’t watch videos and use Facebook while on duty is like burning the house for a rat.
In this age where the use of mobile phones is not only essential but a necessity for everyone—cops or not— living in a civilized world, preventing the men and women in uniform from using their cellphones may not be a wise move.
If PNP chief General Rommel Marbil was only against police personnel using the social media in their mobile phones while performing their job, the least he could have done was to ask them to log out from their social media accounts while on duty.
Logging out from any social media account may be a win-win solution for General Marbil and his personnel instead of totally separating the cops from the gadgets they have loved to carry just like their issued firearms.
Marbil should have allowed them to bring their cellphones wherever they go so their station commanders and families can reach them in case of urgent calls and emergency.
Fabrice Grinda said, “The most important impact on society and the world is the cell phone. Cell phones have actually been one of the primary drivers in productivity improvements.”
-o0o-
Cops aren’t stupid to watch TikTok and scroll their social media accounts up and down or watch on Youtube the replay of Vice Ganda’s show while they are chasing a robbery suspect or raiding a gunrunner’s house.
Plain and simple common sense. The cops are professional. Let’s not insult their intelligence.
They can always log in back after duty—if they can’t resist the itch to “like” their friends’ posts or post something in their accounts like what other normal people with social media accounts do nowadays.
When they hang their uniforms temporarily after duty and go home to their families, cops are just like you and me when they’re off-duty: enjoying life as human beings.
They are part of the modern society embroiled in the latest fad: the social media. And they, too, have feelings and thoughts. How can we separate them from the mainstream? We can’t.
Under General Marbil’s order, Pinoy cops are like living in the sixties, seventies and early eighties. They are going backwards.
While waiting for criminals in the streets or patrolling in the communities, they will have to bring plenty of chewing gums again to fight off boredom.
-o0o-
SAVE TREES. One ton (907 kilograms) of recycled wastepaper spares 17 trees. Let us recycle and save trees.
LET’S SAY “OM,” NOT “OUCH”. Many studies have shown that meditation can ease chronic pain, but most of these have depended on lengthy–and pricey–training programs. New research at the University of North Carolina shows that a few 20-minute sessions may be all we need. (goodhealth news)
WE MUST AVOID Decabromodiphenyl ether (DECA), a flame retardant found in electronics, furniture, carpets. It can cause permanent learning and memory deficits; hearing defects; decreased sperm count in animals. The good news is that the industry has begun phasing out the chemical in December 2009.
WE MUST BEWARE OF Perchlorate, an oxidant in rocket fuel found in drinking water, soil, some vegetables. It disrupts thyroid’s hormone production. Environmental groups have been urging the government to lower perchlorate levels in drinking water.
RECYCLED ALUMINUM. Some sources indicate that one recycled aluminum can save as much energy as it takes to run a TV set for four hours or the energy equivalent of one-half gallon (1.9 liters) of gasoline.
COLORS OF LIGHTNING. Lightning is often seen as white or white-yellow, although it may appear to have other colors depending on the background.
OLIVE OIL IS BETTER. Even if we’re overweight, ditching butter for a drizzle of olive oil may help you fend off diabetes, heart disease, and other ills associated with ab flab. The fat facts: Scientists puts 20 people with big bellies on diets high in either saturated fats (the kind in red meat and dairy) or monounsaturated fats.
BURNED. During the Middle Ages, if you were guilty of bestiality, you would be burned at stake, along with the other party of your crime.
GOD TAKES CARE OF US. When we remember God’s faithfulness His ability to bring good out of any situation, we find our fears calmed and our confidence renewed. Whatever our hopes today, let’s not be afraid. Let us just stand where we are and watch the Lord strengthen and take care of us.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)
