By Alex P. Vidal
“For every good reason there is to lie, there is a better reason to tell the truth.”— Bo Bennett
IN the past three years, I have been consistent with my point of view that the Duterte administration “was not sincere” and would never fulfill the building of the much-ballyhooed Iloilo-Guimaras-Negros-Cebu Link Bridge (the original plan, which was Iloilo-Guimaras-Negros would have cost a total of P28.5 billion).
This is not an I-told-you-so rant, but rather a reminder that it’s always an ain’t-over-till-the-fat-lady-sings scenario when you’re dealing with the government.
The Tagalogs have put it succinctly, “Huwag magsalita ng patapos” or don’t say it with absolute finality even if all the big mouths in the bureaucracy would announce to high heavens that any infrastructure project as gargantuan and expensive as the Iloilo-Guimaras dream bridge was already in the bag.
The curt reminder is: when politicians talk, it’s always full of crap.
Only fools will believe the traditional politicians.
And there are plenty of them in this administration.
-o0o-
No less than Sen. Cynthia Villar confirmed that even the bridge that would have linked Iloilo and Guimaras will now remain as a dream; or it will never be built at all during this administration because, in the first place and in reality, it’s not a priority.
The cat is out of the bag: “Iloilo is very progressive but Guimaras is not,” said Villar, the mother of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar.
“I think the best project (DPWH) has so far is the one connecting Bataan to Cavite. It’s important that the connecting provinces should be very progressive so that there will be economic returns for the project.”
Whoa. The senator’s revelation was like a lethal uppercut that knocked those who really swallowed the Iloilo-Guimaras bridge canard hook, line, and sinker out of their senses.
From big-mouthed politicians in the DPWH and other follow-the-leader punks in government agencies that issued mountains of make-believe promises to the people of Iloilo and Guimaras about the project over the past three years, what a shame.
They all lied.
-o0o-
The latest email dated April 29 from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo which he also shared to other New Yorkers:
Dear Alex, With more than 15 million doses administered across the State, we are looking forward to accelerating the safe and responsible reopening of our state. If you haven’t gotten the vaccine yet, I encourage you to do so as soon as you can—all you have to do is show up at any New York State or New York City-run vaccination center, which now accepts walk-in appointments for all New Yorkers age 16 and older. If you have already gotten the vaccine, you can be of immense help by spreading the word about the increased availability of the vaccine to friends, family members or neighbors and help bring our state closer to the finish line.
Here’s what else you need to know tonight:
- COVID hospitalizations dropped to 2,934, falling below 3,000 for the first time since November 24. Of the 226,068 tests reported yesterday, 4,073, or 1.80 percent, were positive. The 7-day average positivity rate was 1.98 percent. There were 691 patients in ICU yesterday, down 21 from the previous day. Of them, 425 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 38 New Yorkers to the virus.
- As of 11 am this morning, 45.6 percent of New Yorkers have completed at least one vaccine dose. Over the past 24 hours, 250,711 total doses have been administered. To date, New York has administered 15,170,850 total doses with 33.4 percent of New Yorkers completing their vaccine series. See data by region and county on the State’s Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.
- Today we announced a new pop-up site in Buffalo specifically for 16- to 25-year-olds. Younger people, including teenagers, have some of the highest COVID positivity rates of any age group. While generally less vulnerable to COVID-19 than older people, young people should still get vaccinated because they can still get seriously ill from COVID-19 and have long-term symptoms, and can also spread the virus to more vulnerable people. Over 1,000 doses will be dedicated to the pop-up site, and free bus passes will be available to help eligible residents get to the site.
- The Buffalo Marathon will return on June 26 and June 27. This year will be the marathon’s 20th anniversary, and the race will operate at roughly 50 percent of its typical capacity. Using the Buffalo Marathon as a model, the State’s sports and recreation guidance will be updated with health protocols for running races to better help localities plan these events.
Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: After almost seven decades, two women who both appear in a 1950s Norman Rockwell painting were reunited. The women, Carolyn Fabricant and Charlotte Sorenson, were both high school students in Massachusetts when they posed for the famous American illustrator and artist, for a work called “Bright Future in Banking.” The two women were reconnected after Fabricant read a New York Times article about the Rockwell work that mentioned Sorenson. The writer of the article, James Barron, helped arrange a Zoom reunion and the two women—who are immortalized on the canvas—were able to meet again in real life. Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)
