Dead phones

Last Tuesday morning, we woke up with a dead phone. Maybe, a passing cargo truck has pulled down our telephone cable again, I thought. This has happened to us many times in the past and I have always told Digitel to install their lines higher than the standard to avoid these accidents.

When I arrived home from the office that same day, I learned that even our neighbors had no dial tones. The next day, I called a friend at the Digitel and found that some 500 other subscribers in Calasiao had dead phones because a 10-meter cable crossing a bridge right at the town center was cut and stolen.

The thieves were daring, I would say. I remember that on that Monday night, floodwaters still submerged low-lying barangays of Calasiao and cars and other vehicles crowded both sides of the bridge. I even saw some people keeping watch over their possessions that night when I passed by. This is why I could not believe that a cable could have been stolen from that area.

I just hope that the incident was a learning experience not only for Digitel but for other utilities serving the province. In the past, transmission lines of the defunct National Power Corporation were pilfered in isolated areas in western Pangasinan, causing power outages in many areas for a while. I think this has remained unabated to date.

These utilities should start installing devices that would secure their lines. What we are trying to avoid here is a situation like what recently happened in New York and contiguous states when electric power went out.

Having a dead phone is bad enough. Learning that it was because of a stolen cable makes us wonder if in the next power failure, the whole of Luzon was plunged into darkness.

*****

I had a short chat with Rep. Gener Tulagan over the weekend. It was an accidental meeting and he was all smiles when he saw me because it has been quite a while that we did not see each other.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, I asked him how he felt about the forthcoming congressional race in his district next year. He just smiled and asked, “What do you think?”

I told him that honestly, he would run unopposed. And that if there are other contenders for the seat, these will just be token candidates, assuring him of a last his term in Congress. And who will dare fight him?

There were two names being floated in the past, maybe to test the waters. The first one was San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello, whose supporters were flaunting that he was sure winner. Of course, Mayor Resuello has already backtracked.

The other one was Vice Gov. Oscar Lambino, who had said that he will “cross the bridge when he gets to it.” He was simply saying that his options were open. But from what we have gathered, he has already set his sights on his reelection bid for his last term. Who knows he might just be the next governor of Pangasinan after Gov. Victor Agbayani?

ENDNOTES: Traveling to Manila these days is very inconvenient. This is because the North Luzon Expressway is being widened and some portions of the road have been closed. There is even a very long stretch of two-way traffic on a double lane. What irked us, however, are the big potholes that slow down vehicles, making the trip to Manila an hour longer. Well, we just have to live with the inconvenience for a while.

QUOTE: “One of the things I keep learning is that the secret of being happy is doing things for other people.” -- Dick Gregory