In the interest of peace and a boy

The war in Zamboanga City   is on its second week with no end in sight. Thousands of our brothers and sisters are displaced.

Sporadic fighting is still going on between government forces and the Moro National Liberation Front. People  continue to suffer and the city is damaged. Like many other Filipinos I want it over so that the city can recover.

One  question bothers  me: Why  is it that the MNLF doesn’t seem to run out of bullets?  Who is  supplying them? Apparently  someone is supplying them with ammunition that enables the gun battle to continue  despite a military cordon and the presence of military personnel everywhere.

Can diplomacy end the conflict? Do we need to annihilate the MNLF to end the war?

The diplomatic way seems  acceptable to many even as  some military  and government officials prefer to finish-

off the MNLF rebels. But this  won’t  kill the movement or the ideology behind it. The government may arrest MNLF leaders but more leaders will take their place.

Meantime we Cebuanos should extend  help to  our suffering brothers and sisters in Zamboanga by sending donations and finding ways to volunteer service. Let us also  continue to pray for peace in Mindanao.

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I think there is only one way to settle the controversy hounding the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) regarding the board’s ban on the high school basketball player of the  USC Baby Warriors, Scott Aying.

The parents sued Cesafi for disqualifying their son in the  ongoing junior league tournament. The Cesafi board said Scott failed to meet a  two-year residency requirement, a rule that was adopted to prevent “piracy” and discourage youth athletes from transferring from one Cesafi-member school to another.

The Aying camp questions the rule saying that Scott played for the San Beda team in the NCAA and not a  Cesafi school  in the previous year. But  Cesafi officials found out that Scott had  played for the  Don Bosco team in Cebu before he  transferred to San Beda in Manila then moved  to the University of  San Carlos. They believe the rule applies to him.

I pity the young athlete who’s in the  middle of this squabble between the sports association and his parents and the school.

He just wanted to play and didn’t expect this  controversy. I humbly submit with due respect to the Cesafi board of trustees who said the trial court can’t interfere with decisions of the  basketball league, that in the interest of the minor,   the court can and should settle  the issue of the athlete’s qualifications   in order o put an end to the controversy.

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Last Tuesday, I had the opportunity to ask the Movement for a Livable Cebu about the proposal of Rep. Bebot Abellanosa to construct a tunnel in the junction of the South Road and F. LLamas Sreet.

Rudy Alix said that a tunnel was more  expensive than a flyover and  not practical in a flood-prone area.

Again we go back to the logical proposal that any infrastructure project should be consulted with  experts. Politicians can propose but should consult and coordinate with other government  authorities and  experts on this matter.

It’s a pity that Abellanosa was able to secure the go signal from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) only to be opposed by a group of experts.