by: DONALD SEVILLA
IN A STATE OF STUPOR
With the myriad of problems we face, day in and day out, it is no wonder that sometimes we feel stupefied. The gravity of problems that confront us, may overwhelm us into a state of shock and confusion.
Weak leaders may enter a state of mental numbness arising from shock at being overwhelmed, leaving them stunned, dazed, stupidly confused, or mentally confused unable to think with clarity or to act intelligently.
With the kind of politics we are exposed to, it comes as no surprise that we have great difficulty moving forward.
Our beloved province once touted as a paradise to live in, is far from being one. Known for our beautiful beaches and old churches, Bohol has its idyllic charm.
But fast forward today, the harsh realities brought about by a heavy dependence on tourism is biting us in our faces.
Sadly we are notoriously infamous for being expensive. Despite being on the list of top destinations to explore, we are saddled by a lot of reasons that preclude more people from coming to visit us.
Primary, is the seemingly unreasonable cost of plane tickets flying from the nation’s capital to the tourist island of Panglao.
Add to it the loosely regulated operations of our transport sector and other tourist services that result in unfriendly rates, we have a complete recipe for disaster.
The high prices of food and basic staple in our markets compound our litany of woes, that make us seriously ponder the cost of living in our beloved island home.
It is without a doubt that “holidaying” in Panglao for a couple of days is comparable to a week’s stay in Phuket,Thailand or other similar neighboring tourist destination.
Expensive is what’s best to describe us as complained about by many visitors. While things only become expensive if one doesn’t have the means to spend, it is, even if you”re able to, when it becomes unreasonable.
How do you explain a trike cab fare from the airport to Alona Beach for Php600 when you can even walk towards it? How many complaints did we read, posted in social media, talking about overcharging from prices of bottled water at sari-sari stores to carenderia fare?
While we are busy promoting our tourism, we are also killing it by poor management and leadership in allowing our environment to be degraded and abused in the name of progress.
We want more tourists in our Loboc River to enjoy its natural beauty yet we spend billions to riprap the riverbank to control soil erosion to make it look like a long concrete canal? We want to rehabilitate Alona Beach by making concrete seawalls and riprap that alter its landscape? Can we not think outside the box and of novel solutions that enhance rather than destroy nature’s beauty?
We should think long and hard and ponder our fate. Bohol is our home and we should act sparingly towards it, erring on the side of caution. Damage can be irreversible by our actions.
Furthermore, in the midst of all our quandary, how far will our daily wages of Php500 go when a kilo of fish sells for about that much? Rice for Php55-60/kl.? Eggs for about Php12/pc?
We have tightened our belts long enough and perhaps cannot endure a notch more.