BY: DONALD SEVILLA
A WAKE UP CALL
RECENT EVENTS unfolding, like the ongoing tensions in the Middle East that resulted to a twelve day war between Iran and Israel and the slump in tourist arrivals, do not bode well for our struggling economy. For decades we have struggled to regain our foothold as Asia’s shining star, having once been dubbed as the “Pearl of the Orient”. Having lost our luster over time due to poor governance, fiscal mismanagement and corruption, our country is yet far from full recovery. Although in fairness, our leaders have tried, some harder than others, to weed out the ills that plague our society. But too much politics and “politicking” have stalled our path to recovery. Partisan bickering and animosityhave kept us stuck in this political quagmire. If not for our rich natural resources and resilience as a people, we would have been set back to the dark ages of our history. But we are lucky to be blessed with all these God-given bounty that could propel our way back to prosperity. Tourism has always been a good and big thing for us. Yet we must not rest on our laurels and work harder to keep up with our neighbors. While we have always been included in the list of patience and sincerity. “It is my honor to have served under the leader ship of an indefatigable and charismatic leader and mentor,” Daco said, sharing personal ences on local and inter-national meetings and events attended by Chat-to. Moreover, Chatto’s own congressional office staff in Manila left words of ap-preciation for the first dis trict representative. Atty. Jessica FROM THE OUTSIDE…from p. 7 Schuck, top travel destinations to go to, we failed miserably to get the numbers. Yet we need not look far to see why we were beaten by our Asian neighbors, some of whom are late starters in an industry we once excelled at. Looking just in our backyard, Bohol, we can see why this is so. Like the rest of our country we have been labeled as an expensive destination. A week in Thailand or Vietnam at a modest resort could be equivalent to two days of stay in the beaches of Panglao. Food in these countries I’m grateful for the trust he gave, the lessons he shared, and the example he set every day. He is in-deed a true mentor and leader,” Noog said. The committee secretar-experi-ies and staff came to bid farewell to Chatto at the closing of the 19th Con-gress. Chatto served as con-gressman for 5 terms. He authored landmark laws on tourism, education, health, climate change, aside from local legisla-tion. is inexpensive and diverse too, unlike our very own tourist island where everything seems beyond reach of ordinary locais. We have not earned the slogan “Begoid Bohol” for nothing. Now that our leaders have been sworn in, new ones elected and old ones re-elected, we are hopeful they could soon get to work to solve our problems. This is a challenge we throw at them to see if they are up to the task. We gave them their mandate and we demand they fulfill their duty to serve our people!