When Asking A Question Provoke More Follow Up Questions

The Chocolate Hills Resort saga is a tempest in a teacup.  It created a lot of uproar over a matter of great importance. While it is still garden-fresh ... let me take this opportunity to refresh our memory  ... that in 2012 we had the same shade of controversy when Torre de Manila ... due to its proximity to the Rizal monument was considered a disgrace to the memory of our national hero Jose Rizal ... making it a "photobomber" of the sort. 

Several concerned citizens made a Herculean task of halting the construction.  It made a lot of outrage then ... haven't we learned our lesson ...  and we want to revisit another Deja vu story (ala Torre de Manila) by violating and desecrating what was considered the eight wonders of the world?

Now the resort in Chocolate Hills is getting the ire of the netizens and has angered a lot of Filipinos ... more questions arise.  For one ... does the Bohol government (especially the one who signed the permit) have a different interpretation of the laws governing Chocolate Hills as a protected geological monument and a protected landscape?

The construction started in 2018 ... with all the deluge of tourists pouring into Bohol ... not a single whistleblower had sounded any dissent or calls for protest? If it is a protected monument ... why has PAMB (Protected Area Management Board) gave the owners the go-signal to proceed with construction and later the operation of the resort? Why were the owners not reprimanded from the get-go ... if they were violating any laws ... and why did they wait for the resort to finish until they got feelers something is wrong somewhere?

 

And was it true ... that everybody was in limbo including the DENR hierarchy who seemed surprised when the photo of the resort was uploaded on Facebook? Will this be another Clash of the Titans - DENR vs the local DILG? Was outing the scoop of the month accidental ... and why only now? And how did the owner manage to keep the construction in secrecy when any enterprising Marites can always cash in and get media mileage just by opening the Pandora Box and making an expose'?

Unexpected questions can really put the principal characters on the spot ... or they will be taken by surprise ... but at the end of the day ... it boils down to one thing ... the Filipinos need transparency.

Who's Next

The controversial Chocolate Hills resort has gone viral. Not only one ... but several thousand more have joined ranks to express dismay that the resort just like Torre de Manila is an eyesore in the 20/20 vision of our readers.

Despite their anger, however ... some enterprising netizens managed to resort to humor as a temporary relief to cover up their resentment and frustration. If you have not seen it yet - a tsunami of memes started circulating on every imagined platform ... after a blogger posted an outrageous Chocolate Hill expose'.

Still, others find solace in doing a balancing act with their sanity by making memes where their ideas are getting funnier by the minute.

The above image is the best there is.  It utilized humor and at the same time opened our eyes to painful realities by exposing its evils.

Holy Week Musings

This Holy Week magnilay-nilay naman tayo.

Not everybody deserves the SECOND CHANCE ... pero bakit may mga taong hindi nga deserving ... binigyan mo na ng pagkataon at lahat ... SINAYANG pa ang TIWALA mo.

Ang second chance ay binibigay para MAGBAGO ang tao ... hindi para ABUSOHIN nito.

Ang second chance ay pinaghirapan yan ... pinag-iyakan at pinag-effortan.

We all deserve second chances ... pero hindi sa parehong kasalanan at pagkamali.

Sa mga umu-ulit ng kasalanan ... kalabisan na ang Third Chances.

Kaya sa mga binigyan ng isa pang pagkataon ... mahiya ka naman at UMAYOS ka!

More Chocolate Meme

 I can't help but reprint the post of Mel Aguinaldo.  His meme ... and most of all the caption that goes with it manage to put a smile on my face as I struggle to come out sane from all this Chocolate Hills insanity. 

This is what he wrote:

Dear Bohol Resort,

Gusto na din lang magtayo ng resort sa tabi ng isang National Geological Monument, eh dito na lang sana kayo nagtayo sa tabi ng Mt. Mayon para mas big time. Walang aalma sa iyo dito at mainit-init pa yong swimming pool ninyo. Suggestion ko lang naman.

Don't be angry.

Just,

Bicol

__________________________________________

See ... very respectful naman ang sulat  ... at nagsa-suggest lang naman siya. But one thing is sure naghuhumiyaw ng SARCASM ang message niya.

Satiric, ironic and sardonic. Being sarcastic is when one intentionally inflicts pain by deriding, taunting, or ridiculing ... and Mel Aguinaldo succeeds on all fronts.