End the skirmish

By Alex P. Vidal

“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.”—William James

WE expect the word war in the social media between Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. to stop right away.

Let’s put it this way: Teddy Boy fired the first shot; Treñas retorted.

You hit me, I hit you back. A tit for a tat.

Emotions were high because of the tension caused by the pandemic; there’s no need to prolong the discord.

We are confident Locsin will no longer make any follow up of his negative remarks against the city mayor supposedly for “blaming” his constituents while appealing to downgrade Iloilo City’s status from MECQ to GCQ.

After they have released their emotions, both gentlemen are now expected to behave like statesmen.

We also appeal to the supporters of Treñas to refrain from fanning the feud with unnecessary and corrosive comments in the social media so as not to exacerbate the misunderstanding between the two highly respected government officials.

Conflicts or verbal wars will distract our leaders from their jobs as public servants; COVID-19 is too serious to be set aside for an energy-sapping joust just to prove who’s the macho man.

Treñas has spoken.

He was peeved by that unceremonious tirade; it’s but proper the city mayor gave the foreign affairs boss his comeuppance.

Move on, everyone.

 

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A Filipino-American chess player from Woodside, Queens in New York City said he was surprised to receive in a direct bank deposit an additional $900 from the New York State’s Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program on September 25.

Martin, 56, a native of Iloilo City, Philippines, said he thought the $900 he received early this month was the last money from the government funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“I earlier received a total of $900 or $300 each representing three weeks for the month of August after I made a certification with the Department of Labor for my LWA,” explained Martin, a former jeepney driver in Calumpang, Molo district in Iloilo City. “May ara pa gali nga additional $900. Thank you Lord.”

From first week of August to September 25, Martin netted a total of $1,800 from the FEMA through the federal government as part of the executive order (EO) signed by President Donald Trump when congress failed to pass a bill in August that would extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) of millions of unemployed Americans as a result of the COVID-19.

 

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Martin, who lost his job in a restaurant after the lockdown here in March, is one of the more than 20 million Americans who received $600 a week from April to July on top of the $400 a week from the New York State under the PUA.

Before the two $900 (a total of $1,800) came, Martin collected more or less $16,000 from April to July under PUA.

“Pero wala ko naga salig nga mag sige-sige ini. Ga obra gid ko ya, ga paninlu ko balay bisan under the table lang,” he said. “The pandemic is unpredictable. What if I will be out of work until next year if the pandemic will prolong?”

President Trump signed into law the CARES ACT on March 27, 2020 that gives states the option of extending unemployment compensation to independent contractors and other workers who are ordinarily ineligible for unemployment benefits.

“I promised my relatives in the Philippines that I would share my stimulus money to them if it’s available. Now, I can make many of them smile,” said Martin.

 

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)