ANG PUSO NG TURISMO


This blogsite’s favorite local actor, Mark Lapid, whose acting prowess probably rivals the intensity of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino and whose classic film, Apoy Sa Dibdib Ng Samar, is now being dissected and studied by film students like a dead, hapless frog, has been appointed by PGMA as the new general manager of Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA). Why Mark Lapid? the reporters asked Tourism head Ace Durano. Durano was only able to utter some mumbojumbo.

Lapid’s appointment has been met with a lot of brickbats. Hindi raw ba may kaso pa itong kinakaharap dahil sa ilang anomalya, partikular na ang quarrying operations ng lalawigan, na nangyari noong ito pa ang gobernador ng Pampanga. Ang koleksiyon ng Pampanga mula sa quarrying noong 2006 habang si Mark pa ang gobernador ay 29.1M lang pero noong si Governor Panlilio na ang maupo ay agad daw itong umakyat sa 217M.

Kaya raw nagkakandaloko-loko ang sawimpalad na bansang ito, e, dahil ang pangunahing mga rason daw kaya nailuluklok sa mga puwesto ang ilang opisyal ay palakasan at utang na loob. Bakit daw hindi subukan ng administrasyon ito na magluklok ng isang kuwalipikadong tao sa isang government post? Halimbawa, sa Department of Tourism, bakit daw hindi isang turista ang i-appoint?

But seriously, ano raw ba ang kuwalipikasyon ni Mark Lapid sa nasabing puwesto? Ni hindi raw ito nakatapos sa kolehiyo. Can he spell the word tourism, his critics are asking and taunting him. Can he use it in a sentence? Can he use it in a knock-knock joke? Does Mark know how many islands are there in Hundred Islands? We all know that Mayon Volcano has a perfect cone but does Mark know if Mayon’s cone is sugar or waffle? These are the tough questions that Mark Lapid as a tourism honcho has to face. But I think Mark can easily hurdle these challenges.

Methinks that appointing Lapid to head the PTA is an excellent move by the government. It is a heartfelt, heartening, heartwarming, heartbreaking decision that was made heartily. Nakakalimutan ng mga kritiko ni Mark Lapid na sa lahat ng mga naging pinuno na ng PTA, siya lang ang may puso. It is being rumored now that Mark’s first official act will be to make the banana plant’s heart the symbol of country’s tourism.

And no, there’s no truth to the rumor that Mark Lapid will do some quarrying in Boracay and Puerto Galera.

Great, great appointment.

No wonder, this country is truly going bananas now.

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