WE doff our hat to Sto. Tomas City Mayor Edna P. Sanchez (EPS) for averting a disaster by getting the public order and safety department to action and cover the gaping manhole right across the pedestrian lane in front of the Rose and Grace resto.
We mentioned that dangerous open manhole in our column two weeks ago, along with the dangers it poses to pedestrians from the area particularly from Barangay San Antonio.
It’s now covered with a thick metal sheet. Thank you. I said to myself, “wow, our copy of OpinYon Batangas must have reached the table of the good mayor.”
The two concrete barriers that were eternally present there before are now replaced by that thick metal sheet as safe cover.
However, my joy for that fastidious action from the office of the city mayor did not last a day.
It only lasted until after I came from Malvar on Wednesday (15th Sept. 2021) when I passed by the Petron gasoline station where again I noticed a gaping manhole!
I checked. And this, I said to myself, was even more, dangerous than the previous one as there was only a single concrete barrier guarding it!
Omigosh! The hole can even swallow a motorcycle rider or a biker into it effortlessly. Indeed, it was but a disaster transferred to another spot!
While we are calling again the attention of Madam EPS on this, this piece should also serve as a warning to health care and non-medical workers of St. Cabrini as this spot of a disaster is located right across the hospital.
Watch your steps carefully when crossing to Petron on your way back home.
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Lipa is now the richest city in Batangas. And with it, we say congratulations to Lipeños and Mayor Eric Africa.
This was affirmed by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas which announced that Lipa has now the biggest bank deposits in Batangas with a whopping P58.097 billion, almost a billion ahead of the former topnotcher provincial capital City of Batangas (P57.325-B).
Tanauan City is third with P19.792 billion and Sto. Tomas City with P14.008 billion.
On the national level, Lipa places28th where Makati is on top with 3.253 trillion bank deposits followed by Manila and Quezon City.