Moderate revelry

CAPILLAS

The holiday break had afforded this writer the chance to catch up on some online readings, and there are at least two pieces worth mentioning, with one being somewhat relevant in part due to the upcoming Sinulog celebration.

Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David wrote about how it was a quieter holiday celebration the past month due to the reduced incidence of firecrackers and fireworks displays.

Credit goes to President Rodrigo Duterte’s firecracker ban that not only reduced firecracker injuries and inversely the profit margin of firecracker manufacturers, but also resulted in the designation of firecracker zones that effectively regulated its use.

I see a correlation between the firecracker ban and the Cebu City government’s efforts to impose a 24-hour liquor ban that starts late on Sinulog Eve and remains in effect throughout Sinulog Day and ends the day after.

The obvious objective is not to cast a wet blanket and douse the celebratory atmosphere that had characterized the Sinulog of years past but to cut down, if not totally eliminate the rowdy revelry that had marred such celebrations in recent years.

Cebu, specifically Cebu City, has quite the extended holiday period since after Christmas and New Year it has the Sinulog to look forward to.

And while one expected the liquor to be free-flowing in the past two holidays, it’s during the Sinulog where the commercial outlets get to make a killing as revelers buy and drink cases of booze well into the after party scene.

I wonder whether the liquor ban extends to those buying cases of booze for home consumption only. That’s how those in Davao City where a similar liquor ban is in effect get around to curbing the restriction since it doesn’t prevent them from drinking in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by family and friends.

In that case, the convenience stores and other outlets can still sell their liquor stocks before the ban takes effect and may even cajole their loyal customers with discounts as low as even 50 percent just so they can get rid of their inventory and still turn up a profit.

At any rate, a liquor ban won’t necessarily reduce the number of revelers that pack the Sinulog grand parade nor decongest the Fuente Osmeña Circle and nearby areas like Mango Square where the revelers usually congregate.

But at least I hope they would behave better and spare the police and other City Hall personnel a headache trying to secure their safety and maintain peace and order.

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The other article was a far lengthier piece written by Rappler boss Maria Ressa in which she meticulously examined how President Rodrigo Duterte managed to harness social media to win the presidency and keep an iron grip on power through a social media army bent on harassing and silencing into submission any criticism against his administration.

That Duterte managed to win the presidency through an effective multimedia campaign that included among other things an online troll army that inflated crowd numbers and insulted critics isn’t news.

The same thing can be said Stateside where US President Donald Trump won the White House through an effective multimedia campaign that is allegedly laced with Russian interference.

What made Ressa’s article interesting was the mention of various social media marketing techniques unfamiliar to the public, and did I mention that it was a three-parter series?

While her article has lots of valid points and is obviously well-researched, I tend to agree with the arguments of some that the failures of the past administration contributed to the eventual defeat of its lineup and standard bearer Mar Roxas in the 2016 elections.

Mamasapano, Yolanda and the Luneta hostage tragedy are among the significant failures that may or may not have defined the second Aquino administration’s legacy, but these are failures nevertheless which cannot be ignored.

Fast-forward to the present and what we now have is an administration that may be better equipped to handle crisis situations but do so through measures that at the least border on the draconian and raise questions and fears of a creeping dictatorship.