One of my favorite oldest restaurants in Pasay City when I was still a resident of the place was Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard then called Dewey Boulevard. Until today whenever I am in Manila, I never miss eating at the place.
Founded in 1935, the pioneering restaurant is known for its cheap but delicious foreign and local dishes that became a byword not only to local households but foreign visitors, as well, visiting the country.
Last month, I entertained the members of the family of my late brother Bayani to a sumptuous dinner in the restaurant when Jin Lorenz and I spent the Christmas holiday.
In fact, I am scheduled to go back to Metro Manila next month for the continuation of my medical checkup at St. Luke’s and thinking of visiting again the place for another hearty meal with the family but unfortunately, this may no longer possible after we read in the newspaper that Aristocrat is one of the two restaurants and a water treatment facility of a real estate developer shut down by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for being sources of “polluted wastewater” when the department started the Manila Bay rehabilitation, similar to Boracay Resort, last week.
I am hoping that the DENR and the management of the restaurant will settle the problem sooner, similar to what the government had done to Boracay, for I believe that Aristocrat, despite its alleged violation of sanitation standard imposed by the government, has also contributed to the growth of tourism industry in the country and also it became a landmark restaurant in that part of Roxas Boulevard.
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Now that the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading the other day the measure lowering to 12 the minimum age of criminal liability for children found to be in conflict with the law, there’s no doubt that the majority in the Upper Chamber will likewise do the same as its president Tito Sotto earlier endorsed the measure.
We also expect that the passage of the bill on both Chambers will not face opposition from Malacanang as no less President Duterte wants to amend Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, then authored by Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, following a reported increase in minors’ commission of crimes.
And while I am 100 percent in favor of the amendment, we ask our lawmakers to include parents of the children that committed crimes to be accountable for their children’s criminal acts. Minors will not grow in conflict with the law if their elders were not neglectful in guiding them while in their youthful years.
And this is what I may also suggest to the seven-member Makabayan bloc along with several other House members from the administration who vehemently opposed the passage of the House Bill 8858 as they said it is not the solution to eradicate crime.
To the bloc members think first of the obligation of the parents to a child not to grow up with a criminal mind and not just to contradict the good intention of the bill. The parents are the first ones responsible in seeing a child makes his first step and if the parents will not properly guide him while learning to walk, the tendency for the child to fall.
Former House deputy speaker Miro Quimbo of Marikina City is correct when he said that “Crime, when committed by a child, reflects not any evil or failure on the part of the child, but rather reflects the evil in his environment and the failure of parents, the state and society as a whole.”
The parents, before the environment and state, are to be blamed for the failure of a child to grow up a better citizen. Neglectful parents for sure will only result to have a black sheep in the family.
Wishing everyone a prosperous Year of the Pig and a Happy Valentine’s Day to young and old lovers!
