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Saturday, August 13, 2005
Editorial: PB resignation
WHETHER true or not, Provincial Board Member Henry Clyde Abbott's alleged move to resign from his chairmanship of the PB's tourism committee--and reportedly along with it the chairmanship of the Provincial Tourism Council--is a matter of consequence only between him and Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno with whom he is said to be feuding with in recent days.
(Though as far as we know the Provincial Tourism Council's chairmanship is held by either Moreno or the regional director of the Department of Tourism).
A local daily reports about Abbott's tirades on Moreno's alleged neglect to facilitate the procurement of P3 million worth of dental and medical facilities through the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).
In response, Moreno denied this and accused Abbott of being a lazy PB member and one thing led to another resulting in a word war that was joined in by former governor Antonio Calingin and later dragged in Mayor Vicente Emano and the political ambitions he and his Tagoloan Mayor son Yevgeny Emano harbored towards the province.
This culminated yesterday in Abbott's denial over dxIF Bombo Radyo that he was nitpicking on Moreno so to speak and that he only pointed out in last Monday's PB session on whether Moreno overlooked the PCSO medical deal.
He also countered a claim from one reporter who alleged that he planned to resign from the PB's tourism committee out of frustration and his enmity with the governor. Whether or not there is any shred of truth to his plans of resigning from the tourism committee chairmanship is beside the point.
What is important at this time is whether Abbott's resignation from that post would have serious repercussions on the provincial government's tourism program in terms of lowering morale and stirring up dissension among committee members and tourism stakeholders and/or other factors.
To be fair Abbot isn't "all that lazy" as Gov. Moreno supposedly described him to be and should be credited at least with having done something as a PB tourism committee chairman.
One has to remember that he made a privilege speech before the PB early this year in which he broached the proposal for the now moderately successful "Salo Tabo" program held in the Capitol grounds.
For those fascinated with the inner workings and political power plays being engaged in by officials in City Hall and the Capitol the supposed infighting among Moreno and Abbott would make interesting materials indeed.
But for those who don't give a hoot about either Moreno or Abbott and all those officials and political personalities---those who are merely concerned with requiring government officials deliver much-needed basic social and economic services to them, the response to this whole sorry episode would be a resounding "So what" and "who cares?."
What is at issue here is not the political intrigues and maneuverings of these politicos but the alleged neglect of the Moreno administration to provide much needed medical services to the residents of Misamis Oriental.
In fact opposition PB member Alejo Olano criticized Gov. Moreno for supposedly "mis-aligning" funds intended for the PhilHealth needs of scores of Misamisnons in favor of the latter's beautification program of the Capitol buildings and grounds.
In this issue and Abbott's claim the Moreno administration appears to be neglecting its medical program for the residents of Misamis Oriental in favor of infrastructure and other high-profile programs for the province.
And whether there is any truth to that observation only the governor can adequately refute it--unless the opposition proves otherwise.
(August 13, 2005 issue)
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