Wednesday, September 27, 2006 Ravanera: Ocon's persona non grata By Maning Ravanera Batin's Banters
FROM wherever Zaldy Ocon took the idea of proposing a resolution to declare Mayor Dongkoy as a "persona non grata" deserves a second look.
It is apparently a new concept as a person to be declared, as "persona non grata" is not supposed to come from his own place but one who is unacceptable or unwelcome in another country or community, such as a diplomat.
In the case of our mayor, he is part of the community and may not be declared an "unwelcome or an unacceptable" person.
For this reason the Laws and Rules Committee of the City Council headed by Cabanlas outrightly struck down the proposed resolution.
However, the logic of Ocon appears different, if not enigmatic. He believes the mayor has betrayed the trust and confidence of his people, ergo, he has become unacceptable or in Latin, "non grata."
How may that have happened is not at all mind-boggling. In the last two local elections, Dongkoy was accepted and loved by the so-called "masa."
More than a hundred thousand voters brought him to the highest seat of power in the city. He enjoyed the accolades of being the most powerful politician in Cagayan de Oro and even the entire Misamis Oriental.
Even the President wooed him. He, in turn, accepted her with open arms saying "ako'y iyong-iyo." How sweet!
Now, in the eyes of Ocon, Mayor Dongkoy, whom Ocon sees to be indulging in insatiable corruption, has abused his power. Day in and day out, Ocon broadcasts how the city coffers have been drained due to hundreds of million of loans applied to overpriced infrastructures such as the Bulua Market and the roads and bridges in Taguanao and Macasandig.
He condemned the mayor for the non-payment of GSIS dues already paid by the lowly city hall employees. He blames the mayor for the reprehensible payment of cross-subsidy by City Hall to UKC Builders for the operation of Cogon Market.
He held Dongkoy accountable for violation of human rights against children whom he ordered to march and branded as criminals without due process of law.
In the management of City Hall's internal affairs, Ocon calls the mayor irresponsible as he defies the Constitutional Mandate on transparency and right to information when he ordered not to release any public documents to those interested in securing them.
He derided Dongkoy as a "second rate, good for nothing copy-cat" of Arroyo for issuing a gag order to the Department Heads ordering them not to appear in the inquiry of the City Council.
Ocon has virtually outlined all the strings of Dongkoy's irregularities, ad infinitum.
But what does Ocon want to achieve in this uphill battle in the council? He knows that the other Kagawads will always kowtow with the mayor in exchange for some favors.
To my mind, what Ocon cannot achieve in the City Council, he wants to present in the altar of public opinion. He felt compelled to draw a line through broadcast media between lousy governance as against responsible leadership.
Ocon wishes to deepen the animosities between the wayward ways of Dongkoy and those who desire a more responsible, transparent and accountable local government.
He wants us to take sides and calls on us to make a firm stand on matters of principles.
Thus, it behooves us to examine carefully and make a fine distinction between getting fame through power as against being conferred with real honor.
He is presenting to us the difference between misguided adulation of a person as against sincere respect.
This hard-hitting, lambasting and "no holds barred" announcer who quotes the bible after calling our local leaders with un-Christian names has touched a raw nerve even as he naively or erroneously introduced the concept of "persona non grata." Way to go Zaldy!
For your comments, please email mrravanera@meridian.ph
(September 27, 2006 issue) Write letter to the editor. Click here. Join the Sun.Star message board. Click here.
