Tuesday, July 10, 2007 Capillas: GMA's security promo By Stephen Capillas Galley Proof
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is supposedly scheduled to arrive in Cagayan de Oro Tuesday to grace the Mindanao Peace Summit being attended by top local, national officials and sectoral delegates from all over the country.
Her presence which may or may not be ensured, comes at a time amid reports we received that the police hierarchy admitted that it isn't ready to implement the controversial Human Security Act or the anti-terrorism law.
Curiously, the arrival of the President in the city may likely draw some howling militant groups in the city who would create noise just to get attention and may be provoke a confrontation with the local police just to test the legal limits of the Human Security Act.
Whatever happens, one could only hope nothing untoward or major would occur other than the usual blather about how the Security Act would protect citizens of this benighted republic and so on ad nauseam. Anyway, there is still the Bossi kidnap case to attend to by the authorities.
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After three years of being City Councilor, it was only this year that ex-radioman Zaldy Ocon gets to have a secretary and all sorts of allowances accorded to him by the City Council courtesy of course by now Vice-Mayor Vicente Emano and his Padayon Pilipino gang.
While the privileges were expected, it had not been without a price tag. Ocon had to give up his radio spot at Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) because one of his bosses had reportedly sought endorsement for a run at a City Council post from Emano's Padayon Pilipino party.
That and the reported friction between him and RMN management highlighted by the torching of his vehicle and some parts of the venerable local radio station's signage caused him to eventually drop his job and go fulltime in the City Council this year.
These privileges--nay courtesies--have been accorded since there are now (supposedly) three opposition councilors in the City Council.
To deny them these similar to what was done to Ocon back in 2004 would be tantamount to further bullying the local opposition.
Still since the Padayon dominated council controls everything the three councilors are denied committee chairmanships and only given token ex-officio memberships where they have no real voting powers. Meanwhile the other newbie councilors get to have their own high-profile committees to chair, which could prove quite profitable. You could draw your own conclusions on this.
And since Emano controls the blue ribbon committee, he is seen to use these powers to bully local officials who may have thoughts of joining the opposition into toeing the local party line.
All this, while sanctimoniously declaring to all and sundry that the council is no place for engaging in politicking or playing politics. Politicians and their ways are simply the stuff fit for garbage.
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