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Thursday, January 22, 2004
Wenceslao: Paying and not paying
By Bong Wenceslao
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s treatment of the cases involving some media outlets in Cebu, on one hand, and the purchase of the controversial Hino dump trucks, on the other, betrays the real nature of his governance. Of course, exposing the questionable way he is running City Hall is no longer necessary. Cebuanos already know that.
But it pays to look at the recent illustration of the mayor’s leadership style. Consider. Osmeña has vowed to veto a resolution of the City Council that seeks to pay P1.7 million worth of airtime it owed to some radio and tv stations. Meanwhile, he allowed the release of the payment of three dump trucks despite questions raised on the transaction.
In the first case, the mayor acted like a child who refused to part with a borrowed marble because, one, the debt was incurred during the administration of his bitter political rival, Alvin Garcia, and, two, he does not like broadcaster and columnist Bobby Nalzaro, who pushed for the payment. This even if the Council found nothing wrong with paying.
Meanwhile, Osmeña ordered the City Treasurer’s Office to release P19.759 million to Pasajero Motors Corp., which is owned by a friend, for the payment of six dump trucks even if the units did not conform with the specifications of the purchase order and despite some documentation lapses as pointed out by the City’s accounting office.
So why the refusal to pay in the first case and the haste in parting with public money in the other? One reason is arrogance (he’s “not scared of Bobby Nalzaro” and apparently even the ombudsman and the public). The other is politics. He wants media outlets to go after Garcia—and paying Pamocor with the elections near means, well…
SINULOG. A Text Reax contributor noted that it would be impossible to raise the Sinulog to a higher level if it continues to attract publicity hungry characters that act like they were the ones who started the activity. Indeed, there are Sinulog Foundation members who act like they are God’s gift to the festivity.
For his part, texter Aaron Enriquez observed that commercialism and paganism has greatly overtaken the religious aspect of Sinulog—with some people forgetting its Godly relevance. I agree. And I really don’t know if Sinulog organizers listen to criticisms because such a point has already been raised years before.
Meanwhile, my suggestion to use moveable iron railings to control the crowd got this response from another texter: “You were right about the railings for the Sinulog. Kawawa naman ang mga students na ginagamit as shields and cordon.”
Texter Christian Malaki has a good suggestion: “It is cheaper to use steel cables attached to ‘bollards’ on the sidewalk and tightened with turnbuckles. Cables can be spaced vertically 12 inches apart. The cables can be removed and stored.”
ELORDE. Here’s texter Emmanuel “Emm” Espina’s reaction to Boy Geverola’s info on Cebuano boxing legend Flash Elorde: “This is just to confirm Mr. Geverola’s info on Elorde’s discoverer. Miguel ‘Mike’ Kintanar was dean of the college of engineering of the Cebu Institute of Technology. He discovered D’ Flash in Colon where Nation Theatre used to stand.
“The scrawny kid was then working as a pin boy in a bowling alley right across the Kintanar Radio Services shop where the Arcenas building now stands. This was confirmed later on by Papa Sarreal, father of Elorde’s wife Laura, in the movie ‘Flash Elorde Story.’ Jesus Neri played a small part in Elorde’s life not as discoverer but one of the hangers-on.
“Kintanar is survived by his loving wife and children, one of whom is regional director of the National Telecommunications Commission.”
(e-mail: khanwens@yahoo.com; text: 0927-4912362)
(January 22, 2004 issue)
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