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Wednesday, February 11, 2004
Editorial: On being fooled badly
After a long silence, Cebu Vice Gov. John-john Osmena finally found the wisdom to speak before his colleagues in the Provincial Board about the raging controversy on the grant of P5 million Capitol funds to a bogus or non-existent foundation.
John-john threw some light on the swindle, made admissions and denials, but still left crucial questions unanswered.
The more important issues that still hang are: (1) the identity of Milagros Herrera and other organizers of Perdido Lex, (2) the accusation of a frame-up staged by Gwen Garcia, and (3) John-john’s own liability.
The identification of Herrera, Perdido Lex president, was limited by John-john to a description that could fit a thousand other women. No photograph, no address of home or place of work, no phone numbers, no vehicle she drove or friends she went with.
Ditto with the other incorporators and officers of the foundation. The only other person “identified” is John-john’s cook but, in Monday’s privilege speech, he said the cook merely had a name similar to that of a Perdido Lex organizer.
As to the alleged deception by Gwen, John-john needs to cite more than one phone call of the “woman” referring Herrera to his office. He has to present other evidences, the other parts of the tangled web that would show acts of a predatory rival in politics.
Then, there’s John-john’s liability. The blanket denial of stealing is not enough. The euphemism that “on hindsight” he “could have been more diligent” won’t do.
He has to explain about total absence of diligence in not even knowing the identity and location of people to whom he entrusted P5 million and why a “con todo” support was given to virtually total strangers.
John-john has to explain why when even indications of possible fraud surfaced he continued to fight for the foundation. At one point, when Capitol started to shut off the valve, he even ordered in writing the continued release of money, saying he was assuming full responsibility.
One can understand a momentary lapse of diligence but a long continuing lapse until the balloon exploded?
The lack of monitoring by his office cannot be condoned when the aides he could have used to protect Capitol’s interest were used instead to help the swindlers.
His chief of staff Willie Mulla had been all over, with his fingerprints on many phases of the Perdido Lex transaction.
Mulla escorted Herrera in claiming four checks that the clerks said they would not have released without his intervention. Mulla appeared before the Barili Municipal Council representing Perdido Lex (although later he said he couldn’t remember having done so).
It is one thing to be fooled at one time but to be deceived for so long, with the help of one’s own staffers, is difficult to fit into a claim of innocence.
Being fooled so badly is recklessness or, we hope not, amounts to complicity.
(February 11, 2004 issue)
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