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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Espinoza: Distribution of Arroyo health cards
By Elias L. Espinoza
PROTEST. The only required qualification to be part of the judiciary or prosecution arm of the government is being a lawyer. Competence is simply subjective and it depends on whom an applicant knows.
The case of Cebu City Prosecutor Cesar Tajan-langit is not unusual. The protest of the assistant city prosecutors on Tajan-langit’s appointment as city prosecutor is expected.
After a short stint as Cebu provincial prosecutor, it was too soon for Tajanlangit to make a lateral entry at the City Prosecutor’s Office. One of the causes of the resentment is that there are several senior prosecutors who deserve promotion.
If only the government’s career service program is followed, protest and resentment among employees within a government department or agency can be avoided.
Under the present political climate, only the basic educational qualification is needed. Competence is even immaterial, so to speak. For one to get appointed to a top or juicy post, a backer is a must.
It is just unfortunate that the most senior prosecutors at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office eyeing the top post do not have the political backer that Tajanlangit has.
Admittedly, even if former DOJ secretary Nanie Perez is out of the picture in the Arroyo administration, he is one guy who can ask favors straight to President Arroyo’s heart. You know what I mean.
On the issue of impropriety, City Prosecutor Tajanlangit did not only laugh it off but also probably asked himself: what are they, angels? Be that as it may, the assistant prosecutors have no other choice but work with Tajanlangit.
Their only possible chance is when President Arroyo will lose to any of her opponents in the presidential race come May 10 polls. A petition against Tajanlangit addressed to PGMA can go nowhere except the bin.
ILLEGAL. The distribution of health cards to selected beneficiaries in Cebu City that carry the picture of President Arroyo is not only illegal but also inappropriate since it is done during election period.
The administration’s apologists can always say that the intention is noble if those IDs were distributed last year. Under the present circumstance, it does not erase the illegality or immorality of the purpose.
This is not a brief for President Arroyo’s opponents in the May 10 presidential race, the distribution of health cards does not only violate the elections laws but the anti-graft laws as well.
What made it even more inappropriate is that the heath cards carry the picture of Arroyo when it should have been the photo of the holder. As I’ve said earlier, this is one of the benefits of conducting elections.
Of course, I am not telling the beneficiaries not to accept the cards. By all means, please, get one and use it. The money used is taxpayers’ money. At least, some amount went to the under-privilege sector in this society.
SILENT? After Judge Roger Lucmayon of the Mandaue City court ruled that there was no impropriety in the search warrant he issued against Pat Jao that resulted to the confiscation of the 25 imported SUVs, the issue appears to have died down that the NBI is already silent about it.
After the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 seized those units on the strength of the search warrant that Judge Luc-mayon issued, the owner allegedly bragged before the NBI that he has Manila connections and has Manila lawyers who can attend to the case.
The information I gathered reveals that Jao is allegedly looking for every possible means to prevent the order of the court turning over the units to the custody of the Bureau of Customs.
It would be too costly for the importer to get back those expensive imported right-hand-drive SUVs if turned over to the Customs authorities. I don’t suppose the importer would be treated with kid gloves after putting to shame Customs Collector Billy Bibit over this issue.
Local importers allegedly rejoiced over the fiasco. Jao, who is from Manila, allegedly had stepped on the shoes of the local boys. The tip to the NBI on those SUVs even came from someone within the Bureau of Customs, my source said.
(March 18, 2004 issue)
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