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Thursday, June 03, 2004
Mongaya: No dramatic proof
By Anol Mongaya
President gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should not just order public work officials to finish the never-ending work on the Cebu South Road from Talisay City to Carcar. She should look into the possibility this happened because the road was used for milking money from public works funds. Lalim bay tarong nga dan kalit nga gub-on aron ayuhon!
The President should be thankful the people in the first district did not take the poor condition of the road against her. In fact, they did not begrudge the Gullases as shown by the victory of Talisay City Mayor Eddie Gullas when he ran for Congress again.
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While President Arroyo has reasons for behaving like a winner because of her lead in the Namfrel and Comelec counts, we should all wait for the result of the official canvassing by Congress. Premature actions by either the administration or the opposition would be counter-productive if the objective is to avert a crisis.
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The opposition is still trying to gather evidence of alleged electoral fraud in Cebu. I was told several people identified with Fernando Poe Jr. arrived here recently. If so, they should hurry as they are running out of time. The FPJ camp will definitely fail in convincing the public about fraud without dramatic proof.
In 1986, computer operators of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) staged a walkout allegedly because they were made to encode and process doctored figures. But there is no comparable dramatic incident now.
Still, I don’t think the opposition lacks opportunities for getting such evidence if only they exert extra efforts. Yet, they have not produced proofs other than the two affidavits gathered weeks ago.
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The former marine, Sen. Pong Biazon, has won over the former policeman, Sen. Robert Barbers for the 12th slot in the Senate race. Though the behind-the-scene maneuvers in Mindanao were reportedly tense and bitter between the two camps, Biazon still magnanimously praised Barbers for being a gentleman.
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The brewing controversy between Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and outgoing Talisay City Mayor Eddie Gullas because of Talisay’s claim over part of the South Reclamation Project (SRP) could deteriorate into a no-holds-barred war. If this happens, both cities will suffer.
But I think Talisay’s claim can be settled through dialog. After all, Osmeña and Gullas belong to the administration party.
Unfortunately, President Arroyo does not seem to be keen in resolving differences between her allies in Cebu as seen by her handling of the three gubernatorial bets. Up to the last moment, she did not play favorites.
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A friend with some connections in Mindanao lamented the victory of several candidates financed by drug lords. If what he said was correct, government seems to be losing the war against illegal drugs and narco-politics.
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Lawyer Democrito Bar-cenas has led the Cebu City chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in urging Congress to enact laws that should end political dynasties. A law on this is already enshrined in the 1987 Constitution.
But Congress did not enact an enabling law. And the reason is fairly obvious. Most of our congressmen belong to prominent political families and clans. In Cebu for instance, no new non-traditional face won in the recent elections.
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Can RTC Judge Ildefonso Suerte wiggle himself out from his controversial conviction of Cedrick Devinadera, the confessed accessory to the killing of Alona Bacolod-Ecleo? He might. Or he might blink amidst intense media scrutiny.
The way I see it, the judge could not just blame the prosecutors and the defense for his decision. He should have known about the high profile case against Ruben Ecleo Jr. But he seemed to have conveniently closed his eyes to anything that would influence him from convicting Devinadera.
(e-mail: superbalita@sunstar.com.ph or anol_cebu@hotmail.com; text: 0917-9761193)
(June 3, 2004 issue)
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