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Sunday, April 03, 2005
Malilong: ‘Kuhit’ and ‘sirit’
By Frank Malilong
The Other Side
How unfortunate that two very dear friends have been caught in the maelstrom of the latest political rivalry in Cebu.
Nap Alburo and Jane Petraba are two of the quieter, if not more refined, members of the legal community. They prefer to do their work in near anonymity. Between them, Nap had been more visible although not by choice or his making. It was job-related.
It is this job that has thrust them in the limelight lately. Nap is the acting provincial prosecutor of Cebu and has been recommended for permanent appointment to that position by his boss, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.
Under ordinary circumstances, that would have been enough basis for Malacañang to give him its nod. The only trouble is that Gonzalez recommended Jane to the same position, too.
The justice secretary, ever the politician, probably did not want to offend either Nap’s or Jane’s backers which was why he decided to endorse both names to the Palace. Nap enjoys the support of Gov. Gwen Garcia and Rep. Eduardo Gullas. Jane is being recommended by Reps. Antonio Cuenco, Raul del Mar, Antonio Yapha and Clavel Asas-Martinez.
The Garcia-Martinez rivalry is the latest in the long history of political feuds in Cebu. The governor recently scored a victory when she managed to have Supt. Vic Loot named as provincial police chief.
Loot is the husband of the Daanbantayan mayor, a staunch ally of the Garcias.
This is probably what prompted the Martinezes to push for Petralba, who is their chief election lawyer. The office of provincial police chief and that of provincial prosecutor are too influential to be left in hostile hands. It did not help that Nap, as member of the provincial canvass committee in the last elections, signed Gwen’s proclamation despite protests from Clavel’s camp.
Nap is an old-timer in the prosecution service. Jane has been in private practice since passing the bar examinations but that does not make her unqualified for the position. I am certain that like Nap, she would make a good chief provincial prosecutor. Nap’s being an insider should however give him an edge.
The chief administrative officer of the old Southern Islands Hospital used to say that the system of promotions and appointments in government can best be summed up in the following formula: merit + kuhit = sirit; merit – kuhit = pilit. Since Nap and Jane obviously enjoy both (merit and kuhit), the race for sirit will be too close to call.
(April 3, 2005 issue)
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