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Monday, April 25, 2005
Mongaya: Where was Bibit?
By ANOL MONGAYA
MANY customs officials in Manila were asking where former Cebu district collector Billy Bibit was last Thursday and Friday. According to the grapevine in the Manila office, Bibit had returned to Quezon City. Meanwhile, Customs Commissioner Bert Lina was in Cebu reportedly with two former RAM officers.
This developed after Commissioner Lina named erstwhile deputy collector Roger Lim acting district collector without issuing an explicit relief order to Collector Bibit.
They were primarily concerned about Bibit’s reaction. Would the former rebel leader, who brought along a group of some 40 supporters when he ruled the customs office with an iron hand, take his relief gracefully? Or would he do what he did years ago when he was transferred from Subic the first time?
An informant, however, told me that I should ask acting District Collector Roger Lim and Bibit’s man and customs legal officer Edward Dy Buco. The two reportedly had a meeting with Bibit at the White Gold House here in Cebu last Friday evening.
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A Bibit supporter now assigned at the Manila customs office lamented that the former district collector’s key men already knew about the lack of civil service eligibility of their boss when he was still new in Cebu some two years ago. However, they just shrugged off the problem then.
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Customs insiders consider acting District Collector Lim, being retirable, as a transition after Bibit. Who would eventually be named district collector?
One strong contender, who was endorsed by two powerful Cebu politicians, reportedly declined because of an existing equally challenging task. An official identified with a Palace kingmaker backs another possible bet. Here in Cebu, many are rooting for the return of Collector John Tan who ran the local bureau well during his stint and Cebu customs intelligence chief Koko Holganza.
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With Sun.Star Cebu already placed in the Hall of Fame of the Annual Community Press Awards, it is now the turn of Sun.Star Davao’s star to shine brightly. Our sister publication won three prestigious awards given by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Philippine Press Institute: the Best Edited Paper, Best in Photojournalism and Best in Business and Economic reporting.
The Sun.Star Davao Weekend also bagged the Best Editorial Page in the weekly category.
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The network wars will further intensify as May 1 approaches. I am afraid that the attention of Cebuanos will be drawn away from pressing labor concerns on Labor Day. On this day, a host of showbiz artistas and celebrities identified with ASAP of ABS-CBN and SOP of GMA 7 will try to outdo each other in wooing Cebuanos.
In preparation, both networks have been courting the local print media in the past few weeks. As far as Sun.Star is concerned, GMA 7 made the first moves. However, ABS-CBN raised the ante by bringing local entertainment writers to a tour in Manila.
(superbalita@sunstar.com.ph or anol_cebu@hotmail.com. cell: 09179761193)
(April 25, 2005 issue)
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