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Thursday, September 22, 2005
Espinoza: Too much politics
By Elias L. Espinoza
BONUS? So, the pro-Arroyo legislators were given a treat in the United States after they “murdered” (if I may borrow the language of fellow lawyer Kit Enriquez) the impeachment complaint against the president?
Of course not, said Rep. Raul del Mar (Cebu City, north). Del Mar even dubbed as “tinonto” (stupidity) the accusation against the administration legislators who went with President Arroyo to the United Nations (UN) in New York.
The presence of the legislators at the UN was perhaps required to show support for the beleaguered president. The number of legislators attending the UN session, which Arroyo presided over, was a huge expense to the government.
Del Mar’s claim that those who attended the UN session paid for their travel leaves so much to be desired. While I am not saying that del Mar lied, experience tells us that the government always shoulders the travel expenses of officials and dignitaries.
Consider that the Office of the President has an allocation of P2.062 billion in confidential and intelligence funds. I am not suggesting that these funds were used in the last presidential crisis or in the officials’ trip to the UN.
The revelation of Sen. Ralph Recto is not only shocking, but also an insult to Filipinos, particularly the poorest of the poor. Imagine, the president can dangle those billions of pesos without being accounted for.
For a government that is almost buried neck-deep in international debts, it is simply dismal to see those legislators, not to mention the staff and minions of the president, whiling away their time in a very expensive place like New York.
Well, this is not unusual. In a country where government officials pay more attention to politics than public service, what we’ve just witnessed is just ordinary.
It is almost an everyday event to them. It is like a “scratch-my-back, I’ll-scratch- your-back” thing. Too much politics in our government system is putting us down. We’re moving backwards.
VIGILANTES. Is the recent attempt to shoot and kill two jeepney conductors an indication that the past vigilante-style murders were not the handiwork of police officer Adonis Dumpit?
Dumpit, who was suspended from the PNP because of a shooting incident, has been tagged in the series of killings of criminals in Metro Cebu.
In fact, Dumpit’s absence raised suspicions that he was hit with a bullet from the gun of a toughie, who fired back after some vigilantes tried to finish him off.
Dumpit is allegedly in Davao Oriental, spending his time with his parents. Police officials denied that a bullet hit him.
Last Sunday’s shooting incident, however, showed that the supposed vigilantes are not adept in the use of handguns, after all. Perhaps, they’re still novice in the job.
(September 22, 2005 issue)
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