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Friday, September 23, 2005
Wenceslao: Awkward moment
By Bong O. Wenceslao
The Sept. 21 rally was supposed to be, as the political opposition warned, the biggest protest action against President Arroyo.
But like the other activities the political opposition undertook since the “Garci” tape scandal broke out, Wednesday’s affair was hot air. The most that it could muster in Makati was a crowd of what, 5,000 people?
That activity was awkward from the start. Sept. 21 was the 33rd anniversary of the infamous declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos. Meaning, the rallies were supposed to recall the dark period in our history when people’s rights were trampled upon and Marcos and his cronies plundered billions of dollars of the country’s wealth.
So how can the political opposition, a good number of whose members were beneficiaries or descendants of beneficiaries of the Marcos dictatorship, ever be honest in its protest action? And how could allies of the same political opposition hit Gloria’s supposed misrule while linking arms with the remnants of the dictatorship? Pastilan.
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How far can legislators go in exercising their power over helpless resource persons of congressional probes? I ask this question in the aftermath of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing that had National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales landing in the hospital after he was ordered detained by the senators for contempt.
We have seen senators and congressmen insult and make laughing stocks out of resource persons, especially those they didn’t like. Of course, how could one like Gonzales, who was evasive about the contract with a lobby group that he entered into? But should our senators be so rough? Or aren’t they supposed to be “honorable”?
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Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña really thinks he owns the Cebu South Coastal Road. Listen to him speak on his decision to open the road to traffic for two days in time for Pardo parish’s fiesta last Wednesday and Thursday: “I’m not considering…I’m managing the situation…I tightened down, etc.” It was always, “ako, lagi na lang ako.”
The same is true with his handling of the South Reclamation Project. It’s not about what Cebu City wants for that land; it’s about what Osmeña wants to do with it. He even promises to give chunks of it for free—to Cordova, to a foreign investor, etc. So don’t rename the area into the South Road Properties. Just call it Tomas Osmeña Land.
TEXTREAX. This one is from Joseph Libres, former teammate of my cousin Nigel Wenceslao in the USJ-R football team: “I agree with you, Bong. Life indeed is about truth and not about egos. Repentance can only be realized by a sincere change of heart, or we can’t overcome a world where truth is swept under the rug.”
(khanwens@yahoo.com/0927-2055064)
(September 23, 2005 issue)
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