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Thursday, November 24, 2005
Espinosa: Pe as police chief
By Elias L. Espinoza
IT’s not surprising for Cebu City Councilor Augustus Pe, Jr. to like surveillance work. His surname says it all. Did you know that PE could also stand for “private eye”?
I was told that Councilor Pe even volunteered to his boss, Mayor Tomas Osmeña, to be the chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs so he has reason to loiter in disco pubs even until the wee hours of the night.
And it was only natural for Mayor Osmeña to defend Councilor Pe, he being his drinking buddy. My private eye (not Pe) told me both love the spirit of whisky, especially JWB.
Maybe the public and my media colleagues mistakenly judged Councilor Pe. He should be commended and not condemned for proudly, if not arrogantly, saying that the work of a councilor does not end at 5 p.m.
Going out at night is a big sacrifice for the councilor. His wife and children have to go through nights without him at home. Besides, bar hopping to “monitor” the activities of suspected illegal drug traders jeopardizes his life..
The problem with Councilor Pe’s supposed monitoring job in his favorite watering hole is that he used a marked vehicle issued to him by the City Government. And illegal drug traders are not that stupid to transact business in the presence of the councilor Pe and his entourage of policemen.
Sorry, Honorable Pe, but we are not that naïve not to know your real purpose in hanging around in disco bars. Don’t forget that receiving free drinks is an offense under the Anti-Graft Law.
Since Councilor Pe loves police work, the mayor should appoint him city police chief in place of Supt. Melvin Gayotin. With the problems in the city, I suppose Gayotin would be more than happy to relinquish his job to Pe.
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The Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas should take Mayor Osmeña’s challenge for critics to file a case against him for drinking in a nightclub. Here is one elected official who thinks he is the law, if not god, in Cebu City. His dare was like a slap on the Ombudsman.
The Office of the Ombudsman does not need a complainant to conduct an inquiry on Osmeña’s conduct and his admission that he drinks at night in a disco bar. Who would believe the mayor would pay for his drinks in any disco bar in Cebu City that he would visit? Granting that he pays, would bar owners accept it?
So, Madam Virgie Santiago, the ball is now in your court.
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There are days that even during off-peak hours traffic in Lapu-Lapu City is bad. Mayor Arturo Radaza should hire a competent traffic chief.
Also, the city needs more trained traffic enforcers that not only direct traffic but also enforce traffic ordinances without letup. One of the factors that cause congestion in the city’s streets is lackadaisical enforcement of traffic laws that breed abusive drivers.
Sunday, or the day before the fiesta, traffic in the city’s hub was at a standstill prompting some motorists to leave their cars and walk to their destination. Of course, the volume of traffic during the fiesta was understandable. But this should not be reason for the City Government not to act on this problem.
(November 24, 2005 issue)
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