Thursday, October 19, 2006 Wenceslao: There they go again By Bong Wenceslao Candid Thoughts
Makati mayor Jejomar Binay was wearing a military jacket with rank of colonel on his nameplate when his comrades in the political opposition started filtering in from every nook and cranny of Metro Manila last Tuesday. The Arroyo government had just ordered him and the other Makati officials suspended. Binay refused to vacate his post.
So there they go again. Former president Corazon Aquino, in her usual yellow dress, announced her support for the beleaguered mayor. Former president Erap Estrada, Fernando Poe’s widow Susan Roces and even former first lady Imelda Marcos also did their thing. It did not take long for the usual throng to “defend” the Makati City Hall.
But I agree with Binay. There is a dose of political persecution in the haste with which Interior and Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno issued the suspension order and the taking over of a caretaker mayor. And that is precisely the reason why President Arroyo appointed Puno to the post: to be her tirador as the 2007 election nears.
Still, Binay could not deny the fact that he provided the Arroyo government with ammunition to shoot him with that suspension order. Before ranting about political persecution, he should first answer the allegation of spending millions of pesos for ghost employees. There is a complainant and there is a complaint. He should not be evasive.
Meanwhile, isn’t Binay’s actuation no different from that of Arroyo when charges were also hurled against her? Holding on to power by all means is really the affliction of politicians, whether you are a mayor or a president. Now we know that the shoe also fits the opposition. When you are in a glass house, you shouldn’t throw stones at people.
If the political opposition is dreaming of using Binay’s woes as an issue to spark a people power revolt, they should wake up.
For starters, Binay again wearing the “Rambotito” role is already a turnoff. You can’t play a martyr and walk with Rambo’s swagger at the same time.
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I was among those who hailed Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia’s speech in the gathering of Human Life International. I share her view that people are not the source of the scarcity if resources but are resources themselves. This is one point that is often lost on people who are promoting population control. And only few officials subscribe to it.
But reader Tony Padua (tonyboy92002@yahoo.com) e-mailed to me his disagreement. Here’s a portion of his letter:
“In my humble opinion, the lady (governor) has the right stuff. She has, for example, laid her reputation on the line when she said that the Cebu International Convention Center will be ready for the Asean summit. She is putting her money where her mouth is, and I like that.
“But her talk about population control will surely come back to haunt her. Her position is that overpopulation in Cebu is not the problem and is not holding back progress. I think she is wrong. When stuffs like this come out in the press, reputations will not go unharmed.”
