Monday, November 13, 2006 Seares: Mike and Tomas By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
DO CEBU City Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Vice Mayor Mike Rama live in the same city?
Mike thinks the crime problem in Cebu City is serious, with 176 extra-judicial executions still not solved.
Tomas says the crime rate has gone down and residents feel they are safe.
Do they read the same crime stats or does Tomas just ask the fat cats at Casino Español while Mike checks police records and trusts the papers?
Mike summons all police station chiefs, puts them in a room, and makes them list down, like schoolboys, ways to be more efficient against crime. One does not do that unless he is convinced police performance sucks—or is Mike just another frustrated teacher?
Tomas gives the police high ratings, saying the cops catch some robbers too, never mind if not one serial assassin has been caught.
Different pictures
Tomas and Mike both work at City Hall and run the same police force, yet they see contrasting pictures: Tomas sees fine clothes on the emperor; Mike sees the emperor naked.
There’s an explanation. Tomas does not consider as crimes the murders of petty crime suspects. He thinks the executioners don’t violate the law but are meting out jungle justice.
So now what? As always, the word of Tomas prevails. Occasionally, Mike and the councilors can make little noises but those are soon muted—until, probably, the next 100 butchered bodies fall.
