Thursday, September 20, 2007 Espinoza: Cortes and Fortuna should break the impasse By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
MUCH had been said about the conviction of former president Joseph Estrada of the crime of plunder. Many welcome the decision while others disagree. Whatever, we should be glad the case is over and should respect the Sandiganbayan verdict.
Understandably, Erap supporters disagreed with the ruling and even questioned the wisdom of convicting him with plunder while his supposed cohorts were acquitted. The good thing is that the much ballyhooed street marches did not happen, which may have embarrassed the Arroyo administration for the “overkill” in its preparation.
Erap first made history for winning the presidency by majority vote. But he got drowned by his power and in the middle of his term was disgraced and was ousted. Now he made another history in being the first president to be convicted of plunder.
Although Erap can still file a petition with the Supreme Court for review on certiorari of the verdict, his conviction remains until the High Court reverses the Sandiganbayan decision. Prosecutors and the Sandiganbayan justices as well as lawyers for the defense deserve praise for letting the wheels of justice turn without delay.
We should now leave behind Erap’s case and go even beyond 2010 when President Arroyo will already be out of the corridor of power. Based on surveys, the perception is high that the Arroyo administration is more corrupt than that of Erap.
Estrada’s conviction is a good precedent. The question, however, is whether prosecutors and the Sandiganbayan will have the same zeal and passion in prosecuting other erring presidents in the future. *** The impasse involving Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes and city councilors on whether to buy or lease motor vehicles for the police is a disservice to their constituents. Cortes wants to buy the vehicles while the City Council led by Vice Mayor Carlo Fortuna is against it. Fortuna wants the vehicles purchased next year yet.
The stalemate has sidelined public service. The problem, I suppose, is about who calls the shots in Mandaue. It is a product of partisan politics. But there is still a ray of light at the end of the tunnel. Fortuna is not after all against the purchase, only that he wants it done next year. What is four months from now, anyway?
The problem is that nobody will give in. Fortuna perhaps feels he is right while Cortes could not, by any stretch of imagination, let the City Council dictate on him.
The police need vehicles in maintaining peace and order in the city. But leasing them for police use for four months or until January 2008 won’t make any difference.
In the interest of public welfare and order, the mayor and the vice mayor should come up with an agreeable solution to the impasse. The longer the problem is solved the more lives and properties will be placed in jeopardy.
Cortes and Fortuna should not wait for bank robbers to strike again. If that happens (God forbid), expect the mayor and the vice mayor to be blaming each other.
Meanwhile, there are other important concerns that the mayor and the City Council should address, like inefficient garbage collection and the worsening traffic situation. These problems, small as they may seem, are factors that discourage investors.
