Wednesday, October 17, 2007 ‘How about us, a small province?’
FOR one governor, the question isn’t why Malacañang allegedly gave away money to members of Congress and some governors during a meeting. Rather, it’s: Why didn’t I get anything for my province?
Siquijor Gov. Orlando Fua Jr. vowed to raise during the next meeting of the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) what he considers an “apparent discrimination” against Siquijor.
“There is no valid reason why there has been discrimination. I’ll raise an issue with the league why gamay ra gitagaan, ngano wa na man lamang gitagaan ang tanan (Why didn’t the money go to everyone present?),” Fua said yesterday in an interview over dyLA.
All provinces, he pointed out, need support. Considering how small Siquijor is and the little amount that it gets as its share of the Internal Revenue Allotment, Fua said “there’s no reason why a beleaguered province should not receive the same gift also.”
He reported that his father, former governor and now Rep. Orlando Fua Sr., also did not receive any amount.
Bohol Gov. Erico Aumentado, who headed the LPP in the last term, also said he did not get any.
But for Aumentado, the issue only comes from people who would like to destroy the Arroyo administration.
Among the four Central Visayas governors, only Negros Oriental Gov. Emilio Macias III admitted he received money from Malacañang.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said she received only the cake and leather organizer during her birthday, where President Arroyo was a guest.
Before the politicians accepted anything, they should have clarified what the money was for, said Cebu Archdiocese media liaison officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay.
Desperation
“What is happening is that they are reacting to the whole situation only after they received the money. They should have made it clear first if the cash was a Christmas gift, a prize for a certain occasion, or bribe money for the upcoming barangay elections, and why it was given to them in that manner,” the monsignor told Sun.Star Cebu in a phone interview.
Before Macias, Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio earlier confirmed he received P500,000 during a meeting in Malacañang, but that he did not think it was a bribe.
Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco also previously admitted in a radio interview that he received P250,000 but, hours later, called it a joke.
Dakay said that the officials should not have accepted the money in the first place because it may have come from corrupt hands, gambling or other immoral sources.
“It (giving away money) is already a sign of desperation. It is obvious that we have a dirty government. May our political leaders follow their consciences,” said Dakay, who was also not pleased upon learning that Panlilio, a priest, accepted the cash.
Still, the monsignor stressed that the country is not hopeless.
“Hope is a virtue. When the going gets tough, we always have hope. So we must raise our arms to God and be consistent and continuous with our prayers. Bisan nagkaya-mukat ta karon (In the midst of our confusion), let us thank God. As the saying goes, it could be worse. The best is yet to come,” he said.
He added that Pope Benedict XVI himself “knows that we are in trouble, but he is hopeful.” (JPM/NRC)
