Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Seares: ‘Christ-like’ Mayor Soc By Pachico A. Seares News Sense
TALISAY City Mayor Soc Fernandez doesn’t just eat biblical text for breakfast. He eats words from the Bible with his breakfast, lunch, supper and snacks.
Mayor Soc’s governance, people suspect, is guided more by Christ’s rhetoric than Local Government Code or administrative law provisions.
When Rep. Eddie Gullas (first district, Cebu) publicly chided the mayor and police chief Romeo Perigo for, among others, failing to check drug abuse and gambling in the city, the mayor didn’t argue.
Eddiegul’s “wake-up” alarm was even a bit delayed. Mayor Soc and his police chief had been sleeping on peace-and-order work. Even patient Job would have long lost his cool.
A radio news report said the mayor accepted “like Christ” the congressman’s reproach. You say so, Christ would have told Eddiegul.
Owning fault readily is good but what will Mayor Soc do about drug pushers and video carrera owners?
To a woman taken for adultery, Christ asked, “Where are thine accusers? Hath no man accused thee?” She said, “No man, Lord.” Neither does He condemn her, Christ said, telling her to go and sin no more.
That won’t work with drug lords and gambling operators who fight off repeated arrests with all the tricks the law provides and more.
Confusion of roles
There’s probable confusion of roles: being defender of Catholic faith and being city mayor. One can’t change robes easily, especially the heavy habit of Christ or someone Christ-like.
About those jobs the mayor is giving away at City Hall:
He’s being charitable, which would please Christ, but he also wreaks rules and prudence, which pisses off COA and his public.
