Monday, April 07, 2008 Mongaya: Busting cell sites and kuryente issues By Anol Mongaya
GLOBE Telecom acknowledged the continued attacks on its cell sites by the rebel movement during the press conference right after the company’s stockholders’ meeting last week in Makati City.
In a huddle with Cebu journalists, Globe VP for corporate affairs Rudy Salalima acknowledged the success of a Globe Telecom corporate social responsibility project called “Bridging Communities.” The project that involved helping communities living around Globe cell sites had contributed to the reduction of attacks on key facilities, he said.
I think Globe Telecom should pursue helping communities even when the areas are identified as rebel-infested. In the long run, this will go a long way in establishing goodwill at the grassroots.
***
I just arrived from Manila when the Cebu port grapevine buzzed loudly about the NBI agent who caused the kuryente that enraged Malacañang over the NBI-NFA raid on a legitimate rice shipment of the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC).
Earlier, this agent already knew the shipment the joint NBI-NFA team was about to raid had complete papers. However, he refused to believe and led the raiding team into a major blunder that many now compare in terms of embarrassment to that unfortunate Plantation Bay fiasco years ago.
That very afternoon when news of GMA’s rage bannered in a rival paper, emissaries of the said agent began calling friends of Regan King asking for an apology and promising to issue an affidavit that he was mistaken. A former NBI 7 director even flew to Cebu just to help iron out the kinks last Friday.
According to my coffee mates Saturday afternoon, the Kings refused to talk about the apology offer but just wanted to get the record straight despite the damage the agent wrought on their shipment and name.
In their assessment, they just wanted the officials of the PITC and the farmers cooperative to say the final word on who is really telling the truth.
Meanwhile, my sources at the office of Customs District Collector Ricardo Belmonte said they won’t go after the heads of the NBI who stepped on customs territory. They just also want to set the record straight. “Mga kaibigan natin ang mga yan,” said my source.
That should have been the end of the story. The Kings were apparently wrong. Despite the apology feelers starting Friday, the NBI came out lashing yesterday at people the Kings approached for help. The NBI is insisting after all on its flimsy excuse for the raid.
From where I sit, I think the NBI is banking on Judge Fortunato de Gracia supporting its position. It expects him to follow the footsteps of Judge Ireneo Gako. The Supreme Court slapped Judge Gako a three-month suspension without pay for “gross ignorance of the law” when he ruled on another controversial rice shipment already under customs jurisdiction way back in 2000.
***
Don’t count the Cuencos out in the 2010 race at Cebu City’s second district. Note how active his nephew Dodo was in getting Congress to go against car smuggling. He could decide to pursue the cause with himself as congressman in lieu of his outgoing uncle. Rep. Tony Cuenco meanwhile has devoted himself to studying the Spratley issue and our borders in preparation for a privilege speech.
(Check out my blog “In Between Columns” at anol.blogs.friendster.com/anols_blog)
