Thursday, April 10, 2008 Espinoza: Senators’ uncalled for protest march By Elias L. Espinoza Free Zone
THE so called “unity walk” to the Supreme Court (SC) participated in by Sens. Alan Peter Cayetano and Noynoy Aquino the other day before the filing of a motion for reconsideration on the tribunal’s affirmation of the principle on executive privilege was uncalled for. That was downright breach of protocol.
The protest march was an attempt to bully SC justices into reconsidering their earlier ruling prohibiting the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee from asking former Neda chairman Romulo Neri about matters he discussed with President Arroyo regarding the national broadband network-ZTE deal.
No matter how Cayetano, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, would explain their act won’t erase the fact that it was unnecessary and a betrayal of their oath as legislators.
It appears that Sen. Mar Roxas is more politically mature than the rest of the opposition senators. Although not a lawyer, he supported the filing of the motion for reconsideration but was against the protest march.
Of course, we cannot deny Cayetano and Aquino their right to protest. But the good senators should know that there is no demarcation line between their being legislators and their being private citizens.
It is a shame that two members of the highest legislative body of the land turned themselves into street parliamentarians. Should we say we deserve the kind of government we have?
***
After the Municipality of Argao’s success story---free wireless Internet access in its plaza---the Province of Cebu is following suit.
Reports say that Gov. Gwen Garcia wants the entire island of Cebu connected to the Internet through WiMax or Worldwide Inter-operability for Microwave Access technology. Prosat Technologies, a Malaysian company, proposed the joint venture with the Province.
Having a high-speed broadband wireless network infrastructure in Cebu to support its future information and communication technology (ICT) needs will also improve the province’s communication system, which is important in many activities, including elections.
It is a very noble project. If the governor realizes this project before the 2010 polls, even remote barangays in the province will already have access to the Internet.
The Sugbo publication stated that one of the goals of the Provincial Government is to bring ICT to the towns. This would make the province the first in the country to go wireless.
Making the province wireless will change the sad reality that only 42 percent of high schools in the province have Internet connection. Most Internet service providers look for commercial viability.
About three or fours years ago, Cebu would have been the first to use Wimax had the project of former Telof (Telecommunication Office) commissioner Bert Emphasis pushed through.
Cebu City would have been the pilot for the Wimax project with interlink-connections to Zamboanga. But due to the interference of some vested interests, the Telof contract with a Singaporean telecommunication firm was scuttled.
I know every detail of that contract, which was signed at the Marriott Hotel after a simple ceremony, because I prepared and notarized all the documents. It was the best deal this government could ever have had.
It was a huge opportunity that government lost considering that the project was under a build-operate-transfer scheme.
