Monday, January 05, 2009 Nalzaro: Reacting to Saavedra’s reaction By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
I AM writing this column against the advice of some of my fellow Sun.Star columnists who, during a gathering over the weekend, advised me not to react anymore to the reaction of businessman and self-styled anti-graft crusader Crisologo Saavedra, which was published in the Talkback section last Saturday.
They said I am just wasting my space here if I react to the points raised by Saavedra as a response to the series of articles I wrote about him.
You see there is no need for Congress to legislate the right to reply because we at Sun.Star are already exercising the right to reply. But I am afraid that Saavedra will still react to this column and the matter will just go on and on and on. So this will be my last column about him, or until other issues involving him crop up. Then again I might write about him if I see him on television or in the newspaper with a full set of hair. And I am sure he will like that because the guy is publicity-conscious.
In his reaction, Saavedra raised seven points which I will now counter:
1. He said he never hated a person who makes bad commentaries about him because people are entitled to their own opinion and it is possible some of them were paid by his detractors. Well, I don’t want to dignify this statement because this is only an insinuation, unless he names names. The problem with this guy is that he cannot take negative comments. He just jumps into conclusions that his enemies are paying whoever crosses his path. If I am Cris’ enemy I don’t need to pay somebody to destroy him. He is the one destroying himself. Are his detractors paying Sir Bobit Avila of the Freeman and radio dyHP commentator Ruphil Bañoc to criticize him?
2. He admitted that his company participated in the bidding of the spy camera for the Asean summit. He claimed he was the lowest bidder, and was thus awarded the contract. But his equipment was not accepted because he refused to give in to the demand of 15 percent as advance commission of allegedly corrupt DPWH officials. Oh, come on Cris. As if you were born yesterday in dealings with government agencies. You mean that in your previous transactions with the government, you did not give the project implementor a commission? Bravo then, if that was the case. We definitely need somebody like you. But the truth of the matter was that your equipment was not accepted because it did not follow the exact specification. You are just sourgraping.
3. Who said the ombudsman cleared Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza and his engineers on the lampposts anomalies? Granting that Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue City officials were not involved in the collusion and overpricing of the lampposts, why did you issue favorable comments on Radaza and yet continue to pin down Teddy Ouano? For me, both officials should be condemned because they committed the same offense. You also filed cases against airport officials, Danilo Francia and Romeo Bersonda, whom you claimed are your friends. The truth is that you legally harassed them because you are already blacklisted from participating in any airport project.
4. On Secretary Cerge Remonde’s lavish birthday party. I am not Cerge’s spokesman or an apologist. We are just friends. But this is my advice to Cris. Don’t poke your nose on nonsense issues to protect your credibility and integrity. He misunderstood my advice. If Cerge violated the anti-graft law for accepting donations and gifts during his birthday, then so be it. But this is a nonsense issue. All government officials are guilty of this practice.
Don’t tell me you have not given any gifts or tokens to your friends in the government during their birthdays and during special occasion. And don’t tell you also did not get any gifts from the same people during your own special occasion. Let us not be hypocrites, Mr. Saavedra. Gifts during special occasions are welcome as long as these were not solicited or demanded.
If you want to file a case against Cerge, then include me as principal by direct participation and all of his visitors like Acting Mayor Mike Rama, Gov. Gwen Garcia, Councilor Jack Jakosalem, some barangay captains and municipal officials and members of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, now headed by Aksyon Radyo station manager Carlo Duga-Duga, who held their induction during Cerge’s birthday party.
5. On Radaza’s computer scam. Senyor Cris my source is very credible, although he asked me not to identify him. I think you know him because you approached him several times and you volunteered to file the case against Radaza provided you were in the frontline and you demanded a contingency fund. Is that extortion?
6. On the proposal to install spy cameras at Cebu ports. My source is an insider from the Cebu Port Authority. Funds are already available for the project. But they scrapped the project when they learned you participated in the bidding. They foresaw a legal implication in the event you would lose again in the bidding.
7. On Mayor Tomas Osmeña’s special occasion. Why are you selective in your crusade? You criticized Cerge for hosting a lavish party and yet you cleared your friend Tommy. There were also “truckloads” of lechons during Tomas’ birthday party last July held at the Exhibit Hall at SM. Don’t tell me the mayor ordered all those lechons? Actually the lechons came from the mayor’s well-meaning friends.
Don’t worry Senyor Cris. Tell me when your birthday is and I will also donate one lechon. Aquil lechon estaba na Rio Hondo alla na Zamboanga City. Ta entiende tamin tu Senyor Cris? You owe me a lot. I am making you popular.
