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Thursday, August 03, 2006
Ledesma: Born to yak and not to act
By Jun Ledesma
Sunbursts
IT'S pitiable how our Senate acts and contemptible when it does. This I see at a time when crises besiege our countrymen -- the OFW -- in so faraway land.
Trapped by hostilities in Lebanon and poverty at home, our politicians would rather prattle and debate and watch where the palace fails than do their own act to aid like a simple courage of parting with a tenth of their pork barrel.
Where's the fund? I think the better question to ask is: "Where was Ambassador Bitchara when our OFWs were scampering for safety?" I have been glued on TV watching ABS-CBN anchormen and dzRH Joe Taruc interviewing not a few OFWs.
The common complain was their inability to talk to our embassy officials in Lebanon. Thus we saw them instead trooping to Fr. Advincula and sought shelter in the Church of Miraculous Medal.
The admirable priest singularly came to their aid, look for others who are too scared to walk to the church.
At those instances, we have not heard of an Ambassador Bitchara. Even when Special Envoy Cimatu started to ferry out those OFWs there was no mention of an RP Ambassador to Lebanon.
When, in the long and aching wait he did, Bitchara was complaining louder than the bombs from Israeli planes and katusha rockets of the Hezbollah about not receiving money from Malacañang to spend for his evacuation plan. And to whom was he airing his plaint? To Senator Joker Arroyo, a fellow Bicolano who was just too eager to air his plaint to the media.
It turned out Bitchara griped first before even checking with the embassy staff whether emergency funds were remitted to them.
But already, the Senate went to town barking where the P8 billion Owwa fund went to. The usual slant was that it was spent to buy votes and generals for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Jinggoy wants a Senate investigation. To add spice to the broth Senator Franklin Drilon put in the Garci plan to run for an elective post.
As they plot for another shame campaign against Arroyo, we witness the arrival of OFWs from every plane that land at Naia from Damascus.
Some people out there in the war arena are working day and night to rescue our fellowmen from the barrage of bombs and rockets while Ambassador Francis Bitchara was looking for money, which was just in their vault!
How can the Senate not act on their own to help the OFWs? Did I ever hear someone say in the usual Senator's penchant for slur: "While Malacañang is scrounging for whatever is left of the Owwa funds from the last elections, I am authorizing the release of P100 million from my P200 million pork barrel."
Ah, but then that's asking for the moon. Congressmen are not expected to do that because that is one act that will reap a lot of praise but not the usual... you know what.
BTW, Kudos to the Philippine National Red Cross for their continuing campaign for blood donation. PNRC Chairman, Tony Uy, and the members of the board of directors are doing a thankless job in promoting the blood donor concepts among the youths. Be a donor too, you will never know when you need PNRC.
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (August 3, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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