IT LOOKS like acting Talisay City College (TCC) president is fighting a losing battle against the Talisay City Hall and Mayor Johnny V. de los Reyes.
The refusal of the Regional Trial Court to issue a temporary restraining (TRO) that would prevent Paulus Mariae Cañete from taking over his post does not augur well for his cause.
JVR is determined to unseat Bacaltos. I just don’t know why he insists on his method of doing it. Why won’t he ask the school’s Board of Trustees, which he heads, to convene and order Bacaltos’s replacement with Cañete? Does this mean he doesn’t have the numbers to push his scheme through?
I heard from a reliable source that Cañete has long been talking about taking over the TCC’s top post. It did seem like Bacaltos’s fate was already sealed the moment JVR assumed the post of mayor. Cañete, who is also president of his version of the Mandaue City College, is well connected with JVR and his inner circle.
What this shows is that ambition does not distinguish the abuser from the abused.
Cañete was kicked out of the Mandaue school after Mayor Jonas Cortes succeeded Thadeo Ouano, Cañete’s patron. Now he is the beneficiary of abuse of power by JVR, who succeeded Socrates Fernandez, Bacaltos’s political patron.
Cañete does not seem to see the irony.
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Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
That’s one lesson I learned from my years of participation in the struggle for social change. Guns only become deadly when in the hands of people determined to spark mayhem. They are harmless when in the hands of non-violent types.
Guns in the hands of hired killers are deadlier than those in the hands of law enforcers or even private gun owners who use these merely for defensive purposes. A determined man can kill a cal .45-toting person using only a cal .22 gun.
That’s why I don’t think that lawyers arming themselves can ensure they wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Noel Archival, who was killed by unidentified car-riding assassins who sprayed his vehicle with M-16 rifle bullets in Dalaguete town last Monday.
There are ways to evade assassination attempts other than toting guns. Lawyers can consult with experts, like law enforcers, on this. Understanding the mindset and methods of assassins can be a better option. Again, guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
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It sounds more like a boast to me. I am referring to President Noynoy Aquino’s announcement that he will visit the victims of super typhoons Pablo Mindanao) and Yolanda (Visayas) and the magnitude 7.2 earthquake (Bohol). The announcement carried with it his response to claims that Malacañang has been slow in its rehabilitation efforts.
“Maybe let’s wait for next week (when) I’ll make the rounds for Yolanda, Pablo and (the) Bohol earthquake and show you where we are. Maybe you’ll see in the visuals if it is slow or fast,” he said.
I think Bantayan in the fourth district is in his itinerary next week. Local government officials in the affected areas in northern Cebu who expressed frustration over the lack of rehab assistance from the national government should better be ready with their figures. They should give evidence about Malacañang’s failings to the President.
Tingali bayag maghilom-hilom ra mo.
I think the President will use his visits to present Malacañang’s side on post-disaster rehabilitation work. I don’t know if his presentation will be objective. It is time for the mayors to personally express their frustrations to PNoy. Kaya kaha?
(khanwens@gmail.com)