DIR. ANTONIO MOLANO. Officials of Angeles City and Magalang town are exasperated by the long overdue completion of the Angeles-Magalang road project. Mayor Ed Pamintuan has repeatedly appealed to the DPWH Secretary to intercede in the problem.
Also he has been imploring DPWH Region 3 Director Antonio Molano to compel the errant contractor to do away with, or minimize, work slippage in the construction.
Citizens’ clamour on the same impasse, including barangay officials’ outcry on Director Molano’s apathy and passive response to their collective supplications have reached a boiling point.
The city mayor whose blood pressure gets elevated every time he passes the Pandan stretch of the road was advised by his doctors not to look at the bad construction work being done willy-nilly, a sufferance he has been enduring for the past two years.
Magalang officials led by Mayor Romy Pecson also condemned the slow pace, grossly negligent and unsystematic construction work. The contractor who is reportedly a close friend of Molano and other DPWH R-3 executives is not bothered by the scandal, shame, and public anger over his failure to complete the work after prolonged deadlines.
Since a year ago I have known of the extreme aggravation caused on the people of Angeles-Magalang by the unrepentant contractor. I know of the public indignation on Director Molano who somehow has a drawer full of excuses and justification for his refusal to penalize the contractor.
Instead of endless whining, local officials should act boldly.
I have long suggested that the city council as well as Magalang municipal officials pass a resolution, respectively, declaring Director Molano a persona non grata.
When Molano retires from DPWH and continues to enjoy the fruits of his labour, the legacy of being declared an “undesireable person” in these localities will leave a bitter taste to his table. Don’t get mad, get even.
WHAT’S BEHIND AN ALIAS. Among the creatures in the animal kingdom that attracts interest is the chameleon. This lizard has the uncanny ability to adapt to its environment, escape danger, and helps it capture its prey by an instant change of colour.
It appears that the negotiator of the MILF is a person with chameleonic traits. Its chief representative to the peace talks, one Mohagher Iqbal, is a person of many names. Each alias presumably has a different objective - every act of camouflage has its specific intent.
Iqbal has taken the whole Philippine government on a ride. He has signed documents in the peace negotiations using a pseudonym, an act contrary to the law on the usage of aliases on official papers.
A whole day hearing in the House of Congress has not uncovered his real name. He justifies the use of the nom de guerre as a practice in revolutionary organizations. It is also the execrable fashion of male predators to use a false name while courting a girl.
When something goes wrong and decides to dump the girl after false promises, the maniac disappears leaving only his alias as identity. Prescient congressmen tend to believe that Iqbal owes secret allegiance to Malaysia which is brokering the peace talks.
His many aliases are a dissimulation of his real intent. When he and the other John Dos decide to evade the responsibilities and demands of the agreement, they can just drop their aliases and revert to other persona.
Our officials should be distrustful of a negotiator who treats them as playmates in a game of names. A dark agenda is hidden beneath the camouflage. Our peace panel has been duped and deceived by the MILF-BBL overture. Behind the alias and attorney-cunning of Iqbal is a glib, vain, and belligerent aggressor who is out for a conquest.
Should there be a breakdown of the peace process, with threats of violence and terrorism, Iqbal may just turn into a chameleon and masks itself under a different color.