Punchline
Tracking the “Lucky Bunch”
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
IT would seem that the lucky brand-new-SUV riding board members of the province are in for a rough and bumpy ride in the weeks ahead.
The province’s 300% hike in property tax approved by the “Lucky Bunch” last year will certainly force many Pangasinenses to postpone any plan to buy their own brand new SUVs.
I can imagine the aggrieved small landowners’ teeth grating and grinding while the “Lucky Bunch” zoom past their houses in their spanking brand new SUVs courtesy of their taxes.
And they have every reason to feel aggrieved, insulted and exploited. While the insensitive “Lucky Bunch” have the temerity to tell their constituents to dig deeper into their savings accounts to pay more taxes, they justify the imposition of the 300% increase as if the country is not reeling under a continued economic crisis, aggravated today by the runaway fuel prices that impact on everything.
In the same vein, the “Lucky Bunch”, who didn’t have to shell out one centavo from their salaries for their newly-issued white Ford Everest vans, feel well justified in receiving one using the taxpayers’ money because they worked hard. “Working hard” included the crafting of the tax ordinance that was guaranteed to choke a hapless landowner. Ouch!
And while their constituents cut down on their trips owing to rising fuel prices, the “Lucky Bunch” can go their merry ways using gas allowances courtesy of the exploited taxpayers. Even their “Lucky Bunch’s” drivers’ salaries are charged to the taxpayers. Ouch, ouch!
And here’s the rub, rubbing rock salt to the emotional injury, BM Alfie Bince insists the imposition should not be postponed!
What’s happening to our once people-friendly politicos Alfie and the rest of the Bunch? No more shame and unfeeling already?
* * * * *
OPLAN LUCKY BUNCH. Here’s an important announcement for all anti-graft advocates! Always be ready with your cellphone-cum-camera and be on the lookout for white Ford Everest units model 2011 bearing a board member or members of his family.
PUNCH is offering to pay P100 to anyone without questions asked, for a clear picture of any of the board members’ white Ford Everest (showing the plate number) clearly parked (indicating time and date) in front of a market, church, mall, bar, restaurant, massage parlor, school, etc. or any area where a board member cannot possibly claim to be on official business, and P500 if the face of the board member is in it. (A photo-shopped picture, of course, is unacceptable).
Email your picture to punch.sunday@gmail.com and we’ll make arrangements for the money to get to you. So have fun tracking down our “Lucky Bunch”!
P.S. This is a serious offer.
* * * * *
SLEEPLESS IN DAGUPAN. There’s a special mission for the Department of Trade and Industry personnel in the province as directed by their bosses in Manila.
The DTI recently warned businessmen and traders who are prone to overprice their goods in their outlets. It said anyone caught selling overpriced food items will be charged in court and could end up in prison for 15 years and still be fined P2 million for violating R.A. 7581! And the news report said all its personnel in the country have been ordered to monitor trading activities in their respective regions.
The DTI in the city need not scour Dagupan far and wide just to spot the malefactors in the city or to get proofs of overpricing.
The Jurick General Merchandise operating in Rizal St. proudly went on record to sell evaporated milk at P53.30 when the retail price was only P22.44, not to ordinary consumers but to the city government no less! The store (reportedly owned by a Lynn Magno) gypped the city government by selling its sugar at P142.80 when the market retail price was only P63! And for reasons only known to the officers and staff at the city nutrition office, the city administrator and the members of the bids and awards committee, and yes, the city mayor, Jurick General Merchandise was paid the full overprice for 9 items last December 2010 because they said Jurick’s “canvass/bid is reasonable and advantageous to the City Government”!
Of course, “Ms. Magno” can always claim, as her defense, that it was not she but the men and women in city hall who dictated the prices since she knew there was no way she could win a bidding with those atrociously overpriced goods. She, too, can testify that she was only paid what was legitimately owed her, that she never laid a hand on the unconscionable profiteering. The only problem with that is that she incriminated herself as being part of a conspiracy to defraud the city government. She will have to explain too how she found herself bidding to supply food items that are not part of her store’s regular inventory. Since I’m not a lawyer and I don’t know whether the crime of defrauding government offers less time in prison and lesser fine, I’m afraid I can’t advise her which crime to admit to.
But one thing for sure, the successful prosecution of the case in Sandinganbayan will result in expulsion from office plus jail terms and hefty fines for those whose signatures appeared in the city hall’s transaction that allowed “Ms. Magno” to be paid “P301,756.25”. According to my city hall mole “Adonis”, the signatures of Mayor Benjamin Lim, Vladimir Mata as BAC chairman, Ildefonso Calimlim (city budget officer), Teresita Manaois (city accountant), Leah Aquino (CNAO NO. IV) the members of the Committee on Awards, namely Virgil Tangco, Eduardo Magno, Atty. Roy Laforteza and Engr. Nestor de Vera; and Maximo Alexis Tan, executive assistant III, who accepted the goods, were all over the place.
Here’s the irony of it all. For a measly P301,756.25, this case will merit the same gravity in offense similarly to one who defrauded the government some P5 million. Tsk-tsk. Some people just can’t moderate their greed. But what made the whole affair sordid and pathetic was they used the feeding program for malnourished children as the excuse to pile on an under-the-table deal. Truly shameless!
These city officials certainly have cause for worry and I can’t blame them if they begin to have sleepless nights. And poor “Ms. Magno”! Naive as she obviously was, she’s going to pay dearly for trusting the wrong guys. On the other hand, the DTI personnel can be assured of citation because their investigation can be backed by official documents.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
