Indictment

 

WITHOUT a doubt, the decision of the Ombudsman to indict Pangasinan officials led by Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, raised a lot of eyebrows not only among the named 15 defendants but Pangasinenses following the developments in the investigation of the controversial alleged black sand mining.

The reasons listed were so specific that some directly contradicted what were reported in the local media during the series of hearings and investigations by government agencies.

The almost spontaneous reaction of one of the complainants to belie the claim of the Ombudsman that someone benefitted from the export sale of the extracted black sand to China, further confused us. So who told what, where, how and why that led the Ombudsman to decide there is probable cause for the indictment of Gov. Espino et al?

The indictment is now in the hands of the Sandiganbayan. One can only wonder whether the government agencies concerned will appear as witness for the government or as hostile witnesses for the respondents since there have been claims of clearances and endorsements issued by these agencies.

Whatever and however the process will proceed, a clear collateral damage is the suspension if not the total withdrawal of the program to develop the eco-tourism zone in Pangasinan, a project that could boost tourism revenues and create jobs.

Meanwhile, all that can be done today is to wait and see how many more collateral damages to the province will be counted.

 

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Poe’s point

 

ONLY recently, we reached 100 million.  Of that number, 9.3 million families are “food-poor,” 7.36 million children below the age of 5 are malnourished and an overall total of 15 million children are malnourished.  These are data exposed by Sen. Grace Poe, citing figures from the Social Weather Stations, 8th National Nutrition Survey and Food and Agriculture Organization.

Where is economic growth there as continuously bandied about by President Aquino?  How can there be prosperity when millions are hungry, malnourished?  Listen to Poe:  “Hunger in this supposed time of economic growth is the paradox of our times.  This is a country where skinny street kids share one bowl of instant noodles under the foot of neon ads selling liposuction for the obese.  This is a country where there is a fried or roasted chicken stand in every corner but the bestsellers in the slums do not come in buckets but out of garbage cans.”

Need we say more?

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