Punchline
In the spirit of Christmas
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
I was about to start pounding on my laptop’s keyboard for this issue’s “Punchline” when I caught myself just in time. I remembered that this week is start of Christmas holiday and the fiesta proper of Dagupan City’s ridiculous 31-day long fiesta!
I have to plead guilty to the fact that over the past years, I’ve always been so engrossed with political and governance issues that I always forgot to remember that I should be more tolerant as a Christian on special occasions like Easter and Christmas, to be more relevant by extolling modern day heroes when celebrating Rizal Day, National Heroes Day, Labor Day, etc., or more engaging when discussing family issues when observing Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc.
I realize I have to break this bad habit, so I’d like to start right here and now.
Hence, in this issue and in the spirit of Christmas, to be more charitable and Christian-like, I should refrain from writing about the mundane life of the corrupt, wily and deceitful public officials who would not think twice of robbing their constituents blind.
But gee, how do I do that? Ok. Let me try.
***
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not describe here how Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim succeeded again in bastardizing the system to “legitimize” the awarding of a BOT contract to Metrostate Realty Corporation, another irregular transaction he craftily plotted with known trusted allies. I will not cite here the numerous violations of law that he and his alter egos committed that Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez has fully ventilated in his blog (http://alvin.prepys.com), in the spirit of Christmas!
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not talk about the P500,000 (up from P300,000) promised (and paid?) to each of those who supported and helped cover-up the anomalous transaction for the Magsaysay Park’s “tourism project” kuno.
Above all, in the spirit of Christmas, I will not name here the person who manipulated, deceived and used his colleagues to endorse the transaction in exchange for a cool P2 million in his bank account (while others got a measly P500,000).
***
Yes, in the spirit of Christmas, I will not cite the lies and grave misrepresentation perpetrated in the city hall and in city council to cover-up the misdeeds of key Dagupan officials in pursuing the Magsaysay Park project. No, I will not call them corrupt and bigtime liars here.
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not express here my and many others’ utter disappointment on seeing how scions of prominent well-respected families in the city have allowed themselves to be party to grand plots to steal some from the city.
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not insist here that the “tourism facility” will in fact be the future site of Centromart, the department store owned by you-know- who. (No, I won’t name the owner here in the spirit of Christmas, right, Mr. Benjie?).
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not talk about the irregular procedure adopted in convening the special session of the city council ostensibly to approve the Magsaysay project, even if it has become a pattern for the city hall to ask for a special session each time an anomalous transaction of the city hall has to be “legitimized”. It would be uncharitable of me to remind readers at this time that it was the same modus operandi that led to the approval of the “Awai land deal”, the payment for the overpriced streetlights, the Malimgas market, and the dredging machine, so I won’t.
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not name here those who refused to stand up for the people as Vice Mayor Fernandez, Councilors Farah Decano, Jose Netu Tamayo and Alex de Venecia (he was absent during the special session because he received his notice 10 minutes before the scheduled meeting)) did by voting “No”!
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not name here Councilors Teofilo Guadiz III, Nicanor Aquno, Vlad Mata, Danilo Torio, Librada Reyna, Luis Samson Jr., Eric Muñoz and Charise Perez as among those who will definitely be charged before the Ombudsman by the Sinag ng Bayan Foundation for violating the anti-graft law, along with Mayor Lim, City Administrator Raffy Baraan and City Legal Officer Geraldine Baniqued for conspiring to approve the graft-tainted BOT contract in favor of Metrostate (whose directors led by Mark and Alex Siapno will likely be included in the complaint as well).
Yes, in the spirit of Christmas, the complaint will not be filed this month but in January perhaps.
***
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not describe the disgust that many felt on hearing the vintage double-speak of President Arroyo about making charter change her administration’s priority program, a week after she praised Speaker Joe de V for archiving the House resolution convening the Constituent Assembly because it was divisive.
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not detail here the embarrassment suffered by Cong. Mikey Arroyo in the hands of Cong. Alan Cayetano who single-handedly made mincemeat of the neophyte congressman during the ethics committee hearing last week on the expulsion case filed by the Arroyo Machos against him, even if it became evident that the Arroyo Machos were clearly resorting to the same pattern that conveniently got them off the hook when the Jose Pidal case exploded in their faces. (By the way, Cong. Alan will be in Dagupan, in the spirit of Christmas, on the 27th for the Barangay Night, courtesy of my friend Mayor Benjie! Watch him and you will understand why he is topping the surveys among would-be neophyte senators in 2007).
In the spirit of Christmas, I will not elucidate on the prayers on many Pangasinenses’ lips (except perhaps members of Biskeg) that Speaker Joe de V who will be celebrating his birthday on the 26th , will soon stop talking about charter change like a permanent appendage to Mrs. Arroyo.
***
Wphew am I glad that we only celebrate one Christmas every year. I don’t think I can write another column like this, to write like I am in a complete state of denial.
But truthfully and sincerely, in the spirit of Christmas, I wish all the city officials of Dagupan, Mrs. Arroyo and her Arroyo Machos, and Speaker Joe de V, joyous moments with their families during the holiday season!
There, that should do it for the Christmas spirit. (I think writing on Valentine’s Day can be more fun. “In the spirit of lusty love, I will not name the lady who gave….) Oooops!
Merry Christmas, Punchers!
(For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/)
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