Punchline
Jailing the mayors
GUV Spines and the mayors whose towns operate open dumpsites, heads up!
Given the recent jurisprudence on environmental laws, you are likely next to be cited in court for your continued failure to enforce and implement the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003).
The jurisprudence I refer to is the landmark case filed and won by Atty. Antonio Oposa (Concerned Citizens of Manila Bay vs. MMDA, and 11 other national agencies) in 1999 before the Supreme Court. Initially, the government and prominent lawyers considered it a nuisance case, and Oposa as “insane”. Little did the government realize that both the Supreme Court and Oposa were dead serious about enforcement of the laws on environment. The law invoked was only the Philippine Environmental Code (P.D. 1152 of 1977)!
And being the “insane” who takes on the government and the law enforcement seriously, Atty. Oposa returned to the Supreme Court and cited the heads of nine nonperforming agencies, those who failed to comply with the Supreme Court decision directing them to present their programs to clean up Manila Bay, for contempt. This time, nobody in government laughed it off and instead the agencies scrambled to make their defense. Even Malacañang thought it was necessary to serve its own official reminder to the agencies concerned.
So what’s the relevance of this to our local government leaders, you ask. A lot.
Atty. Oposa and his Batas Kalikasan Foundation are raring to file 200 cases in more than 80 provinces, including Pangasinan, against governors and mayors who have not complied with RA9003. To do this, he has recruited like-minded lawyers for this campaign. In case you wonder if he has enough funds to cover the costs, yes he has! Private companies have pitched in enthusiastically.
To back and sustain the gains of these legal moves, the “insane” Orosa is set to launch the “10 Million Movement”. As the name suggests, it will be about 10 million Filipinos who are committed and recruited to initiate change in their lifestyle and in their communities to preserve and improve their environment.
So what harm can they do? The target of the movement are the young and idealistic individuals (30 years old and below) across the country who would not mind being called “insane” to report and campaign against mayors and governors who refuse to reform.
In case Guv Spines and the mayors still choose to ignore this warning, it might be useful to add that the “insane 10 million” will not only want the recidivists among local government officials to be reelected but to be fined and jailed as well!
Do I hear some mayors shouting “Bring them on”? Oh, not to worry, you will get your summons soon, titled: Concerned Citizens of _____ vs. Mayor ______.
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POOR POLICE INTELLIGENCE. The Pangasinan police command obviously has not come close to eliminating the lucrative assassination trade in the province.
After the arrest of some members of the Colisao Gang last month, the police have since been stumped. Meanwhile, the armed tandem riders continue to eliminate their targets under the very noses of the cops in broad daylight.
Going after the loose firearms is a good preventive measure to minimize potential violence particularly during the campaign, but this campaign does not directly address the existence of guns-for-hire who operate in the province with impunity. Of course they use unlicensed firearms, but the assassins would just be too glad to lose them if a dragnet appears to be close by. Meanwhile, their identities are still not known.
Given the still disappointing results, the provincial PNP’s intelligence operations and funds should be looked into by the governor and the provincial board, and start demanding accountability. People are continuously being waylaid defenselessly in the streets; the lives they save may be their own or their relatives’.
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