Punchline
Another lasting legacy for Guv Spines?
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
COMELEC’S Atty. Reddy Balarbar and civic and professional groups in the province can learn a lesson or two from their counterparts in Cebu City on how to stop the wanton political vandalism in our towns and cities.
The Commission on Elections in Central Visayas, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City chapter, Global Legal Action on Climate Change, the Cebu Lady Lawyers Association, Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas , Dilaab Foundation, University of Cebu (UC) College of Law and University of Cebu Council of Presidents (UCCP) banded together to engage the candidates and their ‘posterers’ not only in the streets but in the courts and in the media.
The Department of Public Works and Highways in Central Visayas has deployed dump trucks to provide daily rear action, picking up posters ripped from trees, electric posts, walls, bridges, cables etc. by the group’s volunteers.
A squad of police officers from the Cebu City Police Office are taking part in the daily clearing activity on orders from the police regional office.
The Cebuanos have had it with the indiscriminate posting of campaign materials by both national and prospective local candidates. They agreed to act because the continued defiance by the candidates and their ‘posterers’ is promoting “callous disrespect of the laws, destroys the environment… it should stop!” They couldn’t have articulated it better.
Unlike the limited efforts being undertaken in the province, the Cebuanos have agreed to go beyond chasing ‘posterers’, tearing down the posters and illegal billboards. They will evaluate the violations of the candidates and will file formal complaints with the city prosecutor’s office for violating not only Comelec laws but local ordinances on vandalism, public nuisance and protection of environment.
“It’s a lesson for the candidates that as leaders they have to ensure that rules are followed and they must know how to follow it as well,” a participating lady lawyer said.
The KBP chapter, on the hand, pledged to support the civic movement by reporting regularly the names of candidates whose posters and campaign materials have been removed for violating Comelec rules and ordinances. The groups determined that a daily broadcast of names in the groups’ ‘pasaway’ list will make voters remember which candidates are law-abiding and which ones habitually flout the law, and, therefore, do not deserve to be voted upon.
You have to hand it to the Cebuanos…they know how to do things right and well.
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This leads me to a proposition for Guv Spines, he who takes pride in his successful tourism, health and agri programs that truly made a difference.
Can the people interest him in becoming to be known as the only governor in the country who strictly enforced the Comelec rule on postering, who kept Pangasinan clean and clear of political vandalism throughout the campaign period, who effectively organized a civic-government movement to protect the province against environmental degradation over the same period?
While he has since publicly declared his support for the Comelec’s intent to enforce the rule, he was not taken seriously since politicos’ words are normally cheap. To be believed, Guv Spines must walk the talk all the way.
To launch it, I surmise that the first step would be for him to issue an executive order to all mayors and barangay kapitans directing them to organize and mobilize a movement in the community level, involving civic, professional and youth groups to be led by the local Comelec official, whose tasks primarily are to strictly enforce the Comelec rule on postering, to help establish common poster areas in all barangays, organize forums for candidates, and file appropriate cases in courts and Comelec. The police and local engineering office and kapitans should represent the local government unit in the movement. In the same order, Guv Spines can enjoin members of local media to support the movement.
If Guv Spines succeeds, he will surely have a legacy that will long be remembered by future generations across the country. Would he be interested? Hmmmm.
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PRIVATE ARMIES ON THE SPOT. First District Congressman Art Celeste did the right thing to protect his and the family’s honor – to sue P/Supt. Romeo Caramat for libel. But this is neither to prejudge and indict the police officer who may have been true to his duty, nor to conclude that the congressman is not guilty as reported.
By bringing the case to court, there will certainly be lessons to be learned by both the politicos and the law enforcement agents. The politicos will either learn that truth will be out sooner or later and all pretenses will be exposed or will think twice before co-opting a law enforcement agency for a personal political agenda. On the other hand, the law enforcers would learn that leaking a raw information or a speculation about a criminal activity of a politician is a risky affair that can derail their career or would learn to finally stand up to politicians who grandstand and give barefaced lies.
If Mr. Caramat does not have his evidence, he should promptly apologize and be booted out to another province, if not resign his position altogether for embarrassing the provincial police for his indiscretion and highly questionable judgment as a police officer. He should also confess who his co-conspirators are in this dirty political game he played on the congressman.
However, if Mr. Caramat is dead certain about his sources and confident about the intelligence work he did, he should remain steadfast, talk less to media, go full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes! Bury all the private armies for good. He will have the prayers and support of the communities who have been long held hostage by politicos’ private armies.
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CONDOLENCE. We bid goodbye to Father Roy Villamil, a well-loved and respected priest, who belonged to one of Dagupan City’s old prominent families. He could have enjoyed a princely life but he chose to shun it and serve the Lord’s mission with humility. I pray for more men with such vocation to come forward to take his place.
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