Punchline
They will be sued
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
NOT a few have asked me these questions in reaction to the series of news reports about discovered anomalies in the Dagupan City government under the Lim administration that The PUNCH published: “So what now? Why isn’t anyone being sued?” “Why still report these when no one is suing anyway?” “Takot ba si Mayor Belen lumaban kay Mayor Lim?”
Admittedly, we have not reported anyone being sued or anyone suing those who abused their political authority and misused public funds. Why? Because there has been none. We only report what is before us. So far, we have reported only the two cases filed by Mr. Leo Angeles vs. former Mayor Benjamin Lim before the Ombudsman. One was about the lost 30-hectare land in San Jacinto and the other was about illegal disbursement of calamity fund. Those remain pending.
What an impatient public perceives mistakenly is that when corruption cases are discovered, legal complaints can be filed instantly, and perpetrators are promptly hauled to jail. Frankly, like them, I wish that were or could be the case but it cannot happen that way. It takes time to gather incontrovertible pieces of evidence, testimonies of witnesses, etc. before a case can be filed. Besides, having been in office for only a month, cases cannot be expected to be filed just as fast.
So what’s going to happen? I believe cases will be filed against the corrupt officials. Mayor Belen Fernandez has repeatedly said so on many occasions. I do know that further investigations of the reported cases are ongoing and witnesses are already being lined up. But who will file? Let’s wait.
What is certain today is that the persons and groups whose hands were caught dipping in the cookie jar are now on notice. Depending on the weight of the evidence gathered and the gravity of the offense, they will be sued in time. All I know is: Tapos na ang masasayang araw nila! That’s how I read the mayor’s lips.
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WATCH THIS OMBUDSMAN. The PUNCH regularly receives news reports from the Office of the Ombudsman citing results of its investigations and filing of cases before the Sandiganbayan.
It is gratifying to know that more cases are finally reaching the Sandiganbayan but even more interesting are the lists of “who’s who” being impleaded by the Ombudsman. For this alone, I know the best interests of the Filipino are finally being served today by the Ombudsman. Who would have thought, for instance, that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales would actually file cases against former officials of her office? She recently ordered the filing of cases against former Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Mark Jalandoni, former Assistant Ombudsman Nennette De Padua, and former Executive Assistant Rosalyn D. Martinez for tampering with official documents.
Are we finally seeing hope for good governance? I’d like to believe so.
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OPE AT THE HELM. The news about the creation of the Federation of Dagupan NGOs to be led by Atty. Ope Reyna is another welcome development in the city.
His brand of leadership easily earns the respect of his peers and that’s because he prizes integrity and honor above all. (Take note, Councilor Karlos Reyna). For instance, nobody had expected him to speak out against former Mayor Benjie Lim, a close friend and business associate, in the last elections but he did. He believed the city did not deserve BSL as the city’s mayor for another term, and he stood up to be counted.
In a brief talk with him, he gave me a sense of what can be expected of him while at the helm. He said that while he did not expect to be called on to lead such a prestigious group of community leaders, he will certainly try to make a difference for the group. First of all, he said the group will not be a rubber stamp for the Fernandez administration and it will diligently study and vote on development projects for the city. “We will not be like the council that worked with Mayor Lim, that promptly approved everything routinely and on cue, ” he intoned.
Then, if warranted, he said he will not hesitate to lead the group in filing cases before the Ombudsman against erring public officials who violated the NGOs’ and the civil society’s trust.
“Our members are doing public service as a matter of duty and responsibility to the community, never for pecuniary interests so they expect government officials they work with to match their commitment by being honest,” was how he described the group’s aspiration.
He considers the anomalous sale of the MC Adore for a measly sum as a continuing malady that afflicts the taxpayers. “Dagupeños deserve more,” he said.
The group is surely a breath of fresh air for the city. May their tribe increase!
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ASK YOUR CONGRESSMAN. We have a “Damn if they do, damn if they don’t “ situation in both the Senate and the House of Representatives
The members of both houses of congress are in a very difficult situation on how to best address the reported P10 billion pork barrel scandal. How can they not be? It was they who dispensed the PDAF funds and the people are demanding for accountability. Those who will admit having endorsed their PDAF to Jane Napoles will definitely have a lot of explaining to do while those who will deny will be asked what they did with their pork barrel.
Central to the issue now is: should the pork barrel be abolished?
Those who advocate its abolition run the risk of being labeled as insensitive to the plight of their districts. After all, for the past 25 years, people have been made to believe that a congressman’s job is mainly to do projects, and a senator’s duty is to provide funds for local projects. Yet, the fact is, a legislator’s job is to craft laws, not to dispense funds and projects. Did you know that before the pork barrel became a national policy, reelectionists traditionally only numbered no more than 15 percent? But when the pork barrel was introduced, less than 1% opted not to be reelected and mainly for reasons of health and if a member of the family would pitch in for the position.
Those who fight the abolition and lobby for its retention must parry suspicions and charges of corruption. After all, it’s now public knowledge that projects made possible by the pork barrel by many members of the House and Senate demand 20-35% of project costs as kickback. Yet, it cannot be denied that many communities need PDAF-funded projects because towns and cities cannot afford them and it cannot also be denied that many PDAF-funded projects have served communities’ interests and welfare well. To my mind, most of our congressmen in the past and in recent times have been delivering the goods to our people faithfully minus the taint of corruption. You can easily tell the magnitude of corruption by the quality of the project delivered.
I wonder where our congressmen stand on this issue. Ask them and tell them what you think.
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RIGHT DIRECTION. Mayors Gwen Yamamoto of Bani and Arthur Celeste of Alaminos City are on the right track. The buzzword is tourism. IT’S THE WAY TO GO. Innovate, enhance and strengthen the basics and tourists will come in droves.
But I have one unsolicited advice: Don’t forget to work on making access to your destinations easier. If the roads are bad, and travel time is too long with no consolation in sight, i.e., clean fresh air, clean accommodations and surroundings, good food, smiling people, nice and cheap souvenirs, it’s not likely that the good word about your destination will get around. But hey, you are both off to a good start!
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