Punchline
Circus of lies and intimidation
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
THE circus of the Cabangon Chua group has been busy promoting its new show of lies and intimidation.
Failing to get local support among Dagupeños for their agenda – to humiliate Mayor Belen Fernandez and Police chief Christopher Abrahano – the attack dogs of the Cabangon Chua group have been making the rounds of national TV and newspapers trying to portray the two as sinister and evil enemies of the local media. What a big joke!
Specifically, the triumvirate of clowns, Atty. Ferdie Topacio, Weekly Graphic publisher Johnny Dayang and DJ Allan Sison, aided by a wounded Mr. Orly Navarro as props, continue to libel Mayor Belen and C/Supt. Abrahano as their prime suspects behind the shooting and wounding of their kind of “hero” journalist, Mr. Navarro without presenting any credible evidence as basis to support their claim.
After their press conference two weeks ago (VACC chairman Dante Jimenez in tow), the triumvirate could only shake their heads in frustration after they were completely ignored by the community. Everyone practically laughed at their insinuation that Mayor Belen has the criminal mind to kill anyone who criticizes her, and Mr. Abrahano as the unthinking sidekick who would have no qualms arranging for a hired gun on the order of the mayor. The triumvirate’s utter desperation showed when they staged a pathetic drama with a pitiable script that a sorry-looking Mr. Navarro mouthed for them.
The problem of the triumvirate is they not only sorely lack the integrity to be credible, but they are proven to be poor judge of characters. Gosh, even a simple charge of technical malversation over a box of staplers against Mayor Belen will be laughed off by the man in the street. They can’t even find a single local media group or business group to come forward to support their ridiculous and self-serving agenda– to name Mayor Belen as a suspect. Gee, not even Mr. Navarro was heard to say he strongly suspected Mayor Belen and Mr. Abrahano as the mastermind behind the attempt on his life with a .22 caliber handgun until the triumvirate put a harness on him.
So what gives? It’s simply to intimidate and to compel Mayor Belen to desist from pursuing her objections to the allegedly irregular purchase of the MC Adore properties by the Cabangon Chua group.
They are nothing but a band of paid hacks who’d not stop at anything to discredit perceived detractors of Mr. Antonio Cabangon Chua (Mr. ACC) who get in the way of his profit agenda. (They even have the gall to introduce Mr. DJ Allan Sison as president of the Federation of Provincial Press Clubs… haha… believing it would bolster their claim to integrity. What a big joke!).
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INTIMIDATION. The PUNCH was their first target. The triumvirate conspired to intimidate us by filing libel cases against all eight (!) of us listed in our editorial box, over two straight forward news stories. They obviously thought the libel cases would make us stop writing about their group’s questionable business affairs in the city. The libel cases were dismissed outright by the Pasig City chief prosecutor but for reasons only known to them, they succeeded in making the deputy prosecutor reverse his boss’ decision, a situation unique to the Philippine judicial system. Fortunately, the judge that took on the case also did not see any merit in the cases and promptly dismissed the cases as well.
Why did they sue us? They obviously didn’t like that we reported their attempt to overthrow the leadership of the Pangasinan Press Club led by our Fire Player Gonz Duque, to be replaced by their henchman Orly Navarro, with a P.5M fund offer to the club in order to get a favorable reportage on the controversial purchase of the MC Adore properties by Mr. ACC. They didn’t like a pesky newspaper reporting the irregularities that accompanied the operations of the Citystate Savings Bank sans a mayor’s and building permits and the bank’s unauthorized use of the city government’s electric meter.
Now, they’ve trained their sights on Mayor Belen for refusing to back down on her resistance to the MC Adore purchase. They again naively believe that by naming her as a suspect in the shooting of Mr. Navarro, she would fold to kiss Mr. ACC’s ass. Tsk-tsk.
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BOYCOTT. Well, here’s the new thing and perhaps the triumvirate may have already heard what I just learned this week. I was told that many community leaders have already began a “bulong-brigade” to boycott the business establishments of the Cabangon Chua group in the city, namely: Orchids Hotel, Music Warehouse, Fortune Insurance, Eternal Gardens and DWIZ.
Finally, the community is reacting! I was told they felt insulted and offended by the manner with which the allies of Mr. ACC try to frame up Mayor Belen for a crime she is not capable of. They have known her to have been magnanimous even to those who rabidly opposed her in the last election to support Mayor Benjie Lim. Touché!
If the boycott snowballs, Mr. ACC only has the triumvirate to blame.
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CORRUPTION IN BINAY’S MAKATI. It is unfortunate that many in Pangasinan could not watch the TV coverage of the senate hearings on the Makati parking building.
Those who were able to tune in to TV2, 5, 7, and Solar from 10 AM to 1 PM last Thursday are finally convinced that the hearing is not about 2016 politics per se but uncovering the truth about governance and rampant corruption in Makati involving the Binay family, not just Vice President Jojo Binay, then as mayor. The witnesses’ detailed accounts of corruption without regard for their own safety, were mindboggling to say the least.
Even the attempts of officials of the Makati government and Binay’s favorite contractor to keep the senators in the dark were deftly foiled by Sen. Alan Cayetano’s knowledge of government rules and transactions, local ordinances and construction industry practices. Little do they know how Mr. Cayetano prepares for each hearing – voluminous telescopic research coupled with countless briefings! The resource persons of the Binay camp were simply caught flatfooted lying in many of their responses.
What a delight it was watching the guilty trying to dodge incriminating questions from a learned and well-prepared senator.
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LEADERSHIP BY EXAMPLE. Another curious development amid the spate of crimes perpetrated by policemen is the oft-repeated name of former Sen. Ping Lacson as then chief PNP.
Trending in social media is the recollection of many how Mr. Lacson summarily suspended and dismissed cops involved in carnapping, kidnapping and tong collection! The rogue cops feared Mr. Lacson’s “kamay na bakal”! He was their nemesis and those who thought they could get away with murder, learned to regret in the end. His stewardship earned the highest public approval for PNP in the agency’s history because he was a stern taskmaster and disciplinarian of men in uniform for the benefit of the civilian population.
In contrast, PNP chief Alan Purisima cannot even find the guts to face media to answer questions about his accountability and responsibility unless there is DILG Sec. Mar Roxas beside him to come to his aid. To this day, Pangasinenses cannot fathom how his unstudied, knee-jerk reaction to suspend the permit to carry firearms by legitimate gun-owners in Pangasinan ago can help maintain peace and order. It was virtually a license to kill given to criminals armed with high-powered unlicensed guns, and he just doesn’t seem to realize it.
To my mind, there is only one lesson to learn from the stint of Mr. Lacson and that of Mr. Purisima: Leadership by example works two ways.
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