By Ermin Garcia Jr.

 

A thought deemed most unlikely to happen, happened at the highest national political level last week. Sen. Imee Marcos, elder sister of PBBM, bolted her brother’s political party with an unprecedented twist.

She decided to politically distance herself from her brother’s politics upon getting her confirmation about the shady circumstances that flew out PPRD to the International Criminal Court in The Hague during the senate hearing that she chaired on the issue.

Most expected her committee hearing as another ho-hum political circus but it was not to be. It became the reason for her to cross the line that would leave her no choice but to go all-out to denounce her brother’s evil circle of political opportunists until election day. She can no longer just be seen as one politico paddling her way through two rivers.  It’s now against Marcos Jr. administration.

While this situation may not entirely be new to Pinoys, particularly at the local level where we see, spouses, siblings and parents challenging each other over congressional, gubernatorial and mayoralty posts, the case of Sen Imee is far different. She‘s not challenging her brother in an election contest but taking on a different, serious position on an election issue.

For this alone, Sen Imee deserves a second look as the other independent lawmaker in the senate. (She will also likely vote against the impeachment of VP Sara to the consternation of her sister-in-law, Liza Araneta-Marcos, if elected).

Ms. Imee literally likened the country to a “failed state” after brother’s administration arrested and surrendered former President Rodrigo Duterte to stand trial for crimes against humanity for his drug war.  “What happened was shameful. It’s so sad for Filipinos that we are like a failed state. And, as I said, if it can happen, it can happen again.”

In her press conference,  she was emphatic that the Philippines had no legal obligation to arrest former President Duterte and turn him over to the International Criminal Court. What was received was only an unverified diffusion notice.

She expressed serious concern that the same may be repeated in the future: That the government after knowing it had no legal obligation to arrest PPRD, still turned him over to the ICC, even after announcing that it wouldn’t assist the ICC.

Worse, she said there was no indication that the ICC even requested for the surrender of PPRD after his provisional arrest since PH left the ICC in 2019, and found the argument of DILG Secretary Boying Remulla deeply flawed.

She said it was wrong for the government to assist the ICC in the arrest by mobilizing police units while National Security Advisor Año was already tracking the PPRD’s camp before the arrest, even before PBBM’s key executive officials suddenly announced it would cooperate with the ICC.

Beat that coming from the president’s elder sister! The line was crossed!

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 MAGIC POLITICAL WANDS. Here are two lessons in governance by our future local legislators at loggerheads at the provincial and city levels.

In Antique province, eight provincial board members were suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman for grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and conduct unbecoming of public officials after they failed to act on Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao’s 2024 request for a supplemental budget.

The P1.075-billion proposal included P765 million for solar energy projects, such as hospital and home installations and street lighting. The provincial board, however, allocated no funds for the projects.

Then in Marikina City, the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the six-month preventive suspension without pay of Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, Vice Mayor Marion Andres, 13 city councilors and 4 other local officials (City Treasurer, City Accountant, Assistant City Budget Officer, Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretary) for the reported misuse of P130 million in Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) funds for alleged non-health purposes.

The suspension stemmed from the complaint filed against the local officials by one Sofronio Dulay on April 26, 2024 who charged them with violations of Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019, the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code on technical malversation, and Article 217 of the RPC on malversation of public funds.

For the OMB, there were indeed “sufficient grounds” to order their preventive suspension, “considering that there is strong evidence showing their guilt.”

Given these twin moves, it would not be farfetched for someone in the capitol and in four cities to resort to this magic political solution for quick relief in the near future to stop corruption or stop obstructionism.

About 9 years ago, the provincial board members of Quezon province were also suspended by the Ombudsman after failing to pass the annual budget of the province. It took the governor to file the charge. (The Belen Fernandez administration refused to take this route when the majority bloc at the city council continued to block the city’s annual and supplemental budgets. But I do know that her political detractors won’t hesitate to use it against her if the opportunity arises).

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THUMBS UP FOR PING – Former Sen. Ping Lacson got a thumbs-up from Sen. JV Ejercito, who on Monday evening cited Lacson for his sincerity in improving governance in our country.

Ejercito doubled down on his praise for Lacson in 2022, where he said he is proud to have worked with Lacson because of his sincerity, hard work and excellence.

“I will still say the same thing until now. I have known and I have worked with Sen. Ping Lacson and I know his sincerity in improving governance in our country,” he said in a Facebook post.

During a rally in Imus, Cavite in 2022, Ejercito lauded Lacson for cleaning up the image of the Philippine National Police (PNP) when he headed the institution from 1999 to 2001.

He also cited Lacson’s sterling record as a lawmaker, untarnished by corruption. “A man whose name was untarnished by corruption. I am proud to have worked with Senator Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson, because I have seen his sincerity, hard work and excellence),” he said at the time.

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COMELEC LOGIC The official start of the campaign for local elections finally took off…as if it never started with the ridiculous covenant signing of politicians as early as January.  

I find it incredulous that Comelec says it could not act against violations of its campaign rules by local candidates until the start of the campaign. So, what was the filing of the certificates of candidacies and covenant signing for pledges to abide by Comelec rules all about??

Shouldn’t the mounting of posters before the official date of campaign period deemed a violation?? I have yet to fathom Comelec’s logic each time.

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Join me and our Punch columnist Gonz Duque every Saturday 10:30am podcast for frank discussions on national and local issues, produced by Pangasinan New Media and Sunday Garcia. I also discuss news topics every Monday, 6:30am with 104.7 IFM Dagupan manager Mark Espinosa in our ‘Punchline’ weekly edition via zoom. Join us!

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