As in any popular presidency, the kind of rockstar assent to a land’s highest office as was the case of America’s first African-American president, Barack Obama, whose own trust ratings on economy and other issues have dipped to its lowest one year into next year’s reelection bid, our own Pnoy is no different and insulated. Many even keep harping on the feeble vice-president and president rating comparison, which time and again has proven its pattern (the vice outrating his boss) for the reason that the expectation of a president is way far greater than of an oft-nominal republican symbol of the office of the vice-president so that any development that put the VP’s office to utility (remember the trip Binay, on instruction of the president, took to China to try to stay the execution, which he managed to secure for a short period, but eventually took place, of the three allegedly duped and victimized Filipino drug mules?) people feel they can already make a case of anti-president comparison, the past three administrations were consistent tell-tales. For sure there were developments that put to question the president’s choice of some key people in his government, though yet to be substantiated. Sadly, public opinion is not liable to criminal trial stringency; sentiments are formed out of perception.
Whatever is the president thinking keeping Ms. Torres at the LTO’s helm after the highly publicized row (or war-like confrontation) involving Stradcom , IT service contractor for LTO, amidst conflicting claims of ownership between its two dominant groups of stakeholders , in which Ms. Torres allegedly took side, although the same has not been proven? But what in the world is her business withholding payment to Stradcom for services already rendered amounting to more or less a billion pesos when the then secretary, Mr. Jose “Ping” de Jesus, has ordered the same? Many have sensed the power play, she being a close friend of the president. Now, there’s much speculation as to the real reason for the sudden resignation of former DOTC secretary Mr. Jose “Ping” de Jesus, hailed by many as an asset and as one who could mirror Pnoy’s touted integrity, intimating a policy difference, put another way, cronyism or friendship metered-policy, how’s that for a new term. The grapevine suspects Pnoy had admonished Ping to stand down on the issue of Stradcom.
Then there’s the Leviste brouhaha, truant convict in escapade, which brought to the fore yet another Pnoy shooting buddy and Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) head, Mr. Ernesto Diokno, who’s just terrible at lying, if that’s what he was pinning his hopes on of exculpation. Have you seen his interviews in the ensuing media frenzy on the controversy? He’s like a child in denial while his hands are still in the cookie jar. Really, I didn’t take it. Then he blabbered that his responsibility was just for policy-making. What? Even high school student government officers know their measure of responsibility. My golly, Mr. President, this tells people the firing range is not the best place to find people with a fair sense of accountability. I was willing to except from the no-good shooting buddies until you (Mr. President) intimated that you were mulling which other department of government you would transfer Mr. Diokno. Quit on him Mr. President, it was not honest mistake that got him into trouble in the first place, it was conscious and deliberate decision, even perhaps malicious and corrupt, that to move him around your cabinet or sub-cabinet portfolios is to be so insensitive to the sentiment of the people. You have no obligation to carry them on your shoulder. If anyone is any burden, ditch him.
Then lately, in one of the president’s press conferences, he lauds the likes of Mr. Florencio “Butch” Abad, the budget secretary, Corazon “Dinky” Soliman, the secretary of the DSWD, then laments the three or four cabinet members, whom he refuses to name, as headaches. Don’t say it, fire ‘em. I guess parading in media as though a blind item segment the president’s whining on his few undesirable cabinet people is amateurish. Be the Chief Executive that your office has made you. When exigency warrants, you have the power of removal at your disposal.
The president’s silver lining would have been the impeachment trial of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who at the outset had fiercely vowed to fight his accusers before the impeachment court of the senate, but later, as her bluff was called, decided to make a turnaround and offered the president her belated resignation, and for her own good. The office of the Ombudsman under Mercy had written off whatever goodwill it ever had. Now with the dismissal of deputy Ombudsman Emilio Gonzales III on charges of gross misconduct and neglect of duty, nine other officers, and with the preventively suspended Wendell Sulit indicted for graft and betrayal of public trust in connection with the shady plea bargain deal with retired major general Carlos F. Garcia, the constitutional institution needs a rebirth, and much of it depends on who Pnoy appoints as the new Tanodbayan.
Mercy’s truce deprived the public and the academe the education what was hoped to be the first complete impeachment trial could have provided after holding the whole nation in suspended animation for a long time. Notwithstanding her resignation, she must be pursued in our criminal system in line with the administration’s avowed commitment to taking to justice those who have pillaged the coffers of an already flailing Philippines. As her conviction in impeachment court would have resulted in criminal charges after her removal, so must the department of justice devote time and attention to seeing that she account for her infraction whether by her acts or deliberate omission.
As I watched the multiple aired investigations in both houses of congress, bonus for the congress participants for the free media mileage, it’s bewildering how they argue why they could not withdraw the plea bargain they entered into with Garcia, citing all sorts of nonsense. They even surprised legal luminary and senate president Juan Ponce Enrile when they posited that it was in fact, a provisional plea bargaining agreement. They said it was subject to the Sandiganbayan’s approval, even after they have arraigned Garcia for a lesser offense, and granted him bail as a result thereof. The issue of this provisional bargaining agreement, which I truly doubt is the case, is interesting to follow through as it will bring a new meaning to pleading to lesser offense. Strangely, in this version, you can be arraigned and bailed and all, but the same can still be abrogated and the former charge revived, all at the court’s discretion. Multiple jeopardy. I want to find out how the Sandiganbayan plays this one up.
Still, I can’t help but wonder why one who’s charged with plunder having amassed from government funds 320 million pesos, as alleged, could be allowed to plea to a lesser offense of direct bribery on the condition that he return 120 million. Let me decipher this, does this intend to tell the rouges out there that if you’re shameless, clever, and gutsy, do it, suck the coffers dry, and if by the slimmest chance you get caught and placed under the unlikely threat of getting convicted, you can always buy your way out by just giving up the lesser portion of your booty? And in between these arguments, how much would have changed hands among the players: the accused, the go-between, and the wise guys?
But Garcia and Ligot could have resolved to straighten up their ways. They might want to make it up to their beloved country and its people. Let’s give them a chance. After all, who could deny one another? Coincidentally, there’s trouble in Spratlys with the Chinese bullying around with their world’s second mightiest navy. Our navy and all, let’s include the CAFGUS and tanods, and us reserves who’ve not undergone the lousiest training, save for ROTC, which sadly teaches you NOT to responsibly shoot, but just brag around, is handicapped to say the least. But in the spirit of vindication and natural valor, military that they are, Ligot and Garcia might want to do what they think could be the last right thing to gain redemption. So what do you say we put them at the frontlines on the Spratly’s to stand up to any posturing of aggression by the Chinese? Armed to the teeth with, well, whatever they have scrimped to provide/short-procure the AFP (Would they trust to use what they bought for AFP soldiers?) And yes, let’s stream them online.
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