During the proliferation of illegal number game Jueteng, this game’s operator did not only give meal money to policemen but gave a bigger amount to the chief, and a much bigger sum to the mayor for his personal expenses.
My other source said some police chiefs received more or less P100 thousand a month while each member of the Provincial Board received P45 thousand to P60 thousand a month. Many mayors averagely received P300 thousand a month. This not to mention some town and city mayors who received P1.2 million each as an average a month.
Recently, Mayor Gregorio “Bobom” Perez of the burgeoning Urdaneta City unveiled a P3 million huge black granite statute of a seemingly angry carabao located at the intersection of the city’s busy swanky highway that accommodates travelers to the North, South, East, and West of major cities in Luzon
The water buffalo, with a backdrop of comforting electronically operated springs of water at the foreground of a wall made of imposing black granitetoo, show the bullishness of the city.
But what worries me every time I passed in that intersection is the possibility of the carabao jumping from its more that ten feet perch and run berserk and “horning” scampering and screaming travelers and commuters.
It’s my prayer that Mayor Bobom and the officials of Urdaneta leash (tali-an) that menacing animal before it could hurt unwary human beings.
***
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000) is a stupid law co-chaired and authored by former party-list congressman Neric Acosta and Senator Pia Cayetano.
Imagine, it requires each town or city to build a hundred of million of pesos worth of land-fill.
City of Alaminos for instance could not afford it if it based it on her P50 million local revenues yearly that she uses for current operating expenditures and capital outlays.
Local governments do not have practical capacity to implement this palpably impossible project whose penal provision has been imposed in February 16, 2006 .
A penal or fine worth half-a-million-pesos was not imposed by the government against local government units all over the country because it found the impracticality of its folly.
***
Governor Amado T. Espino invited us media folks to ascend to the veranda located at the second floor of the Capitol- run Resort Hotel to interview fiesta guest Senator Migz Zubiri.
Zubiri divulged in the middle of the interview that Ombudsperson Merceditas Gutierrez has resigned.
That was a noontime of April 29. News reports said later that Gutierrez went to Malacanang at 11:20 Am by tending to President Noynoy Aquino her resignation.
“Ha! Ala Nixon ah?” I surprisingly quipped to Zubiri.
“Who is Nixon?” A surprised and an “unschooled” media man whispered at my back.
“Nixon was the African main star of the comedy flick “Gods Must be Crazy,” another unschooled radio commentator chided his companion.
To peasants out there, Richard Nixon was the U.S President who was not impeached despite his involvement in the Water Gate scandal because he beat the U.S senators cum jury by resigning and chalking-up a pardon from his successor President Gerald Ford.
But these U.S Senators did not feel bad about Nixon’s resignation. Unlike their Filipino counterpart Senator Lito Lapid, a college drop-out, who felt bad that his chance to wear a toga for the first time bogged down.
“So, former President Gloria Arroyo is vulnerable to non-bailable heinous crime of plunder that somebody will file against her at the new Ombudsman?” I posed to my fellow Visayan Senator,
Zubiri advised not only Arroyo but other government bigwigs to expect an avalanche of charges at the Ombudsman.
“My advice for them is to get a good lawyer,” he said.
***
Migz also took a swipe at former government officials who would be appointed to government position.
He cited former congressman and failed senatorial bet Neric Acosta who has a corruption case at the Sandiganbayan (Court for government officials).
Acosta is groomed by President Aquino to be the secretary of the Department of Environment &Natural Resources in lieu of Secretary Ramon Paje – a hold-over for Acosta.
Acosta was accused of misappropriation his P70 million a year Priority Development Assistance Fund or infamously known Pork Barrel by siphoning them to the cooperative, a private enterprise, of his mother where salaries of her workers were taken from that government fund.
“Mapapahiya lang si presidente dito (appointment of Acosta),” he said.
“I think the COA (Commission on Audit) should get involved. There are congressmen who are already indicted in the Sandiganbayan. They are awaiting verdicts on their misappropriation of the funds. For example, senatorial candidate ng first (congressional) district ng Bukidnon, si Neric Acosta. He gave his pork barrel to the foundation ran by his mother. Doon sila kumukuha ng sueldo nila. – which I think is wrong kasi government fund iyon – which I think should not be given to a private institution,” he told the press in Pangasinan when he visited last year.
Migz said that there should be a law that candidates for government appointment should be cleared first of complaints at either the Ombudsman or the Prosecutor Office before they are appointed. (You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com).
Zubiri divulged in the middle of the interview that Ombudsperson Merceditas Gutierrez has resigned.
That was a noontime of April 29. News reports said later that Gutierrez went to Malacanang at 11:20 Am by tending to President Noynoy Aquino her resignation.
“Ha! Ala Nixon ah?” I surprisingly quipped to Zubiri.
“Who is Nixon?” A surprised and an “unschooled” media man whispered at my back.
“Nixon was the African main star of the comedy flick “Gods Must be Crazy,” another unschooled radio commentator chided his companion.
To peasants out there, Richard Nixon was the U.S President who was not impeached despite his involvement in the Water Gate scandal because he beat the U.S senators cum jury by resigning and chalking-up a pardon from his successor President Gerald Ford.
But these U.S Senators did not feel bad about Nixon’s resignation. Unlike their Filipino counterpart Senator Lito Lapid, a college drop-out, who felt bad that his chance to wear a toga for the first time bogged down.
“So, former President Gloria Arroyo is vulnerable to non-bailable heinous crime of plunder that somebody will file against her at the new Ombudsman?” I posed to my fellow Visayan Senator,
Zubiri advised not only Arroyo but other government bigwigs to expect an avalanche of charges at the Ombudsman.
“My advice for them is to get a good lawyer,” he said.
***
Migz also took a swipe at former government officials who would be appointed to government position.
He cited former congressman and failed senatorial bet Neric Acosta who has a corruption case at the Sandiganbayan (Court for government officials).
Acosta is groomed by President Aquino to be the secretary of the Department of Environment &Natural Resources in lieu of Secretary Ramon Paje – a hold-over for Acosta.
Acosta was accused of misappropriation his P70 million a year Priority Development Assistance Fund or infamously known Pork Barrel by siphoning them to the cooperative, a private enterprise, of his mother where salaries of her workers were taken from that government fund.
“Mapapahiya lang si presidente dito (appointment of Acosta),” he said.
“I think the COA (Commission on Audit) should get involved. There are congressmen who are already indicted in the Sandiganbayan. They are awaiting verdicts on their misappropriation of the funds. For example, senatorial candidate ng first (congressional) district ng Bukidnon, si Neric Acosta. He gave his pork barrel to the foundation ran by his mother. Doon sila kumukuha ng sueldo nila. – which I think is wrong kasi government fund iyon – which I think should not be given to a private institution,” he told the press in Pangasinan when he visited last year.
Migz said that there should be a law that candidates for government appointment should be cleared first of complaints at either the Ombudsman or the Prosecutor Office before they are appointed. (You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com).
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