Ilonggos in Malacanang if Binay becomes president

“Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” Brian Tracy

By Alex P. Vidal

ILOILO Governor Arthur “Art” Defensor Sr. is an “aksyon agad” leader.

Immediately after he read our article about the fuel pilferage issue allegedly committed by some dishonest employees and officials of the Iloilo Provincial Engineer’s Office (PEO), he directed provincial administrator Raul Banas to task PEO chief Gracianito Lucero to investigate the matter and face the media.

Lucero denied during a press conference on Friday our other allegations here earlier that some provincial engineers owned expensive vehicles and paraded those luxury cars in the capitol parking areas in violation of government policy on ostentatious display of wealth.   

"As far as I know there are no luxury vehicles owned by provincial engineers. If there is any I think they have the means to have that and they acquired those not through what is stated in the article,” Lucero said, quoted by The Daily Guardian reporter Louine Hope Conserva in her article.

Lucero added: “As government officials and employees we submit every year our SALNs. In fact within the week we received a letter from the Human Resource Management and Development Office (HRMDO) to submit our SALNs before April 30.”

In a follow up report, Conserva quoted Banas as saying that he would form a fact-finding team to look into reports of “pa-ihi” or fuel pilferage in the PEO.

Banas confirmed he heard the report as early as in 2011 but could not identify the culprits due to lack of evidence and probably lack of cooperation from involved parties and witnesses.

Even the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) requested by Banas to investigate the matter, failed to solve the malfeasance, admitted Banas.

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If we base our assessment on what we regularly read in the newspapers and in the social media; what we saw and heard on TV and on broadcast media, we can now, more or less, have a bird’s eye view on who will possibly join Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay in Malacanang Palace from Iloilo if agitators of the Aquino Resign Movement (ARM) succeed; or if Binay wins the presidency in 2016.

Binay has been diligently wooing Iloilo leaders in these past 24 months, and we are seeing the same faces of local politicians tagging along and swapping laughter with the diminutive kingpin of Makati in his out-of-town sorties.  

They will always insist there’s no politics involved in those visits with municipal mayors, municipal councilors, village chiefs and smaller private organizations, but as the popular saying goes, “tell it to the marines!”

Retired Philippine News Agency (PNA) Iloilo chief Neonita “Mommy Nitz” Gobuyan recently told Binay straight in his face: “Sir, you will be the next president of the Philippines.”

“Of course, I could not tell him that if I were still in government,” Gobuyan sighed. “Now that I am retired, I am free to say anything without any fear.”

Gobuyan said she noticed “a groundswell of support” for Binay in the countryside.

INTERESTED

“People are not anymore interested on the investigation of the alleged corruption in Makati under Binay. People are more interested now on the Mamasapano massacre of 44 troopers and they are angry,” she added. “I met Binay (in Iloilo). Ang naga drive sa iya si Nelson Golez (a popular DPWH contractor).”

The almost all pro-Franklin Drilon Iloilo city council will be decimated once the formidable members of the “Voltes 5” led by Councilors Joshua Alim and Plaridel Nava start to bolt out and go all-out for Binay.

Alim and Nava are two of the most active and visible Binay allies in the city. They joined Binay in his trip back to Manila last Friday.

Maasin Mayor Mariano Malones has openly hosted Binay in his recent Iloilo trip where the vice president visited five municipalities.

Depending on the result of tug-of-war between Iloilo fifth district Liberal Party loyalist Rep. Neil “Jun-jun” Tupas Jr. and younger brother, Vice Governor Raul Tupas, the latter might end up running for congressman in their district under Binay against Yvonne Angeli Lee Tupas, Junjun’s wife.

ADVOCATE

But for RAM Iloilo advocate Atty. Pascual “Junie” Espinosa Jr., “Binay is already a spent force.”

“He has reached his peak and will slide down (in the survey),” predicted Espinosa. “His popularity will have no match against the endless accusations of corruption in the senate hearing. Once people perceive you as a corrupt leader, you will go down in the long run.”

Espinosa and his RAM Iloilo cohorts demand for President Simeon Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s “immediate” resignation owing to the Mamasapano 44 fiasco, but are not inclined to support Binay as Aquino’s successor.

They want a shift to federal system of government as a solution to solve the country’s problems on the Moro secessionists.