Iloilo flyover probe: Rhetoric isn’t a commitment

“Rhetoric is a poor substitute for action, and we have trusted only to rhetoric. If we are really to be a great nation, we must not merely talk; we must act big.”

—Theodore Roosevelt

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

LET us be clear about this: a “declaration of support” is different from “doing it on my own initiative.” 

So let’s not be totally mesmerized and excited when another politician has “supported the call” to conduct a Senate investigation into the scandalous and mysterious P680-million Iloilo flyover project or Ungka flyover (UFO) in Ungka, Pavia.

Senator Imee Marcos told Iloilo reporters May 28 “it is important to look into all this shabby infrastructure. It is apparent that the bridge is very badly constructed and has to be looked into.”

I find Marcos’ words lacking in substance and earnestness.

It appears it was like another rhetoric from a seasoned politician forced to denounce something in a press conference that is already stinking but something vacillating politicians like her wouldn’t really care to take up if nobody had raised it.

In others words, Marcos wouldn’t and couldn’t pick up the cudgels for the Ilonggos by making a lucid and transpicuous commitment to bring the matter herself to the Upper Chamber.     

She will have to wait for a colleague to file the resolution and just “support” it; she isn’t the Real McCoy if Ilonggos are waiting for the Knight in the Shining Armor.

The caveat is: if no senator will take up the issue seriously and be heroic and patriotic to sponsor a formal resolution, no senate inquiry will happen in the near future. 

 

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The “call” was actually a resolution from the Pavia Sangguniang Bayan (SB) sponsored by Councilor Pyt Trimañez urging the Senate to intervene in the controversy by calling for a formal inquiry.

The municipal resolution came after the Pavia SB “felt hopeless” that the efforts of Makabayan bloc Representatives Raoul Daniel Manuel of Kabataan, Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, and France Castro of ACT-Teachers have, so far, yielded negative results in as far as a formal inquiry from the Lower House is concerned.

Months have passed since the lawmakers filed the resolution and it seems, like many pending House resolutions, it is gathering cobwebs and may not be even taken up anytime soon. 

It appears no one is willing to grab the bull by the horns as the frustration and revulsion of Ilonggos get stronger and higher day by day.

We just can’t trust the politicians when they openly denounce the alleged irregularities in the expensive flyover project and yet do nothing concrete to at least speed up any investigation that would bring justice to the taxpayers.

"Ang problema ko ang laki-laki pala nang gagamitin sa repair niyan and I'm hopeful that they can come into a cheaper arrangement," Marcos said.

Problema mo ba talaga, Senador Imee?

 

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We are all excited and timid—whether we root for Celtics or Heat.

As of this writing, the Boston Celtics were on the verge of making history after a dramatic buzzer-beating victory against the Miami Heat to force a Game 7 in the NBA playoffs. 

Boston was trying to become the first team to win a playoff series after trailing 3-0. 

The winner of that series will play the Denver Nuggets, who swept the Los Angeles Lakers in four games to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the franchise’s 47-year history.

In New York City, thousands of apartments meant for homeless New Yorkers are sitting vacant amid record homelessness and a continuing influx of migrants, according to documents obtained by the Daily News. Obtained via a Freedom of Information Law request, the documents show that 2,646 of the city’s supportive housing units—which are meant for homeless individuals with a need for social services—were empty on March 31.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two daily newspapers in Iloilo.—Ed)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please no cover-up

“It is almost always the cover-up rather than the event that causes trouble.”

— Howard Baker

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE “investigation” on the ill-fated P680-million Ungka flyover project that will start next month will reportedly be done by a “third-party consultant” tasked by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

No one from outside the DPWH is familiar with the nature of this type of investigation, but we’re certain it will not make any difference now that the damage has been done on the part of the motorists who were supposed to use the flyover starting September 2022, and the taxpayers who are facing a blank wall.  

The five-month delay is already outrageous since the project has, in one way or the other, already defeated its primary purpose on countless occasions. 

Christmas 2022, Dinagyang Festival 2023, and the Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Jaro (Jaro Fiesta 2023) have already passed by and the multi-million project has remained a “white elephant” and a burden to the Ilonggos.

Any internal probe can be whitewashed or sanitized. We hate to see Dracula doing any official business in the blood bank.

The people are waiting for the Real McCoy—the no-holds-barred House inquiry, which is expected to be bloodier and invigorating.

In the congressional probe, nobody is holy cow. When the House inquisition unveils, the chaff will be separated from the grain. 

 

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In the formal House inquiry, charlatans will be unmasked; crocodiles will be given special “honorable” mention; the Gang of Ten Percenters, Fifteen Percenters, and even Twenty Percenters will be compelled to make a cameo appearance for a splendid shot at fame.

Let’s hope that when the House investigation commences, only members of the House of Representatives with no hidden political agenda will participate.

We hate to see the likes of grandstanding Senators Joel Villanueva and Raffy Tulfo turning the event into a circus or shouting session—like what they did in the recent committee hearing involving the case of an OFW in Kuwait who was raped and killed—only because they are reportedly planning to run for higher positions in the next presidential election.

Our concern, anyway, may be out of place because these notorious publicity maniacs may not be able to join in the Ungka flyover House inquiry since they belong in the upper chamber. 

We expect a high-level and professional investigation that won’t be tainted by any hanky-panky distraction.  

   

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LET'S TIME OUR NAP AFTER LUNCH. Research shows that naps, especially "power naps" of 20 to 30 minutes, help ward off fatigue. 

To maximize the benefits, let's try taking a siesta after lunch, when our energy levels are particularly low. 

Let us limit rest to less  than 30 minutes, or stretch it out to 60 to 90 minutes to avoid grogginess that results from waking up in the middle of deep sleep. (Source: Prevention)

REENERGIZE WITH EXERCISE EARLY EVENING. Even though we're tired, forcing ourselves to do aerobic exercise will energize us for a couple of hours and make it easier to fall asleep at night. 

Our body temperature naturally falls at night, shortly before bedtime, so the natural dip in temperature that happens about two hours after a workout can help us get to bed at a decent hour and wake up refreshed the next morning.

AS NEEDED, let's boost our caffeine. Sugary "energy drink" can be hidden calorie traps, but researchers think there is something about the combination of sugar and caffeine that makes people more alert than caffeine alone does.

HIGH ENERGY RECOVERY PLAN.  In the morning, let's soak up the sun. Morning rays boost energy by suppressing the sleepiness-inducing hormone melatonin. An early morning walk will help sync our internal clock to the sun, averting an energy slump in the afternoon, says Prevention.

According to a survey, 72 percent of Americans sign their pets' names on greeting cards they send out.

AVOID CHEMICALS IN OUR CANS. Canned food alert: Consumer Reports found bisphenol A-a chemical linked to reproductive problems, diabetes, and heart disease--in all 19 brandname canned foods it tested, including those labeled BPA free. Because levels vary so widely, even among cans of the same product, there's no way to predict how much we're getting.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)

‘Happiest’ person in Iloilo flyover House inquiry

 “The real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows brave by reflection.”

— Thomas Paine

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE “happiest” person on earth if ever there would be a congressional investigation in relation to the “sinking and stinking” P680-million Iloilo flyover project in Ungka, Pavia was no other than the contractor himself.

You may ask, “are you kidding?” The contractor should be the first to shake in his boots if there’s a no nonsense scrutiny of any dubious infrastructure project like the one undertaken by the House of Representatives in aid of legislation. 

It will result in scurrilous unraveling of a can of worms—if the contractor happens to be embezzler. 

But if the contractor is straight shooter, of course, he has nothing to hide and fear. Sun Tzu said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles.”

Let us assume for the sake of the title of this article that the Ungka flyover contractor is forthright, qualified, and competent—but not necessarily Mr. Clean (for no one walks a saint in this type of business); yet, the project worth hundreds of millions of pesos awarded to him by government still ends up in tatters—like what is happening, or being manifested by the awkward and loudly booed flyover.

 

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Is the project “underfunded”? Ergo, substandard?

If the original amount of funds intended for the contract was properly disbursed, why in heaven’s name, is the particular public works project about to crumple like a sack of onions in the Customs storage?

This is where the contractor is expected to be “ebullient” at least since this will give him adequate opportunity to name the pack of wolves—the 10, 15, and 20 percenters; the avaricious SOP (standard operating procedure) emissaries in government who ruin and sabotage the project by their sheer greed and lack of moral compass.

Who knows if they have long been the contractor’s albatrosses even in the smaller projects both past and present?

At the back of his mind, the contractor may sigh, “at long last, you will all be unmasked now.” 

At long last, they—including the contractor—will be unmasked now?

 

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But the investigation will finally give the contractor the perfect leverage to expose and explain how the crooks in government operate and make his business a veritable milking cow.  

In a formal House inquiry, nothing can escape the mighty committee members’ avalanche of grilling and inquisition. It will be a bloody mess.

But the caveat is once these corrupt officials are named in the House inquiry there is still no guarantee they will go to jail. 

Either they will not answer the allegations or deny them flatly. Easy.

If the contractor is straight and admits to the sin of tolerating and pampering the crooks in government, this makes him a party to bribery and corruption, and he may not escape the ax of justice.

After all, it’s still the taxpayers’ money that is basically involved in the entire hullabaloo.  

It seems there’s really some glimmer of hope, a light at the end of the tunnel after it was reported that Ilonggo Representatives Raoul Manuel (Kabataan Party-List), Arlene Brosas (GABRIELA Party-List), and France Castro (ACT Teachers Party-List) filed a resolution calling for a congressional probe on the Ungka and Aganan flyovers in the city and province of Iloilo.

Nothing concrete has commenced yet, but if not for these vigilant and brave lawmakers, the call for justice by the Ilonggos will just end up as another desperate voice in the wilderness.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo.—Ed)