Coincidences

“Ambition can creep as well as soar.”

—Edmund Burke

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WAS it a mere coincidence that when President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was reportedly scheduled to appoint the new secretaries of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Health (DoH) anytime next month, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin’s press statements also started to flood in the media as of this writing?

So many astute politicians angling to be appointed in key cabinet portfolios make a lot of noise in order to be noticed—especially when the field is swamped with proteges of heavyweight political clans.

Some of them believe the more they are heard and seen in the media the more chances they will be included in the game of the musical chairs—and even clinch the coveted chair right away if one of them is luckier.

We aren’t saying, of course, that Loreto-Garin, who had a roller coaster ride as DoH boss during the term of the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, is doing this; we aren’t saying she is among those astute politicians. 

When the president distributes the appointment goodies, the lucky ones can’t be faulted if they are the apples of the president’s eye. 

 

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Clever Loreto-Garin is actually in the best position to try her luck anew since her family had really supported President Marcos in the last election. 

Earlier, sister-in-law, former party-list Rep. Sharon Garin, was appointed as undersecretary of the Department of Energy (DOE).  Other political clans and dynasties queueing for cabinet jobs might envy the Garins if they will right away corner two slots—assuming that Loreto-Garin is salivating for any cabinet post.

One Garin in the cabinet for a political “payback” is enough. Two Garins are too much? If they are qualified and President Marcos really wants them, why not?

Aside from their qualifications first and foremost, most of those who get juicy cabinet positions and their families really went all out to support the president in the election.  

It’s a case of “we’d scratched your back, now it’s your turn to scratch ours.”

To accept the job is one thing. To be ashamed out of delicadeza is another thing.

It was only probably a coincidence that before President Marcos appointed Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire as DoH officer in charge on July 14, a “press statement” from Loreto-Garin had circulated in both the local and national media where she “urged” the use of Dengvaxia in the light of the increase in dengue cases. 

As a doctor, Loreto-Garin was indeed in the best position to talk about what’s best for dengue cases; in fact, her vigilance and kindness deserved a kudos. 

But, again, the cruel coincidence.

 

-o0o-

 

Meanwhile, just as President Marcos was about to pick the regular DA top post he concurrently holds and Vergeire’s possible successor in the DoH, Loreto-Garin, once again, surfaced in another “press statement”, this time calling the DA to promote “kamote” or sweet potato as alternative to rice.

"It is high time that the DA extensively promotes sweet potato as an alternative. One way of doing this is to increase production and make the necessary investment in root crops in terms of agricultural research, food technology, or marketing," Garin said in a statement.

"The nutritious content of rice cannot compare to that of kamote since rice transforms into sugar in the body, making one susceptible to diabetes, while kamoteis high in fiber and is one of the best foods that one can eat to prevent cancer.”

She added: “Our love for rice has given birth to the famous ‘extra rice’ and ‘unli rice’ cultures. Unlike the popular expression ‘rice is life,’ we encourage restaurants to try using kamote in place of rice and even as French fries. What we need today are innovations in the kitchen.”

"It’s high time we changed our attitude towards both rice and root crops. Kamotecan bring back health and keep some health problems at bay. As medical studies have shown, kamote lowers hypertension, bad cholesterol, and even blood sugar when taken as a substitute for rice.”

Wow. Was the latest coincidence too good to be true?

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

 

 

 

  

Playing with the Ilonggos’ emotions again

“Political promises are much like marriage vows. They are made at the beginning of the relationship between candidate and voter, but are quickly forgotten.”

—Dick Gregory

By Alex P. Vidal

FRESH from being reelected, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin’s first publicity stunt was to rekindle the bad memory that gave the Ilonggos, especially the Guimarasnons, a nightmare and so much emotional pain.

She reportedly assured them that presumptive President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has “committed” to push through with the over-sensationalized, over-advertised, and over-promised Panay-Guimaras bridge project, aborted numerous times in the past three administrations. 

Another one bites the dust. Here we go again. 

According to the lady solon, Mr. Marcos Jr. “will prioritize” the construction of the controversial bridge first conceptualized during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos in 1992 and last dangled to the Ilonggos by the outgoing Duterte administration.

It’s too early in the game for someone with a political clout like Loreto-Garin to act as spokesperson for political promises that mostly are only made to be broken.  

Loreto-Garin’s grandstanding came after the national government was able to reportedly secure about P2.96-billion loan from South Korea to finance preliminary studies on the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges.

The Philippines and South Korea reportedly exchanged their copies of the agreement for the loan extended by the Export Import Bank of Korea-Economic Development Cooperation Fund (KEXIM-EDCF) on May 4, or five days before the presidential election.

-o0o-

Because of the dishonesty and insincerity of politicians who served under the outgoing Duterte administration tasked to handle the ambitious bridge project, the words “push through” and “prioritize” don’t anymore tantalize the Ilonggos; the words have totally lost their substance, impact and magic.

Ever since the project, supposed to be lined-up in the so-called “build, build, build” program of the outgoing administration, nosedived, many Iloilo residents and Guimarasnons weren’t anymore impressed and excited every time government officials brought up the subject matter.

In their minds they grumbled, “Please stop giving us false hopes. We have had enough. Just do it or shut up.” 

In February this year, Marcos reportedly vowed to include the Panay-Guimaras-Negros bridges as among his priority projects if he wins the presidential race during his campaign rally in Iloilo.

He reportedly declared: “Kailangan po nating ipagpatuloy ang sinimulan ni Pangulong Duterte na ‘Build, Build, Build’ program sa imprastraktura. Pinag-uusapan nga namin kanina kung papaano ang gagawin para matuloy na ‘yung tulay na manggagaling sa Iloilo hanggang Guimaras hanggang sa Negros.”

-o0o-

I was serious about the book, The Republic, written by Plato more than two thousand years ago (even before the Roman Empire was established), that I first promoted it when actor Erap Estrada was elected president in 1998.

When several clowns, drug addicts, thieves were elected in the Senate and the House of Representatives thereafter, I again promoted Plato’s marvelous book not because I could gain from it financially, but because I wanted my friends and readers to understand why we kept on electing these incredible characters in our society into these very important government offices.

After Robin Padilla was elected as the No. 1 senator and more ruffians and scalawags have joined the government through the scandalous partylist system, I again promoted Plato’s The Republic. 

I won’t stop promoting the book in the future Philippine elections even if my crusade will be dismissed as only an exercise in futility because many Filipinos, especially registered voters, are non-readers.

To compound the matter, most Filipinos—registered voters particularly—no longer read the newspapers and are hooked on the social media where they swallow hook, line, and sinker all the lies being peddled by insidious Tiktokers and paid hacks masquerading as “political analysts” and “media vloggers.”

-o0o-

Zinc improves mood in women. Oysters (talaba) are a great source of zinc. According to London-based Dr. John Biriffa, there is some evidence that links zinc deficiency with an enhanced risk of depression. Treatment with zinc improved mood to some extent, he said.

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

Is Rep. Loreto-Garin corrupt?

“I don't believe in collective guilt, but I do believe in collective responsibility.”

—Audrey Hepburn

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT’S too premature yet to conclude that Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin is a dishonest public official.

In fact, I personally believe she is not a corrupt person.

But if Senator Richard Gordon can prove otherwise, or if the senator’s Senate blue ribbon committee can show overwhelming pieces of evidence that Loreto-Garin had committed a plunder, or a mere “whiff of corruption” in the alleged diversion of the P10.6-billion PhilHealth Senior Citizen Fund to other projects in December 2015, who am I to insist that Loreto-Garin is like Caesar’s wife?

If she connived with other officials in the Noynoy Aquino administration to steal the taxpayers’ money and her guilt was proven beyond doubt in a competent court, she must be thrown in jail.

No ifs. No buts.

The Filipino people, impoverished by lack of economic opportunities, perpetual poor leadership, and recently by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have no tolerance and mercy for thieves and rascals in government.

 

-o0o-

 

Graft and corruption is considered a mortal sin in a Third World country like the Philippines. 

Public officials tasked to safeguard the public funds are mandated to serve the people, not to pocket their money.

Graft and corruption on a massive scale is unforgivable; the perpetrators should be dealt with the most severe penalty under the law.

It’s always against common sense and logic for public servants to live in affluence and enlarge their pockets after robbing the poor, or those who can’t make both ends meet but are the ones paying the salary and other pelfs and privileges of government officials.  

But if she is innocent, in the name of fairness and objectivity, we will be ready to defend Loreto-Garin especially if the accusations against her are false, and if her reputation has been tarnished as a result of wrongful imputations and trial by publicity. 

 

-o0o-

 

Loreto-Garin has been doing at least a satisfactory job in congress (except when she goofed by joining the infamous “Gang of 70” that snuffed out ABS-CBN’s franchise) and as Department of Health (DOH) secretary in the previous administration.

This was prior to heavily absorbing the brickbats in the Dengvaxia hullaballoo.

From what we know about the 48-year-old lady representative, she is a hard-working public servant and loves to talk extensively on topics related to health being a doctor by profession.

Our observation is based on the solon’s performance during her baptism of fire as a politician, when she first served as board member representing the first district of Iloilo in 2004.

She became a national figure during her stint as the DOH boss when President Noynoy Aquino was in power. 

We always see to it to be fair with Loreto-Garin. 

Like what we do with others who also serve in government, we also criticize her, including her family, the very powerful and influential Garin clan in Guimbal, Iloilo, in relation to their functions as public officials.

We also support their projects and programs, more particularly those that redound to the benefits of their constituents, especially their abundant contributions and their partnership with the private donors in the effort to help contain the pandemic.

 

-o0o-

 

In the latest controversy that rocked Loreto-Garin, Gordon, head of the Senate blue ribbon committee, released an executive summary of the committee's report on its August 2019 investigation into PhilHealth where Gordon recommended the filing of criminal charges against Loreto-Garin, former budget chief Florencio Abad, and former PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla for allegedly diverting the P10.6-billion PhilHealth Senior Citizen Fund in December 2015 to other projects.

The projects reportedly included the planned construction of thousands of barangay health stations, rural health units, national government hospitals, and the procurement of mobile dental trucks.

These projects were barely completed, according to Gordon, who suspected the money was used to bankroll electoral campaigns ahead of the May 2016 national polls.

It was learned that Loreto-Garin and Padilla faced a graft case before the Office of the Ombudsman in May 2018 over the same allegations.

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

 

 

Leave the sex workers alone

“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

By Alex P. Vidal

IT’S a silly argument that a city hall task force has focused on running after sex workers in Iloilo City after it received reports “they were demanding for food instead of cash” in exchange of sexual services amid the COVID-19 quarantine measures.

Money is hard to find nowadays because of the extended lockdown but not food.

Food is always available and can be bought in any public market and grocery store as long as there is money.

Our agriculture and factories can still produce abundance of food. 

We aren’t yet experiencing a famine or extreme scarcity of food. 

Our problem is the pandemic, a coronavirus that has spread worldwide and killed more than 340,000 and infected more than five million people.

No prostituted woman in her right mind will demand a food for her body, at least not in a highly urbanized metropolis like Iloilo City.

Prostitution is always synonymous with money. No money no honey. 

Some women resort to the oldest profession on earth because they want a quick cash, not instant noodles or hotdogs and hamburgers.

Granting for the sake of discussion there are sex workers who want only food for their services, is this a valid reason for authorities to prioritize their arrest and incarceration while the coronavirus threatens to decimate the human race?

Whether they demand food or money as a mode of payment for a sexual transaction, prostitution is still illegal and wrong morally and spiritually.

-o0o-

WHO are “V” and “E” or the couple exposed by Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin in her recent privilege speech as being involved in the overpriced COVID-19 test kits charged to PhilHealth? 

Instead of charging only P800 for each RT-PCR test kit, suppliers V and E made a killing at the expense of the people by charging P8,150, according to the lady solon who served as health secretary during the administration of President Noynoy Aquino. 

The unnamed suppliers must be well-connected in the Duterte administration the reason why they were able to corner the rich deal.

This is probably the same reason why Rep. Loreto-Garin was adamant to reveal their true identities for fear they might get back at her.

Or the former health secretary was only apparently trying to hold her punches and reserve her bullets just in case the President will not lend his ears to the “expose.”     

Unravelling the true identities of the COVID-19 test kits “scammers” would have been perfect during a privilege speech. 

-o0o-

But if President Duterte is determined to minimize if not totally stop graft and corruption in his administration, he will press the Leyte-born congresswoman from Guimbal, Iloilo to spell out the letters V and E so that the President can begin cutting off their tentacles to pieces.

The President would be obliged to initiate drastic measures once the media started revealing the “scammer’s” names based on damning pieces of evidence to be provided by the feisty congresswoman.

Failure on her part to name names would render her “expose” inutile and become an exercise in futility.

Failure on her part to go beyond the initials will embolden the people to think she wasn’t serious in her crusade to cripple the anomalies involving the COVID-19 test kits.

Of course we believe she is sincere and has no ulterior motive other than to correct the wrong hounding the government efforts to arrest the growing number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country.

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

     

  

  

Moral support

“You need a strong family because at the end, they will love you and support you unconditionally. Luckily, I have my dad, mom and sister.”
-- Esha Gupta

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- The state should be at war only against external forces that threaten to undermine or subvert its sovereignty and hurt the political and economic well-being of its people.
Democracy is pro-God, pro-people, pro-freedom, pro-unity and progress.
The purpose of government is to serve, preserve, and protect the people and their primordial interests, not to trample on their basic rights, freedom and dignity.
The purpose of the armed forces and police is to ensure peace and order, safety and protection of the citizens regardless of geographical locations, civic, political and spiritual affiliations.
If government resources, authority and power are marshaled to suppress and silence individuals with dissenting and radical opinions, it’s not a government of the people; it’s not a government for the people.
That “government” is the enemy of the people.

-o0o-

Now that there is an imminent threat against the interest of thousands of power consumers in Iloilo City in the Philippines in the ongoing power play between the Panay Electric Company (PECO) and the MORE Power and Electric Company, the government should prepare the precautionary measures to ensure that the consumers will not be in the losing end.
PECO has threatened to halt operations starting January 19, 2019, according to reports, apparently in “protest” of the “hasty” imprimatur by the Senate Committee on Public Services chaired by Senator Grace Poe allowing More Power and Electric Company to be the new power distributor in Iloilo City even if PECO’s application for renewal of its franchise is still pending in the Lower House.

-o0o-

When PECO “snubbed” the meeting of a technical working group (TWG) that will handle the transition works between PECO and MORE Power on November 8, 2018, it should be treated as a portent of things to come.
And now that PECO lawyer Inocencio Ferrer has let the cat out of the bag by saying in media interviews that the local power company will stop its operations on the day its franchise will expire (January 19, 2019), the Department of Energy (DoE) and Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) should now be ahead of time and are expected to be on top of the situation.
The bottom line here is, the power consumers shouldn’t be caught flat-footed; they should be spared from the corporate wars and must not be involved whether there is a “blackmail” or an ultimatum whatsoever.

-o0o-

The decision of the Garin family to allow former Health Secretary Janette-Loreto Garin to “substitute” for her husband, Rep. Oscar “Richard” Garin, Jr. in the next congressional term in Iloilo’s first district (granting that their rival, Gerardo Flores, will lose anew), is understandable.
Among the Garin clan members, it’s Dr. Loreto-Garin who is a facing a thunderstorm in public life.
If the Dengvaxia cases filed against her will prosper in court and she is back in Congress, she will have at least something to lean on as a matter of “defense and survival” when the war of attrition versus the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) and other anti-Garin forces lingers.
It’s been tested and proven that in the Philippines, a public office could be an ideal “asylum” for those who are in dire straits legally; not to wiggle out from the trouble permanently, but, at least, for a temporary relief.
In crisis and in happiness, the Garins don't abandon each other; they cling to each other for moral support and otherwise.
Everything will change, of course, if Flores, who has never won an electoral battle versus the Garins, will pull an upset in the May 2019 elections.

‘Tell it to the marines, Tatay Oca!’

"My comeback was not about winning or losing; it was about the feeling of being able to compete at top level again."
-- Thomas Muster
By Alex P. Vidal


NEW YORK CITY -- Ilonggos in the Philippines have known Guimbal, Iloilo Mayor Oscar “Oca” Garin Sr. to be a master of political surprises.

We are actually familiar with his style or what they incandescently call in the first district of Iloilo as “Oca’s strategy.”
We know that if he says he wants to tandem with Pinocchio today, he will tap Bugs Bunny for his partner tomorrow. Or vice versa.
That’s why many of us laughed when he claimed “I didn’t know” that his daughter-in-law, former health secretary, Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin, was also filing her certificate of candidacy (COC) for congressman.
Mayor Garin told reporters he was “surprised” to see Dr. Loreto-Garin outside the Commission on Elections (Comelec), when he filed his COC for congressman in the first district of Iloilo.
He reportedly asked her, “ma file ka man? Nag file man ako (You want to file your COC for the same position? I already filed mine)?”
Whoa.
Tell it to the marines, Tatay Oca!
And if Dr. Loreto-Garin will also declare “I didn’t know Tatay Oca would file his COC for congressman”, we will tell her, “indeed, it takes two to tango.”

-o0o-

Mayor Garin, Dr. Loreto-Garin, and Rep. Oscar “Richard” Garin Jr. actually filed their COCs for the same position during the deadline on October 17, 2018.
Rep. Garin filed his COC ahead of the two on Oct 11, along with gubernatorial candidate and Iloilo fourth district Rep. Ferjenel Biron.
The congressman Garin joined his sister, Vice Governor Christine “Ting-Ting” Garin, who also filed her re-election bid in tandem with Biron.
Rep. Garin clarified later that his father and wife might withdraw so he can run for reelection against the clan’s perennial whipping boy, Gerardo “Gerry” Flores, a retired police general and former mayor of Miag-ao, Iloilo.
Rep. Garin vowed the family would come up with a final decision “on or before Nov. 29”, the Comelec deadline on the changing and dropping of candidates.

-o0o-

We believe that the Garin clan will pave the way for Rep. Garin to face Flores.
It’s almost a crystal-clear scenario given Rep. Garin’s body language, pronouncements, and activities in the past weeks.
Another possible scenario is for the Garin patriarch--Tatay Oca--substituting for Vice Governor Garin, who might run for the House party-list.
It’s still unclear how will the clan complete the partition and what position are they preparing for the former health secretary who is being distracted by the energy-sapping Dengvaxia imbroglio.
Will Dr. Loreto-Garin end up as Guimbal mayoral candidate?

-o0o-

Going back to Tatay Oca.
All eyes and ears are on this season political swashbuckler.
In all his more than 30 years in public service, Tatay Oca had already served as congressman, mayor, and appointed official (with a cabinet portfolio) under five presidents--Cory, FVR, Erap, Gloria, Duterte.
Except as vice governor and governor.
He had announced on several occasions he was retiring in politics “for good” or doing a busman’s holiday; and that he wanted to be known thereafter as “Oca Manguguma” or Oscar the Farmer.
Only fools don’t change their minds, as the saying goes.
Tatay Oca sprang back to power as mayor of Guimbal after years of political hiatus and became adviser only to all of the Garins active in public service.
Now, Tatay Oca is back. He is once again involved as a candidate himself at the end of his tether.
Let’s watch him; like Lazarus, he might knock the spots off and worm his way to the Capitol first as vice governor, and as governor next when many of us thought he has already fallen back to retirement.

Richard goes to social media for Janette

“A real man loves his wife, and places his family as the most important thing in life. Nothing has brought me more peace and content in life than simply being a good husband and father.”
--Frank Abagnale

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- No one can now accuse him of just watching and doing nothing while his wife is being saddled by a heavy storm.
Because he can’t openly lash at the critics of his beleaguered wife, Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin, for delicadeza, Iloilo 1st district Rep. Oscar “Richard” Garin Jr. has opted to utilize his Facebook accounts to “share” some news from several media websites that somehow tended to “cushion the impact” of Sen. Richard Gordon’s draft report of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee on the P3.5 billion dengue vaccination program.
The news Rep. Garin shared in his two Facebook accounts these past days appeared to be balanced, objective, and weren’t tainted with any bias in favor of Gordon’s committee draft that recently recommended charges against Loreto-Garin, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, and former Budget Secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad in relation to the botched deal.

-o0o-

Rep. Garin must have felt there was a need for him to urgently disseminate those articles not only to his social media friends but also to the public in general, in order to help disabuse the minds of those who think that his wife, Mr. Aquino and Abad are guilty beyond reasonable doubt and, thus, deserve the guillotine.
He probably wanted those who have not yet seen or read the draft committee to take a second look at the stormy issue and scrutinize further the evidence presented, as well as the sides of the accused and their accusers.
If Rep. Garin did nothing and acted only like a deaf and mute kibitzer while Gordon’s committee draft was ripping apart the three like ribbons, his family, friends and constituents will think he is an irresponsible, insensitive and a coward husband who has no love and concern for an embattled wife.

-o0o-

For her part, Loreto-Garin herself has insisted the program was not rushed as talks about a dengue vaccine started in the time of her predecessor, Dr. Enrique Ona, and ended in the time of her successor, Dr. Paulyn Ubial.
Ubial was among those who pinned down Loreto-Garin. She filed a libel case against Ubial and several others in return.
It was reported that some 830,000 schoolchildren were vaccinated under the program before drug maker Sanofi Pasteur admitted late last year that Dengvaxia may cause severe dengue when administered to patients who have not contracted the mosquito-borne disease before.
The Duterte administration has since suspended its dengue vaccination program, but several parents claimed that their children died due to complications from the vaccine. These claims, however, have yet to be proven, it was reported earlier.

No solid punches

“The only rules comedy can tolerate are those of taste, and the only limitations those of libel.”
--James Thurber

By Alex P. Vidal

NEWARK, New Jersey -- In my opinion, the libel cases former Philippine health secretary Janette Loreto-Garin filed against former health secretary Paulyn Obial and three other Department of Health (DOH) officials weren’t solid punches.
Libel is a difficult case to prosecute especially if the plaintiff and the accused are former public officials.
In a libel case, if the plaintiff can’t prove malice beyond reasonable doubt, the case won’t prosper.
Dr. Loreto-Garin claimed that the statements and imputations made by Drs. Ubial, Anthony Leachon, Teodoro Herbosa, and Francisco Cruz against her on the Dengvaxia imbroglio “have caused dishonor, discredit or contempt upon my person”.
If I were Dr. Loreto-Garin, I would file a case for moral damages.

-o0o-

In its excitement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) hurriedly announced that Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, and his wife, Mona, a Syrian national, tagged as principal suspects in the brutal torture and murder of 29-year-old domestic helper Joanna Demafiles from Sara, Iloilo, have been arrested.
Fine. We have no quarrel with that.
The Filipinos seeking justice for the slain OFW, at least, were able to heave a sigh of relief.
Arrest, however, is different from prosecuted.
It will be a different reaction from Demafiles’ kababayans if the DFA will break the news that the suspects have been found guilty.
Because of the degree of cruelty that Demafiles had incurred, her kababayans want no less than a death penalty for the assailants.
That would be a cause for jubilation and would send a strong signal to all sadistic employers not only in the Middle East but also in other continents where there are large number of OFWs.

-o0o-

We can’t blame politicians who showed up in the wake of Joanna Demafiles in Sara, Iloilo when President Duterte visited there recently.
Some critics claimed the politicians only wanted to exploit Demafiles’ case for their self aggrandizement and free publicity.
Not all.
If some politicians wanted to ride on the Demafiles issue, it’s not a news. That’s politics 101 and normal in the Philippines.
It happens from time to time, not just in the case of the murdered OFW.
I believe, however, that most of them were obligated to be present as a protocol and courtesy for the visiting president who is the highest official of the land.
If an important guest will come to our house, we can’t stay in the bedroom and appoint the lizards and cats to entertain the visitor.

Three in one

"Juvenile crime is not naturally born in the boy, but is largely due either to the spirit of adventure that is in him, to his own stupidity, or to his lack of discipline, according to the nature of the individual."
--Robert Baden-Powell

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- By issuing an executive order directing the mandatory closure of nightclubs and establishments selling liquors by two o'clock in the morning, Iloilo City Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III delivered a knockout blow on three wicked activities: drunkenness, prostitution, drug addiction.
It's a three-in-one juggernaut for city hall.
It's during night time or bar hours where these three main producers of criminal and immoral activities flourish.
Joe III's Executive Order (EO) No 146 dated Dec 14, 2017 will not only prevent gangs, ruffians, and drug addicts from straying in the streets like serpents, it will also discourage or minimize prostitution in the city's prominent watering holes.
When bars and establishments selling liquors are closed, these misguided elements will have no place to use as tambayan.
Crimes will be minimized if not totally prevented.
Peace and order will improve.

-o0o-
 
In trying to link Iloilo 1st District Rep. Oscar "Richard" Garin Jr. to the Dengvaxia imbroglio and connecting the controversial vaccination program to her rejection by the House Commission on Appointments (CA), former Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial sounded like a sore loser and a cry baby.
It's obvious from the start of the Senate hearing on the ill-fated P3.5 anti-dengue vaccination program that Ubial only wanted to pin down her predecessor, Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin.
Ubial, who was appointed as DOH chief by President Rodrigo R. Duterte, probably wasn't happy as Loreto-Garin's undersecretary during the administration of President NoyNoy Aquino, thus her umbrage and abhorrence toward the Garin couple.
Her sadness probably worsened after she was repulsed in the CA hearings.
If it is true that Rep. Garin "pressured" her to "order" more Dengvaxia for implementation in the congressman's district as well as in the districts of solons who were CA members, how would these solons influence the purchase of the hated P3.5 billion vaccine which was already consummated?

-o0o-

The "noise" created by the recent Supreme Court decison on the Metropolitan Cebu Water District furor in Cebu City was what prompted Iloilo City Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III and the Metro Iloilo Water District (MIWD) Board of Directors to scuffle.
Joe III, a lawyer, based his decison to terminate the five MIWD directors appointed by Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. on the SC en banc verdict.
Joe III believes, based on the SC ruling, that he has the authority to appoint the MIWD directors.
MIWD General Manager Imelda Magsuci appears to be cool and isn't bent to engage city hall in a legal collision course.
If they all base their arguments and discussions on legality and reason, confusion and further debate will be avoided.

Why husband Richard is silent

"A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong."
-- Milton Berle

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Before the formal investigation in congress on the Dengvaxia tragedy started, the name of Dr. Janette Loreto-Garin was already in tatters.
Angry parents, politicians, health workers, opinion writers tore to shreds the former Philippines Department of Health (DOH) secretary and blamed her for the titanic vaccination disaster that reportedly put at risk thousands of lives of Filipino schoolchildren.
If she were Japanese, Loreto-Garin, 45, would have committed suicide due to large-scale damage on her name and intensity of condemnation from an irate public.
But Loreto-Garin isn't yet finished.
She didn't fly the coop.
She failed to immediately address the issue because she was mourning the recent death of her father, Jose, in Baybay, Leyte.
She has expressed willingness to face any investigation in the proper forum and time.

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We expect Iloilo 1st district Rep. Oscar "Richard" Garin Jr., husband of Dr. Loreto-Garin, to defend his wife amid the worsening storm of public denunciation.
Rep. Garin, himself probably shocked by the wave of public outcry for his wife's blood, hasn't issued any public statement in defense of his physician wife.
But in his Facebook account, Rep. Garin posted on December 10, 2017 a NEWS ABS-CBN.COM article entitled: "Garin tags ex-health chief Ona in dengue vaccine decision."
Earlier on December 8, 2017, Rep. Garin also posted a NEWSINFO INQUIRER.NET opinion article entitled: "In defense of Garin" written by Ramon Tulfo.
No husband will sit down and keep quite while his wife is being sliced to pieces by vitriol and vilification coming from all angles.
No husband will not feel sad after seeing on national TV and reading in the newspapers and the social media bundles of unsavory words being thrown at his wife.
But unlike other husbands or wives of embattled public officials who immediately join the fray and lash at critics of their loved ones when push comes to shove, Rep. Garin did not want to throw caution to the wind and will probably wait for the right time to open his mouth.

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Owners of restaurants and pubs selling liquors in Iloilo City in the Philippines are aghast by the city dads' proposal to limit the serving or selling of alcoholic drinks at 1 o'clock in the morning.
They fear loss of income.
Many of these establishments operate only at night and cater to drinking customers and tourists who come home late or at around 3 to 4 o'clock in the morning.
The proposal came after a shooting incident killed a promising medical worker at Smallville two weeks ago.
Probers attributed the violence to a dispute between two groups of young men intoxicated by liquor.
They theorized that if they were not drunk, the protagonists wouldn't have resorted to violence and a life would've been spared.
But what about illegal drugs? Where authorities able to determine with finality that liquor had caused the fracas?
But in any decision that redounds to the benefit of society, the public officials have the final say after a public hearing has been conducted.

Stone we throw at Janette Loreto-Garin

"Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way."
 -- Swami Vivekananda

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Let's not be quick to throw stone at former Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin.
Like any accused, she deserves her day in court.
There's no concrete proof yet that the lady physician benefitted financially from the controversial purchase by the DOH during the Aquino administration of the P3.5 billion anti-dengue vaccine.
Everything is mere speculation. The human mind is always critical and suspicious.
There's no clear evidence yet that she acted alone and was solely responsible for the hated deal.
No one can tell that the former Iloilo board member had committed glaring or malicious intentions to inflect harm on anybody and pocket multi-million kickbacks.
As the DOH's highest official when the program was conceptualized, we aren't surprised that Loreto-Garin, 45, is now being crucified and condemned like a heretic.
When lawmakers, broadcasters, and parents mentioned Loreto-Garin's name, it's like they were describing Medusa, a Gorgon and winged female monster in the Greek mythology.

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We can't imagine the distress and sadness Loreto-Garin and her family have been going through ever since the brouhaha exploded on national and international media a few days ago.
We can't also imagine the horror and panic the report has caused thousands of Filipino parents whose children were among those vaccinated by the now infamous DOH program.
What we learned from reports was that the implementation of the program for school children in the Philippines has been halted after Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine Dengvaxia manufacturer, ruled that the vaccine is unsafe for use of those who have not been infected with dengue.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has been tasked by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to probe the alleged fiasco effective December 4, 2017.
Since the NBI investigation is still on infant stage, we can't yet pinpoint the gun and pull the trigger on any Tom, Dick, and Harry mentioned and blamed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) in the deal.
Loreto-Garin herself has signified her willingness to cooperate with the investigators "in due time" and "in the proper forum" because she was reportedly still busy attending to her ailing father.


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Before he said yes to the invitation of Iloilo City Mayor Jose "Joe III" Espinosa III to grace the 2018 Dinagyang Festival, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had been invited through social media by Marivic Mabilog, wife of "dismissed" Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, to drop by the controversial "mansion" located near the Iloilo River so he would see that it is not really expensive as what critics of Mayor Mabilog have been declaring.
When the presidential entourage goes to the Iloilo Freedom Grandstand from the Iloilo International Airport for the big event in the third week of January 2018, it will pass by the magnificent Iloilo River.
From a distance, President Duterte would be able to see the controversial Mabilog house.
It's important that he could see it by himself and not just rely on whispers from merchants of political intrigues.

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Will the Panay Electric Company (PECO) obtain an extension of its franchise for another 25 years now that the ball is on the court of the House of Representatives?
We will know when Iloilo reporters ask President Duterte when visits the Dinagyang Festival next month.
Mr. Duterte's body language and words about the issue will give answers to all our doubts and worries.

A test of Loreto-Garin's integrity

"One of the truest tests of integrity is its blunt refusal to be compromised."
-- Chinua Achebe

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Ilonggos will be watching with bated breath as former Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin defends the controversial purchase during the term of former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III of the controversial P3.5 billion anti-dengue vaccination, which is now the subject of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe.
Since Loreto-Garin, 45, is a former Iloilo provincial board member and the wife of Iloilo 1st District Rep. Oscar "Richard" Garin Jr., the Ilonggos are worried that her name might be dragged in the controversy, which has the potential to explode as a tidal wave.
Since it involves billions of pesos and tagged as "danger to public health" (about 10 percent of the estimated 700,000 children vaccinated prior to dengue infection are reportedly at risk), the story has sent shockwaves all over the world.
So far, no Ilonggo public servant who served in the national government has been implicated in a scandal of horrific proportion in recent memory.
We are confident that, without prejudice to the ongoing NBI probe as ordered by the Department of Justice (DOJ) effective December 4, 2017, Loreto-Garin will not besmirch the reputation of the Ilonggos and she can wiggle out from the difficult dilemma.


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Loreto-Garin, one of the richest cabinet officials who served under the Aquino administration, has no derogatory record in as far as public service is concerned.
That's why her relatives in Leyte and in-laws in Iloilo as well as their political supporters, are not worried that the controversy might cause dishonor to her name and jeopardize the political future of the Garins once the NBI has conducted its full blown investigation.
Loreto-Garin's innocence in the anti-vaccine tumult is vital as the Philippines prepares for the next congressional elections, which is about 15 months away.
Most of her in-laws in Iloilo are gunning for important elective seats, and they can't afford to carry a heavy baggage like the controversy Loreto-Garin is in today during the campaign period.
If the NBI investigation will find Loreto-Garin among those liable in the alleged anomalous DOH-Sanofi Pasteur P3.5 billion Dengvaxia deal, her husband and in-laws could suffer the domino effects in the 2019 elections.
The entire Garin clan's political luck rests on Loreto-Garin's exoneration.


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SOME Iloilo City hall "job hires" assigned in the Esplanade for the city government's cleanliness program are reportedly being required to report morning and afternoon to work as sweepers without day off effective December 2017.
To compound the matter, they can hardly make both ends meet because aside from their low salary, they are also allegedly being paid late.
If true, let's hope that City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) chief, Engr. Noel Hechanova, can help them.

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With or without peace talks with the communist and the seccesionist rebels, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should always be on the watch for possible ambush and raid in their precincts and detachments.
They aren't supposed to let their guards down and complain of harassment ad "treachery" when they are killed in "surprised" attacks.
Soldiers should always be on alert because they have been sworn to protect the republic from those who intend to topple the government; and that's why they are hailed as heroes.
Being killed in action or in "surprised" attacks is part of the risk they face every day.