Ilonggos don’t want a repeat of Manila film center tragedy

“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”

Karl Marx

By Alex P. Vidal

WE are worried that the incessant and continuous pressures applied on contractors to finish the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meetings might result in another construction catastrophe.

God forbid.

The Manila film center tragedy is still fresh on our mind.

Because of pressures to finish the project before the international film festival hosted by Manila on January 18, 1981, construction of the $25-million building was expedited when delays hampered the project.

Delays have also been experienced in the ICC project with no less than APEC National Organizing Committee (NOC) head, Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., expressing concern during a visit in Iloilo City February 24.

“Until it is built, it is a concern. Once it is finish, the concern is gone,” Paynor announced shortly after being informed that the main venue of the meetings is still being constructed.

Iloilo City will host two APEC ministerial meetings in September and October.

CONCERN

We understand Paynor’s concern but we need to have faith in the capability of the contractors to beat the deadline without sacrificing quality.

In the ill-fated Manila film center, the project required 4,000 workers as the deadline drew nearer.

Under pressure, they worked in three shifts, around the clock.

Tragedy struck when the upper scaffold collapsed, sending workers falling into wet cement at 3’oclock in the morning on November 17.

Some of them were impaled on upright steel bars, according to witnesses whose testimonies were not included in the newspapers that carried the news.

Media was under control during Martial Law.

Then First Lady Imelda Marcos was immediately informed about the tragedy and was told the recovery of the bodies would take a lot of time.

As many as 169 bodies were allegedly covered with cement when Mrs. Marcos ordered the construction to continue as planned so as not to incur further delays.

CEMENT

Some of those who fell into the cement may have been buried alive, critics of the Marcos dictatorship claimed.

We asked Mrs. Marcos about this incident when she campaigned for president in 1992 and she called the story as a “blatant lie.”

She told us there was only a single casualty and that enemies of the Marcoses “bloated” the figure “out of malice and out of spite.”

We read the news in the Daily Express (we had a daily copy in the house) and the article did not mention the death of more than one worker.

Independent chronicler of historical events, Lisa Waller Rogers, claimed that “the full story has never been told, as news crews, rescuers, and ambulance teams were barred from the scene for nine full hours, while the government, under martial law, prepared its official version of events, censoring all news and silencing all witnesses.”

CANNES

Mrs. Marcos, Rogers said, wanted Manila to rival Cannes as a world film capital. She described the project as “grandiose and expensive; the building on Manila Bay was designed to look like the Parthenon.”

Hilmarc’s Construction also bagged the second phase of the 3,700-seater convention only two weeks ago.

The Small and Medium Enterprise meeting is from Sept. 21 to 25 while the High Level Policy Dialogue on Food Security and the Blue Economy is from Sept. 28 to Oct. 6.

Like the international film festival that the Manila film center hosted in 1981, Ilonggos are also excited to host part of the APEC meetings this year barring unforeseen construction and political circumstances.

How can Mejorada shelve persona non grata label

“The courage to be is the courage to accept oneself, in spite of being unacceptable.” Paul Tillich

By Alex P. Vidal

DEBATES are ongoing whether it is proper to declare Manuel “Boy M” Mejorada, a private person, as persona non grata (unacceptable person) even if he is not a diplomat.

Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and some city councilors think they won’t sound ridiculous if they push through with the plan as they cited several cases involving actors, actresses and other personalities in other cities and provinces in the country not connected with government but were also declared persona non grata for offending the local officials and the people.

City officials are up in arms against the former Iloilo provincial administrator for calling Iloilo “a bird’s nest of corruption” during the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing for the alleged overpriced P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) project in Iloilo City November 13.

They want Mejorada to pay dearly for the “humiliation” he has brought the Ilonggos.

DIPLOMATS

But some lawyers, including Mejorada, insist only disgraced diplomats are declared persona non grata by their host countries before they are expelled.

Mabilog and the city council proponents think otherwise, thus they plan to slap Mejorada with the draconian measure in a resolution soon.

Even if they won’t use the words persona non grata, the city officials can always express their displeasure toward Mejorada in other means.

Like a simple resolution detailing why they don’t want to see the face of Mejorada in Iloilo City again.

They should take the cue from the Iloilo business leaders, who signed a strongly-worded manifesto of support for Senate President Franklin Drilon days before the hearing in the Senate blue ribbon committee last week.

The manifesto was read in the tri-media, including the social media and message sent.

What will happen to an individual—diplomat or not-who is declared persona non grata? 

Or severely reprimanded in a city council resolution?

Will the label deny him of his rights to open a legitimate business in the place where he was pilloried?

TAG

Will the tag disqualify him from participating in the electoral processes in the place where he was given the severe dressing down?

Will the resolution affect his economic well-being and future employment opportunities both in the government and private sectors?

Better still, will the move of the city council affect Mejorada politically if he has plans to run for public office in the future?

In terms of name-recall, Mejorada now has the edge given the gargantuan publicity mileage he amassed in the nationally televised “live” senate inquiry which became a national topic for a while.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Plus the social media which gave Mejorada the boundless leverage to lash back at his adversaries and disseminate further his case against Drilon, et al in the wider scale even after the first session of the senate hearing (we understand there are more scheduled hearings to come unless terminated).

Mejorada can only shelve the persona non grata resolution and vindicate himself if he runs and wins in the 2016 elections.

If he has secured a mandate, that means the people are not anymore angry with him, or have forgiven him for whatever transgression they think he has committed.

That means he is not really unacceptable as what his city hall tormentors want to tell the public.

Shall we stop trusting Wikipedia?

“The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.”Albert Einstein

By Alex P. Vidal

IF tourism secretary Ramon Jimenez were to be believed, media should stop relying on Wikipedia as a source for any investigative journalism.

As media researchers and deadline writers, we go to Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia and written collaboratively by those who use it, for quick references from time to time.

Wikipedia is designed as a special type of website to make collaboration easy and called a wiki.

Since many people from all over the world are constantly improving Wikipedia, thousands of changes are made every hour.

Thus data change from time to time and not permanent; therefore, unreliable.

Former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel “Boy M” Mejorada admitted before the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing November 13 that he used Wikipedia as one of his sources in the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) project in Iloilo City.

Mejorada claimed the amount of the project rose from P450 million to P700 million.

SPEECH

Senate President Franklin Drilon, according to Mejorada, even mentioned that the project is worth P1 billion in his speech in the opening of the Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City in January this year.

When pressed by the panel that included committee chair Teopisto Guingona III and fellow senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Nancy Binay to show documents as evidence that the ICC is overpriced, Mejorada said he based his findings from published reports, Wikipedia, whispers from experts who requested anonymity, among other sources.

Jimenez chided Mejorada not to use Wikipedia in formal discussions like the senate inquiry.

Jimenez warned that the problem with relying on Wikipedia is that if 100 people read in the Wikipedia that the apple is square, the same number of people will believe that the apple is really square.

Senator Serge Osmena agreed with Jimenez saying Wikipedia is not like the Britannica Encyclopedia which is more reliable.

Binay said accusers of her father, Vice President Jejomar Binay, had also invoked Wikipedia when they alleged that there was overpricing in the construction of the Makati city hall parking building.

DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson exhorted investigative journalists to ask them first so his office can provide the information needed in the investigation. 

Short in saying that the information he can give is more reliable than what the Wikipedia can offer.

PROJECT

According to Wikipedia, the Iloilo Convention Center is a P450-million project in the Iloilo Business Park in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, Philippines which is expected in to be completed in 2014.

“It will be built on a 1.7-hectare of lot in the district of Mandurriao donated by the Megaworld Corp.

“The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority will allocate P200 million for the construction of the convention center, while another P250 million will be sourced from the Priority Development Assistance Fund of Senator Franklin Drilon.

“The state-of-the-art convention center designed by architect William Coscoluella will be constructed based on a design inspired by Iloilo’s Dinagyang and Paraw festivals. It will be a two-storey structure with a total floor area of 6,400 square meters.

“The main hall on the ground floor will have a 3,700-seat capacity and 500-seat function rooms on the second floor.”

Drilon, meanwhile, did not actually inhibit himself in the hearing as what he had announced earlier.

He appeared pissed off while answering questions from Binay and Osmena.

REQUEST

Drilon admitted he was the one who requested for funds of the project, partly funded by his Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP) share.

He disclosed a "just in" information that the Megaworld will release the complete papers for the deed of donation before the year ends.

Mejorada, who filed plunder and graft raps against Drilon, Jimenez, Singson and other DPWH officials alleging that “they conspired” to overprice the ICC project, insisted there were violations in the bidding processes, among other building procedures.

Mejorada, Liberal Party Iloilo provincial campaign manager in the 2013 elections, was assisted by lawyer Eduardo Jalbuna.

Beware of Miriam in ICC senate hearing

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Benjamin Franklin

By Alex P. Vidal

NOW that Senator Teopisto Guingona III has set the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing on the alleged overpriced Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) project on November 17, the occasion will serve as a moment of truth for both the accused Senate President Franklin Drilon, et al and their accuser, Manuel “Boy M” Mejorada.

Although the merits of the serious charges Mejorada thrown at Drilon, et al will be tackled in the formal investigation to be initiated by the Office of the Ombudsman, the senate committee hearing is always considered by the public as the primordial barometer to spot the vagabonds, the tearjerkers, and the ninny lobcocks.

Like in the other high profile senate investigations, we expect hearing proponent, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, to again grab public attention and bring those invited to appear in the hearing in the edge of their seats.

It was Santiago who sponsored a resolution calling for the inquiry after Mejorada’s well-publicized filing of plunder and graft raps against Drilon,  Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and other Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in relation to the P700-million project in Iloilo City.

INHIBIT

Now that Drilon has announced he was willing to inhibit himself, we expect him to skip the hearing and monitor the event on TV somewhere else.

Of course, people would love to see Drilon’s presence so he can dispute the allegations leveled against him by his former Twitter accountant handler and media consultant for Iloilo.

But based on all indications this early, it looks like the senate inquiry will unravel without the presence of the senate president.

Mejorada, the most excited person in the entire imbroglio, has expressed willingness to appear in the hearing even before Guingona announced the November 17 date.

Mejorada’s face to face encounter with the fire-spewing Santiago, a fellow Iloilo resident, is now inevitable, barring unforeseen circumstances.

As she is wont to do, Santiago, 69, a former trial court judge, usually starts her spiel with a fierce lecture, or a cross-examination-like juggernaut that usually leaves the invited guests immobile, confused and flabbergasted, especially if they are imbeciles and intellectually inept.

There is a popular saying in the gallery that if there are rats inside your stomach and you can easily be intimidated by a staccato of words and high tones, you better stay away from the senate committee hearing lorded over by Santiago.

GUEST

To an ordinary invited guest, Santiago always sounds intimidating even if she asks the most basic questions such as “can you state your complete name and other personal circumstances?” and “Why you are here and what is your role in this committee investigation?”

Mejorada should not expect a joy ride once Santiago starts to open her laser-laced mouth during the hearing.

It’s always better to be prepared ahead of time than to be zapped with shockwaves of unexpected questions that will catch a person flat-footed.

He should anticipate harsh and even gruesome questions especially about his background as a media practitioner and as a government official.

Mejorada’s past and present links with politicians—winners and losers in the previous elections—are also expected to be brought up.

Battle-scarred and intrepid, Mejorada knows where he is heading to.

We all know that Santiago is deadly when it comes to marital and extra-marital affairs.

MERCILESS

She is merciless even the way she describes innocent individuals caught in between the scandals.

Her sharp tongue has tormented a lot of prominent and little-known individuals who found themselves like being thrown into the lion’s den or like being mauled black and blue by the spinach-eating Popeye after the hearing.

Look what she did to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile and his concubines (plural).

Drilon’s co-accused will also suffer from emotional and intellectual discombobulation if they go to war unmanned and unprepared.

For sure, the hearing will be a battle of not only credibility, but also of documents.  

There are allegations of overprice in the ICC project, financed partly by Drilon’s Disbursement Allocation Program (DAP), and Mejorada insists he is determined and ready to prove it.

Drilon claimed there was no any anomaly in his pet project for Iloilo City.

Let’s proceed with the senate committee hearing.

Killing Boy Mejorada will complicate matters

“Murder’s out of tune,

And sweet revenge grows harsh.”

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Othello

By Alex P. Vidal

WHILE walking inside the La Paz Public Market in La Paz district, Iloilo City last Monday night, I overheard in a loud radio set inside a billiards hall former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel “Boy M” Mejorada while being interviewed by Aksyon Radyo anchorman Joecel Banas.

Mejorada said he was ready to appear in the Senate blue ribbon committee that will investigate the alleged overpriced construction of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC).

Mejorada has filed plunder and graft complaints against Senate President Franklin Drilon, Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson and six other government officials and private individuals in relation to the P700-million project before the Office of the Ombudsman.

Although Drilon, who hails from Molo district, Iloilo City, has expressed willingness to inhibit himself in the soon-to-be announced committee hearing prompted by a resolution filed by fellow Ilonggo Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Mejorada said he prefers to see Drilon in the senate hearing “so we can discuss the issue face to face.”

INSIST

Mejorada insisted there was overprice in the mega project and respondent Drilon must be held accountable for the alleged loss of P488 million from the coffers of the government.

Drilon has denied the allegations of his former Twitter handler and media consultant for Iloilo.

When Banas asked Mejorada if he has received threats in his life considering that he stirred the hornet’s nest involving big names in Philippine politics, Mejorada, who first served as executive assistant of former Iloilo Governor Neil D. Tupas before being promoted as provincial administrator in 2006, quipped: “Ila man ina grupo a (It’s also their own group).”

Mejorada said “God will protect me” if indeed He believes in Mejorada’s crusade against graft and corruption.

During the 2013 local elections when he campaigned against Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, Mejorada claimed that certain characters, some of them members of drug syndicates, wanted to kill him.

Some of those who allegedly wanted him dead aired their threats via the social media and even showed the weapon they intended to use against Mejorada.

DRUG LORD

He identified an alleged drug lord in Brgy. Muelle Loney, City Proper as one of those who are itching to shoot him if their paths will cross.  

Mejorada walked with a bodyguard most of the time until after Mabilog was reelected overwhelmingly.

If Mejorada was saying that the persons allegedly interested to kill him belong to “the same group”, was he insinuating that some of those included in the plunder and graft raps were allies of the drug lords who wanted him dead during the heat of the 2013 local elections?

We are concerned that some of Mejorada’s enemies might take advantage of his rift with Drilon, et al and harm him (God forbid) while he is in the thick of battle against the respondents of the Iloilo Convention Center (ICC) brouhaha.

When so many people want to eliminate a certain individual, chances are his most recent enemies will be blamed.

FIGURE

We know that Drilon, a national figure and a potential presidential aspirant, is not a violent person.

We can’t speak the same for other characters caught in the web of the imbroglio and those sympathetic to the senate big man.

Now that the issue has exploded into horrific proportions and is now known worldwide, killing or attempting to kill Mejorada at this time will only complicate matters.