Would
Roding Ganzon, et al
deal
with a Janet Napoles?
“It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but
just as much to stand up to our friends.”
J. K. Rowling
By
Alex P. Vidal
The
late former Iloilo City mayor Rodolfo “Roding” Ganzon, who had served as
congressman (Iloilo second district, 1961) and senator (1963-1969), was one of
the only few leaders in the country who did not agree that members of the
legislative branch should dip their fingers on public funds intended to finance
infrastructure and development projects.
The
“stormy petrel of the south” once called as “que horror” senators and
congressmen during the time of the late President Tita Cory who gobbled up fat
shares of countrywide development fund (CDF), the first name of “pork barrel”
introduced during the heyday of Speaker Ramon Mitra of Palawan.
“Senators
and congressman should legislate laws, not implement projects,” hollered
Ganzon, a Nacionalista Party stalwart incarcerated during the Martial Law.
ULTERIOR
Ganzon
believed those who feasted on their CDF had ulterior motives. “How can they
present quality legislation when they are also busy identifying their own
contractors for certain road-widening and infrastructure projects in their
respective districts which is the job of the local government executives?”
sighed Ganzon, while taking potshots at his political rival, then Iloilo City
Rep. Rafael Lopez-Vito. “Legislators cannot ride on two horses.”
Lopez-Vito,
who beat Ganzon in an upset for congressman after the EDSA Revolution, denied
he misused his CDF but admitted he had some infrastructure projects implemented
in Iloilo City.
Congress
vultures and crocodiles were unfazed. They ignored Ganzon and continued to
laugh their way to the cookie jars.
When
Ganzon stirred the hornet’s nest, future senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson was
still a little known police superintendent assigned in Metro Manila.
Years later when he was elected senator, Lacson, now the Yolanda super-typhoon
rehabilitation czar, sustained Ganzon’s stand on pork barrel and nixed the pork
barrel dangled by the Arroyo administration to members of the House of
Representa-THIEVES and the SIN-nate.
When
the late Mitra was lording over the Lower House, there was no Janet Lim-Napoles
yet. Napoles started only to build her financial empire through the commissions
she allegedly siphoned from bogus projects implemented through the pork barrel
of SIN-nators and TONG-gressmen during the time of Pres. FVR, Pres. Erap, and
Pres. Gloria.
ILLUSTRIOUS
Ganzon
served in the 4th Senate together with the illustrious names in
Philippine politics such as Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. (the president’s
father), Ambrosio Padilla, Jovito Salonga, Emmanuel Pelaez, Gil Puyat, Eva
Estrada-Kalaw, Jose Roy, Gerardo Roxas (father of Mar), Lorenzo Tanada,
Arturo Tolentino, Leonardo Perez, Wenceslao Lagumbay, Lorenzon Teves,
Alejandro Almendras, Dominador Aytona, Helena Benitez, Juan Liwag, Genaro
Magsaysay, Jr., Tecla San Andres-Ziga, and Jose W. Diokno.
Would
they have dealt with a Janet Lim-Napoles if the latter existed at that time and
if pork barrel was coined at that time?
They,
too, probably never anticipated that Congress (both the Upper and Lower Houses)
would soon be devastated and ruined by a scandal called pork barrel.
When
newspapers, TV and radio flashed reports during that time, it was not about who
swallowed the biggest share of pie in commissions and cuts on pork barrel. The
stories were all about how outstanding were our national leaders when they
introduced certain bills; how they passionately debated on urgent measures on
the floor; how they mesmerized the nation and foreign observers with their
eloquent and bombastic speeches, and their defense of our sovereignty and
interest as a nation.
Pork
barrel and other scandals that rocked the legislative branch of our government
shook both Houses when mediocre characters and comedians started to invade the
SIN-nate and House of Representa-THIEVES.
The
defects in our electoral system are the main culprits. Even a rapist and
smuggler can become a president under our myopic electoral system.
