IT’S all negative news we have been getting from print and broadcast media during the past week, principally because of the entry into the presidential race of foul-mouthed and self-confessed killer Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.
There’s also Mrs. Mary Grace Natividad Sonora Poe lying through her teeth with her claim of 10 years and 11 months residency in the Philippines, which the Comelec Second Division said was a “misrepresentation.” The fact is that she is six months short of the constitutional requirement for a senatorial and presidential candidate.
Then, London-based Amnesty International raised red flags over the candidacy of Duterte considering his dismal record of violating human rights. He has been linked to the notorious “Davao Death Squad” responsible for extra-judicial killing.
The only good news we have this Christmas season is the Supreme Court’s resolution that former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be home for Christmas and for New Year with her family. The former President’s health has been deteriorating after she was detained in a hospital by a very vindictive Aquino administration. This furlough for her is necessary and welcome.
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Speaking of bad news, here comes the Bases Conversion and Development Authority misinforming the public with “Notice to the Public” print ads that the Camp John Hay Development Corp. has been divested of its authority to manage and administer the Camp John Hay Special Economic Zone, and that the public is cautioned against making any payment or transaction to CJHDevco.
The state-owned BCDA led by president Arnel Casanova clearly wants to mislead and misinform the public. The ad is contrary to the Court of Appeals’ directive to the CJHDevco “to vacate and cease its operation on the leased premises ONLY UPON BCDA’S FULL PAYMENT OF P1.42 BILLION TO CJHDevco,” which the BCDA has not paid to date.
Just why the BCDA board and its president are resorting to lies and misinformation about the true status of the Camp John Hay controversy is a mystery. Is it because the BCDA board and Casanova himself are co-terminus with President and that they soon will be jobless?
Perhaps in an effort to show President Aquino that they have been doing their job well at Camp John Hay, they must lie and misinform the public. Santa Banana, what a way for Aquino appointees to justify their salaries, bonuses and perks!
The Court of Appeals decision dated July 30, 2015 in part and in proper context ruled that:
The directive to CJHDevco to immediately turn over management of the leased premises to the BCDA (excluding ALL developments, e.g. residences, hotels, the Golf Club, the Convention Center etc.) is conditioned upon BCDA’s full payment of the amount of P1.42 billion to CJHDevco.
The BCDA has not paid this amount to date. When BCDA claims that it gave the amount in escrow to the Baguio Regional Trial Court that’s not payment as provided by the Rules of Court. My gulay, that’s another lie by the BCDA.
Because of BCDA’s failure to comply with the CA decision, CJHDevco has no option but to continue with the management of the leased premises in the John Hay Special Economic Zone. But, what is important is that the CA was told to respect all the contracts with all third parties (some 1,300 investors), who have vested rights since they were not a party to the controversy.
That was clearly a slap on the face of BCDA directors and Casanova who have been wanting the third parties and investors to vacate, issuing on April 23, 2015 through the Baguio Regional Trial Court Sheriff the “NOTICE TO VACATE.”
Thus, the newspaper ads of BCDA cautioning the public not to transact business with CJHDevco is not only aimed at misleading and misinforming the public. It is a big lie.
I don’t know if Casanova, a Harvard lawyer, and the BCDA directors can read and understand English. The appellate court was clear and precise in its ruling.
I have a sneaking suspicion, however, that the “Notice to the Public” ad is an attempt to mislead over 1,300 investors and simultaneously preempt the decision of the Supreme Court on BCDA’s pending petition before the High Court.
The affliction of lying, incompetence and hypocrisy of the Aquino administration through its straight-path policy seems to have afflicted the BCDA so much so that it has again been lying and trying to mislead the public, especially the investors, who are just waiting for this controversy to end.
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I don’t know if Social Weather Stations president Mahar Mangahas realizes it, but the latest poll survey of the SWS showing that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was the top choice of the people with a 38-percent rating was so flawed and suspicious that it was nothing but a bogus Duterte poll.
The questionnaire was a leading question, similar to “Have you stopped beating your wife?”
The one who commissioned the survey was a Davao businessman who could have been nobody else but a Duterte supporter.
The questionnaire was in Filipino. It read: “Let’s use a different list. Included here is RODRIGO DUTERTE as substitute candidate for president. Among the following names in this list, who would you likely vote as president of the Philippines if the election were to be held now?”
When I was public affairs manager of the Benedicto-owned television channels during Martial Law, I got involved in poll surveys. And I know there are different ways of manipulating the results.
The fact that the commissioned SWS poll survey was done to benefit Duterte was more of a strike against Mangahas than Duterte. People cannot understand how the Davao City mayor all of a sudden surged, even ahead of survey frontrunner Mrs. Llamanzares.
The result, Santa Banana: People are now doubting the credibility of SWS and for good reason.
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This is a caveat for housewives and everybody else who has not yet done his Christmas shopping.
If you have not done it yet, you are in deep trouble because the traffic nightmare will still get worse as Christmas Day approaches. And the Christmas rush has not yet begun.
My wife, who is always the wise one in the family, started her Christmas shopping as early as August. Now all her presents have been wrapped.
It’s my daughter, who always waits for the last minute, who is panicking because she has not done her shopping list much more her actual shopping.
