I don’t know if President Duterte realizes it or not, but his constant flip-flopping on domestic and foreign issues simply erodes his credibility.
In Beijing, he told businessmen that he was “separating” from the United States, but he took it back upon his return to the Philippines, saying he was not “severing” ties with Washington. Separation is different from severance, he said.
The effect is that people are not inclined to take the President’s words seriously because he does not mean what he says, anyway. Worse, we do not know whether he is joking—like that time he said he heard God talking to him.
So when do we believe him, and when do we not?
***
We have this killing of a mayor by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group inside a prison cell. Policemen were supposedly serving a warrant of arrest to the mayor at 4:30 in the morning. They claimed, however, that Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa attempted to shoot them. And this was why he was killed.
Who would believe this story? Initial findings showed the police shot Espinosa while he was already down. The trajectory of the shots established this. It was a perfect example of extrajudicial killing.
Why serve a warrant of arrest on the mayor since he was already in jail? Who would believe he had a gun or a sachet of shabu inside his cell?
If PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa were really up to his job as police chief, he should have rushed back from Las Vegas even before the fight of Senate Manny Pacquiao. True to form, however, he simply directed orders to his men from Las Vegas. He was among the VIPs who watched the boxing bout at taxpayers’ expense.
***
The persistent problem of the Duterte administration—cascading information in a clear, unambiguous and unified manner—has also reared its ugly head. This time, the stakes go far beyond clarifications, interpretations, and endless debates. A public servant’s career is on the line, and it has far-reaching implications for a government agency trying its best to reform its tattered image, as well as the administration’s anti-graft campaign itself.
Various news reports have quoted both President Duterte and Finance Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez as having relieved a Deputy Commissioner from the Bureau of Customs due to reports of corruption. That’s all well and good—especially since the bureau is perceived to be a haven for under-the-table-dealings. But Duterte and Dominguez clearly said that it was the Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence who was being sacked, my gulay!
Here are the facts: At present, the bureau’s Deputy Commissioner OIC (Officer-in-charge) for intelligence is lawyer Leon Magao Jr., who has been linked to some form of corruption or another. A little over a week ago, Mogao’s office issued a statement denying these allegations, specifically that two operators were allegedly extorting money from importers and brokers. Thus, when members of the media heard the President and the finance secretary mentioned that the BoC’s Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence was being investigated and relieved, it came as no surprise.
But, when he initially faced reporters, Secretary Dominguez seemed unsure. “There is only an OIC-Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence, ba yun? Oo, intelligence. There is only an OIC right now. But, a new OIC will be appointed.”
Later that day, when reporters received the office paperwork from the Customs Public Information and Assistance Division, it was suddenly BoC Deputy Commissioner for Enforcement lawyer Arnel Alcaraz who was identified as the dismissed official. This caused Alcaraz’s name to be the one mentioned in the ensuing media reports.
My gulay, is it that hard to get names and designations right? In the first place, unlike, Mogao, Alcaraz is not serving his post in an OIC capacity. He was officially installed barely two months ago.
Second, and more importantly, it would not be a stretch to say that he is a graft-buster.
In the short time Alcaraz has been in charge of the BOC Enforcement Division, he has intercepted numerous shipments of illegal drugs (ecstasy, cocaine, etc.) seized millions of pesos worth of credit cards skimming machines and counterfeit paraphernalia at the airport, and exposed corrupt practices with the agency. In short, this guy is technocrat and Boy Scout, and does his job with quiet efficiency.
The way I see it, there are only two possible endings of this sad tale of mistaken identity: first, the Customs Public Information and Assistance Division got confused and made a big clerical error. In that case a correction has to be made immediately since careers and reputations are on the line.
Secondly, despite the mixup, Alcaraz was really the man, who was meant to be relieved. This would be an even greater mistake, and would subtract a badly-needed honest official (a rare species at BoC). More important, it would send a clear message to the people that nice guys really do finish last, and that you cannot win in a corrupt system by being upright.
***
The appointment by the President of long-time media man Manuel “Babe” Romualdez as special envoy is well-received by media. Romualdez is a columnist of the Philippine Star and publisher of People Asia, and now president of the oldest media group, the Manila Overseas Press Club. For some years, Babe was also an a news anchor.
There were earlier reports that Romualdez would be the Philippine Ambassador to Washington, but he declined. The position was given instead to Marcelino Paynor, a career diplomat who served several presidents as protocol officer.
Babe would have been perfect choice as ambassador to Washington.
This is not to belittle Paynor, a career diplomat himself, but personally, I would have preferred Babe to be our ambassador to Washington, knowing his credentials.
In any case, I say good luck to Babe from a good friend.
