Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned!
Hell certainly is happening to Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista, whose estranged wife, Patricia, has exposed an alleged P1 billion not declared in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. In the wake of all publicity and domestic quarrel between husband and wife, the Comelec chief is already guilty in the people’s eyes. Patricia has presented documents supporting her claim.
Bautista’s dilemma now is whether to quit his post or wait for an impeachment case to be filed against him.
If he resigns now, people will say he is guilty. But if he waits for an impeachment case, it would be worse with all the publicity that comes with it. He will surely be convicted by the Senate. He will also face criminal charges.
If Bautista continues to defend himself in media, it will be useless because the people already see him as guilty. This is what happened to the late Chief Justice Renato Corona.
This is unfortunate for Andy. I know him to be a man of honesty and integrity.
The doubts are not only on him, but on the integrity of the 2016 national and local elections. This is why the Bautista case must be pursued to its logical end. The stakes are just too high!
So, were the poll results manipulated? Was the people’s will frustrated? This is why I believe Bautista should resign.
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Some Customs officials have been named as getting grease money from smugglers. We also should not forget the 604 kilos of shabu that was cleared in the express lane at the BoC.
Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon is also being accused of hiring athletes as consultants for the intelligence groups. They are being paid P50,000 each, monthly.
Corruption at Customs is no longer news; it’s the norm. What should be resolved is why all these happened under the watch of Faeldon. I believe he is aware of command responsibility. He should resign out of self-respect and delicadeza.
President Duterte should by now realize that it was a mistake to appoint an outsider, a “novato” at the bureau.
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Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu is finding how difficult it is to reconcile managing the country’s natural resources and protect the environment at the same time. Former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez singlehandedly caused the collapse of the mining industry. She suspended so many mining concerns and terminated sharing agreements between government and the industry.
The interests are contradictory, even irreconcilable. This is why the functions should be separated. An executive order from the President can quickly do the job.
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Being a government official is a thankless job. When you assume such a post, you have to take risks.
I have been tempted to go into government service myself. I had offers to be press secretary thrice. A friend, Joe Aspiras, made the offer in my home, in the presence of my wife, during the Marcos administration. When I asked how much the salary would be, I was told it would be P19,000. I said I could not live on this income and I was assured I could augment it from other sources.
I got another offer during the time of President Fidel Ramos. He asked me if I would like to be press secretary, and I told him I would like to recommend somebody else—Rod Reyes, who indeed was appointed press secretary.
Finally, my former student Joseph Estrada asked me the same, and again I said no.
