"What is the President waiting for?"
Santa Banana, in my almost seven decades as a journalist, I have known the greats and near-greats in business and politics. I have also had the honor of knowing unforgettable personalities—legends in their own right.
Among them was Nereo Jurado Paculdo, who used to own Nepa-Q Mart along Edsa in Quezon City.
He was actually the son of a niece of a first cousin of my father, and the grandson of another Jurado from Malaga, Spain who came to the Philippines to be with his brother who was a guardia civil at the port of Magsingal, Ilocos Sur.
Nering, as we called him, had two other brothers and a sister. Would you believe he was a busboy, a rank lower than a waiter, at the South Dorm of the University of the Philippines? He was studying law at the same time.
I used to see him when I was courting a pharmacy student who lived in the dorm. That student eventually became my wife.
Paculdo topped the Bar and became some kind of political figure in Quezon City during the incumbency of Rodriquez and Amoranto.
Paculdo was some kind of kingmaker, so he had many politicians for friends.
I was told by former classmates that he was the lawyer of three women who used to own Nepa-Q Mart. Soon, he convinced them to sell the market to him.
He was an entrepreneur and a visionary. He even went into mining in Zambales. He even had former classmates spend weekends there, all expenses paid for.
I did not become close to him until my brother Desi and I became senior partners in the law office of Dizon Paculdo Jurado Jurado (that’s me!) and Vitug, Arsenio Dizon was a retired Supreme Court justice. My brother was appointed justice at the Court of Appeals. Vitug also became a Supreme Court justice.
I say Nering was a visionary because he wanted to build a high-rise in that one-hectare lot at the corner of Edsa and Quezon Boulevard Extension in Cubao which he called C-Square. Unfortunately, his venture failed to materialize. That property became the subject of litigation due to many conflicting claims. It is still an empty lot today.
Paculdo’s vision included acquiring premium lands on Ayala Avenue in Makati so much so that he hired the real estate broker Larry Marquez to buy some lots for him.
Paculdo was confident that he could fulfill his dreams because of his respectable income from Nepa-Q Mart. He collected cash from people renting stalls—and daily, at that.
He liked to dance. He had a group that held dances at the Manila Polo Club every weekend.
Somehow, something bad happened to the business. He started losing money to the point that his income could not meet his debts. The tragic part was when he got sick. He became blind and both his legs had to be amputated. He died a broken man.
* * *
The case of Nicanor Faeldon, chief of the Bureau of Corrections, is becoming a big challenge for President Rodrigo Duterte. Will he fire Faeldon for the “massive jailbreak” of convicts under the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law?
Remember that Faeldon was at the helm of the Bureau of Customs when P6.8 billion worth of shabu was smuggled under his nose. Yet, the President said Faeldon still enjoyed his trust and confidence, and so he just transferred him to the BuCor.
The release of 914 convicts who had committed heinous crimes—rape, homicide, kidnapping, and drug trafficking sparked so much outrage. And yet Faeldonis not stepping down because he thinks he is doing a good job.
Senator Bong Go said President Duterte was “ready to fire Faeldon.” Really? Or does he still have Mr. Duterte’s trust and confidence? This is now a stinking mess!
Faeldon has become a big embarrassment to this administration.
There is now a debate on the need for proper interpretation of the GCTA Law. I think it’s an exercise in futility. The law is clear. Whoever allowed the release of those convicts should be held accountable.
I wonder what President Duterte is waiting for.
* * *
Another case of more than a whiff of corruption is the case of the Palace information officer allegedly involved in corruption.
This is the case of Harold Clavite, chief of the Philippine Information Agency. He has been asked to resign by no less than the President.
What was this anomaly? The public has no inkling of what has been happening at the Presidential Communications Operations Office under Secretary Martin Andanar. Obviously, the PCOO has not been transparent enough.
Newspaper reports claim that Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Clavite had manifested his intention to submit his irrevocable resignation as early as July 17.
The reason given by Clavite was that he had been working for three years and it was time for him to go back to his family. Medialdea said the President had accepted Clavite’s resignation.
But Clavite, who is being investigated for alleged corruption, now says the PCOO was interfering with his daily operation as PIA chief.
He was asked to quit last July 15 on the basis of a Commission on Audit disallowance, but he asked for time to clear his name. He said he was the target of a demolition job by disgruntled personnel.
Although his resignation was not yet final, Andanar, in a department order, already named Abner Caga as officer-in-charge of the PIA.
This is confusing. Is Clavite out or not?
* * *
The owners of that Chinese fishing boat that rammed into a Filipino boat and almost let the crew drown have apologized for the incident. That gives the owner of the Filipino boat an opportunity to seek compensation.
But will the Chinese listen and pay?
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