It’s the moment of truth for Senator Revilla

Information overload! There are so many issues to write about these days as the heat of the election and smear campaigns have started. Yes! The battle has begun and everyone is accusing each other of plunder, sex, murder, crime – you name it you got it.

Sour graping, personal sabotage, corruption, etc. Politics in the Philippines is something else. It’s disgusting!

Anyway, going down to business, what is happening to Binay and his family? They better work things out the right way or they will go down in history maybe not now but soon. The Vice President should face up to the public with dignity and might not with cowardice. Sure the ‘bombastic’ senators will put you down but your words and actions will show the people what you are made of. The problem here lies when too much lying is in play. Then, you’re doomed!

*      *      *

This week is a crucial one for the PDAF cases especially for Senator Revilla since the resolution on his bail petition on the pork barrel scam will be announced. Will he get a favorable decision or continue to stay behind bars? Waiting in line are the cases of Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Enrile along with the accused chiefs of staff.

The Office of the Ombudsman seems to have nailed this plunder case against Revilla. They have meticulously presented all evidences paying attention to every minute detail that might escape the eye of an ordinary citizen. They clearly have a strong case against the Senator. And so this is probably why Revilla panicked and asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to allow him to undergo a medical check-up at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Joefferson Toribio, the lead prosecutor feels the move could be a tactic to delay the case and could be a prelude to hospital arrest. Well, what else is new in this country? I just can’t believe how an action star with all his bravado can turn into a wimp.

If Revilla loses this fight, he will be convicted as a criminal and will be surely transferred to a regular jail not unless ‘special treatment’ is given. I’m sure government officials will be very careful this time lest they be accused of tolerating things.

This is the moment of truth. The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Calling the Abolish Pork Movement, Cebu Coalition Against Pork Barrel, Church People’s Alliance Against Pork Barrel, e-Pirma, Makabayan Coalition, #Scrap Pork Network, Solidarity, Youth Act Now, and those religious and activist organizations in that One Million People’s March last year – please continue to monitor the trials this month including any meetings that the Supreme Court may have on the PDAF cases. As they say in our vernacular, baka may maka lusot pa! We need citizens’ watch groups to be out there.

Knowing how people in the different branches of government work in this country we have to protect our own interest or else we lose the battle. God save the Philippines!

*      *      *

Last February, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada announced a prohibition banning cargo trucks from the city’s main roads from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. to decongest the mounting traffic problem in the city. But this well-meaning move, instead of helping the situation created a more serious problem that resulted in a backlog of deliveries to, through and from the Port of Manila.

The Philippine Ports Authority blamed the Manila truck ban as the root cause of the congestion problem. It was a relief then when finally Mayor Erap decided to lift the truck ban.

Anyway, just out of curiosity, I checked out other ports that could possibly help bear the brunt of the congestion problem. One is the Subic port within the Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone. There is also the Batangas International port locally known as the Batangas pier. This serves the CALABARZON region and serves as an alternate port of Manila. Another port is in Puerto Princesa, Palawan open to foreign and domestic cargoes.

Other ports are: Port of Cebu, Port of Davao, Ports of Laoag and Currimao in Ilocos. We have a total of seven container ports and 55 other significant ports. As I carried on with my research I stumbled upon Port Irene. This one sparked an interest in me, so I read on. Port Irene was named after one of the daughters of the late President Ferdinand Marcos. It was established in the eighties.

Port Irene is located in Sta. Ana, Cagayan said to be fast emerging as the new Subic mainly because of its strategic port. Sta. Ana used to be a charming and quiet coastal town known for its pristine and white sand beaches. Only a few tourists and traders visit the town located 640 kilometers north of Manila. Its coastline faces the Pacific Ocean and South China Sea at the northeastern tip of Luzon.

This once peaceful town is now busy with commercial ships unloading second hand vans and cars. A salesman from one of the eight locators at the 54,119-hectare Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and Freeport said that the same ships would return every 45 days.

Sta. Ana has indeed transformed into a haven for imported used cars sold at a bargain. The buyers come from as far as Metro Manila, Ilocos and Isabela. They resell the vehicles in Manila and other cities for a higher price. It seems that there is a law that makes all this legal but something fishy is happening out there.

CEZA manages the port. It is a government owned and controlled corporation that was created by virtue of Republic Act 7922, otherwise known as the “Cagayan Special Economic Zone Act of 1995. Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, a native of Cagayan Province authored the bill which was approved by then President Fidel V. Ramos. Its function is to manage and supervise the development of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport.

Port Irene is near Kaoshiung, Taiwan and Hong Kong. This makes it easily accessible to Taiwanese and Chinese visitors. There are many activities and developments happening there which the public don’t know but should know. CEZA is operating on its own grounds because of the law curtailed for it. It is like a province or a big town running on its own grounds with a board controlling it. Not quite sure if the Philippine government is actively monitoring and auditing its activities: Agro-industrial developments, transshipment activities, tourism and gaming-related activities. As a free port zone, it operates a separate customs territory similar to Hong Kong and Singapore but knowing widespread ‘corruption’ happening in this country, shouldn’t this Port be closely monitored as well?

There are many foreign visitors mostly from Asia and would you believe Chinese workers in the area. Why not hire more Filipinos? Entry into the economic zone is also quite tight. But several mayors, governors, congressmen from different islands even as far as Visayas and Mindanao are seen flying in and out of the area on private jets and helicopters. Wonder why? Sanamagan!

There are reports of alleged smuggling and money laundering activities at the port. They say that this is another part of the country where big corruption is happening. Is this true? What is CEZA doing about it? Abangan!