P-Noy’s presidency marred by untimely deaths

It’s still a long seven days to go before Pres. Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III finally exits from the Office of the President and return to civilian life. What can I say about his six-year reign as President? Well for starters, most pundits already beat me into writing that P-Noy’s presidency was the worst that our nation have experienced since the Americans granted us independence on July 4, 1946. For us in Cebu… the P-Noy presidency starved us for six years, denying us vital infrastructure development.

If traffic in Metro Cebu has worsened in the last six years, it is due to the reality that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) never cared to construct any flyovers to ease traffic congestion along the busy intersections between Mandaue City and Lapu-Lapu City. The DPWH offices in Mandaue City is but a few meters from the busiest intersection in M. L. Quezon Ave. leading to the old Mactan Bridge and what has the DPWH done is construct a concrete road divider or an island for P35 million, which in my book is totally unnecessary and doesn’t help ease the traffic congestion in the area. Yes, blame goes to P-Noy for not looking into the plight of Cebuanos despite the fact that the Liberal Party won in Cebu!

Last Aug. 25 during the Liberal Party’s caucus dubbed “A Gathering of Friends” held at the Cebu Coliseum, P-Noy announced to his critics (I guess, that includes this writer) for us to wear spectacles or reading glasses because he announced in that forum that in the last five years under his watch, he gave P25 billion for infrastructure development in Cebu.

Of course we had to scramble to double check those records from the DPWH and two days later, two media friends of mine met and we shared information with each other and found out that the DPWH only came up with P2.4 billion in rehabilitation projects in five years. These are the notorious “reblocking” projects where good roads were torn down and re-concreted, while many roads still have to get their first taste of asphalt!

That time, P-Noy also came up with something new, which he called a “Windshield Inspection” which in my book was a lazy man’s quick way of inspecting certain DPWH projects and the President passed through the “widening” of the Mactan Circumferential Road. I dare you pass that road from the Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) on your way to the fabulous Mactan’s Shangri-la Resort and Spa and you will not see any on-going road widening projects. In short the President lied to us Cebuanos!

All in all, Pres. Aquino came into the Office of the President because of the death of his mother and his presidential reign was marred by untimely and senseless deaths, starting with the death of eight Hong Kong hostages, which up to this time, P-Noy never apologized that this happened under his watch and seen by millions on worldwide TV.

Should we include the world’s worst natural disaster called Super Typhoon “Yolanda” where in the records of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) was ordered by Malacañang to stop counting the dead and they did stop at 8,000. But an NGO told me that they released 20,000 body bags and even if only 50 percent was used for covering the dead, the casualty figure would still reach more than 10,000! Now who ordered the counting to stop, huh? I would really like to know!

Then came the brutal killings of the 44 elite Special Action Force (SAF) members in the fields of Mamasapano, sent to their untimely deaths by whom? This will have to be thoroughly investigated to include the incoming ex-President Aquino for his role in that disaster!

With seven days left in his Presidency, the streets of our country are marked by deaths… two Canadians beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf and the killings of suspected Drug Lords. While the killings of the suspected Drug Lords or dealers may be attributed to the incoming Duterte Presidency, however we are still in the final days of the Aquino Presidency.

Perhaps in a final valedictory for the Aquino Presidency, it can be summed up with that new survey by the New York Times that stated that the Philippines is the most corrupt country in the Asian region. The survey released last Tuesday said that Singapore ranked as one of the least corrupt of the 13 Asian economies surveyed – the second least corrupt was Hong Kong and the third was Japan.

The survey said “The Philippines has the distinction of being perceived in the worst light this year, that People are just growing tired of the inaction and insincerity of leading officials when they promise to fight corruption.”

That survey was conducted in over a two-month period at the beginning of 2015 and questioned 1,476 expat executives in the 13 countries and territories throughout Asia. The Philippines scored 9.40 out of 10 on corruption, which earned it in the number one spot. So much for that broken record Yellow slogan called Daang Matuwid, which the Filipino voter shied away!

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