A useless experiment with no lessons learned

Call it an unexpected political drama, but since Vice-President Leni Robredo accepted her new post as co-chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) I’m sure no one expected Pres. Rodrigo Duterte to fire her only after three weeks of her appointment. As Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said, Vice-President Robredo’s services were “terminated” after both she and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, head of the opposition Liberal Party (LP), “taunted” Duterte to fire her. Hmmm, this is one thing no one should do to Pres. DU-30… never ever taunt him for he will act ASAP! C’mon, we already know how the mind of DU-30 works!

Although she has been on her post for only three weeks, to be totally honest, she really hasn’t done anything to ease or worsen the war on illegal drugs. When she said she didn’t want anyone killed, this was to me a very  unrealistic goal or proof of her naiveté. We’ve seen more than enough movies or documentaries on the war against drugs done in Mexico or other Latin American countries and violence is the way of life of drug lords in order to keep their turf from other invading drug lords. For me, this was clear proof that VP Robredo wasn’t prepared to fight the war against drugs and how the nations of this world fought all drug lords within their respective territories.

For three weeks, VP Robredo who had no front-page news in the past, suddenly was placed in the front page everyday by her efficient media group, making it seem that she was on the war path or worse, in the middle of the campaign trail. Although she met with US officials, it just makes me wonder what the Americans would have told her on how the war on drugs have to be fought American style?

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo’s statement laments that VP Robredo blew an “offer to make the campaign against ille­gal drugs better,” wherein the opposition and administration could have united in fighting a common scourge. He added, “Unfortunately, she wasted such op­portunity and used the same as a platform to attack the methods undertaken by the administration.” Now all this has turned into nothing but a useless experiment revealing the reality of VP Robredo’s incompetence, which is the hallmark of the yellow scourge that once ruled this nation.

*      *      *

Perhaps I finally heard a wonderful news coming from Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella who recently announced that the city would no longer sell lots at the South Road Properties (SRP) as it would prefer joint development with investors, at least, while he is mayor. Wow! It just makes me wonder that after all that selling binge, they are putting a stop at government selling lots in SRP, thus saving a lot of properties for the future.

Let me tell you a story way back in the mid-1990s around perhaps 1997 when the Mactan Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) signed a deal to lease out the old Lahug Terminal site at the end of the old Lahug Runway, where today stands the Waterfront Hotel and Casino. The proponent was Malaysian Chua Mayu and after a period of negotiations, MCIAA leased this property for 70 years to the Malaysian investor.

Mind you, this part of Lahug, along Salinas Drive was totally undeveloped. There was no IT Park at that time, and Waterfront Hotel was merely the start of what would later happen along Salinas Drive. Yet, then Senator Serge Osmeña called me to renegotiate the deal and called for a Senate investigation, which amounted to nothing. At that time, my dear friend, Philippine STAR publisher Max Soliven fired relentlessly at Sen. Osmeña and I only learned later why he stopped the Senate hearings. I can’t write what I know, but I will tell you in person what I found out.

Anyway, another story we have in Cebu happened way back in 1989 when the province of Cebu then led by Governor Lito Osmeña sold the 54-hectare Club Filipino Golf course for P640 million, which at that time was huge money. But 30 years later, it has become the Ayala Business Park and the cost of the land has risen to unheard of heights, where people are now saying that the province should not have sold that property.

I once wrote that the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) has become a financial and lifestyle district in the country. It is located 11 km southeast of the center of Manila. BGC experienced commercial growth following the sale of military land by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA). The entire BGC used to be the part of the main Philippine Army camp. Today it is under the administration of the city government of Taguig. The Ayala Corp. through Ayala Land Inc. and Evergreen Holdings Inc. of the Campos Group purchased a controlling stake in BLDC from Metro Pacific in 2003. BCDA and the two companies now control Fort Bonifacio Development Corp. The Philippine Army should have made more money in leasing the property rather than selling it.

*      *      *

Email: [email protected]