GMA shouldn’t pay her political debts first!

We submit that Cebu was recognized by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) as responsible for her Presidency…therefore, as we’ve pointed out, Cebuanos have bragging rights for the next six years. However, this carries a huge responsibility for GMA to succeed… because if she fails, Cebu will certainly be blamed for her failures. So this corner shall act as an unsolicited adviser to the President though we won’t guarantee we would be given some kind of attention.

So here goes...first of all, I would like to believe that President Arroyo should not start her new administration by paying her political debts pronto! For all we care, she can do this in the second half of her term. What the President needs to do is put in real meaning to what she dubbed as a "Strong Republic". By this, the present crop of Cabinet members (minus of course, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jose Lina who has been replaced by Anti-Kidnapping Czar Gen. Angelo Reyes) can present their short term programs to implement her 10 point program which she gave during her inaugural speech. If they can’t make this… then off they should go!

Again, let me remind you that we have heard all the inaugural speeches since Marcos and all of them sounded great… it is in the implementation that we fail miserably. For instance, to truly put discipline in our streets, I talked with no less than Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Larry Mendoza that it is about time that the Philippines instituted a merit and demerit system in our driver’s licenses… because our problem is that there’s just too many recidivists on the road who violate our traffic laws again and again and again… and reckless drivers are not threatened with any suspension or the revocation of their license. They’re not scared at all!

For sure, Secretary Mendoza was all ears and wanted to learn more about this program. These are just examples that the Cabinet should be doing. But instead… too many people are jockeying for positions in the Cabinet, virtually tasking the President to pay her political debts. In Cebu for instance, it’s an open secret that Waterfront Hotel president Patrick Gregorio wants to take over the post of Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan because of the clamor to have a Cebuano in the Cabinet. Alas for Mr. Gregorio, he’s not from Cebu… and the other name that came out was that of Rep. Ace Durano.

Sure, we don’t deny that we’d like to see a Cebuano in GMA’s Cabinet, however, when I asked Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña if he was pushing for anyone, he merely said that he was pushing for the transfer of the Tourism Office to Cebu and wasn’t pushing for anyone. Well, for the record, the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (CCCI) has openly declared to be in favor of retaining Tourism Secretary Obet Pagdanganan… so, there really is no mad rush for the President to change her Cabinet… unless members are not performing.

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That President Arroyo has been elected for a new term saves us a lot of time and money… just imagine if FPJ were the President today, perhaps he would still be celebrating at this time, while GMA already had her first Cabinet meeting and handled the problems brought by Typhoon "Igme."

Finally, let me say that one of the things we’ve been pushing in this column for a long time now is our shift to a Federal form of government. Some friends of mine believe that this issue is being slowly sidetracked and that this was just another election promise meant to be broken. Personally, I believe that the President sincerely believes in this and as promised, it is a legacy she would be giving the Filipino people. I can wait for a six-year transition… after all, it is not easy to shift from the present form into a Federal one and I would like to believe that how the states would be formed is a very important issue, which shouldn’t be left for Congress to debate. It’s just too important for the Filipino people, especially when you want to be included in a particular state.

However at this point, GMA’s political allies ought to refrain from making rash or even reckless statements, just like House Speaker Jose de Venecia (JDV) who said, that GMA can both be President and Prime Minister when we become parliamentary. Perhaps JDV has forgotten that the Filipino people’s initial fear of a parliamentary system is that, we’ve tried it before during the Marcos years and it didn’t work! JDV should first work out a Federal system or both, but never just the parliamentary alone.

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The transfer of power was not happening only in the political scene last week… it was also happening at the Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort, which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a big bash… perhaps the most lavish party I have ever attended in Cebu. It was the Shang’s way of sending off its General Manager Desmond Hatton who will be moving to Oman and greeting their incoming General Manager, the tall and debonair Mr. Timothy Wright.

And what a great party it was! The guests were feted to a sumptuous dinner/cocktail at the newly renovated Cowrie Cove, which Mr. Hatton transformed from an ordinary beach front restaurant into the Shang’s international seafood bar and restaurant, which I predict would become a great hangout for Shang’s tourists and guests. Yes, Canadian, Australian and Japanese oysters were served, and Goose liver and oh… the lobsters! The Japanese food was impeccable, the dessert was heavenly and the wines were overflowing to the delight of Cebu’s glitterati and a few guests from Manila.

To entertain the guests, Ms. Maggi Garcia, Marketing Director, and Neil Rumbawa, Communications Director, brought in the Peace Philharmonic Orchestra and then created something unique… a water ballet number under the full moon, which shone brightly at the precise time the show started. Who would believe that you could turn a jetty of rocks and boulders into a grand stage? All it needed was a dazzling array of laser lights, dry ice and a lot of talent! I dare say that last Saturday’s party at the Shangri-La was a tough act to follow. It will be on the lips of those who graced the rebirth of the Cowrie Cove. But yes, when you’re staying at Shangri-la’s Mactan Island Resort, don’t fail to dine at the newly renovated Cowrie Cove!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow entitled, "Straight from the Sky" shown every Monday only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 on SkyCable at 8:00 p.m.