Autonomous interference

Legislators at the House of Representatives seem bent on meddling with the affairs of Muslims living in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao by approving House Bill 4146 that seeks to defer the ARMM elections slated this August. And this despite very strong opposition from major political parties, civic groups, religious leaders in the South and even the business and youth sectors who see the move as an attempt to interfere in what is supposed to be an autonomous region. A lot of legal experts have also weighed in, pointing out that the House bill is unconstitutional and thus, could be challenged before the Supreme Court.

The ball is now on the Senate court, and it remains to be seen if the senators will remain deaf and blind to the growing clamor of affected constituencies, majority of whom resent what they perceive to be “autocracy” by the lawmakers since the deferment of the elections is a violation of the ARMM Organic Law. One of the reasons used by the supporters of HB 4146 are the election rigging and cheating that have marred previous polls in the region – but that concern should be solved through the use of the Precinct Count Optical Scan machines that were utilized during the May 2010 elections. If the PCOS machines were able to deliver successfully during a nationwide election, then how much more so with a regional election?

The Comelec should be allowed to use the machines for the regional polls, with technology provided by Smartmatic-TIM – the outfit that helped ensure the success of the historic first automated elections in the country and hailed by the international community. It’s no secret that self-styled critics of the 2010 polls are motivated by a hidden agenda which has less to do with advancing democracy or upholding the national interest. Save for a few isolated cases, the delivery of results was done efficiently and accurately in record time compared to the agonizingly slow process in the past. Besides, government should take advantage of the discounted offer by Smartmatic for the purchase of the PCOS machines with additional warehousing services for the next six years. That would save government a lot of money for a technology that has been proven to be effective.

Merciful appeal

Patricia “Pixie” Javier-Gutierrez, the daughter-in-law of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, wrote to Spy Bits about their family’s sentiments and shared it on her Facebook account. Pixie said that the current crisis has affected their lives over the past few weeks, and she is appealing for people to understand the merits of her mother-in-law’s case. She describes Ombudsman Gutierrez as a career professional who has served government for over 40 years, rising from the ranks through various stints in various departments like the DOJ and the Office of the Presidential Legal Counsel.

“She is a hardworking and upright individual whose reputation for doing the right thing is of no contest and is worth commending. It is because of these very traits that she has reached her stature in Government and not through mere associations with those in high positions,” Pixie pointed out.

“Further, her dedication to serving the country and in carrying out her mandate has been steadfast and unwavering despite the criticisms from people who have quite obviously prejudged her and who cannot seem to understand and appreciate the pieces of evidence that ultimately back up her claim of innocence. It is disheartening to see and hear individuals who are so easily swayed by those who are trying very hard to besmirch her reputation and integrity to further their own selfish interest and agenda,” she said.

Pixie admits that while Ombudsman Merci has remained strong amid all the accusations, it is her children (including her husband Mike) who have been greatly affected and saddened by the turn of events and the “trial by publicity that her detractors have taken advantage of. We can only imagine what my mother-in-law is going through as she puts on a courageous face in front of her children and keeps the pain and disappointment she feels to herself.”

 Merci’s daughter-in-law ends her letter with an appeal for people to be discerning with the information they see and hear, and see through the “subliminal messages and political undertones” behind the words of her mother-in-law’s critics and detractors.

Ginza ghost

At the height of kidnappings of wealthy Chinese businessmen and their children a couple of decades ago, Filipino-Chinese multi-billionaire Archie Co left the country and moved to Japan where he has been living over the past 20 years. He married a Japanese and successfully established several hotels in Singapore and in Ginza, an upscale district in Tokyo.

The 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan early this month has ravaged their country’s economy. Archie was lucky enough that his hotel was not damaged but his business was very much affected. He told us that for the first time, the usually lively and dynamic district of Ginza with its numerous entertainment and shopping centers dotted by western “name brands” now looks like a ghost town - something that no one could have ever imagined a year ago. No doubt it will take years before tourists go back to Japan mainly because of the radiation scare.

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