Lions commit to the rule of law

It’s a rare experience. But on Saturday night, my spine tingled as officers of three Lions Clubs here gave their response to former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap’s call for a commitment to the rule of law and the constitutional and democratic processes.

Yap explained to the Lions Clubs the projects which the President had instructed him to undertake to achieve food security for the nation. But he refused to be drawn into a discussion of the tax case against him and his father.

Instead, Yap stressed the need to bail the country out from the prospects of becoming a "nation of mob rule." We cannot reject the reality that we are supposed to be a nation of laws, Yap said.

Immediate past District 301-B governor Felipe Lim said this was the first time in the Visayas Lions District that three clubs held a common induction of officers and new members.

District governor Antonio Luy Kimkok inducted the new officers. These were Orlando Tan, of the Cebu Capitol Lions Club; Samson Averia, of the Iloilo North Forth San Pedro; and Bart Espina, of the Bacolod capitol.

Past District governor Yapjoco inducted the new members.

What is surprising is that Yap was invited as guest speaker despite the fact that he had resigned his Cabinet position. But past president Domingo Tayu of Cebu Capitol pointed out that "he is a person worth listening to."

Yap also confirmed that it was the first time that he had addressed members of three Lions Clubs. The event was held at the Social Hall of the Sacred Heart Center.

In his speech, Yap focused on the government’s program of developing market linkages.

"Why did the poverty situation in the rural areas remain for the last three decades?" Yap asked. Simple, he said. It is due to the lack of market linkages.

He cited his experience with a group of vegetable growers who bring their produce from the Cordilleras to the Divisoria Market in Tondo, Manila. He said he discovered that upland vegetable growers had to haggle with middlemen who keep them hanging and even threaten to back out from thedeal due to an alleged "overload" in their vehicle.

Apparently, this ploy forces upland vegetable growers to sell their products at a very low price. Some even at a loss.

Yap pointed out that calabao, which sells in Nueva Ecija for only P3 per kilo, is sold at P30 in Metro Manila. Galunggong also sells at only P3 per kilogram in Mindanao but is priced at P120 in the metropolis.

The issue is not low production. Nobody pays much attention to market linkages, he said. What the agriculture department is doing is only to provide refrigerated trucks and link markets to the producers, including the ro-ro highway, which the President opened to 380 private non-commercial ports.

"All we did was open up interconnections between the producers and their sales outlets. When needed, we make available refrigerated trucks," Yap stressed, without pontificating about the whole thing.

He cited the increase in corn production to between four to five million metric tons and rice to 14.5 million from 14.5 million to 15 millions.

But Yap said the country today is being reduced to shambles by too much politics. He stressed that the President should not be forced to resign but should be given the right to defend herself from charges which have not yet been proven.

If we continue with namecalling and mob rule, Yap said, the country could descend to the level of a nation of mobs.

When he asked the Lions to roar out their adherence to the rule of law, the officers and members of three clubs rose in union and, with former president Ben Tan, shouted their commitment that "we are a nation of laws."

Rebels in Cebu for SONA

Yap’s challenge to the Lions was delivered the same day the Central Visayas Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels from Negros Island had landed in Cebu and boast of joining rallyists in making trouble during President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Lt. Col. Jefferson Omandam, CentCom spokesman, said the Negros NPA group arrived in three batches. The first arrived in a big pumpboat in Toledo City last July 5. The second group, reportedly composed of 15 men and five The third group landed in Barili town, just last week.

A battalion of the 7th Regional Mobile Group has been ordered on standby alert in case the Sona protest turns violent.

Meanwhile, in Negros there has again been the usual announcement of a huge crowd attending yesterday’s protest rally for the President’s SONA.

Militant organizations in Oriental Negros claim that they will be able to mobilize 5,000 people for yesterday’s rally. Those in Negros Occidental claim they could bring in something like 20,000 to Bacolod.

The Federation of Bacolod City Drivers Association (FERACDA) announced that it will also mount a protest rally demanding for an additional fare hike from the Land Transportation Board.

Yesterday, however, the strike failed to cripple public transport in Bacolod and the province.

The reason given was that United Negros Drivers Operation Center (UNDOC) said they want to hear the President’s SONA.

"If we are not satisfied with the SONA, that is when UNDOC will join a transport strike," said Jessie Ortega, the group’s secretary general.

Still, Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Maranon did not want to leave things hanging in the air. He mobilized department heads and worked out a transport system to ensure that capitol employees get to work yesterday.

And they did.

ADDENDA. Former DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman Saturday reiterated her call for President Arroyo to resign during a talk with students of the St. Scholastic Academy of Bacolod. She also stressed that Mrs. Arroyo’s constitutional successor, Vice President Noli de Castro, is not afraid to learn. "The President can help her successor in the transition and, after a year, she can leave Malacañang with her head held high," she said, startling the audience. She also welcomed the truth commission, pointing out that any initiative that would bring out the truth is good . . . Meanwhile, Bukidon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri told officers of the Council of Lions Clubs Presidents on Friday that he is for charter change and asked members of the Senate to rethink their positions to assure that the country will survive. "Even if the Pope were president of the country," Zubiri added, "he would not be able to solve the problems under the present highly-centralized form of government. He also said that the call for Cha-cha was a diversionary move to take off the heat from the President. Zubiri said changes in the Constitution can be done simultaneously with their impeachment proceedings.

Well, that’s just among the many things on the front page of a local daily yesterday, as if nothing was more important than the din over the SONA.