Respite from SEA Games

Actually there’s no respite from the Southeast Asian Games. But I intended to focus briefly on other concerns than just the games even while I wanted to see the Philippine football team tackle its second game with Cambodia yesterday.

But somehow, one can get an overdose of the games. There must be something really going on in the country other than just the athletic jousts among the Southeast Asian Games participants. Of course, there was the explanation about the voluntary sale of tickets to the games by Rolling Hills, owned by Rep. Monico Puentevella, chairman of the Bacolod Southeast Asian Games (Basoc) organizing committee.

The sale of tickets became controversial because of a malicious text message — "Do you want to be embalmed, buy a coffin or SEA Games tickets. Now available at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels."

Brian Puentevella, the memorial chapel’s CEO and the lawmaker’s son, dismissed the whole thing by pointing out that the Rolling Hills responded to the appeal for help from Puentevella because the Basoc lacked manpower to handle the sale of tickets.

Anyway, my attention was caught by the pick-up in corn prices from P7 to P7.50 per kilo during the peak of the harvest season in September and October to P9 now. This is especially true in Panay where Ilonggo farmers shifted to corn from palay because of the dry season.

To encourage corn farmers, the National Food Authority-Iloilo is reportedly offering free storage to farmers’ cooperatives to keep their palay for two months.

NFA provincial head Haydee Jardelez reportedly helped the Christian Multipurpose Cooperative of Sara, Iloilo sell its corn production to San Miguel Corp.

That should be welcome news to corn farmers of Western Visayas. Negros Occidental is another area where the provincial government under Gov. Joseph Marañon has launched a corn production program with the Negros hog and poultry raisers’ support.

That should be better news for farmers than the results of the SEA Games.

Metro scions in fake credit card buying spree

Yesterday, my attention was focused on a report by Visayan Daily Star correspondent Nestor Burgos Jr. about the police round-up of 11 Filipino tourists from Manila in a Boracay resort last Tuesday for allegedly using fake or tampered credit cards.

The young people, whose family names indicate that they may be scions of some prominent names in the metropolis, seem to have gone on a shopping spree in the Aklan island resort to the tune of about P635,000.

Burgos quoted Superintendent Remigio Gregorio, chief of the Boracay Special Protection Unit, as saying that the group had splurged two days before shop owners discovered the cards to be invalid and complained to the police.

Boracay shop owners started getting suspicious when the young tourists reportedly opted to gobble up items which they could have purchased in Manila at lower prices.

Burgos, however, quoted lawyer Stephen Arceno, legal counsel of one of the suspects, as saying that the issue was settled after his client agreed to pay the shops and restaurants in Boracay.

Anyway, the police initially detained eight of the 11. Five of them were identified as Sean Eric Pineda, 30, and his partner, Karen Lopez, 28, both from Filinvest, Quezon City; David Pineda, 24, of North Fairview; Anthony Pineda, 23, of Filinvest; and Jemelyn Pineda, 23, also of Filinvest.

The others detained were Maita Gabriela Quimson, 22, of Valle Verde, Pasig City; Jeremy Chua, 32, of Sta. Cruz, Manila; Paulo Soler, 22, of Valle Verde 1; Andrew Tan Go, 27, of Binondo, Manila; Maria Isabel Quiros, of Alfaro st., Makati City; and Anthony Cruz, alias Raymund Cruz, 41, of SMV, Makati.

Three others, including Eric Pineda, were reportedly intercepted by the police on their way to Caticlan.

Gregorio said the suspects face possible charges of violating Republic Act 8484 (Access Devices Regulation Act of 1998). This carries a fine of P10,000 or twice the value of goods obtained by the offenders and imprisonment of not less than six years and not more than 10 years.

Well, this only proves the point that some free-spending tourists are not necessarily that credible. Very often, as what happens not only in Boracay but elsewhere, they turn out to be using credit cards which are either invalid or not theirs.

That’s an expensive lesson for Boracay shop owners. They thought that they had earned big, only to realize that they’ve been had.

Syjucos on the defensive

Remember the tirades of Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel "Boy" Mejorada against TESDA Secretary Augusto "Boboy" Syjuco and incumbent Rep. Judy Jalbuena Syjuco of Iloilo’s second district?

Well, it seems that the provincial administrator has not been letting up on his exposés against the former congressman and his wife, who had replaced him while Syjuco ascended to the post of TESDA secretary.

Rep. Syjuco was reported to have asked Senate President Franklin Drilon to stop Mejorada from hitting the Syjucos on the issue of pork barrel-funded projects and the disbursements of the former congressman.

Rep. Syjuco reportedly complained in a letter to Drilon last Nov. 7 about Mejorada’s exposés and questions on the former lawmaker’s pork barrel.

That letter purportedly attached a copy of Panay News stories raising Mejorada’s question — "Where is the money?"

Drilon, however, reportedly replied that there was nothing he could do, saying, "I cannot control or dictate what Mejorada will do."

Mejorada is the provincial administrator of Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas, a Drilon party-mate and loyal follower. He was also a former journalist and later, a handler of Syjuco when he ran for his first term as congressman of the second district.

Mejorada, for his part, said all he is asking is for Secretary Syjuco "to account for the funds."

He pointedly asked an explanation on why Syjuco channeled his pork barrel to two organizations — the Taguipusnon Foundation and Tawo Kag Duta Foundation.

The question involves Syjuco’s use of his P47.5-million Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) over a three-year period during his second term as congressman of the second district.

Oh, well, Mejorada is reportedly eyeing to run for congressman of the second district against Rep. Judy Syjuco. The other contender is former Rep. Oscar Garin, whom Syjuco reportedly dumped despite the fact that he earlier had assured him that he would run for Iloilo governor against Gov. Tupas in the last elections.

Now, you understand why the cross and double-cross in politics are giving rise to such vicious attacks.

ADDENDA. Hinigaran Mayor Carol Guanco said it was the municipal engineer, whom she had put in floating status, who provoked her to kick and slap him last Tuesday. The municipal engineer, Joe Marie Magbanua, has been in floating status since January 2004 purportedly because of numerous complaints against him by contractors. Last Tuesday, according to Guanco, she saw Magbanua in the town library. Upon seeing the mayor take his picture, Magbanua reportedly raised his voice. A heated exchange of words ensued. But Magbanua reportedly pointed his finger at the mayor’s face. This prompted Guanco to push his hand away and kick him. Then, when Magbanua reportedly was poised to strike him, Guanco said, she slapped the town engineer. Guanco asked mediamen to go to Hinigaran and asked people there what really happened… The Oriental Negros government is reportedly poised to release the anniversary bonus of Capitol employees. Each will be receiving P3,000 in early December, according to Daisy Vamenta, human resource officer of the provincial government. She added that the Capitol has funds for the extra Christmas cash gifts of the employees should Malacañang decree that extra cash gifts be extended to government workers. Well, that should give Christmas cheer to the Capitol workers.