Politics, politics and more politics

One may not like it, but the reality is that politics is the dominant topic of conversation and activities. Be it in Negros Occidental or elsewhere in the country.

The inescapable thing is that media teems with political news. Most of the interesting topics are shunted aside to the inner pages or shelved from prime time by political tidbits.

Well, there is one interesting item – that former Chief of Staff Mike Defensor is willing to campaign in Boracay. This, after officials of the Boracay Foundation, headed by Orlando Sacay, announced last week that they were campaigning against Defensor.

The BFI is blaming Defensor for the presidential proclamation by President Arroyo last year declaring that Boracay is alienable and disposable.

This classified under the term alienable 628.96 hectares of the 1,032-hectare island.

Defensor issued his statement during the press conference Sunday in Iloilo City.

Well, that’s just one development in an otherwise lackluster campaign. But for a time Monday and Sunday, Negros Occidental was thrown askew by a handful of senatorial bets who made a beeline to the 73rd birthday celebration of Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon in Sagay City, 85 kilometers north of Bacolod.

What struck me was that senatoriables Loren Legarda, Chavit Singson, Prospero Pichay and Miguel Zubiri pledged to champion the cause of the sugar industry in the Senate, calling for a review of the effectiveness of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law.

This has also been the advocacy of Marañon, who has witnessed some of the major problems and deficiencies of CARP and the violence it has led to in some instances.

Even Loren Legarda pointed out that there are many problems that tended to undercut the noble intent of CARP. She cited the farmers selling their certificates of land ownership award (CLOAs) or having the lands but not the means and the capital to use them effectively for their own benefit.

During the past two years, Marañon has spearheaded the call by local government officials of Negros Occidental to review CARP and devise ways to remedy some of the deficiencies and problems encountered in its implementation.

A case in point was the defection of four Task Force Mapalad members Monday back to the group of the original farm workers of Hacienda Velez-Malaga in Barangay Robles, La Castellana.

The four – Catalino Hilario, Ronald Margaling, Ronaldo Arediana, and Gina Villagracia – claimed that they have had full of hardships and troubles since they joined the TFM.

The four decided to rejoin the original organization and the farmers’ cooperative "so that our children can go back to school."

Among the most glaring of the CARP’s defects is the lack of support facilities and the funds for them. Thus, most of the CLOA holders ended up "leasing" their landholdings to outsiders and seeking employment from their new landlords. Others simply have gone out of their landholdings or simply gone through simulated sales, although this is patently illegal.

Assassination plot

Negrenses, however, were stunned Monday when Murcia Mayor Esteban (Sonny) Coscolluela went on television to expose an alleged assassination plot against him hatched by a group of local leaders and businessmen.

Coscolluela also presented the self-confessed hit man, a certain Reynaldo Garcia, who claimed that he had been offered P100,000 by carinderia owner Lina Lazanas to kill the mayor.

Golez, who claimed to have been a former member of the CPP-NPA, did not go through with the project since he did not see a valid cause for it.

Coscolluela also came out with videotapes, which showed Golez in a plotting session with Lina and a Murcia councilor.

Councilor Helen Clavecillas and Lino Lazanas, husband of Lina, stoutly denied Coscolluela’s claim, saying it was just that – a claim. Councilor Clavecillas also challenged Coscolluela to file charges.

She also said that after the hearing in court, she intends to file a damage suit against Coscolluela.

While being interviewed on television, she also charged having seen the Murcia mayor "boxed in" by two vehicles purportedly carrying security men.

Gov. Marañon ordered the PNP to verify the alleged assassination plot against Coscolluela. Local market vendors have filed complaints against Coscolluela with the Ombudsman for allegedly charging exorbitant rentals in the newly completed public market, which was donated by the government of Murcia, Spain.

Armada not giving up

If you think that Iloilo Vice Gov. Roberto (Obet) Armada has given up his fight against Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas, well, you are sadly mistaken.

Armada, who reassumed his post as vice governor Monday, dubbed the Court of Appeal’s permanent injunction against the Ombudsman’s dismissal of Tupas as "full of flaws."

He said he is consulting his lawyers on the possibility of filing a motion for reconsideration on the decision. This will be followed by a petition with the Supreme Court.

The vice governor pointed out that an injunction includes a bond, and the CA injunction cited no bond.

Last week, the CA’s 18th division in Cebu issued a permanent injunction in favor of Tupas. It also nullified the dismissal order of the Ombudsman against him and Sangguniang Panlalawigan members Domingo Oso and Cecilia Capadosa for grave misconduct.

Armada, incidentally, was censured by his peers in the SP for being absent for several sessions without a formal leave of absence.

Malabor or Gengos?

The opposition in Iloilo City is still gripped by a question – who will run for mayor and congressman?

While former Senate President Franklin Drilon has reportedly given the nod to lawyer Bengie Gengos as his "anointed" to take on Rep. Raul Gonzales Jr. for the lone congressional district, former Mayor Mansueto Malabor is still reportedly vying for nomination for the post. Malabor reportedly could not run for mayor because of certain legal impediments.

Lawyer Rene Villa is mediating the Malabor-Gengos joust for the congressional nomination. Unfortunately, Drilon is still abroad. Rumors have it that he was embarrassed by the cancellation of the scheduled Genuine Opposition rally at the provincial capitol by Gov. Tupas and provincial administrator Boy Mejorada. The two contended that there was a security threat. But this was disputed by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas who pointed out that Mejorada failed to show him the text messages which the latter purportedly had received. Neither did either of the two reported the matter to the police, the Army or the NBI.

Anyway, until today, no word has been received on who would actually take on Treñas. It’s barely a week before the March 29 deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy by local aspirants. But the issue as to who should run against Treñas remains in the disputation stage.