Pride of the Warays - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

I felt dejected when Rep. Serge Apostol was left out of the People Power Coalition’s 13-man Senate ticket. I knew he had a better chance of winning than some of the anointed 13, like Liwayway Vinzons Chato, whose reign at the Bureau of Internal Revenue was tainted with dark shadows. Moreover, Serge Apostol was, from Day One of the Erap regime, a staunch oppositionist, thus truly deserving of being considered as one of the PPC’s senatoriables.

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It is also noteworthy that Serge Apostol comes from a very depressed region, Eastern Visayas, a place that I had visited dozens of times in the past. The choice of someone from Region 8 could have dramatized the Macapagal-Arroyo’s genuine concern for the development of Eastern Visayas. And mind you, Serge would have gained the votes of almost all the voters of Region 8 had he been in the PPC’s Senate slate.

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I am happy, though, that Serge Apostol has been given some credit, not only for his splendid work as an oppositionist but for his excellent job as prosecutor in the Impeachment Trial of Erap Estrada. Apostol’s designation as chairman of the Philippine National Oil Corporation, the post that former Speaker Ramon "Monching" V. Mitra held before his death, is President GMA’s acknowledgment of the capability of Eastern Visayas to handle such a sensitive post. I think that, despite this thick accent, Apostol will be a competent and excellent chairman of the PNOC.

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Dreamers and optimists hope that many of the PPC’s Senate candidates are going to make it in the May 2001 balloting. This wish may, however, be just like pining for the moon. The PPC slate is not a powerhouse team, except for about seven candidates (Frank Drilon, Johnny Flavier, Serge Osmeña, Jun Magsaysay, Joker Arroyo, Manny Villar, and Bobby Tañada) who have a big chance of landing in the Magic Circle. Other bets like Winnie Monsod, Boy Herrera, Ralph Recto, and Obet Pagdanganan can also be considered as winnable candidates.

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If the opposition Senate bets are able to distance themselves from Erap Estrada, their chances of winning will be enhanced. But if they appear to be mere puppets or stands-ins for Erap, there will be a terrific backlash that can deny them massive votes, especially in the urban areas of the country.

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Peter Wallace, president of EIU Philippines (The Economic Intelligence Unit), was disturbed over my article about the ongoing problems being faced by Kimberly Clark Philippines (KCPI) with some of the owners of Goodwill Bookstore. Peter’s reaction is understandable, considering his long-standing task of assuring that multinationals in the Philippines are good corporate citizens are also treated fairly.

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After lengthy discussion with officials of KCPI, Peter was able to arrive at an assessment of what the real situation is. He thus took the time and effort to write to me, to cite KCPI’s position on the issue. And in fairness to KCPI, let me take up what appears to be "the other side" of the issue raised in my column.

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The land at issue used to be owned by KCPI until the expiration of the Laurel-Langley Agreement, an event that forced KCPI to sell the property to Don Manuel Cancio. The sale had very attractive terms, with an agreement for a 25-year lease.

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When the lease expired, a new contract was negotiated with Don Manuel and his daughter Donna. During the negotiation period, Don Manuel reportedly brought home the contract and had a whole weekend to review it. Don Manuel only signed it on the Monday following that weekend. "Two days to review the contract at his leisure cannot constitute a deceit," noted Peter Wallace.

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Other parties, though, were not happy with the contract and were bent on having it rescinded. There then arose weird happenings after initial and unsuccessful wrangling to have the lease agreement voided. Two House resolutions were filed by Rep. Rolex Suplico, who is married to Don Manuel’s other daughter, Maritess. One resolution questioned the land lease agreement. The second resolution dealt with KCPI’s water extraction permits.

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The tussle did not end in Congress; it moved to the courts and eventually to the media. Top officials of KCPI were thrown into jail. The media was brought in to sensationalize the happenings. Apparently, there was an unseen hand masterminding the sordid episode.

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Peter Wallace is worried over the reaction of KCPI’s head office abroad. They might now be regretting why they ever invested in the Philippines. Peter, too, feels that other multinationals could suffer the same fate as KCPI’s officials – being thrown in jail without due process.

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According to Peter, KCPI has been in the Philippines for 35 years, employing 900 Filipinos and supporting over 5,000 other Filipinos through purchases from local suppliers. KCPI’s is also one of the largest taxpayers in San Pedro, Laguna and one of the top in the Philippines.

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Peter’s appeal to media to be fair to a good corporate citizen like Kimberly Clark is worthy of consideration. Personally, I hope that in the end, the entire truth will come out and that justice will be done to the aggrieved, which, in this case, seems to be KCPI.

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The residents and homeowners of Cainta subdivisions like Brookside Hills, Valley View and Countryside Homes have reason to be really worried. The local government unit of Cainta has decided to make a place near these subdivisions as the garbage dumping site of the entire trash and garbage of the whole of Cainta. Just imagine the threat to the health of the people of these residential villages and of the outlying barangays just a few meters away from their areas. Many people are certainly going to get sick, because of that planned garbage dumping site.

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The various homeowners associations that will be affected by that Cainta dumping site should now plan mass actions to protest the move. Inaction and indifference on their part can mean health or possible sickness or death for them and the members of their families.

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My e-mail address: <[email protected]>