The ides of November has come and gone!

I was taken aback when ABS-CBN's early morning news report yesterday (the same report was featured in the Inquirer and the Cebu Daily News) quoted Police Deputy Director General Avelino Razon that the venue for the 12th ASEAN Leader's Summit has been moved to the Mactan Island Shangri-La Resort and Spa. Yet if you read that report thoroughly, you will notice that Razon corrected himself, saying, "There will be events that will still be held at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) and at the Shangri-La." The report further stated that a Malacañang source said that the venue change would be known on Nov.28th. So what's the big idea?

A couple of weeks ago, ABS-CBN also had a similar "misquote" when it quoted Cebu Vice-Governor Greg Sanchez about the change of venue even before the deadline hasn't come. When ABS-CBN called Gov. Gwen Garcia and Amb. Marciano Paynor for a clarification, they got it from the horse's mouth that there was no venue change. Yet, ABS-CBN continued its scrolling headline that the venue has been changed. Irresponsible journalism?

Just like what the ABS-CBN did earlier in quoting Vice-Gov. Greg Sanchez who is not a member of the National Organizing Committee, the Inquirer and CDN carried Razon's story with the full knowledge that he was not the person to quote about the change of venue and yet even when they came up with the clarification on the same report, they still printed that the venue has been changed. I would have expected such reports to come out today, a day after the deadline has come. But obviously, everyone is so eager to change the venue and embarrass us Cebuanos. Responsible journalism?

Indeed, the ides of November has come and gone. But apparently, the 15th of November was a self-imposed deadline by Architect Manuel Guanzon. Let me say that he missed his deadline by a hairline and he has to thank his lucky stars that he still has a chance to meet a new deadline this coming Nov.28th to turnover the facility to the NOC. If that bet with former Senator Sonny Osmeña had materialized, he'd be P1.5 million richer today!

As for the CICC, I had a long talk on the phone with Gov. Gwen Garcia yesterday afternoon. They are still beating the drums to finish what needs to be done in the almost completed CICC. I agree with her that the least that Cebuanos ought to do is rally behind the Province of Cebu when we are already in the polishing stage. Indeed, we shouldn't throw away what the Province of Cebu spent for the CICC just because some Pinoy crabs want us to fail. Anyway, the ASEAN Summit will still be held on December 10th and can be used. In fact, the ASEAN Business Summit, which will be held a few days earlier, could be the trial run for the ASEAN Summit proper.

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Just when no one seems to be looking for him, former Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan was captured dawn yesterday, not in a mountain or forest hideout, but in the urban jungles of Quezon City. He was caught sleeping inside a car in Green Meadows by a crack team from the Philippine National Police (PNP) tasked to search for him.

Gringo emerged into the Philippine political scene as the one who created the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and was one of the principal figures that triggered the coup against the Marcos Dictatorship that ended with the fabled People's Power Revolt in EDSA on Feb.24,1986, one of the most proud moments in Philippine history, where without outside help, we were able to wrest power away from an unlamented dictator.

EDSA put Gringo into the social and political limelight until he once more engineered another coup, this time against Pres. Cory Aquino whom he had supposedly helped in ousting Marcos. I said supposedly because now it is crystal clear to me that Gringo only used Tita Cory to remove the hated Marcos Dictatorship. With the more dangerous Marcos out of the way, it was going to be easy pickings for Gringo to have Tita Cory removed from power through another vicious coup.

Alas, Gringo didn't figure out that the Filipinos don't really want any regime change through a coup d'état. But still, the Filipino voter rewarded Gringo with a Senate seat so that we could finally see those reforms he would usher in for the military. But as a Senator, Gringo was a dismal failure.

Thus he went back to what he does best, round up disgruntled elements of the military and convince them to take over the government. This is why government or military probers seem to find his fingerprints whenever a coup happens. Gringo is supposedly one of the people behind those accused in the Oakwood Mutiny and again, his fingerprints were found in the latest coup against the Arroyo government. Now he is finally behind bars!

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit's columns can also be accessed at www.shootinginsidecebu.blogspot.com