It seems that my good friend Atty. Paul Oaminal suddenly, albeit mysteriously lost his position as vice-chairman for the Dangerous Drugs Board (DBB) for no apparent reason. When this news got out in the front pages of our local dailies, I called him to ask for his statement in order to get some kind of logic behind his ouster. He sent me this email:
“Dear Sir Bobit; I don’t want to be presumptuous but I believe that the order of the President of having me replaced has been mixed up. The antecedent facts are as follows: When Senator Sotto, then Chairman of the DDB and Usec. Romeo Vera Cruz, a member of the Board resigned last November 2009, Asec. Rommel Garcia, my supposed replacement, applied for the position vacated by Usec. Vera Cruz. However, in February, Usec. Butch Belgica was appointed to replace Usec. Vera Cruz.
The order of the President appointing Asec. Garcia should not have been directed at me, but on the position vacated by Usec. Vera Cruz. To rectify the misapprehension of facts, Asec. Garcia should have been appointed the position of Executive Director and me retained as Vice Chairman. But if my interpretation of facts is wrong, I have no right to question the decision of the President, I could not be wiser than the appointing authority.
Prior to my appointment with the Board, I was the Legal Consultant of the PDEA-7 since its creation in 2002 and I assisted the government in the extradition of a suspected financier of the Mega Shabu Laboratory from Hong Kong to the Philippines. I wrote a book on the new law on drugs, cited by the Supreme Court in 2008. Present concern is the cocaine from Samar and the cocaine case filed in Davao City. I hope this could be continually attended to.
I would like to thank you, sir, for letting me share my idea on the matter. Also would like to thank the officials of the City and Province of Cebu for their support and would like to clarify that I earnestly believe that the current chairman of DDB, Sec. Bebot Villar has no hand in my replacement as the late Secretary Remonde bequested me to him prior to his death. To my fellow Cebuanos, People of Visayas and Mindanao, fraternal brothers of Alpha Kappa Rho and Lex Cervus Fraternity, thank you for the support and encouragement to continue the advocacy for a Drug Free Philippines. Thank You Very Much Sir Bobit.
Yours truly, Clarence Paul Oaminal”
There are two things that could have possibly happened here. There could have been a “faux pas” regarding his sudden ouster, which can still be rectified, or someone may have planned the ouster of Atty. Oaminal who has been so successful in fighting drug abuse here in Cebu. For all we know, a drug lord may have been involved; after all, narco politics is a reality now that the election season has begun.
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Those who promote the use of condoms are obviously misinformed. Condoms only give a false sense of security. If only these people read the numerous articles why condom hasn’t stopped the increase of the HIV-AIDS virus, it is due to the fact that the AIDS virus is a mere 1 micra, while holes present in many condoms that the naked eye cannot even see are as big as 5 micra, hence the HIV-AIDS virus can easily pass through a condom. Many people think is not defective as they can’t see any holes in it.
The same goes for unwanted pregnancy. Unsuspecting husbands use condoms when they have sex with their wives, yet when they get pregnant, it starts a marital spat because the husband now suspects that his wife is having unprotected sex with another man. All this is happening because when condoms are distributed by the Department of Health (DOH) freely, they are sending the wrong message that you can have all the fun and sex you want, anyway the condom will protect you! Well, there are just too many sad stories going around because of the use or misuse of condoms.
If at all, I doff my hat to Cebu City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Rhea Mar Angtud who pointed out that abstinence is the best way to avoid sexually transmitted disease. She said, “If we can make the youth realize that still the best way is abstinence until they get married, then they have no need for condoms.” No doubt, this is the voice of a very responsible educator who sends a very clear message that our youth should follow.
The advice of Dr. Angtud should be taken very seriously because our youth always look up to our elders. Incidentally, there is a launching at the Manila Cathedral today from 4:00PM to 6:00PM for Filipino Families for Life. This is quite important as our Filipino family values are under siege at this time. We can only pray that we shall persevere!