8 good names

The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) resisted pressure and disqualified Justice Secretary Leila de Lima as a Chief Justice nominee.

In retrospect, she should have declined the nomination.

They came out with a short list of 8 good names headed by Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio who got 7 out of 8 votes.

Getting 6 votes were Justices Roberto Abad, Arturo Brion, and Maria Lourdes Sereno. Also getting six votes were outsiders former Congressman Ronaldo Zamora and Sol.Gen. Francis Jardeleza. Rounding out the list of 8 were Justice Teresita de Castro and Ateneo Law School Dean Cesar Villanueva who got 5 votes each.

Considered front runners now are Justices Antonio Carpio, Roberto Abad and Arturo Brion and Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza, former San Miguel Legal Counsel. Bar topnotcher Ronnie Zamora is a dark horse.

It would be good for President Aquino to appoint an insider and reserve the resulting Associate Justice vacancy for an outsider, even probably De Lima if she is cleared of her disbarment cases.

The President has until Aug. 27 to make his choice.

The JBC, including Cong. Niel Tupas and Sen. Francis Escudero came out with flying colors. Zamora and Villanueva were surprise choices. Notably missing was former UP Dean Raul Pangalangan who was an early favorite.

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UGLY SLAY TRY . . The attempt to kill Surigao del Norte Governor Sol Matugas at the flag raising ceremony inside the Capitol grounds Monday in the presence of hundreds of employees, certainly once again shows the deteriorating peace and order situation in the country.

Fortunately, for Gov. Matugas, two security men flung themselves at her to block 3 bullets intended for her. The wounded heroes were PO2 Ronnie Gomez, 34 and PO2 Jerson Guidulma, 35.

The gunman, 69-year-old former Barangay Chairman Samuel Lopac was arrested.

That gives police a chance to determine who was the mastermind.

Meanwhile in Alaminos, Pangasinan, ABC president Reynaldo Sagan, 42, was shot dead inside a videoke bar.

In San Fernando, Pampanga, American Glenn Allan Loudon, 59, was found dead, with a cracked skull by suspected robbers who ransacked his house.

In Pozorrubio, Pangasinan, Erlinda Bautista, 72 and her 6-year-old grandson John Earl were stabbed to death by a neighbor who tried to rob them.

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ANTI-SMUGGLING DRIVE FAILS . . The latest survey of the Makati Business Club (MBC) gave the administration a failing mark in the Anti Smuggling Campaign — 71% of 55 business executives surveyed gave the anti-smuggling drive a failing mark.

The business executives should know. They deal with the Bureau of Customs regularly.

The recent cases of pork and chicken smuggling, rice and oil smuggling prove that smuggling from Manila to Subic, Cebu and Davao is going on regularly with Customs officials in connivance.

The Senate is currently investigating the case of smuggling of 430,000 sacks of rice from India at Subic Port.

The hog and poultry raisers are also asking for a Senate investigation. No Customs officers have been sacked because of the case of 2,000 missing containers supposed to be transhipped to Batangas. BOC has not collected unpaid taxes by Shell on its importations of Alkalytes at Batangas port.

Divisoria is flooded with onions and garlic. Recto and Greenhills is flooded with Chinese cellphones. “168” Tutuban, Manila is also flooded with Chinese dry goods.

To top it all, smuggling of drugs is unchecked.

It’s more fun in Customs. Everybody “happy” all the way to the top. Bribe money is distributed every Friday.

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POLITICAL UPDATE . . Margarita “Tingting” Cojuangco is running for partylist representative representing farmers.

Atty. Ferdinand Topacio is the no. 1 nominee of Pasang Masda.

Cebu 1st District Rep. Cutie del Mar told colleagues, she is giving back her seat to her father, Raul del Mar.

Surveys in Camarines Sur show Felix “Wimpy” Fuentebella leading actor Aga Muhlach by a big margin, in their congressional fight.

 Nueva Viscaya Gov. Luisa Cuaresma is joining VP Binay’s UNA Party.

Nueva Ecija Gov. Oyie Umali has joined the Liberal Party.

In Davao City, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is running for Mayor again. Incumbent Mayor Sarah Duterte will run for Congress against Rep. Karlo Nograles. ABC president Pulong Duterte, a son of Rodrigo Duterte will run for Vice Mayor.

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SAY IT AGAIN . . DPWH Sec. Rogelio “Babes” Singson has announced again that the government will relocate 190,000 illegal settlers in river channels and banks. We heard that after typhoon Ondoy, nothing happened. You need at least P60 billion to do that.

Sec. Singson also said that he is prepared to blast houses and other illegal structures along riverbanks and waterways. This was again what was promised after typhoon Ondoy especially in Pampanga and Bulacan. There was no follow through.

The illegal fishpens and houses at the mouth of the Pampanga river are still there.

Of the estimated 190,000 illegal settlers, 120,000 are in Metro Manila while 70,000 are along Laguna de Bay.

Use the PNP and AFP.

How about Quezon City with the biggest money available? They have the biggest number of squatters. You still find people living on the streets along NIA road very near the City Hall. Didn’t they raise taxes precisely for squatter relocation?

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TIDBITS . . . 2,000 Hagonoy and Calumpit, Bulacan residents still in evacuation centers, 5 Barangays of San Pedro, Laguna still under water, 11 other Laguna towns are flooded, 12 towns in Pampanga are still under water. Parts of Malabon are still flooded.

Gov. JonVic Remulla is distributing relief goods to several towns in Cavite.

MBC executives survey gives VP Binay 58% satisfaction rating. President Aquino got 49%.

Bohol posted the highest increase in rice production totalling 218,701 metric tons.

Belated happy birthday to La Union Gov. Manoling Ortega on his 67th birth anniversary. Happy birthday Gov. Joe Zubiri of Bukidnon.