Why is the Comelec a sacred cow?

How many more columns do we have to write until those so-called constitutional agencies like the Ombudsman wake up to the reality that the officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) until today still have to show to the Filipino people their Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) even after the so-called Corona challenge awakened the legislative officials because of the Senate Impeachment trial.

Because Comelec officials probably feel “invincible,” Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano confronted Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes for their alleged extravagant spending of P4.3 million for beds and mattresses for the Comelec mansion in Baguio City. Wa!!! This is the first time ever that we learned that the Comelec also has a mansion in Baguio City. I have always thought that this was reserved only for the Office of the President and the Supreme Court? They don’t deserve a mansion in Baguio!

Follow the simple logic… if your Comelec officials refuse to show their SALNs and are caught with an alleged overpricing of beds and mattress, pray tell me that when the Comelec purchased those pesky Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines, did someone also gained from that deal? So will the Liberal Party stalwarts demand for an investigation of the Comelec… at this critical time when they expect the Comelec to do their biding for the 2013 elections? Once again, I dare say that if he has any delicadeza left in him, Chairman Brillantes ought to resign his Comelec post.

*      *      *

It was out in series of photographs in the front page of The Philippine STAR which I believed was taken by TV-5 News crew and posted on YouTube. So now the whole nation has seen the arrogance of Robert Blair Carabuena, that irate motorist who berated, shouted and slapped Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) traffic enforcer Saturnino Fabros in an incident that happened at the corner of Capitol Hills Drive and Tandang Sora Ave. in Quezon City exactly a week ago.

The assailant turned out to be a Philip Morris executive (and an Atenean??) who acted like a drunk thrashing on the docile traffic enforcer who did not react against that direct assault. I know how this feels… after all I have been chairman of the Cebu City Traffic Operations & Management (CITOM) in 2001-2004 and as a director before and after that. Call him a rich young punk… slapping around a poor traffic enforcer who is only doing his job to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.

Already this incident has renewed calls for arming traffic enforcers. I will only agree on this for traffic enforcers who are assigned in really dangerous places and those who work at night. But generally, traffic enforcers should never carry any weapons. We resisted arming our CITOM traffic enforcers even when Sparrow Units were shooting traffic enforcers in our streets and an irate jeepney driver shot and killed our good friend, CITOM Director Eddie Jabornero during Holy Week way back in 1996.

However, what Congress ought to do is increase the penalties for traffic violators and a stiffer penalty for those who assault persons in authority. This is the only and the right way to protect those people who man our streets and give some kind of sanity to our chaotic traffic mess.

Also most of these traffic enforcers do not have any job security. Many of them are casuals (I hope this is not the case for MMDA) and I have written columns on this issue to write the wrongs of the Local Government Units (LGU) who unlike private enterprises are mandated by law to accept workers after 6 months training period. Give them job security!

Perhaps the people’s awareness of human rights issues have become so common… motorists think that they also have the Human Right to drive anyway they like. Look again at your Driver’s license and see for yourself that motorists do not have a Human   Right to drive in our streets… what we have is a privilege given by the State. Alas… many professional drivers who drive jeepneys, buses or taxis drive their vehicles without realizing this.

*      *      *

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto came up with an impassioned Senate Bill no. 2865, the Senate version of the Reproductive Health (RH) bill.

Helen became pregnant even if she was taking contraceptives… the baby died five months after birth. This is what we’ve been telling our readers all along… artificial contraception kills innocent babies. What was revealing was when Sen. Sotto said, “The RH bill seeks billions in public funds to purchase and distribute artificial contraceptives nationwide, claims to uphold the prohibition against abortion, but various versions contain provisions mandating a “post-abortion care.” Sen. Sotto added, “Studies abroad have shown a connection in a contraceptive lifestyle to increased abortions.”

*      *      *

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]