What were the Tiamzons doing in Cebu?

Now it can be told that Benito Tiamzon, chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) New People's Army (NPA), and his wife Wilma Tiamzon, Secretary General of the CPP/NPA, were not just passing through the Island of Cebu. They were apparently living in Sangat, San Fernando so they could conduct the Communist insurgency in the relative peaceful atmosphere of Cebu, which is insurgency free.

But I'm a bit shocked why the search warrant for their house didn't cover computer devices, when that is a treasure throve of information against the NPA? So the next big question is, were the Tiamzon's preparing to launch a new terror campaign for Cebu? This is something that we in the media ought to search for answers. For sure, they were not living in Cebu just for some R&R. So now let us alert our Intelligence agencies of a possible resurgence of NPA activity within the Island of Cebu.

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I gathered that there was another Senate hearing last Tuesday that was called by Sen. Serge Osmeña, III on the controversial Mactan International Airport expansion project but did that Senate hearing bring us closer to the construction of our new airport terminal? I don't know but I have no doubt that Sen. Osmeña is lawyering for the Filinvest/Changi consortium because he really has nothing to question the Megawide/GMR consortium.

Sen. Serge questions the financial capacity of Megawide/GMR consortium and chastises the pre-bidding & awards committee (PBAC) of the Department of Transportation & Communications (DOTC) for not doing its due diligence. But in my book, the proof-of-the-pudding is in the eating. As soon as the DOTC awards the airport deal to the Megawide/GMR, they have to put up the money or they lose this bidding. But then how can Megawide/GMR put up that money when Sen. Serge Osmeña is delaying this project with his Senate hearing?

Incidentally, if you didn't know, the Filinvest/Changi consortium already violated the bidding rules of the DOTC/PBAC because all bidders signed an agreement that they would abide by the decision of the PBAC and would no longer raise any questions after the bidding has been done. Every single consortium that participated in that bidding congratulated the Megawide/GMR consortium, but not Filinvest/Changi. We can only second-guess that it is because the Osmeñas would fight for them and Sen. Serge obliged.

Well, the end of March is just around the corner and as promised the DOTC will be awarding the Mactan Airport deal to the rightful and the responsive bidder. So let's see if the DOTC officials have the guts to spurn the demands of Sen. Serge Osmeña and award this deal to the Megawide/GMR consortium. Abangan!

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I read The Freeman editorial last Tuesday entitled, "Time to Revisit Plastic Bag Ban" where it asks the poignant question, "It has been quite a while since the city implemented an ordinance that bans the use of plastic shopping bags on Saturdays. Now should be as good as any to assess the impact of the ban, whether it has served its intended purpose or has caused more harm than good." Indeed the city of Cebu should do a careful research on this issue because in my book, it did very little to mitigate the problems we have with flooding in many parts of the city. Just wait when the rainy season comes and you will note that the floods would still be in the same old places.

The plastic ban was good on paper, but we know too well that in this country the enforcement or implementation of our laws is where we are most deficient. Go to your nearest creek, estero or river and I will guarantee you that you will see plastic bags swirling around the waters -- that's if your estero has water in it. In holes no.12 and no. 16th at the Cebu Country Club, there is a branch of the Mahiga Creek that passes through these holes and we see plastic bags floating on the riverbed.

But in my book, I found the plastic bag most useful during the height of our efforts to send relief goods to northern Cebu, where foodstuff, rice and canned goods had to be packed together in small plastic bags so that they would be distributed to the needy people as they line up for food. Without plastic bags, I don't know if we could have been as efficient as we were. In fact, during the first three days after Super Typhoon "Yolanda" struck us on Nov.8th, many stores ran out of plastic bags.

Yes, I agree that it is time to revisit the ban on plastic bags because it is one law that was hardly enforced. Perhaps the Cebu City council should strengthen the law against people throwing garbage into our creeks, rivers and esteros because those people use plastic bags when they dump their garbage into creeks.

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