Is Gov. Jun Jun Davide becoming desperate?
Yesterday morning, my good friend, ex-President Fidel V. Ramos was in town for his interview with Mike Lopez on his talk show on MyTV, which aired last night and today at 6:00PM. FVR was accompanied by his former Press Secretary Chito Villanueva and former Philpost general manager, former PB member Joey Boy Holganza, ABC president of Bantayan Island, Ms. Maan Hontiveros, CEO of Air Asia, and Mr. Chester Cokaliong.
FVR was in his usual jolly self and was amazed at the MyTV Studios where I told him that this was the part of my life that my friends from Manila did not know about. FVR was playful and enjoyed the interview with Mike Lopez, but made serious comments especially about the recent spat that has rippled nationwide when Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte attacked the Catholic Church and "Put…na" Pope Francis for visiting the Philippines. FVR was blunt to say that Duterte shouldn't have said it. But then I told him that the Davao City mayor was caught having a "foot-and-mouth-disease." Later we had dinner with FVR at the Casino Español with a few friends.
***
Whenever the political season comes upon us, it usually rears its ugly self. This is why I wasn't a bit surprised to read in yesterday's headline of The Freeman (that the Philippine Star), which blared, "Winston faces graft charges!" This case stemmed from the year 2004 when Winston Garcia was the general manager of the Government Service Insurance System where he and the GSIS Board awarded the eCard Project to Union Bank of the Philippines in May 2004. Funny, this eCard Project or Smart Card project by Union Bank of the Philippines is still being implemented by GSIS until now, five years into the Aquino Presidency. So why is it only now that the Office of the Ombudsman is questioning this case 10 long years later?
Doesn't the Office of the Ombudsman know that there is a no-bidding requirement for choice of a bank by government institutions as it is recognition of banking norms, which are always based on trust and confidence. In this case, we know that this deal was above board by the fact that GSIS was dealing with the Union Bank of the Philippines, which is owned by the Aboitiz Group of Companies and we know that they do not do any illegal deals!
We have a very high regard for the Aboitiz Group simply because they truly practice what they preach. On this issue alone, I know that the Sandiganbayan would throw away this case, but then the die has been cast. The real reason why Winston Garcia is facing this 10-year old charge is really because he is running against the Liberal Party's (LP) gubernatorial bet Gov. Hilario Davide III. This only shows Gov. Davide has become desperate!
I have reason to believe that the Davide's still have great connections with the Office of the Ombudsman or the Department of Justice so a 10-year old case like this can suddenly be resurrected and brought into light. But Gov. Jun Jun Davide ought to know that this is what we know as a "below-the-belt" move… and therefore two can play the game with the Office of the Ombudsman. So don't be surprised when Gov. Jun Jun himself would also be targeted for criminal cases… especially that recent case where he allowed the highest bidder to win the bidding when the rules of the government have always been to award bids to the lowest bidder. So my advice to Gov. Jun Jun is… be very careful with what you are doing!
***
Guess who was also in town yesterday? Liberal Party senatorial bet Mark Lapid who went to the town of Alegria accompanied by Governor Hilario Davide III. Let me tell you a few notes about Mark Lapid, whom I met last year during an Asian Tourism Conference. He was the general manager of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), which is the new name of what used to be called the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA). This name was changed by the Tourism Act of 2009.
In the mid-90's I have been writing about the debacle that used to be called the Kang-Irag Golf Development up in the mountains of Cebu City where an 18-hole golf course was sequestered as a result of the 1986 EDSA Revolution because it was considered as one of the properties under the so-called "Marcos tentacles." So what has happened to the Kang-Irag Tourism Development?
This is exactly what I asked of TIEZA general manager Mark Lapid a year ago in Manila and he got my calling card and called his aide to give me answers to my questions. That my friends were the last time I heard of Mr. Mark Lapid. I tried calling his cellphone and the phone of that aide and no one answers my phone calls. If this is the attitude of Mr. Mark Lapid that he would ignore my queries, it just makes me wonder what would be his attitude if he becomes a senator? I haven't ruled him out yet as I'm still willing to hear him out as to what happened to the Kang-Irag golf course case.
***
For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.
- Latest
