Say it isn’t so, Boo

Mr. Boo Chanco in his column of January 14th dared Sen. Joker Arroyo to say he can’t be tempted referring to the current brouhaha over the alleged P1.6 million gift to each senator.

It looks like Mr. Chanco does not read anything except his column, not even the Philippine STAR. Chanco writes, “getting a commission from pork barrel projects is a favorite” of legislators. STAR’s Jess Diaz has repeatedly written over the years that Sen. Arroyo does not touch or avail himself of his P200 million pork barrel. Jess said that again very recently in the STAR’s Jan. 14 issue. Mr. Arroyo has not been tempted by such high largesse.

Mr. Arroyo does not chair any of 37 Senate committees and 20 oversight committees which has a budget of P10 million to P30 million at the disposal of the chairman. That is public knowledge among Senate reporters. The temptation is there, by right to be chair of 1 or 2 committees. Mr. Arroyo did not.

Mr. Chanco mocks, “Joker has presented himself as the most frugal senator, refusing to take anything even for staff expenses.” Mr. Arroyo has not advertised his frugality with public money. It is Senate and House beat reporters who has covered him who made the description, “Scrooge of Congress” who, for 20 straight years was the most frugal and tight fisted legislator when it comes to public funds, among them, STAR’s Tina Mendez.

The P1.6 million was received in our office with a voucher that reads “Additional MOOE for the month of December, 2012 x x x.” No mention whatsoever that it was a gift. So we treated it like any other MOOE.

As they say, the thinker is the doer. Mr. Chanco’s fertile mind betrays his own weakness. But we wonder why columnists are placed on a pedestal; when they do not scrounge for news like beat reporters who are on the ground — as eyewitnesses — and report events as they happen, not like columnists who report events as they interpret it. Chanco’s case is illuminating.

Finally, the squabble over the Senate presidency, the subject of the Chanco pseudo-treatise. STAR’s Delon Porcalla reported in the January 15, 2013 issue of the STAR, “on the plan to change the Senate leadership x x x Sen. Joker Arroyo said he was the last to know if ever there was one.”

Journalism and law are similar. They both deal with facts. If facts are wrong, a wrong conclusion will follow. Mr. Chanco thinks facts are unimportant in opinion writing; only his views matter.

Say it isn’t so, Boo.— ABIGAIL L. HINTO, legislative staff, Office of Sen. Joker Arroyo