Remember the pork barrel scam that has been turned into a media circus in the Senate? Well, it’s been months since Janet Lim Napoles surrendered to Pres. PNoy Aquino in Malacañang and as of press time she is still incarcerated for the crime of holding Ben-Hur Luy as her hostage. With the Department of Justice (DoJ) coming up with a bevy of whistleblowers, I reckon that it is time for us to ask the DoJ: when will this media circus end?
Now this media circus took a new twist when Mrs. Cristina Ponce Enrile, the wife of Senator Juan Ponce Enrile (JPE), appeared on GMA-7’s “Bawal ang Pasaway†hosted by Winnie Monsod which was a “No-holds-barred-no-stones-unturned interview. Of course this was the headline of the Philippine Star yesterday. In that TV show, Cristina admitted to knowing about the 15-year-long affair with her husband and Jessica “Gigi†Reyes. She also admitted that her husband had a total of 38 affairs, which she recorded.
As they say, “Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned.†Perhaps appearing on nationwide TV was Cristina’s way of getting back at her husband for his infidelity. She admitted that when she learned about the affair with Gigi Reyes, she packed her bags and left for the US. Though she tried to divorce him, JPE didn’t allow it to happen.
But gauging from that very public interview with Solita Monsod, I reckon that Cristina Enrile was only getting even with her husband about those affairs that she exposed. But on the question of his involvement in the pork scam, Mrs. Enrile would never put her man down. She believes that while he was dishonest in her marriage, JPE was an honest man when it came to public money. But is this really true? So to all you Lotharios out there; don’t you ever think that your wife is the last to know? More often than not, you’re wife may already know about your philandering ways and is merely looking for ways to get back or at least get even with you.
At this point, we go back to the DoJ and insist that this Senate investigation be stopped and cases filed before the Office of the Ombudsman because we have wasted too much time already. As for Cristina Enrile’s expose’, better believe that either Regal Films, Viva Films or Star Cinema may just be banging on her door to get the exclusive story on the life and times of JPE which could end up to be the next hit movie by year’s end.
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Meanwhile one of the side issues that we should focus our attention on is the case of former whistleblower and now Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Heidi Mendoza who failed to get the nod of the Commission on Appointments (CA) the other day. Apparently, Vice-President Jejomar Binay and his wife former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay were blocking her appointment at the CA. Mr. Arturo Besana, a former COA auditor also questioned her integrity for her having released some unconfirmed findings without any solid basis and announcing them in a congressional hearing.
Perhaps the most damaging accusations that were hurled against her were that she failed to pay P2 million in taxes, which she admitted in an affidavit. This brings us to question the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) whether this information is true or not. If it is true, then she should resign from COA and face whatever charges that the BIR would throw against her. But the next question is, will the BIR do this to her? Abangan!
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Last Tuesday at the 888 Forum in Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, one of the guests was Department of Public Works & Highways (DPWH) Cebu City Engineering District Eng. Fernando Cruz who vowed to implement and finish by November of this year that P404.2 million worth of infrastructure projects. One of these projects is the concreting of Don Sergio “Serging†Osmeña, Jr. Avenue from the bridge near the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) all the way to Palma Street. When DPWH engineers finally decide to use concrete, it will be music to my ears.
For the nth time, we’ve always batted for the concreting of our major roads first of all because cement is abundant here in Cebu, where we host some 4 major cement factories, while asphalt means using bitumen which is imported from the Middle East. Secondly, in this age of global climate change, where the rains get stronger and harder, asphalt roads won’t even last one year from the time it was laid down. But a well-made concrete road would last more than 20 years or more.
We laud Engr. Fernando Cruz for setting up that timetable. What we would like to know is when will the DPWH finally finish widening M. Velez Street? Mind you, Pres. PNoy Aquino and his Cabinet were just 100 yards from that road. Fortunately for DPWH, they failed to notice that road, otherwise they would have complained about the long delay.
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Email: vsbobita@gmail.com.