longcuts

When I asked Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento if it’s true that there is no provision on protest in the automation law, he confirmed that there is none.
But he said the Comelec may invoke its constitutional powers to promulgate rules and procedure on protest.
When I asked if they have already formulated the rules on protest, Sarmiento said that will be included in the general instructions in the conduct of the automated polls.
This will be issued next month, he added.
* * *
Education Secretary Jesli Lapus is definitely running for the Senate.
In a text message last Friday, he told Longcuts that he is all set to run, though he didn’t mention which party. Presumably, he will be running under NPC, though it is also possible he will be drafted under the administration party.
He is banking on the support of the nationwide association of teachers.
He told me he is proud of his accomplishments geared at improving the lot of teachers nationwide.
In a recent Pulse Asia survey, Lapus came out as the top performer among Cabinet members.
Not bad.
* * *
The CVSCAFT is wracked with controversies.
For a long time now, the main campus is in Bilar. For practical reasons, they want to transfer it to Tagbilaran. No problem because they got the support of the 3 Bohol congressmen.
Congressional paperworks were taken care of.
But the CVSCAFT administration failed to conduct public consultation. They never sought the pulse of the Bilarnons, the Bilar school and town officials before embarking on the plan.
This is the reason why opposition to the plan is mounting.
CVSCAFT officials are also facing another big problem.
They don’t own the land where the Tagbilaran campus is situated. They are mere squatters because ownership of the land belongs to the provincial government.
They cannot own it because the province is not selling, assuming of course that CVSCAFT has the budget, which I doubt.
The best that the province can offer is allow CVSCAFT free use of the land without owning it.
The province is willing to execute a Deed of Usufruct.
Will this satisfy the requirement of law?
That is the big question.
But the bigger question is – why are they in a hurry?
* * *
There is a shortcut however.
They don’t have to comply with the law. All they need is the active support of the 3 congressmen. They can propose a bill in the House, ask somebody to sponsor similar bill in the Senate, consolidate the two versions in the bicam committee and submit the consolidated bill to the President for her signature.
Presto, mission accomplished.
The CVSCAFT doesn’t have to look for its own property. They can still accomplish the university conversion plan by the law passed in Congress.
* * *
When I asked lawyer Handel Lagunay about this, he said the province is content on the Deed of Usufruct.
The CVSCAFT will not own the property, the province will just allow it to squat on the land for 50 years, renewable for another 50 years.
Sort of an “internal arrangement” between the province and CVSCAFT.
* * *
They have scheduled a public consultation tomorrow in Bilar campus.
To my reckoning, this is nothing but consuelo de bobo.
They have already passed the bill in the House and the Senate. After consolidation, the bill heads to the president for signature. Then it becomes a law.
And it’s only now that they have decided to consult the people and the municipal officials of Bilar.
Very funny.
* * *
City kagawad Edgar Lo Kapirig was unusually silent when the proceedings of the sanggunian was not yet covered live.
Other than rendering a committee report, he just sat there on his assigned seat, warmed it, and waited until adjournment time.
I still have to hear him talk for 3 minutes straight.
Now that the proceedings is covered live, he’s now talkative.
Yes, talkative, but he talks in the vernacular. I would have wanted to hear him speak in English.
Despite the objection of kagawad Dandan Bantugan, Kapirig is insistent. He talks in the vernacular, the devil may care.
I wonder if the stenographers are happy. I’m sure they are trained in steno in English, not in the vernacular.
* * *
With the live coverage, Kapirig and other members of the “committee on silence” can now “eat their microphone” on any topic under the heat of the sun.
They can now grandstand, dilly-dally on any topic because they have unlimited supply of the vernacular.
Which does not happen very often when English is the dialect to be used.
Is this the price of the live broadcast?
* * *
Now, here’s what one gets when he talks only during live coverage and in the vernacular.
Kapirig moved last Friday to treat separately Committee Report No. 113 of the Committee on Appropriations and Accounts on a proposed ordinance approving a supplemental budget of the city government in the amount of P21,220,354.00 for the salary increase of the city officials and employees and the purchase of land for the dumpsite at Dampas District and other expenses.
Not possible, says kagawad Mariquit Oppus.
This is already 2nd reading, she said. If Kapirig wanted to make changes, that should have been done during the committee deliberations.
And Kapirig’s answer?
There was none, of course.
Because he knew that Oppus was right. And besides, he was not prepared to argue.
But there is one big reason why he could not argue.
A member of the committee told Longcuts that during the committee deliberations, Kapirig was notified of the meeting.
Despite receipt of the notice, he did not appear.
Of course, he could invent reasons for his absence. But the fact remains that he was presented with an opportunity but he lost it. Now that the matter was already on 2nd reading, Kapirig wanted to do something about the committee report.
Wake up, kagawad Kapirig!
And please study your House Rules before you open your mouth.
And please speak in English, Kagawad!
* * *
Dandan Bantugan says he has documents and witnesses to present to prove his case against the member of the city sanggunian who demanded money from the owner of the Tagbilaran Bingo Station at ICM.
The money “for the boys” was to be distributed to the members of the city sanggunian.
He could not name names because he is not covered under parliamentary immunity but he is willing to provide the documents from the Tagbilaran Bingo Station in the proper forum.
Oppus objected to the suggestion to refer the matter to the committee on public accountability which she chaired because she wanted an impartial body.
The matter was referred eventually to a fact-finding body to be headed by city legal officer Doni Piquero who was also given authority to pick his members.
* * *
When the matter was discussed yesterday during the Ang Mayor sa Dakbayan radio program, kagawad Djinggo Rama could not contain himself.
He called up and said he felt alluded to in the discussion of the Dandan Bantugan expose.
He said prior to his stint as city kagawad, he invested P500,000 together with businessman John Yap for the bingo center in ICM. With his investment, naturally, he received checks as “earnings.”
He also rejected the idea that he was the kagawad who demanded “for the boys” from the owner of the Bingo Station.
If he got checks from the Bingo Station, Djinggo said, that’s because he invested money for the bingo.
But he was out of the Bingo business because of “pressure” from the city mayor.
This was promptly denied by City Mayor Dan Neri Lim who said why should he interfere in the operation of a highly profitable business.
Djinggo also said his recommendation to talk to businessman Lim Kit Kai of Cagayan de Oro City was intended to help the fact-finding committee.
So while he admitted that he got checks from the Bingo Station, Djinggo denied that he was the kagawad who demanded “for the boys” from the owner of the bingo station.
In sum, there are outright denials from some members of the city sanggunian.
Bears watching when the Piquero committee will come up with its report to the committee on public accountability.
More when we return, stay tuned for more!