A Time for Mindanaoans
The recent upheavals in the national political situation will augur well for the people of Mindanao.
If the reports are true and correct, former senatorial candidate Pospero “Butch” Pichay will be appointed as commissioner of customs. That means only one thing, it will pave the way for Mindanaons to get appointed to the customs department and, either help collect revenue for the government or push our country out to oblivion by participating in corruption.
I am not saying that Butch Pichay is corrupt, what I am saying is that he should not appoint corrupt people under him. Certainly, Butch Pichay is not a corrupt man. He knows deep in his conscience that he is not corrupt man. It is only when he appoints corrupt people under him that he would be perceived to be evil and corrupt but I don’t think he would do that because Butch Pichay, like Brutus, is an upright man.
The other prospect for a high government office is Ralph Recto who is slated to assume the position of secretary of finance. The underside of the story is that former Congressman Jun Baculio of the 2nd District of Misamis Oriental will assume the position of undersecretary of finance. This is a very influential position.
And let me tell you why.
The Department of Finance oversees and controls the Bureau of Customs, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the prosecutorial arm of tax evaders. Therefore, they have the choice of whom to prosecute and whom to cover up. I am not saying that Jun Baculio will take the side of the cover up because, as I have known him to be honest and upright, he will take the cudgels for the government and do his job for tax collections without a corrupt mind.
Another Mindanaoan who is slated to assume a high government position like Undersecretary Jess Paras of the Department of Agriculture is a pet of congressional Speaker Prospero Nograles. Being the Speaker of the House I am sure he will get his appointee to assume the position of Commissioner of Immigration. I may not know the man, but being a Mindanaoan, he will surely help the poor people like us from Mindanao without violating any immigration law.
Mike Defensor is a man of mystery of which my very good friend Nonon Rosales asked about. Nonon Rosales of Butuan City could be wrong but with his analysis and efforts of how Reliv proliferated unbelievably under his leadership, his projection that Mike Defensor will rise higher than before in the government could not be wrong.
Mike Defensor might not assume the position of Presidential Spokesperson to replace presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye and prove Nonon Rosales to be not analytical and correct. Of course, Nonon Rosales could be wrong about Ignacio Bunye but he was never wrong about Reliv.
The other controversial appointment goes to AFP Chief of Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. who would assume the position of Secretary of National Defense upon his retirement. Of course, the former military man Eduardo Ermita, who is slated to assume the position of Ambassador to Washington D.C., USA, and secretary of Justice Raul Gonzales who is set to assume another ambassadorial post, will set the tone for what had been perceived to be the take over of a civilian military junta that Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is wont to survive.
These columns do not pretend to foretell the future but also do not pretend to be oblivious to the happenings in our country. As an ordinary folk like Eduardo Balansag said, you may call me Ed or you may call me Juan Dela Cruz, but I know whereof I speak. I live in the streets every day and pay for my food and drink my beer but, I always know when our leaders in our country steal from the constituency.
In the end, this column might not speak of the truth or reality, but it speaks of the common perceptions of ordinary people in the streets who know and experience how it is to live in a country where the leaders are either thieves or thieves. It means there is no choice between the lesser thief and the bigger thief. That is why I am saying thieves or thieves.
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