From one you may learn all

Hole of Justice
by Peter G. Jimenea


From one you may learn all


The Sarabia Manor Hotel, to date. has no cable tv program which is a normal attraction to coffee habituates. The Reklamo Publiko, a Sky Cable TV talk show of Mr. Danny Fajardo which for years had been in Sarabia Manor Hotel as venue, has transfered to Bali Hiotel owned by the Iloilo Press Club President Rommel Ynion.


On why the sudden change of venue by Reklamo Publiko, we have yet to know. But it creates an impression that Fajardo who is now closely identified with Mr. Ynion has lately been going awry with Cong. Jerry Trenas, whose wife Rosalie is one of the owners of the Hotel.


It is widely believe that the critical attitude of Mr. Ynion to the present administration of Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog due to alleged corruption, also led to his expose' of the anomalies during the incumbency of former Mayor Trenas which is even worse.


Sad to say, while Mayor Mabilog is still cooking, Trenas is already burping. This is where I decided to name Trenas, as the most studious mayor and the most despised local executive  this highly urbanized city ever had!
 In which case, Mr. Fajardo during his program Rekalmo Publiko at Sarabia Manor Hotel looks like a  sharp-shooter who cannot pull the trigger of his gun against a very close target. For how could he shoot the owner of the house he is staying with?


In fact, Panay News, a local  daily owned by Mr. Fajardo could only throw slight and limited tirade against Cong. Trenas due to the reason above-stated. Panay news have also records of the Pavia Housing Scam of then Mayor Trenas for the 413 houses without a unit done. And that costs P132M of the people's money!


Also the San Isidro, La Paz relocation site for displaced squatters that was bought  at P63M plus or five times higher than the original price offered by lot seller to the city government which is still under the stewardship of Mayor Trenas. As to who shared the loot, only God knows.


The Commission on Audit (COA) also conducted an audit of the Property. Plant and Equipment of the city government in 2008. The result came out on 2009, only few months before Mayor Trenas step-down from office.


Of the General Fund, Trust Fund and Special Education Fund of the city government amounting to over P1.3 Billion, an P821 Million cannot be reconciled for lack of documents or no documents at all. But this is taxpayers' money suspected to have gone to the wrong pockets!


Another is the city government loan of P350M for the construction of the Iloilo City Hall building. It was processed about two years before he stepped down from office. Mayor Trenas pomposely claim over the different radio station that the P350M is suffice to complete the city hall building.


On what misfortune for the taxpayers, he applied for another P120M for the same reason, for use to the city hall construction using the previous authority granted to him by Sanggunian members, without another resolutiohn approving the new loan.


Here, liar he could only be, lying to his people and God when he is widely known as a respectable and the most studious city mayor this country ever had.  Any man whose family is in the bondage of indebtedness could also be tempted to easily yield to temptation of greed.


This is not what we think a city mayor business is all about. We are just unlucky people in the city because COA the government watchdog for the people's money is only a barking dog, it doesn't bite when they are the first to discover the anomaly. After rendering their report, we heard from them no more.


Another royal mess of things is the Iloilo Graftwatch. After a rumored closed-door conference with the mayor which I have yet to confirm, I see these graftwatch people no longer walking tall but seem on bended knees and shame. Worse, by intently staring at them, they only bow as if badly beaten by their looks!


Its good that we have a press club president hell-bent to run after crooks in the city government. I hope Mr. Ynion makes good his threat as to-date we still have no guarantee that when Mabilog and Trenas stepped down all crooks will go with him.


As we noted, there is a deliberate injustice to the taxpayers money everytime the undesirable underlings are tapped by the two top officials of the city government. They should know that gross negligence is equivalent to malice or intentional wrong. (Balatbat vs. CA, 26 SCRA 128). See the title!