Playing his cards close to the chest

Hole of Justice

By Peter G. Jimenea
 

Playing his cards close to the chest

It took more than a decade to transform this issue into what it became. So did the media practitioners with aggressive tactics whose agility guaranteed a high level of hostility against top Iloilo City government officials.

The current city administration, however, refused to be intimidated by issues and hired the services of barkers to cushion the impact of what seems a non-stop tirade. But that large propensity to a sham plea in defense of the bosses is slowly losing its steam.

Sham plea is vexatious, false defense pursued under the old system of pleading for the purpose of delay and annoyance. The stake involved in this high profile campaign for supremacy over the air and the web virtually guaranteed the tawdry spectacle that followed.

It redounds to character assassination as they waded into areas of private life with embarrassment. The strategy shifted from delay to destroy. This, without having the faintest idea how difficult it is to defend an errant client.

Try to look at the records of the congressman of the Lone District, Iloilo City. In 2008 during the last term of Cong. Jerry Trenas as city mayor, the General Fund, The Special Education Fund and the Trust Fund has a total book balance of P1.35 billion.

But in December 2010, just few months before election, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported that P821 million cannot be reconciled due to lack of supporting documents or having no document at all. To date, nothing has been heard about the fate of that taxpayers’ money.

In 2001, during the first term of Trenas as city mayor, the bond floatation of P120 million by the city government for the Pavia Housing Project of the lowly city hall employees was cornered by the Philippine National Bank (PNB). The obligation of the city government to PNB then became P125M due to interest.

But when the construction started, this obligation to PNB was transferred to the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB). On why, nobody knows. The problem is the highly suspicious documentation of P12 million. A P12M travelling expense of the document from one bank to another which is just a block away, can drive an honest banker to the brink of insanity!

Meaning, our obligation to the PNB which was only P125 million has ballooned to P137M in PVB due to that P12M documentation (kuno). But the result after the Ombudsman resolved the case has nearly drove former Mayor Mansueto Malabor to run amuck!

Malabor is the predecessor of Mayor Trenas who turned over the Pavia Housing Project to the latter for implementation. Under Mayor Trenas, the project for the construction of 413 houses resulted to zero. Despite the payments to the contractor, not even one was completed.

Yet, Trenas easily got off the hook than Malabor does, creating an impression without affirming the perception that the extension given by Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro for further investigation of his involvement in the case was done in exchange for – you know what!

Worse, the story of San Isidro lot in Jaro, Iloilo City, written by yours truly has made a trending history of comments in the Facebook. Imagine, a lot valued at P2.5 million for relocation site of squatters was bought by the city government under Trenas’ stewardship at P63.2 million? Sus gino-o!

I don’t want to insinuate that Trenas misappropriated the money for personal use. But the public must know as one thing we all abhor is not a cheap shot-taxpayers’ money. Beside, transparency was lost during his incumbency as he is always ….. see the title!