Polibiz
Feuding for STL crumbs
As of press time, some corrupt government officials who allegedly allowed themselves to be bribed in exchange for the green signal of the controversial Small Town Lottery (STL) in Iloilo City are already clamoring that they were "taken for a ride", whatever that means, thus unceremoniously exposing themselves to public scrutiny and suspicion that many of them could have been had.
"Taken for a ride" is an idiomatic expression that could be interpreted as "naisahan" or "naloko" or, to be precise, "naintu-an".
A tall person, representing a rich tsinoy STL investor, reportedly promised at least four of the city officials a monthly payola aside from the "acceptance fee" (the term used by lawyers) prior to the approval (permits, public hearings, etc) of the numbers game early this year.
But, lo and behold, three weeks before the STL inaugural draw last September 25, the tall person has stopped communicating with the four who have not yet been given their "acceptance fee" as promised. A case of the cart pushed ahead of the horse and the horse rider nowhere to be found.
Disenchanted of the tall person's glib-tongue and selective "generosity", one of the four is now beginning to spill the beans in the coffee shops and other crowded places. His colleagues had earlier cautioned him to halt his "sourgraping" but he continued to give himself away by his unrestrained tantrums and loudmouth until he committed a lapsus linguae in a La Paz coffeeshop. And the cat is now out of the bag.
As this developed, some members of the Sanggunian Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) were also reportedly sore that they were not accorded the same "privileges" given their counterparts in the Sanggunian Panglungsod (City Council).
One of them, an ex-officio member (he requested anonymity because of his closeness to the highest official of the province) lamented that the alleged offer was not worth the risk of his being dubbed an "honorable". In other words, they probably got nothing but paltry proposal and this must have infuriated his peers who unanimously approved a resolution rejecting the entry of STL in the Province of Iloilo.
What is happening now is a classic example of too many cooks spoiling the broth. With so many personalities with different background dipping their fingers in the cookie jar, it is doubtful if they can sustain the operations in the one-year "dry run" without elbowing each other and eventually literally tearing each other for the crumbs.
It's good that Iloilo Governor Niel D. Tupas, Sr. rejected the STL from the start and did not waver from his original stand. At this early, church leaders have nothing but praises for the governor's gallant stand against all forms of gambling.
I recall that in one of his nicely-carved speeches, Governor Tupas highlighted his "only legacy" to his children and grandchildren and that is the preservation of his constituents' moral fiber by torpedoing all illegal activities such as illegal fishing, daily double, illegal drugs, and now STL.
With this kind of leader, only the fools will not vote for Tupas' reelection next year.