Consumers Domain
Tupas, victim or casualty?
"Stop telling such outlandish tales.
Stop turning minnows into whales."
--from "And To Think That I Saw It In Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss
In the surface, it appears that Tupas is the victim in the latest spectacle that ended in a PNP attack of the Provincial Capitol. Well, in a way, he is, as clearly the actions of the PNP was an overkill, comparable to a commando siege of a terrorist lair.
In the surface, it seems that Tupas is a poor and abused victim who deserves the public's sympathy. Politicians, especially those allied with Tupas and Drilon are quick to ride on the event and issued statements fully supporting Tupas. Many other sectors cried foul and came to the defense of governor. Even Bayan and Bayan Muna, who are supposed to be principled groups, are fast to jump in and join the bandwagon.
Well maybe these politicians and groups are simply trying to score maximum publicity points as the event is such a big media fanfare. The way I see it, however, we should be cautious in taking sides in this skirmish, as this is simply part of the bigger battle of one group of trapos (traditional politicians) against another.
Yes I strongly agree, let us denounce the way by which the dismissal decision was served. Yes, I agree let us deplore the manner by which Tupas was singled out by Malacanang for simply being a member of the opposition.
Yes, together let us condemn the manipulative scheme by which Gloria and Raul used their power for their own personal and political motives. Yes, let us criticize Raul's misinformation and idiotic justifications that there were fully-armed NPA rebels in the form of Bayan members who were deployed to protect Tupas.
The problem however lies in the fact that Tupas is charged with corruption, which by all indications his administration is guilty of. We don't have to look far to see the depth of the corruption by Tupas and his family who are well-entrenched in the Provincial Government and the municipalities under it. The Iloilo Provincial Capitol, highly overpriced in its construction, is by itself a monument to that corruption.
Then we have the Iloilo Airport project that is also deeply tainted in corruption as the governor utilized his power to corner handsome subcontracts while arm-twisting the marginalized members of the affected communities to accept a cheap deal for their land and livelihood.
We also experienced how Tupas handled the proposed construction of a coal-fired power plant by KEPCO and then by Mirant. Despite the opposition of the affected communities and the Ilonggos in general; despite the absence of evidence that the coal plant will pose no hazards to health and the environment contrary to facts and documents, the Governor acted as if he was a stockholder and spokesperson of the proponents while he continued pursuing the latter for the construction of a dirty power plant. Power peddling by the way is one worse form of corruption.
Those are all on top of the corruption issues mentioned in the cases filed against the governor.
Now, can we say that Tupas is a clean politician and not guilty of the corruption charges thrown against him? And that all the allegations in the cases against him were all fabricated? Can we say that the decision of the Ombudsman are all unfounded? Can anybody defending Tupas stand up and say that there are no single fact supporting Tupas' corrupt practices?
Let's put in mind that no less than Fr. Dodong Oso of JASAC is one of those who initiated the complaints against Tupas. Fr. Oso for sure don't have any political agenda in filing such a case. In fact his brother is even one of the respondents.
We should rejoice that a case against a big fish prospered, even with the help of some other motives. Indeed, the fingerprints of Gloria Arroyo and Raul Gonzalez, Sr. are all over the crime scene.
While it is clear that only the corruption cases filed against opposition figures were "ordered" to be fast-tracked, this should not stop us from exposing other corrupt trapos regardless of party affiliations and pursue legal actions against them including that fake one who occupies Malacañang.
Now these are just some questions that continue to tickle me: What will Tupas do if he is in the position of Gloria? Or a better question – What is Tupas now doing to his political opponents? Isn't it that like Gloria and Raul, he is also trying to suppress opposition to his administration and policies just like any other trapo in power?
To end this article, Tupas is clearly not a victim in this latest political development. Rather, the governor is a casualty of the continued war of the trapos.
The election is nearing. The Filipinos will again be made to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. Now guess who is the real victim in the end of all these? As always, the Filipino people…
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