Tupas-Garin tiff continues
From the halls of the Capitol to the halls of Congress, the 'Clash of the (Ilonggo) Titans,' or family members at least, continue.
And it is no less than the Office of the Ombudsman as the 'trigger factor,' with the anti-graft body subject of the ire of Fifth District Representative Niel Tupas Jr.
In a fiery speech, Tupas Jr. lambasted the Ombudsman relative to the fate of his father, Governor Niel Tupas Sr. Brought anew to the attention of Congress and revisited by Tupas Jr. was the governor's graft case conviction as handled by the Ombudsman.
Saying complaints against his father were decided "in an unfair, unjust and illegal manner and with utter disregard for the due process," Tupas Jr. now wanted to clip the Ombudsman powers.
Immediately after his speech, First District Representative Janette Loreto-Garin stood up to interpellate that got other Tupas cases and questioned deals opened up in the Lower House.
In a lengthy verbal exchange, the two traded barbs with Garin expressing her reservation on Tupas Jr.'s desire to limit the Ombudsman powers.
"If we limit the powers of the Ombudsman which is actually a graft-watch body in our society, is it not that we are tolerating more and cultivating probably more graft and corruption to happen in our country?," Garin asked.
Tupas Jr. for his part stood pat on his anti-Ombudsman stance particularly on the disciplinary powers against erring elective officials.
In his speech, Tupas Jr. said what happened in January of this year was "a day of shame for the Office of the Ombudsman" while chiding the anti-graft body for "the absurd accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification" handed on his father.
Tupas Sr. and two other allies in the provincial board were found guilty of dishonest yet Tupas Jr. said "it was stopped because we fought hard. And sometimes miracle happens. And in this case, a miracle happened to us."
The solons' families are warring political clans in Iloilo with respective turf in the province. The Tupases are said to have Northern Iloilo as their 'kingdom' while the Garins are recognized to be the powers-that-be in Southern Iloilo
Tupas Sr. in 2004 won against Philippine Coconut Authority Administrator Oscar Garin, father-in law of Representative Garin as governor of Iloilo.