LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

March Fianza
Farmers, school children and cops

The organizers of the benefit concert “Songs for Mark Anthony” last Tuesday wish to thank all who supported it. Your efforts to help alleviate the situation of the 10-year old boy, a Hodgkin Lymphoma victim who is now undergoing chemotherapy treatment, will certainly go a long way.

Thank you very much to Novi Balagew of Amarillo Bar & Restaurant for allowing the use of the place, sound system and other facilities for free. Thank you to all the artist-musicians and singers who continue to share their talents for free.
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There is one thing common in farmers, school children and cops. They become unwitting victims of the misdeeds of their supposed benefactors. But this early, it is unfair that people quickly judge former agriculture undersecretary Jocjoc Bolante and retired Philippine National Police Comptroller Eliseo dela Paz for their wicked errors.

Bolante was accused of engineering the diversion of P728 million allotted for poor farmers, to President Gloria Arroyo's campaign kitty in the 2004 elections.

Dela Paz was caught by Russian customs officials with an undeclared 105,000 Euros equivalent to PhP6.9 million in his wife's carry-on baggage as they were about to leave for Poland on October 11, 2008.

Probe teams scampering for more evidences have yet to report to the public the results of their investigations of the twin scams. Filipinos hope that there will be no attempts of any ‘whitewash’ even as they already feel that it will not be so.

But who knows, after the probe we might be told that influential big guys, I mean big-shots, are behind the scams. And if so, then truth-seeking Pinoys should rally behind Bolante and dela Paz and truly support them for the sake of truth.

The P728 million fertilizer fund scam involves all 17 regions in the Philippines , several LGU officials that include two incumbent governors and four congressmen who were unnecessarily dragged as respondents to the case by Bolante.

The alleged ‘engineer’ of the P728 million fertilizer fund scandal arrived in the country last Tuesday and was immediately brought to the St. Luke’s Hospital after complaining of chest pains.

Apparently, Bolante’s confinement seemed deliberate as a room reservation was already made even before his arrival to the country. This brought about suspicions that high-ranking big-shots are around to influence Bolante.

News reports had it that a mother named Rose who had fallen asleep while waiting for the admission of her child complained why Bolante immediately got a room even without going to the emergency room first.

It was reported further that the long wait had forced other patients to move to other hospitals. Others chose to stay and wait for rooms to become vacant but this is not so in the case of Bolante.

To the powers that be, Bolante is the VIP of the day – contrary to what a Malacanang mouthpiece had kept saying that he is now a “private citizen.”

Sanlakas spokesman Rasti Delizo asked “Why is it that men who are wanted are always brought to the hospital?”

By the way, a real construction engineer in the DPWH in Baguio who is used to constructing public school buildings, not the kind who engineers fund scams, said the P728 million could have easily built more than 180 four-room, single floor Marcos-type prefab schools with chalkboards and chairs.

That could have accommodated around 8,000 school children who have been holding classes under the mango trees. That could have solved a problem that has haunted our school officials every opening of classes.

That is what politicians who wish to win by hook or by crook do to school children. We now see that not only were the poor farmers the victims of that scandal, it also affected other concerns, most especially health, education and the environment.
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Retired Philippine National Police comptroller Eliseo dela Paz appeared to have gotten off lightly from Russian authorities after having been found with 105,000 Euros in the bag of his wife.

But Dela Paz is not yet off the hook. He is facing criminal charges, including malversation of public funds, for the allegedly unauthorized release of a P6.9-million cash advance from the PNP intelligence fund.

Just like Bolante, he can not be prejudged as there may be personalities behind his actions – unless he did the act on his own.

PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa also ordered the filing of administrative charges against Dela Paz for not declaring the money in Moscow , where he was accosted by Russian customs officers.

If the investigations drag in this latest scam, all the more that Filipinos suspect of attempts of a whitewash.

Unfortunately, the victims here are our own policemen. While they grieve for the absence of guns, ammos and things that are necessary in the performance of their job, their retired comptroller easily sneaked out P6.9 million out of the country.

While a majority of our cops perform their duties with honesty and sincerity in the streets and offices, putting their lives in danger everytime they walk out the door of their homes, the misdeed of a lone police general puts them to shame – locally, even internationally.

It has not been easy to rebuild a good image for the neighborhood cop, but the hard work has been effortlessly stained by a single act. In Baguio , Benguet and the Cordillera, a majority of our citizens, that includes me, have faith in the policeman and so I hope people will understand that the act of one is not the act of all. Good luck! -- mf