BEHIND THE SCENES
Alfred P.
Dizon
We received an email
from the camp of former Philippine National Police chief Benjamin Magalong on
his thoughts in running for Baguio mayor this coming May elections. Here
goes:
“The city government
must provide better services and a more responsive youth program that will
strengthen efforts to sustain Baguio’s competence as a center of quality
education.
The overall goal is for
the city to produce graduates in all levels who will be well-trained for
responsible citizenship, who will be morally conscious, and who will be capable
for business, industry and the professions.
“We should focus on the
upgrade of facilities and faculties, and the expansion of existing scholarship
grants to deserving students. We should propagate the Alternative Learning
System, encourage Technical and Vocational studies, and allot more scholarships
for the financially challenged.
“To empower the youth,
our younger generation’s development programs must strive to make our children
morally responsible and better prepared for adulthood. Development should focus
on leadership skills training, sports, and other diverse alternative programs.
Our youth must be encouraged to participate in anti-
crime, anti-drug, and
anti-juvenile delinquency activities. Facilities should be established as youth
convergence centers.
“To enliven culture,
arts and crafts, full government support should be extended to our partners in
the arts, culture, and the creative sector befitting the city’s latest title as
the only Philippine city in the elite United Nations Creative City Network.
There will be constant engagement and active involvement with this sector to
encourage appropriate activities meant to enliven the cultural scene and
strengthen harmonizing efforts of varied indigenous and traditional cultural
practices.
“Admittedly, these
core-ideas are initiating principles that may well serve to generate more ideas
for greater consensus
with the populace. No
man or woman has exclusive monopoly of the good things to state by way of
solemn covenant. Agenda preparation is always a work in progress.
“To speed up government
action, services must be made accessible, available, and affordable to the
people. We must do away with policies that make our people wait in long lines
just to be served, or told to return in vain for follow-up. We must make our
constituents feel and experience government service at its finest.”
***
Magalong, although of
Pangasinense ancestry, was born and raised in Baguio City. He studied in St.
Louis Laboratory Elementary and High Schools before joining the Philippine
Military Academy where he graduated as Magna Cum Laude in 1982.
He retired from the PNP
after 38 years and eight months of active service on Dec. 15
***
On national TV, President
Rodrigo Duterte yet again surprised the public by revealing names of
politicians on his narco-list.
The president read
several names of politicians including 35 mayors, seven vice mayors, one
provincial board member and three congressmen.
Some of them were
elected officials and election candidates for the upcoming May midterm polls.
Duterte announced the
names of politicians allegedly involved in illegal drug operations or the narco
list during the Joint National Peace and Order Council – Regional Peace Order
Council Clusters Meeting and Armed Forces of the Philippines – Philippine
National Police command conference at the Arcadia Active Lifestyle Center in
Davao City on March 14.
The President denied
undermining the politicians’ bid ahead of the elections, but insisted that the
list has been validated by government agents, a UNTV report said.
He added the Dept. of
the Interior and Local Government already filed administrative cases against
government officials on the list before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The President said the
government’s Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and Presidential
Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) are both investigating the officials to build
criminal cases against them.
“The results will aid us
in filing airtight cases against them,” the President said.
Some cause-oriented and
human rights groups said what the President did was uncalled for since the
politicians alluded to being involved in drugs were not yet charged or their
crime proven in court.
But then again, the
firebrand president said, ‘public office is a public trust. An official’s right
to privacy is not absolute and there is a compelling reason to prioritize the
interest of the state and the people.”
It is not surprising
anymore if the president comes up with statements on anything which
presidential spokesman Sal Panelo could deftly explain -- it could be a
hyperbole or the truth depending on the situation.
***
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee
Marcos has urged authorities to crack down on dating sites being used as
platforms for “love scams” victimizing gullible Filipinos, especially on
Facebook.
“In October last year, an overseas Filipino
worker lost P600,000 after falling in love with a woman using a fake FB
account. That poor OFW is just one of thousands of Filipinos who fall victim to
online predators who manipulate their feelings to extort money,” she said in a
press statement.
“Nakakabulag kasi talaga
ang pag-ibig. If someone appears too good to be true, sigurado hindi
mapagkakatiwalaan yun lalo na kung ayaw makipagkita in person at
video chat lang ang gusto. People should be very careful with their
hard earned money and life savings dahil lamang sa mga manloloko sa
pag-ibig. I am asking concerned government agencies to crack down on these
scammers and dismantle their networks,” she added.
In the Philippines, at
least 10 percent of internet fraud reported in 2017 fell under the love or
romance scam category, according to the Philippine National Police
Anti-Cybercrime Group.
It said love scams are
not easy to solve because the victims are often willing prey. Love scams are
also, legally, estafa cases, and a victim must file a case for the PNP-ACG to
start an investigation. In many cases, charges have not been filed as the victims
are too ashamed to admit at being lovestruck and defrauded online.
The US-based Better
Business Bureau reports that cyber love scams are among the biggest cons in the
United States and Canada where victims lost nearly $1billion over the last
three years.
Marcos said Filipinos
must be careful when contacted through newly-created accounts by persons who
refuse to meet in person or prefer video chatting where they are never clearly
identifiable.
“Be a smart social media
user. Do not give important details such as your debit or credit card number.
And don’t be afraid to come forward and file a complaint if you think you have
been duped,” she said.
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