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Sabotage as Part of the Demolition Scheme

Against the Duterte Administration

By Apolinario Villalobos

I have consistently emphasized that despite the seemingly indestructible image of Duterte due to his machismo, his detractors are bent on doing possible ways to shake his administration. The best way to do this is make use of the untouchable civil service eligibles left in practically all agencies loyal to them. Newly-appointed chiefs of agencies cannot even bring along their trusted staff due to delicadeza, thereby, helplessly leaving them at the mercy of the holdover corrupts in the office.

Who would be expected to feed detractors with inside information about the weaknesses of the new appointees but the insiders? Who would be expected to discreetly muddle the decision of the new appointees but the insiders?  If this is not sabotage committed by the corrupt holdovers and who are protected by the Civil Service eligibility, I do not know what else to call it.

Sabotage is a universal destructive act of “mercenaries” in an organization, entity, and nation. These saboteurs are sometimes called “spies” to give them an exciting color. These devils of sort can throw into trash bins or burn documents, make equipment bog down, block the flow of information, feed wrong information to the media, etc., with the end view of destroying the credibility of the agency and the appointed chief.

The case of the Bureau of Customs is one classic example. Since time immemorial, the agency always alleges the lack of facilities, especially, x-ray machines for their inability to detect contraband items. How can such an agency whose main responsibility is to “check” items lack this basic equipment? Accordingly, the agency has x-ray machines but they have been purposely made to malfunction!

Sabotage will definitely pull Duterte down unless something drastic is done to the evils in the agencies – the incorrigible Civil Service eligibles!

ANG Philippine National Police (PNP)

AY MAY MGA ISTASYON DING ISKWATER

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Ang Philippine National Police (PNP) ay isa sa mga napabayaang ahensiya ng bansa mula pa noon subalit nabawasan kahit paano ang sama ng loob ng kapulisan nang umupo si Duterte…ganoon pa man, kailangan pa rin nitong tuparin ang kanyang mga pangako.  Ang unang napabayaan ay ang kanilang suweldo, pangalawa ay mga benepisyo, at ang pangatlo ay ang kalagayan ng mga istasyon.

Sa punto ng suweldo, maiibsan ang problema dito dahil sa pangako ni Duterteng dagdag, subalit kung tutuusin ay kulang pa rin dahil mas malaki pa ang kinikita ng ilang call center agents o mga nagtatrabaho sa mga BPO. Nagkaroon ng pabahay ang mga pulis-Manila na iniskwat naman ng mga KADAMAY members. Napag-alamang maliit lang pala ang sukat kaya halatang pinagkitaan lang ng mga tiwali o corrupt na mga opisyal dahil pinilit na ipagawa ang mga nakakalat na pabahay upang may batayan sa kickback o malaking komisyon. At, dahil hindi katanggap-tanggap ang sukat at uri ng pagkagawa ng mga unit, lumabas na hindi karapat-dapat ang mga ito sa itinakdang buwanang bayad,  napabayaan tuloy silang nakatiwangwang hanggang madiskubre ng KADAMAY kaya nagresulta sa iskwatan. Sa isang banda, parang “blessing in disguise” ang pagka-iskwat ng mga KADAMAY dahil nagkaroon ng mabigat na dahilan ang mga benepisyaryo sanang mga pulis upang hindi magpatuloy sa pagbayad sa mga para sa kanila ay mga “bulok” na mga housing unit…na tinawag pa nilang parang bahay ng aso.

Masuwerte ang mga sangay ng PNP sa mga bayan, lunsod o lalawigan na tinutulungan ng mga llocal government unit dahil may itinatalaga sa kanilang lupain o bahagi ng government center upang pagtayuan ng pasilidad para sa opisina at kulungan. Subalit, karamihan ng mga sangay, lalo na sa Manila, ang mga istasyon ay kalunus-lunos ang kalagayan – mga iskwater sa bangketa, sulok o di kaya ay mga bakante subalit pribadong lote kaya pagdating ng panahon ang iba ay nadi-demolish. Dahil sa kanilang kalagayan, kawawa ang mga pulis, lalo na ang mga detinadong suspek na nagsisiksikan sa kulungan. Isa siguro sa mga dahilan kung bakit malambot ang kalooban ng ilang pulis sa mga taong natutulog sa bangketa at mga iskwater ay dahil nakikita nila ang kanilang sarili sa mga taong nabanggit.

Pagdating naman sa mga benepisyo, ang isang bagay na dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ng gobyerno ay kung paano magiging mas epektibo ang mga pulis bilang tagapagpatupad ng batas. Magagawa lamang ito kapag mabilis ang kanilang pagkilos. At, ang malaking tulong para diyan ay pagkaroon nila ng sasakyang motosiklo man lamang na sana ay iisyu sa kundisyong 50-50 o ang halaga ay paghahatian ng PNP at pulis na makakatanggap, subalit sa kundisyon pa ring babawiin nang walang refund sa pulis kapag nagkasala ito habang aktibo sa serbisyo.

Mula pa noong panahon ni Diosdado Macapagal ay isyu na ang mga nagsisisiksikang kulungan at mga presintong iskwater sa mga bakanteng lote at bangketa, subalit walang ginawa tungkol sa mga ito. Idagdag pa diyan ang kakarampot na mga suweldo noon kaya hindi maiwasan ng ilang pulis na mangupahan ng maliit kuwarto sa mga iskwater na lugar upang magkasya ang kanilang suweldo. At ang resulta pa ay ang hindi maiwasang maging korap ng ilan sa kanila na naakit na gumawa ng masama upang madagdagan ang kinikita. Sa masamang palad ay nagkaugat ng malalim ang mga “sideline” tulad ng pagba-body guard sa mga mayayamang negosyante kung off-duty na sila at ang pinakamasaklap ay ang pagbenta ng mga tinaguriang “police ninja” o ng mga “asset nila ng bahagi ng mga drogang nakumpiska.

Sana ay pagtuunan ng pansin ni de la Rosa habang nakaupo si Duterte ang paglagay sa tamang kaayusan ng lahat ng mga presinto sa buong bansa. Magagawa lamang ito kung i-review niya lahat ng mga kinatitirikan ng mga presinto at ang kalagayan ng mga kulungan. Pagdating naman sa aspeto ng kulungan, maaari siyang makipag-coordinate sa DILG at Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR) nito upang magkaroon ng “synchronization” ang kanilang mga proyekto dahil magkakapareho lang, at nang sa ganoon ay madaling mag-justify ng budget para sa kanila.

ANG KAUNLARAN

Ni Apolinario Villalobos

Mga nagtatayugang gusali sa lunsod

Nagliliparang mga sasakyan

Mga ilaw na nakakasilaw

Kaya’t gabi’y parang araw.

Mga kamangha-manghang kagamitan

Sa mga tao ay nakakaagapay

Kaya’t buhay na guminhawa

Dapat pasalamatang biyaya.

Subali’t kasabay ng natamong ginhawa

Kapalit naman ay pagkalimot

Na sa likod ng mga natamo-

May ISANG naglalang ng mundo…

MUNDONG  NASAULALA…

AT, ANIMO’Y NAGAHASA!

Notes:

Nakakaagapay – helps, big help, assists

Naglalang - created

Nasalaula – abused, exploited, “binaboy”

Rowena Soliano: Hardworking Single Mom

From the Far Sarangani Province

By Apolinario Villalobos

Regular visitors of Isetan Mall along Recto refer to Rowena Soliano as the “girl in black”, although friends call her “Weng”. She hails from Sarangani Province in southern Mindanao. She’s got an exotic face and always chick in her tight-fitting black outfit, that make her stand out in a crowd of shoppers in the mall while delivering ordered snacks to patronizing employees. She also loves to braid her hair in various ways every day that adds to her being a stunning looker. She has been working with a coffee shop located on the fourth floor of the mall where the videoke area is located.

In 2013, she fell in love with a persistent suitor whom she thought was serious in his intention. Unfortunately, their relationship got sour and realizing that something was seriously wrong with their relationship, she broke up with him despite her being pregnant during the time. She went on with her job at the mall, but went home when she was about to deliver her baby. After a year in Sarangani, she went back to Manila and implored her employer to take her back. She left her baby girl, now almost two years old in the care of her mother, to whom she regularly sends money.

Her job at the coffee shop starts at 10AM when the mall opens until its closure at 9PM. She seldom finds time to sit down, as just when she arrives at their stall after a delivery, another set or more of ordered snacks are waiting to be delivered again.  Despite her hectic schedule, her smile never leaves her face. The only break she gets is when she had to take a late lunch – standing. Another short respite is for a stolen moment for light and late dinner, still taken standing.

She is fortunate to have found a kind employer, a reason enough for her to love her job. It was her first job when she arrived in Manila from Sarangani Province. When I had a lengthy talk with her, I told her about the international resort that Manny Pacquiao is putting up in Sarangani. She told me that she was also told about it by her mother. However, she has apprehensions if she could be given the chance to land a job in such big resort due to her insufficient educational attainment. She told me that she barely finished her high school. She is also aware that there are plenty of four-year course graduates in their province and in the field of tourism, yet.

Weng is the opitome of the struggling youth from the province who try their luck in the bustling city of Manila, some of whom are unfortunate to have ended as prostitutes that ply their trade along Avenida. Some became exotic dancers in discreet beerhouses in Recto, Caloocan, and Cubao. Like their elder contemporaries who brought with them their families and ended living on sidewalks while surviving on recyclable junks collected from garbage dumps, the youth from the provinces of Mindanao are left with no choice but take the risk of uncertainties in Manila, rather than be recruited by the New People’s Army (NPA) and Abu Sayyaf.

Sarangani, the province of Weng,  is already infiltrated with NPA and drug dealers. The tentacles of Abu Sayyaf which is notoriously known for its kidnap-for-ransom activities have also been wriggling around the area for a long time, too. Worst, job opportunities in Sarangani is like the proverbial needle in a haystack. These are available at General Santos City, the nearest urban area, but for hopefuls like Weng, no opportunity is left, considering the thousands of graduates from several colleges and universities around the southern Mindanao area every year.

How can we then blame provincials like Weng for coming to Manila and add up to the already teeming population of the city? Yet, those who have not experienced distressing life in the province just cannot restrain themselves from uttering hurting invectives.   And, practically adding salt to the wound, are the incessant and oft-repeated arrogant declarations of the president about jobs and progress that the country and the Filipinos are enjoying!...and, under his administration, yet!...but the big question is, where are they?