SORRY, our column was again absent on this page yesterday. It was not our intention to miss a day but we have to attend to some visitor-relatives who dropped by on their way back to Bukidnon. They were in Davao City early last Saturday to purchase a huge volume of merchandise from a local “by membership” grocery store to re-stock their own retail outlet. Their residence is nearer to Davao City than to Cagayan de Oro.
They arrived at our house at a time when we were to write our daily piece. Thus, we have to stop and exchange pleasantries with them. By the time they left after lunch, we did not anymore have the time to finish writing and we were certain that if we completed our piece and sent it to the editorial office it would be long past the deadline.
As a consequence, we missed our usual space on the opinion page of this paper and online publication. Again, sorry to our readers. This happens every now and then.
*****************************
Again we are back on this issue of the Bicameral Committee Report on the deliberation of the 2025 national budget leading to the submission of the enrolled bill for signature by the President. The bill now becomes the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of Fiscal Year 2025.
The GAA is however, questioned as to its Constitutionality by a lawmaker-friend and a senatorial candidate identified with the camp of former President Rodrigo Duterte. But even before the question is scheduled for further deliberation by the highest court, another group composed of a Congressman known close ally of the former President, another Senatorial candidate under the PDP-Laban Duterte wing, and a lawyer known to have a penchant for working with controversial cases was set to file a criminal case against Speaker Martin Romualdex and two other Congressmen for their alleged role in filling the “blanks” in the copy of the 2025 national budget attached to the Bicameral Committee report.
And they were quick to parry claims of the case as politically motivated. But is it not considering the timing of the filing? Is it not politically motivated when it is filed apparently to divert the attention of the people from the impeachment case Vice President Sara Duterte is now facing?
While we are not in favor of the impeachment because it is only causing further division among Filipinos, we believe the complainants would have a better defensible reason for their filing of the case against the three lawmakers had they just worded their defense on claims of political motivation with terms or language that will make the people draw their own conclusion. Say, they can tell those who questioned that “You can say whatever you want, but it is our responsibility to ferret out the truth of the matter and expose those who were responsible in creating and later filling the blanks with amounts not taken up during the deliberation.”
By immediately denying claims of the filing as “politically motivated” despite the timing, the accusers only succeeded in betraying their real motive.
Moreover, we doubt that the court will try the case filed against the three congressmen. The same issue and circumstances will surely be the subjects that will be looked into by the Supreme Court as the hearings on the constitutionality of the 2025 GAA progress.
We are certain that one of the documents submitted by the petitioners to the High Court is the copy of the national budget attached to the Bicameral Committee report where the alleged blank spaces were discovered.
Well, it is our take that the Regional Trial Court (RTC) where the criminal case against Speaker Romualdez, et al will, or is now filed, pre-empt the Supreme Court. Certainly not.
********************************
Meanwhile, at the local political scene, will the coming May 2025 election end the Garcia dominance in the Second District of Davao City as far as its representation to the House of Representatives is concerned?
We are saying this because we believe that for the first time, the Garcia political lordship in the second district is now facing its strongest challenge ever.
Yes, the challenger may not be fully prepared in terms of experience as a politician but he bears the name that cannot be ignored by the Garcias and the people in the Second District. He is Omar Duterte, the son of Davao City’s first district congressman Polong Duterte. Omar is the incumbent Barangay Captain of Buhangin. Above all, he is the grandson of former President Rodrigo Duterte who was a long-time undefeated mayor of Davao City.
We are certain that the Duterte clan will be all out in its support to Omar both in terms of logistics and in campaign tactics.
But of course, it is not a one hundred percent guarantee that Omar can steamroller the Garcias that easily. The Garcia candidate is youthful councilor Javi Campos Garcia, cousin of incumbent Congressman Vincent Garcia. And he is assumed to be the candidate of the national administration.
Besides, other than the Garcias being known to have their own resources, with Javi as the administration’s candidate, the possibility is that he may be supported strongly by the people up there.
And possibly one thing that could help the Garcias retain their hold in the second district is their guts to fight the Dutertes in the way the latter fight their game in politics.
If they do not make any effort to do so then it is surely goodbye to their long dominance.
