ONSEHAN

I am pleasantly amazed by the sudden display of guts and militancy by priest-politician Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, at least for his brave short speech at the anti-Con-Ass Rally held in Makati last week. There he roared, “Tayo po ay ino-onse ng gobyernong ito!” (“We are being fooled by this government!”) Finally, he made his position clear! No more camouflage.

He went on to speak about all the mighty-sounding ideals of “abundance, justice, power to the people.”

That came after the much talked about Anti-Con-Ass paid political ad where together with other politicians and concerned individuals, Among Ed expressed his refusal to be silenced by the powers and dramatically taped-off his mouth and said, “Hindi ako papayag…”

The many that have bones yet unpicked with the priest-politician and the not-quite-a-damsel in Capitolio is definitely not fooled by this timely patriotic exhibition.

“Among Ed, kami po ang inoonse nyo! Hindi kami papayag!” is the comment that I got from a former BALAS supervisor who even now, after almost a year of protest seeking only a small amount of unpaid wages and benefits but out of vindictiveness of the lady administrator have failed to benefit from the true meaning of justice that Among Ed so easily speaks about here and there.

Luchie Gutierrez is banned, with matching security guards, from entering her own office despite the court declaration that her 90-day suspension by the jury-judge-executioner governor is null and void. Luchie is clearly being subjected to harassment as more cases are filed against her. Not only is deprived of what is just and fair, but she is a victim of Panlilio’s selective practice of his favorite phrase “rule of law”, as it usually becomes nothing more than a simple “opinion” of the court if it runs against his wishes.

Again I wonder, is good governance just about making a stand against corruption? Did he really just become the governor of Pampanga – and now aiming for higher a post – to fight corruption? Aren’t incompetence / inefficiency and injustice/abuse of power higher forms of corruption? Is not the fight against corruption based on the fight for justice? But what is justice for Panlilio? One that is just only for him and not for those who have differences with him?

To speak about fighting corruption while he himself may be guilty of it is the worst kind because there is deception, a local form of pang-o-onse and taking people for a ride.