FIRING LINE: Short of sugar, short of salt

By Robert B. Roque, Jr.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian is marching behind the band of officials wanting to bulldoze the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) to the ground for its scandalous deals often caught by the Commission on Audit.

At last week’s Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the PS-DBM’s procurement of pricey and outdated laptops for the Department of Education, its officials claimed this deal was “an honest mistake.”

Sen. Francis Tolentino, Blue Ribbon chairperson, was prudent in reserving his conclusions until the hearings were completed. But many senators have already been vocal about not buying the “honest mistake” contention. So instead, they’re outraged – even Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is, right? Imagine that!

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Customs Commissioner Yogi Filemon Ruiz is riding his high horse, sacking six of his officials subject to investigation over supposed sugar smuggling through the Port of Subic.

Shortly after, Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles clarified before Palace reporters that these six were merely transferred to another office of the Bureau of Customs.

So, they were not really fired from their jobs but relieved and transferred to another office until, maybe, the “heat” dies down? If Yogi the bear is cute, this stunt by Yogi of the BOC isn’t a cute trick.

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Here’s another trick if you haven’t seen enough. Inspection teams from the BOC and the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) swooped down on three warehouses in Bukidnon, announcing they found 466,142 sacks of sugar.

Then, the raiding teams left.

Crystal Sugar, which owns these warehouses, cried harassment since no violation was ever cited or proven.

Again, no “pogi” points for you, Yogi!

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This corner had devoted several pieces to pressure authorities to find out whatever happened to the 34 “sabungeros” who mysteriously disappeared after last being seen at live cockpit arenas.

The latest update from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) is that the families of these poor cockfighting aficionados have lost interest in pursuing the case on account of having received regular cash assistance from a benefactor.

Is this really how the rich criminals get themselves off the hook: Pay off the needy families to forget about a loved one who’s been made to disappear from the face of the earth? How much does a life cost these days?

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Table sugar is being sold at three major supermarket chains at a price cap of P70 per kilo after yielding to the “appeal” of our Agriculture Secretary. In short, they were jawboned by the President.

Ain’t that sweet – for the people who actually do their groceries in the supermarket. Let’s just forget the majority of Filipinos – the little people – who truly cannot afford rising sugar prices and buy their home supply at one-fourth a kilo from public markets.

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But the saddest thing I heard recently came from Sen. Joel Villanueva. He called for a revival of the country’s salt production industry now that 93 percent of our supply is imported from Australia and China.

We have the third longest coastline in the world, right in the Pacific, and we can’t produce enough of our own salt.

 I really think our DA Secretary needs to call his “Ate Imee” for help.

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SHORT BURSTS. For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at http://www.thephilbiznews.com

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