Don't play dangerous
political claim

Bishop Vicente Navarra not only plunged himself into the perilous political game of calling for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's resignation, he added to it the claim that Negrenses want her to step down.

I hope the prelate has the survey report to buttress his position that he now has been appointed by Negrenses to be their political pointman. Yes, there may be a lot of Negrenses who wish Arroyo to vacate Malacañang. But to claim that the majority are behind that clamor is a major presumption.

Again, that is a risky claim that Bishop Navarra had mouthed. It would have been better had the bishop simply confined himself to the interpretation of what the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines actually stands for.

It is good that the prelate clarified that the CBCP is against the use of violent means of ousting GMA.

The CBCP did not even join the call for the President to resign. Again, let me put it straight. This is a political interference.

I was one of those who hit the President for Proclamation 1017. And I still maintain that, that was something that sent a chilling effect among mediamen of the country. And I insist that no law shall be passed that will abridge Freedom of Speech and the Press or the right of people to assemble peaceably.

That, however, does not mean that what she has so speedily lifted upon termination of the perceived threat to our freedoms means that she must be ousted. Let the Supreme Court rule on that. And, if I am correct in my assessment, that venture into the unknown must have been a hard lesson for her. And I hope that she does not resort to the same in the future.

But other than that assertion, the bishop must have been misguided. As aptly pointed out by Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, if he surveys the province, there is still a large majority of the people in Negros who are still for the President.

Negros Occidental Governor Joseph Marañon and other local executives are keen observers of the local scene. And they have not even dared come up as spokesmen of the Negrenses insofar as the President's stay in Malacañang is concerned.

Already, even pundits in the metropolis, had pointed out that one of the principal reasons why the call for the President to resign has failed repeatedly, it simply is because the people have found no alternative yet to her. Many may not like GMA, but at the back of the minds of anti-GMA forces is that bugging question - who will prove a better alternative?

And, if we have to be honest about it, while we respect the bishop for his outspoken ideas, we disagree with him with his assertion that Negrenses want her to resign.

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Kudos to the San Carlos PNP for having busted what was described as a one-stop-shop-area for shabu users of the city.

These were three houses simultaneously raided in that city. The three were reportedly the houses owned by Hermegildo Diaz, Cesar Lumanog, and Alfonso Gonzales. All were tagged as suspected drug dens.

The most important thing now is that, as soon as the inquest is completed, the 13 should immediately be charged in court. We cannot allow further delays in their prosecution.

Meanwhile, congratulations are due the San Carlos PNP group.

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I hardly had ever taken up the cudgels for Sammy Palanca and BREDCO. After all, his lawyers are a match to the best the city can throw at him.

But, because of the climate of uncertainty for the business circle of Bacolod, I beg to warn the city's negotiators that they are embarking on a very dangerous move when they demand for the adjustment of the original P800,000 per annum payment to the city for Bredco's operation of the port.

The first question to be asked - how much did the city spend for it? In short, how much has it invested to develop what once was an area under water into one that today is the favorite destination of inter-ocean vessels in Negros Occidental.

The point is simple. That was the amount stipulated in the CRRA. Second, if there is going to be any upward adjustment, that must be based on the inflation rate or consumer price index.

It is unconscionable for the city to demand P17.5 million which is based on its computation of BREDCO's gross income. Does that mean that they don't want BREDCO anymore to pay its creditors for the money it had borrowed and invested in the reclamation area?

The city government's principle is sure to dampen the enthusiasms of foreign investor in plunking their money on projects in the city.*

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