That's too much love

It was very pathetic, that plan of Anecito Magbanua of abducting the 9-month-old grandson of his live-in partner, Linda.

But that is an excuse that could not exculpate him from the act of spiriting away the son of Linda's daughter.

Now, the point is whether the parents of the boy would forgive him for what he did. Out of love for Linda, as he claimed.

Linda returned from Cadiz City to the family hearth. But Aniceto remains in jail. Love is not that blind.

***

The National Bureau of Investigation ( Bacolod ) really riled the members of the local media team whom they had ostensibly taken for a ride to Pulupandan town in southern Negros purportedly to serve the Supreme Court order to give temporary custody of the son of Pulupandan Mayor Magdaleno Peña, to Plinky Recto, the boy's mother.

Normally mediamen don't bother about the risks of getting the story. It was definitely a national story. But what they resented was the fact was that they were not even giving the briefing they had been promised before the operation.

And even when they had “trailed” the NBI team to Pulupandan, the trio – Antonieta Lopez of the Philippine Star, Carla Gomez of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Maria Ester Espina (my daughter) with the Manila Times – started having doubts about the NBI drama when they reached Ubay.

The NBI team, equipped with high-powered rifles, proceeded to the town hall to seek for police assistance. That's a needed protocol.

But when the group went back to Ubay, the media team started having stronger doubts about the whole operation.

Well, the entire story of how they've been had, as told to me by the irate Maté and Toks, are included in a column of Maté.

In short, they suspect that they were being used by the NBI to allow the story to get into the Manila dailies and picture the local NBI office as going through the motions of enforcing a Supreme Court order.

Well, as Maté pointed out – they had their story, the NBI had managed to prove they were complying with orders from above, and Mayor Magsie Pena was smiling from wherever he was calling that he was out of the country.

An expensive lesson on journalism and its hazards.

***

It is good that the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., or PHILHEALTH, has widened its investigation into alleged irregularities related to cataract operations.

What they have unearthed in the Negros Occidental area may actually have grown into a nationwide scam that could bankrupt the Philhealth.

The agency had already brought charges against four Bacolod physicians (ophthalmologists) and several private hospitals for alleged involvement in the irregularities.

The probe, according to Philhealth acting president Lorna Fajardo, will involve media missions for cataract operations in other places.

Bacolod and Negros Occidental may have perfected the scheme, but it is not farfetched to believe that other areas could not have aped it elsewhere.

I have a copy of an anonymously authored apologia by what ostensibly had been written by a physician and his lawyer which defended the practice as a means of helping out poor and indigent patients to avail of Philhealth benefits.

In short, the contention is that when opthalmogists pay the premiums of non-members (indigents), the primordial consideration is for them to avail of services they otherwise could never enjoy. Thus, the subsequent payments for the physicians services is actually what is a matter of right of the patients.

It was the most cold blooded analysis of the rationale for such scam.

***

I think it is time for Mayor Evelio Leonardia to take into consideration the clamor of the business community for him to restudy the issue of the SP resolution for the city government to take over the BREDCO port.

Normally, the business sector remains silent on controversial matters. But this is one issue where the sober minds are issuing a warning on what could happen if Bacolod pushes through with the proposal – a protracted court fight that could end up with a loss-loss situation for Bacolod .

And, yes, that reminds me also of the need for Rep. Monico Puentevella to personally tell the DPWH to speed up and work aggressively on the repair rehabilitation of the Circumferential Road . It would be a disaster if the Silay Airport starts operating on January 17, and the road remains the way it is. That could spell a lot of trouble for airline commuters.*

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