Not another general, please

MANILA – Even here, people are dismayed by the action of government on the problem of tuition in its schools. Shortly after private schools had announced increases for this school year, sanctioned by the proper authorities, Malacañang announced a halt to tuition fee hikes in all public schools. It would have been a most appreciated concession from the government if not for the fact that the announcement came after most, if not all parents had already paid up by then.

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Even the subsequent order to schools to refund the payments, could hardly be consolation. Everybody knows how difficult it is to get back money paid to government offices and agencies. The schools, too, had probably projected the expenses on which the tuition funds would be spent, if not used up much of it on necessary pre-opening expenses. If so, it will be interesting to know how they will cope, especially with the order also for parents to report those school officials who won’t, or can’t refund. For the parents, the point is that they could have used the money for other, just as important expenses had the order come on time. These, I heard from fellow journalists attending the Philippines Press Institute National Press Forum that ends today.

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Still another development that is the topic among parents is the announcement also that the holiday for Independence Day will be enjoyed on June 9 instead of the actual day, June 12, although the rites and other activities to honor it will still be held on June 12. Foreigners visiting the country are confused, especially Americans to whom Independence Day is marked on the same day ever since it was first declared. But this is the Philippines and, perhaps, for our President now, it was her father who made June 12 Independence Day, so perhaps, she has the privilege to move it here and there. Frankly, I had always thought that of all public holidays, Independence Day would be the most untouchable.

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But we can look forward to another entertaining show featuring government officials as the exchanges between Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and the new head of the Commission on Human Rights continue to heat up. Gonzalez has reportedly scored CHR head Leila de Lima for calling the police “solution” to the Cabuyao, Laguna bank robbery and murders a “rub-out.” Gonzalez, through the media, says De Lima should not pass judgment on the policemen who shot dead the four men they called “suspects.” But who said there should be a shoot-to-kill order against the suspects in the first place?

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Of course we in the provinces are only spectators in the tug-of-war for control of the Manila Electric Company, now better known as Meralco. We have our own problems power-wise with our Ceneco. But, I was rather relieved to learn that the Lopezes are still holding much of it. What bothers me is that, in case the administration, through the art-loving head of the GSIS, gets control, another general might again be appointed to run it. We already have so many military men holding vital offices and agencies, we seem to be a de facto Junta already.

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We wounded up yesterday the National Press Forum with the election of this year’s PPI trustees for the Visayas, to which we in Negros Occidental belong, our unanimous choice for the trustee to represent us was Dalmacio Grafil, who publishes weekly newspapers in Samar and Leyte. It was just as easy for Luzon, where Pat Alban was promptly re-elected. As in national elections, Mindanao was the most problematic and the delegates took the longest time to vote, ending with a very narrow 5-4 result. And the winner was a man of the cloth, Fr. Jonathan Domingo of the Catholic weekly in Cotabato, the Mindanao Cross.*

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