MikeLigalig.com

An editorial of the Bohol Chronicle

Time there was when people feared because : You Can't Fight City Hall.
Today, the slogan is: Can City Hall defend the indefensible?

For instance Top Honcho's Executive Assistant Arlene Karaan got her foot inside her mouth instead after displaying a City Accountant certification that of the COA-reported P 722,643 of her unliquidated advances, a huge 80% of that or P 572,361 is stilll unliquidated.

Now thanks to the  "sound advice" of the City Hall legal clowns, Karaan may have to face the Ombudsman -for this is already 2009 and 2007 cash advances still unliquidated. The same with His Immensity, who has sang the "Sound of Silence" on his humongous P 3.0-Million in unliquidated 2007 advances per COA. Let's see the COA 2008  Report, for good measure, too.

The same Ms. Karaan was so peeved about her messing up of public funds, at DYTR she threw foul-smelling liquid to the face of broadcaster Nestor Daarol (last February 28) who was merely commenting on the COA's recent expose. This was done inside the very premises of a media outfit, a literal desecration of freedom of speech and the press.

Ms. Karaan's gall was probably because she had the full weight of His Immensity behind her dastardly act - because the City Mayor defended rather than reprimanded her act of violence. Cebu -based Boholano broadcaster Choy Torralba of Station DYRF -in his well received radio commentary program - hit the "violent act of a public official."

The rule of violence -and not the law-has taken over the City?

Why not indeed? Leadership is always by example. Let us go back in time.

Back  in 1988, broadcaster Choy Torralba was slapped by the Violent Honcho in the city airport -because, then -as now -   the Mayor of this Tourist City -did not like what Choy said in media.
The Supreme Court, according to Choy Torralba, convicted this sitting mayor for the violence done on a media practitioner.

Is this City proud to have a mayor like this ? To say nothing about the barnyard language he continues to use today to belittle the critics of his awful governance?

Lawyer Victor de la Serna also rhethorically asked: "After Nestor, who? After foul water,what?"
Are the critics of the City Mayor now all under violent siege?

The City Mayor, again full of himself, acted as judge and said in his radio program: In any weighing scale, (his critics) Nestor Daarol and Batchoy Alba will not pass the grade. The problem with listening to ignorant advisers is that the poor Chief Executive of the city does not even know that both Daarol and Alba passed the (Kapisanan ng mga Broadkaster ng Pilipinas)  KBP accreditation exams.

One has to take a competitive test of the KBP before being accredited. What weighing scale is His Immensity using then when he himself is not accredited broadcaster by the KBP.

And in contrast , what can we say about a hallucinating broadcaster who sometimes doubles as a Mayor who pontificates on the airwaves as if he owed everyone a living?

As a Fourth Estate , there is this popular adge that media is a natural critic. "It is there to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable". It is to even the field of power. But in functioning as a commentator masquerading as a city hall achievement reporter, the City Mayor wants "to comfort the comfortable." He wants to rate himself as a public official.

Something crude, there. But we will defend his right to say those things in the same way we honor the right of Daarol and Alba to say theirs - especially because the latter are legitimate broadcasters. Let the people judge.

This Emperor hallucinating as a Broadcaster had said all the issues against him are "fabricated". If you really believe they are, Mr. Mayor - go defend yourself for the unliquidated advances, for the "grossly disadvantageous Agora deal" and Department of Finance for tax harassment. And then wait for your trial for environmental offenses.

You boasted you are a crack lawyer who will "legally tear my opponents apart." Well, Paper Tiger?
We know the founder of Bohol Journalism and the Bohol Chronicle Jun Dejaresco was a good lawyer -schooling in Cebu City (University of San Carlos) with the likes of Tommy Toledo, Blike Suarez and Ondoy Gallares. He was good enough to teach law at the Holy Name school then.

Your minions had desecrated his name (a dead man who cannot defend himself, those cowards) by insinuating he was not paying his taxes. He was a good lawyer - who did not pass the bar by accepting " bar exam leakages"- or spending his law school days copying from others on taxation and human rights in the classroom.

The City Mayor should defend himself in the courts he had taken himself -because legal cases  cannot be won on the airwaves.

In his radio program  yesterday, His Arrogance stated that he if just wanted peace and quiet, all he would do was to put all his advertisements in the Bohol Chronicle and Station DYRD. Wrong, Mr. Mayor.

We are not for sale. The City Mayor should stop using people's money to ingratiate himself to his sycophants and attempt to buy his enemies and the neutrals.

Even if City Hall uses the entire budget to fatten our advertsing reveneus- we will not stop criticizing his Governance of corruption, violence, vendetta and anti-environment.

Well, truly, one can never really defend the indefensible. And as for honor?

Well, one cannot defend what one does not have.

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