Is Pampanga Doomed in the Recall Move to Oust Ed Panlilio?

The recall initiative to oust Ed Panlilio in Pampanga is a reflection of where Pampanga is going and the perverted mentality that pervades in a society where endemic corruption is the order of the day and not the exception. On that account it appears that Pampanga is doomed and beyond redemption if we look at the politicians ganging up on Panlilio from the day he set foot in the Pampanga Capitol.

Panlilio has been at the receiving end of Mafiosi style politics as seen on how the Provincial Board gangs up and makes it their mission in life to make Panlilio’s life miserable to the insidious powers that be by the stinking Pasig River in sabotaging his choice of Provincial Police Director. Failing to sabotage and diminish his resolve they resort to abusing the recall prerogative of the citizens accusing Panlilio of all things with graft and corruption. Odd indeed that they have the gall to shamelessly hurl such accusation when this is not even a case of the pot calling the kettle black as Ed Panlilio refused to “play” their brand of dirty patronage politics.

Here is a real life situation that sadly reflects the criminal recall initiative to oust Ed Panlilio and the uncanny similarity is eerily almost identical. Let us get into this scenario where you find yourself in a place where a crime is about to be committed. As a responsible and law abiding citizen it is expected that you will do your best at preventing a criminal act. That is a normal reaction but looking at Tara Santelices a victim of an armed robbery, the jeepney driver instead of rushing the victim shot in the fore head to the nearest hospital drove as if it was a regular route disembarking his passengers who are witness and victims at the same time at their stops. Now is that how a law abiding and proud Filipino reacts to a victim in a life and death situation? This is almost similar to what the recall initiative is doing and a crime to be committed is broadcasted and encouraged by a SunStar writer. Learning of the recall initiative I dare ask which one represents you, the criminal hold-up robber, the jeepney driver, or the passengers who have lost any sliver of compassion and conscience? Or will you get upset as this is not what a true Filipino is all about and that we are a better people than those aberrant sorry excuses of a human being?
Here is a good test to determine if indeed we are worthy of the so-called “Filipino Pride” or we are just a bunch of losers who deserve the criminal Mafiosi politicians ruining our nation to enrich themselves senseless at the expense of the impoverished masses.

Ram Mercado is a writer with SunStar a newspaper wrote an article regarding the meeting of the “godmother” referring to Lolita Hizon (whose son was accused by the provincial government of graft for diverting a government funded silting where the lahar ended up in his property) and the “godfather” referring to Bong Pineda the refuted and allege Jueteng Lord and I say truly apt moniker on what he reports as an alliance in the recall move to oust Ed Panlilio. Nothing wrong with reporting what goes on with Lolita Hizon and Bong Pineda but what is wrong is when a writer openly encourages his relatives to sell their votes a clear violation of the electoral code under penalty of fine and imprisonment. What are the police, the fixcals errr fiscals or any police and investigative body doing about this solicitation to commit a crime? Let me quote it here and you be the judge:

It is admittedly a formidable and powerful economic and political tandem, this alliance will be. My relatives from the old hometown are now in deep anxiety. Their arthritic knees hardly able to withstand long hours in the church praying for Among Ed's continued term. They foresee a one-sided fight between the priest and the economic-political powers.

The perceived Pinedas' Kambilan front group would not find it difficult to produce the over 90,000 voter-signatories required in the filing of the recall petition. I told my relatives that if they had gotten tired of or lost their faith in their man, Among Gov, they might as well sell their votes later and earn P2,000 each family at the going rate of P500.00 per voter. There are usually four voters in an average Pampango family. That's a lot of rice and fish for the marginal families in the impoverished barangays.

There is intent to commit a crime and outright subversion of the will of the people, so as a Kapangpangan and going back to my question are you the criminal armed robber, the driver or the apathetic conscienceless passenger victim? As a Filipino are you the passenger type who complains till you are blue but actually do nothing like the conscienceless passengers or do what it takes to stop the perpetrators from subverting the peoples will as a proud Filipino? Will you report this to the Justice Department so that they can launch an investigation and prosecute those subverting the electoral process and the will of the Pampanga people?

Or is this a sign that cheating is normal in Pampanga and you know where that came from do you, because what is abnormal in an abnormal situation is normal? Are the people of Pampanga so dumb and inutile that they will let this pass? Sure a formidable and powerful “economic” and political tandem he states, will someone from the Bureau of Internal Revenue investigate where the funds are coming from and if they are paying their taxes? Bong Pineda is the allege refuted Jueteng Lord of Pampanga and it is about time that the authorities should investigate the man and see if his wealth are legitimate and if proper taxes are collected from his earnings.

Not content with his open encouragement to his relatives to break the electoral laws he even uses SunStar to solicit wagers for a group, to quote:

As previously announced in this column, Mr. Antonio dela Rosa, president of the Lourdes Northwest (LNW) Club is accepting wagers in favor of Oscar dela Hoya against Manny Pacquiao with their initial P30,000 bet. Wagers from Angeles city are preferred. He can be reached at Cp No. 0918-620-9022.

"Walang atrasan sa pusta, no matter how the 'odds' turnout later," the LNW Club announced.

Will someone please email the Justice Department here and the BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) and see how they will treat this? The LNW that he promotes should be investigated if they have a license to operate a bookie accepting wagers. If the writer is a member of a press club, he should be expelled for openly promoting criminal acts detrimental in our quest to strengthen the democratic ideals of the nation……….. and what about SunStar, what are they doing about their writer or is this typical SOP reporting in their paper?

Let us end this with a quote from an Inquirer editorial Nakakahiya (Its a Shame) sent to me by Joselito basilio of Dissenting Opinion:

The recall petition is not about good governance or transparency. It is about political opportunism and personal greed. At a time the Filipino nation is in desperate need of honest leaders, officials of the President’s province are doing everything to remove one. For shame.

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