By Danilo P. Padua, PhD
The current plethora of Senate and House committees investigations/hearings are unsettling, to say the least. Many times, the events are streamed live or uploaded in social media for everyone to see.
First, because their time for lawmaking is greatly diminished thereby resulting in fewer important legislations crafted. Or, the laws enacted (if they still have time to make) maybe flawed due to lesser time for research and intelligent deliberations on the floor.
Second, the investigations even include the mundane realm of show business which can be quietly, discretely and better settled elsewhere. As it is, there is an unintended trial by publicity and the privacy of concerned individuals is not protected.
Thirdly, many of such events seem to merely provide an avenue for some possible re-electionist politicians to have their names and faces re-introduced to the voting population.
Fourthly, some of the hearings produced startling revelations that concern us all. Though the results are blood-boiling, these are most welcome hearings, of course.
I must admit that, as time permits, I follow some of the hearings. Special mention here is about the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators. Based on the hearings, the POGOs are undoubtedly a black eye on the Philippines in the eyes of the world. They are actually hubs of criminal activities, a lot of which are of the heinous type.
Before the POGOs in Bamban, Tarlac and Porac, Pampanga were raided, I received in my phone an average of 3-4 scam messages daily, sometimes the same scam sent thru different numbers. I actually kept tabs of the numbers for a while when still few came along, but I stopped as the scam kept increasing. After the raids, I never again received such nuisance messages.
The hearing on POGOs exposed that many of our laws and guidelines are easily skirted about due to the willing accomplices in many local and national offices. The operation of the POGOs, aggravated greatly the corruption situation in the country. The lure of POGO money was too much to resist by a lot of our local and national officials. Result, according to the hearings? POGO, drug problem, human trafficking, money laundering, etc. became interrelated.
It also flaunted our laws due to non-appearance of some concerned individuals invited to the hearings.
We should be grateful that POGO never got a foothold in Baguio. Thanks to our city officials-from the mayor to the councilors-and the many well-meaning city citizens who waged a fight against it. Kudos to all of them. Definitely, we were spared of added societal malady, and the need to spend more to contain the attendant criminality.
Another unsettling concern from the POGO hearing is the discovery of Chinese People’s Liberation Army uniforms and others that were not divulged. China was supposed to be against this and advised our former President R.Duterte to stop its operations. The fact that the POGOs were run mostly by Chinese who can not speak English or Tagalog, one can not help but suspect that China is actually abetting its operations as an integral part of its long-term aim to subdue the Philippines and make it as its province.
In short, China may have a creeping invasion plan that will not entail a shooting war.
I am appending here in full, a forwarded message authored by a concerned citizen of Catanduanes. No editing. Its up for anyone to make something out of it. If true, is it a part of a creeping invasion plan?
Here goes:
“Nanawagan po kami sa gobyerno na paki imbestigahan naman ang nangyayari pag dami ng Chinese sa Isla ng Catanduanes. Nakakabahala at nakakaduda na rin halos lahat ng mga beach front lot sa Isla ng Catanduanes at Bicolandia ay binibili na ng mga Chinese o may dugong Chinese.
Ang Governor at Vice-Governor namin na magkapatid sina Gov. Joseph Cua at Vice-Governor Peter Cua ay mga pure Chinese po. Ang kanilang mga magulang ay parehas Chinese, pati mga asawa nila ay mga pure Chinese din. Lahat ng Barko at Gasolinahan ay sa maikling panahon lang ay naging pag aari na nila, pati mga malls, bus companies, palengke, private cemeteries, resorts, hotels and restaurants ay pag aari na lahat nila.
Pati radio stations at mga tabloid newspaper sila din ang may ari naka dummy lang sa mga bayaran na media, tulad ng Catanduanes Tribune. Sila din ang nagpapatakbo ng illegal coal mining sa Catanduanes, kung saan dinadala sa China ang mga coal. Sila din may control ng copra at abaca sa Catanduanes. Hawak din nila lahat ng Public Ports at Private Wharfs sa Isla pati na ang Arrastre sa lahat ng Ports sa Isla.
Nagkaroon na rin bigla ng ChinaBank sa Catanduanes. Madalas din makita ang mga Chinese na barko o sasakyan pandagat na pumupunta malapit sa Catanduanes. Ngayon biglaan na lang nagpapagawa si Governor Joseph Cua ng Shipyard sa Palnab Del Sur katabi mismo ng Oil Depot, maski ito ay delikado sa sunog dahil sa oil depot at sakop pa ng NIPAS or protected area being a coral reefs known as Kinaw Coral Reefs, maski buong Barangay ng Palnab Del Sur ay tumututol at ayaw nila sa Construction ng Shipyard dahil masisira ang Kinaw Coral Reefs, kung saan ito ay kanilang pinagkukunan ng kanilang pagkain at kabuhayan sa araw araw.
Maski ang Diocese of Virac o simbahan sa pangunguna ni dating Catanduanes Bishop Manolo Delos Santos ay tutol din sa mga illegal mining at destruction ng environment tulad ng Kinaw Coral Reefs. Ang LGUs, DENR -MGB, PCG, PNP at BFAR officials ay mga tulog, bulag, bingi at pipi sa nangyayari, marahil ay takot o nabayaran. May mga na recover din dito ang mga fisherman ng mga buya at mga monitoring device o equipment gamit sa sea at oil exploration na pinagduduhan na galing at nilagay ng Chinese explorers na madalas umiikot sa karagatan malapit sa isla o Benham Rise.
Kung mayroon sa Bambam Tarlac ng Mayor Alice Guo, sa Catanduanes naman ay mayroon buong Chinese political dynasty ng Cua family. Pakisilip naman ang mga ginagawa dito na Shipyard dahil ito po ay kaduda duda, katapat lang ito ng Benham Rise kung saan ay pinag interesan din ng China. Sana bigyan itong pansin ng kinauukulan, bago mahuli ang lahat.”**
