BY ATTY. BATAS MAURICIO

MELO RESIGNATION DUE TO RIFT WITH DILG? Is the resignation of Chairman Jose A.R. Melo of the Commission on Elections prompted by the poll body’s rift with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on the issue of barangay captains who have been elected to their fourth terms and yet have nevertheless been proclaimed by the Comelec and would even be allowed to continue serving come December 1, 2010?
 
            I am asking this because DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo seems bent on blaming the Comelec chairman and its commissioners for this apparent Constitutional crisis which will surely lead to a nasty fight and impeachment complaints, and which Melo evidently wanted to avoid, now that he has become too old to be facing serious last-minute troubles in his life as a public official.
 
            Whatever, this issue must be resolved. I understand that Caloocan City for example has a great number of barangay captains who are facing this kind of a legal boner, but who managed to continue serving under Mayor Recom Echiverri, who was himself aware of the prohibitions he being a lawyer, and yet failed to lift a finger to uphold the law.
 
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            FILIPINOS KILLED IN JAPAN ACCIDENT, FORETOLD BY THE BIBLE: It is a pity that six Filipinos died and about 30 or so others were injured in a road accident in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture in Japan the other day, but, I can almost hear their families saying “what can we do, it was better for them to be having problems while employed abroad than to be having troubles doing nothing here in the Philippines.”
 
            Very true indeed, but, I wish to add that while Filipinos working abroad are modern-day heroes because their dollar remittances are keeping the country alive during these economically-difficult times, their having been sent abroad to suffer under foreign masters have been foretold in the Bible.
 
            This is what Deuteronomy 28:15 and 32 says: “However, if you do not listen to God and do not carefully obey His commands and decrees, these curses will come upon you…Your sons and daughters will be given to another nation, and you will wear out your eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand…”
 
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              P500 M FOR PARK UPLIFT TOO MUCH: The P500 million facelift of the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City being pushed by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources is a welcome development, but it is a misstep in an agency whose priority should be doing concrete work in fighting climate change and global warming.
 
            Why spend P500 million for a facelift for a mere 22.7 hectare park, when that huge money can be used to buy 50 million tree seedlings (at P10 per seedling) to be planted and cared for in all our bald mountains nationwide and thereby make these  mountains green again? Is it because the park is named after the father of President Aquino that the DENR wanted to pour money on it?
 
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            LIFE’S INSPIRATIONS: “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life…” (John 3:16, the Bible).

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Melo nagbitiw dahil sa away sa DILG?
 
 
            MELO RESIGNATION BUNGA NG AWAY SA DILG? Ang pagbibitiw ba ni Chairman Jose A.R. Melo ng Commission on Elections ay bunga ng away ng Comelec sa Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) sa isyu ng mga barangay captains na nahalal sa kanilang mga ika-apat na termino pero prinoklama pa rin ng poll body, at papayagan pang magpatuloy sa kanilang mga posisyon sa Disyembre 1, 2010?
 
            Tinatanong ko ito sapagkat pursigido si DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo sa paninisi sa Comelec chairman at sa mga commissioners nito ukol sa namumuong krisis sa Konstitusyon batay sa isyu, na siguradong hahantong sa magulong away at mga impeachment complaints na siguradong nais ng iwasan ni Melo ngayong nakapakatanda na niya upang humarap pa sa mga problema bilang isang opisyal ng gobyerno.
 
            Anuman ito, dapat maresolba ang isyu. Sa aking pagkakaintindi, ganito ang gusot na kinasasangkutan ng Caloocan City na napaulat na maraming mga kapitan ang ganito ang suliranin, pero nakapagpatuloy ng paninilbihan sa ilalim ni Mayor Recom Echiverri bagamat alam niya ang pagbabawal kasi isa siyang abogado.
 
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            KAMATAYAN NG MGA PILIPINO SA JAPAN ACCIDENT, NAKASULAT SA BIBLIYA: Kaawa-awa naman ang anim na Pilipinong namatay at ang tatlumpong iba pang nasugatan sa isang aksidente sa Kameyama, Mie Prefecture sa Japan, pero halos alam ko na kung ano ang sasabihin ng kanilang mga pamilya dito: “mabuti na ang nagkaroon sila ng suliranin habang kumikita sila sa ibang bansa kesa sa magkakaroon sila ng suliranin ng wala namang ginawaga dito.”
 
            Totoo ang pahayag na ito, pero nais kong idagdag na bagamat ang mga Pilipinong nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa ay mga bagong bayani sapagkat ang kanilang mga dolyar ang bumubuhay sa bansa sa panahong taghirap, ang pagpapadala sa kanila sa ibang bayan upang magdusa sa ilalim ng mga among banyaga ay isinulat na sa Bibliya noon pa man.
 
            Ganito ang sinasabi ng Deuteronomio 28:15 at 32: “Subalit kung hindi kayo makikinig sa tinig ng Diyos at hindi susunod sa Kanyang mga utos, mangyayari sa inyo ang mga sumpang ito… Ang inyong mga anak ay ibibigay sa ibang mga bansa, at mapapagod ang inyong mga mata sa pag-aala-ala sa kanila araw-araw, subalit wala kayong magagawa upang sila ay tulungan…”
 
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              P500 M PARA SA PAGPAPAGANDA NG LIWASAN, SOBRA: Maganda ang isinusulong na P500 milyong pagpapaganda sa Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife sa Quezon City ng Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), subalit maliwanag na ito ay isang kapalpakan mula sa ahensiyang dapat ay kumikilos upang kongkretong mapaglabanan ang climate change at global warming.
 
            Bakit tayo gagastos ng P500 milyon para lamang sa pagsasaayos ng isang 22.7 hektaryang pasyalan, samantalang maaari namang gamitin ang perang ito upang makabili ng 50 milyong binhing puno (sa P10 bawat binhi) na maitatanim natin sa mga kalbong bulubundukin sa bansa? Dahil  kaya ang liwasan ay nakapangalan sa ama ng Pangulong Aquino kaya ito gagawin ng DENR?
 
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            INSPIRASYON SA BUHAY: “Gayon na lamang ang pag-ibig ng Diyos sa sanlibutan kaya ibinigay Niya ang Kanyang bugtong na Anak, upang sinuman ang sumampalataya sa Kanya ay di mapapahamak kundi magkakaroon ng buhay na walang hanggan…” (Juan 3:16, Bibliya).
 
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