Foreign bizmen to denounce Mayor Radaza?

It seems that the problems of Mayor Arturo "Boy" Radaza is far from over. I just got a call from a good friend, who will remain unnamed as of this time that his Korean friend who wanted to put up a hotel/condominium in Lapu-Lapu City was willing to come out in the open to denounce the Mayor for asking him for bribes. I have already met this Korean businessman on a few occasions and he was happy to be investing his money in Cebu.

However, I advised my friend that while it is a great honor to have exposed this exclusively in my column, I would prefer that this Korean investor come out in the open through a presscon so the world will know what went wrong with his planned investments. It's about time that foreign investors who have been victimized by corrupt public officials come out into the open and denounce these corrupt practices. We just came from Ash Wednesday where our priests have asked the faithful to mend our sinful ways and yes, we must put a stop to all these nonsense that destroy the name of Cebu!

This reminds me of what I saw a few months back when I read a huge sign in front of the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT), which screamed "This Project Is Cancelled!" That sign was clearly put up on the orders of Mr. Michael Gleissner because he was dismayed at the unfriendly behavior of Mayor Arturo Radaza for not giving him the permit he requested. Thus the rumors came out that perhaps Mr. Gleissner was being asked for money in return for those permits. Of course, I'm sure that Mayor Arturo Radaza would deny such an accusation and even tell us that he gave Mr. Gleissner recognition by being an adopted son of Lapu-Lapu.

But still, it doesn't answer why Mr. Gleissner put up that sign and instead of expanding his new business venture in Lapu-Lapu City, he will now be expanding at the South Reclamation Properties (SRP). Would Mr. Gliessner have moved to the SRP if he found the City of Lapu-Lapu a friendlier place to expand his Film Academy? I doubt it.

One thing about foreign investors like Mr. Gleissner, they cannot fathom corruption in any shape or form. But he ought to know that we Cebuanos too abhor corruption by our local or national officials. But catching a corrupt crook isn't an easy task. This is where we are asking Mr. Gleissner to come out in the open and help us clear the issue once and for all so that the Cebuanos would know why he put up that sign in front of the Film Academy. We await with eagerness the coming out of this Korean investor. I hope no one threatens him to the point of his changing his mind.

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Now it is official. Senatorial bet Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan lost his bid to return to the Senate in the elections of 2001. Yes, this decision comes to us from the Supreme Court six years after the event. Gringo insisted that he was in the magic 12, but now it is official that he was numero 13th and out of the Senate. Now that this issue has been resolved, Gringo who was recently captured after years of hiding is once again on the Senate trail asking the Filipino people to vote him back to the Senate.

Poor Gringo. He is a totally lost individual. How can he seek a Senate seat from the very government he sought to destroy by grabbing power through a military coup or coups? Gringo also showed us his utter disrespect for our laws by not submitting to Justice when he was charged with sedition. What can we expect from a man who cannot obey our Constitution? Sure, I for one have never liked the Cory Constitution, but for as long as this is the Constitution that we are under right now, we must uphold and obey it otherwise, we might as well be the Banana Republic that Gringo really wants this country to be.

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Another fellow seeking the votes of the people is actor Richard Gomez. Goma wasn't taken in by the United Opposition (UNO) where he should have belonged hence he danced over to Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's (GMA) Team Unity seeking to be accepted as its official candidate. But being charged as a tax evader was just too much for the administration to explain. Hence, Goma found himself with no political party to ally with. Proudly claiming to have P30 million pesos to spend, he is running for the Senator without a political party.

No doubt, Goma's only claim to fame is his name recall, that the Filipino voters would put a famous actor to become a Senator. Perhaps Goma ought to rethink his political plans and use his P30 million to pay his back taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) instead because I heard that even his relatives wouldn't be voting for him. Actors like Goma are nothing but plain "opportunistas". We should never be conned by him.

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