Trial by publicity

Like a good soldier, DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) Undersecretary Rico Puno dutifully followed the instructions of President Benigno Aquino III to secure all records, documents and communications of the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo. He (Rico Puno) being a DILG Undersecretary, and a person who command a great degree of trust and confidence of the president, was the logical DILG official to be assigned for the job. Unfortunately, by following the order of the president, he is now a victim of negative publicity. This is unfair, Mr. President. I hope you will be able to clarify everything about the mandate or order you gave Undersecretary Rico Puno that his acts are justified.  

Puno is being prematurely pictured as a person with evil intention or is even guilty of an act or acts for where there is no official charge or charges that exist against him. Everything is apparently a concerted effort to picture Puno as a villain, and for whatever reason, to alienate and destroy the trust and confidence of the president in him.

While the late Secretary Robredo was and continues to be held up as an icon for sincerity and competence in his service to the nation, the guys under him should not be looked upon as undeserving of their posts, are corrupt and incompetent, and worse, be suspected of masterminding their head’s demise.

Newspaper reports said Undersecretary Puno and the DILG officials who accompanied him voluntarily signed the log book of the condominium residence of the late DILG Secretary and requested permission to retrieve and secure documents that may be kept by the late Secretary in the said residence. There is nothing wrong or malicious about the initiative of Undersecretary Rico Puno and his companions. They were following orders from the president to retrieve and secure all official documents and communications that the late DILG Secretary may be keeping anywhere, including his residence. Besides, they were civil and polite. They did not force themselves in when the housekeeper refused to let them inside the Robredos’ condo unit.  

A news item also said that Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office (PCDSPO) Secretary Ricky Carandang would not comment on whether Puno was indeed the subject of an investigation being conducted by Robredo. He told reporters, ”What I can confirm is that before his death, Secretary Robredo was conducting a number of very sensitive investigations. But I will not comment on the specifics of what was being investigated or who. I think lalabas din ’yan. For the moment, I will not comment on these investigations because many of them are in a very sensitive stage.”

Persons I have talked with have the impression that such speculative comment should have not come from a member of the official Cabinet of the President. They also question whether Secretary Carandang understand the duty and responsibility of department heads of government implementing agencies like that of the late Jesse Robredo. Could it be that the late Secretary was merely undertaking a review of the proposal to purchase materials and equipment for use by his department rather than making a “sensitive investigation”? In this connection, does Secretary Ricky Crandang understand that such review of any proposal involving large purchases of equipment and materials for use by respective departments is normal? Thus by making speculative statements to the media, he further helped in exposing the apparent disunity among the President’s allies and men at the expense of Undersecretary Rico Puno.

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Among the mail I received reacting to my columns on the Reproductive Health bill is this interesting piece sent by Telesforo Fernando of Area 5, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City. The letter says nothing new, but considering that it’s written by a layman, it’s worth passing on to readers. Fernando writes:

 “Sometime ago, Arch. Jose Palma, the current CBCP head, made a call to lure back the Church’s prodigal children to its fold. The reason he gave was that many Catholics now have lost their faith due to confusion, moral relativism, doubt and  agnosticism, leaving no alternative for them but to join other churches and religious sects. What caused this exodus?

“Things have been going wrong the past years with the Jurassic thinking of Church leaders. It’s downright funny when some bishops openly criticize government moves/policies without analyzing thoroughly possible consequences. They presume to know things outside of their competence and expect the faithful to follow blindly their pronouncements. For instance, all this time, the Church has been training its attention to opposing secular matters, e.g. RH Bill, proposed divorce bill, mining laws, etc. to the neglect of the spiritual needs of its flock.

“Let’s look at the RH bill. The church’s main argument is that allowing mothers to get hold of artificial contraceptives will eventually result to abortion and promiscuity. So now, we have a situation where unwanted fetuses are strewn all over the place, in garbage bins or in front doors of churches left by mothers with no financial capability to properly give their babies a decent birth. It really boils down to poverty or lack of knowledge of the rhythm method that the church favors. The church is very vocal in its preference for the “Catholic contraption.” But has the church gone around the countryside teaching mothers what this contraceptive method is all about? Why can’t the church leaders see families bloating with children they cannot afford to house and feed? The church is actually pushing these poor people to bear an unlimited number of children.

“For once, the church should take note of survey results where majority of the population, including Catholics, favor the passage of the RH bill into law. Bishops called  for Catholics to go to the streets and show their opposition to the RH bill in the light of President P-Noy’s preference for responsible parenthood in his SONA. How many attended the anti-RH rally last August 4? It was not as massive as expected! I am a Catholic, but a pronouncement by our parish priest from the pulpit that those in the church who favored the RH bill are not Catholics, made me want to walk out.

“On the issue of condoms, the Department of Health recently reported the growing number of AIDS patients in this country. The church opposes condoms, but can it stop people from engaging in sexual acts through which the AIDs virus is transmitted, especially sex among males? Is it prepared to see this country swarming with AIDS victims/virus carriers?

“Again, on the proposed bill, the church vehemently objects to its consideration by Congress. How many more battered spouses can be reported before the church changes its stand? In fact, the church concurs with divorce already but euphemestically calls it annulment, which only the rich and senators can avail of. Isn’t this a case of double standard being foisted on the Catholic flock?

“And Archbishop Palma wonders why Catholics leave the church and join other churches or sects! The solution I can think of is for the hierarchy to leave the faithful to decide on their own and not imposed their will on them. Realizing this the good archbishop need not worry about how to lure back people to its fold.”

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