IT'S PAYBACK TIME

Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban recently joined GMA-7 Network Inc. as one of its board directors (independent), together with former Central Bank Governor Jaime 'Jimmy' Laya. I am reminded of another GMA, the publicity-hungry President Gloria Arroyo who had appointed another former Chief Justice - Hilario Davide Jr. to the United Nations (UN) as the Philippines' Permanent Representative there. Davide's appointment drew criticisms from both students and teachers of the law. To my knowledge, his nomination is contrary to public policy which limits foreign service only to those below 65 years of age. Davide is more than 70, thus he cannot be VALIDLY nominated or appointed. Any such case to his confirmation would be invalid for the same reason. But then again, this is a case of what one may call a 'presidential prerogative,' right? Sure, but the law here is very clear and by all means should never be compromised, and the irony of it all is that it involves no less than the highest guardian and protector of the laws of the land - a former Chief Justice.

(Image from http://pcij.org)

BARIAS' BLUFF: METRO CRIME RATE DOWN 40 PERCENT!

In a desperate effort to make things look nice and dandy this Christmas season, no less than NCRPO Chief Gen. Geary Barias, moonlighting as the PNP's chief spin-doctor, said that the crime rate in the Metropolis has dropped to 40 percent. In a statement, Gen. Barias said that "the month of December usually sees the highest number of petty crimes such as theft, snatching and robbery, and because of programs we have instituted, we were able to minimize crime incidents, making December just like any ordinary month of the year." Barias didn't give any comparative figures though. Now, which metro area was he referring to? Maybe to some far away, small town, laid-back mid-western town in the US? But to actually tell us that the crime rate in Metro-Manila has dropped to 40 percent is pushing it a bit too much. I wonder if his nose is a bit longer these days? Come to think of it, he's even a namesake of San Francisco's first mayor - John Geary, and Geary Boulevard of course. But because of this unbelievably 'hard-sell' declaration, he's better off changing his first name to "BLUFF" - for Bluff Street in St. George, Utah. Take a look around you. Do you honestly feel safe whenever you see a PNP in the vicinity? That's the image Barias and his men should first work on. We need honest cops - and that's the only time when the crime rate might just go down to 40 percent.

(Image from http://gmanews.tv)