BUHAY'S MIDNIGHT PROCLAMATION

Velarde. Very Large Deceit. Public opinion is strongly against the accreditation of Mikey Arroyo, Angelo Reyes and Mike Velarde as party-list nominees. Mikey's return to Congress as a representative of security guards and tricycle drivers was met with widespread condemnation. Angie Reyes, although favored by the Comelec, wasn't able to get a seat in the House of Representatives after his own party-mates decided to junk him. Perhaps unable to withstand another wave of criticisms, the Comelec chose to proclaim Mike Velarde's party-list in secret.

The petition against Buhay was filed by AM radio broadcaster Rolando Layug. Buhay had already been disqualified by the Comelec in 2001 for allegedly being connected with the El Shaddai and this is prohibited by the Constitution and the Party-List Law, but was reversed by the Supreme Court in 2003 because of lack of evidence linking Buhay to El Shaddai. The photo right here isn't enough evidence? Hence, in 2010, the evidence had become so overwhelming and Rolando Layug as well as other taxpayers submitted to the Comelec the campaign materials of Buhay with the picture of Mike Velarde.

Nonetheless, the Comelec decided in favor of Mike Velarde in a resolution allegedly promulgated on June 15, 2010, but this was not announced to the media as they usually do in highly controversial cases. Neither Layug nor any of his lawyers were sent a notice of promulgation as required by law. The Comelec's resolution denying the petition of the other complainants against Buhay was released on July 28, 2010. Under the Comelec's own rules, the complainants should have been given 5 days to file a motion for reconsideration, but the Comelec still went ahead and proclaimed the Buhay nominees on July 30, 2010. Money talks, Buhay walks.

Do Velarde and the Comelec expect this abuse of power to go unchallenged? Layug has gone to the Supreme Court asking for the nullification of Buhay's proclamation. This has been done before, in the case of Joselito Mendoza vs. Obet Pagdanganan. the Court found Pagdanganan's proclamation as Governor of Bulacan to be void and issued a Status Quo Ante Order which pulled the plug on his attempt to claim Mendoza's throne.

With the Comelec's blatant disregard for its own rules and their very obvious railroading of the complaints against Buhay, the Supreme Court must crack down and order Velarde's nominees to cease and desist from usurping, assuming and performing the functions of party-list representative. Considering the salaries, emoluments, benefits and pork barrel that every congresman is entitled to, the damage it has done to the party-list system and to taxpayers of this country being done by the illegal Buhay congressmen are unthinkable.

(Image from http://en.wikipedia.org/)

THE LRTA IS SENIOR CITIZEN - UNFRIENDLY

I always enjoy my LRT ride from the EDSA/Taft Avenue station up until my usual destination where I always get off at Blumentritt to take a jeepney to Del Monte, Quezon City. The trip takes me to a few minutes ride back to the past whereupon I see old historic buildings of Manila like the Post Office building, the Knox United Methodist Church, the National Press Club building, the Philippine General Hospital, the Philippine Women's University, the Metropolitan Theatre, the Scottish Rite Temple, Cosmopolitan Church, Sta. Isabel College and the Philippine Normal University, to name a few. But when I took that same route today, my attention on the wonderful trip down historic lane was cut short when I noticed a sign inside the train posted by the public affairs office of the LRTA which read: "Mahigit na ipinagbabawal sa Special Boarding Area ang mga sumusunod: hindi matanda, walang kapansanan, senior citizen na hindi nakasuot ng OSCA ID, hindi buntis, mga magulang na may dalang bata na lampas sa 4ft., at hindi kawani ng LRTA." Now, the notice seemed normal to me, but I thought I'd read it again, and sure enough, the item about senior citizens wearing OSCA IDs got my undivided attention. What the LRTA here is saying is that if you are an elderly person riding the LRT and happen not be wearing your OSCA ID, or worse have forgotten to bring it with you, then you simply cannot occupy the Special Boarding Area. Since when does it take an ID to distinguish whether one is an elderly person or not? In the same way, does a pre-elementary pupil have to wear his kindergarten school ID to show he's just a small, young kid? Surely, people like LRTA Administrator Mel Robles is unaware of this silly notice, otherwise it wouldn't pass at all. Or does he? Pity the elderly who have to show OSCA IDs to prove he's - well, a senior citizen. It's enough that they are subjected to a regular punishing flight of steps to the top just to reach the ticket booths because many times, escalator and elevator services are not available for their use, not to mention the many establishments that do not honor the 20% discount required to be given for all senior citizens. If I were Mel Robles, I would offer free rides to our elderly kababayans. It's one small way of showing our appreciation and respect for them. After all, cruel and morbid as it may seem, they won't be around anymore that long to contribute to income loss on transport systems like the LRTA. In addition, Mel's boss Mike Velarde has way too much cash on hand already, and the irony of it is that many senior citizens are faithful tithers in his El Shaddai church. And to think that I'd gladly ride the LRT any day of the week contrary to my usual hesitation and bias when it comes to riding the much-neglected MRT system. And if you think that the punishment for our old-timers ends there, they have to see huge tarpaulin posters of Gloria Arroyo on the LRT stations with the misleading message: "Ramdam ang Kaunlaran."

(Image from http://virtualtourist.com/)