TRIBUNE BY NINEZ CACHO-OLIVARES: BETTER OUT, THAN IN POLITICS

TRIBUNE BY NINEZ CACHO-OLIVARES: BETTER OUT, THAN IN POLITICS

MANILA, FEBRUARY 13, 2010 (TRIBUNE) Priests and bishops really should stay out of politics.

It was a mistake on the part of Ed Panlilio, a priest, for him to run for a gubernatorial post in Pampanga. Just as it was a mistake on the part of his bishop, Archbishop Paciano Aniceto to give his blessings to his priest’s run, especially since Canon law --- which the prelates are supposed to obey without question, in the same manner they are not supposed to question the Bible but take everything stated there as gospel truth and purely on blind faith --- bars priests from running for a political post. You know, the Catholic gig about not being able to serve God and mammon.

It was a big mistake not only because Panlilio’s years as governor proved his inexperience at effective administration of the Pampanga government, which has resulted not only in a deeply divided government and reportedly anomalous transactions — with him at odds with the mayors and other officials, as well as a lack of progress in the province — but also ended up in having been kicked out of his gubernatorial seat by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) after it had declared Lilia Pineda the winner of the 2007 Pampanga polls.

Any which way, the governor-priest is now stained by cheating, rightly or wrongly.

But his archbishop defended Panlilio against allegations of cheating, saying he believes the poll results at that time were “honest and credible,” given the “vigilance and combined efforts of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, civil society and NGOs that guarded the votes of all candidates in the 2007 elections.

Frankly, that’s no ground in which to place one’s beliefs.

In the 2004 presidential elections, the same groups — including the notorious Namfrel, and the so-called civil society — were said to have guarded the ballots, and even when there were clearly instances of blatant electoral fraud reported, these same hypocritical civil society groups and the frigging bishops insisted that the polls were clean and honest and just because there was cheating does not mean Gloria Arroyo didn’t win the race.

Panlilio’s superior said that “the governor was not in a financial or political position to cheat or buy votes since he had no funds or political machinery.”

That’s hardly proof that no cheating was resorted to. As for funds, there were funds donated.

There were groups supporting Panlilio who were said to have burned ballots and their boxes. He didn’t have a political machinery? His machinery was precisely the civil society groups supporting him. And there was too, the fact that the ballots that had the nickname of Pineda were not counted during the canvassing.

The 2007 Pampanga gubernatorial polls were projected by the national media as a repeat of Edsa people power, in a mini scale. Like Cory Aquino in 1986, Panlilio was being projected by the media as a near saint, out to slay the evil dragon of jueteng — something incidentally that he failed to do.

Cory Aquino did not win the 1985 presidential election, but her civil society, along with her Namfrel, that served as her political machinery, came up with their usual trending ways, canvassing the Metro Manila votes then started screaming fraud when the provincial votes started pouring in, with Cory losing the vote. And so, Namfrel stopped the count, followed by a claimed “spontaneous” walkout of some Comelec computer staff, also crying foul.

To prove that it wasn’t a spontaneous walk out but a carefully planned move was the fact that there were the frigging bishops at the ready to “protect” them, in the hope of triggering a coup.

It wouldn’t surprise anyone if the same thing is being planned by the same civil society groups today, along with the Namfrel --- whose accredition to do a manual audit has thankfully been rejected by the Comelec, in the 2010 polls -- to create the same political turbulence created in 1986, to get the presidential candidate, Noynoy Aquino, the presidency, by hook and by crook.

Panlilio has lost the seat. Comelec says it belongs to Lilia Pineda.

Whatever one thinks of it, that’s a black mark on Panlilio and the priesthood.

TRIBUNE HEADLINE NEWS:

LP DROPS BOMBSHELL LAND SCAMS VS VILLAR By Angie M. Rosales - Tit for tat, by way of charges and countercharges between two presidential bets.

With the Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino accused by the Nacionalista Party (NP) of having benefited from the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, along with his late mother exempting the family’s hacienda from land reform, as well as his family’s refusal to give Hacienda Luisita workers their share of the land and share of the profits, the LP yesterday dropped a bombshell against NP presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar as being involved in yet another land and road scam, this time not in Metro Manila but in Iloilo province.

LP’s former Sen. Franklin Drilon who is seeking a Senate seat, dropped the bombshell which Villar quickly denied.

Drilon’s accusation against Villar made during a press conference of the LP in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo, was in reference to the alleged illegal conversion of a 12.7 prime agricultural land that was under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) into a subdivision

“The documents here do not lie. Official records show that 12.7 hectares that form part of Savannah Subdivision, which is under the CARP, these 12.7 hectares of land were classified as first-class irrigated lands and awarded to tenant beneficiaries,” he said.

“Under the law, it is illegal to convert first-class irrigated agricultural land into subdivision but that’s exactly what Villar, in the Savannah Subdivision development, did.

“tax declarations show these are irrigated ricelands, first-class irrigated ricelands. They destroyed the irrigation canals and converted it into a subdivision. The tax declarations also show there are tenants in these agricultural land with CLOAs (certificate of land ownership award) awarded to the tenants under CARP. Yet these were all purchased by Savannah Subdivision owned by Villar and through false representation, was able to convert them into subdivision in 2007.

Former DAR Secretary Rene Villa refused to sign conversion order, yet it was still converted,” Drilon stressed.

Villar’s camp was quick to rebut the latest charges leveled against him, even as Villar and his party admitted the Villar development of the parcel of land into a residential enclave, but insisting that everything was above board.

Provincial administrator Boy Mejorada backed up Drilon’s claims, saying that the property now known as Savannah Subdivision, which the Villar camp identified as listed under the Camella Homes of the senator, said application for conversion of the land was in 1998 and development into a residential area started in 2000. Villar was then Speaker.

“Tax declaration as far back as 1992 showed the property was formerly owned by Cornelio Villanueva in Bgy Pulo Maestravita, adjacent to properties where Savannah Homes now sits. This is just one of the lots. As you can see, the classification of the portion, original assessment, the assessor has found this to be irrigated rice land and even classified as first-class. So to prove this was covered by CARP, you can see the name of the tenant farmer who was awarded a Certificate of Land Ownership for this property. This is CARP-covered, this is irrigated rice land.

Drilon claimed that Villar had a road project, a lone project in Iloilo in the amount of P4 million in 2003 located in Brgy. Hibao-an Pavia which sits at the gate of Savannah Homes Subdivision.

“In 2003 General Appropriations Act, it was implemented under SARO 2004-249. So he (Villar) also built a road leading to his subdivision. So this is what we call C-5 and a half. Regardless if it is only half a kilometer, it shows the lack of decency on the part of the developer, and simply would set aside all interest of the CARP beneficiaries to be able to pursue his business interests. So that is the situation in Iloilo. So the C-5 controversy is simply a tip in the iceberg, it is a pattern we now see. We are aware of other subdivisions all over the country where similar practice was followed. There are other subdivisions particularly in Cavite...we are documenting these. All these tax declarations are tax declarations of tenant beneficiaries of CARP and show gross violations of the law, said Drilon.

Mejorada agreed with Drilon, saying that the road project came after the subdivision was already up or before being approved by the DAR.

Based on the records gathered, they alleged that about 88 farmer-beneficiaries were awarded the land conversions.

“When the tenant-beneficiaries allegedly applied for conversion, records show they were represented by Crown Communities Iloilo, the corporate vehicle that is owned by Villar. The tenant beneficiaries who applied for conversion were represented in DAR by executives of the company of Villar.

“In an order Sept. 14 2007, it showed two tenant beneficiaries who applied for conversion represented by Lily Donasco and Ernesto Concio Jr., both executives of Savannah Subdivision. Clearly the hands of Villar are all are all over the place in this C5-and-a-half version,” said Drilon.

They claimed that each property in the said subdivision is pegged at P3,500 per square meter while the rice land amounted only to P150 per square meter.

“The 12.7 hectare is just the start. Subsequently the Villar company has been buying adjoining rice lands, the irrigation system has been terminated by intentional means. They back-filled the canal so it can be classified as nonserviceable. They were able to buy several hundred hectares around that piece of property. About 250 hectares all in all,” Mejorada said, describing the property as equivalent to producing 100 cavans of per hectare.

“When he converted this into a subdivision, the 12 hectares is now worth P420 million. The money public funds used to build the irrigation canals is put to waste. More importantly you put into jeopardy our ability to have food security in the province. That is why our agricultural production of rice is affected by such practices as converting premium irrigated rice lands into subdivision. This is a crime,” said Drilon.

Appropriate charges are now being readied against Villar and they are still in the process of documenting all needed papers, Mejorada said.

“We are trying to locate them (former beneficiaries). We have been getting reports some were not fully paid. Transaction was on installment basis. We are tracking down the farmer beneficiaries,” he said.

Former DAR chief Villa said CLOAs are non-tranferable. “Even if you make a deed of sale conditional if it is prohibited. This cannot be done. This was being followed with me for approval, but I did not allow any conversion of the agricultureal land. This really can’t be done if the land is already irrigated. So if there is a transfer, the contract is illegal. If they make that a condition, they are (screwing) the people. It’s impossible for this to be converted unless there is a collusion between developer and DAR, which may have happened in this case,” he said.

In response to these charges, Villar said his land project in Iloilo is aboveboard, underscoring his companies are all open to public scrutiny.

Villar’s legal counsel Lawyer Nalen Galang also denied Drilon’s allegation in a statement to media.

Drilon claimed the NP presidential bet had a road built along Jibao-an in Pavia town, which will pass in front of Savannah subdivision in Barangay Polo Maestra in Oton town.

Villar shot back, saying that the public companies (he owns) are being watched and scrutinized by the Securities and Exchange Commission and all the agencies of government. “This can be examined by anyone,” Villar told reporters after the NPs mini rally in Tanza Cavite.

“I have not violated any law, nor have my companies, I did not fool the public. It was a clean purchase,” the senator said.

He branded Drilon’s claim as another round of mudslinging against him.

“I really do not know what other accusations against me are being invented by the LPs. What I can say is that there is a process and the law was followed. I really wonder at these LP inevntions,” Villar said.

Villar’s lawyer said the road Drilon mentioned has been in existence long before Savannah subdivision was even being planned.

“This is another act of desperation and traditional politicking. Companies owned by Senator Villar complies with all regulations and obtains all permits required for conversion, used and development of its properties,” Galang said.

But Villar’s corporation began developing the land as early as 2000, and even had a 586-meter road built in front of it in 2004, Mejorada said.

“Regardless if (the road) is only half a kilometer, it shows the lack of decency on the part of the developer, Drilon pressed on. Villar simply would set aside all interest of the CARP beneficiaries in order to be able to pursue his business interests,” Drilon said.

Mejorada said he had heard of rumors about Villar’s project in Iloilo, but he only began looking for documents when the C-5 controversy blew over in the Senate a few weeks ago. “Our interest was triggered by the controversy of the C-5 road extension,” he said.

Noynoy Aquino, pitched in, saying the expose was particularly disturbing since it affects food security in the country. “Iloilo province is the 3rd largest rice-producing province in the country, and it is an exporter to other areas in the country. Their food security program is very successful. If we tolerate this, we will jeopardize this and ensure that we will be increasing rice imports,” he said.

Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi

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