A quid pro quo in exchange for the BBL nod?

What does the Bangsamoro Basic Law have to do with the issue about the Disbursement Acceleration Program and the Pork Barrel Fund scam? Plenty! As we've pointed out several times already, there are 49 congressmen, the majority of them allies of President Benigno Aquino III in the Liberal Party (LP) who should be facing corruption charges by now, a full two years since the Janet Napoles Lim documents were exposed to the public. But then Malacañang has a scheme to use its power over the fate of these 49 congressmen… yes in the up and coming vote for the BBL.

Over the weekend, we learned from our social media networking sites that there was a secret meeting in Malacañang Palace with congressmen and senators that lasted into the wee hours of dawn. This was publicly admitted by Malacañang's chief planner for the BBL, Representative Rufus Rodriquez that he and the congressmen and senators met with President Aquino.

Of course Representative Rufus Rodriquez denied that the draft document of the BBL was not taken up in that meeting. If so…what was that meeting all about? The birds and the bees? This is the problem with our political leaders today… they have become so callous, they no longer hide anything, even the obvious and still deny that they did not discuss the BBL. That meeting was a quid pro quo…approve the BBL or face criminal charges of corruption!!!

So for the nth time! The BBL will not bring peace to Mindanao and if you didn't know it…my friends in Mindanao are telling me that they are arming themselves for the inevitable… because the Moro Islamic Liberation Front's Peace Negotiators Mohagher Iqbal already warned that they won't accept a "Watered-down" BBL and our government peace negotiators are warning us of a new war that would ensue if the BBL is not passed!

The Philippine government should not scare the Filipino people of the prospects of war if the BBL won't be passed in Congress and instead, prepare the Armed Forces of the Philippines to defend every inch of Philippine territory. But then, President Aquino and his Liberal Party allies are out to give a large chunk of Philippine territory in the name of peace and offer it in front of the Malaysians as a gift in the name of the Filipino people. This is why the National Transformation Council (NTC) wanted PNoy to resign before he brings more damage in our country.

*** I got this letter from an old friend of mine, Joel Mari Yu, formerly of the Cebu Investment Promotion Center (CIPC) and his letter is self-explanatory. Here's his letter in full.

"Dear Bobit, I hope you print this letter (with the picture, if possible) soonest in your column at The FREEMAN. The newly opened Yakimix Resto at the new Capitol Square in Escario Street, (beside Jollibee) boasts a smokeless, odorless Yakiniku grill. The reason they are able to do so is because they are spewing all their fumes (smoke, offensive kitchen odor and heat) plus very loud noise from their cyclone ventilators and air-conditioning equipment at the back of their building, directly into our neighborhood (including SHS for Girls).

The building has no firewall at all; the exhaust vents are located just a few meters off the ground and are pointed to the street and our houses. Aside from the stink the ventilators are emitting, the heat and the stickiness of their fumes make conditions unbearable. We know that they (building and resto owners) know that they are breaking the law.

It is unfortunate that they are so inconsiderate they think they can get away with it. We have filed formal complaints with the Office of the Building Official (OBO) at City Hall, the Barangay of Camputhaw and the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources. But bureaucracies take forever to take action. We hope that by exposing their "dirty linen" the building owners themselves will immediately remedy this very bad problem they have created. My warmest regards Joel Mari S. Yu"

The area where Joel's house is located is one of the most peaceful places in Cebu City as it is in front of the Sacred Heart School for Girls. His residence is at the dead end of that road. In fact when construction started on that mall in Escario Street beside the Maxwell Hotel, I suggested to Mayor Mike Rama and to Joel himself to open up that road so that people who fetch their children from school would now exit in that mall area and reduce the traffic congestion in Juana Osmeña, Street But alas, Mayor Mike failed to push this plan and now the back of that mall is facing the front of Joel Yu's house.

In this age of "Tarongon ang hiwi", Mayor Mike Rama ought to warn that newly opened Yakimix Restaurant to ensure that their presence does not disturb their neighbors. It is only fair. It's about time that our political leaders show that they can soften the blow of Cebu's unbridled growth. We should not be building edifices and disturbing the peace in our community. So now the ball is in the hands of Mayor Rama to fix this "small" problem.