As ugly as the Juan Ponce-Enrile-Miriam Defensor-Santiago battle.
At the hearing of the congressional oversight committee on the Philippine Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 last Monday, a tearful Romualdez related how, he claimed, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas tried to marginalize him in the relief and recovery efforts for the Yolanda-devastated city.
He said Roxas asked him for an ordinance allowing the national government to undertake relief and rescue operations in Tacloban to “legalize everything” or a letter stating that he could no longer function as mayor.
He said he almost gave in because of the enormity of the calamity but his lawyer advised him against it because the letter would be deemed as resignation.
He also said he could not understand why Malacañang would need to legalize their takeover of the operations in a disaster area when he as “the President is the President of the Philippines and he’s also the President of Tacloban City.”
He said he told Roxas, “I don’t see anywhere in the law that says you need an ordinance from me for you to come in and do what you’re doing.”
He said that’s when Roxas told him, “You have to understand. You are a Romualdez and the President is an Aquino. If it’s not legalized, then OK you are in charge and we’ll help you, then that’s it … bahala na kayo sa buhay ’nyo.”
The 18-second video of Roxas telling Romualdez that politically devastating quote was posted in video by Jose Mari Gonzales It went viral that same day.
Roxas, who snubbed the congressional hearing, had to go on a counter-offensive the next day questing on TV programs crying “Foul” saying the video was spliced and taken out of context.
The full video:
From the charges and counter-charges, this is our impression:
Romualdez is not a paragon of competence because if he were why would he be in his beachfront resort with his bodyguards in the wee hours of Nov. 8 when Yolanda was lashing at his city. Why was he not in City Hall directing the operations? The term “storm surge” as too technical for him and Tacloban folks to understand is not an excuse. PAGASA raised an alarming number four signal, the highest alert ever issued in this often typhoon-blasted archipelago. Why didn’t he heed the warning?
Be that as it may, Romualdez is an elected mayor of Tacloban in the same way that Aquino is the elected president of Philippine Republic. Whether he is perceived to be incompetent, the national government has to work with him.
Roxas also is in no position to feel superior over the whining Tacloban mayor.
He and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin going to Tacloban to head the operations of what they knew to be a super typhoon without a satellite phone or alternate means of communication was like a soldier going to the battlefield without bullets or a reporter covering without a ballpen.
His interview with CNN’s Andrew Stevens did not inspire confidence in his leadership of a relief and rescue operation.
If that was not bad enough, his condescending remark about Romualdez suffering from “post-traumatic stress disorder siya kaya hindi ko alam kung saan nanggagaling mga criticisms niya” and advising him to “straighten out your memory banks,” was bad taste. Malicious.
In life’s thrilling unpredictable narrative, we have witnessed incidents of light coming out after darkness, of nations torn by war finding peace or people sustained by hope in the midst of despair.
It is our hope that we would find something redeeming from this emotionally draining political episode.
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Kahit saan daanin si mayor ng Tacloban ang dapat sisihin at maparusahan sa pagkamatay ng mga tao. Two days before Yolanda ay may warning na malakas at destructive ang bagyo. Hindi niya inilikas ang mga tao. siya mismo ay nagtago sa bahay niya na nasa tabing dagat na kamuntik pang mapahamak ang kanyang familia. kung ako ay bobotante ng Taclloban ay hindi ko iboboto ang ganitong mayor.
“………Roxas also is in no position to feel superior over the whining Tacloban mayor.”
spot on!
Sec. Mar Roxas being the DILG secretary should have not uttered any demoralizing remarks nor put color on the situation considering that it was the people who all of them in the government MUST serve should be their FIRST priority and concern. Even if natural calamities like the super typhoon Yolanda are perpetrated by any political party THERE is no reason for any government official to put them way below their radar of rehabilitation especially IF and WHEN relief are coming from foreign donors as well as philantrophic individuals.
Lamunin nila ang pondo magpakabundat sila pero ‘yung hindi manggagaling sa bulsa nila AY HUWAG NILANG IPAGDAMOT SA MGA KAWAWANG BIKTIMA!
para naman kay meyor: HINDI tamang asal ng isang opisyal na halal ng bayan ‘YUNG paiyak iyak sa harap ng isang hearing at maghanap ng butas upang makawala sa iyong pananagutan. ibinoto ka ng taong bayan sa iyong siyudad AT marapat lamang bilang alkalde ang ikaw ay merong paninindigang pangunahan ang anumang hakbang para sa kaligtasan at kapakanan ng lahat ng iyong nasasakupan – BUMOTO man sa iyo o HINDI!
at kay noynoy: HUWAG kang kumampi sa kanino mang miyembro ng iyong gabinete. BILANG pangulo, wala kang dapat panigan sapagkat ikaw ay presidente ng BUONG sambayanan at hindi ng mga kaalyado mo lamang! itikom mo na ‘yang bibig mo AT ipalabas lahat ang pondo para sa rehabilitasyon. sa zamboanga city, sa bohol, sa leyte, cebu, capiz at sa lahat ng lugar na sinalanta ng mga kalamidad. kung ayaw mo naman, ‘yung mga tulong-salapi na lamang galing sa ibang pamahalaan. huwag kang suwapang!
Korek, MPR.#2 and 3. Pare-pareho lang sila. Nakaka-inis.Ang sarap pagbabatukan.
From Ed Quisumbing:
Will this behavior of Mar Roxas with Mayor Romualdez and his wife’s attack of Anderson Cooper harm his aspiration for a presidential run?
EdQ
My take on this is that Mar’s presidential bid in 2016 is now in jeopardy. People don’t know the kind of character this guy is. He’s hot tempered like spouse Korina. He’s arrogant and doesn’t accept criticism. He even curses (remember when he swore at GMA on the stage during one of the anti-GMA rallies). Ask his staff at DILG and they would tell you how stressful the work environment is when he’s around; unlike the late Robredo who was well liked by his employees.
Mar grew up with silver spoons never tasted hardship in life. He never entered a public market and yet used the slogan “Mr. Palengke” during his previous campaign. In one of the campaign photos with him riding on a carabao in the province wearing a hat and farmer’s clothes, he was seen wearing a pair of expensive shoes (he forgot to change it for photo up).
There’s a saying that behind every man’s success it’s the woman. We could also say that behind every man’s failure is a woman. Korina is controversial herself. After having that embarrassing media confrontation with the popular Anderson Cooper, she took a more than one week off from her TV News program claiming she went to Ormoc to help the typhoon victims and to cover the relief event (why not also Tacloban where Cooper went?). Obviously, he was advised by Mar’s handlers and Malacanang to keep away from media for a while. But Korina’s harm to Mar’s political ambition goes back even before. Twice, she abused and beat up her domestic helpers and the two cases did not prosper for obvious reason. At one time. Korina rushed to NBI to rescue a good friend after being arrested by confronting and threatening the NBI agents. With her husband being a cabinet member and presidential ambition, Korina should even taken a vacation from the media and not use her programs to attack political enemies and defend the administration.
No wonder Pnoy is now contemplating in looking for Mar’s replacement in 2016. Carandang’s resignation and those who are identified with Roxas who also resigned is an indication that Pnoy is distancing himself from Mar. And now he appointment Lacson as Rehab Czar, a very important position that brings him closer to the people. Is Pnoy now choosing Lacson over Mar?
The fight between Mar Roxas and Mayor Romualdez was embarrassing not only to the country but the world. And where do you see a leader of a nation meddling in a simple petty quarrel between government officials? Only in the Phil. Only Pnoy.
The young Romualdez is the son of then powerful Bejo Romualdez. Like Mar, he never tasted hardship. So, it was a battle between two spoiled brats.
Yes, asar ako sa kanilang dalawa!
Si Romualdez takot magtrabaho bago pa lang bumanat si Yolanda.
Si Mar, hindi alam ang ginagawa.
Pareho silang political leaders na inutil, walang katuturan!
Wala silang empathy sa taong hindi nila ka-level ang katayuan sa buhay.
The next Election is still a long way to go and much can happen..might end with kris as next President of Marcos Jr..no telling at all..who would in his wildest imagination that Pnoy is the sitting President now? That a convicted Plunder, womanizer and all you can suspect of is again in the midst of Political scene, mr. Erap..collectively the memory of the voters is short live and so their emotions.
If the country wants more kris-is, then vote for Kris. I recall she promising not to meddle in politics after her brother got elected or else she would go abroad and reside there. Since then, how many times did she meddle including the most recent one when she defended her brothers from her critics. Big mouth Kris just doesn’t know how to shut up her mouth. Even in her talk show programs, she talks more than the guest being interviewed. This talkativeness and perhaps being a nagger could have turned away most of her men.
However as usual, the voters would vote for popularity than qualification. She would most likely run for Senate in 2016 then move up from there. Presidency is not ripe yet for her.
Presidency was Never Ripe for mother Cory and yet Fate brought it to her and so to her son , whose every critique has a word or two to tell that he is not even ripe to run a student council and He is the Top man of the whole Country… That was my point about Kris and even Jinggoy the accused plunderer…
tandem talaga ang dalawang ito. kahit hindi sila kailangan dahil meron namang nauukol na opisyal ng alinmang ahensiyang dapat mangasiwa, sugod silang dalawa at ibinibilad ang mga sarili sa kahihiyan.
hindi kaya nagseselos si ate kuring? si mar kaya ang dahilan kaya nagpapakatandang bading, este binata si noynoy?
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2013/12/16/1268802/pnoy-mar-presence-sm-north-disgusting
chi, mabuti na lamang at ilang beses nang nagpakita ng incompetence itong dapat sana ay mamanukin natin sa 2016, ano?
dismayado na ako!
eniwey, asa na lang uli na baka sakaling merong sumulpot na karapat dapat suportahan sa susunod na derby.
Mags, ewan na sya sa 2016, hehehe!
Sa pag presidenti ni Cory may mga kalamidad na sa panahon ni Marcos hindi masyado nararamdaman. Ang lindol sa luzon na ang building sa baguio gumuho, ang mv donya paz at iba pa. Sa panahon ngayon ni Pnoy ay giyera sa mindanao, ang lindol sa bohol at cebu, ang malakas na bagyo sa leyte at samar. Kung may mag presidente pa na Aquino baka delubyo na ang abutin ng bansang Pilipinas. Lalong magiging kawawa ang mga tao na naninirahan. Kasi ang mga namuno na dahilan sa pagpatalsik kay Marcos ay sinusumpa. Pumasok na sana sa isipan ng mga tao lalo na ang mga kabataan na si Marcos ay mabuti na naging presidente. Sa kanya lang pamumuno na mura ang mga bilihin at kulang ang nagugutom. Higit sa lahat may disiplina ang mga tao kaya hindi gumagawa ng masama.
Arvin, Marcos was not the saint you portrayed him to be. At that time, the currency rate was favorable to RP Peso. Inflation rate was very low. Our economy was good partly because our Asian neighbors were still struggling. Militarily, the Phil was comparable if not better. The PAF jets were the best in Asia. All the above were due to US aids. For 20 years, Marcos was supported financially and militarily by the US. When he decided to cut down the US Base agreement to half, the US began to get upset. Marcos became nationalist and rebellious towards Uncle Sam. Marcos felt: Enough is enough. No more dictates. From then on, the US began to look for replacement to lead the Phil so that she could continue to control.
Simultaneous with Marcos’ change of attitude towards the West, his wife who retaliated his womanizing became uncontrollable. Her extravagant lifestyle; draining of the country’s budget, family Romualdez’s corruption slowly and surely destroyed Marcos. There were many groups in control of the government: Gen. Ver for Marcos, Imelda’s group which included Metrocom Chief Gen. Olivas, Enrile’s own group led by Honasan. The Communists took advantage of the situation by sowing unrest including the Plaza Miranda bombing that triggered or contributed to the declaration of Martial Law even if this was already Marcos’ plan. It could have been declared prematurely plus his own political agenda. His cronies wanted him to remain in power so that they could continue to control the business.
Then came the Ninoy Assassination. Rumors and reports had that it was the US-CIA behind it. His death began a wide scale unrest particularly from Marcos enemies that included the Yellow Brigade, Cardinal Sin using the Catholic Church to get back at the Marcoses, Enrile’s fear of being eliminated by Marcos and Ver for his betrayal, Ramos whose right hand man, the intelligence expert Gen. Almonte, began to gather his own loyal trusted people especially at Philippine Constabulary which he headed that time, the Leftists many of whom are now in the government and Congress. This grand conspiracy finally ousted Marcos.
What you were referring to Arvin was during the initial years of Martial Law which were indeed very good. People were disciplined and there was curfew. No drugs after the Chinese drug lord Lim Seng was executed (Lim Seng was Enrile’s compadre who even tried to help him to flee the country). The Communists and NPA could not move due to the military’s active presence. The US continued to support Marcos. Remember that no Martial Law or coup would be possible without Uncle Sam’s blessing at that time even today. However, like any human being after tasting power, Marcos began to abuse and allow his cronies to control the economy. Cojuangco and Benedicto were just a few of them.