THERE is no arguing that appointing somebody to a position of power and influence in the government is the sole prerogative of the President of the Philippines.
However, in the case of newly appointed Ombudsman former Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla, it appears that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. knows of no other person who qualifies for the Ombudsman position.
Yes, from the very start of the talk of the possible replacement of retired Ombudsman Samuel Martires, it is as if all eyes were already fixed on Remulla, who had no qualms about expressing his desire to become the next graft buster.
Meaning, that even after Marcos, Jr.’s term ends, he can still be around for at least four more years, leveraging his position to whoever assumes power in Malacanang.
For now, there is nothing we can do about Remulla’s ascension to the topmost ladder of the country’s anti-graft prosecution body.
We are, however, hoping that the President sees Mindanao as an integral part of the Philippines by finding one Mindanaoan that he can appoint as Remulla’s replacement as Justice Secretary. We are certain that there are many qualified persons for the post in this southern island of the country.
Only, the President appears to have blind eyes as he sees no Mindanaoan worthy of his trust. Will there be a time when a national administration harnesses Mindanaoans for Cabinet positions? Or, will all Luzonian or Visayan Presidents continue to perpetuate the notion that we are only recognized as citizens of the country during election time when national candidates need Mindanaoan votes very badly?
Meanwhile, the new Ombudsman Remulla should probe the detractors of his appointment wrong by performing his task as fairly as possible. If, in his initial discharge of his responsibilities, his actions will be seen as favoring the appointing authority or his known allies, then he will just be dragging the President into the muck with him.
And Remulla and President Marcos should ready themselves with the possible consequences of their unfair and biased disposition of the Ombudsman’s functions.
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How come it is only very recently that the Provincial Government of Davao Oriental discovered that an estimated 200 hectares of the Mt. Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are being exploited by mining operations? The mined area is part of Barangay Macambol, Mati City. But the bigger portion of Mt. Hamiguitan is a component of the Municipality of San Isidro of the same province.
Questions: What mining company or companies are exploiting the Macambol side? Who or what government agency is authorizing the mining companies’ operations on the site? Was the Provincial government of Davao Oriental blindsided by the mining firms and the authorizing agency? Will the Provincial government do the necessary to stop the mining activities and at the same time preserve the UNESCO-declared World Heritage Site?
We believe these questions need definitive answers. The mining firms could be operating illegally if they have encroached on areas like Mt. Hamiguitan. The officials of the Province must not forget that it is the characteristic of that mountain range that hosts the so-called pigmy forest that puts Davao Oriental on the world map, especially for the tourism industry.
On the other hand, it is intriguingly surprising that the Provincial government would want to make it appear that it has no knowledge in the mining operation. Do the mining firms have any office, field, or satellite in Mati City, the provincial capital?
If there are offices of whatever nature, aren’t the mining firms paying any form of taxes, business permits, or whatever, to either the Province or the City?
In fact, we have earlier information that ocean-going vessels are regularly anchored in Mati Bay, loading unprocessed ores directly from the mining sites. Has the Province or the city no idea what the cargo ships are loading? Did they just allow the crew of the vessels to do their thing without bothering to monitor what they were loading?
Assuming without totally agreeing with the Eastern Davao Province’s officials that the discovery of the mining in that part of Mt. Hamiguitan was only very recently, should they not seek some clarifications from the Regional Office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) XI on the matter?
The people of the Eastern Davao Province are looking forward to hearing from both the Davao Oriental Provincial officials and from the DENR XI. And they want to hear from them soon.
