Inconvenient truths

TO DIEHARD fans, the second Marcos administration, despite its much-publicized oversights, is still brandished as ‘the best leadership the country has ever had.’ This assertion, if pitted against the jarring revelations i.e., inconvenient truths that have come out in the last eleven months, is not what the observers think and called philosophers rationalize

‘Legalized’ squatting

The issue of squatting is as old as memory can remember. Despite its being antiquated, the problem persists because those who make the laws and those who implement them always have their own unique ways of interpreting statutes even if the explanations are illogical or distorted.

Early on, President Bongbong Marcos was already seen on the partisan radar. People who did not support his presidential bid always find cracks in the handling of crucial issues, especially in the way his ghost writers craft his declarations and statements. Through all the assertions from the rumor mills, the President has played his game coolly, outfoxing even ‘experts’ who have everything to say about every item in the world.

But in the last six months, the snipes against the President have become incontrovertible truths that need to be satisfactorily addressed. For instance, when the sugar import fiasco became the cauldron of debates, the explanations given for the matter were inadvertent and incomplete even if the proofs on plain view contradict the position of the Palace.

Then came the issue of electoral fraud blamed on the unusual haste the transmission of poll results was sent. Although the burden of proof falls on the commission on elections, the beneficiary of the supposed fraud is Marcos Jr. Again, to keep away from the heat the controversy has generated, the Palace has made it convenient not to discuss the issue even though the inconvenient truth is that those who raised the matter have some evidence to prove their case.

Recently, in a decision that is expected to reach the Supreme Court, the President, in defiance of Republic Act 11550, the law governing the split of the old Maguindanao Province into two, committed a blunder in what some observant lawyers concede can be made basis for an impeachment. But the inconvenient truth is that the House of Representatives, where the first steps if impeachment is processed, is packed by pro-Marcos loyalists.

Be that as it may, the furor raised on the strength of the presidential statements on certain important issues lies on the lack of foresight of people behind his communication squad. Many of his word crafters or ghost writers seem to embrace the saying that “Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed.”

Inconvenient truths, if properly argued, can be used as vessels in propagating the strong position of the State on matters the general public only vaguely know. If not for the inquisitive media that hurl tricky and double-edged questions during press conferences or the social media influencers getting the public pulse, many of the issues that affect the national consciousness are simply relegated to the wayside.

A nation that is embroiled in so many problems may not entirely agree with what the Presi-

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TIN: 602-795-878-00000 dent asserts but still it is the obligation of the public to objectively view the position of government on matters, due to their complex nature, that are presented in such a way they do not harm our relations with other country or jeopardize our economic advantages.

A case in point is a recent incident in Baguio City where a tourist destination was discovered to have no permit to operate. Instead of padlocking the enterprise for violating the National Building Code, the city government, in a gesture of reinterpreting the law, allowed it to reopen after an affidavit of understanding was signed, with the business promising to comply with all the conditions set by the city government.

This incident reminds us also of an incident years ago when a motel on the shoreline of Davao City was found to have no building permit was given a similar deal. Instead of demolishing the structure for being built on a foreshore area without the needed papers from the environmental and natural resources department and the city government, the city council decided to give it a slap on the wrist by imposing a penalty and requiring it to belatedly get a building permit.

In both cases, the moneyed investors always got the last laugh because they did not only retain their structures, they had circumvented the law and escaped its claws unscathed.

But the same cannot be said of ordinary folks who violate the provisions of the building code.

Of particular interest are the informal settlers who encroach on public or private lands. While they are are allowed to occupy lots that do not belong to them, the office of the city or municipal engineer always turns a blind eye even if the squatting prospers into a congested colony.

There’s no doubt that illegal squatting is a serious social issue, but politicians and bureaucrats view their incursions differently. Squatters, no matter how they viciously violate the laws, are always deemed positive vibes because in the end they can become sources of votes.

Even in the brewing anti-drug probe pursued by the International Criminal Court, at times the clash of ideas can be observed between parties on the same boat. Recently, the President announced that the country from hereon would have nothing to do

When someone trespasses, violates an ordinance, or intrude into another person’s property, the act of usurping a property that does belong to him should be considered illegal. Regardless if the offender is poor or affluent, we have always been told that nobody is above the law. But such idiom is more for posterity than it is to foster respect for legal orders.

If the violator is a wealthy establishment, which is what the cases in Baguio and Davao are all about, padlocking the enterprise due to neglect and violation of a statute, decree, or ordinance is always associated with the collection of revenues. The government always puts premium on taxation above anything else even if it distorts and violates the rule.

Another disturbing viewpoint is that in a legal tussle, it is easy to press a poor litigant to the wall than it is when the party being accused has so much resources. Allowing squatters to flourish without the government dipping its fingers in issues of legality does not cohere with what we are told when someone in government preaches about ‘lawabiding citizens.”

The government’s double-faceted interpretation of the law is what makes our democratic system truly inefficient and abhorrent. Even in our judicial system, the same practice is pervasive because those who are imbued with the task to enforce law can always invoke excuses, like using the so-called ‘humanitarian principle.’

For allowing squatters to thrive even if they are proscribed by the law is a problem that should be blamed on the government, especially the executive branch. If mayors and governors have the balls to really address abuses, the first step they have to consider is to order their subordinates to execute what the laws say and impose sanctions on those who fail to implement them.

Votes and revenues are positive aspects of governance but these should not be exploited in favor of breaking, distorting, or circumventing our laws. Parity in law is not about discrimination.

(PMT) anymore with the ICC. This statement, though, contrasts with the solicitor-general’s declaration that the country will continue to open its lines with the Court until the pending case it has filed with the ICC is resolved.

Overall, however, the second Marcos presidency has made positive strides in ways it can explain it position on diplomatic, defense, economic, and social issues. That it has wavered at times in addressing some vital issues may be attributed to the sensitivity some subject matters carry. (AVF)

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