Poe’s disqualification case in Comelec worrisome
The horrendous traffic in Metro Manila that stranded thousands of commuters on Monday and Tuesday, add to that the security nightmare for the police, could have been avoided if the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit venue was the nearby Subic or Clark economic zones.
The last Apec summit hosted by the Philippines was held in 1996 at the Subic Bay Freeport zone, sparing Metro Manila from all the hassle.
Subic and Clark, former US military bases, have become little versions of Hong Kong or Singapore because they are virtually complete cities in themselves.
The two economic zones have airports; Subic has its own seaport.
They have world-class villas, hotels and houses that would have accommodated the presidents and prime ministers of participating countries and their entourage.
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Then why is the Apec summit being held in Manila, instead of Subic or Clark?
Subic and Clark are confined areas and the challenge of securing the Apec leaders, their wives and their respective aides would have been much less.
Nobody can guess what goes on in the mind of President Noynoy who, as head of the host country, decided to make Manila the venue.
But I can venture a guess: Clark International Airport is named after Diosdado Macapagal, father of his most hated predecessor, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
On the other hand, Subic was already the venue of the 1996 Apec summit, so P-Noy’s advisers must have told him Manila should be the site now since it is the country’s capital.
These advisers didn’t take the traffic and security of the Apec leaders into consideration in choosing Manila over Subic or Clark.
The late Sen. Joker Arroyo was not joking—he was dead serious, no pun intended—when he said P-Noynoy’s Cabinet was run like a student council.
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The Senate Electoral Tribunal decision throwing out the disqualification case against Sen. Grace Poe was right, albeit on the political side.
Why would the fact that she is a foundling be taken against her?
Is it her fault she was abandoned by her parents and was adopted by a couple who are not her blood relatives?
The decision has brought rejoicing to Poe and her camp.
But her joy might be short-lived because the disqualification case filed in the Commission on Elections (Comelec) about her citizenship is worrisome.
She might be disqualified as a senator—and ultimately from the presidential race—because she reportedly used her US passport in entering the United States after she had reacquired her Filipino citizenship.
There’s already a precedent.
The Supreme Court disqualified a Lanao del Norte mayor for using his US passport after reacquiring Filipino citizenship.
