Ripe

Hinog na si Magpale”  (Magpale is ripe), is a phrase I often hear said about Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale.

The remark is not in direct reference to her age, although at 70 years old, “ripe” could mean possessing wisdom that comes only when a person has gone through life’s ups and downs, be it in raising a family or in the rough and tumble world of politics.

Magpale was reelected provincial board member representing Cebu’s 5th district in May 2010. It didn’t occur to her that after garnering the highest number of votes among the elected PB members, she opened herself up to bigger challenges in the Capitol.  As we know, the duties and responsibilities of the office of the vice governor fell on Magpale’s lap after then vice governor Greg Sanchez was hospitalized for lung cancer.  She succeeded him in office when he passed away last year.

Vice Governor Magpale’s ascent to the number two post in the Capitol comes at a most opportune time. Her brother, Jose Rene Almendras, sits in the Cabinet of President Noynoy Aquino as energy secretary.  This proximity to Malacañang coupled with her own professional credentials in public service make Vice Governor Magpale one of the most influential politicians in the province today.  No wonder, she is being sought after by the Liberal Party and is touted as the current niña bonita.  Reports say she is not going to the fold of the Osmeñas or embrace their arch-enemy, the Garcias.  She is going to remain with the local Barug Alang sa Kauswagan og Demokrasya (Bakud), the party founded by her cousin, former congressman and incumbent Danao City vice m-ayor Ramonito “Nito” Durano.

Vice Governor Magpale herself admitted that Bakud is poised to forge a tactical alliance with the administration party.  If this is going to happen at all, I think the Durano party will push for greater concessions, chief of which would be to make Ma’am Agnes the candidate for governor.

This will unsettle things in the local level because the Liberal Party led by Cebu south district Rep. Tommy Osmeña is backing lawyer Hilario “Junjun” Davide for the post of governor.   Davide nearly made it to the finish line in the 2010 gubernatorial election and seemed like the man to beat in 2013.  But with Ma’am Agnes also in contention, the political situation has become rather fluid.

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If the Cebu City Police Office thinks that the burglary that happened in the Cebu City Sport Center has been solved after the police filed a case against security guard Joselyndo Jabagat, wait till they hear what his lawyer is saying about the incident which caused the loss of at least P1.68 million funds belonging to the Sinulog Foundation Inc.

“There was no evidence that money was stolen from the vault of the Cebu City Sports Center during the Sinulog,” according to lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu.  The gap in the complaint filed by the police against her client Japagat, the legal loophole as explained by the lady lawyer, sums up the theory that crime was an “inside job.”

As police investigators try to build up a case against the security guard, it would be good for them to follow Dalawampu’s advice, which is to investigate the case thoroughly and not hastily make conclusions.  She has a point because the police immediately pinned down the security guard without examining other angles, among them, the inside job theory, which is a hot topic among commentators and observers.  By filing a case against Jabagat, the police foreclosed a longer and more thorough examination of the case, even if the theory that the burglary was a “scenario” to justify the loss of money is not at all improbable.
The lawyer called the attention of the police in putting together a case with enough evidence to stand the test of probable cause because otherwise, the case cannot be filed in court.  As a seasoned trial lawyer, she knows where the case is headed for.

The question is, after throwing the book on Jabagat, will the Cebu City Police Office be looking at the angle suggested by the lady lawyer without antagonizing Mayor Michael Rama?   Rama heads the Sinulog Foundation and a scandal, or just a whiff of it, would be an issue against him.  He also has control over the police.