Thanksgiving Day

It’s all systems go for the forthcoming thanksgiving Mass for the canonization of San Pedro Calungsod this Friday, Nov. 30 at the South Road Properties (SRP).

The Archdiocese of Cebu took the lead in preparing for the big Catholic event through development of the SRP site where a templete is being constructed for the Mass. Friday is a holiday thus the organizers are expecting quite a number of people to attend the Mass.

There will be numerous activities connected to the Mass like the fluvial and foot processions coming from the different assembly places. A delegation from the Vatican will be attending the event.

I was informed that the SRP would be closed to traffic except for a few vehicles of some VIPs so it is best that we just walk going to the venue for the Mass. The Church is encouraging the faithful to go to confession in preparation for the Mass.

Well the only concern of the organizers is for good weather this Friday. Let us pray that God through San Pedro Calungsod will bless us with good weather. I firmly believe that San Pedro Calungsod deserves this Thanksgiving mass and we should join in the celebration, as we shall also thank the Lord God for giving us San Pedro Calungsod as our new saint and intercessor.

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Apparently the controversy behind the Balili property continues to haunt the governor and her administration and shall become more intense as election fever is starting to heat up.

Recently Vice Gov. Agnes Magple and Board Member Arleigh Sitoy both of the Liberal Party (LP) paid an unexpected visit to the controversial site and discovered that the submerged areas were already filled.  They suspect this is an attempt to hide the fact that the property bought by Capitol was underwater once upon a time.

Another issue raised by both Magpale and Sitoy was that Capitol filled the submerged area to the tune of P27 million, an expenditure that was not cleared by the Provincial board.

The governor countered that the budget was included in site development appropriations and was approved by the Provincial Board as part of a reclamation plan.

I think what Magpale and Sitoy wanted to prove is that the purchase of the Balili property is disadvantageous to the local government and to the people because the property is underwater and now consumed millions of pesos in filling materials.

It has been pointed out that the reclamation plan has no permit from the concerned government agency but I guess Capitol is going to assert its right to reclaim the property as it also has the local office to approve the reclamation.

I guess the action taken by Magpale and Sitoy is aimed at pressuring the Office of the Ombudsman to act on their complaint swiftly and not dilly-dally and at the same time pressure the Sandiganbayan to act on the complaint filed on their court already by meting out a preventive suspension on the good governor.

But whatever it is the governor has to bear the consequences of her act and it is now up to the courts to decide if what she did was wrong or not, justifiable or not.

The opposition like the LP will continue to pressure the government agencies to act swiftly on the cases filed before their courts in the hope that the governor will be preventively suspended.

The preventive suspension of the governor will be an achievement of the LP local leadership under Junjun Davide. Davide may not be actively seen going around the province to campaign but let it not be said that he is not doing anything to have the governor suspended for acts connected to her administration.

Of course it is expected that the governor together with her legal team will make it a point that what the LP wants to happen will not happen to her during her remaining months of her term as governor.  Good luck to both parties as they maneuver to outmaneuver each other for 2013 election points.