Gwen steps out
Last Wednesday suspended Gov. Gwen Garcia was locked out of her office after she quietly left the Capitol the night before. Acting Gov. Agnes Magpale decided to padlock the office after Garcia failed to return Wednesday morning.
The way I look at it, Magpale interpreted Garcia’s failure to immediately return as conceding to her six-month suspension by the Office of the President.
Others look at it as a graceful exit for Garcia from the impasse that she had created. Others believe Garcia is in a much better condition now that she is out of her office because she can freely move around to campaign in the towns to help her brother PJ Garcia, who is running for governor and for her own bid as congressional representative in Cebu’s 3rd district.
Now the Garcia camp is threatening to file cases against Magpale and the police for padlocking the Office of the Governor. Magpale’s advantage is that she has the right and responsibility to assume operational control of the Province of Cebu as acting governor.
The Office of the Governor is the symbol of of the seat of government in the Province of Cebu. That’s why it’s so important to some quarters that Magpale assert herself and take control of the office itself.
Garcia’s camp can threaten to sue the acting governor but Magpale can always rely on the presumption of regularity of her actions in fulfillling her duties. In the final analysis, the court will decide the matter in the exercise of judicial power.
So far, offices of the Capitol are functioning well and Gwen Garcia is busy campaigning in the province. Her lawyers filed another motion in the Court of Appeals seeking the issuance of a Preliminary Injunction on her suspension. With this development, the court has set aside the earlier motion for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order.
* * *
Many can’t understand the position taken by the Cebu City Council in imposing a moratorium against demolishing and evicting informal settlers occupying the city-owned Citicenter in the downtown area.
The mayor’s move to evict the occupant was made for various valid reasons. The occupants have been staying there for quite some time without paying a single centavo to City Hall. Over the years, the Citicenter has been used for prostitution and illegal drugs. It’s no longer a safe place for people to roam or stay. Some students from the schools surrounding the Citicenter reportedly hang out there to use illegal drugs and pick up prostitutes.
While we empathize with the informal settlers, in its present state the Citicenter should have a better use.
Mayor Rama plans to convert the place for socialized housing, thus the act of the City Council in freezing any acton to vacate the area deprives city residents of basic services.
Unfortunately the City Council decided based on partisan politics. It is hoped that both camps rise above narrow political interests and serve the public interst.
