New world wonder

The  888 News Forum yesterday marked its fifth anniversary at Marco Polo Plaza Hotel with Mayor Edward Hagedorn of Puerto Princesa as guest speaker.

Mayor Hagedron presented a short video showing the beauty of Palawan and his city, which amazed the audience.

I bet if you saw Mayor Hagedorn’s  campaign to make  Puerto Princesa’s Underground River one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, you’d be convinced  the river deserves the accolade.

The mayor presented new aspects of the river, like the  discovery of  a 2-million-year-old fossil of a sirena or sea cow in a  cave wall,   that could play a crucial role in the writing of the history of the Philippines.

Having seen the video, I urge our countrymen especially the Cebuanos to vote for the  river.  Check the  website www.new7wonders.com.  You can vote by  texting PPUR to 2861. The cost is P2 for Sun subscribers and P2.50 for Globe and Smart subscribers.

I also invite our countrymen  to experience the river cruise  to see its majesty.

The 888 News Forum, where I serve as moderator, awarded eight personalities and institutions that contributed to the growth of tourism in Cebu and the country.  These are Mayor Hagedorn, Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, former Cebu City councilor Nestor Archival, Aloguinsan Vice Mayor  Cynthia Moreno, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel former general manager Marco Protacio, the University of San Carlos, Cebu Doctors’ University Hospital and the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.

Congratulations to our awardees and thank you to general manager  Hans Hauri of Marco Polo Plaza Hotel for generously hosting the 888 News Forum every week.

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Now that Migz Zubiri has resigned from the Senate to spare his family from the heat of allegations of  poll cheating in the 2007 elections, the people want to  know whether  poll fraud accompanied the election of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the presidency in 2004.

A political science student asked me, “Sir, what would happen to the presidency of PGMA?” That’s  a  difficult question which will draw different answers, especially from  lawyers.

The fact is that Arroyo was the president of our country whether or not her election will be nullified by the Commission on Elections.

But what’s the implication if it is  found out that her camp cheated their way to having her elected? Difficult to answer, but for sure history will not be kind to her. Fernando Poe Jr. would  be declared the duly elected president in the 2004 exercise.

If the election of GMA is  nullified,  what happens to all the transactions she entered into on behalf of the government during her presidency?

That’s up to the  legal luminaries to debate and settle. Definitely the controversy will  reach the Supreme Court.

This story will be a strange chapter in  history books. Only in the Philippines. Funny but true.

It is hoped that in the near future our people will judge the presidency of PGMA kindly and fairly. But I am hoping that the perpetrators of cheating in the 2004 and 2007 elections shall be held accountable so that similar fraud won’t happen in the future.

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I am astonished by  Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma’s visit to  barangay Suba Pasil in Cebu City.

The archbishop pledged to listen to them and to be their adviser in dealing with their problems with the city government.

I appreciate the  humility shown by Archbishop Palma unlike some priests  in Cebu who are up so high that sometimes they cannot be reached.

Truly Archbishop Palma is a man for others who reaches out to the people, the poorest of the poor.

I expect to see other priests follow his  example. The Catholic Church needs to be closer to the people especially with so many  challenges confronting our society.