Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Mayor Perdices picks a fight

We don’t know what happened to the mayor of this city, but right after winning the elections, he began picking a fight.
The mayor was displeased with an article that was not about him in the first place.
In this fight mayor Perdices indulged in a lot of pomp and media ceremony.
One Friday noon, with all his vast powers and influence, he herded the local media into his office for a press conference.
Flanked by his high-caliber, high-profile lawyers, the Bejar Nuique Moncada Catacutan Law Office, the mayor sued an Australian citizen who he swears under oath is a Negros Chronicle columnist.
Not only that, the mayor discovered that this Australian citizen owned a piece of land in Taclobo, this city, so he sought the court to have the Australian’s land attached.
This bizarre move sparked a mad scramble in the Chronicle offices as staffers were tasked to make a spot research to see if the constitution had already been changed that it now allows foreigners to own lands in the Philippines.
In the press conference, one of the senior partners of the law office hired by the mayor, dutifully obliged to brandish to the media what appeared to be a copy of the Negros Chronicle, the newspaper that purportedly published the writings of that Australian whom the honorable mayor sued.
The mayor wanted to score in dramatic fashion, both against the Australian, and the newspaper that, according to his oath, carried the Australian's writings.
(Until now, we are still searching for this Australian columnist the mayor has sued)
Since the Chronicle has been dragged into this media frenzy, it has taken occasion to inform the reading public of its position in these kind, amd similar situations.
First, it is a policy of this paper to defend its writers and columnists for their constitutionally protected published writings, articles, columns.
The Chronicle adopts the motto of the military “never to leave a comrade in battle.”
We will assist our fellow press freedom advocates in whatever way we can.
Thus, when press freedom is on the line, no one will see the Negros Chronicle fence-sitting.
Let it be on record that it was the mayor who started this legal fight.
Let it also be on record that it was the mayor who wanted his legal battle to be high-profile.
Why, he even held a press conference just to file a case.
Since the mayor wants his case to be high-profile, the Negros Chronicle will oblige, by covering and reporting blow-by-blow the developments of this case.
That is what the mayor likes.
This is what the mayor gets.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am amenable to your points regarding the matter at hand. Here are my comments.

The filing of the case by the Mayor is a bit exaggerated and misplaced. Firstly, one would not need a media or a press conference in order to file a case. What’s the purpose? I want to kknow. Secondly, this high profile lawyers I think forgot their basic principle of law that a foreigner cannot own real property in the Philippines. I guess I am not updated of the amendment of the law regarding that matter, they are. Third, if we would allow this exaggerated suit, freedom of the press will be endangered. It may result to curtailment of the press freedom which is a violation of the constitution. Maybe the Mayor just felt guilty about the article of Mr. Generoso. Maybe they were true or Pikon lang gyud si Mayor.

I suggest to the Mayor that there are more important things to do rather than entering this unnecessary battle. He should battle the crimes in his city, the killings, robbery, drugs and many others. Crime rate is ballooning in Dumaguete. He better clean-up his city if he still wants it to be called the city of "gentle" people.