NEWS
[Side Mirror] Agony in Camarines Sur
By DOMINADOR C. ALARKON, JR.

We are in the midst of the Lenten Season when we recall the ordeal and agony of our Lord, Jesus Christ, at Mt. Calvary that led to His crucifixion and death. It comes coincidentally as the people of the province brace for equally excruciating pain from the consequences of mounting colossal corruption in government projects, an unprecedented astronomical loan incurred by the provincial government in the amount of P2.050 billion on top of an existing loan of about half a billion pesos aside from controversial tourism projects from which huge government investments are hardly expected to be recovered.

We are beginning to feel the pangs of greed gnawing on our flesh, pangs of corrupt officials, their accomplices in the government and contractors who feasted on monstrous anomalies in government projects never before heard of in the history of the province.

First, there was the DPWH P170 million project package involving one desilting and 11 road projects in the Third District of Camarines Sur supposed to be implemented before the May, 2007 election which from all indications were never implemented but believed fully paid. Even before sluggish government investigators could move their numbed fingers, another anomaly was uncovered involving P100 million in DA farm-to-market road projects also supposed to be implemented before the May, 2007 election.

Many more anomalies especially involving desilting and dredging projects, all shrouded in secrecy among the corrupt conspirators, will all be ferreted out the moment investigation starts in earnest to get to the bottom of these shameless malfeasances in Camarines Sur.

In fact, the ZTE scandal may just be peanuts compared to what is happening here. The ZTE deal, though many times bigger, was aborted and cancelled and therefore money had probably not changed hands. Here, projects were totally unimplemented but money had been safely tucked in the pockets of those who conspired in the robberies in broad daylight.

If the government is sincere in its oft-repeated avowal to stamp out corruption Camarines Sur is the fertile ground for one crucial test. Here is where the government may be able to redeem itself by putting behind bars those responsible for these multiple cases of plunder. But so far we are just being fed with promises. Exactly five weeks ago, a representative of one government agency in Manila to which I routinely send copies of PENINSULA MONITOR called me up to inform me that they are going to conduct formal investigation on the Third District scandal and promised to keep me posted. I have never heard from that guy again and I am beginning to suspect that the fellow is now awash with cash.

Connivance by government investigators with suspected crooks is one nail on the cross. Reluctance of involved government offices to provide copies of pertinent public records in suspected corruption cases is another.

But fortunately there is now the writ for habeas data which we will invoke when offices refuse to give out public records to bring out the truth for the people of Camarines Sur.

One does not need to be an economic expert to realize that borrowing a gargantuan sum as more than P2 billion will bring financial ruin to the borrower if the money is spent for projects that cannot immediately generate income to pay even just the annual interest, in this case perhaps about P200 million.

The provincial government is reportedly investing the money in tourism projects of hazy viability, and worse in school buildings which are not the responsibility of the local government but of the national government. Strange that the national government had just funneled P7 billion in rehab funds for Bicol largely for Albay and Camarines Sur and DepEd even had difficulty spending all the money, yet here we are borrowing for the same purpose.

The government, whether national or local, is not expected to directly invest in tourism facilities considering the notorious ineffi ciency of the government to manage business ventures. If it must, there is the Philippine Tourism Authority that must tackle the task not an LGU saddled with financial hardship. Moreover, some tourism projects appear to be ill-planned. Why set up man-made water-based projects in the midst of the provincial capitol when the province has three existing lakes that need not be dug and filled with water and limitless shorelines from Ragay Gulf, Lagonoy Gulf to San Miguel Bay? One does not need a feasibility study to conclude that such type of tourism ventures is the easiest way to throw away borrowed money that the people of Camarines Sur will have to pay, perhaps for all eternity