#LabanJeffSor I have been trying to engage the church in a meaningful way as a means of expressing my faith, the same way the revolutionary Jesus of Nazareth lived his life. I was made to understand that the statement issued by the good archbishop of Tuguegarao, Sergio Utleg is his own and not of the whole archdiocese as many priests refused to deal with the temporal issues besetting Tuguegarao knowing fully well of its implications when undesirable elements used this to further their interests. I am also truly grateful that finally the archbishop came out with a stand supporting Jefferson Soriano as rumours have been going around that he silently supported his candidacy during the May 2013 elections and it is providential too, that he placed his signature and like in the past, we respect his decision to so. As Christians, we were not only taught about faith but more importantly, to question when we see inequality and injustice in society. I take exception most specially to two specific sections of the archbishops’s statement. The first of which reads: “We however wish to make clear the moral dimension of honoring the people’s will in electing him as Mayor of the city.” The use of the word moral dimension is rather unfortunate as it diminishes and insults too, the people who voted for another candidate because they made a MORAL CHOICE. We knew of Jefferson Soriano’s involvement in the second hand helicopter and defective rubber boat scams during the Arroyo’s administration; his brother Danny Soriano being mentioned as one of the top jueteng operators in the country; his involvement with Cedric Lee and Tyrone Ong with Colossal Mining Corporation, the biggest black sand mining concession and so many more. And with this knowledge, we too made a choice, our MORAL CHOICE like any in the past election. Thus it should not make any of us any more wrong than it does make the majority right because we all voted with our conscience. Yes you are right that we leave all of these to the courts and government agencies concerned, but you placed yourself in the ambit of the temporal in issuing the following statement concerning acts that were relating to the past that may be similar to the present administration of Soriano: “we cannot close our eyes to the fact that the acts of which Mayor Jefferson are now held to answer were acts similar to those committed in the past by people in position of influence and power.” I wish you can elaborate on this statement. We understand and accept you wanted to show support to Jefferson Soriano but please, not at the expense of my family’s reputation. If you truly believe in the man, his accomplishments should carry him through without having to compare him to anyone. I believe you are responsible enough to disallow this kind of generalizations and unnecessary comparisons. My family welcomes you to file cases at the proper forum, assist those who will and my family will face our accusers in court. We’d appreciate that rather than continuously be harangued with rumors and gossips which only add up to the confusion that is now pervasive in the city and for which no true justice is achieved. To say that we are similar is unfair to us. We never bought second hand helicopters and defective rubber boats with ongoing cases at the Sandiganbayan. This resulted in the suspension of the mayor with a pending suspension order yet to be implemented. In both cases, Jefferson Soriano was able to avoid being given administrative sanctions only because of the delays in the filing of the cases. Lower ranking PNP personnel took the brunt of his misdeed as the Bids and Awards Committee Chairman when these purchases were made. As to the actual case that resulted in the dismissal of Jefferson Soriano, I would assume you have read the decision and would know why he was dismissed for grave misconduct. This was basically because he didn’t follow the law – the absence of the prerequisite authority from the city council, the issuance of a special and exclusive permit to a single operator even before the authority was granted, the non-payment of the contract price of not less than 1.7 million pesos as only 143,000 pesos was remitted to the city’s coffers. Thus even the ombudsman allowed the filing of another criminal case against Jefferson Soriano and Ronald Brillantes with the Sandiganbayan. This is not a single incident and yes, cases have been filed and more will be filed because of the repetitive nature of the violation of the laws of our country – Makaulaw Parking Terminal, the Night Market and even the appointment of Imogen Claire Callangan despite the one year constitutional ban on appointing losing candidates – to cite a few. Our family has been at the receiving end of political violence including the November 15, 2010 sniper shooting of my father. Many of our supporters have been the victims of extrajudicial killings including the brutal killing of Atty. Isagani Garcia who was handling the above cited cases in May 14, 2014. A June 5, 2014 report of the task force now confirms that one of the guns used was the same gun used in killing our father’s security aide Pedro Buguina in May 3, 2013. I can cite several more people who have lost their lives and all remain unresolved to this day. I can go on and on, but that will be fruitless. We also strive for fairness and would ask you to do the same towards us as I felt what you have written was unfair to us – considering that my sister was the complainant in these cases. We also do not want injustice and that is the reason why we seek recourse through the courts and other legal means. I ask you to consider opening your eyes instead to the growing problems of the city –unabated drug use, illegal gambling that sprouted everywhere, increasing number of crimes and graft and corruption being committed wantonly. All one needs is to open their eyes. Justice will prevail! Raul S. Ting M.D.
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 07:21:06 +0000
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