Duterte saved Bautista from a Senate trial

The biggest news I got today was the report that finally, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Andres Bautista announced that Malacañang Palace wanted his resignation to take effect immediately and not on December 31 as he originally declared. In a press conference in the Comelec last Monday, Bautista revealed to the press that he received a letter from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea who said, "Upon the instruction from Pres. Rodrigo Duterte, I wish to inform you that your resignation is hereby accepted, effective immediately."

This is why many of us who voted for Pres. Rodrigo Duterte continue to support him, simply because he is a decisive leader who immediately sees a potential problem and acts on it right away. In the case of the Comelec Chairman, his resignation slated for the end of December was taken as an affront by Congress, and thus no less than Deputy Speaker Rep. Gwen F. Garcia with representatives Harry Roque and Robert Barbers caused the historic impeachment of the Comelec Chairman. Thus, either he quits right away or faces a grueling Senate impeachment trial. Pres. Duterte made this final decision to let Bautista go and save the nation from another impeachment trial, which was started by the Liberal Party against chief justice Corona.

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Tomorrow we shall be witness to the biggest funeral Cebu has ever seen with the funeral for our beloved departed archbishop emeritus, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal. I'm sure that we will also have many outsiders who will come to Cebu City to honor or pay their respects. I just hope that our guests won't notice the bad roads in Metro Cebu.

On the potholes-turned-moon craters issue, I had this letter emailed to me and I have the permission of the writer to reprint it for our readers.

"Dear Mr. Avila, The last time I wrote you was in September 2015 regarding the roads in northern Cebu. I just want commend now you for telling it 'like it is' and standing up for your fellow citizens. There are such are a variety of things that you bring to light and try to correct it would takes volumes to mention them all. Today I would just like to say that your strong words regarding the terrible road conditions in Cebu City should stir the city government to do more than just make temporary repairs.

"If they can't or won't then maybe higher authorities are needed to take action. You are so right Cebu City and Mandaue roads are a disgrace and of course the only word to describe the traffic situation is 'Stupid'. Potholes, motorcycles darting in and out of stalled in traffic cars and when it rains the floods, well that is the icing on the cake as far as having a bad driving experience in a large city.

"Not living in either city I can only imagine the frustration of trying to get back and forth to work or trying to conduct any type of business in two cities that don't make traffic infrastructure a high priority. In yesterday's FREEMAN on page 6 an article stating that Cebu is the 2nd best Island on Earth. That article (my opinion) cannot be based on spending any time in either Cebu City or Mandaue where the plight on the streets is rampant. Dust, trash, children defecating on public streets, severe flooding every time it rains heavily does not make Cebu City or Mandaue a place where tourists would want to spend any time other to use them as starting points for other beautiful places on Cebu and other surrounding. Please keep your good work. In my opinion you are a brave man to bring to light the problems that everyday people experience daily in the Philippines. Sincerely… Mark Fetbroth."

In fairness to the City of Cebu, it took three weeks for them to realize that the entrance to the road leading to my residence along the Escario St. and Juana Osmeña Ext. was finally patched up although quite hastily but not asphalted. I really don't know what material they used. But the big moon crater has been effectively hidden and traffic has returned to normal. I just hope that someday they will cement this road so that this would be the end of our agony even if the rains come.