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uring one of my lectures at the evelopment Academy of the Philippines the original AP , I made a “bold prediction that soon, very soon, the media and the authorities will be targeting LG8s or local government units regarding their collection and use of “pork barrel funds I did not expect it to happen in a matter of weeks as a party-list congressman asked for LG8 pork barrel to be investigated esterday our editor in chief Ana 0arie Pamintuan took several shots at LG8s that have so much money but hardly any accountability
This is an inescapable outcome, as more and more ordinary citi ens detest ever increasing taxes being imposed by local governments, without sense or science in their computation and purpose To make matters worse, it does not escape the eyes of people in these communities how local governments keep wasting money on what they see are unnecessary expenses or plain and simple excuses to spend money and get kickbacks Imagine living in a city or town where lamp posts multiply every or years, where sidewalks and streets are constantly ripped and repaired just before elections, where arangay gates can compete in grandeur with those of private villages, where local government officials duplicate the political dynasties and lifestyles of legislators feeding from their pork barrel
)or sometime now there has been a growing call to revisit, review and rewrite the Local Government Code of because of the growing abuse, policy conflicts and stumbling blocks that a number of local officials have managed to create using or citing the Local Government Code Clearly, what then 6enator ATuilino “1ene Pimentel had meant to empower and advance local governments, is now being used by local politicians to advance their personal and political ambitions The situation is so bad that even some people at the Office of the President have openly expressed the need to end the madness and the abuse
:ell, the beginning of the end may have begun -ust the other day I read that 0agdalo Party-list 5ep Gary Alejano has called on the Commission on Audit to “launch a detailed special examination of what they described as the P -billion pork barrel of local government units 8nlike the politically charged call of oppositionists for the COA to investigate administration senators, Alejano’s motion deserves immediate action from the COA because it goes beyond suspicion but is already an observable fact as well as common knowledge
If the COA’s review officially certifies what everyone has suspected all along, maybe then, the younger Koko Pimentel can produce a new and improved version of the original Local Government Code
I just came back from a one day visit to Puerto Princesa City to hook up with local media as well as to invite car enthusiasts, businessmen and transport operators to the grand opening of the first ever Goodyear Car care Center in the city which will formally open on )riday, 0arch As an informal “ rand Ambassador and “resident emcee of events I have seen the continued growth and expansion of Goodyear car care centers in the country especially in the last year If anything, the opening of the Goodyear store in the city is a vote of confidence that business and motoring in Puerto Princesa is so healthy it is justifiable to make a major investment this far west of the islands
The last time I was here was about years ago and so much has changed Tourism has undoubtedly taken over and surpassed all other businesses in the city as more and more hotels, inns, restaurants and cafes pop up like never before In terms of visitors, there is the usual amount of foreign tourists coming in on the flights, but there is clearly a larger population of “permanent foreign residents in Puerto Princesa
I also learned that there is anywhere from to vans that service tourists going to different parts of the city as well as southern Palawan
0ost popular of these destinations are (l 1ido and the 8nderground 5iver, then there’s the crocodile farm, Iwahig Penal Colony that features the firefly boat ride, green thumbs and mission oriented people still head out to the Aloha Orphanage that has become more popular for organic farm management
eing familiar with the city, I was Tuite impressed with how local businessmen keep improving their facilities and service to the community 1otable among these are “Ka-Lui and Kina- utch, two of the most popular restaurants in the city )rom a tiny garden style food place, Ka-Lui has become a showcase of )ilipino art, native architecture, use of indigenous materials and embracing the environment As you walk barefoot inside the premises you find yourself like a child going through artwork, designs, nature and an entire visual journey I actually spent more time looking than eating because the scenery was a total feast not to mention how healthy and delicious the actual food was
On the other side of the road you’ll find “Kina utch as in we’re eating “at utch’s place, meaning utch Chase, the all of )ame motorcycle racing legend I had set out to meet the “American only to discover he was half Kano alf 5ussian, as white as my utch wife, but as )ilipino as and is resto-bar is apparently the unofficial clubhouse of a number of expats residing in Puerto Princesa, especially for motorcycle and bicycle addicts such as myself The main attraction at Kina- utch aside from the man himself would have to be the many classic bicycles and motorcycles hanging suspended on the rafters as well as the laid back “Chill atmosphere
There is certainly much to see in Puerto Princesa, but there is currently the ugly business of recall politics hanging in the air that has a number of residents bothered or disturbed since the contending parties are the former 0ayor (d agedorn and the incumbent 0ayor, his brother in law 0y only advise to the family, please keep your politics out of tourism because you’ve all worked so hard for this, and politics and family feuds should come last to public interest