LETTERS FROM DAVAO

By Jun Ledesma

Dirty tricks on Cusi, et. al., won’t wash

January 21, 2019, 3:46 pm

NOT too long ago, I wrote a piece about the headline of a  Manila-based tabloid  “Abante” and its website which facetiously assailed the integrity of Energy Sec. Al Cusi, PNOC Pres. Reuben Lista and TRANSCO Pres. Melvin Matibag. I was initially curious about the issues they raised against Matibag which to me are patently incredulous. The author of the headline story alleged that the Transco president was asking for millions of pesos from electric firms in Mindanao to be connected to the Transco grid in Visayas. In the same story, the writer claimed that Matibag was demanding for a share in the payment of right of ways from property owners where the Transco transmission cables and towers were erected.

I was quite amused with how the story ran. I recalled that just about that time I warned about the creeping destabilization moves and oust-Duterte plot from political, religious, media and ideological forces that had connived to discredit the administration of Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. The story that was headlined by Abante was, however, ridiculous and flippant, that there was not even an inch of a power cable that would connect Visayas and Mindanao and the National Transmission Corporation (Transco) power pylons and cables had been there for years before the new appointees of Duterte assumed. Right there and then, I knew there’s a wrecking crew parading as investigative journalists that is on the job for some party of interest. 

Some oligarchs are hanging on to the thin thread of whatever bit of power-influence remains when the corrupt Aquino administration exited. They were testing the waters under the Duterte regime. 

I didn’t know that the Philippine National Oil Company, its President, former Admiral Reuben Lista, was also an object of the same character assassination by the same publication and writers. As we all know, PNOC is also under Cusi’s Department of Energy. The pattern of the insidious attacks on the integrity of the officials of the agencies under DOE and Cusi himself had become obviously a crass demolition job although the architect of the nasty attack remains incognito. We could, however, surmise that only those with rabid interest on the assets of PNOC and other agencies under DOE must be behind the vicious and libelous news. Cusi, Matibag and Lista have become victims of fake news both in print and social media where they were crucified as if they had committed graft and are facing charges before the Ombudsman. 

Because they do not have friendly access to the mainstream media, they did a last recourse: asked the National Bureau of Investigation to probe into the concocted charges against them. What I learned of late is that the NBI found no single complaint, administrative or criminal, filed against the three before the Ombudsman or the Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations. In short the attacks on the integrity of Cusi, Matibag and Lista were just to damage their reputation as public officials. Any which way you look at the news story there is no mistaking it partakes of a veritable cybercrime and libel.

The era of character assassination often funded by the influential and the famous to exact fear on government officials and cow them to grant their demands in varied  forms of contracts  had ended with the start of the Duterte administration. Just do it in a conduct which is right, legally defensible and make sure your company and the people representing your firm have legitimate credentials.  Remember Manny Pangilinan demanding for a refund of P3-billion from the government in exchange for  the return of Cure frequency to NTC? Duterte, in a side remark during his speech at NEDA anniversary, said that he will release the BIR revenue investigators to conduct a probe on PLDT/Smart empire. In less than 24 hours, Pangilinan meekly complied. In the case of Lucio Tan, he dutifully paid his tax liability and he got a pat on the back. Duterte went on to praise him for making Philippine Airlines worthy of carrying the Philippine flag.  Of course, we all know what happened to the mighty owner of Mighty cigarettes.  What I am saying as a piece of advice to businesses men who wants to pull a fast one: Do not stretch your luck too far.

 

Comments

About the Columnist

Image of Jun Ledesma

Mr. Jun Ledesma is a community journalist who writes from Davao City and comments from the perspective of a Mindanaoan.