IN THE past two weeks, two events saddened me—the death of a good family friend, Ernie Maceda, and the retirement of another good friend, Johnny Ponce Enrile, from politics and public service.
Both Ernie and Johnny were exemplary. Both were former Senate presidents. They were not only legislators; they were also Cabinet members. Ernie was also in the foreign service as ambassador to Washington when Joseph Estrada was president.
I remember Ernie visiting my wife when she was confined in a hospital in Honolulu.
I was unable to attend the wake of Ernie since my wife and I are still out of town. But I offer my deepest condolences to Marichu Perez Maceda, his widow, and to his whole family.
Johnny is one of the true heroes of Edsa 1. He, together with former President Fidel Ramos and Senator Gringo Honasan, broke away from the late President and strongman Ferdinand Marcos that led to the so-called People Power Revolution and the exile of the late dictator in 1986.
The life of JPE, as he is fondly called by friends and admirers, is one for the books. He was a love child of the late well-known lawyer, Alfonso Ponce Enrile, who later on acknowledged him as his son. JPE was then sent to the old Ateneo de Manila-Padre Faura ruins in the late 40s to take up his prelaw. He later on finished law at the University of the Philippines, and after graduation went to Harvard Law School to take up his masters in law, specializing in taxation. He later on joined the Ponce Enrile Law Offices as a partner where he made his mark as a litigator.
I recall that when the late President Marcos wanted a good lawyer to back him up, he sought the advice of Rafael Salas who thought of nobody else but JPE, his former UP classmate. That led to the long friendship of Marcos and Enrile.
I have known Johnny since his pre-law days at the Ateneo since I was then taking up my Bachelor of Arts degree at the old Padre Faura ruins. I became pretty close to him since he was partly an Ilocano, and is another Furugganan (the people of Cagayan could not pronounce the P, and instead use F) from Magsingal, Ilocos Sur, where the Jurado roots also came from. I admired him as a lawyer, member of the Marcos cabinet and a legislator.
Johnny told me that upon retirement, he will spend his days in Sta. Ana, Cagayan province, where he has several hectares of fruit trees and where he could go fishing.
Johnny is now 92 years old. He has turned over his business interests to his daughter, Katrina.
I will miss both Ernie and Johnny. I will pray for Ernie and I still hope to see Johnny in our 365 Club meetings. He is our honorary chairman.
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Suddenly, Santa Banana, there’s a resurgence of killings of illegal drug traffickers and pushers by the police, especially in Metro Manila and Calabarzon area. Sixty-eight people have been killed so far, and 1,300 arrests have been made.
Why only now?
Is it because President-elect Rodrigo Roa Duterte had threatened to kill all members of the police force also in cahoots in the illegal drug business? In fact, according to Du30, upon assumption of office on June 30, he will name three Philippine National Police generals who are also in the illegal drugs business.
It would seem that corrupt members of the PNP and those in cahoots with drug lords and traffickers know what’s coming to them. It seems some members of the police knew whom to go after all along.
In fact, if you read all these reports of police encounters with drug leaders, they allegedly engaged the police in shootouts. This can only mean the police are now getting rid of their assets and friends in the drug business.
This also raises the responsibility of the Commission on Human Rights. This is still a democratic country, and we still live under a rule of law and due process.
Some may say, good riddance. But, Santa Banana, it seems to me that there are just too many shootouts and police encounters leaving alleged drug lords and pushers dead. Truth to tell, I have a sneaking suspicion that some police members are now on a rampage to cut off all their ties with the drug business.
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Businessman Manny Pangilinan expressed his frustration at the way things are going and said government must not meddle too much; it must leave business alone.
The PLDT top honcho was reacting to PLDT’s linking up with Globe Telecom to buy Vega Telecom Inc. and the telco business of San Miguel Corp. for P69.1 billion to improve their internet service.
On Friday, last week, the anti-trust body—the Philippine Competition Commission —said that the PLDT-Globe deal would not be approved until after a comprehensive review of the state agency. The review would include a determination of the relevant market, of whether there would be a substantial change in the market structure, and what the potential impact of the transaction on public welfare would be.
But PLDT and Globe already consider the deal closed and approved under the PCC’s own guidelines.
The PLDT-Globe deal was sealed on May 30, four days before the publication of the competition law’s implementing rules.The fact is that PLDT and Globe filed the required transaction notices under the PCC guidelines so the regulator could no longer challenge the deal. But, my gulay, that’s precisely what PCC is doing—meddling too much!
This deal will not cost government a single centavo. The facts are clear that the government agency can no longer review the deal.
