Think Bits
What goes around comes around and that appears to be the case of Labangon barangay chairman Victor Buendia who was ordered suspended for six months and one day by the Ombudsman for evicting a market vendor.
Buendia is the same person who is reportedly boasting in every campaign rally of the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) that he is the only barangay chairman who managed to have a mayor suspended.
Buendia referred to the 60-day suspension of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama by the Office of the President after the mayor ordered the demolition of a center island in Labangon that was recommended for demolition by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) since it endangers public safety.
Now that he is suspended, Buendia accused the mayor of going after his neck. He is asserting that he expected the suspension which he believes to be politically motivated.
But Buendia forgot that the suspension was ordered by the Ombudsman, an independent body and manipulating the Ombudsman’s decision is not the mayor’s cup of tea. Unlike Buendia’s boss, the mayor is not vindictive.
The Ombudsman has shown many times that it cannot be involved in partisan politics. Clearly Buendia’s suspension is supported by fact and law.
Luckily for Buendia, the mayor directed the City Legal Office to seek the opinion of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) before implementing the suspension.
Buendia should be reminded of the popular saying “Don’t do unto others if you do not want others to do it unto you.” What happened to Buendia is not a product of vindictiveness but more of a product of “karma”.
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Syria is a country that has been devastated by a violent civil war and the entry of the terrorist group ISIS has led to thousands of Syrians fleeing the country and becoming refugees in other countries in Europe.
CNN has shown pictures of the devastation to the country brought about by the war and one can only commiserate with the miseries experienced by the Syrians.
Recently, Russia condemned ISIS for the attacks and decided to withdraw its troops out of Syria.
Today there is a meeting of some Syrian group in order to prepare and install plans and policy in response to the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Syria.
Personally, I am happy and relieved that we are seeing an end to the war in Syria. I join the growing call on the nations of the world to help Syria rehabilitate the devastated country.
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I am happy that the Supreme Court stuck to its decision requiring the issuance of voting machine receipts and rejecting the motion for reconsideration filed by the Commission on Elections by a 12–0 vote.
Now it is incumbent upon the Comelec to comply with the Supreme Court decision and the said it will abide by its decision to issue receipts to voters in the May 9 elections.
The only question is would the Comelec only issue a general receipt without any security features and include the name of the place or sitio of the voter, his ID number and etc.?
What is important is for all of us to secure a clean and honest election and it is incumbent upon the Commission on Elections to do so.
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