Jesus M Elbinias
THE dialogue Taiwanese leaders call to engage with China to reduce tensions arising from the crossstraits issue amid Taipei’s bid for independence may be to no avail if Taipei insists on separating Taiwan from mainland China. For many years since 2000, the Taiwan government has extended more than 40 olive branches of peace to PRC (People’s Republic of China). Although the 23 million people of Taiwan have long held their willingness to be in goodwill in reconciliation, proactive cooperation, and permanent peace with China, this may not be materialized so long as Taiwan does not accept the condition offered by China to Taiwan of the "One China" policy. I don’t see how this reconciliation is possible, since Taiwan’s opposition parties treat Taiwan as China’s province.
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Davao Oriental Rep. LMario Almario is correct in filing House Bill 5292 seeking the establishment of an agency he named as "Environmental Adjudication Commission or EAC, which will exclusively handle pertaining to cases of violation of environmental laws to give justice to complainants who were victimized by man-caused environmental faults resulting from violating the environmental laws and regulations. His reason for establishing this commission is valid knowing that judicial courts are clogged with so many cases that these courts may not have enough time to prioritize the environmental cases. Also the would-be EAC commissioners can concentrate on those laws, while the courts have to be familiar with the environmental rules of prosecution and conviction.
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If our present government system were parliamentary in form, there would have been no worsening of rift between the Senate and House of Representatives over various issues. In an effort to get even with the Senate in their controversies, House Majority Leader Davao City Rep. Prospero Nograles called for an audit of the R4.6 billion in pork barrel funds for the 23 senators to determine where and how the funds were spent. He said he was constrained on behalf of members of the House of Representatives also to request that the R728-million fertilizer scam which antiGloria detractors claimed was diverted to use for her electoral campaign. What raised his temper was the Senate’s naming of congressmen involving in the scam. Would this game happen among Ministers?
If it is true as reported in the newspapers that former social welfare secretary Corazon ‘Dinky’ Soliman allegedly said to the arresting police that "she may consider filing counter charges against the MPD" and added these words saying: "This is very different now. We did not expect that our former colleagues in government would allow this kind of policy." Perhaps she forgot that she was also, not only a colleague, but a member of the Cabinet of the President. But as a member of the most trusted territory in the Palace, she must have expected that with all that she had learned from that room of the President, she should not have renounced the oath she had taken to be faithful and loyal to the President. Like her arresting policeman, Dinky, too, can be counter charged.
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