I AGREE that the Intramuros Authority Administration should be charged for the massive cutting down of trees in Plaza Roma right in front of the Manila Cathedral.

I don’t think Intramuros Administrator Anna Maria “Bambi” Harper can claim ignorance that the cutting of these trees was against the law. But even assuming that she is ignorant of the law, her ignorance will not excuse her from her responsibility. There is a dictum which says that, “Ignorance of the law excuses no one from compliance.” In Latin: “Ignorancia legis non facit excusas.”

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That criminality seems really on the rise may be best illustrated by the recent ambush of Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos, who was wounded and luckily escaped death.

I make mention of this case because I find it personally strange that even the governor of a small province whose voting population is slightly bigger than some of the barangays in Iloilo City can still have enemies who want to eliminate him.

What was the motive for the ambush of Governor Castillejos? Was it political? Was it personal? Was it business-related?

If the motive is political, it may not be difficult to solve this case considering that there may not be that many politicians in Batanes who may have the capacity to try to remove the governor from the political arena. But whatever the motive in this ambush, the PNP should not leave any stone unturned in order to solve this crime.

Speaking of the rise in criminality, in my own city of Iloilo, there had been a rash of killings lately. The aunt of Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was murdered right in her own home inside a subdivision in barangay Tabuk Suba in Jaro. The chief of the Provincial Fire Office was murdered just a few meters away from his home inside a subdivision in the district of Arevalo. Another ambush happened inside a barangay also in Jaro. And the latest incident refers to the bombing of the car of Police Major Musa Amiong, head of the S2 of the Iloilo City Police Office.

In view of this alarming situation, I called for a meeting with the PNP regional director in Western Visayas all the station commanders of various police stations in Iloilo City on Saturday, September 6.

I don’t want the aggravation of criminality in my own city, but I know that the Iloilo City police have certain shortcomings due to insufficient mobility as a result of the lack of police vehicles. In the killing of Fire Colonel del Castillo, it now appears that some present and former fire officials may have some answering to do. I have ordered the NBI to solve this case ASAP.

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I think it was unfair for some critics to have demanded for the scalp of retired Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. who headed the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (Opapp) shortly after Secretary Dureza was appointed as Press secretary.

General Esperon did his best but one’s best is never enough when you are negotiating with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which enjoys the obvious support of Malaysia.

But to be more accurate about it, the work which lead to the memorandum of agreement (MOA) was not Esperon’s authorship, but that of the original Opapp under Jesus Dureza and the chair of the peace panel, General Garcia, who was actually given legal advice by a lawyer from the Ateneo, Atty. Candelaria, and the Department of Justice’s Senior State Prosecutor Leah Armamento.

This was the same draft MOA which on December 14, 2007, was also aborted on its supposed signing in Kuala Lumpur because of the objections this writer raised in a memorandum to the panel which was supported by Secretaries Ronaldo Puno and Gilbert Teodoro of the Interior and Defense, respectively.

I know that Esperon did his best in the attempt to conclude the peace process, and he should not be punished for doing his best.

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In our August 25 column, we wrote about the acute lack of doctors and other medical professionals in our hospitals and clinics especially in the far-flung municipalities.

We proposed a form of “creative capitalism” to ensure the availability of doctors and nurses in our hospitals through the cooperation of countries hiring our medical professionals and sharing with us the burden of educating poor but deserving students as future doctors.

We are happy to note that the dean of the UP College of Medicine, Dr. Alberto Roxas, has proposed a similar program with stiff fines and penalties for those who violate their contract with UP. In his proposal, Dr. Roxas envisions medical graduates to serve as doctors in the country for three years before they can be allowed to go abroad.

Roxas emphasized that the government subsidizes the education of UP medical students by as much as 83 percent, and there is really nothing more gratifying for these graduates but to serve a three-year return service in public health.

I personally support this program as it is laudable and pragmatic.

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Least we be accused as a country of whining and griping crybabies, let us first accept the clarification made by the former Civil Service Commission chief that any standardization of compensation of government officials and employees will invariably include the adjustment of the salary of the President. The President is a very hard-working government employee, and what other government worker deserve a pay raise, I believe that she deserves it most.

Let me point out that the projected pay adjustment for all government officials and employees can take effect only after the term of the President, as provided for in Section 12 of the Constitution. For oppositionists it may be open season for bashing the President, but to continue doing it on the basis of malicious premises is simply a display of ignorance and leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

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