The closer the election, the hotter political issues have become especially in North Cotabato. Vice Governor Emmanuel Piñol is in the hot seat. He is running for Governor against Lala Taliño. I always had a good opinion of him, but that respect vanished almost three years ago.

Anyway, the photo shows Southern Voice Journal, a publication distributed in some provinces of North Cotabato. It was the headline that really caught my attention.

The following are some of the quotes from the said headline. They stimulated my curiosity about the "lawbreaking acts" of the current Vice Governor of North Cotabato:

"Kung siya man gani nga walay propesyon nakaangkon ug yuta nga 1,500 hectares ug balay nga mansion sa Davao nga pila ra ma'y suweldo sa gobernador, trenta mil ang bulan, ako pa kaha nga abogado ko og ang abogado wala'y limit ang income." (If he, a person with no degree, could afford to purchase 1500 hectares of land and mansion in Davao with his meager income of 30k a month, so could I. I am an attorney and an attorney's income is not limited).

"Adunay mga kliyente nako nga yuta ang gibayad sa akong serbisyo." (I have clients who paid my services by giving me land.)

"Kung aduna man ko'y yuta, either nakuha ko na sa akong pagka-abogado una pa ko nahimong kongresista. "(If I have an estate, either I got it from my being an attorney before I became a congressman.)

"Eh si Piñol?" (Eh, how about Piñol?)

"Before na siya nahimong mayor wala man gani nay sakyanan bisag jeep o bisekleta, ako pa nang gipasakay sa akong sakyanan kay before ko nagsulod sa kongreso aduna na ko'y mga sakyanan, yuta ug balay," matud pa kay Andolana." (Before he became a mayor, he didn't have a car not even a jeep or a bicycle. I even gave him a ride in my car because before I entered the congress I already had wheels and land," according to Andolana).

"Dugang pang hinungdan nga ginatan-aw kung nganong gibanatan ni Piñol si Andolana mao ang pagpagawas sa mga sibyahanan niini sa mga isyu batok sa bise gobernador, nga wala nagagawas sa ubang radio stations sama sa matud pa pagpangilog niini ug yuta sa Tulunan, illegal nga pagpalit ug yuta sa Arakan ug Bukidnon, u gang pinakaulahi, ang paglabay kaniya ug saging sa usa ka forum sa Notre Dame University sa Cotabato City…" (In addition to the possible reasons Piñol is denouncing Andolana is that of the issues that came out against the vice-governor that are not disclosed in other radio stations. Accusations like Piñol stole a land in Tulunan, illegal purchasing of estate in Arakan and Bukidnon and the last one was that he [Piñol] allegedly threw a piece of banana at him [Andolana] during one of the forums in Notre Dame University in Cotabato City.)

We were once loyal supporters of Piñol, until he showed us his real colors. He's a typical politician who will make your life miserable if you will not support him. We have tasted his vengeful acts. I wish people there will be smarter in choosing the right candidate for this coming elections.

Other topics of interest:

Philippines Presidential Candidates For May 2010 Elections
Noynoy Aquino For President And His Promise…?
Gibo Teodoro Or Dick Gordon For President
Daughter Of Business Tycoon Is Vivienne Tan Not THE Vivien Tan
Filipino’s Ingenuity Displayed