By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.

TRY as they may now so piously do, former members of the city council in the Lim administration — at least those who voted for approval of the Awai land purchase in the February 11, 2002 resolution ratifying it and the February 14, 2002 resolution, holdIng the first in abeyance — cannot so easily wash their hands off the whole mess.

To a certain extent now, this Awai imbroglio takes on an eerie similarity to the bad, very bad NBN ZTEdeal now hounding various department secretaries.

The paper trail, of course, will tell the tale and even as the present city legal office appears to brand the two resolutions as worthless and void ab initio (from the start) because the then Vice Mayor, now City Administrator, Alvin Fernandez, purportedly did not sign it, the councilors concerned cannot escape guilt for at the very least, not exerting due diligence in scrutinizing the million-peso deal.

As in the ZTE broadband project, the whole legislative approval process appears to have been set in motion way ahead of the actual sale or contract. Resolutions stamping approval or ratification of the lot purchase came as early as February 2002 but the deed of sale was signed only in April, 2002. Cart ahead of the horse.

Everyone, except those who have never done business with government, probably know the reason for the unmitigated haste—and we have no intention of spelling this out for the uninitiated now.

Now that the winds of fortune have changed, it is time to account for one’s actions in that Awai issue. Blame-tossing is not the demand of the hour; contrition is.

* * *

Like the steely soldiers that they are, former police officers Reynaldo Velasco, mayor of Sta. Barbara town and yes, Gov. Amado T.Espino himself (by Velasco’s word on it) are not giving up easily on their dream for an international airport rising in the central Pangasinan town of Sta Barbara.

The two gentlemen must have pretty good reasons for insisting on their ‘project’ despite their president, GMA’s, having given that opportunity and honor earlier to AlaminosCity in the west. And in so doing, they are perforce saying the President’s decision is wrong – or at the very least, ill advised.

Significantly, the main department that would undertake the airport project, if at all, the Department of Transportation and Communication is also headed by an ex-cop, Secretary Leandro Mendoza, whose wave length is presumably parallel to theirs. They wouldn’t have the bravado,much less temerity, to counter GMA,s expressed wish and intention otherwise, would they?

Or, giving the two generals, Velasco and Espino, the benefit of the doubt for their intransigence, maybe they really believe in their heart of hearts thatSta. Barbara is the most ideal place for the airport. Administrators, for good or for bad, have their own concept of what’s right for their turf and it’s difficult to unstuck them from such mindset sometimes.

* ** *
Like many people of my age, I am an incurable romantic when it comes to revisiting or hearing old and familiar scenes and sounds. That includes the low and long wailing of the siren at City Hall which, a news report said, is going to be revived by December, in time for the city fiesta.

As a boy studying at the West Central Elementary School just a few runs and hops to City Hall where my father works as a police officer back then, I distinctly remember that low and long sound of the siren at the strike of 12 and when it was, for the Catholics, the time for Angelus at 6 p.m.

To me, it sort of signaled a most awaited time to open my lunch box of rice, meat or salted egg and some veggies or, much later, at 6, to forget about my arithmetic woes in school and hurry home to fly a kite or play ‘tatsing’ (touching) ball with my young friends who, at one time included UPang prexy Cesar T. Duque, international banker Art Bustria, and yes, former City Councilor Cesar Reyna.

I just hope that the repaired siren would still produce that same loud, wailing sound, not a higher-pitched, shrill one, to complete my nostalgia. It’s such a little concession to an aging citizen of the city, if anything.

SAID AND DONE: The private anguish of the De Venecia family may never be measured by outsiders but if one were to go by Mrs. Gina de Venecia’s pained statements at the opening of the CSI Stadia last week, her step-son Joey V III’s revelations on the NBN ZTE deal, bribe offers and all, has really hurt them bad, the Speaker foremost. You can’t wait for JDV himself to bare his soul openly but he’s in one hell of a fix. Hamlet’s predicament, so to speak. …Yet, the de Venecias must welcome this development somehow for it affords them a rare chance to know who are their true friends, not the least of whom are those in the media whose loyalties are often neither here nor there… No fire at the jueteng ‘medyola’ this time, guys. Keep your peace, never mind your collective consciences… If the scuttlebutt is true, anti-smuggling czar Antonio ‘Bebot” Villar, Jr. would soon be plucked from that post to become, hear this, the next Customs top man. Bebot’s got guts and so he gets the glory. Belated and future congrats, kumpadre!.