What is happening right now with the Hanjin project located within the Phividec Industrial Estate in the Municipalities of Villanueva and Tagoloan, Province of Misamis Oriental is a continuing maneuver and power play by a group of individuals who would want to take, for themselves, the credit for the multi-faceted opportunities of growth and development now being afforded to these municipalities.
It will be remembered that a couple of months ago, before Hanjin had finally decided to locate their shipyard project in these two municipalities, the same group of individuals desperately tried to discredit the two municipalities by bloating an issue that these two LGU’s were allegedly blocking the US$2-billion shipyard project.
Their clear and apparent motive is to have this project be put up or built in their own backyard or in any other location where their influence would prevail. There were munificent offers made to Hanjin such as in the City of General Santos, in the Sarangani Province, in the Municipality of Balingasag in the same Province of Misamis Oriental and in the island of Camiguin.
Hanjin is a shipyard assembly that needs thousands of labor force. As conservatively estimated, the project will need about 15,000 to 20,000 workers during the construction phase and 30,000 to 40,000 workers when it is already operational. Obviously, this shipyard complex is a labor intensive project that every LGU wants to have. We know that this is the primary solution in addressing the ever growing unemployment problem in every locality. The consequent domino effects will surely be felt in the local economy wherein thousands of people will have the purchasing power and millions of taxes will be collected by the host municipalities after the expiration of the tax holidays.
When the news came that Hanjin will temporarily stop their operation due to permits and licenses, and some other concerns, such as the road right of way per letter addressed to Director Ninfa Along-Albania, the Administrator of Phividec Industrial Estate Authority, this group of individuals again took an adverse position after seeing the event as an opportunity for them to give a final blow and knock down the opportunities of the two municipalities. Moreover, this group consists of individuals who are masters of issue fabrication and manipulation.
They intentionally coined and circulated the word “withdrawal” of Hanjin instead of “temporary” stoppage of operation. At first, it seems that they had succeeded in their questionable intentions. Both the print and broadcast media have capitalized and sensationalized the fabricated issues in local and national scale.
As a consequence of the media manipulation and maneuvering, the mayors of Tagoloan and Villanueva became the victims of the power play. Mayor Paulino “Oloy” Emano of Tagoloan was allegedly accused of the Php 400 million bribery and extortion while Mayor Juliette T. Uy of Villanueva was falsely, but deliberately linked to the claimed cornering of the supply of steel.
An average person cannot help but ask, how could the Mayor of Tagoloan be possibly bribed of such amount when Hanjin is so careful in their dealings with the government in view of the ZTE deal scandal?
In his affidavit, Mayor “Oloy” Emano has cleared Hanjin from the allegations that it had offered him P400 million in contracts in exchange for special favors from the municipal government. That they are trying to link the lady mayor of Villanueva to an imaginary proposition of allegedly cornering the steel supply is a clear showing of the shallow minds behind the proposition, it being a fact that Hanjin is itself one of the major players in the steel industry in Korea and in the world.
We cannot understand why our public officials appear to be scrambling to make it appear that they are saving Hanjin from withdrawing its shipyard project in the two municipalities. It seems that they are convinced that Hanjin is really withdrawing its US$ 2-billion investment project when in truth and in fact there is just temporary stoppage of work pending full compliance of documentary requirements.
The former mayor of Cagayan de Oro, now the Vice Mayor of the city, Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano wants to go to Korea and will kneel down before them if necessary, just to convince the Koreans not to withdraw. His son, Congressman Yevgeny “Bambi” Emano of the 2nd district of Misamis Oriental, together with Cagayan de Oro Representative Rufus Rodriguez (2nd District) and Camiguin Representative Pedro Romualdo wants to have an immediate investigation by the trade and ethics committees of the House of Representatives for the “sudden withdrawal of Hanjin”. The City Mayor of Iligan City, Lawrence Cruz has sturdily expressed support to such Congressional inquiry.
The City Mayor of Cagayan de Oro, Constantino “Tinnex” Jaraula, however, has different agenda in mind. He is offering to Hanjin the Bulua Market for “free” to become a temporary training Center like in the Municipality of Villanueva, the host municipality. The Governor of Misamis Oriental, Governor Oscar “Oca” Moreno has asked Malacañang to make him the head of the task force in convincing the Koreans not to withdraw.
It may seem that our public officials are acting upon the honest dictates of their offices and be the champion of their own cause in the process. On the other hand, they appear to be suspiciously acting as the culprits on the overall scenario. True or not, it is very evident that there is a conspiracy of vested interests among them. It may be deeply rooted in our culture, the crab mentality. The Koreans are just here to invest nothing more nothing less.
Official opinion of the Local Government Unit of Villanueva.
