The twin facts of the Philippines being close to Bangladesh in economic destitution and the country being rated as "the most corrupt nation in Asia" may have finally dawned in some lion-hearted Boholanos.

Somehow, there must be a connection between the two, they must have thought. Therefore, if we hold the future of the nation and the welfare of our children close to our hearts, then they surmised, we cannot be fence sitters all our lives and see our only country go down to the dogs.

These Boholanos, like many of our countrymen, were revolted to the bones and scandalized to the highest level about the alleged P6.5-billion bribery of the overpriced ZTE-NBN deal and the brazen act of Government to silence the star witness Jun Lozada by violating his human rights. And other sordid details of first-class graft and corruption of government projects.

This sense of impunity of greed and arrogance of power drew mass protests in many parts of the capital and the country. Boholanos, proud heirs of the rebel (against tyranny) Dagohoy and WWII hero president Caloy Garcia, seem to have awakened from a deep sleep of apathy and indifference.

The first step comes in the formation tomorrow of the Convenors Group called Boholanos for Truth and Transparency to do educational fora, mass protests, information dissemination and "masses for the truth" in the interest of truth, transparency and good governance.

We laud in the highest words of praise possible the spirit that moved this group to action. All citizens are enjoined to examine the objectives of the movement and then decide whether one wants to contribute to it or just stay in the sidelines.

The Convenors Group is made up of multi-sectors of the province representing business, academe, civil society, youth, lawyers and the religious. Being so, we would be the first to object if people make partisan dividends out of this otherwise noble apolitical search for the truth.

For the legal front, this is one more unified stand against the excesses of Government that had for quite a while shown tendencies to stifle dissent and violate human rights.

For business, it simply means they cannot afford to do business in this nation where the level of playing field is not equal - because of the dominance by oligarchs, scheming bureaucrats and crooks in running the affairs of governance and commerce.

For the academe, it is simply a matter of being consistent with the aim of education - to mold people to be contributors to the good, not the evils of society. To the youth, it is a fulfillment of a duty to themselves to secure a just and equitable nation for them to live on in the future.

To civil society who cries for "Honesty" every day - the ZTE-NBN scandal had all the devil's marks of dishonesty and the attempts to cover up the trail of corruption, the moral equivalent of an abomination devoutly to be cursed. To the clergy, it means to be in the position where Christ would have been if He was alive today.

To all Boholanos, it is never too late to wake up from a deep slumber of Rip Van Winkle and display moral outrage and righteous indignation. Let's keep it peaceful and democratic.

"THE EXCESSES OF BAYONGAN DAM"

We strongly disagree with Engr. Modesto Membreve, Project manager of the Bayongan Dam (BHIP2) when he boasted before local media recently that seeing the dam filled with water to the brim "proves that the dam's critics are wrong." We beg your pardon.

During that time, due to changes in climactic condition of the earth, we had unusual and continuous torrents of rain. Wait till the summer months come and watch how the dam goes when it leans on the faulty Malinao Dam which has failed to service water to its target .area, in the first place.

Secondly, filling the dam for days does not erase the fact that NEDA and the ICC had branded the project as the "most expensive dam in the Philippines." That the Government Counsel which is NIA's natural ally opined that the JBIC-Hanjin-NIA contract was "valid and legal" does not make it right.

As the purists say not everything "legal is moral."

The NEDA, the final arbiter of economic facts and viability had said so. Then NEDA secretary Neri said, despite their findings, he had to pay the P700 million remaining due to Hanjin Industries (the BHIP2 contractor), because being an "alter ego of the president as Cabinet Secretary, I had to follow orders." He told the Chornicle so.

Romy Neri, indeed, has many ways of saying things by not saying them. Just read between the lines, Virginia.

The cost over-run of Bayongan Dam was 52% of original and the "moderate greed" threshold of government projects for "commissions" is 20%, according to ZTE star witness Jun Lozada. What then do you make up of 52%, ladies and gentlemen?

In the ZTE aftermath, the COA has suddenly found its wisdom sitting in the corner and it has - voila - discovered many ODA-funded projects (perhaps like the Bayongan Dam?) flawed or overpriced or both. These included purchase of lots for airports, agri projects, textbooks and desks, road repairs, bridges etc.

In the ZTE aftermath, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will rake over burning coals those crooked deals hatched in this administration by hiding under the skirts of ODA rules and Executive agreements. Blue Ribbon chair Allan Cayetano said so. Will Bayongan Dam (BHIP2) be one of them?

Today, close to 10 years after the BHIP2 was first hatched in 1998 - with loan tranches from JBIC reaching P2 billion, how much have Filipinos paid in interest and principal on the loan and yet find today the hideous dam only able to irrigate only 700 of the 5,300 hectares targeted by BHIP or a mere 12% of total?

It doesn't take a Business Economics major or one with an MBA to reckon with that ratio. There is something awfully wrong here.

The ZTE deal was with a P6.5-billion alleged bribe. And al-though some of the reported bribe money was allegedly already released, the President had to cancel the contract because the heat was too strong in the kitchen.

The overpriced ZTE deal was aborted. The overpriced Bayongan Dam was completed and the cost over-run completely paid.

You draw your own conclusions.

For Comments: email to bingo_dejaresco@boholchronicle.com Or editor@boholchronicle.com