Business with pressure

In a speech delivered before the Makati Business Club (MBC) last week, our leader, Benigno Simeon (aka BS), was—in a big way—trying to seek support from the business sector in his ongoing battle against the Supreme Court.

BS obviously poured his heart out in that speech. He used a concrete issue for a takeoff point, which was the unpopular TRO issued—hurriedly—by the High Court in favor of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Then he brought home the more important points like “judicial uncertainty” (when the Supreme Court changes its rulings) or “authentic rule of law” (without bias for anybody, including a former president).

Anyway, the MBC is one of the most influential groups in the business community. Let me ask you what sector wields the strongest influence in this country other than business? When, in the past, government officials wanted to ventilate some issues, they asked to be invited to MBC meetings. The rest of the country would soon hear about those issues.

Of course BS did not mention, specifically, the name of Chief Justice Renato Corona in his most scathing attack so far against the Supreme Court.

But a number of groups have started a movement to force Corona to inhibit himself in cases involving Mrs. Arroyo. One is the group organized by former Akbayan representative Risa Hontiveros, Leah Navarro of the Black and White movement, a student leader named Juan Tejano, who is president of the UP student council. Religious groups are joining the movement, such as the Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines.

In her last days in office, just before the presidential election in 2010, Mrs. Arroyo appointed Corona as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Those groups are now harping on the issue that Corona was a “midnight appointee,” designed precisely to protect the interest of the former president when the time would come, like these days.

In a press statement, relayed through e-mail by those groups to me and almost all the newsmen that I know, Sen. Franklyn Drillon even showed Corona’s score in cases involving Mrs. Arroyo, and it was 19-0 in favor of the former president.

Among those cases was the one on the “Truth Commission” set by our leader earlier in his administration, which the Supreme Court declared as unconstitutional. Later on the court decided against his administration on the case of the “midnight appointments,” which BS wanted to revoke.

But here is another case: Republic Act 9716, creating the First and Second Districts of Camarines Sur, popularly known as CamSur, which had nothing to do with Mrs. Arroyo whatsoever.

In April 2010, when BS was still a senator, and he was just the most winnable presidential candidate, he asked the High Court to declare the law as unconstitutional. The court denied his petition.

Thus the guys down here in my barangay are starting to think that the Supreme Court is not just favoring Mrs. Arroyo, but more importantly, it is hostile to the incumbent BS.

That is bad for business. Yet the business community is eerily silent on the issue. BS perhaps thought it was time to put some pressure on the sector regarding their civic duty.

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Talking of CamSur, I heard that organizers of the recent 22nd Ad Congress, held in the tourism hot spot CamSur, were in awe of the province’s hosting of its first ever big-time convention.

Even Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez, the president and CEO of the Inquirer, who served as chairperson of the convention, heaped praises upon the natural beauty of the province, citing the convention as a way to promote tourism there.

The Ad Congress normally attracted more than 2,000 participants, and CamSur was known for its water sports facilities, attracting the young crowd for tourists, more than a convention place. Prior to the event, CamSur never hosted such a big convention.

Thus the Ad Congress, for the first time, was conducted in an outdoor sports facility. You know—casual. Because of this, the delegates acknowledged that they had more fun.

Listen to Romualdez: “We embrace and love the idea that the ad congress could start the next phase that the provincial government has planned, which is to attract tourists through conventions.”

For the first time, the heads of the country’s three largest broadcast networks—Manny Pangilinan of TV5, Eugenio Lopez III of ABS-CBN and Felipe Gozon of GMA 7—together attended the Ad Congress.

According to our contacts in the organizing group, Baguio and Cebu were the other locations that competed to become venue for the Ad Congress.

So why did the organizers choose CamSur? For one, Cebu just built a P500-million convention center, while CamSur had its dream convention center and exhibition hall still on the drawing board.

Well, I think it was CamSur’s proximity to Metro Manila, which meant lower costs to the organizers and the participants.

As soon as the organizers chose CamSur, its provincial government, led by the indefatigable and innovative Gov. Luis Ray Villafuerte, started working on the project. To house more than 2,000 delegates, he immediately promoted other scenic hotels near the sports complex, such as Villa Caceres, CBD Plaza Hotel and the Naga Land Hotel. Private homes also turned their rooms into the bed-and-breakfast accommodations.

As for the problem on the convention venue, Villafuerte had yet to build the convention center (area of 1,250 square meters) and the exhibition hall (bigger at 3,750 sqm) that he earlier announced as the next phase of the province’s tourism program.

How did CamSur cope with those 2,000 participants in the Ad Congress? Well, he put up two big tents (similar to those in Fort and other hotels in Metro Manila) that together could accommodate some 8,000 people.

What I am saying is that, despite physical limitations, CamSur did it. Definitely other provinces can do it, too.