WHAT can a businessman do if government agencies decide to take over his business illegally? He can seek relief from the courts. But what if the government agencies refuse to obey orders of the court? He is helpless, and the only thing left for him to do is to go to the hills and plot how to get even later on.
That is what is happening at the seaport in Poro Point in San Fernando, La Union, because a politician from a neighboring province wants to take over operations at the port. The port is now closed, ships cannot load or unload cargo because the Philippine Ports Authority wants to forcibly take over the facility but workers at the port barricaded the premises. Ships have to pay $9,000 (P462,780) demurrage fees for each day that they stay at anchorage. The legal operator was able to secure a temporary restraining order from a La Union court, but the raiders refused to obey it and said outright they wouldn't honor it. What is happening is anarchy, and it is being caused by the government whose duty is precisely to see to the orderly enforcement of the laws. Right now, it is brute force that is reigning in Poro Point.
For more background info on the Poro point controversy, read the whole article.
The Tribune reports that Chavit Singson supervised the Poro Point takeover:
While the forced takeover of Poro Point in La Union by a group of government-sent heavily-armed men was happening last Aug. 5, Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis “Chavit” Singson was witnessed as having arrived in the area and even stayed at Puerto Resort, a private resort adjacent to the terminal.
According to a source privy to the Poro Point take-over, Singson was brought in by his private plane that landed in San Fer-nando, La Union, that morning.
The governor was allegedly seen and heard communicating through a hand-held radio with one of his close relatives who was inside the area giving the Singson instructions to uniformed personnel.
The source added the current chairman of the Bases Conversion Development Authority, the government’s joint venture partner of Poro Point Industrial Corp. (PPIC), is Filadelfo Singson-Rojas, while the current president of the BCDA subsidiary Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC) is Felix Singson Racadio. Both are said to be close relatives of the governor.
The source also noted that witnesses during the impeachment of then President Joseph Estrada were appointed as directors of PPMC. These are Emma Lim and Carmencita Itchon who were all employees of Chavit Singson.
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1 comment:
They used such a flimsy excuse to takeover Poro Point. While the bigger Lafayette fiasco has endangered more, they refused to close it down. They could have done the same with Poro Point, but no, Chavit needs the port for his "toy submarine". For what purpose, we don't really know. It seems jueteng is not giving him enough money so he decided to venture into "importation". I smell a dead fish somewhere.
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