Petilla and Binay, politicians in contrast

On the resignation of Vice President Jejomar Binay from the Aquino Cabinet, Ramon Tulfo’s asks: “Why only now? What kept him so long?” (“Pulse Asia must have asked wrong people,” Metro, 6/25/15).

On the other hand, the Inquirer banner, “Do a Binay, Cabinet bets told” (Front Page, 6/24/15), was a very timely call, particularly for all those who plan to run in the 2016 elections. They should heed the call to resign to avoid suspicion that they are using government resources for personal gain.

But Binay, who declared his plan to run for president of the Philippines long ago, held on to two Cabinet assignments with substantial funding resources. Tulfo’s reference to the resignation of Energy Secretary Jericho “Icot” L. Petilla long before the call was made provides a stark contrast to the former’s resignation. In other words, Secretary Petilla showed delicadeza, a quality hard to find these days among public servants.

—RONALD G. GOZUN, Balic-Balic, Sampaloc Manila

Read more...