Iloilo Hall of Justice in the abyss

By Alex P. Vidal

“Perfect is boring: Beauty is irregular.”— Gloria Steinem

TRANSFER or repair? Or investigate first?

Instead of proposing for the transfer of the Chief Justice Q. Ramon Avanceña Hall of Justice or Iloilo Hall of Justice from Iloilo City to the Municipality of New Lucena, Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. should push to investigate the alleged irregularities in its construction.

The governor did wave a wand in the P802-M Aganan flyover project by calling the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) to probe it; he can do the same in the Iloilo Hall of Justice.

It’s been more than 10 years since it was reported that several judges and past officials of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Iloilo Chapter have asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate the P200-million three-story building built in 1992 for possible construction irregularities.

The move by some IBP officials came after the edifice was declared unsafe for occupation and was temporarily abandoned following the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that hit parts of the Visayas on Feb. 6, 2012.

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It may be recalled that the Bureau of Design of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that inspected the building in March 2012 showed the edifice had structural defects and had cracks validating the recommendation to vacate the building.

If the Iloilo Hall of Justice is transferred to another location without any conclusion in the IBP-Iloilo Chapter’s resolution asking for investigation of its construction submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, many questions will remain unanswered. It will open more Pandora boxes.

Also, Ilonggos will think there is a cover-up if indeed there were irregularities in the project conceptualized during the Cory Aquino regime.

If no one will be held accountable, the more that Ilonggos will suspect influential government officials made money from kickbacks like the scandal that hit the multi-billion flood control projects under the Duterte and Marcos Jr. regimes and some unseen hands are doing wonders to keep the scandal under wraps.

Until after a no-nonsense investigation has been conducted, the proposed transfer may not be popular move.

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GOD BLESS YOU : Why we would have “God bless you” after a sneeze? In much the same way that it was believed man could part body and spirit and be beside himself, the ancients believed a good sneeze could literally blast your soul right out of your body! To ensure that no bad spirits moved into the vacancy, “God bless you” was said to clear the way so soul and body could reunite.

SAVING OUR PLANET: Let’s disinfect naturally. Not only do disinfectants contain harsh chemicals that are damaging to the environment, they smell strong, too. Let’s make our own natural disinfectant by infusing leaves of rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, sage, and thyme in water.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)