Senator Risa Hontiveros ought to improve her knowledge of the law on privacy. After a Senate hearing held two weeks ago, Hontiveros was livid to learn that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II was exchanging mobile telephone text messages purportedly with a former member of the House of Representatives from Negros Oriental. The correspondence suggested that the witness testifying before the investigation committee was coached by the Hontiveros camp, and that Hontiveros ought to be charged in court for doing so.
Hontiveros alleged that the correspondence was discovered after a video clip of the display screen of Aguirre’s mobile phone was accidentally taken by a news cameraman covering the hearing, and that after the clip was enlarged, the text message correspondence became evident. After the senator obtained a copy of the correspondence, she decried Aguirre’s plan to pursue cases against her. For that, Hontiveros demanded the resignation of Aguirre as Justice secretary.
Aguirre, in turn, threatened to take legal action against Hontiveros for her role in the dissemination of his mobile phone correspondence, on the ground that the unauthorized publicity constituted an invasion of his constitutional right to privacy of his correspondence.
Hontiveros faces an uphill legal battle on the issue of privacy.
Assuming that Hontiveros’ tale is true, that a news cameraman “accidentally” took a video clip of the display screen of Aguirre’s mobile phone, Hontiveros must explain why the video clip was enlarged to the point that the correspondence became legible. Taking a video clip of the people present at a senate hearing who happen to be using their mobile phones is one thing; enlarging the video clip to learn about the contents of the mobile phone text correspondence is something else. The first one is excusable; the second one is an act of eavesdropping which constitutes a breach of the privacy of correspondence which Aguirre is entitled to under the Constitution. As a senator who has taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution, Hontiveros should have known that.
Hontiveros will likely claim that she learned of Aguirre’s text message correspondence in good faith because it was handed over to her without her asking for it. Even so, Hontiveros should have known that the video clip was visually enlarged in violation of the constitutional right of Aguirre. Despite her knowledge that the video clip was illegally acquired, Hontiveros used it against Aguirre. That’s bad faith plain and simple.
In addition, Hontiveros’ insistence that Aguirre resign because of the latter’s threat to sue her, is baseless. In her intoxication with power, Hontiveros failed to realize that any person who is aware of any wrongdoing done by a public official has the right, and the legal obligation even, to file a complaint against that public official. Since Hontiveros is a public official, there is nothing illegal about Aguirre’s purported plan to file cases against her for whatever wrongdoing Aguirre believes she has committed.
Perhaps, Hontiveros should spare some time to read and understand the Constitution. That way, she can avoid public criticism for her baseless and unfounded accusations.
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Danny Lim, the new chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, has miserably failed to solve the daily traffic bottleneck at the northbound lane of Edsa, near the approach to the Edsa-Crame flyover.
Northbound traffic in that area from 6 in the morning until midnight on working days always reaches a standstill because vehicles turning left to Serrano Avenue (Santolan Road) use the center lane of Edsa under the flyover, thus blocking the way of vehicles further headed north.
To eliminate the bottleneck, vehicles headed left to Santolan should be made to take the rightmost lane of Edsa across the corner gate of Camp Aguinaldo.
The road cones installed by the MMDA on many segments of Edsa are not reflectorized. At night, especially on rainy ones, these road cones are traffic hazards and can cause accidents. Does Lim have to wait for a road accident to occur before he attends to this problem? Maybe Lim will act only after an injured motorist sues him in court for malfeasance.
Pedicabs still eat up road space along Quezon Avenue near Edsa because there are no MMDA traffic enforcers in the area. They are busy elsewhere looking for vehicles violating the number coding regulation, especially those driven by motorists who have plenty of money to spare.
Perhaps, Lim is too busy monitoring the developments in the quarrel of his fellow ex-mutineers, namely, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and ex-Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon. It is also possible that Lim is preparing for the annual Metropolitan Manila film festival set for this December.
No wonder the traffic mess in the metropolis remains a problem.
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The strong-willed Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson, a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, and who is now a member of Duterte’s Cabinet, has been criticized for having performed in a show at one of the casinos in Pasay City. Her critics invoked a law which prohibits government officials from going to gambling casinos.
Uson’s critics are hypocritical and selective. Many government officials are often seen in gambling casinos. There was a time when a sitting vice president was caught on video at the gambling table, and he was not even reprimanded for it.
Apparently, the purpose of the law is to discourage government officials from gambling. The law also assumes that government officials who frequent gambling casinos may be tempted to commit corrupt practices just to maintain their gambling habit.
If that is the rationale for the law, there seems to be no reason why Uson, who went to the casino not to gamble but to perform in a show outside of office hours, should be chastised.
Since the presence of casinos in the country encourages gambling among Filipinos, government officials or otherwise, the government should prohibit all casino operations, period.