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24
Dec
Manila Bay accident caused by non-functioning executive department – Joey III
The Philippines is like a ship without a rudder.
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is partly to blame for the loss of life resulting from yet another sea accident which occurred in Manila Bay yesterday. “Instead of taking a vacation in Hongkong, she should be performing her job as president of the Philippines ,” according to Joey de Venecia III.
The IT businessman said Mrs. Arroyo can take as many vacations as she wants once she becomes a private citizen.
“The Philippine presidency is a full time job and she knows this,” said de Venecia, who earlier asked who was really in charge of Malacanang these days.
Her absence from the presidential palace is akin to a private corporation being left to fend for itself after its CEO goes on vacation without leaving anyone in charge, said the ZTE-national broadband network whistleblower.
A collision between a passenger ferry and a fishing boat in the waters of Manila Bay the day before Christmas resulted in an unknown number of casualties.
International wire services had pointed to the country’s weak enforcement of safety regulations as one of the principal causes of deadly maritime accidents in the Philippines . Barely two months ago, a ferry sank at the height of Typhoon Ondoy resulting in the loss of some 800 lives.
The son and namesake of former Speaker Jose de Venecia said Mrs. Arroyo could be held criminally liable for abandoning her work. “She is not only taking a vacation now, she is also campaigning for congressman in her home province of Pampanga . Meanwhile, the executive department is functioning without a leader,” he said.
At the very least, Mrs. Arroyo should have turned over the Office of the President to incumbent Vice President Noli de Castro, who is not running for any elective position in the May 2010 polls.
De Venecia said he expected Mrs. Arroyo “to shed her crocodile tears and extend her condolences to the victims of the Manila Bay tragedy.”
He said he was not blaming the Coast Guard for the incident since “the entire government bureaucracy takes its lead from the top.”
Gloria Arroyo is focused on one thing and one thing alone – to stay in power beyond her term, Joey de Venecia III said.
She should just retire and enjoy the company of her grandchildren, instead of forcing herself on the people who have long lost faith in her failed and corrupt-ridden administration, he added.
