“I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you’re grateful, you’ll see God open up new doors.” –Joel Osteen
It pays to have a positive mindset and faith in the judicial system.
When the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the dismissal of Police Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas, Police Superintendent Nepomuceno Corpus, Jr., and Police Senior Superintendent Michel Amos Filart in 2015 on allegations involving an anomalous procurement of P4.54 million worth of 16 police coastal crafts in 2009 they did not lose hope.
The three were among 19 police officials found guilty of grave misconduct for violations of RA 9148, or the Government Procurement Reform Act. However, up until the day of their dismissal, amid stories flooding headlines, the three (especially Salinas) maintained their innocence. The law enforcement officials, who were former members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Maritime Group Bids and Awards Committee that approved the procurement, swore they never pocketed a single centavo and vowed to appeal their dismissal and clear their names.
Salinas, who was backed by Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr., retained his faith in the Philippine judicial process, pinning hopes on his “clear conscience” and the lack of solid evidence linking him to the anomalous transaction. Instead of badmouthing the justice system, like many accused in the country often do, he and his colleagues merely appealed their case.
They also did not hide from the public nor ignore the press.
Salinas, as a civilian following his dismissal, made his presence felt at coffee shops and other important gatherings, cracked jokes with reporters, and made himself available to everyone to prove he remained unfazed and was willing to cooperate with the legal process.
The former Iloilo Provincial Police Office chief showed neither rancor nor hatred toward the justice system and those responsible for his dismissal. From the beginning, he believed there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
On January 30, 2018, the Court of Appeals 13th Division reversed the decision; however, details were only made available to the media recently. The court agreed with the petitioners’ claims that negotiated procurement was utilized due to urgent needs brought by Typhoons Ondoy, Peping, Quedan, Ramil, Santi, Tino, Urduja, and Vinta.
As a result of his faith in the judicial process and a positive attitude, Salinas and his fellow officers were reinstated as PNP officers and, according to PNP Directorate for Operations chief, Director Camilo Cascolan, are due “their salaries and such other emoluments corresponding to the period they were out of the service by reason of judgment of dismissal decreed by the Office of Ombudsman.”
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I have expressed my personal stance, as a journalist, press accreditation should not be canceled by any administration on the grounds that they are annoyed by how reporters ask questions during press briefings; however, I also do not agree that reporters should be rude, digress from pertinent discussion, and stray from proper decorum.
The November 19 court decision to “restore” CNN White House Correspondent Jim Acosta’s press credentials is good news and, with CNN believing the White House “bowed” to pressure from their federal lawsuit, the news network decided to drop the pending litigation upon restoration of Acosta’s press privileges.
In a statement, CNN said: “Today, the White House fully restored Jim Acosta’s press pass. As a result, our lawsuit is no longer necessary. We look forward to continuing to cover the White House.”
What the White House called a “final determination” is an abrupt shift from the administration’s earlier position.
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Tips for saving our planet.
Clean with vinegar
Don’t clean toilets with a mineral-deposit remover as it contains harsh chemicals that harm the environment when flushed down the toilet into the water system. Vinegar is an excellent substitute to scrub off rush and deposits marks.
Salt our silver
Silver cleaners can be abrasive and harsh. Let’s make our own cleaner for sterling (not plate) silver by mixing one pint of water with a teaspoon each of salt and baking powder, and adding a strip of aluminum foil. Drop the silver into this mixture, boil for a few minutes, remove with tongs, and polish with a soft cloth (add lemon juice for really grimy silver)./WDJ