And you call it ‘good governance?’

IF the residents of Manila, the Manilenyos’ have been shocked to the core over the scandalous selling by the Moreno-Lacuna administration of the Divisoria Public Market—under questionable circumstances and amount—they are in for added shocks.

This, after Atty. Alex Lopez, the candidate seen to finally end the Moreno-Lacuna grip at City Hall after the May 9, 2022 elections, revealed that at least two more patrimonial and prime assets of the city, the City College of Manila (CCM) campus in Escolta and the Harrison Plaza lot in Malate, had already been auctioned off to.

And like the circumstances attending the Divisoria self-off, both sales appear to have been accomplished—without proper public disclosure as to when and to whom were they sold and by how much.

Indeed, had it not been for the decision of the corporation that won the Divisoria auction, Festina Holdings, to start evicting the tenants last year, most Manilenyos, in particular and Filipinos, in general, would have not known that the Divisoria Public Market, a place easily equated with Manila and its rich history, has been transferred to private hands.

In other words, most of us would have continue to applaud the “outstanding leadership” of Yorme Isko and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna in running Manila’s affairs, unaware that it came a price—the sell off of the city’s prime assets.

As far as we know, the Harrison Plaza lot in Malate was the first to be disposed by the Moreno-Lacuna tandem, as soon as they got elected in 2019, with the full details yet to be disclosed to the public.

As for the CCM campus in Escolta, when was it sold? Was it also in 2020, the same as in the case of Divisoria? To whom was it sold and for how much?

2020, of course, was the worst year for most of the world , the Philippines included, as the COVID-19 continues to rage and which forced entire countries into a lockdown.

2020 was also the year when our LGUs are given extra leeway in the matter of expenses and raising of funds for their respective anti-COVID initiatives.

With the lockdown also forcing the media into a retreat in the performance of their duty as guardians off public interests and with most purchases and fund-raising justified under the cover of “emergency procurement,” the door has been left open for all kinds of quick-buck arrangements by crooks of all shades.

That this was so was proven in the Pharmally Scandal investigation.

In the case of what happened in Manila, it is not farfetched to suspect that like their Pharmally counterparts, some City Hall officials also saw the COVID-19 crisis as an opportunity to make extra-money—lots of it– on the side under the camouflage of “pandemic response.”

Indeed, on being found out, the Moreno-Lacuna tandem justified the Divisoria auction, for just P1.44 billion, by the way, as their way to fund the city’s pandemic response.

And we should now presume that the sell-off of the CCM campus would be justified along the same line.

But wait, Manila, according to Lopez and another mayoralty candidate, Rep. Amado Bagatsing, had already contracted between P15 billion to P25 billion in bank loans, precisely for the city’s pandemic response.

This being the case, why the rush to sell as many as Manila assets that city officials can lay their hands on?

And they call this good governance? Ow, c’mon.