Elitists rule

Perish the current brouhaha over cha-cha for a moment. Amid the noise of the ongoing People's Initiative to support or to quote La femme petite terrible, use a freight train to shove charter change down our throats, a story that mirrors the elitist nature of political power manifests itself in the Dasmarinas Homeowner's fight againt Transco.

Well okay let's put cha-cha in the equation. Cha-cha at it's very core they say is a deceitful plot to keep political power out of the grungy reaches of the masses. At least that's the thought supposedly swirling through the daydreams of our congressmen. The equation, even for the arithmetically challenged administration honorables is simple. Cha-cha equals a free term past next year's election. A vote for it equals a commensurate gift hewed from tax-payers money. Although I can't prove it, one has only to review the Fertilizer scam coverage to appreciate where I'm coming from. Like I said the equation is simple. Even a child can discern the lollipops given to the President's good boys and girls.

The Dasma Homeowners in their tree-lined urban haven may not be great fans of the little girl at the palace. They may even support her enemies. Yet it is undeniable they come from the same social class. But their pedigree and social class is not the only thing they have in common.

The supreme court decision favoring the case of the dasmarines (nice term...kinda has a coupista feel to it) is an example of the political clout wielded by the elite. When they petitioned Transco to remove the EMF (electromagnetic frequency) emitting power lines in the late 1990's it was sweetened with a 10 million peso offer to offset the relocation costs. Like Gloria they pack a mean political punch.

But Napoccor being that wonderful and efficient agency that it is declined for some reason, read: Napoccor does'nt give a shit then...why should it give a shit now?

But Napoccor didn't forsee the potential problems from an increasingly paranoid elite. Maybe the former Napocor President's didn't really give a shit about the future, being poltical appointees and all.

So there we have it. The Supreme Court recently favored the Homeowners petition. Despite studies debunking the powerline-cancer correlation in the United States, our less enlightened but powerful ninongs and ninangs at Dasmarinas are hell bent on their cause. Stripped of all the righteousness and colorful language, it's the peace of mind of a handful of rich people versus the power needs of a sizable portion of Metro Manila's population.