Jadewell vs. Yaranon

"This is just the start of war. And I can assure you that we will win this war."

This was Baguio City Mayor Braulio Yaranon's statement last July 06, which served as his "battle cry" against Jadewell Parking System.

This has been a very long story. It can be traced way back when Yaranon seated as Baguio’s new mayor in 2004. To eliminate pay-parking system was his very promise to the motorists in the city.

Many issues came. There were news that said Yaranon was not suspended. There were some that said that he could never be suspended. Even in the premises of the Department of Interior and Local Government, there were contingencies.

Jadewell Parking System filed a complaint against Yaranon for he was alleged to have grave misconduct and performed an abuse of power. This was due to Yaranon’s inciting the public of non-compliance to the said private parking system.

On June 26 this year, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita signed the suspension order of the city mayor. His sole basis was the filed complaint of Jadewell.

But the war did not end here. Last Saturday, Secretary Silvestre Afable Jr., the Cabinet Officer for Regional Development in the Cordillera or Cord resigned from his position as a protest for Yaranon’s suspension. He is the son of Cecile Afable, editor of Baguio Midland Courier, who is considered as a supporter of the city mayor. Mrs. Afable says that she will be leading an indignation rally on the 17th of July when President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is going to visit the city. According to them, this will show how much their support for Yaranon is.

Still, Yaranon does not give up. He still claims that he is still the mayor of Baguio and he will do all necessary legal actions to retain his service to the city and its people.

This has been a pass-on story. The public, especially the media kept a sharp eye on this issue. I have two points in this story.

First, on the issue of the pay-parking system, I strongly agree that the citizens of Baguio City and in any other cities are entitled to use the roads freely but with discipline. In accordance with this, the motorists can use appropriate streets to park their cars. Why should there be a private parking system in almost all the main streets of the city?

Secondly, on the issue of Mrs. Afable’s lead of a rally. This shows how the journalists evolved and changed their “roles.” According to the ethics and canons of taste of the journalist’s code, a journalist should show no bias and must not engage in any affairs that may have conflict on the profession. But, Mrs. Afable is a living proof that personal opinion and social responsibility can never be separated from a person’s profession. So long as her stand does not affect her community newspaper’s duty to the public, I think there is nothing wrong with her stand on Yaranon’s case.