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Now that
the authorities have dropped the charges against Quirino
clan scion Luis Manuel Gonzales in the much-anticipated
teledrama that has all the ingredients of a blockbuster
business extravaganza, the focus now shifts back to the
scene of the crime.
This
time, as one staid stockbroker says, police work should
have the hallmark of the detective snooping that
characterized the “Manila’s Finest:” the detectives with
the likes of now Mayor Fred Lim.
The
business community took a close look at the developments
in the case. This was because the gentlemen involved
came from rich families both known to the sector.
Federico
Delgado died in March while in the company of an alleged
girlfriend, Analiza Pesico. It will be recalled that his
death was immediately blamed by the police investigators
on stepbrother Gonzales and with the supposed family
feud as motive.
It was
supposed to be an airtight case so much so that the
family of the victim came forward—and with a press
conference to boot—amplifying on the initial police
theory. The money angle initially bandied about had the
business community in tattling suspense as bits and
pieces of the gruesome murder came to the fore. The only
problem, though, was that the supposed murderer was
confined before, during and after the murder at the
Makati Medical Center.
It is
unfortunate that the investigation into the death of
Federico became a showcase of infirmities in the probe
process. We recall that the police painted a rather
cinematic scenario of Federico’s death: two masked men
allegedly barged into his Malate apartment while Ms.
Pesico was there, stabbed Federico and mauled Pesico,
and then proceeded to quickly open the vault in
Federico’s bedroom and emptied it of its contents.
The
teledrama scenario may have been the very pitfall of the
investigation. The story presumed that the killers had
planned every detail of the assault on Federico’s
apartment, which would have required extended
reconnaissance and stalking. And it presupposed that the
assailants knew exactly where Federico’s vault was
located and knew exactly what the combination to the
vault was.
Unfortunately, as the city prosecutor later on
concluded, Gonzales did not fit the bill.
The city
prosecutor may not have asked this question, but this
was the nagging puzzle in the public’s mind triggered by
the very tale woven by investigators around Federico’s
death: Why was Ms. Pesico in his apartment on the night
he died?
But we
leave it to the police to take a second look at Ms.
Pesico. We just hope that a new perspective on the
supposed girlfriend might help lead probers into a more
accurate angle regarding Federico’s death.
As
best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell of the Tipping
Point and Blink fame posits, sometimes police
work needs to go beyond its preconceived notions in
going about its business. Mr. Gladwell, due to his Afro
look, was at one time accosted by three policemen and
tagged as a rapist when the very photo the policemen
were carrying did not fit his bill: it was very much
different and he himself had to point it out. Save for
the Afro look, the photo and his face did not fit the
bill.
Perhaps,
Mr. Gonzales can move and rebuild his life à la Gladwell,
who, relying on his journalistic instincts, came up with
the thin-slicing notion that brought the blockbuster
Blink.
Meanwhile, Manila’s business community would have to go
about glued to the yet-unfolding story of the murder.
Lower
electricity costs
Electricity consumers would now be enjoying a P1
reduction in their power rates thanks to the twin
decreases in the generation charges, one for 0.40 per
kilowatt-hour (kWh) in August and then another 0.60/kWh
in September. This translates to a significant cost
reduction in power rates, although a further reduction
in the generation charges is in order to help alleviate
the plight of consumers, especially the industrial
users.
We
understand that the reduction in the generation charge
was due in part to the role of independent power
producers (IPPs), which lowered their generation
charges. It is said that among all the sources of Manila
Electric Co. (Meralco), a distribution utility, the IPPs
offered the lowest generation cost of P4.27/kWh during
the August supply month.
This
confirms reports that if Meralco sources a significant
amount of its power requirements from the IPPs, then
power rates are sure to go down.
It seems
that IPPs have assumed a growing importance in the
energy quotient. For instance, allowing the IPPs to run
at minimum energy requirement means that a lower
generation cost could ensue. This is because the
overhead costs of the plants are spread over a greater
number of kilowatt-hours. This, in turn, leads to the
lowering of electricity costs for consumers.
E-mail: hugagni@yahoo.com |
