Caligula vs supreme council

Caligula, monarch of yonder kingdom  appears to be losing grip of his royal  entourage who suddenly became noisy after sensing he forgot the adage that among thieves, there is still honor to observe. He gobbled up all the racket without spreading the sunshine. Hence, the uproar now rocking yonder kingdom from the poor, deprived and oppressed of the supreme council.

This yarn is a yarn, nothing but pure fiction and whatever similarity it may strike with reality, is mere coincidence.

The dragon which spews fire and  venom once grabbed opportunity to feather its nest in yonder kingdom whose piece of land and existing pier fall squarely into its scheme to erect a structure to roost travellers while waiting for their boats.

Mala Kanyang committed 125 million to develop the pier while yonder kingdom a piece of land spanning 10,865 metros cuadrados adjacent that.

The dragon that spews fire and venom will erect a building, one with a space for pre-departing travelers, the rest a shopping center replete with grocery, department stores, beauty parlors, actually, a one-stop shop where one wishing to fly anywhere around the world, can go there to buy tickets.

What’s wrong with that arrangement?  Nothing. Caligula the king, hailed it as one exemplary success of the animal named  “PPP” or “public-private partnership.” Caligula insists yonder kingdom has no money and is lucky to stumble into the dragon, which has oodles of cash to erect a building worth some 150 million and from that, money will flow to the coffer of yonder kingdom as “share” in the PPP.

What’s wrong with that? Nothing gani. Yonder kingdom will flourish as result of the PPP accoding to Caligula who also doubles as spokesperson for dragon the spews fire and venom.

Dragon and Caligula initially sailed smoothly in wresting the nod of the supreme council to approve the contract, all its terms, conditions and provisions. The document including the punctuation marks is a product of the dragon’s exclusive industry that Caligula merely swallowed.

Caligula yelped in ecstasy after receiving the copy of the proposal from the dragon that spews fire and venom, September 2012. The same day he got it, Caligula passed it to his assistant monarch El Tercero, who immediately agenda-ed it at the regular session, under “other matters”.

Members of the supreme council, honorable and brilliant men and women, did not bother to scrutinize the contract and like blind ducks,  granted Caligula’s request for authority to sign the contract with the dragon that spews fire and venom. 

Events swirled fast. Days later, Caligula and the dragon signed the contract which they billed as “ceremonial” but was actually  unceremonial,  the supreme council would later discovered for being lopsided.

Even commerce students, know that leasing in part or in whole, the 10,865 metros cuadrados of the kingdom property, excluding the ferry port which under the PPA and MARINA—just by mere leasing out that property—yonder kingdom will earn some 1 million monthly, no sweat, according to my friend Panyero Dwight. 

The PPA and Marina will likewise make money from birthing fees and cargo handling, let’s say, 200,000 monthly.

Elder Pla rues that under the PPP, dragon will give yonder kingdom one percent of the net, after taxes, as “share”, 16,500 monthly. Dragon will collect berthing and cargo fees from the port which was developed by government, not dragon’s money.

Dragon is so lucky and powerful and we wonder why PPA and Marina played it cute by waiving that authority in favor of dragon. Yes, after plunking 125 million to reconstruct the pier, these two government entities are so kind to hand on a silver platter the virtual ownership of the port to the dragon that spews fire and venom.

Supreme council withdrew the authority it granted to Caligula; the latter insists that the contract is binding and only the court can annul it. Sue us if you may, Caligula's royal counsel dares members of the supreme council.

This intramural would have a happy ending had Caligula controlled his greed and spread the sunshine.