A Mayor's Nightmarish Misuse of Office
Every bad situation has a nightmare equivalent. The nightmare
equivalent of mayoral misuse of public office and public property for
personal benefit seems to have occurred in the Philippines.<br>
<br>
According to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/14/world/asia/14massacre.html" target="”_blank”">an
article in today's New York <i>Times</i></a>, a town mayor has been accused of
leading, and participating in, a massacre of 57 people, including 30 journalists. The people
were in a convoy on the way to the provincial capital to file candidacy
papers for the gubernatorial election. The mayor is also running for
governor. The other candidate is a former ally of his.<br>
<br>
The candidate's wife, three sisters, and an aunt were in the convoy;
all were killed. According to the article, the mayor "personally
directed dozens of his armed supporters to take the victims
to a hilltop, where they were killed and buried. The graves were
reported to have been dug with a backhoe belonging to the Maguindanao
provincial government."<br>
<br>
All those municipal backhoes used to dig up favored individuals' lawns
for swimming pools pale in comparison with this nightmare misuse of
public resources.<br>
<br>
Robert Wechsler<br>
Director of Research-Retired, City Ethics<br>
<br>
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