The allegations of a Salcon pay-off to local media practitioners made by no less than a director of the Bohol Light Corporation and the Bohol Water Utilities Inc. has hit a raw nerve, to say the least. Speaking at a public hearing that turned into a rally, former Gov. David Tirol went off-tangent when he exposed an alleged arrangement wherein the Post publisher received P5,000 monthly from the two utilities.

To this day, no one can really say what prompted the provincial government's representative in the board to make that irresponsible accusation. If Tirol 's intention was to upstage the other speakers, he miscalculated his move. Instead of being a peacock strutting about town with the bombshell to his name, Tirol has acted more like one who has just issued a bouncing check. Like a dog with his tail between his legs, he has gone on record as a potential world-beater as far as running away from inquisitive journalists are concerned.

So what do we have here? We have journalists holding the proverbial empty bag, devoid of answers because Tirol has disappeared without a trace. This leads us to conclude that he has nothing to support such a wild allegation. As a respectable official who was once seated on the highest seat in the province and a lawyer, Tirol should have known that the serious and damaging accusation that he was making demanded no less than verifiable proof. Since we assume he has none given his actuations all week long, it is safe to conclude that he has none. As to why he decided to make the irresponsible allegation even in the absence of even an iota of evidence, no one really knows. Unfortunately, the allegation leaves behind a tattered image and wounded feelings. Aside from being the butt of jokes and fodder for gossip, the allegation has tarnished not only the Post publisher's image but the paper itself.

And yet, there is no use crying over spilled milk. Since the culprit is one who is sworn to be accountable for all his actions, Tirol is fair game. This is not exactly to get even – although it is undeniably part of it – but because Tirol is accountable. He sits in the board not because he is a former governor and a lawyer but because he represents the interest of the Boholano people. If his idea of representation is to cast aspersions on private individuals, he is in the wrong place. On second thought, what has Tirol done to safeguard the interest of the Boholano people? So far, there is no record to show that he has lived up to expectations. This leads us to suspect that he was accommodated for other reasons. For all his pretensions to importance, Tirol is nothing but a welfare case.