TOPIC: Suicide or Suppression of Evidence?
Guest: Atty. Alan Paguia
[PART 1]
[PART 2]
[PART 3]
[PART 4]
[PART 5]
Monday, February 28, 2011
‘Twitter’ Dee and Dum
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/28/2011
The debate between two factions of Edsa I celebrants, Jim Paredes and Sen. Gringo Honasan, has become quite a conversation piece. It started with a tweet from user @janicegamos who said, “I would’ve believed in the spirit of Edsa 1986 if not for the fact that its so-called heroes, et al. became opportunistic.” This tweet was referred to Honasan, which he reacted to with apparent agitation: “Opportunistic?! In & out of jail, 7 years underground, 17 yrs soldier, bullet wounds in body... Opportunism?!”
Honasan certainly felt aggrieved given his military service but was Gamos actually referring to him? Then again, was Ces Drilon being judicious in referring it to Greg since he was only a protégé of Johnny Enrile? If another had been asked, there would have been no bullet wounds to speak of — only outstanding wealth and political advancement all throughout.
That Twitter follower who started it all indeed raised an extremely valid point, given the hard sell that Edsa I and the “people power” story have amounted to each year — more so on its 25th anniversary. And the obvious reason is, after 25 years, it has offered no benefit to the people while its major heroes — the Aquinos, Cojuangcos, and other elite families such as the Lopezes, Ayalas, et al.; and politicos from Enrile, FVR, to the many Yellows — all continue to make it big… very big. (Ditto the likes of Kris Aquino, who can neither sing, dance, nor act.)
Gamos and the nation as a whole wouldn’t question the spirit of Edsa I if, 25 years later, Filipinos hadn’t actually lost so much in quality of life and standard of living; in jobs; in food and physical security; in social coherence; and in moral and national dignity. Yet, in spite of it all, a crop of Yellow delunoids continue to live in dreamland.
Fireworks certainly flew when Edsa I celebrity Jim Paredes joined in, blasting Honasan, et al.: “They joined Edsa to save their asses against Marcos. When it was safe again, they launched their coups,” describing them as “Serial coup plotters who never accepted the people’s will except when they won in elections,” then adding, “They owe the people an apology. They were plain users without the nation’s good in mind.”
Honasan then retorted, “Until U have faced the business end of a gun as a soldier, for God, country & family HERE, U know nothing;” and added, “I didn’t go abroad” to rub in Paredes’ publicized migration to Australia in 2006 (an obvious cop-out move that left his “Handog sa Mundo” ringing hollow).
Paredes returned from Australia only when the prospects of a Yellow win in 2010 became believable, showing his feet of clay. And so Paredes evasively tweeted, “Until you can be honest about your true motives, then I can’t believe you.” Really, has Paredes himself been honest about his motives? Who is he now to question others?
Such a mindset is so typical of the Yellow crowd. They think revolutions are a songwriting stint; or, like Leah Navarro, a singing contest; or, like the Makati socialites, a sandwich-making proficiency game; or, like the religious flock, a show of their novena power against bullets. These even when it’s just their habits or cacique complexions (and scents) that paralyze the trigger-fingers of robotic soldiers, who otherwise wouldn’t think twice about mowing down masa demonstrators, as they have done so often — from the Mendiola Farmers’ Massacre, to the carnage at Edsa III, to the Hacienda Luisita Massacre a few years back.
All told, members of Paredes’ ilk live manicured lives and migrate when they chose. Even their sainted icon, Cory Aquino, was always under American care, as Gringo admits, “We were protecting Cory since 1985…” But then why were Honasan’s men into protecting Cory when their sworn duty was to protect their Commander-in-Chief and the Constitution?
US magazine The Executive Intelligence Review reported that “By November (1985), the plans for insurrection were unveiled publicly, as the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the home of Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski, carried out a ‘war game’ against the Philippines … The CSIS’ work in Asia was largely financed by the CV Starr insurance empire run by Maurice ‘Hank’ Greenberg (which) owned most of the insurance industry in the Philippines, and a number of Philippine politicians…”
Though the Edsa I “stars” deny the role of the US against Marcos, it was very, very real. As former US State Secretary George Schultz wrote in his auto-bio, Turmoil and Triumph, the 1986 “people power” was cooked behind the back of Ronald Reagan from within the State Department.
Moreover, as Foreign Policy magazine reported: “In his Heritage speech (Paul) Wolfowitz (another former US Secretary of State) also took credit for the downfall of Marcos (stating)… ‘The private and public pressure on Marcos to reform… contributed in no small measure to emboldening the Philippine people to take their fate in their own hands and to produce what eventually became the first great democratic transformation in Asia in the 1980s.’”
These “pressures” included currency attacks; 45-percent interest rates; cuts in US military aid channeled to Cardinal Sin; stepped-up demonization of Marcos; the forced “snap election;” and later, the walk-out of computer technicians associated with Honasan’s group, which was already coordinating with the Americans.
We must henceforth rise from this “Twitter Dee and Dum” level of debate and go into a genuinely honest, objective and comprehensive review that leaves nothing out from scrutiny. A joint government-civilian investigation of Edsa I should be established to arrive at the whole truth — including the Ninoy assassination. We owe it to all the @janicegamos-es of the land, to our children and their future.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “Reviewing the Marcos Path;” visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/28/2011
The debate between two factions of Edsa I celebrants, Jim Paredes and Sen. Gringo Honasan, has become quite a conversation piece. It started with a tweet from user @janicegamos who said, “I would’ve believed in the spirit of Edsa 1986 if not for the fact that its so-called heroes, et al. became opportunistic.” This tweet was referred to Honasan, which he reacted to with apparent agitation: “Opportunistic?! In & out of jail, 7 years underground, 17 yrs soldier, bullet wounds in body... Opportunism?!”
Honasan certainly felt aggrieved given his military service but was Gamos actually referring to him? Then again, was Ces Drilon being judicious in referring it to Greg since he was only a protégé of Johnny Enrile? If another had been asked, there would have been no bullet wounds to speak of — only outstanding wealth and political advancement all throughout.
That Twitter follower who started it all indeed raised an extremely valid point, given the hard sell that Edsa I and the “people power” story have amounted to each year — more so on its 25th anniversary. And the obvious reason is, after 25 years, it has offered no benefit to the people while its major heroes — the Aquinos, Cojuangcos, and other elite families such as the Lopezes, Ayalas, et al.; and politicos from Enrile, FVR, to the many Yellows — all continue to make it big… very big. (Ditto the likes of Kris Aquino, who can neither sing, dance, nor act.)
Gamos and the nation as a whole wouldn’t question the spirit of Edsa I if, 25 years later, Filipinos hadn’t actually lost so much in quality of life and standard of living; in jobs; in food and physical security; in social coherence; and in moral and national dignity. Yet, in spite of it all, a crop of Yellow delunoids continue to live in dreamland.
Fireworks certainly flew when Edsa I celebrity Jim Paredes joined in, blasting Honasan, et al.: “They joined Edsa to save their asses against Marcos. When it was safe again, they launched their coups,” describing them as “Serial coup plotters who never accepted the people’s will except when they won in elections,” then adding, “They owe the people an apology. They were plain users without the nation’s good in mind.”
Honasan then retorted, “Until U have faced the business end of a gun as a soldier, for God, country & family HERE, U know nothing;” and added, “I didn’t go abroad” to rub in Paredes’ publicized migration to Australia in 2006 (an obvious cop-out move that left his “Handog sa Mundo” ringing hollow).
Paredes returned from Australia only when the prospects of a Yellow win in 2010 became believable, showing his feet of clay. And so Paredes evasively tweeted, “Until you can be honest about your true motives, then I can’t believe you.” Really, has Paredes himself been honest about his motives? Who is he now to question others?
Such a mindset is so typical of the Yellow crowd. They think revolutions are a songwriting stint; or, like Leah Navarro, a singing contest; or, like the Makati socialites, a sandwich-making proficiency game; or, like the religious flock, a show of their novena power against bullets. These even when it’s just their habits or cacique complexions (and scents) that paralyze the trigger-fingers of robotic soldiers, who otherwise wouldn’t think twice about mowing down masa demonstrators, as they have done so often — from the Mendiola Farmers’ Massacre, to the carnage at Edsa III, to the Hacienda Luisita Massacre a few years back.
All told, members of Paredes’ ilk live manicured lives and migrate when they chose. Even their sainted icon, Cory Aquino, was always under American care, as Gringo admits, “We were protecting Cory since 1985…” But then why were Honasan’s men into protecting Cory when their sworn duty was to protect their Commander-in-Chief and the Constitution?
US magazine The Executive Intelligence Review reported that “By November (1985), the plans for insurrection were unveiled publicly, as the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the home of Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski, carried out a ‘war game’ against the Philippines … The CSIS’ work in Asia was largely financed by the CV Starr insurance empire run by Maurice ‘Hank’ Greenberg (which) owned most of the insurance industry in the Philippines, and a number of Philippine politicians…”
Though the Edsa I “stars” deny the role of the US against Marcos, it was very, very real. As former US State Secretary George Schultz wrote in his auto-bio, Turmoil and Triumph, the 1986 “people power” was cooked behind the back of Ronald Reagan from within the State Department.
Moreover, as Foreign Policy magazine reported: “In his Heritage speech (Paul) Wolfowitz (another former US Secretary of State) also took credit for the downfall of Marcos (stating)… ‘The private and public pressure on Marcos to reform… contributed in no small measure to emboldening the Philippine people to take their fate in their own hands and to produce what eventually became the first great democratic transformation in Asia in the 1980s.’”
These “pressures” included currency attacks; 45-percent interest rates; cuts in US military aid channeled to Cardinal Sin; stepped-up demonization of Marcos; the forced “snap election;” and later, the walk-out of computer technicians associated with Honasan’s group, which was already coordinating with the Americans.
We must henceforth rise from this “Twitter Dee and Dum” level of debate and go into a genuinely honest, objective and comprehensive review that leaves nothing out from scrutiny. A joint government-civilian investigation of Edsa I should be established to arrive at the whole truth — including the Ninoy assassination. We owe it to all the @janicegamos-es of the land, to our children and their future.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “Reviewing the Marcos Path;” visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our select radio and GNN shows)
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Commentaries on a "suicide"
CRITIC'S CRITIC
Mentong Laurel
2/21-27/2011
General Angelo Reyes was corrupted and corrupt. He said so himself in his pre-interview notes to PCIJ's Malou Mangahas. "I did not invent corruption. I walked into it. Perhaps my first fault was in having accepted aspects of it as a fact of life,” Reyes reportedly told his aide as the latter scribbled his thoughts verbatim. All through that supposed preparatory exercise, Reyes presented himself as someone who accepted the corruption that confronted him as he worked up the ladder in his military, government, or political career.
Contrast this to the oft-repeated declaration of one young officer of the Bagong Katipuneros (erroneously dubbed by an ABS-CBN reporter as Magdalo during Oakwood) in the person of Marine Capt. Gary Alejano, and the difference could never be more unambiguous.
We saw corruption
From our panel interview on my Global News Network TV show, Alejano simply repeated: “We saw the corruption in the AFP and we had to take a stand against it; take action against it, or we would be compelled like… our predecessors to accept it and be part of it… This we couldn’t accept.”
For accepting corruption, Gen. Angelo Reyes rose to be an AFP general and then attained four Cabinet positions. It was an enviable government career matched only by Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile who also had as many Cabinet posts but likewise had to lie (as in the self-assassination attempt to justify Martial Law) and perform all the consequential deeds that go with such capacity for prevarication.
For not accepting corruption and, instead, denouncing it and acting against it, the Bagong Katipuneros spent between six to seven years behind bars; endured tremendous mental torture as well as lost incomes, and suffered family difficulties--even marital separation.
Truth Prevailed
Yet over time, justice and truth prevailed. Philippine society finally came through with the right judgment, as those who stood by their moral and lofty principles are now vindicated while those who violated the Honor Code are chastised -- except by a number of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) hacks in Philippine media.
GMA and all those associated with her, such as FVR and the tainted generals (among others), have a lot at stake in the Angelo Reyes “suicide” drama. Turning Reyes into a hero, instead of the knave that he was, lightens the burden on them for their unprecedented nine-year period of maximum decadence.
GMA & Trillanes
It’s not surprising then that the marching orders to all of GMA’s assets in media are to: 1) prettify the “death” of Angie Reyes, picturing it as akin to a Samurai’s hara-kiri (or the ultimate self-sacrifice); 2) extol his “record” in public service, ad infinitum, and 3) create diversionary targets for lambasting and demonizing so as to distract from the sordid facts about Reyes (and his benefactors).
The prime target for the third ploy is, of course, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has been lambasted with such inconsequential labels as “mayabang (arrogant),” “self-righteous,” “uncavalier,” “coup plotter,” ad nausea, all by the usual GMA barkers howling in unison for over a week over the alleged “high handedness” of some Senate interrogators.
Carmen Pedrosa, for instance, in her Feb. 12 Philippine Star column, stated: “I do not think Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Trillanes should be let off that lightly for General Angelo Reyes’ death.” Let off from what “crime,” may I ask? For doing their sworn duty as senators of this Republic; for producing results in unveiling long-rumored and kept secrets about the GMA military cabal’s corruption (which I had already written about years ago)?
Guilty Conscience
Last Feb. 14 in the Manila Standard Today was ex-GMA spokesman Gary Olivar’s turn to sound silly. He said: “…The consequences of irresponsible sensationalism were driven home by the recent suicide of Secretary Angie Reyes… rumors were already flying that Sec. Angie’s suicide was the product of a guilty conscience. This is self-evidently stupid: self-destruction would be an even likelier recourse for someone who is innocent but has no way to properly defend himself, as well as his family and friends.” Whaaat? Is this guy for real? Angie Reyes’ family already has a paid professional spokesperson by the name of Patricia Daza, who’s touted to be very expensive, and with at least P50 million in pabaon to his name, couldn’t Reyes have easily hired the best lawyers too?
But then, the arbiter of self-evident stupidity continues: “…It would also be a fitting coda if our send-off for the general serves to trigger a re-examination of the slow death through trial by publicity.” Now, now, anyone who puts Reyes’ less than 12 hours of intense Senate grilling side-by-side with the seven years and seven months of incarceration of the Bagong Katipuneros will see that this guy, Olivar, is only exaggerating for Reyes to the point of absurdity.
Missing the Point
Oh, not to be left behind, Armando Doronilla of the Inquirer last Feb. 16 claimed: “The soldiers of the Republic closed ranks around him (Reyes), hailing him as a hero.” Obviously, Doronilla never asked if any of the young officers and foot soldiers out in the fields with worn boots and reused Coke plastic bottles for water canteens (who definitely outnumber those handfuls of generals in cushy posts) shared the same sentiment.
He even bewailed “the nefarious methods used by the investigation that stripped citizens subpoenaed by the Senate to testify at its hearings (better described as torture chambers) of their honor and dignity, as well as of members of their family.” Gee, doesn’t Doronilla know the difference between the mental anguish of, say, CoA’s Heidi Mendoza and Lt. Col. Antonio Ramon Lim, who, while facing interrogation, shed tears not of shame or humiliation but of remorse over the corruption they witnessed, versus those of Reyes, Garcia, Ligot et al., neither of whom had the courage to admit the truth openly?
Doronilla even continued by accusing Senate investigators of making Reyes “a convenient fall guy, vilified, unable to defend himself from slander, by self-righteous detractors using the privilege of legislative immunity as a platform to settle scores for his decisions and actions (military or civilian related)…” Sadly, Doronilla deliberately misses the point of the exercise.
Personal Indictment
Even granting that human motives may have been a factor, why on earth was Reyes only able to answer with “Have I been selfish?” “Did I ever ask for anything?” or “Didn’t I share?” in the face of a direct indictment against him on those corrupt practices? Surely, these can only be construed as an indirect admission on his part that, yes, he did share something and, though he never asked, he did get something--in other words, his pabaon.
And if you think we’ve had enough comedy for now, think again. On that same day in The Manila Times, another of GMA’s stooges, Ricardo Saludo, called the congressional hearings into AFP corruption as “hearings in aid of demolition,” claiming “that cavalier attitude toward public accusations triggered tragedy with the death of Angelo Reyes.” But if we were to follow this logic, then there should already have been a long history of suicides by resources persons or witnesses invited to congressional hearings, since these had been instituted as a “check-and-balance” mechanism in the Philippine political system long ago.
Just think of how many subjects the acerbic Miriam Defensor-Santiago has humiliated with her loose artillery language since she became senator in 1995, and how many of them could have already succumbed to self-destruction if words and shame alone were enough to trigger suicide.
Lastly, while I have critiqued other critics in this column, I reserve the last critique for myself: I erred in naming retired Col. Proceso Maligalig in one of my columns in anoth er newspaper, as well as on my radio program, as the former RAM man who disjointedly criticized Trillanes’ conduct in the investigation of Reyes. It was not Proceso but Col. Leopoldo Maligalig. My apologies to Proceso.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Mentong Laurel
2/21-27/2011
General Angelo Reyes was corrupted and corrupt. He said so himself in his pre-interview notes to PCIJ's Malou Mangahas. "I did not invent corruption. I walked into it. Perhaps my first fault was in having accepted aspects of it as a fact of life,” Reyes reportedly told his aide as the latter scribbled his thoughts verbatim. All through that supposed preparatory exercise, Reyes presented himself as someone who accepted the corruption that confronted him as he worked up the ladder in his military, government, or political career.
Contrast this to the oft-repeated declaration of one young officer of the Bagong Katipuneros (erroneously dubbed by an ABS-CBN reporter as Magdalo during Oakwood) in the person of Marine Capt. Gary Alejano, and the difference could never be more unambiguous.
We saw corruption
From our panel interview on my Global News Network TV show, Alejano simply repeated: “We saw the corruption in the AFP and we had to take a stand against it; take action against it, or we would be compelled like… our predecessors to accept it and be part of it… This we couldn’t accept.”
For accepting corruption, Gen. Angelo Reyes rose to be an AFP general and then attained four Cabinet positions. It was an enviable government career matched only by Senator Juan Ponce-Enrile who also had as many Cabinet posts but likewise had to lie (as in the self-assassination attempt to justify Martial Law) and perform all the consequential deeds that go with such capacity for prevarication.
For not accepting corruption and, instead, denouncing it and acting against it, the Bagong Katipuneros spent between six to seven years behind bars; endured tremendous mental torture as well as lost incomes, and suffered family difficulties--even marital separation.
Truth Prevailed
Yet over time, justice and truth prevailed. Philippine society finally came through with the right judgment, as those who stood by their moral and lofty principles are now vindicated while those who violated the Honor Code are chastised -- except by a number of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) hacks in Philippine media.
GMA and all those associated with her, such as FVR and the tainted generals (among others), have a lot at stake in the Angelo Reyes “suicide” drama. Turning Reyes into a hero, instead of the knave that he was, lightens the burden on them for their unprecedented nine-year period of maximum decadence.
GMA & Trillanes
It’s not surprising then that the marching orders to all of GMA’s assets in media are to: 1) prettify the “death” of Angie Reyes, picturing it as akin to a Samurai’s hara-kiri (or the ultimate self-sacrifice); 2) extol his “record” in public service, ad infinitum, and 3) create diversionary targets for lambasting and demonizing so as to distract from the sordid facts about Reyes (and his benefactors).
The prime target for the third ploy is, of course, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who has been lambasted with such inconsequential labels as “mayabang (arrogant),” “self-righteous,” “uncavalier,” “coup plotter,” ad nausea, all by the usual GMA barkers howling in unison for over a week over the alleged “high handedness” of some Senate interrogators.
Carmen Pedrosa, for instance, in her Feb. 12 Philippine Star column, stated: “I do not think Senator Jinggoy Estrada and Senator Trillanes should be let off that lightly for General Angelo Reyes’ death.” Let off from what “crime,” may I ask? For doing their sworn duty as senators of this Republic; for producing results in unveiling long-rumored and kept secrets about the GMA military cabal’s corruption (which I had already written about years ago)?
Guilty Conscience
Last Feb. 14 in the Manila Standard Today was ex-GMA spokesman Gary Olivar’s turn to sound silly. He said: “…The consequences of irresponsible sensationalism were driven home by the recent suicide of Secretary Angie Reyes… rumors were already flying that Sec. Angie’s suicide was the product of a guilty conscience. This is self-evidently stupid: self-destruction would be an even likelier recourse for someone who is innocent but has no way to properly defend himself, as well as his family and friends.” Whaaat? Is this guy for real? Angie Reyes’ family already has a paid professional spokesperson by the name of Patricia Daza, who’s touted to be very expensive, and with at least P50 million in pabaon to his name, couldn’t Reyes have easily hired the best lawyers too?
But then, the arbiter of self-evident stupidity continues: “…It would also be a fitting coda if our send-off for the general serves to trigger a re-examination of the slow death through trial by publicity.” Now, now, anyone who puts Reyes’ less than 12 hours of intense Senate grilling side-by-side with the seven years and seven months of incarceration of the Bagong Katipuneros will see that this guy, Olivar, is only exaggerating for Reyes to the point of absurdity.
Missing the Point
Oh, not to be left behind, Armando Doronilla of the Inquirer last Feb. 16 claimed: “The soldiers of the Republic closed ranks around him (Reyes), hailing him as a hero.” Obviously, Doronilla never asked if any of the young officers and foot soldiers out in the fields with worn boots and reused Coke plastic bottles for water canteens (who definitely outnumber those handfuls of generals in cushy posts) shared the same sentiment.
He even bewailed “the nefarious methods used by the investigation that stripped citizens subpoenaed by the Senate to testify at its hearings (better described as torture chambers) of their honor and dignity, as well as of members of their family.” Gee, doesn’t Doronilla know the difference between the mental anguish of, say, CoA’s Heidi Mendoza and Lt. Col. Antonio Ramon Lim, who, while facing interrogation, shed tears not of shame or humiliation but of remorse over the corruption they witnessed, versus those of Reyes, Garcia, Ligot et al., neither of whom had the courage to admit the truth openly?
Doronilla even continued by accusing Senate investigators of making Reyes “a convenient fall guy, vilified, unable to defend himself from slander, by self-righteous detractors using the privilege of legislative immunity as a platform to settle scores for his decisions and actions (military or civilian related)…” Sadly, Doronilla deliberately misses the point of the exercise.
Personal Indictment
Even granting that human motives may have been a factor, why on earth was Reyes only able to answer with “Have I been selfish?” “Did I ever ask for anything?” or “Didn’t I share?” in the face of a direct indictment against him on those corrupt practices? Surely, these can only be construed as an indirect admission on his part that, yes, he did share something and, though he never asked, he did get something--in other words, his pabaon.
And if you think we’ve had enough comedy for now, think again. On that same day in The Manila Times, another of GMA’s stooges, Ricardo Saludo, called the congressional hearings into AFP corruption as “hearings in aid of demolition,” claiming “that cavalier attitude toward public accusations triggered tragedy with the death of Angelo Reyes.” But if we were to follow this logic, then there should already have been a long history of suicides by resources persons or witnesses invited to congressional hearings, since these had been instituted as a “check-and-balance” mechanism in the Philippine political system long ago.
Just think of how many subjects the acerbic Miriam Defensor-Santiago has humiliated with her loose artillery language since she became senator in 1995, and how many of them could have already succumbed to self-destruction if words and shame alone were enough to trigger suicide.
Lastly, while I have critiqued other critics in this column, I reserve the last critique for myself: I erred in naming retired Col. Proceso Maligalig in one of my columns in anoth er newspaper, as well as on my radio program, as the former RAM man who disjointedly criticized Trillanes’ conduct in the investigation of Reyes. It was not Proceso but Col. Leopoldo Maligalig. My apologies to Proceso.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Friday, February 25, 2011
After 25 years: 'No change?'
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/25/2011
I looked up on the Internet some cues on “Delusional Disorder Treatments” and found prescriptions ranging from psychotherapy, medication, to psychosurgery. Sadly, I couldn’t find the cure for what I wanted to remedy — the delusional “Edsa I People Power Syndrome” afflicting certain people, which is propagated by the present ruling order. Special among this crop of delunoids are a number of opinion writers in mainstream media. They continue to sing paeans to 25 years of Edsa I in the face of overwhelming evidence against their grand delusion.
Once such indictment against Edsa I came via a dimwitted assertion by their presidential icon Aquino III in his speech at Ocampo, Camarines Sur three days ago, where he said, “After 25 years, was there change? Unfortunately, nothing really changed — corruption is still rampant and the result, the needs of the people were left unattended…” What??? Twenty-five years with trillions of pesos of budgets, and still “no change?”
The fact is, there has been tremendous change over the past 25 years: CHANGE FROM BAD TO WORSE. Corruption isn’t the same; it has worsened geometrically. In the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), for instance, as Linggoy Alcuaz can attest to (since he was with a communications company supplying equipment to the AFP during Marcos’ time), military comptrollers used to get only 1 percent of the 10 percent set aside for “intermediation.” But since Cory Aquino’s time, as attested to by retired Gen. Romeo Padiernos and reported in mainstream media this week, military corruption has expanded by leaps and bounds, leading to what we now shockingly witness in the Gen. Carlos Garcia “pabaon” mess.
Marcos could not have subdued the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and the NPA (New People’s Army) if the rate of AFP corruption seen during the Cory years down to the FVR and GMA regimes had already prevailed then. Now, the AFP can’t even provide decent boots.
Cory Aquino became the dog that was wagged by the AFP tail during her time. Afterwards, the military was led by none other than the chief of the Philippine Constabulary and the entire AFP, Fidel Ramos. One retired general told me over a regular breakfast meet with other retired officers: “When FVR took over the AFP and visited the camps for inspection, he would have a stack of envelopes with money to hand out to the officers saying, ‘Go improve your image.’” That same general said the practice of conversion became rampant only after Mrs. Aquino became Commander-in-Chief.
Yet the profligacy that followed her assumption to office was not only limited to the AFP; it swept the entire Cabinet. While Marcos had only 12 Cabinet secretaries, Cory had a whopping 34 and cost P4.4 billion yearly to maintain because every Big Business and “civil society” faction wanted a seat.
A major and fundamental change that overcame the Philippines after Edsa I has been the rapid transition of the country from a rice self-sufficient nation and occasional exporter to its status today as the “world’s top (and most expensive) rice importer.” Now, that’s something to be proud of, isn’t it? It’s a question I’d like to address to some of my fellow columnists in the other papers fawning over Cory Aquino and her “democracy” (as if economics and rice aren’t fundamental to human rights and human dignity).
Never mind that we had the beginnings of a car industry already thanks to Marcos, at a time when South Korea was still dreaming of it, or that electricity sufficiency for 25 years had already been planned with the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant already set to operate in 1984, seven years before the People’s Republic of China’s first nuclear power plant in 1991.
A month’s worth or eight 1,000-word columns of mine couldn’t summarize the deterioration from what the Marcos era left behind in terms of socio-economic infrastructure, along with the devastation Mrs. Cory Aquino and the succeeding Yellow regimes wrought later. Marcos’ prescient energy program included geothermal, dendro-thermal, bio, and solar energy; we were growing cotton and grapes to achieve self-sufficiency in these; ship building was starting with Baseco, far ahead of South Korea; cultural centers were built, and never duplicated since.
In contrast, Cory Aquino, “civil society,” and the Makati Business Club only brought in factories of delusions, such as Conrado de Quiros’ “We are the one country that invented people power” — a really shameless historical plagiarism of France’s Storming of the Bastille or Korea’s April 19 Movement against Syngman Rhee, (among many) precedents to Edsa I of deposing elite or US-backed tyrants.
The facts of history must be learned: The 21st century’s rising stars, ranging from China, Singapore, to Malaysia, strengthened their growth by way of nationalist authoritarian governance. Political and economic laissez -faire merely led to the internal collapse of the 20th century superpower, the USA.
Another lesson is that popular insurrection mistakenly called revolutions, and daubed with whatever color, can lead to rightist-elitist victory as well as popular-progressive triumph. Venezuela had the latter under a populist leadership, where nationalization of state assets proceeded posthaste; Ukraine, meanwhile, had the elitist, Western-oriented version and, like the Philippines, saw its own corruption and impoverishment multiply within a decade of its reversing course.
Western-nurtured “people power” are for Western interests only; hence, the privatization of a nation’s wealth. Only nationalist people power benefits the nation.
“NO CHANGE” is unacceptable; we need REAL CHANGE for the better. Onwards with True People Power… the spirit of Edsa III continues!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “National Development versus Yellow Economics” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/25/2011
I looked up on the Internet some cues on “Delusional Disorder Treatments” and found prescriptions ranging from psychotherapy, medication, to psychosurgery. Sadly, I couldn’t find the cure for what I wanted to remedy — the delusional “Edsa I People Power Syndrome” afflicting certain people, which is propagated by the present ruling order. Special among this crop of delunoids are a number of opinion writers in mainstream media. They continue to sing paeans to 25 years of Edsa I in the face of overwhelming evidence against their grand delusion.
Once such indictment against Edsa I came via a dimwitted assertion by their presidential icon Aquino III in his speech at Ocampo, Camarines Sur three days ago, where he said, “After 25 years, was there change? Unfortunately, nothing really changed — corruption is still rampant and the result, the needs of the people were left unattended…” What??? Twenty-five years with trillions of pesos of budgets, and still “no change?”
The fact is, there has been tremendous change over the past 25 years: CHANGE FROM BAD TO WORSE. Corruption isn’t the same; it has worsened geometrically. In the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), for instance, as Linggoy Alcuaz can attest to (since he was with a communications company supplying equipment to the AFP during Marcos’ time), military comptrollers used to get only 1 percent of the 10 percent set aside for “intermediation.” But since Cory Aquino’s time, as attested to by retired Gen. Romeo Padiernos and reported in mainstream media this week, military corruption has expanded by leaps and bounds, leading to what we now shockingly witness in the Gen. Carlos Garcia “pabaon” mess.
Marcos could not have subdued the MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) and the NPA (New People’s Army) if the rate of AFP corruption seen during the Cory years down to the FVR and GMA regimes had already prevailed then. Now, the AFP can’t even provide decent boots.
Cory Aquino became the dog that was wagged by the AFP tail during her time. Afterwards, the military was led by none other than the chief of the Philippine Constabulary and the entire AFP, Fidel Ramos. One retired general told me over a regular breakfast meet with other retired officers: “When FVR took over the AFP and visited the camps for inspection, he would have a stack of envelopes with money to hand out to the officers saying, ‘Go improve your image.’” That same general said the practice of conversion became rampant only after Mrs. Aquino became Commander-in-Chief.
Yet the profligacy that followed her assumption to office was not only limited to the AFP; it swept the entire Cabinet. While Marcos had only 12 Cabinet secretaries, Cory had a whopping 34 and cost P4.4 billion yearly to maintain because every Big Business and “civil society” faction wanted a seat.
A major and fundamental change that overcame the Philippines after Edsa I has been the rapid transition of the country from a rice self-sufficient nation and occasional exporter to its status today as the “world’s top (and most expensive) rice importer.” Now, that’s something to be proud of, isn’t it? It’s a question I’d like to address to some of my fellow columnists in the other papers fawning over Cory Aquino and her “democracy” (as if economics and rice aren’t fundamental to human rights and human dignity).
Never mind that we had the beginnings of a car industry already thanks to Marcos, at a time when South Korea was still dreaming of it, or that electricity sufficiency for 25 years had already been planned with the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant already set to operate in 1984, seven years before the People’s Republic of China’s first nuclear power plant in 1991.
A month’s worth or eight 1,000-word columns of mine couldn’t summarize the deterioration from what the Marcos era left behind in terms of socio-economic infrastructure, along with the devastation Mrs. Cory Aquino and the succeeding Yellow regimes wrought later. Marcos’ prescient energy program included geothermal, dendro-thermal, bio, and solar energy; we were growing cotton and grapes to achieve self-sufficiency in these; ship building was starting with Baseco, far ahead of South Korea; cultural centers were built, and never duplicated since.
In contrast, Cory Aquino, “civil society,” and the Makati Business Club only brought in factories of delusions, such as Conrado de Quiros’ “We are the one country that invented people power” — a really shameless historical plagiarism of France’s Storming of the Bastille or Korea’s April 19 Movement against Syngman Rhee, (among many) precedents to Edsa I of deposing elite or US-backed tyrants.
The facts of history must be learned: The 21st century’s rising stars, ranging from China, Singapore, to Malaysia, strengthened their growth by way of nationalist authoritarian governance. Political and economic laissez -faire merely led to the internal collapse of the 20th century superpower, the USA.
Another lesson is that popular insurrection mistakenly called revolutions, and daubed with whatever color, can lead to rightist-elitist victory as well as popular-progressive triumph. Venezuela had the latter under a populist leadership, where nationalization of state assets proceeded posthaste; Ukraine, meanwhile, had the elitist, Western-oriented version and, like the Philippines, saw its own corruption and impoverishment multiply within a decade of its reversing course.
Western-nurtured “people power” are for Western interests only; hence, the privatization of a nation’s wealth. Only nationalist people power benefits the nation.
“NO CHANGE” is unacceptable; we need REAL CHANGE for the better. Onwards with True People Power… the spirit of Edsa III continues!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “National Development versus Yellow Economics” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Talk News TV with Herman Tiu Laurel
TOPIC: Cha-Cha: Economics and Law
Guests: Atty. Alan Paguia and Hiro Vaswani, Forensic Business Process Consultant
[PART 1]
[PART 2]
[PART 3]
[PART 4]
[PART 5]
Guests: Atty. Alan Paguia and Hiro Vaswani, Forensic Business Process Consultant
[PART 1]
[PART 2]
[PART 3]
[PART 4]
[PART 5]
Sulo ng Pilipino
Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on DWAD 1098kHz.
Regarding the ERC Public Consultation last Feb. 7, 2011:
-----
Interview with Lt. Ashley "Ace" Acedillo, spokesperson of Magdalo:
-----
May 23, 2011
with Atty. Alan Paguia
Regarding the ERC Public Consultation last Feb. 7, 2011:
-----
Interview with Lt. Ashley "Ace" Acedillo, spokesperson of Magdalo:
-----
May 23, 2011
with Atty. Alan Paguia
Talk News TV with Herman Tiu Laurel
TOPIC: Electrocuting Consumers: The Meralco PBR
Guests: Genaro Lualhati of Lawyers Against Monopoly and Poverty (LAMP) and Butch Junia of OpinYon.
[PART 1]
[PART 2]
[PART 3]
[PART 4]
[PART 5]
-----
N.B.: PBR is the acronym for "Performance Based Rate", a new rate setting methodology adopted by Meralco. The opinion of the blog admin is that PBR should be replaced to the Return on Rate Base (RORB) methodology and that the ERC should be abolished.
Guests: Genaro Lualhati of Lawyers Against Monopoly and Poverty (LAMP) and Butch Junia of OpinYon.
[PART 1]
[PART 2]
[PART 3]
[PART 4]
[PART 5]
-----
N.B.: PBR is the acronym for "Performance Based Rate", a new rate setting methodology adopted by Meralco. The opinion of the blog admin is that PBR should be replaced to the Return on Rate Base (RORB) methodology and that the ERC should be abolished.
Monday, February 21, 2011
From US frying pan to US fire
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/21/2011
Many Yellow “PeNoys” like to draw parallels between what’s happening in Egypt and the Middle East, on the one hand, and the Philippines in 1986, on the other. What they don’t realize is that the similarities aren’t as happy and sanguine as they are forcing themselves to believe.
Hidden beneath the veneer of revelry and jubilation is the truth that many have learned over the years, succinctly depicted in a title of Michel Chossudovsky’s recent article, entitled, “Dictators” do not dictate, they obey orders.” We know that these Third World “dictators” only obey their superior dictator, the imperial United States of America. Whenever these authoritarian figures present any impulse of recalcitrance, the giant dictator simply puts its foot down, crushes these small tin-pot dictators, and sets up new ones.
The Western-dominated (if not controlled) international mainstream media and their local derivatives present only one side of the growing turmoil and, in particular, leaders such as Mubarak. Despite these efforts, Western media cannot hide the fact that these autocrats have mainly acted for and in behalf of the US for over a generation. However they try to present an image of US and Western consensus in supporting a transition to “democratic” politics in these countries today, such efforts are merely belied by what’s happening on the ground.
In Egypt, as in all the other US-dominated states in turmoil, the Establishment (or the status quo) is still in control. The Egyptian transition government, for instance, is still under the former general and intelligence chief Suleiman and the Egyptian Army. Of course, the evicted Mubarak now undergoes the obligatory demonization by the same Western media that lionized him for a quarter of a century. The usual snippets of Mubarak’s “billions of dollars stacked away in Switzerland” have become a very effective tool in focusing all the rage against just one man to divert popular fury from the real hegemonic dictator.
And since The Great Dictator’s puppet Mubarak had already outlived his usefulness, he had to go (so the argument goes). But was this the only reason? Webster Tarpley, a geopolitical analyst with a sterling record of accuracy and a wide network of intelligence sources, wrote on Feb. 18 an article entitled, “Mubarak toppled by CIA because he opposed US plans for war with Iran; US eyes seizure of Suez Canal; Was this the threat that forced Mubarak to quit?”
For the West to have effectively excluded China, Russia, and Iran access to that vital trade route, Mubarak may have already shown a limit to his submissiveness. After all, it clearly appeared when he refused exile despite Western media’s insinuations of such a fate for him. Further, as he declared, “I’ll die in Egypt,” the West now seems to have obliged, as latest reports by the likes of CBS, BBC, and Al Jazeera (though still unconfirmed) say Mubarak is already in a coma. Could this be a psywar for an accession to exile?
Our own strongman Ferdinand Marcos was in many ways in the same position; yet he was not by any means as simplistic in his authoritarian rule as other tin-pot dictators proved. Marcos opened relations with socialist countries; achieved food self-sufficiency; and aspired for industrialization — all requisites of economic sovereignty and stable growth. He even attempted to establish a sovereign currency with his Bagong Lipunan notes — all these becoming too much for his US masters, so much so that he was forcibly abducted to Hawaii instead of being airlifted to Paoay as he wished.
Indonesia’s Suharto, meanwhile, was another US-sponsored dictator who was removed when the Indonesian state refused to give up East Timor, which the US had put under that nation’s care at the height of the Cold War, fearing communist takeover. As Indonesia developed a sense of sovereignty and even attempted to acquire the entire East German Navy (which the West adamantly objected to), the imperialist forces made sure that the nation’s permanent control of the East Timor oil shelf would not be realized.
As the Philippines has become the poster child for such managed transitions — it is only fitting to ask: “Transitions to what?” From strong one-man rule, isn’t it the case that the shift has only been toward greater control by the Western hegemonic dictatorship through financial totalitarianism?
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, research associate of the Center for Research on Globalization, traces all this to global capitalism in “Struggle for self-determination in the Arab world: The alliance between Arab dictators and global capital.” In it, he devotes a sub-section describing “Arab leaders as comprador elites serving foreign interests” which says: “…Class polarization has grown as the gap between the rich and the poor widens… The Arab people grasp the fact that their ruling class and governments are not only corrupt regimes, but also comprador elites, namely the local representatives of foreign corporations, governments, and interests… properly called parasite or parasitic elites, because they siphon off local wealth and resources on behalf of their neo-colonial masters. This structure of comprador elites prevails in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Authority… almost all Arab finance ministers are affiliated to the major global banking institutions. All of them also strictly adhere to the Washington Consensus of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.” Exact duplicate copies of the Philippines
The 25th anniversary of the Yellow transition from Marcos — a leader who attempted to develop an economically self-sufficient and sovereign Philippine state — is merely reliving the degeneration of this country into a nation run to the ground by a parasitic comprador corporatocratic society, where poverty and hunger, economic retrogression and mendicancy, moral collapse and social decay have reached unprecedented proportions.
The Filipino people, the patriotic military cells, as well as the economic middle class that are all under threat of extinction must, as Nazemroaya says of the Arab peoples, “grasp the fact that their ruling class are not only corrupt but are parasites” that must be extinguished before genuine popular political and economic liberation can come.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas, Prof. Rene Ofreneo, and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/21/2011
Many Yellow “PeNoys” like to draw parallels between what’s happening in Egypt and the Middle East, on the one hand, and the Philippines in 1986, on the other. What they don’t realize is that the similarities aren’t as happy and sanguine as they are forcing themselves to believe.
Hidden beneath the veneer of revelry and jubilation is the truth that many have learned over the years, succinctly depicted in a title of Michel Chossudovsky’s recent article, entitled, “Dictators” do not dictate, they obey orders.” We know that these Third World “dictators” only obey their superior dictator, the imperial United States of America. Whenever these authoritarian figures present any impulse of recalcitrance, the giant dictator simply puts its foot down, crushes these small tin-pot dictators, and sets up new ones.
The Western-dominated (if not controlled) international mainstream media and their local derivatives present only one side of the growing turmoil and, in particular, leaders such as Mubarak. Despite these efforts, Western media cannot hide the fact that these autocrats have mainly acted for and in behalf of the US for over a generation. However they try to present an image of US and Western consensus in supporting a transition to “democratic” politics in these countries today, such efforts are merely belied by what’s happening on the ground.
In Egypt, as in all the other US-dominated states in turmoil, the Establishment (or the status quo) is still in control. The Egyptian transition government, for instance, is still under the former general and intelligence chief Suleiman and the Egyptian Army. Of course, the evicted Mubarak now undergoes the obligatory demonization by the same Western media that lionized him for a quarter of a century. The usual snippets of Mubarak’s “billions of dollars stacked away in Switzerland” have become a very effective tool in focusing all the rage against just one man to divert popular fury from the real hegemonic dictator.
And since The Great Dictator’s puppet Mubarak had already outlived his usefulness, he had to go (so the argument goes). But was this the only reason? Webster Tarpley, a geopolitical analyst with a sterling record of accuracy and a wide network of intelligence sources, wrote on Feb. 18 an article entitled, “Mubarak toppled by CIA because he opposed US plans for war with Iran; US eyes seizure of Suez Canal; Was this the threat that forced Mubarak to quit?”
For the West to have effectively excluded China, Russia, and Iran access to that vital trade route, Mubarak may have already shown a limit to his submissiveness. After all, it clearly appeared when he refused exile despite Western media’s insinuations of such a fate for him. Further, as he declared, “I’ll die in Egypt,” the West now seems to have obliged, as latest reports by the likes of CBS, BBC, and Al Jazeera (though still unconfirmed) say Mubarak is already in a coma. Could this be a psywar for an accession to exile?
Our own strongman Ferdinand Marcos was in many ways in the same position; yet he was not by any means as simplistic in his authoritarian rule as other tin-pot dictators proved. Marcos opened relations with socialist countries; achieved food self-sufficiency; and aspired for industrialization — all requisites of economic sovereignty and stable growth. He even attempted to establish a sovereign currency with his Bagong Lipunan notes — all these becoming too much for his US masters, so much so that he was forcibly abducted to Hawaii instead of being airlifted to Paoay as he wished.
Indonesia’s Suharto, meanwhile, was another US-sponsored dictator who was removed when the Indonesian state refused to give up East Timor, which the US had put under that nation’s care at the height of the Cold War, fearing communist takeover. As Indonesia developed a sense of sovereignty and even attempted to acquire the entire East German Navy (which the West adamantly objected to), the imperialist forces made sure that the nation’s permanent control of the East Timor oil shelf would not be realized.
As the Philippines has become the poster child for such managed transitions — it is only fitting to ask: “Transitions to what?” From strong one-man rule, isn’t it the case that the shift has only been toward greater control by the Western hegemonic dictatorship through financial totalitarianism?
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya, research associate of the Center for Research on Globalization, traces all this to global capitalism in “Struggle for self-determination in the Arab world: The alliance between Arab dictators and global capital.” In it, he devotes a sub-section describing “Arab leaders as comprador elites serving foreign interests” which says: “…Class polarization has grown as the gap between the rich and the poor widens… The Arab people grasp the fact that their ruling class and governments are not only corrupt regimes, but also comprador elites, namely the local representatives of foreign corporations, governments, and interests… properly called parasite or parasitic elites, because they siphon off local wealth and resources on behalf of their neo-colonial masters. This structure of comprador elites prevails in Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the Palestinian Authority… almost all Arab finance ministers are affiliated to the major global banking institutions. All of them also strictly adhere to the Washington Consensus of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.” Exact duplicate copies of the Philippines
The 25th anniversary of the Yellow transition from Marcos — a leader who attempted to develop an economically self-sufficient and sovereign Philippine state — is merely reliving the degeneration of this country into a nation run to the ground by a parasitic comprador corporatocratic society, where poverty and hunger, economic retrogression and mendicancy, moral collapse and social decay have reached unprecedented proportions.
The Filipino people, the patriotic military cells, as well as the economic middle class that are all under threat of extinction must, as Nazemroaya says of the Arab peoples, “grasp the fact that their ruling class are not only corrupt but are parasites” that must be extinguished before genuine popular political and economic liberation can come.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas, Prof. Rene Ofreneo, and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Friday, February 18, 2011
True heroes
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/18/2011
Last Feb. 14, the Court of Appeals’ First Division extended the 60-day temporary restraining order it issued last Dec. 1, 2010 on the implementation of the P14.3-billion settlement of penalties between the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
Penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao and concurred with by Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justice Jan Aurora Lantion, that decision said, “…there is indeed an urgent need for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction in order to preserve the status quo of the pending controversy until the merits of the case have been fully adjudicated upon and to forestall the injurious effects, which may be grave and irreparable, that may result from the defiance of such status quo.”
Such status quo stemmed from Meralco’s violation of its 10-year supply contract with Napocor, which case Meralco lost, and where ensuing negotiations metamorphosed into a settlement in which both parties agreed to pass on the accrued penalties to Meralco’s customers.
Given this blatant transfer of liabilities from the supply contract violator (Meralco) to its electricity users, power consumer advocacy groups waged a vigorous campaign to save all of Meralco’s consumers from another illegal, unjust, oppressive, and exploitative “pass-on” cost that the power distributor was solely responsible for.
How Napocor agreed to such a settlement is simply reprehensible; one can only conclude that, again, as it often happens with such cases, some officials were corrupted into acquiescing to such a deal, thinking that the public would be none the wiser. Thankfully, they were wrong.
Consumer advocacy groups, such as Nasecore (National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms), FDC (Freedom from Debt Coalition), EmPower, Sulo ng Pilipino, Kaakbay, Bayan, and others stepped up to the plate by wielding their bats to fight off this new ambush. And it was an unrelenting battle indeed. Not only were they up against Meralco’s great financial resources; they also had to deal with mainstream media’s persistent focus on the fleeting and petty.
Amid the public’s general bewilderment about the vital issues of the day, we take our hats off to leaders such as Mang Naro Lualhati (who helped win our P30-billion refund before); Pete Ilagan and the Nasecore lawyers; writers like Butch Junia; as well as all the others who led and supported such efforts for helping us (captive electricity consumers) win another major victory against Meralco’s unending predation--this, despite meager resources and struggling against protest fatigue.
Crucial to this victory, too, were the CA justices who took the principled stand of not merely “walk(ing) in to corruption” as Angie Reyes did and accepting “things as they are.”
Last Wednesday, former Marine Col. Ariel Querubin filed his application for amnesty after a general court martial junked his motion to dismiss the mutiny charge against him. One of the few living awardees of the Medal of Valor, Querubin attached a narration of facts explaining the events that led to the standoff at the Marine HQ in 2006. He told of being approached by US servicemen and young AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines ) officers who reported “rampant election fraud” in the 2004 presidential elections, becoming “the repository of… gripes and grievances” of those who “witnessed cheating or… themselves were used to manipulate the results of the 2004 election in favor of Gloria Arroyo.”
He was astonished when superiors told him, as he told Tribune, “not to rock the boat and not to be naïve. They told me that everybody cheats in the election and GMA was the lesser evil.” Of course, they couldn’t tell him that Gloria also gave out hundreds of millions back then and was to later reward those “higher AFP authorities” very handsomely.
Querubin continues: “…nobody (among his higher-ups) did anything, even after we brought up the matter to the chairman of the Senate defense committee (then Senator Rodolfo Biazon) who is a former soldier. The US servicemen were sent back to the States…”
When the Mayuga fact finding committee was formed to look into the military’s involvement in the electoral fraud, Querubin informed Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga that there were officers willing to testify on the election cheating but they were never called to give their statements.
Further, Querubin’s brigade confiscated 34 assorted high-powered firearms with tampered serial numbers and thousands of ammo intended for the Ampatuans but senior military officers and politicians interceded for their release; and when he filed cases against a police provincial director and a mayor, these were simply dropped and he was relieved of his command in Marawi.
Querubin’s statement is a must read as it reveals more conspiracies between the AFP generals and the corrupt political cabal of GMA, including the connivance between Generals Senga and Demaala to intercede for the release of the firearms to the Ampatuans because, as Senga said, he was instructed “… look for ways (on) how to help (Gov. Ampatuan) since the Palace had asked him (Senga) to...” Querubin is a Filipino who may have “walked into” corruption; but he courageously turned and marched away, and fought against it.
With Col. Querubin is another true soldier, Gen. Danilo Lim, who up to now refuses to apply for amnesty as this, he says, would “mean that nothing wrong happened during the time of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.” Compare these to Angelo Reyes’ story.
From the justices of the CA who penned the decision, supporting justice for electricity consumers against the feared swindle of Meralco and Napocor; to the countless and unnamed consumer advocates fighting without even reimbursement of personal costs; to the gallant and genuine “Soldiers of the People” like Gen. Danilo Lim, Col. Ariel Querubin, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Maj. Jason Aquino, and the many men (and women) of the Bagong Katipuneros (Magdalos) and Para sa Bayan (PsB), all true Filipino heroes stand proud.
Shame on those Gloria Arroyo hacks in print and broadcast media who praise the cowardly and corrupt cheats; and demean the true, the brave, and the noble Filipino heroes!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com and listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/18/2011
Last Feb. 14, the Court of Appeals’ First Division extended the 60-day temporary restraining order it issued last Dec. 1, 2010 on the implementation of the P14.3-billion settlement of penalties between the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and the National Power Corp. (Napocor).
Penned by Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao and concurred with by Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justice Jan Aurora Lantion, that decision said, “…there is indeed an urgent need for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction in order to preserve the status quo of the pending controversy until the merits of the case have been fully adjudicated upon and to forestall the injurious effects, which may be grave and irreparable, that may result from the defiance of such status quo.”
Such status quo stemmed from Meralco’s violation of its 10-year supply contract with Napocor, which case Meralco lost, and where ensuing negotiations metamorphosed into a settlement in which both parties agreed to pass on the accrued penalties to Meralco’s customers.
Given this blatant transfer of liabilities from the supply contract violator (Meralco) to its electricity users, power consumer advocacy groups waged a vigorous campaign to save all of Meralco’s consumers from another illegal, unjust, oppressive, and exploitative “pass-on” cost that the power distributor was solely responsible for.
How Napocor agreed to such a settlement is simply reprehensible; one can only conclude that, again, as it often happens with such cases, some officials were corrupted into acquiescing to such a deal, thinking that the public would be none the wiser. Thankfully, they were wrong.
Consumer advocacy groups, such as Nasecore (National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms), FDC (Freedom from Debt Coalition), EmPower, Sulo ng Pilipino, Kaakbay, Bayan, and others stepped up to the plate by wielding their bats to fight off this new ambush. And it was an unrelenting battle indeed. Not only were they up against Meralco’s great financial resources; they also had to deal with mainstream media’s persistent focus on the fleeting and petty.
Amid the public’s general bewilderment about the vital issues of the day, we take our hats off to leaders such as Mang Naro Lualhati (who helped win our P30-billion refund before); Pete Ilagan and the Nasecore lawyers; writers like Butch Junia; as well as all the others who led and supported such efforts for helping us (captive electricity consumers) win another major victory against Meralco’s unending predation--this, despite meager resources and struggling against protest fatigue.
Crucial to this victory, too, were the CA justices who took the principled stand of not merely “walk(ing) in to corruption” as Angie Reyes did and accepting “things as they are.”
Last Wednesday, former Marine Col. Ariel Querubin filed his application for amnesty after a general court martial junked his motion to dismiss the mutiny charge against him. One of the few living awardees of the Medal of Valor, Querubin attached a narration of facts explaining the events that led to the standoff at the Marine HQ in 2006. He told of being approached by US servicemen and young AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines ) officers who reported “rampant election fraud” in the 2004 presidential elections, becoming “the repository of… gripes and grievances” of those who “witnessed cheating or… themselves were used to manipulate the results of the 2004 election in favor of Gloria Arroyo.”
He was astonished when superiors told him, as he told Tribune, “not to rock the boat and not to be naïve. They told me that everybody cheats in the election and GMA was the lesser evil.” Of course, they couldn’t tell him that Gloria also gave out hundreds of millions back then and was to later reward those “higher AFP authorities” very handsomely.
Querubin continues: “…nobody (among his higher-ups) did anything, even after we brought up the matter to the chairman of the Senate defense committee (then Senator Rodolfo Biazon) who is a former soldier. The US servicemen were sent back to the States…”
When the Mayuga fact finding committee was formed to look into the military’s involvement in the electoral fraud, Querubin informed Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga that there were officers willing to testify on the election cheating but they were never called to give their statements.
Further, Querubin’s brigade confiscated 34 assorted high-powered firearms with tampered serial numbers and thousands of ammo intended for the Ampatuans but senior military officers and politicians interceded for their release; and when he filed cases against a police provincial director and a mayor, these were simply dropped and he was relieved of his command in Marawi.
Querubin’s statement is a must read as it reveals more conspiracies between the AFP generals and the corrupt political cabal of GMA, including the connivance between Generals Senga and Demaala to intercede for the release of the firearms to the Ampatuans because, as Senga said, he was instructed “… look for ways (on) how to help (Gov. Ampatuan) since the Palace had asked him (Senga) to...” Querubin is a Filipino who may have “walked into” corruption; but he courageously turned and marched away, and fought against it.
With Col. Querubin is another true soldier, Gen. Danilo Lim, who up to now refuses to apply for amnesty as this, he says, would “mean that nothing wrong happened during the time of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.” Compare these to Angelo Reyes’ story.
From the justices of the CA who penned the decision, supporting justice for electricity consumers against the feared swindle of Meralco and Napocor; to the countless and unnamed consumer advocates fighting without even reimbursement of personal costs; to the gallant and genuine “Soldiers of the People” like Gen. Danilo Lim, Col. Ariel Querubin, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Maj. Jason Aquino, and the many men (and women) of the Bagong Katipuneros (Magdalos) and Para sa Bayan (PsB), all true Filipino heroes stand proud.
Shame on those Gloria Arroyo hacks in print and broadcast media who praise the cowardly and corrupt cheats; and demean the true, the brave, and the noble Filipino heroes!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “Sorry Yellow Movement” with Charito Planas and Linggoy Alcuaz; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com and listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
On Tulfo’s false allegations against Trillanes
(Please retrieve the link for me. I'm too lazy to do it. Thanks.)
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27:00 07/14/2009
Filed Under: Antonio Trillanes IV
Please allow me to respond to Ramon Tulfo’s personal attacks against Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV. (Inquirer, 7/7/09)
1. Many cars. Trillanes never owned any luxury vehicles when he was in the military. Trillanes’ only vehicle when he was with the Navy was a second-hand Nissan Terrano, which he sold in 2007 to finance his campaign. The fact is, in 2003, an ill-gotten wealth case relating to the alleged vehicles was dismissed because the documents the CIDG submitted in support of its allegation were found to be spurious: the vehicles were supposedly registered under his name in 1900!
2. House in exclusive village. Trillanes does not own a house in an exclusive village. And he did not own a house at all when he was still with the Navy. He and his family used to live at his wife’s quarters at the PMA in Baguio City. Trillanes, however, recently acquired a vacant lot (300 sq m) also at the Town and Country Homes under Pag-Ibig’s Home Financing II Program. You can verify these claims with the Register of Deeds of Rizal and Pag-Ibig.
3. Tiff with Dutchman and wife. The couple referred to, Anastacia Santarin and Adrian de Jager, have been locked in a dispute with a certain Estelita Pabalan over a vacant lot (there was no house) in Novaliches since 1999. The property was leased by Trillanes—who did not know of the dispute—as parking lot for his mother’s rent-a-van business in early 2003. Sometime in March 2003, Santarin and De Jager forced their way into the premises, shoved the caretaker out and refused to leave. When Trillanes was informed of the incident, he went to talk to Santarin. He never met De Jager. Due to the couple’s refusal to leave, Trillanes reported the matter to the barangay chair. That was the extent of his participation in this matter.
A few days later, Pabalan and the caretaker reported the matter to the police. When they came to investigate, the policemen were attacked by De Jager with a knife. The policemen arrested De Jager and charged him in court with attempted homicide. He was jailed because of this and not because of anything that Trillanes did. In fact, Trillanes had no involvement whatsoever in either the land dispute case or De Jager’s criminal case. Court records bear this out.
After the Oakwood incident, this couple tried to cut a deal with the government by offering themselves as witnesses against Trillanes in exchange for a favorable ruling in the land dispute. Fortunately, the police and/or prosecutors found their claim to be dubious and incredible. The couple later filed a case against Trillanes before the Ombudsman but the case was dismissed for lack of merit.
4. Abusive behavior. Tulfo claims that Trillanes was abusive when he was a mere Navy lieutenant and that Trillanes was a “problem detainee as [he] always quarreled with [his] jailers.”
Apart from Tulfo and the De Jager couple with their bogus and recycled claims, we are not aware of anyone who claims to have been victimized by Trillanes’ so-called abuses.
—REYNALDO B. ROBLES,
legal counsel of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV,
Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm,
Suite 2205-B, 22nd Floor,
Philippine Stock Exchange Centre,
Tektite East Tower, Exchange Road,
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:27:00 07/14/2009
Filed Under: Antonio Trillanes IV
Please allow me to respond to Ramon Tulfo’s personal attacks against Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV. (Inquirer, 7/7/09)
1. Many cars. Trillanes never owned any luxury vehicles when he was in the military. Trillanes’ only vehicle when he was with the Navy was a second-hand Nissan Terrano, which he sold in 2007 to finance his campaign. The fact is, in 2003, an ill-gotten wealth case relating to the alleged vehicles was dismissed because the documents the CIDG submitted in support of its allegation were found to be spurious: the vehicles were supposedly registered under his name in 1900!
2. House in exclusive village. Trillanes does not own a house in an exclusive village. And he did not own a house at all when he was still with the Navy. He and his family used to live at his wife’s quarters at the PMA in Baguio City. Trillanes, however, recently acquired a vacant lot (300 sq m) also at the Town and Country Homes under Pag-Ibig’s Home Financing II Program. You can verify these claims with the Register of Deeds of Rizal and Pag-Ibig.
3. Tiff with Dutchman and wife. The couple referred to, Anastacia Santarin and Adrian de Jager, have been locked in a dispute with a certain Estelita Pabalan over a vacant lot (there was no house) in Novaliches since 1999. The property was leased by Trillanes—who did not know of the dispute—as parking lot for his mother’s rent-a-van business in early 2003. Sometime in March 2003, Santarin and De Jager forced their way into the premises, shoved the caretaker out and refused to leave. When Trillanes was informed of the incident, he went to talk to Santarin. He never met De Jager. Due to the couple’s refusal to leave, Trillanes reported the matter to the barangay chair. That was the extent of his participation in this matter.
A few days later, Pabalan and the caretaker reported the matter to the police. When they came to investigate, the policemen were attacked by De Jager with a knife. The policemen arrested De Jager and charged him in court with attempted homicide. He was jailed because of this and not because of anything that Trillanes did. In fact, Trillanes had no involvement whatsoever in either the land dispute case or De Jager’s criminal case. Court records bear this out.
After the Oakwood incident, this couple tried to cut a deal with the government by offering themselves as witnesses against Trillanes in exchange for a favorable ruling in the land dispute. Fortunately, the police and/or prosecutors found their claim to be dubious and incredible. The couple later filed a case against Trillanes before the Ombudsman but the case was dismissed for lack of merit.
4. Abusive behavior. Tulfo claims that Trillanes was abusive when he was a mere Navy lieutenant and that Trillanes was a “problem detainee as [he] always quarreled with [his] jailers.”
Apart from Tulfo and the De Jager couple with their bogus and recycled claims, we are not aware of anyone who claims to have been victimized by Trillanes’ so-called abuses.
—REYNALDO B. ROBLES,
legal counsel of Sen. Antonio F. Trillanes IV,
Chan Robles & Associates Law Firm,
Suite 2205-B, 22nd Floor,
Philippine Stock Exchange Centre,
Tektite East Tower, Exchange Road,
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Solons not prosecutors; PR men not journalists
CRITIC'S CRITIC
Mentong Laurel
2/14-20/2011
This is the second salvo of our four times a week column critiquing critics from all branches of media, as well as from all other sectors of society. This means that anyone and everyone who criticizes may be criticized here, including yours truly, whose opinions you can lambast to your heart's delight, which my editor will certainly find space for.
Before we proceed, let me first acknowledge the great help we are getting from former Rep. Willy Villarama who sends us a daily dose of headlines and columns from at least nine major mainstream and smaller cross current newspapers, such as the PDI, PhilStar, Manila Bulletin, Tribune, Malaya, Manila Standard Today, Manila Times, BusinessWorld, and Business Mirror. Willy started collating these articles for his own analysis and named this compilation, "Ka Willing Willie Balita." Its Feb. 10 issue is what I'm using for this week's reviews.
Our first item is from the Manila Times column of "DR." Dante Ang entitled, "Legislators are not prosecutors." Many long periods had gone before solons got into extended inquisitions of resource persons ostensibly in aid of legislation but quite often in aid of re-election. However, I clearly don't see the present efforts of Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Antonio Trillanes IV as anything but a serious pursuit of a truth that has bothered the nation's consciousness ever since the Jan. 2001 power grab called Edsa Dos, where Ang figured significantly as a PR spin master for Gloria Arroyo and the Yellow forces. Angie Reyes was pivotal in the power grab, too; hence, the perceived special treatments he got, including the "pabaons" and the very rare series of four juicy Cabinet positions.
Can PR Men be Journalists?
Solons indeed should not be prosecutors, but reading "DR." Dante Ang's piece provokes the question: Can PR men be journalists? Many journalists moonlight as some sort of media adviser, consultant, ghost writer and/or special operator to various concerns, from business organizations to politicians. But is this ethical at all?
Moreover, despite "DR." Dante Ang's lofty title, from a Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila doctorate he obtained in 2005 (which by the way is now under scrutiny by Education authorities; a matter that's also being investigated by our colleague who goes by the alias, "Oliver"), dyed-in-the-wool, hard line journalists still flinch upon seeing the PR man heading a supposed journalism school that bears his name. But it seems Mr. Ang is in "good" company.
Another prominent member of his ilk, Teddy "Boy" Locsin, a superb writer whose journalistic wit is much sought after, acting as speechwriter to all the presidents who have sat in Malacanang since Edsa I, is also a class unto himself. Teflon seems to cover everything he does despite the apparent conflicts-of-interest. Why, Locsin has even parlayed his journalistic fame to a congressional seat.
Comfort the Discomfit
Not to be outdone, Dante Ang has parlayed his PR skils into multifarious business spin-offs, too, especially during the Arroyo era, when his influence helped him acquire the Manila Times, as well as a bank chairmanship and a Cabinet post on OFWs, among many other things.
Journalists are supposed to "discomfit the comfortable and comfort the discomfited." Yet Dante Ang has always been with the comfortably powerful; and maybe just like Angie Reyes, the time will soon come when the murky doings of other Arroyo factotums will come to light.
So can be a PR man rightfully claim to be a journalist? Only when he spends 90 percent of his time as a journalist--not as a PR man.
To Die with Honor
Meanwhile, the Feb. 10 edition of BusinessWorld had Solita Monsod's "Dying with Honor" on Angelo Reyes, likening Angie's gun-to-the-heart suicide to the Japanese warrior's ritual knife-to-the-gut self kill (plunging a short blade into the gut left to right) to show one's courage and sacrifice, not only to face death, but enduring the pain of disembowelment and slow death.
Frankly, the parallel was badly drawn. Angie Reyes' suicide was a cop-out that created a giant hole in the AFP corruption puzzle that was already being pieced together as the Senate hearings, as so many other wiser columnists such as Dick Pascual of The Philippine Star observed. But for Solita Monsod, Angie Reyes is a hero; whereas all I can see is that he cut the road of the investigations that would have led to the possible mastermind of it all--Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (a doll of which Monsod seems to keep in her closet).
As I mentioned, Federico "Dick" Pascual's "Postscript" had a more insightful and powerful take on the issue. Entitled, "Reyes lost his chance to prove his innocence," one section in his lengthy column reads: "BANTAY SALAKAY? Not everybody, however, would agree. While a few may welcome a momentary pause in the investigation, the bigger majority tired of government corruption would want to see through the cleansing process. I share the view that Reyes' death will not, and should not, put sudden closure to the revolting revelations of how millions had been routinely stolen by the Caesars of the armed service. It is ironic that the Armed Forces is enshrined in the Declaration of Principles in the Constitution (Article II, Section 3) as the "protector of the people and the State."
Witness the massive thievery at the top echelons! While we condole with the family of the general, we should not allow his death--or that of others who might follow his violent exit -- to cut short the investigations and the prosecution of the guilty parties.
Dreams should Never Die
I will end this week's Critic's Critics with the column of the Three Stooges of Gloria Arroyo in media today. Rigoberto "Bobbie" Tiglao's "Outlook" entitled "Our dreams will never die," referring to the slogan of the RAM (Reform the AFP Movement) of the Col. Greg Honasan and company in its early years against the Cory Aquino government, attempts to shift the focus of the Reyes suicide imbroglio away from the corruption under Gloria to what he insinuates is the desire of militarists to grab power. Coming from another media hatchet man of the Edsa Dos power grabber, this is certainly laughable.
In his own words, "In all these, the RAM and the Magdalo's dream--which could be our nightmare--certainly hasn't died: grabbing power." But isn't that precisely what his lord Madame and master Gloria Arroyo did in Jan. 2001, onto which he took a ride to gain his dreams of a Cabinet rank, an ambassadorship, and probably a sinecure today? It's a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on "The Roots of RP's Systemic Corruption" with Mang Naro Lualhati, Atty. "Batas" Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Mentong Laurel
2/14-20/2011
This is the second salvo of our four times a week column critiquing critics from all branches of media, as well as from all other sectors of society. This means that anyone and everyone who criticizes may be criticized here, including yours truly, whose opinions you can lambast to your heart's delight, which my editor will certainly find space for.
Before we proceed, let me first acknowledge the great help we are getting from former Rep. Willy Villarama who sends us a daily dose of headlines and columns from at least nine major mainstream and smaller cross current newspapers, such as the PDI, PhilStar, Manila Bulletin, Tribune, Malaya, Manila Standard Today, Manila Times, BusinessWorld, and Business Mirror. Willy started collating these articles for his own analysis and named this compilation, "Ka Willing Willie Balita." Its Feb. 10 issue is what I'm using for this week's reviews.
Our first item is from the Manila Times column of "DR." Dante Ang entitled, "Legislators are not prosecutors." Many long periods had gone before solons got into extended inquisitions of resource persons ostensibly in aid of legislation but quite often in aid of re-election. However, I clearly don't see the present efforts of Senators Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and Antonio Trillanes IV as anything but a serious pursuit of a truth that has bothered the nation's consciousness ever since the Jan. 2001 power grab called Edsa Dos, where Ang figured significantly as a PR spin master for Gloria Arroyo and the Yellow forces. Angie Reyes was pivotal in the power grab, too; hence, the perceived special treatments he got, including the "pabaons" and the very rare series of four juicy Cabinet positions.
Can PR Men be Journalists?
Solons indeed should not be prosecutors, but reading "DR." Dante Ang's piece provokes the question: Can PR men be journalists? Many journalists moonlight as some sort of media adviser, consultant, ghost writer and/or special operator to various concerns, from business organizations to politicians. But is this ethical at all?
Moreover, despite "DR." Dante Ang's lofty title, from a Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila doctorate he obtained in 2005 (which by the way is now under scrutiny by Education authorities; a matter that's also being investigated by our colleague who goes by the alias, "Oliver"), dyed-in-the-wool, hard line journalists still flinch upon seeing the PR man heading a supposed journalism school that bears his name. But it seems Mr. Ang is in "good" company.
Another prominent member of his ilk, Teddy "Boy" Locsin, a superb writer whose journalistic wit is much sought after, acting as speechwriter to all the presidents who have sat in Malacanang since Edsa I, is also a class unto himself. Teflon seems to cover everything he does despite the apparent conflicts-of-interest. Why, Locsin has even parlayed his journalistic fame to a congressional seat.
Comfort the Discomfit
Not to be outdone, Dante Ang has parlayed his PR skils into multifarious business spin-offs, too, especially during the Arroyo era, when his influence helped him acquire the Manila Times, as well as a bank chairmanship and a Cabinet post on OFWs, among many other things.
Journalists are supposed to "discomfit the comfortable and comfort the discomfited." Yet Dante Ang has always been with the comfortably powerful; and maybe just like Angie Reyes, the time will soon come when the murky doings of other Arroyo factotums will come to light.
So can be a PR man rightfully claim to be a journalist? Only when he spends 90 percent of his time as a journalist--not as a PR man.
To Die with Honor
Meanwhile, the Feb. 10 edition of BusinessWorld had Solita Monsod's "Dying with Honor" on Angelo Reyes, likening Angie's gun-to-the-heart suicide to the Japanese warrior's ritual knife-to-the-gut self kill (plunging a short blade into the gut left to right) to show one's courage and sacrifice, not only to face death, but enduring the pain of disembowelment and slow death.
Frankly, the parallel was badly drawn. Angie Reyes' suicide was a cop-out that created a giant hole in the AFP corruption puzzle that was already being pieced together as the Senate hearings, as so many other wiser columnists such as Dick Pascual of The Philippine Star observed. But for Solita Monsod, Angie Reyes is a hero; whereas all I can see is that he cut the road of the investigations that would have led to the possible mastermind of it all--Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (a doll of which Monsod seems to keep in her closet).
As I mentioned, Federico "Dick" Pascual's "Postscript" had a more insightful and powerful take on the issue. Entitled, "Reyes lost his chance to prove his innocence," one section in his lengthy column reads: "BANTAY SALAKAY? Not everybody, however, would agree. While a few may welcome a momentary pause in the investigation, the bigger majority tired of government corruption would want to see through the cleansing process. I share the view that Reyes' death will not, and should not, put sudden closure to the revolting revelations of how millions had been routinely stolen by the Caesars of the armed service. It is ironic that the Armed Forces is enshrined in the Declaration of Principles in the Constitution (Article II, Section 3) as the "protector of the people and the State."
Witness the massive thievery at the top echelons! While we condole with the family of the general, we should not allow his death--or that of others who might follow his violent exit -- to cut short the investigations and the prosecution of the guilty parties.
Dreams should Never Die
I will end this week's Critic's Critics with the column of the Three Stooges of Gloria Arroyo in media today. Rigoberto "Bobbie" Tiglao's "Outlook" entitled "Our dreams will never die," referring to the slogan of the RAM (Reform the AFP Movement) of the Col. Greg Honasan and company in its early years against the Cory Aquino government, attempts to shift the focus of the Reyes suicide imbroglio away from the corruption under Gloria to what he insinuates is the desire of militarists to grab power. Coming from another media hatchet man of the Edsa Dos power grabber, this is certainly laughable.
In his own words, "In all these, the RAM and the Magdalo's dream--which could be our nightmare--certainly hasn't died: grabbing power." But isn't that precisely what his lord Madame and master Gloria Arroyo did in Jan. 2001, onto which he took a ride to gain his dreams of a Cabinet rank, an ambassadorship, and probably a sinecure today? It's a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on "The Roots of RP's Systemic Corruption" with Mang Naro Lualhati, Atty. "Batas" Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Monday, February 14, 2011
Behind 'closed doors' hide the rats
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/14/2011
Fidel V. Ramos speaks with a twisted tongue and heart; he would make the weak brave and heroic, and the self-sacrificing and courageous a villain. FVR is twisting certain quarters’ perception of events by hurling aspersions on those pursuing the truth in the Senate hearings on widespread corruption in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).
Some RAM (Reform the Armed Forces Movement) veterans, such as Col. Proceso Maligalig, even fault underclassman Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for the suicide of Angelo Reyes, claiming that the senator’s alleged “shaming” of the late general did him in. But shouldn’t Reyes have spilled all the beans earlier to spare himself of any and all shame?
Why such crap coming from them? Are they fearful that their past relations to these “pabaon,” “pasalubong,” and “conversion” practices may be uncovered, as some retired officers credit this top Yellow general for the introduction of this corrupt system?
My previous column placed the onus of the systemic corruption within Philippine society and the AFP on both the ruling class and the principal foreign power. Through their financial, monetary, foreign, media and political policies, they set the parameters for this country’s governance and shape society in their perverted image.
Hence, an extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of a few powerful families (or oligarchs) tied to the foreign power’s coattails continues. Together, they systematically impoverish the nation by, first of all, ensuring that government institutions give out ridiculously low salaries to mendicant officials who will be perpetually addicted to graft and corruption as an “unofficial” means of attaining a modicum of fine living.
Because of this, officials from every branch of government have rackets to augment their ridiculously low incomes. Supreme Court justices, for example, are accused of raiding the Judiciary Development Fund (much like a former Chief Justice) or selling case decisions (often involving land disputes); while Comelec syndicates abound; and the Department of Budget and Management releases funds only after percentages are deducted, ad nausea.
The inquiries are best laid bare before the public than shoved back to the “Old Boys’ Club,” where that top Yellow general is said to be a major enabler. As a decorated AFP man and West Point grad, this noted trapo is credited with the issuance of “envelopes” during his days as a general while making camp visits and the proliferation of jueteng when he was still chief of the Philippine Constabulary.
The solons definitely knew about the pabaons long before, which we wrote about as early as 2005. Why then did it have to take a Heidi Mendoza, George Rabusa or Antonio Lim to be prodded by Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Trillanes to force the issue out?
Perhaps the silence and now apparent turnaround of some wimpy legislators in the conduct of these public investigations is that many of them are no different from these tainted AFP generals. After all, don’t most of them benefit from “pork barrel,” lobby money, as well as cash-for-privilege speeches cum exposés, and the like?
Those who can’t take the heat can kill themselves, but the truth must out. The overwhelming popular demand is for more open hearings, as the nation now has a rare, historic opportunity to flush out all the shame and to turn over a new leaf.
This popular sentiment is all over and here are parts of an e-mail circulating today that reads “Launch Non-Stop Campaign Against Corruption, Shame The Corrupt, Redeem Our Land,” by Mila D. Aguilar (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=501011960917&id=588112853):
“I am a jobless widow about to reach 62 years of age, and have nothing to lose but my life… Today, I am hearing calls to ‘moderate’ the investigations, turn the public hearings into closed-door ‘executive sessions,’ and generally, to ‘respect’ the ‘institution’ that is the AFP. I am also getting messages on FB trying to show how hopeless the situation is in many variegated ways. I smell a rat, and the rat is human. It infests not only the AFP, but ALL government offices, almost without exception. It has its tentacles in the private sector. And we all know it. But most of us think the only thing we can do is to do our own little good thing. Or in fact, not do anything at all. This despite the fact that we have already been gifted by God with a Heidi Mendoza and a General Rabusa. Can’t we see a candle — two candles — when they’ve already been lighted?... So in the light of recent developments… let me propose the following:
1. Do not ever consent to stopping the public, open-door hearings on corruption in the AFP, even if on the grounds that these are generated by politicians out for vengeance. It does not matter who or why…
2. What matters about the public open-door hearings is that the guilty are brought to shame, and the not-so-guilty are made to reflect on their own guilt.
3. Public hearings are our only way… to bring our nation to righteousness, by showing all and sundry what distinguishes right from wrong…
4. With our courts in disarray, shame is our only weapon now against misfits, so let us bring them to shame. With no viable legal means left at our disposal... we are constrained to use our culture of hiya, and use it to the hilt.
5. Let us bring the corrupt to shame through (various means)… Let us use our pens wisely…
6. Go to the streets, light a candle, hoot a horn, show that you are against corruption…
7. And most of all… Pray that the guilty will repent, and if they do not… That they will be punished, here and in the hereafter. Pray that the millions will wake up to righteousness… (and) For a final, absolute end to corruption.
Our call is: Oy kurap, tumigil ka! Tama na, sobra na!...”
And with it, I add: Expose the oligarchs, too! That will surely flush out the rats from our system.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “The Roots of RP’s Systemic Corruption: The Oligarchy;” visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/14/2011
Fidel V. Ramos speaks with a twisted tongue and heart; he would make the weak brave and heroic, and the self-sacrificing and courageous a villain. FVR is twisting certain quarters’ perception of events by hurling aspersions on those pursuing the truth in the Senate hearings on widespread corruption in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).
Some RAM (Reform the Armed Forces Movement) veterans, such as Col. Proceso Maligalig, even fault underclassman Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for the suicide of Angelo Reyes, claiming that the senator’s alleged “shaming” of the late general did him in. But shouldn’t Reyes have spilled all the beans earlier to spare himself of any and all shame?
Why such crap coming from them? Are they fearful that their past relations to these “pabaon,” “pasalubong,” and “conversion” practices may be uncovered, as some retired officers credit this top Yellow general for the introduction of this corrupt system?
My previous column placed the onus of the systemic corruption within Philippine society and the AFP on both the ruling class and the principal foreign power. Through their financial, monetary, foreign, media and political policies, they set the parameters for this country’s governance and shape society in their perverted image.
Hence, an extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of a few powerful families (or oligarchs) tied to the foreign power’s coattails continues. Together, they systematically impoverish the nation by, first of all, ensuring that government institutions give out ridiculously low salaries to mendicant officials who will be perpetually addicted to graft and corruption as an “unofficial” means of attaining a modicum of fine living.
Because of this, officials from every branch of government have rackets to augment their ridiculously low incomes. Supreme Court justices, for example, are accused of raiding the Judiciary Development Fund (much like a former Chief Justice) or selling case decisions (often involving land disputes); while Comelec syndicates abound; and the Department of Budget and Management releases funds only after percentages are deducted, ad nausea.
The inquiries are best laid bare before the public than shoved back to the “Old Boys’ Club,” where that top Yellow general is said to be a major enabler. As a decorated AFP man and West Point grad, this noted trapo is credited with the issuance of “envelopes” during his days as a general while making camp visits and the proliferation of jueteng when he was still chief of the Philippine Constabulary.
The solons definitely knew about the pabaons long before, which we wrote about as early as 2005. Why then did it have to take a Heidi Mendoza, George Rabusa or Antonio Lim to be prodded by Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Trillanes to force the issue out?
Perhaps the silence and now apparent turnaround of some wimpy legislators in the conduct of these public investigations is that many of them are no different from these tainted AFP generals. After all, don’t most of them benefit from “pork barrel,” lobby money, as well as cash-for-privilege speeches cum exposés, and the like?
Those who can’t take the heat can kill themselves, but the truth must out. The overwhelming popular demand is for more open hearings, as the nation now has a rare, historic opportunity to flush out all the shame and to turn over a new leaf.
This popular sentiment is all over and here are parts of an e-mail circulating today that reads “Launch Non-Stop Campaign Against Corruption, Shame The Corrupt, Redeem Our Land,” by Mila D. Aguilar (http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=501011960917&id=588112853):
“I am a jobless widow about to reach 62 years of age, and have nothing to lose but my life… Today, I am hearing calls to ‘moderate’ the investigations, turn the public hearings into closed-door ‘executive sessions,’ and generally, to ‘respect’ the ‘institution’ that is the AFP. I am also getting messages on FB trying to show how hopeless the situation is in many variegated ways. I smell a rat, and the rat is human. It infests not only the AFP, but ALL government offices, almost without exception. It has its tentacles in the private sector. And we all know it. But most of us think the only thing we can do is to do our own little good thing. Or in fact, not do anything at all. This despite the fact that we have already been gifted by God with a Heidi Mendoza and a General Rabusa. Can’t we see a candle — two candles — when they’ve already been lighted?... So in the light of recent developments… let me propose the following:
1. Do not ever consent to stopping the public, open-door hearings on corruption in the AFP, even if on the grounds that these are generated by politicians out for vengeance. It does not matter who or why…
2. What matters about the public open-door hearings is that the guilty are brought to shame, and the not-so-guilty are made to reflect on their own guilt.
3. Public hearings are our only way… to bring our nation to righteousness, by showing all and sundry what distinguishes right from wrong…
4. With our courts in disarray, shame is our only weapon now against misfits, so let us bring them to shame. With no viable legal means left at our disposal... we are constrained to use our culture of hiya, and use it to the hilt.
5. Let us bring the corrupt to shame through (various means)… Let us use our pens wisely…
6. Go to the streets, light a candle, hoot a horn, show that you are against corruption…
7. And most of all… Pray that the guilty will repent, and if they do not… That they will be punished, here and in the hereafter. Pray that the millions will wake up to righteousness… (and) For a final, absolute end to corruption.
Our call is: Oy kurap, tumigil ka! Tama na, sobra na!...”
And with it, I add: Expose the oligarchs, too! That will surely flush out the rats from our system.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “The Roots of RP’s Systemic Corruption: The Oligarchy;” visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
ERC Case No. 2008-092 CC
REITERATION OF MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR REFUND OF RATES FOR RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS IN THE AMOUNT OF PHP 39.00 BILLION FOR THE YEAR 2004-2007.
(For a higher resolution, click on the images.)
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR REFUND OF RATES FOR RESIDENTIAL CONSUMERS IN THE AMOUNT OF PHP 39.00 BILLION FOR THE YEAR 2004-2007.
(For a higher resolution, click on the images.)
Friday, February 11, 2011
The root of RP’s systemic corruption
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/11/2011
I checked the Chan Robles Internet law library and found Republic Act 9166 of June 2002 defining the lawful salary of a general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), under “Section 2. Pay Schedule,” as: General, P30,000 (a month); Lieutenant General, P29,000; Major General, P28,000; Brigadier General, P27,000; and so on.
An AFP officer confirmed these figures’ continuing validity today. Thus, with a few extra compensation, such as combat pay, the total take would bring the general’s legal income to only about P50,000 a month. Given this, can any AFP general, commodore, or admiral expect to maintain a standard of living that befits a member of the top echelons of society?
That would be ridiculous to expect. Though some generals and navy brass do live on their meager incomes — which is why nothing irregular is heard of them — others find unseemly ways to attain what they believe they deserve.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is another such case, where the directors generals’ and various superintendents’ official salaries will never be able to compete with those of Makati junior executives by any stretch. Hence, the necessity of underground activities such as jueteng becoming part of their regular unofficial payroll, from the national down to the local level.
Election upon election promises and threats of damnation from politicians and a long list of Catholic prelates alike have not stopped these jueteng operations from flourishing. Not even the much-vaunted Yellow saint Cory Aquino or her “heirs” have been able to put a lid on the wellspring of jueteng payola going to the PNP and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government).
Why? An insight into this can be gleaned from an encounter between a scion of the oligarchy and the anti-jueteng crusader, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, where the former was said to have told the bishop to “go easy on jueteng.” My thesis is that the oligarchy consciously wants illicit money sources such as jueteng to thrive in order to contribute largely to the unofficial real income of police generals and government officials. Otherwise, these dogs may just bite their master’s hands if he has nothing to feed them.
A president of the Philippines today officially earns P95,000 a month, which wouldn’t amount to, say, the cost of a brand new Porsche over a six-year term. Although that is 65 percent higher than the immediate predecessor’s monthly pay of P57,750 a month (with the increase signed by the predecessor just before the end of her term), the fact is, it is still low. Since the President’s pay is Salary Grade 33 in the official government pay schedule, the highest in government, all the rest necessarily have to be below that — except for institutions with special pay scales such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), where janitors can get as much as AFP generals.
Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gets $2.8 million today, once made a widely reported tongue-in-cheek comment about a Philippine president’s salary being among the lowest in the world. Even so, a Philippine president can still rake in amounts that rival the highest incomes in the world — but from under-the-table “proceeds.”
If one were to follow government corruption like a maze and work back to its starting point, one may well find this ridiculous government pay schedule as the root of it all. An AFP or PNP general, or even a Cabinet official, with just an official monthly salary that approximates the take home pay of a veteran call center agent doesn’t make sense.
So it has become a way of life among those in government to accept these unofficial incomes as a natural part of the job — as natural as MWSS personnel getting their 30-month bonuses from water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad, as if they aren’t supposed to regulate these firms; and as natural as the secretary of Finance cashing in on the CodeNGO deal with fat commissions! You see, it’s not only the generals.
The entire government pay scale is designed to institutionalize dependency on the unofficial, underground and illegal to augment our officials’ pauper-level pays. Whenever I suggest to politicians to do as Singapore does, I always find inexplicable their non-appreciation of the logic. Perhaps it’s because it takes away their excuse for continuously promoting the graft?
After all, the situation is perfect for those who want unlimited graft revenues, where oligarchs control the political leadership through all sorts of bribes or blackmail (as carried out by their media outlets), or even their influence over US-controlled anti-corruption watchdogs such as Transparency International.
Generals Garcia, Rabusa, Ligot, et al.; the PNP and DILG jueteng roster; and lest we forget, regulatory bodies like the Energy Regulatory Commission and the MWSS, ad infinitum, are all controlled by the oligarchy and its foreign partner, the US (the one that really exposed Garcia), through this system that’s designed for corruption.
Understandably, the AFP is flogging itself for the mire of corruption it is in. But to continue doing so, without probing deeper, will just be unfair to the institution. Our AFP men and women should start aiming their sights on the real culprits — the oligarchy and the structure of corruption it has institutionalized through its politicians and media. Such is the root of systemic corruption in this land!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “The Roots of RP’s Systemic Corruption;” visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/11/2011
I checked the Chan Robles Internet law library and found Republic Act 9166 of June 2002 defining the lawful salary of a general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), under “Section 2. Pay Schedule,” as: General, P30,000 (a month); Lieutenant General, P29,000; Major General, P28,000; Brigadier General, P27,000; and so on.
An AFP officer confirmed these figures’ continuing validity today. Thus, with a few extra compensation, such as combat pay, the total take would bring the general’s legal income to only about P50,000 a month. Given this, can any AFP general, commodore, or admiral expect to maintain a standard of living that befits a member of the top echelons of society?
That would be ridiculous to expect. Though some generals and navy brass do live on their meager incomes — which is why nothing irregular is heard of them — others find unseemly ways to attain what they believe they deserve.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) is another such case, where the directors generals’ and various superintendents’ official salaries will never be able to compete with those of Makati junior executives by any stretch. Hence, the necessity of underground activities such as jueteng becoming part of their regular unofficial payroll, from the national down to the local level.
Election upon election promises and threats of damnation from politicians and a long list of Catholic prelates alike have not stopped these jueteng operations from flourishing. Not even the much-vaunted Yellow saint Cory Aquino or her “heirs” have been able to put a lid on the wellspring of jueteng payola going to the PNP and the DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government).
Why? An insight into this can be gleaned from an encounter between a scion of the oligarchy and the anti-jueteng crusader, Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, where the former was said to have told the bishop to “go easy on jueteng.” My thesis is that the oligarchy consciously wants illicit money sources such as jueteng to thrive in order to contribute largely to the unofficial real income of police generals and government officials. Otherwise, these dogs may just bite their master’s hands if he has nothing to feed them.
A president of the Philippines today officially earns P95,000 a month, which wouldn’t amount to, say, the cost of a brand new Porsche over a six-year term. Although that is 65 percent higher than the immediate predecessor’s monthly pay of P57,750 a month (with the increase signed by the predecessor just before the end of her term), the fact is, it is still low. Since the President’s pay is Salary Grade 33 in the official government pay schedule, the highest in government, all the rest necessarily have to be below that — except for institutions with special pay scales such as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), where janitors can get as much as AFP generals.
Singapore’s Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gets $2.8 million today, once made a widely reported tongue-in-cheek comment about a Philippine president’s salary being among the lowest in the world. Even so, a Philippine president can still rake in amounts that rival the highest incomes in the world — but from under-the-table “proceeds.”
If one were to follow government corruption like a maze and work back to its starting point, one may well find this ridiculous government pay schedule as the root of it all. An AFP or PNP general, or even a Cabinet official, with just an official monthly salary that approximates the take home pay of a veteran call center agent doesn’t make sense.
So it has become a way of life among those in government to accept these unofficial incomes as a natural part of the job — as natural as MWSS personnel getting their 30-month bonuses from water concessionaires Manila Water and Maynilad, as if they aren’t supposed to regulate these firms; and as natural as the secretary of Finance cashing in on the CodeNGO deal with fat commissions! You see, it’s not only the generals.
The entire government pay scale is designed to institutionalize dependency on the unofficial, underground and illegal to augment our officials’ pauper-level pays. Whenever I suggest to politicians to do as Singapore does, I always find inexplicable their non-appreciation of the logic. Perhaps it’s because it takes away their excuse for continuously promoting the graft?
After all, the situation is perfect for those who want unlimited graft revenues, where oligarchs control the political leadership through all sorts of bribes or blackmail (as carried out by their media outlets), or even their influence over US-controlled anti-corruption watchdogs such as Transparency International.
Generals Garcia, Rabusa, Ligot, et al.; the PNP and DILG jueteng roster; and lest we forget, regulatory bodies like the Energy Regulatory Commission and the MWSS, ad infinitum, are all controlled by the oligarchy and its foreign partner, the US (the one that really exposed Garcia), through this system that’s designed for corruption.
Understandably, the AFP is flogging itself for the mire of corruption it is in. But to continue doing so, without probing deeper, will just be unfair to the institution. Our AFP men and women should start aiming their sights on the real culprits — the oligarchy and the structure of corruption it has institutionalized through its politicians and media. Such is the root of systemic corruption in this land!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on “The Roots of RP’s Systemic Corruption;” visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Critiquing the critics
CRITIC'S CRITIC
Mentong Laurel
2/7-13/2011
OpinYon has enthusiastically acceded to introduce into this opinionated weekly a section that focuses on society's high and mighty critics by turning the microscope on them to scrutinize what they say and do, and to uncover whatever skeletons they may have in their closet.
The opening salvo is to be tackled by yours truly, Herman Tiu Laurel, a self-described nationalist and anti-imperialist crusader; self-employed; frequent political detainee since Martial Law all the way to the Manila Pen siege (with Trillanes, Danny Lim et al); part-time entrepreneur; consumer advocate; anti-Meralco crusader; and full-time guerrilla information warrior. The worse that can be said about me is that I'm an obnoxious, self-righteous pain-in-the-neck; an occasional anti-social who's also an intolerant Holocaust denier, ad nausea--all of which is true. But let me stress that, above all, I'm very studious with the issues I tackle as I am a dedicated truth seeker.
Now why do we turn our guns on the opinions of writers, especially those of major mainstream media dailies and broadcast networks? Because they lord it over with their opinions that are often wrong, shallow, self-serving, servile, infused with conflicts of interest, and immune from right-of-reply by virtue of their media's size, despite their downright misleading information.
The first on our crosshairs is the recent Feb. 1 column of Philippine Star's Billy Esposo where he lambasted Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes IV as "...boorish and seemed more like delinquents instead of Senators of the Republic," claiming that the manner of questioning by the two of former AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Chief-of-staff and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes "unwittingly generated public sympathy for (him) instead (and was) counterproductive."
Esposo never bothered to check out his points with the two senators, which I did with Trillanes. When I asked Sen. Trillanes about his agressive interrogation of Reyes (a PMA upperclassman who's at least 20 years his senior), he told me, "I tried to hold my punches... but when Reyes started from a very offensive and arrogant posture, which I believe was a tactic to intimidate the audience and the interrogators, I had to turn the tables on him."
Indeed, the other senators had a tendency to be deferential, as they often are to other high level colleagues whom they had associated with in government service.
As for Sen. Jinggoy, I haven't had any opportunity to ask him about this but his reply to Esposo's charges that he harbors a grudge on Reyes "for abandoning his father, the convicted former President Estrada" was that his father had, in fact, helped Reyes get confirmed by the Commission on Appointments--despite Reyes' open treachery at the height of Edsa II.
The one who really has a record of harboring a lot of unexplained and seemingly bigoted resentments against selected individuals is Esposo. Take his adjective for President Estrada as the convicted former president that oozes with malice.
It is historical fact that Erap's conviction was a politically-motivated act by a Kangaroo Court established by what is now unfolding to be a thoroughly corrupt and malevolent Gloria Arroyo regime. Esposo, of course, was one of the members of the conspiratorial group named COPA (Council of Philippine Affairs), which counts among its members such checkered characters as Peping Cojuangco (alleged lord of the Northern Alliance of jueteng) and Pastor Boy Saycon (known for being part of the FVR campaign and the bayong of jueteng cash from the late Gen. Rene Cruz). The only achievement of COPA was the Edsa II regime of Mrs. Arroyo, which history has now judged to be the most corrupt in the Philippines EVER.
But if this section can criticize negatively, it can also give positive critiques such as with with Butch del Castillo's Business Mirror column entitled, "NFA's 'reason for being' still eludes Abad."
Butch Abad has been trying to abolish the National Food Authority from Day One of the Aquino III administration. Del Castillo says, "...He was quoted by the Philippine Star as saying it is folly to think that the NFA--a virtual monopoly--could function both as a regulator and a trader. He declared that, henceforth, the state-owned agency would no longer provide subsidized rice to the poor as 'this role would be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).' He tried to justify by citing World Bank figures purportedly showing that only 31 percent of NFA rice (reach) the poorest of the poor in this country... I am afraid, he does not understand that the flooding of the retail market with subsidized rice is broadly intended to serve as a market-dampening tool."
Abad should already be a well-known quantity to every well-informed Filipino. A Jesuit protégé, he's a main proponent of electricity privatization during his time in Congress via his Omnibus Power Bill (that eventually became the EPIRA), which brought us the highest power cost in Asia, if not the world.
Power privatization, as part of globalization, is a World Bank-Asian Development Bank initiative. The elimination of the NFA is also part of this sinister campaign the the WB-ADB to remove the pillar of food security that suports the sovereignty of each nation. We are glad that such enlightened views on the issue of the vitality of the NFA to the nation's economic welfare and food security continues to find advocates in columnists such as Butch del Castillo.
As we end this week's "Critic's Critics," let me trail off with a few potshots: Babes Romualdez of the Philippine Star in "PCOS, smart option" makes a plug for the P2-billion purchase of the Smartmatic machines, saying it will save us P18 billion for those "world class machines." He obviously hasn't even read up on the findings of RP's top computer experts (from CenPeg, UP, DLSU, etc.) on that machine. Is this a "Hocus-PCOS" in media too? Meanwhile, Jake Macasaet of Malaya on Feb. 2 wrote that "Subsidy discourages rice production." Well, he should tell that to the Americans and Europeans who directly subsidize their farmers to the tune of $20 billion a year under their "farm price stabilization" measures.
Mentong Laurel
2/7-13/2011
OpinYon has enthusiastically acceded to introduce into this opinionated weekly a section that focuses on society's high and mighty critics by turning the microscope on them to scrutinize what they say and do, and to uncover whatever skeletons they may have in their closet.
The opening salvo is to be tackled by yours truly, Herman Tiu Laurel, a self-described nationalist and anti-imperialist crusader; self-employed; frequent political detainee since Martial Law all the way to the Manila Pen siege (with Trillanes, Danny Lim et al); part-time entrepreneur; consumer advocate; anti-Meralco crusader; and full-time guerrilla information warrior. The worse that can be said about me is that I'm an obnoxious, self-righteous pain-in-the-neck; an occasional anti-social who's also an intolerant Holocaust denier, ad nausea--all of which is true. But let me stress that, above all, I'm very studious with the issues I tackle as I am a dedicated truth seeker.
Now why do we turn our guns on the opinions of writers, especially those of major mainstream media dailies and broadcast networks? Because they lord it over with their opinions that are often wrong, shallow, self-serving, servile, infused with conflicts of interest, and immune from right-of-reply by virtue of their media's size, despite their downright misleading information.
The first on our crosshairs is the recent Feb. 1 column of Philippine Star's Billy Esposo where he lambasted Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes IV as "...boorish and seemed more like delinquents instead of Senators of the Republic," claiming that the manner of questioning by the two of former AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) Chief-of-staff and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes "unwittingly generated public sympathy for (him) instead (and was) counterproductive."
Esposo never bothered to check out his points with the two senators, which I did with Trillanes. When I asked Sen. Trillanes about his agressive interrogation of Reyes (a PMA upperclassman who's at least 20 years his senior), he told me, "I tried to hold my punches... but when Reyes started from a very offensive and arrogant posture, which I believe was a tactic to intimidate the audience and the interrogators, I had to turn the tables on him."
Indeed, the other senators had a tendency to be deferential, as they often are to other high level colleagues whom they had associated with in government service.
As for Sen. Jinggoy, I haven't had any opportunity to ask him about this but his reply to Esposo's charges that he harbors a grudge on Reyes "for abandoning his father, the convicted former President Estrada" was that his father had, in fact, helped Reyes get confirmed by the Commission on Appointments--despite Reyes' open treachery at the height of Edsa II.
The one who really has a record of harboring a lot of unexplained and seemingly bigoted resentments against selected individuals is Esposo. Take his adjective for President Estrada as the convicted former president that oozes with malice.
It is historical fact that Erap's conviction was a politically-motivated act by a Kangaroo Court established by what is now unfolding to be a thoroughly corrupt and malevolent Gloria Arroyo regime. Esposo, of course, was one of the members of the conspiratorial group named COPA (Council of Philippine Affairs), which counts among its members such checkered characters as Peping Cojuangco (alleged lord of the Northern Alliance of jueteng) and Pastor Boy Saycon (known for being part of the FVR campaign and the bayong of jueteng cash from the late Gen. Rene Cruz). The only achievement of COPA was the Edsa II regime of Mrs. Arroyo, which history has now judged to be the most corrupt in the Philippines EVER.
But if this section can criticize negatively, it can also give positive critiques such as with with Butch del Castillo's Business Mirror column entitled, "NFA's 'reason for being' still eludes Abad."
Butch Abad has been trying to abolish the National Food Authority from Day One of the Aquino III administration. Del Castillo says, "...He was quoted by the Philippine Star as saying it is folly to think that the NFA--a virtual monopoly--could function both as a regulator and a trader. He declared that, henceforth, the state-owned agency would no longer provide subsidized rice to the poor as 'this role would be transferred to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).' He tried to justify by citing World Bank figures purportedly showing that only 31 percent of NFA rice (reach) the poorest of the poor in this country... I am afraid, he does not understand that the flooding of the retail market with subsidized rice is broadly intended to serve as a market-dampening tool."
Abad should already be a well-known quantity to every well-informed Filipino. A Jesuit protégé, he's a main proponent of electricity privatization during his time in Congress via his Omnibus Power Bill (that eventually became the EPIRA), which brought us the highest power cost in Asia, if not the world.
Power privatization, as part of globalization, is a World Bank-Asian Development Bank initiative. The elimination of the NFA is also part of this sinister campaign the the WB-ADB to remove the pillar of food security that suports the sovereignty of each nation. We are glad that such enlightened views on the issue of the vitality of the NFA to the nation's economic welfare and food security continues to find advocates in columnists such as Butch del Castillo.
As we end this week's "Critic's Critics," let me trail off with a few potshots: Babes Romualdez of the Philippine Star in "PCOS, smart option" makes a plug for the P2-billion purchase of the Smartmatic machines, saying it will save us P18 billion for those "world class machines." He obviously hasn't even read up on the findings of RP's top computer experts (from CenPeg, UP, DLSU, etc.) on that machine. Is this a "Hocus-PCOS" in media too? Meanwhile, Jake Macasaet of Malaya on Feb. 2 wrote that "Subsidy discourages rice production." Well, he should tell that to the Americans and Europeans who directly subsidize their farmers to the tune of $20 billion a year under their "farm price stabilization" measures.
Drowning in water rate hikes
CONSUMERS DEMAND!
Mentong Laurel
2/7-13/2011
At the Broadcaster's Forum at Hotel Rembrandt last Feb. 3, among the first to speak was Manila Water spokesman Jeric Sevilla, who gave a very vague update on his company's impending water rate hike, saying only that it would be "very affordable." He then went on to embellish and elaborate on the "great things" Manila Water is doing and how it has expanded its service to other areas ahead of schedule.
I was very impatient to raise some issues but was prevailed upon by the moderator, Ka Lakay Gonzalo of DWIZ, to wait until all the guests spoke. When my turn came, I said, "Nowhere did the the Manila Water representative explain why the rate hike was necessary; no justification was ever given."
The rep, in response, essentially repeated his opening spiel, and how the company was expending capital even before the hikes are made. I informed everyone that contrary to these claims of "advancing capital," Manila Water had been given sovereign guarantees and rate hikes that advanced capital (taken from consumers) for their "investments," and had six years of tax holidays that have amounted to at least P5 billion.
The moderator was, of course, getting a bit uneasy, but I didn't tell Sevilla that I couldn't blame him for any of these abuses because he's just a lowly spokesman. I told the media audience, instead, that because "we" (the media) get too cozy or polite with the corporations without rubbing in the point, we're already being derelict in out duty to inform the public.
After that short exchange, the Forum had to shift to the other guests, who also weren't grilled in depth as the Kapihan format simply does not allow the time nor space for in-depth and intelligent discussions. And since the Forum failed to squeeze out details about the water rate hike, let us in OpinYon do it:
Starting Feb. 16, Manila Water "lifeline users" will be charged P1.37 more while those using between 10 to 30 cubic meters of water will be charged an additional P57; and those consuming more than 30 cubic meters will be charged P3.46 for every additional cubic meter.
On the other hand, Maynilad "lifeline users," or those who consume 10 cubic meters or less per month, will be charged by almost P2 more; those using up to 30 cubic meters will pay over P60 more per month while those using more than 30 cubic meters will pay P3.35 for every additional cubic meter.
MWSS said that the rate hikes are part of an agreement with these concessionaires. But do you know that because of distorted privatization, MWSS gets its salaries and bonuses from these concessionaires, too -- a conflict of interest that ensures MWSS will always approve their rate hikes?
MWSS lawyer Manuel Quizon says, "We have to balance the interest of the concessionaires at public sector kaya ang ginawa namin yung affordable land na pagtaas"--ah, just enough for the public to afford their next 30-month bonuses!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m., on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about "ERC, Meralco and NPC power rip-offs" with Mang Naro Lualhati, Atty. "Batas" Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Mentong Laurel
2/7-13/2011
At the Broadcaster's Forum at Hotel Rembrandt last Feb. 3, among the first to speak was Manila Water spokesman Jeric Sevilla, who gave a very vague update on his company's impending water rate hike, saying only that it would be "very affordable." He then went on to embellish and elaborate on the "great things" Manila Water is doing and how it has expanded its service to other areas ahead of schedule.
I was very impatient to raise some issues but was prevailed upon by the moderator, Ka Lakay Gonzalo of DWIZ, to wait until all the guests spoke. When my turn came, I said, "Nowhere did the the Manila Water representative explain why the rate hike was necessary; no justification was ever given."
The rep, in response, essentially repeated his opening spiel, and how the company was expending capital even before the hikes are made. I informed everyone that contrary to these claims of "advancing capital," Manila Water had been given sovereign guarantees and rate hikes that advanced capital (taken from consumers) for their "investments," and had six years of tax holidays that have amounted to at least P5 billion.
The moderator was, of course, getting a bit uneasy, but I didn't tell Sevilla that I couldn't blame him for any of these abuses because he's just a lowly spokesman. I told the media audience, instead, that because "we" (the media) get too cozy or polite with the corporations without rubbing in the point, we're already being derelict in out duty to inform the public.
After that short exchange, the Forum had to shift to the other guests, who also weren't grilled in depth as the Kapihan format simply does not allow the time nor space for in-depth and intelligent discussions. And since the Forum failed to squeeze out details about the water rate hike, let us in OpinYon do it:
Starting Feb. 16, Manila Water "lifeline users" will be charged P1.37 more while those using between 10 to 30 cubic meters of water will be charged an additional P57; and those consuming more than 30 cubic meters will be charged P3.46 for every additional cubic meter.
On the other hand, Maynilad "lifeline users," or those who consume 10 cubic meters or less per month, will be charged by almost P2 more; those using up to 30 cubic meters will pay over P60 more per month while those using more than 30 cubic meters will pay P3.35 for every additional cubic meter.
MWSS said that the rate hikes are part of an agreement with these concessionaires. But do you know that because of distorted privatization, MWSS gets its salaries and bonuses from these concessionaires, too -- a conflict of interest that ensures MWSS will always approve their rate hikes?
MWSS lawyer Manuel Quizon says, "We have to balance the interest of the concessionaires at public sector kaya ang ginawa namin yung affordable land na pagtaas"--ah, just enough for the public to afford their next 30-month bonuses!
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m., on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about "ERC, Meralco and NPC power rip-offs" with Mang Naro Lualhati, Atty. "Batas" Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Monday, February 7, 2011
The art of the perfect rubout
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/7/2010
The testimony of one police officer pinning down the principal accused of one of the primary victims’ families (the Dacers) has been debunked by a second round of judicial determination by the Court of Appeals’ Sixth Division — a body that some lawyers say has a very checkered reputation.
That division's judgment was based on its claimed “contradictions” in police officer Cezar Mancao’s testimony, despite the prosecution’s assertion that his initial statements were committed under duress while the final ones were freely and, therefore, truthfully executed. After considering from a layman’s point of view the arguments of both sides, I believe that the court was within bounds to have made that judgment.
Reconsideration and elevation to higher courts by the prosecution will certainly be in the offing; but it’s beginning to look like this murder mystery may just end as a cold case. After all, the defense will simply raise the issue of corpus delicti, which, in the now perfected art of the rubout, will probably never be produced at all.
Some fear that if Lacson is acquitted, the focus of attention will shift to President Joseph Estrada. For a while, I had this concern, too, knowing the many elements that have consistently and indefatigably subjected the former President to character assassination. This is especially true in light of the many US operatives who haven’t forgotten the slight to their country’s hegemony by Estrada’s campaign against US military bases, as well as his rejection of former President Clinton’s demand for a stop to his government’s determined moves against MILF and Abu Sayyaf operations in Mindanao.
For sure, the public mind is one that’s never comfortable with any vacuum. Once left with a Lacson acquittal, it will seek other personages to fill that void. But I have a No. 1 suspect. Not only is he well-connected to police and military assets, but a key piece of information that no one else wants to touch, the revelation of Fr. Baldostamon as told through Bishop Teodoro Bacani’s columns years ago, still rings loud.
Admittedly, the last remaining element that could be used against President Estrada in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder is Michael Ray Aquino. A theory being bruited about says that some forces may be dangling before Michael Ray a possible release from his iron-clad US prison cell for a return to the very slack justice system in the Philippines — provided that he points to Estrada as having given the direct orders.
This is a theory that Lacson himself insinuated in his speeches at the Senate to divert attention from himself at the height of the Dacers’ legal offensives. Lacson’s problem is that few, if any, believe him. To make matters worse, he (of the “Be Not Afraid” fame) eventually absconded, took flight, and gave the impression that he is indeed guilty.
Lacson’s few remaining supporters argue that the senator faced real mortal threat if he chose not go underground. For a while there, Lacson’s fear seemed justified, especially when the specter of his sworn enemies, Gloria and Mike Arroyo (who reportedly spent huge sums to build the case against him), still loomed large.
But what else can the public make today of his continued refusal to submit to the law when there now sits a more Lacson-friendly government? And this, despite repeated assurances from his colleagues, such as Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, of his protection under the Senate’s ambit.
Some say that Lacson was just buying time to “settle matters” with the courts. If this is to be believed, then he was clearly successful. But it will take a whole lot more to erase that impression of guilt, if it can be done at all.
Obviously, I am not ready to swallow that latest court decision. I prefer to keep the public wary of the potential of rogue cops who have perfected the art of the rubout and of other rogue police networks continuing to make their pile, exacting revenge, or creating politically-turbulent situations.
The recent murder-cremation of the car dealers is an example. After seeing the illogical pieces of the puzzle — from an inexplicable motive to the apparent burning of vehicles to remove evidence while leaving behind a trail of IDs and the quick link to an identifiable suspect — don’t these all smack of a rogue operation that’s intended to distract and destabilize for a multitude of reasons?
I also prefer to keep the public wary of hoodlums in robes as we’ve had enough of them in the past year alone. All these wouldn’t have been as evident if Lacson never took flight; now we are better informed.
The Michael Ray Aquino threat I have brought up may just be a phantasmagoric fear. After all, it would be his word against the others. Further, admitting to be the most guilty is neither going to be likely nor necessary for him, as dentures can be replicated. So far, it still seems to be a “perfect crime” as there is no corpus delicti. With acid being the preferred “eraser,” the blank space can be easily sketched upon by rogue cops and courts.
Meanwhile, let’s go to the vital issue of the day: Mang Naro Lualhati and lawyer Mel “Batas” Maurico are presenting their opposition to the P92-billion Performance Based Rate (PBR) pricing scheme of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) later at 2 p.m. We are mobilizing to present as many consumers at the Pacific Center Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Pasig City in support of their petition — this as Meralco sends lawyers to prop up the ERC commissioners. Please join us. Text me at 0917-8658664 on how to join.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about “ERC, Meralco and Napocor power rip-offs” with Mang Naro Lualhati, lawyer “Batas” Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/7/2010
The testimony of one police officer pinning down the principal accused of one of the primary victims’ families (the Dacers) has been debunked by a second round of judicial determination by the Court of Appeals’ Sixth Division — a body that some lawyers say has a very checkered reputation.
That division's judgment was based on its claimed “contradictions” in police officer Cezar Mancao’s testimony, despite the prosecution’s assertion that his initial statements were committed under duress while the final ones were freely and, therefore, truthfully executed. After considering from a layman’s point of view the arguments of both sides, I believe that the court was within bounds to have made that judgment.
Reconsideration and elevation to higher courts by the prosecution will certainly be in the offing; but it’s beginning to look like this murder mystery may just end as a cold case. After all, the defense will simply raise the issue of corpus delicti, which, in the now perfected art of the rubout, will probably never be produced at all.
Some fear that if Lacson is acquitted, the focus of attention will shift to President Joseph Estrada. For a while, I had this concern, too, knowing the many elements that have consistently and indefatigably subjected the former President to character assassination. This is especially true in light of the many US operatives who haven’t forgotten the slight to their country’s hegemony by Estrada’s campaign against US military bases, as well as his rejection of former President Clinton’s demand for a stop to his government’s determined moves against MILF and Abu Sayyaf operations in Mindanao.
For sure, the public mind is one that’s never comfortable with any vacuum. Once left with a Lacson acquittal, it will seek other personages to fill that void. But I have a No. 1 suspect. Not only is he well-connected to police and military assets, but a key piece of information that no one else wants to touch, the revelation of Fr. Baldostamon as told through Bishop Teodoro Bacani’s columns years ago, still rings loud.
Admittedly, the last remaining element that could be used against President Estrada in the Dacer-Corbito double-murder is Michael Ray Aquino. A theory being bruited about says that some forces may be dangling before Michael Ray a possible release from his iron-clad US prison cell for a return to the very slack justice system in the Philippines — provided that he points to Estrada as having given the direct orders.
This is a theory that Lacson himself insinuated in his speeches at the Senate to divert attention from himself at the height of the Dacers’ legal offensives. Lacson’s problem is that few, if any, believe him. To make matters worse, he (of the “Be Not Afraid” fame) eventually absconded, took flight, and gave the impression that he is indeed guilty.
Lacson’s few remaining supporters argue that the senator faced real mortal threat if he chose not go underground. For a while there, Lacson’s fear seemed justified, especially when the specter of his sworn enemies, Gloria and Mike Arroyo (who reportedly spent huge sums to build the case against him), still loomed large.
But what else can the public make today of his continued refusal to submit to the law when there now sits a more Lacson-friendly government? And this, despite repeated assurances from his colleagues, such as Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, of his protection under the Senate’s ambit.
Some say that Lacson was just buying time to “settle matters” with the courts. If this is to be believed, then he was clearly successful. But it will take a whole lot more to erase that impression of guilt, if it can be done at all.
Obviously, I am not ready to swallow that latest court decision. I prefer to keep the public wary of the potential of rogue cops who have perfected the art of the rubout and of other rogue police networks continuing to make their pile, exacting revenge, or creating politically-turbulent situations.
The recent murder-cremation of the car dealers is an example. After seeing the illogical pieces of the puzzle — from an inexplicable motive to the apparent burning of vehicles to remove evidence while leaving behind a trail of IDs and the quick link to an identifiable suspect — don’t these all smack of a rogue operation that’s intended to distract and destabilize for a multitude of reasons?
I also prefer to keep the public wary of hoodlums in robes as we’ve had enough of them in the past year alone. All these wouldn’t have been as evident if Lacson never took flight; now we are better informed.
The Michael Ray Aquino threat I have brought up may just be a phantasmagoric fear. After all, it would be his word against the others. Further, admitting to be the most guilty is neither going to be likely nor necessary for him, as dentures can be replicated. So far, it still seems to be a “perfect crime” as there is no corpus delicti. With acid being the preferred “eraser,” the blank space can be easily sketched upon by rogue cops and courts.
Meanwhile, let’s go to the vital issue of the day: Mang Naro Lualhati and lawyer Mel “Batas” Maurico are presenting their opposition to the P92-billion Performance Based Rate (PBR) pricing scheme of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) later at 2 p.m. We are mobilizing to present as many consumers at the Pacific Center Bldg., San Miguel Ave., Pasig City in support of their petition — this as Meralco sends lawyers to prop up the ERC commissioners. Please join us. Text me at 0917-8658664 on how to join.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about “ERC, Meralco and Napocor power rip-offs” with Mang Naro Lualhati, lawyer “Batas” Mauricio, and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Friday, February 4, 2011
Systemic corruption
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/4/2011
A retiree from the Commission on Audit, with the initials AR, sent me this text after being glued to radio coverage of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) generals’ “pabaon” scandal: “Ang gulo congresmen cla cla din nagkokontrahan sobra dunong, puro dal2. Cla din tumutulong s dfendant.” (The congressmen are so messed up; they contradict and upstage one another; all they do is talk. They’re even the ones aiding the defendants.)
Then, Myrna (another texter) said: “Mabuhay kayo jorge rabusa, heidi mendoza tulad ng mga bagong katipunero. kayo ang mga buhay na bayani naming mamayan at bansa natin. Tulad nyo naranasan naming ang insultuhin kutyain bombahin ng tubig batutain sa mga rali.” (Long Live…! You are the citizens’ and the country’s living heroes. Like you, we have experienced insults, taunts, water canons, and truncheons in rallies.)
Such feedback from the public only affirms the Tribune’s recent headline, “House panel goes ‘soft’ on ex-AFP CoS.” But the coddling appears not only limited to the House.
Some members of media who are also at it include one who wrote: “On the downside of that Senate hearing were the actuations of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes against Angelo Reyes… They were boorish and seemed more like spoiled juvenile delinquents instead of senators of the Republic. Instead of generating public support for ferreting out corruption in the AFP, they may have unwittingly generated public sympathy for Reyes instead — counterproductive.”
Columnist Billy Esposo, of course, did a little perfunctory criticism of Reyes before attributing personal vindictive motives to the two senators. What he apparently didn’t like was their vigorous cross-examination of Reyes, who was already used to taking the offensive as a way to distract and intimidate, a tactic seen and countered immediately by Estrada and Trillanes.
How can there be any downside when any investigation that ferrets out the truth is worth every minute and every penny of the public? Even in the case of the congressmen pussy-footing on the former chiefs of staff, their dissolute character in action was readily seen by the public.
The fact of the matter is, many legislators sitting in budget hearings or deliberating on appointments or promotions are known to demand favors that range from the facilitated entry of their own protégés into juicy posts to specified amounts as their shares of the “loot” from earmarked funds or projects.
Many of these individuals (mentioned by military officials) are known allies of Gloria Arroyo, including a notorious politician who ran for a Senate seat in 2007 but lost big-time, landing him a most lucrative post in the LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration).
As we pointed out in our last column, the entire system is corrupt, especially after the Edsa II power grab. Mrs. Arroyo’s cohorts, starting with Esposo’s Copa (Council of Philippine Affairs), and especially those who helped out in the ensuing cover-ups and illegal operations, became virtually indispensable ever since.
We also said that compared to the many other scams in the past decade’s narrative of felonies, Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia is a small fry. His estimated P300-million loot is certainly small in relation to the scandalous amounts racked by “evil society,” such as the infamous CodeNGO Peace Bonds that netted over a billion in fat commissions, excluding banker’s fees.
It’s also small compared to what certain members of media got in lucrative government directorships that pay out hundreds of thousands monthly even when they hardly have any qualifications to serve at all. Small-time Garcia is, too, compared to the different religious sects, which got their shares either in the form of choice government contracts (such as license plates) or appointments to cash cow agencies or even the courts.
While the nation’s eyes are focused on the AFP, another case of endemic, pernicious corruption, this time by the corporatocracy in connivance with the judiciary, is unfolding.
About a decade ago, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) reneged on its 10-year supply contract to purchase electricity from the National Power Corp. (Napocor) because its owners had set up their own IPPs (independent power producers) and bought from these at a higher price. Napocor thus sued Meralco for breach of contract, for which the power distributor was fined P12 billion. This amount grew to P20 billion until it was settled at P14 billion, with the caveat that it will be charged to consumers.
Such corrupt shenanigans have gone on for over two decades now with neither the legislature nor the judiciary having ever lent the public a hand.
And Meralco isn’t alone. Another oligarchic firm, Manila Water, has gotten the MWSS, the water regulatory agency, to approve a fresh round of rate increases in the face of a declining dollar which ought to have been a major boon to savings.
But then, in the twisted way that deregulation laws were written, regulatory agencies such as the MWSS have no other choice but to source their funds, including their fat 30-month bonuses, from these privatized utility companies. Is it any wonder whose interests these agencies are working for? Yet after that entire hullabaloo about bonuses during PeNoy’s inaugural address, nothing has been done to curb this basic distortion and conflict-of-interest.
These are the real cases among the countless, ongoing, and all consuming corrupt practices that amount to hundreds of billions annually (P10 trillion in 10 years) that far outweigh the loot of a billion or two by the parade of patsy generals.
This systemic corruption is something that cannot be uncovered by mere legislative investigation. Only a popular awakening can achieve a comprehensive understanding. Only a national political revolution can clean the country of this scourge.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about “ERC, Meralco and NPC power rip-offs” with Mang Naro Lualhati, lawyer “Batas” Mauricio and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
Herman Tiu Laurel
2/4/2011
A retiree from the Commission on Audit, with the initials AR, sent me this text after being glued to radio coverage of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) generals’ “pabaon” scandal: “Ang gulo congresmen cla cla din nagkokontrahan sobra dunong, puro dal2. Cla din tumutulong s dfendant.” (The congressmen are so messed up; they contradict and upstage one another; all they do is talk. They’re even the ones aiding the defendants.)
Then, Myrna (another texter) said: “Mabuhay kayo jorge rabusa, heidi mendoza tulad ng mga bagong katipunero. kayo ang mga buhay na bayani naming mamayan at bansa natin. Tulad nyo naranasan naming ang insultuhin kutyain bombahin ng tubig batutain sa mga rali.” (Long Live…! You are the citizens’ and the country’s living heroes. Like you, we have experienced insults, taunts, water canons, and truncheons in rallies.)
Such feedback from the public only affirms the Tribune’s recent headline, “House panel goes ‘soft’ on ex-AFP CoS.” But the coddling appears not only limited to the House.
Some members of media who are also at it include one who wrote: “On the downside of that Senate hearing were the actuations of Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes against Angelo Reyes… They were boorish and seemed more like spoiled juvenile delinquents instead of senators of the Republic. Instead of generating public support for ferreting out corruption in the AFP, they may have unwittingly generated public sympathy for Reyes instead — counterproductive.”
Columnist Billy Esposo, of course, did a little perfunctory criticism of Reyes before attributing personal vindictive motives to the two senators. What he apparently didn’t like was their vigorous cross-examination of Reyes, who was already used to taking the offensive as a way to distract and intimidate, a tactic seen and countered immediately by Estrada and Trillanes.
How can there be any downside when any investigation that ferrets out the truth is worth every minute and every penny of the public? Even in the case of the congressmen pussy-footing on the former chiefs of staff, their dissolute character in action was readily seen by the public.
The fact of the matter is, many legislators sitting in budget hearings or deliberating on appointments or promotions are known to demand favors that range from the facilitated entry of their own protégés into juicy posts to specified amounts as their shares of the “loot” from earmarked funds or projects.
Many of these individuals (mentioned by military officials) are known allies of Gloria Arroyo, including a notorious politician who ran for a Senate seat in 2007 but lost big-time, landing him a most lucrative post in the LWUA (Local Water Utilities Administration).
As we pointed out in our last column, the entire system is corrupt, especially after the Edsa II power grab. Mrs. Arroyo’s cohorts, starting with Esposo’s Copa (Council of Philippine Affairs), and especially those who helped out in the ensuing cover-ups and illegal operations, became virtually indispensable ever since.
We also said that compared to the many other scams in the past decade’s narrative of felonies, Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia is a small fry. His estimated P300-million loot is certainly small in relation to the scandalous amounts racked by “evil society,” such as the infamous CodeNGO Peace Bonds that netted over a billion in fat commissions, excluding banker’s fees.
It’s also small compared to what certain members of media got in lucrative government directorships that pay out hundreds of thousands monthly even when they hardly have any qualifications to serve at all. Small-time Garcia is, too, compared to the different religious sects, which got their shares either in the form of choice government contracts (such as license plates) or appointments to cash cow agencies or even the courts.
While the nation’s eyes are focused on the AFP, another case of endemic, pernicious corruption, this time by the corporatocracy in connivance with the judiciary, is unfolding.
About a decade ago, Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) reneged on its 10-year supply contract to purchase electricity from the National Power Corp. (Napocor) because its owners had set up their own IPPs (independent power producers) and bought from these at a higher price. Napocor thus sued Meralco for breach of contract, for which the power distributor was fined P12 billion. This amount grew to P20 billion until it was settled at P14 billion, with the caveat that it will be charged to consumers.
Such corrupt shenanigans have gone on for over two decades now with neither the legislature nor the judiciary having ever lent the public a hand.
And Meralco isn’t alone. Another oligarchic firm, Manila Water, has gotten the MWSS, the water regulatory agency, to approve a fresh round of rate increases in the face of a declining dollar which ought to have been a major boon to savings.
But then, in the twisted way that deregulation laws were written, regulatory agencies such as the MWSS have no other choice but to source their funds, including their fat 30-month bonuses, from these privatized utility companies. Is it any wonder whose interests these agencies are working for? Yet after that entire hullabaloo about bonuses during PeNoy’s inaugural address, nothing has been done to curb this basic distortion and conflict-of-interest.
These are the real cases among the countless, ongoing, and all consuming corrupt practices that amount to hundreds of billions annually (P10 trillion in 10 years) that far outweigh the loot of a billion or two by the parade of patsy generals.
This systemic corruption is something that cannot be uncovered by mere legislative investigation. Only a popular awakening can achieve a comprehensive understanding. Only a national political revolution can clean the country of this scourge.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, about “ERC, Meralco and NPC power rip-offs” with Mang Naro Lualhati, lawyer “Batas” Mauricio and Butch Junia; visit our blogs, http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)
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