Controversy overload on the eve of the SONA

YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW
Linggoy Alcuaz
7/25-31/2011



Today, Monday, July 25, we have arrived at: (1) our President Aquino’s Second SONA (State of the Nation Address) and (2) our Congress’ second out of three years.

Last June 30, P-Noy’s Ulat sa Bayan was a sort of soft anniversary or day of reckoning or occasion for grading and marking him. Today’s SONA is the hard and real thing.

On the Eve of the SONA, we developed a sort of controversy overload.

Since December, the Stradcom intra corporate struggle between Quiambao and Sumbilla and their respective allies and supporters had turned into the most expensive PR war.

Each side even managed to recruit a personality closely identified with former President Estrada.

With Quiambao, now is former Erap spokesperson, Margaux Salcedo. With Sumbilla is PMAP (People’s Movement Against Poverty) and EDSA III leader, Ronald Lumbao.

Infighting
The Stradcom fight drew in Aquino Admin heavyweights on opposite sides.

Former Cory Cabinet and later on DPWH and now resigned DOTC Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus wanted to pay the LTO’s more than a billion pesos in arrears to Stradcom.

DOTC Assistant Secretary for LTO (Land Transportation Office) Virginia Torres refused to pay. She had even taken sides in the internal affairs of Stradcom by siding with the Sumbilla group and assisting them physically in the takeover of Stradcom offices and facilities.

Ping and four of his USec’s and ASec’s ended up losing the fight and their jobs effective June30.

Virginia came back to work in the middle of June triumphant from her two months leave.

ARMM
During his First Anniversary last June 30, P-Noy also signed into law the bill postponing the August 8 ARMM election and synchronizing them with the May 2013, National and Local Elections.

Immediately, several interested parties filed cases before the Supreme Court.

The Aquino position is unconstitutional and illegal on two points. The Organic Act for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao requires that amendments to it be passed by a two thirds vote in each house followed by a plebiscite.

None of these was complied with.

Sin to Spin
Then, the simmering tension between the old and new leaderships of the PCSO exploded into the limelight.

PCSO chairperson Margie Juico and PR consultant Dante Ang managed to capture the attention of mass media and the entire nation by turning seven Bishops into the ultimate devils or kontrabidas.

Their sin was accepting donations in the form of money from the PCSO to buy vehicles.

The media spin was to baptize them the seven “Pajero” Bishops.

However, there were no Pajeros.

The Accuser, the Accused
There was also not a single Senator who was prepared to condemn a leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The accuse ended up the accused.

The hearings continue.

The 1st was on Wednesday, July 6, followed by Thursday, July 7.

The seven Bishops (Bishop Salgado who was abroad was represented by his vicar.) accompanied by Cardinal Vidal and CBCP officials appeared on Wednesday, July 10. Manny Garcia (The former PCSO Advertising and Promotions Manager who is accused before the Ombudsman of demanding and receiving 40 % kickbacks by two advertising agencies.) came on Thursday, July 14, but was excused until Monday, July 18.

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the day after the SONA, the sixth hearing will unfold.

Zaldy and Lintang
As though we did not have enough controversy, two voices from the past suddenly started squawking.

They were former ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Election Supervisor Lintang Bedol. They spilled the beans on the 2007 Senatorial Elections.

GMA had ordered three opposition senators to be zeroed.

Protested Senator Migz Zubiri got the votes to cheat Atty. Koko Pimentel, mainly from Maguindanao.

Mariano and Javier
In the midst of these heavyweights, some lightweights dared to vie for media and the public’s attention.

Marine Colonels Generoso Mariano and Javier attended a Pre SONA Summit at the Club Filipino from 9 am to 4 pm on Friday, June 24, at the basement of the Club Filipino.

During and after the summit, Colonel Mariano was recorded on audio and video.

This recording was uploaded on the YouTube a week after on July 3.

Another week passed before the mainstream mass media picked it up.

This time around, Malacañang, the AFP, the Navy, and the public reacted.

Sedition Charges
Although retiring on Sunday, July 17, Colonel Mariano was placed on “house arrest” and investigated.

The DOJ recommended the filing of sedition charges.

Why are they afraid of Colonel Mariano? Why are they not talking about Colonel Javier?

A friend and colleague of mine happened to talk with MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino. The latter told him that I was with Colonel Mariano. Yes, I was with him after lunch of June 24 at the Club Filipino.

However, that was the first time I met him.

In fact, I thought that he and Colonel Javier were already retired officers. That is why I did not pay too much attention to what they were saying.

S4S as Organizer
The others who spoke and occupied the presidential table were PSBA owner and President Atty. Benjamin Paulino, former DECS USec. Butch Valdez, Caloocan Bishop Deogracias Yñiguez, Mon Pedrosa, an MNLF, and several members of the academe.

The one who called the shots was Linda “Inday” Olaguer Montayre who is the convenor of the Solidarity for Sovereignty (S4S).

Actually, this was the third time I was invited to an activity organized by the S4S. The first time was about a month after the May 10 elections. The agenda was election fraud and irregularities. It was held at the Kalayaan Hall of the Club Filipino.

We must have been more than 500 there at any given time.

It was a whole-day and in-to-the-night activity. We seemed to be waiting for something to happen and for reinforcements to arrive.

The second time was on Monday, June 6, at the Gabaldon Room of the Club Filipino. It was a Joint Christian Muslim Conference against the RH Bill.

I met Linda in March 2000 when Bert Pedrosa (husband of Star columnist Chit and father of Al Jazeerah’s Veronica) invited me to a series of Saturday morning meetings in a restaurant along Jupiter St. in Makati (It was closed on Saturdays.).

They were leaders of PIRMA for FVR in 1996-97.

In anticipation of Chavit Singson’s Juetengate Exposè, we helped former DBM Secretary Jun Enriquez organize the People’s Consultative Assembly for the resignation/ouster of Erap.

However, Kompil II and COPA overshadowed us when the credits for Erap’s ouster and GMA’s assumption of the Presidency were tallied.

To be continued