MRT ghost resurrects

DIE HARD III / Herman Tiu Laurel / 9/9/2013 / Daily Tribune

The public relations operators of this administration probably thought the extortion scandal involving the First Family was finally buried when they put up that act of publicly shaming and "firing" a high-level official of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) system. They were, after all, busy burying every other vital issue under the continuing avalanche of the Janet Lim-Napoles caper, as well as the pocket rallies against it.

But truth will always out as the saying goes and the truth about the MRT extort try is not about to stay buried for too long.

The high officials they suspended (or sidelined — nobody really knows what action was taken) then put under investigation have been quietly reinstated, as reported by one veteran media man, Deo Macalma of Pilipino Star Ngayon.

MRT general manager Al Vitangcol, for instance, surprised the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) rank-and-file when he reappeared and assumed his old post. Vitangcol was put in the freezer after being named by Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar as among those involved in the $30-million kickback try for the purchase of new coaches for the MRT.

The explosive report that was originally aired on radio station dzRH two months ago that smashed the lily-white image of BS Aquino, sister Ballsy and husband Eldon was primarily due to insinuations attributed to the Czech envoy, which were not denied until weeks into the scandal.

Eventually, BS Aquino first cousin Jorge Aquino-Lichauco was revealed to be brokering the deal for Inekon, the Czech company. It's all in the family as they say, with an in-law of a close Aquino Big Business ally also acting on Inekon's behalf.

In addition, that controversy (had it been covered properly) would have seriously marred Mar Roxas as it happened under his watch as DoTC secretary. Mar must therefore be feeling a sense of relief over the Napoles scandal as he is spared continuing bad publicity over the MRT case — at least for now.

But before we get too far into the other aspects of the story, it must be recalled that since Vitangcol was the only name mentioned by the Czech ambassador, even when, in truth, three other officials were supposed to be in on the deal, too, it would appear that he was made the sacrificial lamb, with reports, as late as Sept. 2, still depicting him as having gone "on leave" while under investigation.

Alas, Macalma's update on Vitangcol's reentry leaves very serious implications for those who have tried to make him a scapegoat. It implies that the guy is actually untouchable and only one thing could make him so — his knowledge of who the real "brains" behind the MRT extort try are.
Vitangcol may have leveraged this knowledge to get back to his post while DoTC chief Emilio Abaya hopes and prays that the controlled newspapers' front pages and broadcast media headlines will still be so preoccupied with Napoles, the anti-pork hype, and the meager rallies to allow him to tide this over.

This MRT extort try ghost will continue to haunt BS Aquino, his family, and their ruling class allies who feed on the people's blood, sweat, and tears. There will be hell to pay for them when the population finally rises up and drives the stakes into their hearts. The pork plunders certainly pale in comparison to their large-scale looting.

Meanwhile, the Riles Laan sa Sambayanan (or Riles) Network continues to coordinate efforts to organize popular opposition to the threatened fare hikes of the MRT/LRT (Light Rail Transit). Every delay we can deal these exploiters in their effort to hike the fares is without doubt another stake in their blackened hearts.

Elsewhere, on the geopolitical front, particularly in the matter of Philippine-China relations and the Syrian situation, the BS Aquino administration's policy direction is really proving to be a huge liability to the nation. With China, it is too combative to the point of bringing upon us the kind of trade isolation highlighted by that "snub" on BS Aquino at the recent Nanning trade show; but with the US, this government is obsequiously canine. Either way, the consequences are devastating for the country.

Highlighting the first is this text we received: "World's biggest ship the… Triple E, can in one trip, transport 111 million pairs of shoes from Shanghai to Rotterdam or 182 million iPads from China to Northern Europe, boosting record trade between Asia and the West. Maersk of Denmark has ordered 20 of these giant ships. Can we in the Philippines afford to be economically cutoff from China instead of being pragmatic like the Viets, Thais, etc.?"

Highlighting the effect of the BS Aquino regime's canine loyalty to the US is the country's isolation from the BRICS economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), which is the hope for world peace and prosperity.

In the last G20 meet, BRICS plus Indonesia and Argentina, together representing 3.2 billion people (and 40 percent of the global economy), opposed the impending US attack on Syria, while countries representing only 850 million people signed the ambiguous statement sponsored by the US.

None of these augurs well for our nation's future. It's time to get rid of the economic and geopolitical baggage that is BS Aquino.

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