Faith and Filipino Leaders

12-101107

It is quite safe to say that at least 90% of the high ranking officials in the Philippine government who have been embroiled in scandalous controversies over the last 50 years, and more so during these past months, were baptized and reared as Catholics.

To all of them who are still alive especially those who are involved with the bizarre ZTE and JPEPA imbroglios, they should read a recent blog article of Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz. After reading it, I wish all of them will also go through a sincere examination of conscience in the light of our Archbishop’s prophetic insight. The good prelate by the way has authorized me to make good use of his blog articles, for purposes of this website, under our best discretion. Thus, here it is.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

ZTE, JPEPA, RP-CHINA Agreement

These are truly trying times in the Philippines. These are really shameful days for the Filipinos. The government continues to occupy a distinct place in the honor roll of corruption in the world. The national leadership remains in a dismal level of the negative approval and trust rating registered by the citizens. Meantime, millions of people are denied decent living; the sick die and the elderly cry for lack of basic social services, children of poor families have no opportunity to go to school.

Meantime, the people watch the spectacle of the present administration attempting to make one scandalous deal after another, with foreign governments. With its foreseen dismissal or demise soon, this administration appears to be in a hurry to make money, to satisfy a much bloated ego—at the expense of the country and its people as a matter of course. This is the classic example of the “I” above and over everybody and everything else.

Many municipalities have no electricity even. There are police stations with but one old typewriter each. Most of the country’s public schools do not even have a computer for their students. And there are students who do not even have pencils. And out of nowhere, there is the grand government project of a National Broadband Network courtesy of ZTE. This can only be the grand idea of a visionary with head in the cloud and feet in the air.

Many places are already loaded with their own garbage. Even Metro Manila is having a very hard time disposing its tons of waste. Many provinces are already suffering from the destruction of their environment. Recently, there were rivers in Central Luzon that have been found out and thus declared among the dirtiest in the world. And there is again this government going for broke in the matter of accepting foreign toxic waste through the JPEPA. Again, only a self-proclaimed visionary with much-inflated self-image can conceive such a betrayal of the people and violation of their land.

Many farmers have no farms to till. And even those who are entitled to have their own farmlands are violently driven away from the little place they till—if not meted the penalty of summary execution, such as the beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). The CARP has become not only hard but also dangerous to actualize. Certain landlords have once more become not only powerful but also harbor hardcore greed. And here comes this government having the RP-CHINA AGREEMENT at heart. It is foreseen to cover not only CARP but even the CARP-able lands. Again, only a visionary without conscience and genuine vision could betray the farmers who have been feeding the people for centuries with their sweat and toil.

ZTE, JPEPA, RP-CHINA Agreement— go away!

+OVCRUZ, DD
3 October 2007

And so why, oh why do our officials today, most of whom are Catholics, NOT SEE anything to apologize for in what Archbishop Cruz and most Filipinos see as terribly shameful. Worse, they even continually boast that considering everything as a whole, this nation should be proud of its supposedly relentless march towards moral and material progress, and true democracy as well!

The answer may be found in another article from ZENIT posted here last October 9 entitled Confession Comeback, wherein Father John Flynn, L.C. quoted Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida who said that “the loss of the sense of sin is the SPIRITUAL CRISIS OF OUR AGE”.

But as far back as 1984, the late great John Paul II recognized this crisis when he initiated a Synod of Bishops to zero in on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Sacramental Confession), in a global effort “to face the crisis of the sense of sin”.

That crisis still appears to be at its darkest here with us today, particularly among our nation’s Catholic leaders and officials.

Their habitual “intellectual dishonesty”, fueled by a desire to stay by hook or by crook, in or with the established political power structure, while enjoying the corrupting wealth it reaps and the false prestige it brings, inevitably leads to an even more sinister loss of the sense of sin.

For how else can we explain why these officials will deviously and secretly approve, yet publicly defend their approval of a huge OVERPRICE of an UNNECESSARY purchase, ostensibly because the money to pay for the purchase and its hidden pre-paid commission-bribery, will supposedly be lent out by the Supplier-Lender at below market rates of interest?

How else do we explain why soon after canceling this cyberspace boondoggle with its huge bribe-fueled overprice, yet another similar but much bigger boondoggle is being publicly and vigorously endorsed? But this time, with the prior deodorizing assistance of a highflying Catholic Religious priest from academe who also is Board Director of a corporate commercial giant…

How else do we explain why our nation’s spineless negotiators and the President herself, knowingly agreed to enter into a discriminatory, dangerous and unconstitutional Treaty and shamelessly defend it publicly by merely mouthing away its fatal infirmities with its few and shallow advantages?

And can we explain any other way why a congressman could so blithely spout in front of TV cameras motherhood statements about wanting to “look for the truth”, but by means of a deviously and maliciously crafted shallow yet treacherous impeachment complaint?

And why, oh why are our Catholic officials in government who prepared our national budget NOT bothered in conscience by endorsing the expenditure of billions of pesos to prevent life illicitly through condoms and to kill sacred and supernatural soul-infused human embryos through abortifacients? Do they not know or believe the Catholic and Christian article of faith that Christ suffered and died for each and every one such soul-person? And therefore each one of them as they themselves are, is worth MORE THAN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!

Lord have mercy on us ALL…

I received this timely and appropriate message from friends, courtesy of http://susie1114.com/LiveALife.html. And so I dedicate it to all of us, especially to our Catholic government officials.

What Will Matter

Ready or not,
someday it will all come to an end.

There will be no more sunrises,
no minutes, hours or days.

All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten,
will pass to someone else.

Your wealth,
fame and temporal power
will shrivel to irrelevance.

It will not matter what you owned
or what you were owed.

Your grudges, resentments, frustrations,
and jealousies will finally disappear.

So, too, your hopes, ambitions, plans,
and to-do lists will expire.

The wins and losses
that once seemed so important
will fade away.

It won't matter where you came from,
or on what side of the tracks you lived,
at the end.

It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant.

Even your gender and skin color will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought,
but what you built;
not what you got,
but what you gave?

What will matter is not your success,
but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned,
but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion,
courage or sacrifice that enriched,
empowered or encouraged others
to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence,
but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew,
but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered,
by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

Author Michael Josephson

Faith and Politics

Memorial Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

11-100407

There has been a recent upsurge of public interest in the U.S. about the interplay of religion and politics. Last month CNN-TV devoted a 3-hour long series on the subject, with Christiana Amanpour herself as the main commentator/interviewer. And a senior fellow at the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, namely John C. Green has gained a lot of readership with his latest book, The Faith Factor: How Religion Influences American Elections (Praeger).

John Green came to the fairly easy conclusion, among many others, that Presidential re-electionist George W. Bush slimly edged Democratic Senator John Kerry because of the solid support for Bush from Protestant fundamentalists.

Appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court have also been a magnet for religious controversy for many years now, because of speculations that with more pro-life advocates among the Justices, it could lead to the reversal of the long standing Roe vs. Wade Decision, and thus prohibiting early stage abortions.

In the Philippines, the Roman Catholic Faith has never been a significant, much less a decisive factor during elections despite the fact that ever since its first electoral contest some 75 years ago, at least 80% of the voters have been baptized Catholics. In fact I remember Paul Aquino (youngest sibling of national martyr-hero Ninoy Aquino) emphatically telling me when he was the overall campaign manager of the late Ramon Mitra’s unsuccessful presidential bid in 1992, that the Catholic hierarchy’s public endorsement of Mitra would in fact be fatal to their cause!

And I for one believe that any such public endorsement from any religious faith, denomination or group, IF WITHOUT any clear and unmistakable explanation as to its IMPERATIVE and SERIOUS MORAL BASIS, would be undue interference on FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE. I therefore also believe that imperative moral options but limited to serious matters where a wrong choice would directly, seriously and demonstrably violate the natural law, religious freedom or the obvious common good and the like such as fundamental human rights, including even the public condemnation of atrocious moral behavior of public servants, are the instances where religious shepherds have a duty to guide and admonish their respective flocks.

In fact here in the Philippines Catholics somehow expect their Bishops to speak out in condemnation of what they believe is extremely wicked or scandalous moral behavior of important political leaders such as those who triggered the EDSA One and EDSA Two crises.

John the Baptist at the cost of his life spoke out PUBLICLY against Herod’s scandalous and adulterous PRIVATE relationship with his brother’s wife, with the apparent approval of Christ Himself who was then already engaged in His own public preaching. There is therefore all the more reason for Catholic Bishops to speak out against widespread FRAUDULENT and illegal gambling which victimize the poor, especially if perpetrated under the auspices of public servants and/or their relatives. Or to warn the people against habitual lying, stealing and hypocrisy particularly among government officials. And to protest against the plunder of public funds regardless of who are involved. For all these high crimes impoverish the poor even more, and provide not only a lifelong bad example to the youth and future public servants but also encourage other politicians to engage in similarly atrocious behavior affecting the obvious common good.

But the bigger burden of responsibility to live our faith in the public arena and courageously witness to it especially in the fields of economics, public governance and politics which are all closely intertwined, rests on the shoulders of us the lay people. We are and should be its FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE. Religious leaders with their institutions, form the SECOND or AUXILLIARY lines of defense against atrocious public immorality and corruption.

Thus I wish to zero-in on OUR most common MORAL failing especially with respect to our Catholic politicians we have elected to high office. Many of them are lawyers and have their own highly rewarded advocates, defenders, partisan supporters and political partymates, most of whom are graduates of the best Catholic schools or of the top State University, and thus are far-and-away more intellectually gifted than our poor people. It is apparent however, that INTELLECTUAL DISHONESTY and/or INTELLECTUAL INCONSISTENCY are their common habits and weapons to gain and stay in power. And yet the moral virtues of intellectual honesty and consistency antedate even Christianity and Catholicism, as far back or even earlier than Aristotle, Plato, Socrates and Virgil.

For our Catholic politicians and we their partisans are in general NOT AT ALL LESS intellectually dishonest or intellectually inconsistent than Protestant Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Hindus, Muslims or even atheists and agnostics. In short, we the supposed salt of humanity at least here in the Philippines, have grossly failed even if only in the moral and political dimensions. And thus more so if the spiritual and theological aspects are considered. For even if we are not directly involved in doing what is morally wrong or injurious to our citizenry, we are at least indifferent and nonchalant in the face of it.

Moral outrage or pangs of conscience? Nah! In fact it is safe to say that our Asian neighbors none of whom are predominantly Christian, have demonstrated significantly higher standards of morality in government. Shame on us!

Yet we condemned Marcos and Erap and their respective principal partisans and collaborators. But as soon as these were thrown out into the dustbin of history, we stepped into their old shoes and sooner or later became nearly, or just as bad. Or even WORSE!

Thus too we saw former leaders of anti-Marcos freedom fighters, anti-Erap street marchers, some of them Church leaders, priests, nuns, or supposed Marian devotees too quickly and easily migrating with their usual fervid but shortlived loyalties from one disgraced partisan camp to the next politically victorious cabal.

And so I get immediately prickly whenever I hear some seemingly wise political commentator even among my own friends and acquaintances who fall into the prevalent elitist habit of blaming “the poor and uneducated” who rush in droves to vote for traditional (meaning, unscrupulous!) politicians come election time.

This elitist view overlooks the fact that our trapos (dirty rags, in the vernacular) have always had in their deep pockets the rich and powerful, a big banker, a business tycoon, even a high ranking Churchman sometimes, many highly paid lawyers among the biggest law firms, top ranking military and police officers and their allies among other well entrenched powerful politicians. These are their main organizers, propagandists, campaign managers, treasurers and procurers of “guns, goons and gold”. Plus a COMELEC bigwig to boot.

Thus in fact it is the poor, some 80% of our population, who are almost inevitably attracted like moths to these trapos’ false glitter and seeming invincibility. And so the POOR are burned and betrayed, again and again. Victims of slick but dishonest political propaganda, gangsterism, or the lure of a few hundred measly pesos come every election time.

Worse, after every election, it is again the triumphant cabal of rich and powerful trapos and their mercenary partisans who corner and enjoy MOST of the power and financial windfall out of the spoils of political warfare.

So, do we blame the poor, or weep for them? And was it the impoverished yet neglected Lazarus, or the rich but uncaring Dives, who ended up in the fiery depths of HELL?

Letter to Mr. Romulo Neri

October 2, 2007

Mr. Romulo Neri

Commission on Higher Education

5^th Floor DAP Bldg., San Miguel Avenue

Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Dear Mr. Neri:

It is with a heavy heart that I am composing this letter. For heaven knows that ever since it was announced that you were appointed as NEDA Chief some years ago, I assured myself that your personal and professional contribution to the good governance of our nation would be immense and gratifying.

And so coming direct to the point, with due respect to you as my fellow professional in academe and in government service (some years ago), also as a taxpayer and business executive for more than 40 years up to now, I am asking you to RESIGN for the following compelling reasons:

1. It was a clear major lapse in moral judgment and professional competence on your part as NEDA Chief, when you endorsed without any recorded objection or dissenting opinion, that notorious ZTE-NBN project (NOT the contract!) despite your personal knowledge of huge bribery offers and other clear indications of the questionability of its underlying financial assumptions and overall economic cost-analysis. Thus many reputable and major NGOs, newspaper editorials and opinion writers have asked for its cancellation.

2. Let me even assume for the sake of argument that your technical review and analysis of the supposed economic investment rate of return (EIRR) of 29% plus, as submitted to NEDA by the DOTC, was NOT haphazardly and irresponsibly done. But the fact that the whole project has caused a major crisis involving all the three co-equal branches of our government and the President of our Republic as well, is reason enough for you to follow the recent example of Benjamin Abalos.

3. And at the very least, unlike Abalos who was clearly pressured by the strong probability of impeachment, you are in a more credible position to offer yourself as our long-hoped-for example of moral and professional delicadeza among our top government officials.

Allow me however to go back to my very first reason and to substantiate it further. Below is a straightforward analysis using SIMPLE ARITHMETIC in refutation of your shallow argument that the 3% soft loan rate being offered by China on the ZTE-NBN project was too good to reject, simply because its purported savings on interest expenses compared to existing commercial rates of interest would allegedly offset any price-padding if any. And thus it was also your justification for the absence of public bidding or resort to any other reliable price-checking processes.

Incidentally, I trust you will agree that the arithmetical logic and computational skills required to understand the following analysis is at most that of a College Freshman. And surely therefore, the same analysis and conclusions should have been easily done and obtained by yourself or by any of your hundreds of technical assistants, within just a few minutes!

And please note the following easily available, verifiable and authoritative DEFINITION of “EIRR” which I obtained from the Asian Development Bank’s website. You told the Senate investigation committees, that NEDA had correctly employed such an EIRR-based method of analyzing the ZTE-NBN project’s economic viability and official acceptability. Thus according to the ADB, the EIRR is:

• The rate of return that would be achieved on all project resource costs, where ALL benefits and costs are measured in economic prices (emphasis added!). The EIRR is calculated as the rate of discount for which the present value of the net benefit stream becomes zero, or at which the present value of the benefit stream is equal to the present value of the cost stream. For a project to be acceptable the EIRR should be greater than the economic opportunity cost of capital.
  www.adb.org/Documents/Guidelines/Eco_Analysis/glossary.asp

And so in keeping with that true definition of EIRR which NEDA and you in particular were duty-bound by law and logic, professionally and morally as well, to follow strictly, you should have included the obvious albeit camouflaged additional cost behind the alleged “soft loan” from China. For obvious to all of you in NEDA was the obligation of DOTC to use the loan proceeds from China to pay ZTE for the entire UNVERIFIED turnkey cost of the project.

And so LET US ASSUME that for the ZTE-NBN and ZTE’s other project proposals:

True Price = One Peso

ZTE Overprice (if any) = x % of the True Price, therefore

ZTE Overprice = x % of One Peso, or simply

ZTE Overprice = x %, [Note: It could be zero to let’s say, as much

as 100%!]

Loan Proceeds subject to

3% Interest Rate = True Price + x %

Cost of Borrowing from China = Nominal Interest Charges of 3% + ZTE overprice if any

(for 1^st interest-bearing year)

China Borrowing Cost = 3% (True Price + x %) + x %;

and because we assumed that the True Price = P1

China Borrowing Cost = 3 % (1 + x %) + x %

Therefore, if the “ZTE Overprice” is zero, the borrowing cost would be [3% (1 + 0) + 0] or 3% only.

If the “ZTE Overprice” were, say 10%, the first year cost would be [3% (1 + 10%) + 10%], or 13.3%. And so in that case, even if the overprice were as relatively low as 10%, the resulting first year borrowing cost of 13.3% would be at least twice more expensive than existing commercial rates!

But if the “ZTE Overprice” were as high as 100% of the True Price, as Messrs. Jose de Venecia III and/or Jarius Bondoc had claimed, then the simple arithmetic of [3% (1 + 100%) + 100%] would turn out to be a shocking 106%. And that would be PLUNDER of the first magnitude, because it would translate to an overprice of at least $169 Million or about P7.3 Billion.

To keep the arithmetic simple, I did not use the 20-year long annuity equivalent of the “overprice”. But just the same, the figures above make it obvious that NEDA and you, certainly DID NOT INCLUDE in its EIRR analysis a super-major cost item. And that was inexcusably contrary to what was mandated by simple logic and the EIRR definition itself, to include “all benefits and costs”. For a man of your stature, experience, intellectual skills and academic background, such an obvious anomaly is certainly more than enough reason for you to resign graciously, and also to apologize to our people, ASAP!

And may God have mercy on you!

Very truly yours,

EDUARDO B. OLAGUER

Aurora Milestone Tower

1045 Aurora Blvd., Q.C.

On the Footsteps of San Lorenzo Ruiz

10-092807

About a year ago I wrote the following piece, for our small “chatgroup” of U.P. College of Engineering co-alumni and other mutual septuagenarian friends of ours. Here are a few of its excerpts:

“I have just read a friend’s E-mailed transmittal of a very well-written graduation speech to the U.P. School of Economics Class of 2006. The guest speaker is a well-known pioneer and stalwart, a U.P. alumna too and of world-class standard, in the field of investigative journalism.

Had I been given the same “April preaching” privilege some thirty years ago, which was a few years before I had my own Philippine gulag version of Saul’s conversion on his way to Damascus, I would probably have written and delivered basically the same speech. And perhaps with a lot more of anger bordering on libel against my old U.P. contemporaries and other U.P. alumni from the faculties and Colleges of Law, Political Science, Economics and Engineering too!

For it should have been obvious ever since our adulthood, that other than a few idealists and revolutionaries, such as some of us who at one time or another, naively promised or briefly played with or simulated such roles in our youth, we the well-educated or the rich and powerful who have been in the forefront of government, academe or commerce, will never graciously nor substantially divest ourselves en masse off our enormous advantages and privileges! UNLESS – unless an apocalyptic and worldwide social, economic, environmental and spiritual CATHARSIS intervenes.

The Great Flood during Noah’s time, the Black Plague during the Dark Ages, the Hundred Years War in Europe of the Middle Ages, and its enlarged later versions now referred to as the First and Second World Wars – none of these previous worldwide upheavals have succeeded in motivating mankind particularly the rich and powerful, into widespread moral conversion. In fact, more evil with much worse injustices on a global scale have since developed in geometric intensity and scale.

And so if you have not yet already acquainted yourselves with the signs of the times and prophetic announcements contained in www.directionforourtimes.com, take it on faith from yours truly, please to do so ASAP! The compelling yet consoling aspects of this website’s revelations or messages from heaven, are nothing less than profound and earthshaking! For there you will know where to see and read that God Himself is announcing His direct divine intervention, so that His brand of universal justice and love will be reinstated soon, and worldwide! I reckon that www.directionforourtimes.com is the equivalent of the Book of Revelations, for this specific period of history!

I know I may have just sounded like I’ve gone wild and crazy. But I also BELIEVE even more so that I am more realistic NOW, in believing it is God Himself speaking out there in that website; that I was STUPID in my earlier belief in the SUFFICIENCY and efficacy of strictly secular solutions to the world’s problems, despite being prescribed by the best and brightest of our journalists, lawyers, economists and politicians. For they have repeatedly misled us and themselves too, in preaching that alone by ourselves, strictly on the merits of our self-proclaimed wisdom, science, technology, good intentions and self-serving promises of self-martyrdom, the world would solve any and all its problems, WITHOUT any significant assistance from God and His Word incarnate. Thus for generations, we stupidly and ARROGANTLY thought that God and His Word could never be a necessary part of any solution to man’s social and existential problems. Even sincere Christians have often failed to realize that their unqualified acceptance of strictly secular man-made solutions, would mean that there was no need nor any truth to God becoming man in order to redeem mankind by suffering and dying on the Cross.”

I have been reflecting constantly these last few weeks on the outrageous news about the syndicated swindle-and-plunder scheme surrounding a proposed “National Broadband Network”, involving the highest echelons of Philippine officialdom.

In comparison with the already bleak picture of our nation’s future which was implicit in the preceding article, the conclusions arising from these last few weeks’ revelations appear to be far more frightening.

For last year’s article of mine centered on our Catholic nation’s neglect of God’s readily available assistance that would have brought His blessings on our people’s efforts to redeem ourselves from the cumulative ill effects from our past sins and continuing human weaknesses.

These past weeks’ sordid finger-pointing recriminations point to a much worse and truly frightening crime-and-punishment scenario. For our nation’s leadership is apparently and repeatedly mocking God through their seemingly prayerful poses and religious antics, yet so obvious in their utter hypocrisy and mendacity, especially to those knowledgeable about broadband technology and its economics.

Yes, weep Philippines, weep! For except for a few brave and knowledgeable journalists, militant activists, professors, retired government technocrats and a few others, the silence from our pastors and shepherds is deafening. And so I believe that like our first martyr, Lorenzo Ruiz whose memorial is today, I am afraid that we too as a nation will have to go through a similar catharsis. Like Lorenzo Ruiz, our liberation will entail having to witness heroically to our Faith, before we can emerge from this darkest period of our nation’s very soul.

ZTE Shush-payshon!

Of Pinoy Mice and Men

07-092607

Romulo Neri’s prolonged but marginally credible yet still unfinished testimony before three Senate Committees up to the late afternoon hours today, have more or less led me to the following initial impressions:

1. Benjamin Abalos’ also tattered REPUTATION may have already been consigned to be ripped and tattered even more as the administration’s designated sacrificial goat, in order to appease the growing national indignation about the “ZTE Broadband Deal”. And so it seems Neri was allowed or was emboldened enough at least to say, almost apologetically in Abalos’ presence, that Abalos offered him a bribe of P200 Million albeit in a vague manner. And thus, with the help of highly paid clever lawyers, it can be plausibly denied later on in our courts of law, allegedly “as unsubstantiated, uncorroborated”!
2. 
   Also Neri hemmed and hawed but still ended up defending the ZTE Broadband “Project”, (not the contract itself but the “project”!)without offending nor implicating any of his fellow Cabinet members. Thus it would appear that Benjamin Abalos alone would be the only possible fellow guilty of having done anything wrong or illegal. Everybody else, including Leandro Mendoza would be absolved!
3. 
   Consequently Mr. Neri tried his best to shield President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) from any serious legal and political danger arising from the convoluted process the ZTE deal was processed and prematurely approved. However, the fact that Mr. Neri supposedly reported the Abalos bribe offer to PGMA (by telephone only!), it now obliges the latter to produce some credible evidence on whatever subsequent investigative action the law and her constitutional duties demand from her under these grave circumstances.
   Such an apparent initial “Damage Control” strategy may just succeed, considering the substantial probability that our leaders of the Church, business, academe and the comfortable middle class may hereafter just go through the motions of registering their collective indignation, but after a few days go back to business as usual. A counter-attack against Joe de Venecia and son et al, could also contribute to confusing the facts and issues even more, leaving the general public bewildered and in due time, bored and cynical, thus leaving our politicians to quarrel among themselves.

But my over-riding impression, nay deepseated dismay, was either how pitifully naïve and incompetent (charitably speaking), or grossly corrupt and greedy (if realistically speaking), our government technocrats and top officials seem to be.

For heaven’s sake, these officials couldn’t even see that a supposed “soft loan” was actually a gigantic swindle because the loan proceeds were mandatorily tied up to the lender’s designated supplier selling us a bill of inappropriate goods and services that were overpriced by as much as 100%!

As early as 40 years ago, ex-CICT Commissioner Ramon Sales, as a junior Systems Engineer with us at IBM Philippines, already knew by rigid company training, practice and common sense, even during those days when knowledge of computers and information technology were limited to very few technically trained people like us, that nobody but nobody allowed anybody to sell to them highly technical and astronomically expensive goods and services without a) detailed descriptions and performance specifications of what the Customer-User wants to buy (and NOT what the supplier wants to sell); b) for what specific purposes supported by detailed technical diagrams required by the Customer’s users; c) a verified and audited price comparison with other independent sources or suppliers, and d) a guarantee whether a bond or pledge that the supplier will deliver as promised.

Absent all these in the face of so many highly paid and supposedly the best and the brightest such as Teves, Favila, Neri, Mendoza, Andaya, Sales, Formoso et al, let’s now all cringe and weep. Yes, dear Philippines, let’s all weep in shame…

JARIUS et ROMULUS

06-092407

From the latest indications and personal exchanges between Speaker JDV and his allies as well as rivals, it looks like the same disgusting TRAPO-dynamics of dirty politics will prevail among themselves, at the obvious expense of “the whole truth and nothing but the truth”.

And so the Filipino people’s most immediate hope for the whole truth about the ZTE-NBN plunder attempt to surface, rests on the tandem souls of “Jarius et Romulus”.

And the ball is now in the hands of the corroborative Romulus- half of that keenly awaited thunder-tandem. We hope it will explode and reverberate with nothing but the truth against which no amount nor degree of deviltry in Palace and Cabinet-wide mendacity will prevail.

For these two gentlemen, Philippine Star columnist Jarius Bondoc and Philippine Cabinet Secretary Romulo Neri, hold the highest hopes of our conscienticized intellectuals and professionals, in having their sunset generation redeemed partially at least, in the eyes of their children and grandchildren, who have all the reason to blame them for the horrid depths of our nation’s present spiritual, moral, economic and political degradation.

Last Friday the 21st of September and the 35th anniversary of Marcos’ imposition of Martial Law, the Philippine Daily Inquirer came out with its editorial and columnists’ opinion, that were unanimous in condemning the obvious indications of graft and corruption in that ZTE-NBN transaction.

Today, the Philippine Star, has come out with a similar near-unanimous condemnation from its editorial and opinion writers, which are all being quoted in full hereunder.

Hopefully the clergy from all church denominations, and leaders of the academe especially from our Catholic schools and universities, will also realize that they are doing a distinct dis-service to our people, especially to the youth, if they will stick to their unseemly indifference in the face of top military and civilian government leaders’ blatant attempts to silence and to terrorize our citizens such as Jarius et Romulus.

Opinion
EDITORIAL – Suspended

Monday, September 24, 2007

As the pro-administration coalition appeared headed for collapse and Transport and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza joined the military top brass in claiming fresh destabilization attempts, the government announced the other day that the $329-million national broadband network or NBN deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp. had been suspended indefinitely. Why? Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila and acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera, who made the announcement, invoked “executive privilege” and would say no more. The pair also announced that the equally controversial and even more expensive Cyber Education project of the Department of Education had also been frozen.

In fact the ZTE deal had already been suspended two weeks ago – by virtue of a restraining order issued by the Supreme Court. Senators were unimpressed by Favila’s announcement and vowed to continue this week with their inquiry into the ZTE deal. Only two days before the announced suspension, the deal had been staunchly defended by Mendoza, who arrived at the Senate with a rah-rah choir led by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

The lawmakers’ decision is correct, considering that the Senate has become the only venue for ferreting out the truth about a deal that will saddle Filipinos with a multimillion-dollar debt. Apart from getting a clear picture of what exactly was signed by Mendoza with ZTE officials in the presence of President Arroyo last April in Boao, China, the public is also entitled to know the truth about allegations that Chairman Benjamin Abalos of the Commission on Elections had brokered the deal and that First Gentleman Mike Arroyo appeared to have intervened.

As the picture becomes clearer, interested parties should look into the possibility of filing criminal charges against certain individuals for graft. Going by the amounts mentioned in this widening scandal, indictments for large-scale corruption or plunder may be warranted. The filing of such charges is not the job of senators. Their mandate is to craft legislation that will promote transparency, particularly in areas that are currently exempted from rules on public accountability such as government-to-government deals.

Lawmakers may also want to fine-tune their own rules on ethics to prevent any member of Congress from using his position for personal gain. Something positive should come out of this latest sorry episode in national life. All sectors must work to prevent a repeat of this scandal.

Opinion
Scare tactics SKETCHES By Ana Marie Pamintuan

Monday, September 24, 2007

The Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the broadband deal with ZTE Corp. on Sept. 11, effectively putting it on ice. So why did Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila and acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera have to call a press conference to announce that the deal had been suspended indefinitely?

Now Favila is bellyaching that the suspension could discourage foreign investors from doing business here. After trying to take credit for suspending a controversial $329-million project, the administration wants to blame critics of the deal for scaring away investors. But the only one to blame for this mess is the administration itself.

Foreign investors would shy away, as they should, from a government that cannot guarantee transparency in its official transactions.

Investors shy away, as they should, from countries where the rule of law is a joke and the regulatory environment is ineffectual, where massive kickbacks must be factored into the cost of doing business, and where companies that do pay fat commissions risk losing their investments when the payoffs are uncovered and the government is forced – to use the phrase of the year – to back off.

China itself should want its companies to clean up their act and comply with international rules on fair trade and transparency. If China wants to become an economic success in the mode of Singapore, it should frown on corruption and encourage its international partners to do the same.

Favila should retain whatever credibility he still enjoys while working for this administration by refusing to engage in a blame game for the loss of investor confidence.

If he had not announced the suspension, he could have told Chinese officials that Malacañang was simply bowing to the Supreme Court and complying with the restraining order. The compliance should have been immediate. Did the weekend announcement mean that the administration had ignored the high court?

Now the suspension has become an executive decision, which opens the government to fresh criticism from the international community about the unreliability of business policies in this country. Not only are we unable to guarantee the sanctity of business contracts, we even lose the original signed documents.

* * *

The government announced the suspension of an already suspended deal after warnings of fresh destabilization attempts using the ZTE scandal were met with a yawn by the public.

Attempts to discredit Joey de Venecia also fizzled out, with the below-the-belt attack of Luli Arroyo backfiring and showing her to be truly her mother’s daughter. The verdict: diplomacy’s loss was fortuitous for the country after all.

Instead of winning public sympathy, the warnings about purported destabilization have raised concern that the administration is laying the groundwork for another crackdown on its political opponents.

The administration may have to deploy more loyalist troops to carry out any crackdown, since it has succeeded in alienating even its long-time allies led by Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr.

If the administration keeps up its policy of losing friends and alienating people, the only loyalists it might have left before Christmas would be its gang of corrupt Untouchables and the Three Stooges.

The administration has already lost the Senate. Does it also want to risk a bruising fight for control of the House of Representatives?

* * *

Apart from guarding against invasions of privacy by the state and actual physical harm, those involved in uncovering the truth and making public officials account for misdeeds in the ZTE deal should heed an advice from the prosecutors in Joseph Estrada’s plunder case.

If you want to see top public officials like Erap convicted, Simeon Marcelo said, be prepared to do the spadework.

Marcelo, who quit as Ombudsman amid speculation that Malacañang wanted him to go easy on former justice secretary Hernando Perez’s $2-million corruption case, warned that pinning down those in power requires so much more than holding press conferences and preening for the cameras.

It would be good, Marcelo said, to find a whistle-blower like former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson. The losing senatorial candidate may one day also find himself facing an indictment for corruption committed under this administration, but he served his purpose in the prosecution of Erap.

Since the ZTE scandal erupted, complete with stories about “sexcapades” in China, the overriding question has always been how high the stink goes.

Romulo Neri will be questioned this week about reports that he told President Arroyo he had been offered P200 million by Chairman Benjamin Abalos of the Commission on Elections to endorse the ZTE deal. The President allegedly told him to ignore the offer but approve the deal anyway. If this story is true, the President could be held liable for condoning a bribery attempt.
Days later, Neri lost his post as head of the National Economic and Development Authority and was shunted to the Commission on Higher Education.

Will Neri tell the truth? No one is holding his breath. Another story going around is that Neri, when pressed to tell the alleged bribery attempt under oath, expressed concern that if he became a party to an impeachment that leads to the ouster of the President, someone like Sen. Panfilo Lacson could take over. This administration must think the constitutional successor, Vice President Noli de Castro, is a non-entity.

Apart from the possible indictment of the President herself, graft charges could be filed against Abalos, Transport and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza and the others involved in the deal. If Neri takes responsibility for the approval of the deal when he was NEDA secretary-general, he could also be indicted.

As Marcelo reminded everyone, making criminal charges stick isn’t easy. But the spadework has to be done if the country is serious in its campaign against graft.

Corruption, not the suspension of a questionable contract, is what scares away investors and undermines the sustainability of economic growth.

Opinion
Two different courts A LAW EACH DAY (KEEPS TROUBLE AWAY) By Jose C. Sison Monday, September 24, 2007

Positive, clear and straightforward assertions regarding the existence of a factual proposition has more weight and credibility than bare denials without any specific details. This is a basic rule on evidence.

To get to the bottom of the truth and establish the relevant fact in issue, the number of witnesses is not as important and persuasive as the probability and tenability of their story. The version of a lone witness may appear more convincing when range against the accounts of several witnesses if it is more plausible and closer to the truth. This is another basic rule on evidence.

Also basic is that personal attack against the character and reputation including the physical features of a witness, or threatening him with court suits, are mere diversionary tactics that do not affect the existence of the relevant fact in issue. Even a person convicted of a crime is not disqualified to testify on what he personally saw and experience. Such diversionary tactics only betray the weakness of the denier’s version of the truth.

If these basic rules are applied to the raging word war between the main protagonists in the controversial $329 million ZTE deal particularly on the kickbacks, bribery, overpricing, sex, death threats and the alleged intimidating demand to “back off” the deal, it is easy to know who has the upper hand and who is more believable as far as the public is concerned. Jose de Venecia III the man behind the company that lost the deal has made damaging accusations against Abalos and FG. In reply, several admissions have been made regarding certain facts, events and circumstances surrounding the deal.

Abalos admitted: (1) that he knows and has played golf with some officials of ZTE but only with respect to the importation business of his daughter; (2) that he made several trips to Hong Kong sometime in December 2006 up to early January, 2007 courtesy of ZTE officials and played golf with them but only as a gesture of reciprocity as he also treated them to golf games in Wack-Wack; (3) that several meetings were held in relation to the ZTE deal where he was present together with other government officials particularly (a) at the Teves residence in Alabang more than a year ago where he introduced some ZTE officials to Teves and where they talked about some projects in Mindanao, (b) at a Wack-Wack Golf restaurant a few months ago with Mendoza and Teves to discuss the broadband project with ZTE officials, (c) at his favorite haunt in Wack-Wack some other times where Joey de Venecia kept showing up and where at one time FG also happened to be there with Mendoza, and (d) at his office where the young de Venecia saw him several times. Abalos also admitted that he met Joey de Venecia in China on December 27, 2006 but they didn’t go there together.

These events, and the circumstances surrounding them, show at the very least that some improprieties have been committed. Firstly, it does not seem right at all for the Chairman of the Comelec who has nothing to do with the ZTE contract to be present at several meetings held in relation to said contract, even unofficially and merely as golfing buddies of ZTE officials. Precisely because of his golfing connections with the ZTE officials, he should have avoided those meetings to dispel ugly but seemingly well founded suspicions that he brokered the deal. This attitude of “impunity” on the part of a government official holding such a delicate position has prompted some business groups to come up with a statement expressing their alarm and condemnation.

More significantly, these events and circumstances show that the story of young de Venecia is not a pure concoction; that it is not a complete fabrication and therefore more convincing to the public. There are indeed meetings with him, Abalos and Mendoza and at one time with FG. He also met Abalos in Hong Kong last December 27. Their versions vary only on what transpired during those meetings and encounters.

De Venecia claimed that in those meetings Abalos offered him $10 million and also pressed the ZTE officials in HK to come up with the rest of the payoffs, while FG intimidated him to back off from the deal. Abalos on the other hand denied any payoffs from the ZTE and branded de Venecia’s accusations of bribery offer as a barefaced lie. On the contrary, Abalos said that it was de Venecia who kept on following him up to seek help for his company’s NBN proposal. The spokesman of FG likewise denied the intimidation at Wack Wack. He said that FG had gone there merely to play golf when he saw Abalos and Mendoza at a nearby table and overheard the young de Venecia who was not even known to him at that time following up his project proposal with Mendoza. And when Mendoza introduced de Venecia to him, FG even reminded de Venecia that he cannot be involved in any government transaction because he is the son of the Speaker, said FG’s spokesman.

These are the conflicting versions now being circulated and presented before the court of public opinion. In this court, the people themselves decide which of the varying versions are credible and believable without being guided by any rules on the appreciation of evidence. The more popular version is considered as the truth. The factors making the administration version unpopular are the damaging admissions and seemingly unsatisfactory explanations and the lack of transparency surrounding the multimillion-dollar deal wherein the very document containing its terms was lost and have not been fully reproduced up to now. The decision may be popular but not necessarily correct, binding and conclusive.

The issues arising from the charges and countercharges of corruption, bribery, sex, and even death threats should therefore be brought before the court of law. Here the truth will be determined more authoritatively and conclusively by the competent branch of government in accordance with clear and specific rules of evidence. The pending case in the Supreme Court is not enough as it merely involves the validity of the contract and its overpricing, not the factual issues on the payoffs and kickbacks. The suspension of the deal should not deter Abalos to make good his threat to sue de Venecia for libel or file other legal actions if he has not done so yet. Here the decision may be unpopular but is presumably correct, binding and conclusive.
E-mail us at jcson@pldtdsl.net

Opinion
Is it a done deal?AS A MATTER OF FACT By Sara Soliven De Guzman

Monday, September 24, 2007

I thought the president and other cabinet members implied that the ZTE deal is already a done deal and cannot be questioned? How can that be? I know the people should respect the government’s decisions since we put them there to work for us but now that the ZTE deal is being questioned shouldn’t we get a good answer to our suspicions? We need to be cleared here somehow – our tax money is at stake.

How can we stop political noise, if we are not assured of our future? Nowadays, many are calculating how much tax their children and their children’s children will be paying if we pursue the ZTE multimillion-dollar deal. As it is, our countrymen have been trying to make ends meet with the E-VAT already imposed on us. What is next on the tax program? How will the government augment our international debt if government officials are not carefully scrutinizing the government projects? If we continue to be reckless in making deals, our taxes will naturally continue to increase and we will never see an end to the problem.

Controversial projects and deals have always been part and parcel of government systems even if they are not beneficial to the people. In fact, the more you can escape public scrutiny, the more successful you become. The government really lacks transparency. We would actually be in Utopia if we will ever achieve such a state. Nevertheless, the government, the congressmen and senators must police and control each other. I hope this time, our citizenry has learned and will be stronger forces pushing to do what is right and just. Remember our experience last election? The people became wiser and more vigilant. It became more difficult for the cheaters to win because everyone was watching and manning their votes. Let us see what will happen this time in this hysterical controversy.

The President cannot afford to make an enemy out of Joe the “Venetian.” He was her strongest supporter during the impeachment trial two years ago. Both the Speaker and his wife stood by La Gloria in her darkest hours. How can Gloria just castigate or oust the Speaker who knows a lot of secrets hidden within the walls of the Palace? GMA better play her game well or else she might experience a “check mate” in this game. Abangan!

What is happening right now in this country is truly a comedy combined with tragedy. Actually it has always been the case. It is the little people who suffer, not our politicians and those noisy know-it alls who live in cozy homes. We have always been striving to cope, to right what is wrong, to banish evil and corruption but we can’t seem to complete our actions. We seem to end up always frustrated. And hearing ourselves saying, “naku na-isahan nanaman tayo!” After a while, we easily give up and forget about the issue. Today’s problems are easily forgotten. Wasted and vanquished away. Susmariosep!

My dad wrote three straightforward and simple causes (national ills) which have prevented the progress of our country. These principal causes are: (1) pervasive graft and corruption at practically all levels of the national and local governments; (2) endless “politics” engaged in both those who hold the reins of power and the political opposition down to the local level; and (3) a bloated bureaucracy infested by incompetent, abusive and corrupt department and agency heads. In other words, the culprit of our ills and woes are caused by our national and local officials. Enough said.

Last Friday, the President said that “we should stop the political noise.” How can she say this when her own government, sad to say, has been doing things such as deals and government appointments which are politically-motivated? This is why we have corrupt and incompetent department and agency heads endorsed by Malacañang. Don’t forget that these politically-endorsed appointees in turn bring their own greedy camp followers into their officers. Hence, to borrow my dad’s words, “we have a bloated, less competent and indolent bureaucracy.” In one of his columns, he wrote about the state of our civil service which I think is vital to note: “According to the Civil Service Commission personnel today, never before in the history of that constitutional body have they seen such blatant violations of Civil Service rules and regulations in the appointment of people in the government, as they are now witnessing. So, obviously, it is not the system that is the problem but rather the mentality, culture and attitude of those who govern that must be held responsible for our stunted development.”

Since 1988 we have had the supposedly independent constitutional anti-graft body, the Office of the Ombudsman which is endowed with awesome powers. Yet, over the years since the Office of the Ombudsman was created 18 years ago and despite the proud boasts of achievements racked up by that office, graft and corruption has escalated instead, resulting in billions of pesos lost attributable to graft. So what’s up? Are we missing something here? This supposedly independent body is not so independent after all? If this is the case, do we really need another expense on our budget for such an office? Now, if the First Gentleman was really allegedly part of this ZTE deal along with Abalos et.al, then how can the Ombudsman take the case, not unless she resigns for delicadeza of not wanting to check on the President and her men who put her in that office in the first place. Hay naku!

In television, we see GMA still with her head up high and quite stern in her decision to go on with the ZTE deal. But when majority is already questioning its motives, shouldn’t she pause and think. Shouldn’t she review the project? Not just suspend it. A slimy way of trying to get away from the current issue.

Our major concern is the expense. Second, why buy it when other companies have offered better programs that are of no cost to the government? Third, we have the right to know what’s going on. I beg to disagree that the people have no right to question government projects. Excuse me! We are paying for those projects which many officials recklessly enter into. So, give us the benefit of the doubt. Be transparent. And this includes that Cyber-Education’s hullabaloo.
Don’t you hear the cry of anguish of the citizens? Here we are crossing our fingers clinging on to faith, hoping against hope that this President will not put us down. I still pray that somehow you will bring light into the ZTE matter to enlighten each Filipino who deserves an explanation. We want to hear you. Do not hide beneath the curtains or the shadows of your men. We need the President to speak instead of showing the public that she is numbed about what’s going on. You should show more concern and compassion. Keeping silent just won’t do the trick.

Opinion
What they expect Neri to discloseGOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc

Monday, September 24, 2007

Last Thursday Romy Neri was supposed to testify at the Senate on the hated ZTE deal. On the eve he noticed strange men casing his house in Quezon City. As a Cabinet member Romy promptly reported the security threat. Executive Sec. Ed Ermita dispatched a team from the Presidential Security Group. Romy failed to attend the Senate hearing due to bum stomach. The surveillants turned out to be police intelligence agents.

Why cops were spying on him, Romy doesn’t understand. News reports, meanwhile, quoted Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon as associating the ZTE scam exposé to a plot to rock the Arroyo tenure. The military analysis echoes the old Marcos martial law trick of blaming legitimate dissent on communists and rightists. Did the surveillants suspect Romy of being among the imagined conspirators? Why do some officials seem so scared of what he might reveal about the $330-million government broadband deal with ZTE Corp. of China?

I have talked to Romy exactly ten times by phone and face-to-face ever since I started a series in Mar. on the ZTE scam. Each conversation was tense. On two occasions Romy swore me to secrecy. At least twice too he said his life was in my hands. In the last three talks, including Tuesday after I first testified about my exposés, I asked him when he would bare all. He repeated that there’s a time and place for everything. I told him of at least four pious groups that are praying for his safety. He assured me he would tell only the truth if made to take the oath. I said I anticipate the heavy sacrifice he would face if he does so; he sympathized with me for undergoing harassment, threats and false accusations. In our last talk, I told him I am honored he considers me a friend since 1987, when he became head of the Congress Planning and Budget Office.

I often review my notes of our first talk on the morning of Apr. 20, the day I wrote about the rush to sign the ZTE contract in Boao, China. From insider info, I had stated that the National Economic Development Authority, which he headed then, had approved the ZTE deal in a huff. He called to clarify that what NEDA had cleared was the concept for a national broadband network, not the company. Sorry, I said, but I drew my conclusion from the endorsement of Secretaries Leandro Mendoza and Ramon Sales specifying both Amsterdam Holdings Inc. and ZTE — just that it’s with the latter that Mendoza was signing a contract. I confided the tip that the NEDA didn’t like what it was doing.

Romy then rattled off many things he knew about the events leading to the scheduled signing of Apr. 21. I later learned that he had told at least three of our common friends the same things.
Some of the items have since been reported in broadcast and print. There was a supposed invitation from Comelec chief Benjamin Abalos to golf at the Wack Wack Country Club, during which Romy was offered P200 million to support ZTE. As the story goes, Romy turned down and told President Arroyo about the indecent proposal. Whereupon, she instructed him to not accept the bribe but ensure the NEDA approvals just the same. Romy has neither confirmed nor denied the reports.

Only God and Romy know if under oath he would confirm or deny the other items. I pray that he expound on them. He had told me on that morning of Apr. 20 and several other times that not only a Comelec official but an influential businessman too was inordinately lobbying for ZTE Corp. The businessman allegedly was responsible for the sudden rise of the ZTE tag price to $330 million days before the signing, when its original offer in Dec. to Feb. was $262 million. What was the $68-million difference for, I asked in subsequent talks. Romy said the businessman was assigned to raise campaign funds for an administration party during the last election.

I would understand if Romy balks in identifying the businessman. In a previous cocktail party at the residence of Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., he said, that man had cornered and threatened him for opposing a fishy pier project. That man reportedly also worked on Romy’s consequent transfer from NEDA to the Commission on Higher Education.

Romy in our talks implicated most of the persons Joey de Venecia has exposed under oath as thieving from the broadband purchase. But I get the impression that Romy knows much more than the heroic whistleblower who initially was bidding for the telecom project.

About ZTE executives, Romy also said he has never seen any group as aggressive as them in pushing for a contract. They were waiting outside the NEDA conference room while the Cabinet was deliberating about them.

More importantly, Romy said a very powerful official arm-twisted him to turn the broadband project from a safe build-operate-transfer plan to a risky outright supply purchase. It was for that reason, he told me on Apr. 20, that he almost resigned from the Cabinet the day before.

* * *

NOW SHOWING: “MORALITY PLAY ON GMA”

Fortunately or unfortunately for Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA), the Sandigan Bayan criminal court’s verdict on her predecessor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has more or less been settled. Despite the latter’s understandable yet shallow claims of a martyr’s innocence, even those of us, myself included who seven years or so ago were at the forefront among those demanding for his resignation, now look upon today’s karma-confronted Erap with some pity and empathy. Or even sympathy. Why so? Because Erap’s past mistakes as President though serious and truly condemnable, appear to be much less vicious and hypocritical than…

GMA’s social, marital, economic, Catholic and political pedigrees obviously constitute an overwhelming 100-to-1 advantage in life for her, over those of Erap. In moral theology and particularly in relation to the parable on Silver Talents (Matthew 25: 14-30), GMA’s God-given 100-to-1 capital advantage for life, will certainly also require from her that much more rectitude and moral excellence in governance, than from Erap. And perhaps even more so because she has often publicly flaunted her supposed miraculous and thus “God-ordained” assumption to the Philippine presidency. Therefore, her personal and moral culpability for her sins of misgovernance, would at least be also 100 times more than Erap’s!

And if, as the following excerpts from non-partisan and knowledgeable opinion makers today strongly suggest, GMA appears to be ten times worse than Erap ever was as a benighted leader, shouldn’t GMA tremble in fear a thousand times more, every time she appears before the Lord at Holy Mass, without a clean and honest conscience? Especially whenever she receives the “Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity” of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist?

By the way, corrupt Catholic politicians and bureaucrats including those who condone corrupt practices through their own silent acquiescence or grotesque attempts to cover-up, should be reminded that it is outright sacrilege and a mortal sin, everytime we receive Holy Communion without having been a) genuinely sorry, b) sincerely committed to adequate restitution for our victims, and c) have confessed these mortal sins, especially those involving grave injustice and rank hypocrisy.

Excerpts from the Philippine Daily Inquirer of 21 September 2007

EDITORIAL
Turning point

The testimony of businessman Jose “Joey” de Venecia III before the Senate on Tuesday and the testimony of three Cabinet secretaries before the same Senate committees yesterday define a true turning point in post-Edsa People Power II politics. Beyond the all-consuming question of an unpopular president’s continuing political survival, we face history’s ruthless judgment: Do we ever learn?
The political sharks certainly smell blood in the water. But the red stain is wide and visible even from a distance. The wounds the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration has sustained are real; whether they are deep enough to prove fatal will be determined in the next few weeks or so…

What do we know for certain?

The young De Venecia’s testimony was, by and large, credible. Some inconsistencies exist, and the failure to mention the alleged “Back off!” encounter in his affidavit is problematic. But overall, with its sometimes gratuitous specificity, his testimony has the ring of truth…

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s musings on human nature are absolute nonsense. As in the Estrada impeachment trial six years ago, Santiago again suggests that people -- lawyers then, businessmen now -- are motivated only by base greed or sheer self-interest. It may be that that is the world she lives in, but her world is not ours…

First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo’s belated response to the young De Venecia’s allegation that he had tried to intimidate him into backing out of the National Broadband Network project, as coursed through his lawyer Jesus Santos, sounds plausible... As we said, it sounds plausible, but it is hardly credible…

The by-now-clearly-documented role of Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos in the ZTE Corporation’s proposal for a national broadband network is incomprehensible -- and truly reprehensible. He has denied his involvement, but he can no longer deny the unusual trips to China, the series of meetings with the young De Venecia, and now that alleged mid-March meeting with Arroyo. Of all officials involved in the ZTE scandal, he has the most to explain…

We have long called for this disgraced and disgraceful official’s resignation or impeachment. Abalos’ involvement in the ZTE scandal is further reason to repeat our call... We cannot imagine enough congressmen mustering the political courage to impeach him. We certainly cannot imagine him resigning. We will have to bide our time and wait for a plunder case to be filed against him…



As I See It
Neil H. Cruz

I think we will discover more overpriced projects as the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo winds down to 2010. In basketball lingo, this is its last two minutes and public officials, knowing they would be out of jobs and out of power in less than three years, are now providing for their futures. What better and faster way to do that than to overprice projects.

The President cannot stop her subordinates from doing that because she is a lame-duck president. She is still in MalacaÒang only because of the support of her allies. If she cracks down on them, they can withdraw their support and where would she be? Look at what happened to former President Joseph Estrada. Ms Arroyo knows that what she did to him can also be done to her. So she will just sit tight, please her allies and hope that she lasts until 2010.

In fact, it is possible, she herself is thinking of providing for her future. She will need lots of money for lawyers when she is no longer President and plunder and graft cases are filed against her for the things she did while in office.

I hope not, but it is also possible she is the “mystery woman” behind the ZTE broadband case as her husband is the “mystery man.” Circumstantial evidence points to that.

She flew all the way to China to witness the signing of the ZTE contract. Why? Obviously to show her support for the project. What was signed was allegedly “stolen” soon later. Why?

Ms Arroyo did not order that the contract be reconstituted or that a copy be obtained from the Chinese. And in spite of a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, she issued a statement that the Philippines would honor the contract which nobody but the signatories have seen.

The pieces of the puzzle are falling into place.

‘Back off!’: the new idiom of corruption
Raul C. Pangalangan

Thirty years ago, we celebrated Sept. 21 as Thanksgiving Day, as declared by President Ferdinand Marcos. A whole nation backed down when told to back off, and ended up celebrating the first day of the dictatorship, the day martial law was proclaimed, to sing hallelujah for their chains.
Jose de Venecia III has implicated no less than President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband as the “mystery man” who tried to bully him out of the National Broadband Network (NBN) deal. Already De Venecia’s life has been threatened and his phone bugged, and nasty personal innuendoes circulate. “Reformers” plot to oust his father as Speaker of the House of Representatives. The chief presidential legal counsel threatens him with jail -- and reminds the Ombudsman of its “motu proprio” powers to investigate without waiting for a complainant -- yes, the same Ombudsman who had to be prodded by the Supreme Court before it charged anyone -- the small fry, mind you, not the big shots -- in the Comelec computerization scam. And for a while, the government even claimed that the NBN contract was either lost or nonexistent!…

NBN is an abrupt reversal of the settled policy of public-private partnerships in “information infrastructure” that shifts the costs to private investors and spares government funds from that burden. Moreover, the project, originally priced at P5.1 billion, has now bloated to a whopping P19.3 billion -- all this to offer a redundant service already performed by private capital on its own…

Without the De Venecia testimony, these weighty issues might not have ignited public outrage. Contrast that to the drama of the Joseph Estrada trial, with the image of a “bayong” [big native bag] full of cold cash hand-carried by thugs to the “lord of all jueteng [underground lottery] lords.” This time, the thievery is far more suave, and players threaten one another in “coÒo English” in chic places.

In the Philippines, there is a class divide even in the treatment of witnesses. The Estrada trial flourished because of witnesses like the warlord Chavit Singson, who is a “Witness Protection Program” on his own, and the bank vice president Clarissa Ocampo, who has her own built-in credibility as a professional. In contrast, who remembers those witnesses against MalacaÒang in all the past scandals? The low-level minions have either recanted and apologized or been shredded to pieces, like T/Sgt. Vidal Doble earlier this week.

And then the young De Venecia came, with all the advantages of both Chavit and Clarissa. Hence the vicious attacks on his character, because the NBN debate is at its core a battle for the hearts and minds of the Filipino public. The UP deans conclude: “The only backbone the government needs today is a moral one, not fiber optic but “fibre politique.’”

The Ombudsman’s “motu proprio” powers? “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war, that this foul deed shall smell above the earth….”