January 2010

Arroyo on Villar

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Opinion

by Lito Banayo
from MALAYA   

            Joker Arroyo, the senator from Makati and Bicolano town-mate of SEC Commissioner Manny Gaite (the guy who gave half a million pesos of his own money to the brother of Jun Lozada, because Jun was running low on funds in Hongkong, before he decided to come home and tell the sordid truth about the ZTE-NBN scandal) stood on the Senate floor to defend his colleague Manuel Villar Jr. on the C-5 stink.  Few of his peers bothered to listen to Joker as he bewailed the “unfair” treatment given his Wednesday Club confrere. Even ANC switched him off after a few paragraphs.  Who cares to listen to Joker?

            Yet, the man won in 2001 because he said “this country cannot have a thief for president”, and shouted “Ubusin ang mga corrupt!”  After becoming one of the staunch defenders of the Arroyos (no relation) in the Senate, he sought re-election in 2007, and fooled enough voters to re-elect him, this time crying, “Pag bad ka, lagot ka!”.  So why do few listen to Joker Arroyo these days, he who used to be regarded as a crusader against corruption?  Let me quote from a privilege speech Rep. Joker Arroyo of the City of Makati and know why he has become absolutely incredible.  The privilege speech was delivered August of 1998:

“I rise on a question of collective privilege on a constitutional issue that affects the integrity of the House and it is very ripe to continue existing.

“In the course of the fight for the speakership, Rep. Agapito Aquino, chairman of the reform bloc, raised questions regarding the fitness of Rep. Villar to seek the speakership.  Rep. Villar chose not to answer the charges but he was overwhelmingly elected Speaker by this House.  Successful election, however, does not answer the questions nor lay to rest charges of wrongdoing, not in (a) government of laws.

“We had a colleague; we still have a colleague in the person of Congressman Jalosjos.  He was elected by his district but that did not erase his conviction.  So, drawing a parallel election does not wipe out the offense.

“The questions raised, nay, the charges against Speaker Villar are constitutional in character.  And our duty as members of the legislature is peremptory and clear.  We took oath to support and defend the Constitution and uphold the laws. The Constitution has been violated, laws have been broken.  If we are to continue in the capacity of public officials, if this Chamber is to continue in its very character as legislature, an indispensable pillar in the system of checks and balances, then we must come to the Constitution’ s defense and the vindication of the laws.

“I hesitated long and pondered hard whether to raise these questions for fear of being accused of sour-graping and being a poor sport.  But this has nothing to do with sports.  Our duty is clear, there are charges of illegalities; the charges must be heard and answered. I am reminded of the case of Speaker Newt Gingrich of the United States House of Representatives.  He was investigated by the United States House of Representatives for I think collecting some fees of books he wrote while Speaker (I am not too sure of the facts).  But one thing I am sure of is this; the House after hearing censured its own Speaker and penalized him with a penalty was meted out.  In other words, there are precedents and we must not hesitate to do our duty.  (Incidentally, the Newt Gingrich censure and fine is one of the precedents for the Enrile committee report signed by 12 senators which Villar’s tribe disputes).

“Article XI of the Constitution is titled “Accountability of Public Officers” it proscribes in Section 16 that:

“No loan, guaranty, or other form of financial accommodation for any business purpose may be granted, directly or indirectly, by any government or controlled bank or financial institution to the President, the Vice President, the Members of the Cabinet, the Congress, the Supreme Court, and the Constitutional Commission, the Ombudsman, or to any firm or entity in which they have controlling interest, during their term.”

“Charge I.  Low cost housing is totally dependent on government agencies such as PAG-IBIG, National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), SSS, GSIS, and other government financial institutions.

“Speaker Villar and the companies of which he is President or Chairman, or where he has a controlling interest, are the biggest low-cost housing developers in the country.  To be more specific, it is the Camella and Palmera Homes and its principal subsidiaries, the Household Development Corporation and Palmera and Communities Philippines.

“In violation of the constitutional injunction, these companies were given financial accommodations by government banks or financial institutions, among them, PAG-IBIG and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation among others, during Speaker Villar’s term as Representative from 1992 to 1998 to finance their business purposes.

“Charge II.  Representative Villar, from 1992 to 1998 did not divest himself of his interests in, nor did he sever his connections with, the companies aforestated.  They obtained financial accommodations from the above government financial institutions while he was a Member of Congress.  Since he did not, therefore, such companies were forbidden from entering into such financial arrangements. (In the C-5 issue, the SCOW report also took note of the fact that Villar and his wife did not divest themselves of ownership in the property firms that benefitted from the Las Pinas-Paranaque Road that was initiated, pushed and funded by Sen. Villar).

“Because of our Constitution, Republic Act No. 6713 known as the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials” states in Section 9:

“Divestment. – A public official or employee should avoid conflicts of interest at all times.  When a conflict of interest arises, he shall resign from his position in any private business enterprise within thirty (30) days from his assumption of office and/or divest himself of his shareholdings or interest within sixty (60) days from such assumption.. .”

“Charge III.  Nor has Speaker Villar, up to now, I am saying up to now, divested himself of his interests in, nor has he severed his connections with, the companies aforestated.  Speaker Villar is in no hurry to divest because he has declared that he is under no obligation to do so.  A continuing violation.

“Charge IV.  Speaker Villar controls the Capitol Bank.  Mrs. (Cynthia) Villar is the chief executive officer.  The Capitol Bank received loans, financial accommodations and guarantees from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from 1992 to 1998 while he was a Representative.  That is constitutionally forbidden.

“To sum it up, the constitutional prohibition is very simple.  If a Representative has a controlling interest in a firm or entity, that firm or entity cannot be extended a loan, a guaranty, or a financial accommodation for any business purpose from any government financial institution.  If that firm or entity would like to obtain a loan, a guaranty or a financial accommodation from a government financial institution, that firm or entity must first relieve itself of the controlling interest of the Representative.

‘It is my humble submission that Speaker Villar did not do either.

“Republic Act No. 3019, otherwise known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, provides in Section 6 therefore as follows:

“Sec. 6.  Prohibition on Members of Congress. – It shall be unlawful hereafter for any Member of the Congress during the term for which he has been elected, to acquire or to receive any personal or pecuniary interest in any specific business enterprise which will be directly and particularly favored or benefited by any law or resolution authored by him previously approved or adopted by the Congress during the same term. 

The provision of this section shall apply to any other public officer who recommended that initiation in Congress of the enactment or adoption of any law or resolution, and acquires any such interest during his incumbency.”

“In other words, even if he was not the principal author, if he did ask or initiated the enactment of such a law, he is covered by the prohibition.

“Simply put, during our term of office, each one of us, it shall be unlawful for us to author any law or resolution that would benefit or favor us.  The above prohibition shall apply even to that representative who just recommended, not even authored, the enactment of such law that benefited him.

(To be continued on Thursday)

(banayo_at@yahoo.com)

Manny Villar blameless?

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Opinion, Politics & Government

Get Real
by Solita Collas-Monsod
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100130-250236/Manny-Villar-blameless

WHILE the Senate is declaring a moratorium on the discussion of the ethics case against Sen. Manny Villar, here are some incontrovertible facts, presented in Q & A form. The source of the information is also given.

Question: What roadway projects are the subject matter of the Villar ethics controversy? Answer: 1. The Manila Cavite Toll Expressway Project (MCTEP), the original C-5 south extension project, linking SLEX with the Coastal Road; 2. the DPWH C-5 Extension project (CX-5), which together with 3. the Las Piñas-Parañaque Link Project (LPPLP), also links SLEX with the Coastal Road. Source: Senate Report (SR) 780.

Q: Is the CX-5/LPPLP project a realignment, as Sen. Jamby Madrigal describes it, or has there been no realignment, as Senator Villar’s allies insist? A: Technically there has been no realignment, because these are two separate roads linking C-5 from SLEX to the Coastal Road. But they are very close together and, in some areas, overlap, as can be ascertained from a site map. Source: interactive map available at www.gmanews.tv

Q: Are there any differences between the MCTEP and the CX-5/LPPLP? A: Yes. 1. The MCTEP is a joint-venture project between the government and a private Malaysian partner, with the government’s financial exposure limited to P2.68 billion for the purchase of the road right-of-way; the private partner is responsible for the construction of the project, for which tolls will be charged. The CX-5/LPPLP is a toll-free, wholly-financed government project costing P6.96 billion; 2. The CX-5/LPPLP is longer than the MCTEP, its extra length essentially covering the LPPLP portion; 3. The CX-5/LPPLP passes through more Villar properties than the MCTEP. Source: DPWH project documents cited as Exhibits A, B and TTTT in SR 780; site map from www.gmanews.tv.

Q: How large are the Villar company landholdings in the immediate vicinity of the questioned road projects? A: At least 50-52 hectares: 40 hectares in the vicinity of the LPPLP; 10-12 hectares in the area between Sucat Road and Multinational Avenue. Source: testimony of Anastacio Adriano Jr., senior vice president and general manager, chief operating officer of Adelfa Properties Inc. and other Villar-owned companies up to 2008; self-styled consultant and political officer of Senator Villar since August 2008. Nota bene: Senate employment records do not include his name. Nota bene: it is not clear whether the 50-52 hectares mentioned above include properties cited in SR 780—roughly 10 hectares in area—to be developed by Villar companies in joint venture with their owners.

Q: What is the involvement of Villar in CX-5 and LPPLP? A: 1. The Project Feasibility Study of the DPWH for CX-5 states: “The conceptualization of and the initial release of funds for the CX-5 Project was initiated by Sen. Manuel Villar whose same efforts also paved the way for the funding of the Las Piñas-Parañaque Link Road [LPPLP]”; 2. Various insertions and amendments (Priority Development Assistance Fund, read pork barrel) in the national government budget over the years 2002-2008 for CX-5 and LPPLP; 3. Adriano (cited above), in the office of and presence of Villar, dictating to the director general of the Senate’s Legislative Budget Research and Monitoring Office (LBRMO) Villar’s proposed amendments to the 2008 budget, including a P400-million appropriation for the CX-5. Source: documents submitted by DPWH, lawyer Yolanda Doblon of the LBRMO, testimony of both Doblon and Adriano, cited in SR 780.

Q: Were the Villar properties bought for road right-of-way overpriced? A: SR 780 argues for the affirmative; PSR 1472 (the resolution signed by Villar and his allies exonerating him from all charges) argues for the negative. This calls for a conclusion of the reader. And to help that along, I have—based on the documented prices and acreage of the lands purchased in connection with the LPPLP—computed the weighted average prices that were paid for the Villar and related properties, and those paid for the non-Villar properties. The results: The Villar/related properties, comprising 23,455 square meters, were bought for P168.1 million. The non-Villar properties, comprising 11,685 square meters, were bought for P22 million. That comes to a weighted average of P7,168 per square meter for Villar’s properties, and P1,880 per square meter for the non-Villar properties. That has to be a statistically significant difference.

Given the above facts—which no one can contest, since they are based on official documents, and not on a he-says-she-says set of assertions—it has to be reasonable to conclude:

1. Since there was already an ongoing project (the MCTEP) linking C-5 to the Coastal Road, it was totally unnecessary to build a second one.

2. Which means that there was a waste of scarce resources. Instead of using only P2.6 billion of government funds for the first project, the government had to spend an additional P6.9 billion for the second, which practically duplicated the first, except for the additional length which happily for Senator Villar, traversed his properties.

3. This unnecessary, wasteful project was certainly Villar’s idea. It is specious to argue that it is a DPWH project. As the DPWH feasibility study states (in black and white), both the CX-5 and the LPPLP were conceived and initially funded by Villar.

4. Villar benefited tremendously from the second project. Certainly, his companies were paid significantly more per square meter for the road right of way (which were mostly bought from him). But that pales into insignificance compared with the tremendous increase in the values of his real estate holdings in the area—at least 50-52 hectares.

Is he blameless? Is the Pope protestant?

"I will vote for anyone but Villar"

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Opinion

Unparliamentary
 
NO HOLDS BARRED
by Armida Siguion-Reyna
from Tribune

The Senate may be on “cease fire” to correctly focus on approving urgent bills on hand before the election break, but it will take longer for the public to forget who said what and how what was said in defense of Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. It won’t help for some to deny their utterances, for it was on TV as it was happening, on TV news later in the evening, and now I hear available for instant and constant replay on the Internet’s YouTube.
 
I had never seen anything like it, not even during the hearings against President Joseph Estrada close to 10 years ago. Time has flown, and the man who railroaded the opening prayer of the Congress he presided over to transmit the articles of Estrada’s impeachment to the Senate is now the center of it all.
 
Will Villar get censured? Is he indeed guilty of improper and unethical conduct in the C-5 road extension program? Will he be asked to return “…the realigned P4.28 billion for the extension project, the P1.8 billion spent for the original project that got wasted due to the realignment, and the P141.1 million overpriced right-of-way payments” for Villar-owned properties?
 
I don’t have enough facts to outright say he’s guilty. I only know that he’s behaving like he is, for really, what else accounts for his refusal to face his peers and have the more ferocious of his allies do the barking for him, na iyon naman pala, he’s holed up in a nearby hotel, and soon after the Senate session is adjourned, he shows up to talk to media? Ano iyan, hindi pa siya halal, kung kumilos, halal na, acting as if he were Gloria Arroyo’s incarnation? He refuses to acknowledge his equals, he’d rather speak to a group reputed to be largely in his payroll?
 
His defenders, especially the more vocal of them, seem to have so willingly thrown away everything they’ve stood on just to stop a report from reaching the floor, a report that’s in no way the final word dahil pagbobotohan pa naman, pagdidiskusyunang maigi.
Tarnished is the word to define them — except for Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, whose support for anyone outside of herself has never been consistent. Once pinned down for not “committing suicide” as she had promised over an issue, she simply shrugged: “I lied.” You call her what you want to call her, I will not be distracted with that.
 
My disappointment rests with Senators Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Alan Peter Cayetano. I also seek an explanation from party-list Reps. Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza, both running for the Senate under Villar’s Nacionalista Party, even as I’m set to vote for these two on my electronic ballot come May 10.
 
Ocampo after Monday’s session had stated his preference for Villar to face his fellow senators in the chamber and then after Tuesday changed position as the “gutter language” that Monday made him understand Villar’s absence. But who started the trash talk, really? Who began the trick of throwing mud on everyone else’s face, as if it were a free-for-all?
 
At 79, I tend to forget some things, but my memory of Monday’s proceedings is supported by other media. So Sen. Jamby Madrigal first called Villar a “coward” for not being there, does “coward” constitute “gutter language?” Pimentel refuted Madrigal’s charge, “Just to call him a coward is unparliamentary language… I’m surprised why we should go down that low in berating and belittling a colleague of ours. He’s still under investigation as far as I know.”
 
Madrigal called the minority senators “Villar’s choo-choo train.” Pimental shot back, “At least I’ not an abused child,” Cayetano got offended, and tagged Madrigal “saling-pusa.” What, now? Referring to a colleague as an abused child and saling-pusa is acceptable in parliamentary, while “coward” is not?
 
Pimentel then blurted out that most senators had practiced insertions anyway. Madrigal denied this, and so did Sen. Mar Roxas. Following is part of the Roxas-Pimentel argument, courtesy of Ellen Tordesillas.
 
Roxas: “No, Mr. President. My name was mentioned in the context that we were ganging up, that this was all political, that we were using insertions — when he said in a blanket statement — that there were insertions, others had insertions. Well, I say no. I have no insertion on any matter. In fact, I have no insertion period, because we were in the minority. Let alone an insertion for a road to pass through any such property.”
 
Pimentel: “Well, I’m sure that after your marriage you’ve had some insertions?”
 
Roxas: “Mr. President, I demand that be removed from the record. That is an affront on my wife!”
 
Pimentel: “Mr. President, I remove it immediately.”
 
On this alone, I can rest my case, for after this, who said worse and dragged in a fellow senator’s wife who wasn’t even there, for heaven’s sake, was pretty clear. Except that his friends after the incident tried to justify his quip. Former Environment Secretary Jun Factoran on ANC attributed it to their generation’s lack of sensitivity to “gender differences,” but I still don’t buy it. Pimentel was arguing on what was fit to utter in the Senate, and he slipped because he was insensitive to gender differences? Unparliamentary, my foot.
 
Sure, Pimentel’s apologized, though not directly, during prayers, before Tuesday’s session started. Then again, on ANC, in Pia Hontiveros’ program, maintained that he did not mean to offend Roxas’ wife, Korina. Too late, methinks, for it’s when we act just like so, when we do not mean what we do or speak out and yet go ahead, that we afford people a real glance into our real selves.
 
And of Alan Peter Cayetano, my goodness. I do not even know how to begin. Nadiskubre ko na lang basta na lahat ng pagtangi ko sa kanya’t pagkabilib mula pa no’ng nasa Congress siya, ay basta na lang naglaho. His gung-ho defense of his party’s standard bearer was a turn-off like no other and I’m not the only one who says this, even the pro-Villar among my friends couldn’t help but conjecture.
 
As far as voting for Villar goes, Conrad de Quiros said it best, last Wednesday, Jan. 27, in the Philippine Daily Inquirer: “Mahirap is a curious word that translates in English as ‘poor’ and ‘hard’ or ‘difficult.’ The way things are, Villar may have just have found the perfect label for himself. Mahirap: mahirap kausapin, or hard to talk to, refusing to stand before the Senate to explain his conduct; mahirap pagkatiwalaan, or hard to trust, you never know that kinds of extensions he will justify in future; mahirap ang kalooban, or depleted in the inside while endowed on the outside. Someone like that proposes to lead you, you’re bound to say: Mahirap na.”
 
I will vote for anyone but Villar.

Stop demonizing the Supreme Court

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Opinion

With Due Respect
by Artemio V. Panganiban
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100116-247742/Stop-demonizing-the-Supreme-Court

MANILA, Philippines—I was advised not to worry about the delays in the “physical” preparations for the 2010 polls and the logistical nightmares I wrote about last week. I was assured that Comelec has contingency plans to manually count the automated ballots.

Inadequate contingency plans. With due respect, I believe these plans are sorely inadequate. For example, if the wrong automated ballots are delivered to the wrong town, all the voters there would be disenfranchised because the candidates printed on the ballots cannot be voted for in that town. Ballots tailored for Cagayan de Oro are useless if delivered to Cagayan province. Here, the contingency plan will not work because there are no automated ballots to count.

Both the automated ballots and the PCOS are precinct-specific. They must be delivered to the correct town at the correct time. Delivering them too early or too late will risk their safekeeping and integrity. Up to today, the couriers for these ballots and the PCOS have yet to be chosen.

Another example. This week, Comelec started to disqualify many candidates. But the Supreme Court may reverse Comelec, as it recently did with Ang Ladlad. Consequently, it cannot order the printing of the automated ballots till after all appeals are decided. Appeals take time to mature.

Since there are 47 million voters, at least 47 million ballots must be printed by special printing machines, which—unfortunately again—have not all been procured. There are 1,630 different versions of the ballot because each of the 1,630 towns in the country has different candidates. The contingency plan is useless if Comelec fails to print correctly and on time all the different ballots.

Final example. Comelec purchased 82,000 PCOS machines, which need to be calibrated into 1,630 different ways to read the 1,630 types of ballots to be printed. To date, only 30,000 of them have been delivered to Comelec. When tested, the machines accepted only 30 out of the 600 ballots inserted. That is a measly 5-percent passing rate. Yet during the bidding process, Comelec required 99.999-percent accuracy! When a new jet crashes during its test flight, no explanation can convince passengers to ride the next plane. How then can I be persuaded that the PCOS will work properly during the real run?

There are many other examples, like warlords “back hoeing” the ballots, early voters spilling water on the machines, etc. My point is: Imagine these scenarios repeated in several provinces and districts. And any plain folk would see a failure of proclamation for president, vice president and senators when the votes in all those failed areas will be determinative of the final results for these offices.

I know the many objections against the super-slow old manual system. But our common dream of automating our elections is fading due to delays and untested logistical nightmares. It is better to deal with an old known evil than a new unknown devil.

* * *

Stop demonizing the SC. The proposal urging President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to appoint the chief justice now but effective after the present chief retires on May 17 is politicizing the Supreme Court and eroding its credibility as the bastion of blindfolded justice and the last bulwark of democracy.

I appeal to Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno to use his persuasive powers, as head of the Supreme Court and the Judicial and Bar Council, to stop this erosion of trust in the Court. He is equipped with enough powers and moral ascendancy to help abate this divisive political wrangling. (The uninitiated may see my December 23 column for the CJ’s functions.)

I appeal to the President to stop this circumvention of the noble intent of the Constitution to prevent “midnight appointments.” The Supreme Court is effective only as long as it is perceived to be independent. A tainted Court cannot effectively shield her from political slings and criminal prosecutions once she steps out of power.

Pervez Musharraf was dethroned as president of Pakistan because he brazenly violated the independence of the Supreme Court and used legal hocus-pocus to oust its chief justice, forcing the Pakistani bar to flood the streets with protests. I think the Filipino lawyers are no less militant.

Ferdinand Marcos lined up several justices on the seniority ladder so they could in time become chiefs. But the Edsa revolution intervened. And outsiders like Pedro L. Yap, Marcelo B. Fernan and Andres R. Narvasa unexpectedly rose to the top.

The chief justiceship, like the presidency, is a precious gift from God. Let destiny award it without the interference of bedeviling politics and nasty intrigues.

* * *

Diplomat’s diplomat. The bounden duty of diplomats is to promote and protect the interest of their country in the host state. How to accomplish this duty without rankling the local people is the ultimate test of every envoy. By this standard, US Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, who is ending her stint here, graduates summa cum laude.

Judging by the accolades showered on her during her many despedidas (I attended those hosted by Inquirer’s Marixi Prieto and Sandy Romualdez, by Tower Club’s Wash Sycip and Joey Cuisia, and by Ambassador Kenney herself at her Forbes Park home), or during UAAP basketball games (where she was seated alternately on the blue and green benches), or during parades of the Armed Forces, I am convinced that she is the most admired and most loved diplomat here. Indeed, she is the diplomat’s diplomat.

* * *

Comments are welcome at chiefjusticepanganiban@hotmail.com

Arroyo ready for lawsuits in chief justice issue

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Politics & Government

by Sophia Dedace/KBK
from GMANews.TV

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/182878/arroyo-ready-for-lawsuits-in-chief-justice-issue

Despite the supposed constitutional ban on “midnight appointments” by an outgoing chief executive, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will appoint the next chief justice even if it costs her lawsuits and a further drop in her popularity ratings, a Malacañang official said on Sunday.

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said President Arroyo will make the appointment even without the shortlist from the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), the body that screens nominees for vacant judicial posts.

“The time is not yet ripe because the JBC list has not yet reached the President. Once that the deadline comes and there is no list from the JBC yet, the President will make a decision,” he said.

The deadline he was referring to was May 17, when Chief Justice Reynato Puno reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

Under the Constitution, an incumbent president is prohibited from making appointments 60 days before elections. Applied this year, the appointment ban will start on March 11 and will stay in effect until President Arroyo’s term ends on June 30.

National interest

Olivar said they prefer that the JBC submits its list of nominees so that President Arroyo could choose the new chief justice. He, however, said that if Puno retires and no list is given, the President can make an appointment based on national interest.

“As usual she will consider the good of the majority. If she gets lawsuits and her survey ratings plunge further, her primary consideration is her responsibility and the national interest,” he said.

President Arroyo’s latest net satisfaction rating is –38 points, her second lowest since the –50 that she got in October 2004.

Olivar also shrugged off the resolution by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) stating that President Arroyo’s successor should appoint the next head of the Supreme Court. He said the IBP position will be treated as an “additional input” to the many legal advice that the President has been getting.

The IBP is the official organization of all Philippine lawyers whose names appear in the Roll of Attorneys of the Supreme Court.

Olivar said the Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former Justice Secretary Artemio Toquero, and the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) have stated that President Arroyo can act on the vacancy of the chief justice position even without a list of nominees from the JBC.

5 nominees

The JBC had considered five nominees for Puno’s replacement: Associate Justices Antonio Carpio, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Renato Corona, Eduardo Nachura, and Presbitero Velasco Jr.

Nachura and Velasco had declined to be included in the list, saying only the three most senior justices – Carpio, Corona, and Morales – should be nominated. Both Carpio and Morales, however, said they were both willing to be appointed as Puno’s successor, but on the condition that the next President would do the appointment.

Talks are rife that President Arroyo would pick Corona, her perceived ally, instead of Carpio, the most senior associate justice.

Carpio was one of the founding partners of the prominent Carpio Cruz Villaraza, also known as “The Firm,” which had close ties with President Arroyo. Other co-founders include former Defense secretary Avelino Cruz and Arthur Villaraza.

“The Firm” supposedly had a falling out with President Arroyo after the “Hello, Garci” controversy broke out in 2005. Cruz and “The Firm” member, former Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, resigned from the Arroyo administration in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Pro-Arroyo?

A check on previous Supreme Court rulings on controversial cases involving the Arroyo administration would show that Corona voted in favor of the administration while Carpio voted against it.

In October 2008, Carpio was among the justices who said the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain (MOA-AD) between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front should be declared unconstitutional. Corona, on the other hand, voted in favor of the government, which argued that the matter be considered “moot and academic” because the deal creating a Bangsamoro Juridical Entity was never signed.

In September 2008, the Supreme Court allowed former Socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri to invoke “executive privilege” in the Senate investigation on the botched $329-million national broadband deal the government entered with China’s Zhong Xing Telecommunications Equipment Corp. (NBN-ZTE) deal.

Neri refused to answer the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s questions on whether he and President Arroyo discussed the deal, which made headlines after businessmen Jose de Venecia III and Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada claimed that First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Elections chair Benjamin Abalos earned from the allegedly anomalous transaction.

Carpio said Neri could not invoke executive privilege, while Corona voted in favor of Neri. - with Sophia Dedace/KBK, GMANews.TV

Bets vow to go after GMA

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Politics & Government

by Aurea Calica
from The Philippine Star

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=545122&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential candidates vowed to have President Arroyo prosecuted for her alleged misdeeds, except – not surprisingly – her party’s bet Gilbert Teodoro Jr.

The candidates voiced their stand during the ANC Youth 2010 presidential forum held at the De La Salle University (DLSU) in Manila yesterday. They were responding to a question from forum moderator Ted Failon on whether prosecuting Mrs. Arroyo would be part of their agenda if elected.

Former President Joseph Estrada did not attend the forum, saying he had to do an infomercial.

Survey favorite Sen. Benigno Aquino III said Mrs. Arroyo must be prosecuted and all the cases against her must have closure.

“We are lacking in transparency. The fertilizer fund scam took four years to be investigated. And there must be certainty of punishment (for corrupt officials). If we are not going to pay attention to this, we are continuing an erroneous system,” Aquino said.

He said it would be up to the courts and other concerned agencies to undertake the task of prosecuting Mrs. Arroyo, even as he gave assurance that her rights as accused would be protected.

Aquino said Mrs. Arroyo should face prosecution because she “destroyed a lot of institutions that we depend upon to have a vibrant and really functional democracy.”

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., who is trailing Aquino in the surveys, said members of the Nacionalista Party, which he heads, led the investigation into the various anomalies involving the Arroyo administration.

“I will not lift a finger to defend the President against any of these accusations should charges be filed when she steps down,” Villar said.

Sen. Richard Gordon noted that as chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, he had recommended the filing of charges against Mrs. Arroyo and he would form a special group to deal with the issues against her if he becomes president.

Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Olongapo City Councilor John Carlos de los Reyes, environmentalist Nicanor Perlas, spiritual leader Eddie Villanueva all agreed on prosecuting the President, saying corruption and human rights violations under her term have brought shame to the country.

Unsure?

Teodoro, who was less emphatic in his response, actually enjoyed a homecourt advantage being an alumnus of the school.

“All of us, like her, our books are open and we are ready to face (the nation) if we committed something (wrong.) Think about it, if I participate in the filing of charges, they will ask why, you might only weaken the cases; if I don’t, they will say I am not fulfilling my duties,” he told the forum audience.

“My principle here is, anybody can file a case with a proper court and I should not meddle,” Teodoro said.

“Nasa taong bayan ‘yan, hindi ko masasagot (It’s up to the people. I can’t answer that),” Teodoro said, leaving some in the audience groaning. But Teodoro stood firm and said he would not succumb to the emotions of the young.

Teodoro’s answers drew shouts of “hindi” (no) when Failon asked the students at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium if they had clearly understood the former defense secretary.

Asked by Madrigal if he would pay back Mrs. Arroyo for her help, Teodoro said he would only return the good and as far as her alleged wrongdoings were concerned, “let justice be done.”

Confronted with issues

Candidates hit one another, though indirectly, when they were asked about certain issues.

A student-panelist asked Villar about his thoughts on limiting campaign expenditures, given his many infomercials. The audience applauded and screamed upon hearing the question, which a poker faced Villar promptly answered.

Villar delivered his usual defense – that he was just trying to level the playing field because he was not a celebrity or someone with a famous sibling or mother, apparently taking a swipe at Aquino. He drew some applause and cheers but was also taunted by the crowd when asked by Failon, “What about those who do not have the money?”

Villar replied resources would come from one’s effective handling of business and that everyone, even those without a pedigree and who come from poor, must be given a chance to be president.

Gordon and Madrigal also made remarks apparently directed at Villar. “We will fight even if we are not rich,” Gordon said.

Madrigal said she filed a corruption case against a fellow senator – apparently referring to Villar – because she wanted the people to know whom they should choose in the coming elections.

Villar said he had answered all the allegations in connection with the C-5 road issue and that the young audience was free to check his website for his detailed explanation of his side.

Villar said the voters must look at the performance and background of every candidate and consider managerial abilities and competence before making a decision in the coming elections.

Aquino, for his part, was asked about his accomplishments that could help stop corruption if he gets elected.

Aquino said it was not his nature to brag about his accomplishments but he said he had been part of the investigations against the Arroyo administration.

He said he had also worked on the budget proposals and amended the law on procurement at the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Department of National Defense to ensure against corruption in government deals.

He also said he would want Filipinos to be educated on responsible parenthood. He denied being a co-author of the Reproductive Health bill and said he would still want to interpellate on some of its provisions.

“But having said that, I still think that this is a problem and we cannot bury our heads in the sand. Kailangan natin tugunan (We should address this),” he added.

Teodoro was asked how the Ampatuans in Maguindanao managed to establish a private army and amass weapons and ammunitions. He said the Ampatuans had been amassing weapons even before his two-year stint as defense chief and that he had also opposed some government policies.

Teodoro said he was against the grant of autonomy to an area that was not prepared for it, apparently referring to the Bangsamoro state approved by the Arroyo government but struck down by the Supreme Court. He refused to give further details, saying it was a national security concern. With Mike Frialde and Jose Rodel Clapano.

The Players of Al Qaeda Card

By:
Published January 31, 2010, in Opinion

by Erick San Juan
 
A recent audio message of Osama bin Laden was aired recently over al-Jazeera satellite television claiming the failed bombing of US airliner in flight to Detroit last December 25, 2009 by a certain Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national,. Here we go again, as I have written a couple of times before that Osama bin dead and should stay that way. But the players of the Al Qaeda (and Osama) card kept on resurrecting this so-called “mastermind” of 9-11 attack. It took them a month (delayed reaction) to release the said audio message.

Lest we forget that anyone  “…who feels sympathy for Al Qaeda needs to be forcefully reminded that Al Qaeda was the creation of the CIA and it continues to be steered by the CIA, through various cut-outs and mediations”  (from the book, Synthetic Terror by Webster Tarpley). Sadly, several people especially the regular viewers of the controlled corporate media, still believe this state sponsored terrorism. That is the reason why Osama bin Laden together with Al Qaeda will always haunt the public.

With billions of dollars funding of the US intelligence, homeland security, Pentagon, etc., how come the CIA  dismantled the unit  tracking down Osama and his group? The truth is that the “creators” could not totally kill their “project” for the sake of conveniently dragging bin Laden’s name to continually justify the war on terror ala “El Cid”. Among the possible targets of such terrorist plot are India and Pakistan.  India was quick to step up on its red alert warning on all its airports for a possible Al Qaeda attack after the airing of the bin Laden message. A certain “news item” also came out that Al Qaeda claimed the suicide bombing of the CIA base in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA agents.

Here is another revelation taken from the video, Zeitgeist Addendum -   “The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called Al Qaida. And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity… The country behind this propaganda is the US.” – Robin Cook, Former British Foreign Secretary.

If the world will play along with this Osama/Al Qaeda myth, we are in for a real trouble as we all know that something is brewing up in Washington as a “pressured” President, Barack Obama himself mentioned in his State of the Union Address that -  “And with our friends and allies, we will forge a new and comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and combat extremism. Because I will not allow terrorists to plot against the American people from safe havens half a world away.”

The US President himself started parroting the same propaganda again. We can’t help but speculate that this will surely benefit his administration especially his failing popularity in all aspects of the American society through scare mongering to unite the good American people . But most especially, the American’s hunt for oil-rich countries where Al Qaeda unusually established it’s network so there will be an unquestionable presence of US troops to hunt down the terrorists,  like in Yemen and Nigeria and Somalia. The list goes on as long as they keep playing the Al Qaeda card and the so called audio tapes of Osama bin Laden.

Now a lot of us will wonder what and where could be the next terror plot that awaits mankind as the “Frankenstein” will be released again by it’s master. I can’t help but share this information that was on the internet that Canada could be the target where the next 9-11 will take place… God forbid!

'The Filipino is Worth Getting Rich For'

By:
Published January 30, 2010, in Balitang Kutsero

Balitang Kutsero
By Perry Diaz

Illustration by Dave San Pedro

Recently, Sen. Joker Arroyo compared the situation faced by his friend Sen. Manuel “Titanic Manny” Villar to what the martyred Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. faced during the martial law era. No kidding! Let’s see. Ninoy said, “The Filipino is worth dying for,” and he did. Titanic Manny can say, “The Filipino is worth getting rich for.” He is now filthy rich… and getting richer every minute of the day. Indeed, there is a comparison.

I don’t blame Ninoy’s son, presidential wannabe Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, for telling Joker, “Don’t compare Senator Manuel ‘Manny’ Villar’s situation to what my father faced under the martial law government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.” Well, what do you expect to hear from a joker? Word of wisdom? Nah!

Noynoy’s spokesperson piggybacked, “There is simply no comparison; Ninoy is a hero. Villar is nothing but a coward.” Touché.

This reminds me when presidential wannabe Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro was compared to the late President Manuel L. Quezon by his handlers. Let’s see how they compare. The fiery Quezon once said, “My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins.” Well, Gibo left his Uncle Danding’s party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), to join President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s party. Gibo should use this line as his battle cry: “My loyalty to NPC ends where my loyalty to Gloria begins.” That should rally all of Gloria’s boys behind him.

But Gloria has a new man now — Titanic Manny Villar. Columnist Lito Banayo said that Villar is Gloria’s “secret candidate.” Another columnist suggested that if Titanic Manny is elected president, he should change his last name to “Villarroyo.” He’d be the first “Arroyo tuta” (Arroyo lapdog) to become president of the Philippines. Woof woof.

With Gloria becoming the next Speaker of the House of Representatives and Justice Renato Corona appointed by Gloria as the next Chief Justice, the three branches of government could be under the “House of Arroyo” — President Manny Villarroyo, Senate President Joker Arroyo, Speaker Gloria Arroyo, and Chief Justice Renato Coronarroyo. Yup, 2010 is going to be the “Year of the Tuta.”

Meanwhile, a moro-moro war has been going in the Senate between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Titanic Manny over the Senate investigation on the “double insertion” corruption scandal implicating Titanic Manny. But Titanic Manny is waging the war by remote control using his four lapdogs… err, allies. He refused to face his accusers. This led Enrile and Sen. Jamby Madrigal to call him, “Coward!” Ugh! That hurts.

Jamby also called Titanic Manny’s allies (Senators Nene Pimentel, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Alan Cayetano, and Joker Arroyo), “Villar’s Express Choo-choo train.” Sounds like the popular 50’s song, “Choo choo train, chugging down the track, Gotta travel on, never coming back. Ooh! Got a one way ticket to the blues…” Yup, the “double insertion” corruption scandal could be Titanic Manny’s “one way ticket to the blues.”

And to the blues Titanic Manny will go if what Enrile has reportedly said would happen, “If his (Villar’s) case is brought to a court of law, he will be jailed. We have evidence and based on the evidence, it says (Villar is) guilty.” Now, that’s what I call, “hardball politics,” and Enrile is very good at it.

The moro-moro got so hot that Enrile’s majority bloc declared a ceasefire. The minority bloc wasn’t too happy. Joker Arroyo told the media, “We are ready for interpellation, we are ready for debate, we are ready for the vote since yesterday.” Now, who’s coward? I guess, this will end just like past Senate investigations — in limbo. The senators should start a new line dancing called — Limbo-limbo. It’s a cross between Macarena and Ocho-ocho.

I think it’s about time for the abolition of the Senate. They should just let the rowdy kids in the House of Representatives do all the infighting. At least nobody would call for a ceasefire… until Gloria tells them to stop! Yup, what Lola wants, Lola gets.

It’s funny, but 12 years ago then Rep. Joker Arroyo delivered a privilege speech attacking then Speaker Manny Villar for the same reason that Villar is now being attacked by Enrile, corruption. It’s amazing how Joker forgot what he told the whole world 12 years ago. Or should I say, “why” he forgot? Maybe he had a bout of “selective amnesia.”? Didn’t someone once say, “There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent self-interest.” Makes one wonder what “interest” Titanic Manny and Da Joker have in common? Hmmm…

The other day, Enrile dropped a bombshell when he claimed that Titanic Manny tried to bribe him in exchange for a “favorable decision on the chamber’s investigation of the controversy surrounding the C-5 road extension project.” What? Another bribery case? The last time the Senate investigated a bribery case involving prez Gloria and hubby Mike Arroyo, the senators were taken for a dizzying merry-go-round ride for several weeks. Nothing happened. Yup, what Lola wants, Lola gets.

Self-proclaimed international lawyer and perennial candidate Ely “Spike Boy” Pamatong is back at what he does best — making trouble. This time he was jailed for direct contempt for calling Comelec commissioners, “thieves”! He accused the commissioners of accepting P5 million each from Vetellano Acosta who is running for president under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Marcos’ old party. Comelec reconsidered Acosta’s candidacy and allowed him to run while they disallowed Pamatong. Pamatong should know by now that BS walks and money talks. Yup, no money, no honey.

Two years ago, Pamatong sued Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales for “human rights violations,” for forcing him to believe in Catholic doctrines, for swindling (tithes or offerings), and for noise disturbance (loud speakers mounted in churches). I won’t be surprised if Pamatong’s name is already on St. Peter’s shit list.

Reminds me of a story which goes: When Gloria Arroyo passed away, she thought that she’ll never be allowed to enter Heaven so she went directly to Hell. “I’m sorry, Gloria,” Satan said, “but you’re not on my list. You should go to Heaven. You might be on Peter’s list.” Gloria got excited and she ran like hell to Heaven. “St. Peter! St. Peter! Satan said I might be on your list.” St. Peter looked up his list several times and said, “Nope. You’re not on my list.” “But I’m not on Satan’s list either,” Gloria insisted. “Well, let me see my other list,” St. Peter said. “Aha! You’re on this list! Actually, you‘re the only one on this list. It’s the shit list, Gloria. You’re assigned to clean up the toilets 24/7 for the rest of your stay here.”

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

‘The Filipino is Worth Getting Rich For’

By:
Published January 30, 2010, in Balitang Kutsero

Balitang Kutsero
By Perry Diaz

Illustration by Dave San Pedro

Recently, Sen. Joker Arroyo compared the situation faced by his friend Sen. Manuel “Titanic Manny” Villar to what the martyred Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. faced during the martial law era. No kidding! Let’s see. Ninoy said, “The Filipino is worth dying for,” and he did. Titanic Manny can say, “The Filipino is worth getting rich for.” He is now filthy rich… and getting richer every minute of the day. Indeed, there is a comparison.

I don’t blame Ninoy’s son, presidential wannabe Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, for telling Joker, “Don’t compare Senator Manuel ‘Manny’ Villar’s situation to what my father faced under the martial law government of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.” Well, what do you expect to hear from a joker? Word of wisdom? Nah!

Noynoy’s spokesperson piggybacked, “There is simply no comparison; Ninoy is a hero. Villar is nothing but a coward.” Touché.

This reminds me when presidential wannabe Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro was compared to the late President Manuel L. Quezon by his handlers. Let’s see how they compare. The fiery Quezon once said, “My loyalty to my party ends where my loyalty to my country begins.” Well, Gibo left his Uncle Danding’s party, the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), to join President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s party. Gibo should use this line as his battle cry: “My loyalty to NPC ends where my loyalty to Gloria begins.” That should rally all of Gloria’s boys behind him.

But Gloria has a new man now — Titanic Manny Villar. Columnist Lito Banayo said that Villar is Gloria’s “secret candidate.” Another columnist suggested that if Titanic Manny is elected president, he should change his last name to “Villarroyo.” He’d be the first “Arroyo tuta” (Arroyo lapdog) to become president of the Philippines. Woof woof.

With Gloria becoming the next Speaker of the House of Representatives and Justice Renato Corona appointed by Gloria as the next Chief Justice, the three branches of government could be under the “House of Arroyo” — President Manny Villarroyo, Senate President Joker Arroyo, Speaker Gloria Arroyo, and Chief Justice Renato Coronarroyo. Yup, 2010 is going to be the “Year of the Tuta.”

Meanwhile, a moro-moro war has been going in the Senate between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Titanic Manny over the Senate investigation on the “double insertion” corruption scandal implicating Titanic Manny. But Titanic Manny is waging the war by remote control using his four lapdogs… err, allies. He refused to face his accusers. This led Enrile and Sen. Jamby Madrigal to call him, “Coward!” Ugh! That hurts.

Jamby also called Titanic Manny’s allies (Senators Nene Pimentel, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Alan Cayetano, and Joker Arroyo), “Villar’s Express Choo-choo train.” Sounds like the popular 50’s song, “Choo choo train, chugging down the track, Gotta travel on, never coming back. Ooh! Got a one way ticket to the blues…” Yup, the “double insertion” corruption scandal could be Titanic Manny’s “one way ticket to the blues.”

And to the blues Titanic Manny will go if what Enrile has reportedly said would happen, “If his (Villar’s) case is brought to a court of law, he will be jailed. We have evidence and based on the evidence, it says (Villar is) guilty.” Now, that’s what I call, “hardball politics,” and Enrile is very good at it.

The moro-moro got so hot that Enrile’s majority bloc declared a ceasefire. The minority bloc wasn’t too happy. Joker Arroyo told the media, “We are ready for interpellation, we are ready for debate, we are ready for the vote since yesterday.” Now, who’s coward? I guess, this will end just like past Senate investigations — in limbo. The senators should start a new line dancing called — Limbo-limbo. It’s a cross between Macarena and Ocho-ocho.

I think it’s about time for the abolition of the Senate. They should just let the rowdy kids in the House of Representatives do all the infighting. At least nobody would call for a ceasefire… until Gloria tells them to stop! Yup, what Lola wants, Lola gets.

It’s funny, but 12 years ago then Rep. Joker Arroyo delivered a privilege speech attacking then Speaker Manny Villar for the same reason that Villar is now being attacked by Enrile, corruption. It’s amazing how Joker forgot what he told the whole world 12 years ago. Or should I say, “why” he forgot? Maybe he had a bout of “selective amnesia.”? Didn’t someone once say, “There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent self-interest.” Makes one wonder what “interest” Titanic Manny and Da Joker have in common? Hmmm…

The other day, Enrile dropped a bombshell when he claimed that Titanic Manny tried to bribe him in exchange for a “favorable decision on the chamber’s investigation of the controversy surrounding the C-5 road extension project.” What? Another bribery case? The last time the Senate investigated a bribery case involving prez Gloria and hubby Mike Arroyo, the senators were taken for a dizzying merry-go-round ride for several weeks. Nothing happened. Yup, what Lola wants, Lola gets.

Self-proclaimed international lawyer and perennial candidate Ely “Spike Boy” Pamatong is back at what he does best — making trouble. This time he was jailed for direct contempt for calling Comelec commissioners, “thieves”! He accused the commissioners of accepting P5 million each from Vetellano Acosta who is running for president under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan, Marcos’ old party. Comelec reconsidered Acosta’s candidacy and allowed him to run while they disallowed Pamatong. Pamatong should know by now that BS walks and money talks. Yup, no money, no honey.

Two years ago, Pamatong sued Pope Benedict XVI and Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales for “human rights violations,” for forcing him to believe in Catholic doctrines, for swindling (tithes or offerings), and for noise disturbance (loud speakers mounted in churches). I won’t be surprised if Pamatong’s name is already on St. Peter’s shit list.

Reminds me of a story which goes: When Gloria Arroyo passed away, she thought that she’ll never be allowed to enter Heaven so she went directly to Hell. “I’m sorry, Gloria,” Satan said, “but you’re not on my list. You should go to Heaven. You might be on Peter’s list.” Gloria got excited and she ran like hell to Heaven. “St. Peter! St. Peter! Satan said I might be on your list.” St. Peter looked up his list several times and said, “Nope. You’re not on my list.” “But I’m not on Satan’s list either,” Gloria insisted. “Well, let me see my other list,” St. Peter said. “Aha! You’re on this list! Actually, you‘re the only one on this list. It’s the shit list, Gloria. You’re assigned to clean up the toilets 24/7 for the rest of your stay here.”

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

'Mahirap'

By:
Published January 29, 2010, in Opinion

Theres The Rub
by Conrado de Quiros
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

It’s almost enough to make you believe in an invisible hand that guides human affairs. Twice already the best laid plots of mice and Manny have been thwarted by an unexpected turn of events. Unexpected at least from his end.

The first was Cory Aquino dying and reviving something everyone thought was dead. Before that, Manny Villar was the leading presidential candidate, aided in no small way by a culture of apathy that made people settle for the lesser evil, the mediocre, the pwede na rin. But with Cory dying and Noynoy’s bid being born, the culture changed suddenly, the Edsa spirit returned with a vengeance, with its hallmarks of idealism and voluntarism, people now demanding not just the lesser evil but the good. And just as suddenly Villar—as well indeed as Arroyo and Erap (Joseph Estrada’s nickname), who had loomed large in the landscape—was swept aside. Condemned now to languish in the shadows, Villar finds himself desperate to catch up with the new frontrunner, resorting to interpreting a commissioned survey in various ways, not unlike the devil quoting Scripture to suit his purposes.

The second is the Senate censure of Villar for unethical conduct. He hasn’t been attending the sessions, preferring instead to plead his case before media. But whether before the one or the other, he has been put on the defensive at a time when everyone, not least the Aquino camp, expected him to open the year with guns blazing. He did try to, conjuring images of the Mendiola massacre and reviving the specter of Hacienda Luisita. Neither has flown off, which has little to do with the Aquino camp putting them down with brilliant ploys. Or indeed with doing anything to put them down. It has to do simply with Villar himself offering, if not ample refutation of them, ample diversion from them. It’s his sordid case that has grabbed public attention.

It’s not just SOBs, as Joey Salceda observed of his favorite one, that turn out to be lucky. Decent ones do too. Or the wind has changed, it’s no longer Arroyo’s enemies who are dying. The religious of course are bound to say this is not luck at all, somebody up there must be making pakiusap to the Big Boss.

Whatever the outcome of the Senate hearings—and this is not going to go away easily, to go by the shrillness of the exchanges—this case will hang over Villar’s campaign like an albatross, giving it the aura of a doomed ship. His own defense little helps to shoo away the accursed aerial apparition, being either extrinsic (it’s politically motivated) or glib (what he did was perfectly legal, if arguably unethical). Of course it’s politically motivated, but he didn’t particularly rail against the concept when the Department of Justice filed murder charges against Panfilo Lacson at the very time the Ampatuans were going to trial. As to his justifying the C-5 diversion as legal, it doesn’t make things better, it makes it worse.

Villar’s argument is that the diversion has greatly benefited the residents of Las Piñas and environs. Of course it has also greatly benefited him, the extension traversing his land and increasing its value. Unfortunately for him, that is not an incidental point, that is the heart of the matter. If the road had been diverted to other towns, then they would have greatly benefited from it. Far more importantly, that simply means that anything Villar does to improve his fortunes can always be argued to be legal by being beneficial to at least some people, thereby raising the prospect of a national policy—a chilling one should he become president—that says: What is good for Vista Land is good for the country.

That is a variation of “What is good for Standard Oil is good for America,” a concept that has driven the US to imperialistic wars, at great cost to its citizens, for the good of a few multinationals. On a smaller scale (though not for us who have to bear the brunt of its ravage), that is a concept that can drive the country nuts, neither government nor the citizens knowing where Villar ends and the country begins, and vice versa. The day you start arguing that what is good for you is good for everybody else is the day you should land in a nuthouse or in jail in lieu of Malacañang. Of course it’s not always easy to see where a nuthouse or jail ends and Malacañang begins, but that’s another story.

I am glad Satur Ocampo has found his voice, bidding his standard-bearer face the music, however the music sounds like Faure’s “Requiem.” It can’t help his cause harping on Hacienda Luisita while turning a blind eye on this, unless the argument is that corruption fells only the rich and not the poor, the landed and not the landless.

I have always wondered why of all the possible themes or images or identities, Villar had to choose being “mahirap.” The last time somebody tried it, who was Ramon Mitra, who projected himself so in an ad where he rode a horse and looked every inch like a cacique, he only shot himself in the foot. Villar repeats the farce, projecting himself as poor in a campaign that teems with money, reeks of money, regurgitates with money—of the ill-gotten kind given the way it is spent, which is not unlike that of a sailor hitting port. And whose standard bearer is named Manny. His foot is the last place he will shoot.

Mahirap is a curious word that translates in English both as “poor” and “hard” or “difficult.” The way things are, Villar may have just have found the perfect label for himself. Mahirap: mahirap kausapin, or hard to talk to, refusing to stand before the Senate to explain his conduct; mahirap pagkatiwalaan, or hard to trust, you never know what kinds of extensions he will justify in the future; mahirap ang kalooban, or depleted in the inside while endowed on the outside.

Someone like that proposes to lead you, you’re bound to say:

Mahirap na.

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