Canceling Trip is a Lie

by Frank Wenceslao

If Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has a glaring character flaw, it’s her propensity to lie that would overshadow whatever achievements she claims during her presidency.

The Philippine News Service reported that Arroyo had canceled her U.S. trip this month because of worsening security situation in Mindanao. This is a lie like her promise not to run for reelection in 2004.

There’re at least two plausible reasons for canceling the trip according to Pamusa volunteers in Washington DC on condition of anonymity.

Firstly, the Bush administration re-imposed a ban on Arroyo to enter the United States under “No Safe Haven” policy to prevent corrupt public officials to enjoy the fruits of corruption and for human rights violation. This was temporarily lifted to enable her to meet with Bush and present a secret protocol to the Memorandum on Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) with the MILF.

Secondly, to avoid deportation Jocjoc Bolante is making a deal with FBI to tell all about the misappropriation of the PhP728-million ($14.5M) fertilizer fund the Philippine Senate conclusively found to have been authorized by Arroyo and diverted to her 2004 campaign.
Corollary to the second is FBI has begun investigation of Pamusa’s charges against Arroyo and U.S. Ambassador Kristie Kenney for conspiracy to commit public corruption in connection with the MOA-AD.

Arroyo’s hypocrisy is nauseating using the security situation in Mindanao for canceling her trip when she embarked on a 10-day visit while the country was being battered by typhoon “Frank.” She didn’t cut short the trip despite the sinking of M/V Princess of the Stars whose over 800 crew and passengers perished.

From an objective standpoint this month’s U.S. visit is more important than Arroyo’s June trip.
She’s attending the 63rd United Nations General Assembly meeting which is an opportunity to rub elbows with leaders of industrialized countries and sell the Philippines as investment destination. Same with former President Clinton’s second international forum which may be better attended this time by government and private sector leaders all over the world that Arroyo could invite to invest in the Philippines.

Arroyo could also remove the stumbling block to the Philippines’ eligibility to a $300 million Millennium Challenge Corporation’s loan to fund specific programs targeting at reducing poverty and stimulating economic growth.

Last but equally important is Arroyo’s acceptance to be the keynote speaker of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) on its 8th National Empowerment Conference in Seattle from Sept. 26 to 28. This is a unique opportunity to interact with Filipino Americans and other overseas Filipinos attending the confab from all over the world interested to hear Arroyo how they can help their homeland.

The truth is the Bush administration saw through the MOA-AD as no more than Arroyo’s ruse to prolong her presidency whose legitimacy Bush has never acknowledged that other countries have aligned with causing Arroyo’s consternation that led to her China initiatives.

Arroyo must have thought of spiting the Bush like Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez’s dalliance with Russia. Arroyo agreed to the joint petroleum exploration of the South China Sea islands which China that they’re compelled to include Vietnam to our country’s detriment that in retrospect may be unconstitutional.

Of course, still fresh in people’s minds is the Chinese $8 billion loan to finance big-ticket projects such as Northrail, Southrail, ZTE-NBN, Department of Education Cyberspace, etc. which are overpriced that brought down Comelec chairman Ben Abalos.

Romulo Neri and Jun Lozada made the ZTE-NBN deal pure cans of worms to already smelly Arroyo administration. Another ZTE deal this time in mining has added another can of smellier worms.

Meanwhile, in commemoration of Pamusa’s second anniversary last Aug. 9 the organizers, supporters and volunteers (helping on condition of anonymity) had an exchange of ideas how to go forward. We’ve resolved to change Pamusa’s governance and anticorruption (GAC) strategy and fully exploit the USDOJ’s recognition for Pamusa to participate in President Bush’s International Initiative to Combat Kleptocracy implementing U.N. Convention Against Corruption. The evidence Pamusa has and would uncover will enable FBI to investigate conspiracy to commit public corruption under U.S. laws.

However, instead of running after businessmen who’ve that diverted illicit gains from corruption to economic activities, Pamusa would help the next President minimize graft and corruption by targeting nefariously corrupt current and former public officials, their immediate family members and close associates including private co-conspirators such as contractors that defrauded the government with overpriced procurement and service contracts that did not comply with specifications, tax evaders, smugglers, jueteng operators, those engaged in organized crimes, etc. for which no amicable settlement will be allowed.

Pamusa would seek their prosecution under U.S. laws almost surely RICO alongside with qui tam civil action to recover ill-gotten assets from the proceeds of corruption hidden anywhere in the world to be turned over to the Philippine Government.

Businessmen are asked to donate to Pamusa for this new GAC strategy and, as quid pro quo, it won’t initiate action against them in the U.S. provided they negotiate out-of-court settlement of unlawful gains, to wit:

(1) Submitting an accounting of the original values of unlawful gains; and

(2) Pamusa would ask President De Castro if GMA steps down soon, or whoever is elected if she stays until 2010, to allow those concerned to continue holding in trust unlawful gains as preferred stocks in their companies including dividends retroactive to acquisition dates and future accruals until a settlement framework is approved by the next President.

Of course, we can’t catch all nefariously corrupt. It is sufficient that examples are set with some sent to jail, ill-gotten assets forfeited and families impoverished and stigmatized to instill fear among the general population that graft and corruption is punished.