The Palace said President Aquino’s shooting buddy Virginia Torres will definitely return as Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief after taking a two-month leave despite the mounting calls for Aquino to stop protecting his so-called “KKKs” who are Aquino’s Kaibigan (crony), Kaklase (classmate) and Kabarilan (target range shooting buddy) and despite the recommendation of the Department of Justice (DoJ) to dismiss Torres from service after finding probable cause on the charges leveled against her.
Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte said the DoJ recommendation is still under review and so far it is not considered a hindrance to Torres coming back on 21st. “I am aware (LTO information technology system provider) Stradcom has filed against Torres. But as far the DoJ fact finding results are concerned, they are still being studied,” Valte said.
With regard to other KKKs, Valte said the Commission on Appointments (CA) would be the proper venue for raising issues against Aquino’s appointees. “We should trust legislators who sit in the CA to properly raise concerns. As we’ve seen in the members of the Cabinet which are discussed in the CA, we try to answer them to their satisfaction,” she said.
A ranking member of the House minority bloc assailed Aquino for protecting Torres and accused him of gross inefficiency for failing to act on various matters of urgent concern despite being besieged by incessant demands from all quarters that he do so.
Zambales Rep. Ma. Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay said contrary to Palace spin doctors Aquino is so hardworking and he peruses the “mile-high stack” of documents on his table personally, the President has proven time and again he is so inefficient by failing to act on matters of immediate concern especially on issues which would affect his KKK: Kaibigan, Kaklase and Kaibigan.
“For one, he has failed to act on the memorandum of DoTC (Department of Transportation and Communication) Secretary (Jose) Ping de Jesus dated April 6, 2011 that he (Aquino) exercise his disciplinary power over LTO (Land Transportation Office) Chief Virgina Torres who was charged with Gross Neglect of Duty and Gross Insubordination,” said Magsaysay.
“But in the case of Special Prosecutor Wendell Barrera-Sulit, he was quick to jump on the gun and had her suspended,” the feisty solon noted.
In the April 6 de Jesus memorandum for Aquino, which the Tribune obtained a copy, he (De Jesus) stated that despite repeated demand letters from his office directing Torres to pay all of the government’s standing to obligations to the LTO’s information technology (IT) service provider, Stradcom, Torres insistently refused.
In another instance, de Jesus averred in his memorandum that in August last year, his office directed Torres “to conduct an in-depth and comprehensive review of the existing Private Emission Testing Center (PETC) system currently being implemented and come up and develop a new PETC System which is more efficient and secure at lower cost to the public.”
However, up to the time de Jesus tendered his resignation as DoTC secretary, Torres has yet to comply with his directive.
The resigned DoTC secretary also recalled an instance wherein Torres, who is widely acknowledged as Aquino’s favorite kabarilan, displayed her arrogance when after being asked to conduct a thorough study on the LTO’s Motor Vehicle Registration Card (MVRC) Project and submit a comprehensive report and recommendation, she simply referred back the matter to his office, saying the Office of the Secretary is “in the best position to decide the case.”
De Jesus concluded his memorandum requesting the President to discipline Torres accordingly.
However, the Palace has denied the existence of such document which was duly signed by de Jesus and marked as OSEC (Office of the Secretary) — Outgoing (Communication) No. 11-00591.
While the Palace seems to turn a blind eye on Torres, last week, it announced the suspension of Barrera – Sulit in connection with the plea bargain agreement she initiated with former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) comptroller (ret.) Major general Carlos Garcia.
However, Magsaysay noted that the Sandiganbayan has already upheld the Garcia plea bargain agreement, which essentially, cleared Barrera – Sulit of any wrongdoing.
“Are they better than the court of law? Are they superior over all branches of government including the legislative?” Magsaysay exclaimed as she took note of the administration’s effort to block the minority bloc in the House of Representatives to have Aquino’s KKK investigated.
“Why is the Aquino administration taking great pains in trying to block the investigation of the KKK?? Magsaysay said as she stressed that anyone can file any resolution of investigation in Congress, “the same way as anyone can file a case in the Ombudsman or in any court.”
“Are they now curtailing the rights of anyone of anyone who wants to seek the truth?”
By virtue of its own actions and inactions, Magsaysay said the Palace is effectively delivering a message to the people that it employs “a double standard of justice, one for its friends and the other for its foes.”
“It’s seems for this administration that it is okay to malign its enemies through trial by publicity but not its friends even though the resolution stems off from the recommendation of its own Department of Justice (DOJ),” said Magsaysay.
The Zambales lawmaker also chided the Palace saying they in the minority do not have to concoct negative issues against the President as long as he is doing a good job.
“In the words of his spokesman (Edwin) Lacierda, ‘if you have nothing to hide, then you have nothing to fear,’” said Magsaysay.
“So, what are you afraid of Mr. President, whatever happened to transparency and accountability plus the daang matuwid that you promised all of us?” Magsaysay dared Aquino.
The lady solon added it was not only the opposition who are disgusted by Aquino’s inefficiency but the growing legion of frustrated sectors also includes the business group whom Aquino had enticed to support him.
“Even the business sector considers him too slow,” said Magsaysay. “Last year, he enjoined the business sector to support his Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Program,” said the solon.
“But in this morning’s (yesterday’s) paper, foreign business executives lamented the failure of this administration to start the bidding process on the PPP projects,” Magsasay said.
Yesterday, in another national daily, Michael Miloda, vice president and general manager of the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, was quoted saying that while they are still 100 percent behind Aquino’s PPP, they are still at a lost whether it can happen.
“We’re in the middle of June. You have 10 to 11 projects that are supposed to be rolled out this year. We don’t have too much time for this year. In 2012, there will be other projects to be launched so you have to get started somewhere,” Miloda was quoted saying.
Another foreign business executive, Nobuo Fuji, vice president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines, wa also quoted by the paper saying that while the projects were announced last year, the government has yet to commence the bidding process even as second semester of the year is fast approaching.
Foreign investors are also wary whether their contracts will be honored and that they will be paid accordingly as the Aquino administration had started reviewing and cancelling contracts entered into by the previous administration prompting some business group to describe the Philippines as “a dangerous place to invest your money.”
To date, the government is reviewing some contracts awarded during the previous administration, such as the North Luzon Railway Project and the Greater Maritime Access Ports Project, which were found to be “ambiguous” by the Department of Transportation and Communications. It has also put on hold other projects including the Laguna Lake dredging project entered into by the past administration with a Belgian fir,.
Among the PPP infrastructure projects lined up for this year are the P70-billion South extension of the Light Right Transit Line 1; P11.3-billion East extension of LRT 2; P7.7-billion privatization of LRT 1; P6.3-billion privatization of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3;
P11.8-billion Cavite-Laguna Expressway; P10.6 billion second phase of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Expressway; P7.6-billion New Bohol Airport; P7.5-billion Puerto Princesa Airport; P3.2-billion new Legaspi (Daraga) Airport; and the P1.5-billion privatization of the Laguindingan Airport.
The opposition-initiated probe on the alleged wrongdoing of some of President Aquino’s cabinet members is both deceiving and misleading, House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II, meanwhile, said.
According to Gonzales the investigation contained in House Resolution 1419 is tantamount to a call to investigate the president.
“We are not going to prevent them but they are barking up the wrong three. The investigation has something to do with President Aquino and that is improper,” said Gonzales.
Under the Constitution, Gonzales said, Congress can impeach President Aquino but could not subject him to an investigation in aid of legislation.
“The proper approach is to file an impeachment case against the President. But they do not have an impeachable issue against the President,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales challenged the members of the House minority bloc led by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to file charges against officials of the Aquino administration whom they believe are involved in alleged irregularities.
The Mandaluyong City lawmaker reiterated that the opposition should refrain from using the House of Representatives as a venue for “fishing expedition” against allies of President Aquino.
Gonzales maintained that the opposition’s threat to investigate some officials of President Arroyo is redundant since they can be held liable under the existing laws on graft and corruption.
“We will never prevent them from filing any resolution to investigate but if they really feel that there is a violation… in graft and corruption…then the proper venue is not the House of Representatives, it is the (Office of the) Ombudsman,” said Gonzales.
Resolution (HR) No. 1419 has called on the House committee on good government and public accountability to look into the irregularities involving Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Ricardo Puno, Land Transportation Office chief Virginia Torres, Finance Sec. Cesar Purisima and Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) former director Ernesto Diokno.
House sources said that the probe on the alleged KKK is an apparent attempt by Mrs. Arroyo to deflect public attention from the string of cases that are now pending against her and Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Mikey Arroyo. Mrs. Arroyo is facing plunder and graft charges while Mikey Arroyo and his wife is facing tax evasion charges.
The source said that the current probe is part of a well-funded media blitz hatched by the Arroyos against the Aquino administration. Charlie V. Manalo, Danessa O. Rivera, Gerry Baldo, Jason Faustino
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