KKKKK

By REY O. ARCILLA
MALAYA

‘Kaibigan, Kaklase, Kabarilan, Kabarkada, Kaeskwela.’

HE did it again.

Even before the NBI could finish with its investigation, President Noynoy Aquino, in his usual knee-jerk reaction when it comes to his KKKKKs (kaibigan, kaklase, kabarilan, kabarkada, kaeskwela), cleared his crime czar, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa of any responsibility in the “Atimonan Massacre”. (I have other Pilipino words starting with “K” to describe Noynoy’s close buddies but I have decided to limit the number to five… for now.)

Ochoa is the head of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) which gave the plan that resulted in the massacre, P100,000 for intelligence expenses. No matter how one cuts it, that makes it a PAOCC operation for which Ochoa has command responsibility.

If the plan had gone awry as it apparently did, that does not clear Ochoa of his command responsibility. He should have either owned up to it or resigned his PAOCC job and spared his friend from going out on a limb for him.

I am not saying Ochoa is incompetent. He most probably is just spread too thinly. And Noynoy, after expressing his grave concern over rising criminality in the country, should have immediately relieved Ochoa of the responsibility. He is obviously not the right man for the job. He must simply be very occupied with being the executive secretary to do justice to being the crime czar at the same time.

***

And again…

In Davos, Switzerland, where he attended the World Economic Forum, Noynoy cited for the umpteenth time the alleged anomalies that had taken place in the National Food Administration during the unlamented regime of Ms. Gloria Arroyo.

He mentioned the anomalies for the first time in his first State of the Nation Address nearly three years ago. And he has since been mentioning it almost every time he goes abroad for some meeting or the other. Why he does it abroad is rather curious. He does not want our people to be reminded of it because he has apparently not done anything about it? Maybe he has, but does he have to keep harping on the matter every time he goes abroad?

In the meantime, his first appointee to head the agency has resigned under a cloud, reportedly to run for Congress. The question now being asked is whether the Senate shelved for good the investigation of the agency after alleged smuggling activities of rice during the watch of Noynoy’s first appointee became public?

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Noynoy also boldly claimed in Davos that “corruption is over” in the Philippines.

Not so fast, Mr. President. Admittedly, some progress has been made in certain areas. But as Your Excellency knows only too well, corrupt practices are still prevalent not only in the two other branches of government, the legislative and judiciary, but also in Your Excellency’s own turf, the executive. Once in a while, Your Excellency should perhaps listen to those who do not belong to the KKKKK but are well-intentioned, so Your Excellency would know where to look. In fact, Your Excellency needs to go no further than jueteng and smuggling.

Eliminating corruption should not be limited to simply going after those who have committed it. Equally important is going after those who are engaged in it.

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Ironic.

The Senate played host to hundreds of lawmakers from 67 countries for the Fifth Global Conference of Parliamentarians Against Corruption while in the middle of the seething controversy over alleged misuse of Senate funds.

Eighteen (18) senators were given by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile P1.6 million each as bonus at the end of last year in the guise of additional operating funds.

I wonder how our honorable senators felt when they came face to face with their counterparts from the other countries.

The delegates to the conference adopted a declaration in which they resolved “to establish and enforce codes of ethics and conduct within their ranks, work for the institutionalization of anti-corruption mechanisms, particularly on the recovery and restitution of assets stolen from populations, and seek the widespread adoption of laws that will obligate states to cooperate with the international community to prosecute perpetrators.”

The big question now is will our lawmakers honor these commitments they made? If you ask me, I hardly think so. And with the prevalence of political dynasties in the country? No way.

***

If she was merely following the official line, then I’d say she’s just doing her job as a deputy presidential mouthpiece. But if she thought of it entirely on her own, then Abigail Valte is, to be kind, nothing but a naïve individual who doesn’t know any better.

Referring to the port visit of the USS Cheyenne, a US Navy nuclear-powered attack submarine at Subic, Valte said that although Cheyenne is a “nuclear-powered submarine,” it does not necessarily mean that it is carrying nuclear warheads and that the port visit was not violative of the constitutional ban on the presence of any nuclear armaments in the country.

The vessel is armed with, among others, Tomahawk missiles which are intended to deliver warheads to enemy territories if it became necessary.

The website on Tomahawk missiles states that aside from conventional warheads, the missile is designed to deliver a 200 kiloton W-80 nuclear device!

Valte must take us for fools.

***

The US government has decided to chop up the minesweeper USS Guardian that is now stuck on Tubbataha Reef.

That should pose no problem. All they have to do is hire the services of Filipino chop-chop artists whose expertise has been honed through years of carnappings.

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Reminders (for Noynoy’s action):

1) Filing of charges against of­ficials of the National Food Administration (NFA) during Arroyo’s illegitimate regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency.

2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia.

Now that there appears to be a falling out between the Aquino administration and the Garcia family of Cebu (its governor is still resisting her suspension from office for six months), it is hoped that an investigation of Winston Garcia, a brother of the suspended governor, would now proceed.

What is the present GSIS management doing towards this end? Scratching each other’s derriere?

In the meantime, COA reported that at least P4.13 billion in contributions and loan payments made by 12 government offices to the GSIS had not been credited to the offices as of Dec. 31, 2011.

COA also said the amount of unrecorded remittances could go much higher because only 36 agencies have so far responded out of the 186 that were sent confirmation requests by government auditors. Of the 36, 27 confirmed “discrepancies” in their premium and loan payments ledgers when compared with those of the GSIS.

It would seem that Mr. Robert Vergara, successor to Garcia, has opted to ignore COA’s findings, rather than face the issue squarely and account for his agency’s shortcoming.

Hoy, gising!

3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments.

4) Expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos.

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Today is the 275th day of the sixth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.

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From an internet friend:

WELCOME TO THE 21st CENTURY!

*Our Phones ~ Wireless

*Cooking ~ Fireless

*Cars ~ Keyless

*Food ~ Fatless

*Tires ~ Tubeless

*Dresses ~ Sleeveless

*Youth ~ Jobless

*Leaders ~ Shameless

*Relationships ~ Meaningless

*Attitude ~ Careless

*Wives ~ Fearless

*Babies ~ Fatherless

*Feelings ~ Heartless

*Education ~ Valueless

*Children ~ Manner-less

*Women ~ Bra-less

Everything is becoming LESS but still our hopes are

*Endless.

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Email: roacrosshairs@yahoo.com