What is the truth?

By DUCKY PAREDES
MALAYA

‘Thus, she came up with a peso figure of a little over P7 million for the $700,00 she paid in 2006, which was then actually P36 million.. Still, do the math. What is 1/4th of P27 million? P6.7 million! It still does not compute.’

What is our numero uno Senator saying that we can believe? Hardly anything.

For instance, she says that she bought a condo in New York in 2006, which, she says, is reflected in her 2007 SALN (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth under “Investments” in the amount of over P7 million, which. she says, represent the quarter of the worth of the condo, since, she says she co-owns that condo with three other; thus, she says, all she owns is a share of 1/4th of the condo.

What we know for a fact (as registered in New York’s public records) is that the condo (10-B 77 Park Avenue) was bought in 2006 for $700,000 which was registered in the name of only one person: Loren B. Legarda.

Going by the prevailing peso-dollar rate in 2006, $700,000 would be about $36 million. So, how can $700,000 divided by 4 ($175,000) be worth only a little over P7 million? At the exchange rate in 2006, which was about P50 to a US dollar, her quarter share would be about P8.75 million. So, what was that entry of over P7 million that she made in her 2007 SALN actually referring to? Is there still another hidden asset, now being conveniently used as an excuse for not including her condo in 2007 when it was bought in 2006?

Clearly, the deed to the condo carries only one name as sole owner: Loren B. Legarda.

What is the truth? She has presented a certification of an accountant that the P7 million in her 2007 SALN is the NY Condo. This certification is jointly notarized by two well-known lawyers from different well-known law offices. Yet, clearly, what is on that piece of paper can’t be the whole truth.

(We are told that Atty. Louis Barok Biraogo’s NY pals will be filing a perjury case in New York against out numero uno Senator for lying in the documents she signed when se bought the condo.)

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How did a simple transaction get so fouled up. One guesses that when she belatedly decided (during the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Renato Corona whose hidden wealth came out through his hidden real estate holdings), she decided to reveal her condo in her 2011 SALN.

When she declared ownership of the condo in 2011, the exchange rate was closer then to P40 to the dollar.

Thus, she came up with a peso figure of a little over P7 million for the   $700,00 she paid in 2006, which was then actually P36 million.

Still, do the math. What is 1/4th of P27 million? P6.7 million! It still does not compute.

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What we would like to know and what she clearly owes us all is the whole truth? Do we have a latter-day Imelda as our numero uno senator?

Of course, it is too late in the day for any other senatorial aspirant to overtake  Loren’s lead.

My guess is that she will still top the Senate race because our electorate really does not understand what an election is about. It is not, to them, electing the best ones who can do the job or the ones who are squeaky clean so that they will, hopefully, not steal too much. Not Filipinos. Our elections are no more than popularity contests.  That is our basis for electing those we elect — to affirm their popularity. Thus, Loren need not worry. She will still top the  race.

What happens to her, after the elections is something that she will still have to face.

Still, even for that, there is a practice could help her. It is that of forgiving whatever dastardly deed a politician may have done after the politico wins an election. After all, politicos argue, the people have decided that whatever it is that I did (that my accusers have brought before the general public) have already been forgiven by the sovereign people of this country by their electing me. Sadly, many judges seem to agree that this stupid argument is part of our law.

Only in the Philippines, where it’s more fun being numero uno Senator.

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What “intriga” was Kris Aquino casting when she announced that she would be running for Tarlac Governor in 2016 before later admitting that she knows that she still does not qualify for any public office until she has earned enough credentials.

She said then that she had talked to Governor Vic Yap and that the governor promised that in 2016 “he would give it to me.”

Of course, Kris knows that public office is not given as a gift  but earned. Thus, was Kris’ remark for a cousin who is spending the family fortune on her run for governor even as, from the surveys, she will end up with perhaps just 10% of the vote in a three-cornered fight. Or, was Kris throwing a monkey wrench at the governor’s campaign with the intention of helping along her cousin’s run a tiny, tiny bit?

We’ll probably ever know. Perhaps, Kris was only reminding Tarlaquenos to show more respect for Big Brother Noynoy as their very own President.

Remember PNoy’s “tampo” when he reminded a town in Tarlac that they never even once invited him when he was only a congressman and when he was only a senator.  At any rate, as President, he promised them that all the roads of the town would be better when he finally leaves Malacanang in 2016.

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