IN SEARCH FOR TRUTH
By Ernesto M. Maceda
The Philippine Star
By Ernesto M. Maceda
The Philippine Star
Senate President Franklin Drilon has confirmed the release of P50 million PDAF to senators after the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona. He added that the PDAF of senators was withheld during the trial. That could be said as a threat of non-release if they didn’t vote to convict. Malacañang confirmed the P50 million release.
Senator Jinggoy Estrada had stated the P50-million release in his privilege speech last Wednesday. Senators T.G. Guingona and Juan Ponce Enrile also confirmed receipt of P50 million after the impeachment proceedings.
This raises a question on the legitimacy of Corona’s impeachment. He has a good basis to say he is vindicated.
Senate sources also say that senators were given an extra P100 million as incentives for the passage of the P49 billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) fund.
One thing is now clear. The P70 million per congressman and P200 million per senator is only a minimum as the PDAF scam investigations showed that they had received more than the minimum, one other source of congressional allocations being the Malampaya fund.
Senator Jinggoy also revealed that Senator Edgardo Angara as finance committee chairman had asked them to submit an additional listing of projects to be funded by the Economic Stimulus Fund.
Congressmen also received allocations from the Road User’s Tax fund.
The COA should go full blast to audit all lump-sum funds, including releases by the Philippine Charity Sweepstake Office (PCSO) and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). Recall that several cities received Pagcor funds for beautification and street lighting projects.
Secretary Leila De Lima again promised the Senate that additional batches of lawmakers and executive officials will be charged after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) completes its evidence.
Considering that the government is still operating under a deficit, it would be advisable to reduce the P1-trillion presidential pork barrel.
In a TV interview, COA Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan confirmed that President Aquino as senator had used P40 million in PDAF funds. But his bigger pork barrel is the P6-billion presidential social fund that comes from Pagcor.
With P5 trillion in foreign debt, it is time to review and reduce the present budget, which is reaching almost P3 trillion.
COA Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan has travelled 30 times in less than 3 years. And so have cabinet members and solons. It is time to clamp down on foreign travel of government officials, many of whom travel in business class.
Unfair
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has disqualified Laguna Governor E.R. Ejercito for overspending. He was found to have spent P6 million for TV ads alone. The Comelec said that at P3 per voter, his limit is only P4.5 million.
Governor E.R. Ejercito won by a landslide and is admittedly doing well as governor. The Comelec should go slow in disqualifying winning candidates.
How about the senators and congressmen who have also overspent? I estimate at least 3 senatorial candidates to have spent P500 million each.
BIFF blasts tower
The provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Maguindanao were plunged into darkness after suspected BIFF rebels blasted Tower #141 of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Kabacan, North Cotabato.
Powerlines in Tulunan, North Cotabato were also strafed. The Kabacan improvised explosive device (IED) blast is the 22nd blast after the bombing of Cagayan De Oro. It appears that the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) are on a full-blast offensive in Central Mindanao. They also tried to take control of the Cotabato Highway in M’lang, North Cotabato.
Meanwhile, government forces suffered 5 (soldier) casualties in clearing up operations in Sta. Catalina and Rio Hondo, Zamboanga City as it appears that the group of Ustadz Habier Malik is decided to make a last ditch stand and die as martyrs.
The standoff is now on its 20th day.
CJ Puno says yes
Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno issued an opinion that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee can summon Janet Napoles. He said that the Senate’s right to investigate is superior to the rules of the Ombudsman.
Former Chief Justice Hilario Davide expressed a different view supporting the stand of the Ombudsman.
Senator T.G. Guingona has written Senate President Franklin Drilon asking him to approve the subpoena he issued for the appearance of Janet Napoles before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.
Chief Justice Puno said that the cardinal rule of separation of powers demands that the power to investigate of Congress be respected. Puno further stated that an administrative rule cannot negate a constitutional grant of power.
Heed the warning
Engineer Rene Santiago, a railway expert, has warned that the 11-year old Metro Rail Transit (MRT) signalling system is now obsolete and poses a big risk to passengers.
Santiago, a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) consultant, said: “Every MRT trip is a risky trip. Every time you ride the MRT, pray that there will be no accident.”
The MRT, designed to carry 300,000 passengers a day, is usually overloaded as it now carries 500,000 passengers a day.
Unwittingly
Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, in trying to rebut Senator Jinggoy Estrada’s expose, has unwittingly given him a valid defense argument.
Miriam said: “I would like to inform Mr. Estrada if he’s still educable, that under the rules of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the responsibility of the legislator stops at the point of identifying the project plus the implementing agency.”
If that is Miriam’s excuse, then Jinggoy can also claim it. And so can all legislators now be charged by the Department of Justice.
Good work, NBI
The NBI should be commended for solving the Kae Davantes kidnap/murder case, with 5 out of 6 suspects in their custody.
It at least gives assurance that the police authorities can be depended on to solve cases and give justice to victims.
What is disturbing is the decision of the 6 killers to kill Davantes when they could have just taken her car and let her go.
Government inaction
Mayor Jefferson Khonghun of Subic, Zambales has good reason to blame the National Government for its failure to dredge the Calaklan River, causing 18 casualties.
Malacañang and Secretary Rogelio Singson gave the excuse that the dredging was stopped because of lack of spare parts for a stalled dredger. But Mayor Khonghun correctly argued the non-repair of the stalled dredger for one year is not acceptable. He said that a private dredging contractor should have been hired.
The same problem is true of the stalled dredging of the Pampanga River and the cancellation of the dredging of Laguna De Bay.
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