That’s just wrong

By Jojo Robles
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/10/09/thats-just-wrong/

Every bit of news that doesn’t bury the lawmakers who abused their pork barrel funds is a diversionary tactic, especially if it imputes irregularities on the Aquino administration. That’s the official propaganda line from Malacañang.

But the implementation of this strategy reached probably its lowest point so far this week, when that lying presidential spokesman said that it is more important to focus on those who stole from government rather on the legality of the official actions that allowed them to steal. Yes, Edwin Lacierda, who is said to be a lawyer, said that.

Lacierda said it is “just wrong” to go after President Noynoy Aquino and threaten him with impeachment for creating the so-called Disbursement Acceleration Program pork funds when the “more important” issue is campaigning against those who pocketed them. But the truth is, no one, except possibly Malacañang and its defenders, is losing focus on those who stole pork barrel funds.

The anger of the people against the members of Congress who enriched themselves by pocketing billions of pesos allocated for their projects keeps escalating. It’s just that Malacañang now obviously wants the stink of pork contained in Congress’ halls and not to prevent it from reaching the presidential residence by the Pasig River.

But the Palace cannot control the people’s disgust, especially once they begin to understand that Aquino himself enabled Congress’ larcenous tendencies, first by doubling PDAF and then by creating a new fund in DAP. Like some of those Palace-friendly organizers of last Friday’s rally in Makati, Aquino and his minions can’t seem to comprehend that you cannot draw a line on who is and isn’t to blame—especially if everyone in government (and a few others out of it, like Janet Lim Napoles) seems to have participated in scamming the people using pork.

(In the case of the Malampaya funds, Malacañang can’t even explain how P130 billion in royalties from the offshore oil well has gone missing after Aquino has spent P15 billion in three years in office, compared to P25 billion for the entire term of Gloria Arroyo. And Aquino, his money-mad budget secretary and Lacierda and his humongous team of official mouthpieces can’t even say that the Malampaya funds were handed over to Congress to secure the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona.)

If the foul smell of pork reaches the palace, it’s because the odor actually originated there. Congress just ate the pork; Malacañang set the table, with Chef Noynoy and his sous chef Butch Abad preparing the entire menu.
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But if you really want to see a diversionary tactic at work, check out the strategy of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Gerardo Esquivel, who recently announced that his office is slashing water rates. The plan hurts MWSS not at all, but its two private concessionaires, who will have to shoulder the reduced revenues; on the other, it deflects attention away from how Esquivel is spending public money on boatloads of consultants and additional pay and perks for Esquivel himself and other agency trustees and officials.

Ultimately, though, MWSS’ water rate cuts are going to hurt consumers, as well, who will have to suffer poor service because they have to cut down on spending for improvements in the next five years. Then, there’s the adverse effect of Equivel’s diversionary tactic on the business community, which is closely monitoring how the MWSS head can ruin what was once the country’s showcase for privatization and, in the process.

Esquivel and his board of trustees earlier ordered Manila Water Co. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. to slash water rates because of supposed questionable pass-on charges to their customers, when the truth is that a significant part of the concession fees paid by both concessionaires has been pocketed by Esquivel and his cronies at the board. The Commission on Audit has already pointed out that MWSS overshot its 2012 budget by P121 million, noting that P74.36 million went to unauthorized allowances of Esquivel and his trustees.

These officials took in P17.03 million in illegal allowances for themselves, according to newspaper reports based on COA findings. And by holding up to four board meetings in one day, these MWSS officials are able to take home nearly P250,000 a month, including per diems and allowances.

Meanwhile, MWSS spent P88.86 million on a mind-boggling 436 consultants paid P60,000 a month. This fantastic number of consultants include two who belong to supposed pro-people groups that have been decrying the overpricing of water by MWC and MWSI; all the  consultants’ fees are charged to both companies, who, naturally, bill consumers for the expense.

A dormer colleague in media, Abakada party-list Rep. Jonathan dela Cruz, has asked the House committee on good government and public accountability to investigate the irregularities at MWSS. “Aside from the excessive bonuses, the MWSS Board of Trustees has been calling more meetings than necessary, resulting in the accumulation of huge per diems and other perks and privileges, including the use of government-owned vehicles for personal use,” said Rep. Dela Cruz in House Resolution No. 297.


It’s more fun in MWSS, for sure. Especially for Esquivel, his fat-cat trustees and his battalion of consultants paid for by everyone who buys water from Maynilad and Manila Water.

http://manilastandardtoday.com/2013/10/09/thats-just-wrong/