By Rey O. Arcilla
HE blew it… a chance to win back some sympathy from his bosses!
Beleaguered President Noynoy Aquino should have taken the challenge to take the MRT during rush hours, if only to show his bosses, the people (they are his bosses even if he doesn’t really mean it when he calls them that), that he cares about the ordeal, not to mention the anxiety and fear for their safety, they have to go through everyday of their miserable life.
His chief spokesman explained Noynoy’s decision, thus: “We should understand that the president is the father of the nation. He is dealing with a lot more problems, day and night.”
That was all right, as far as lame excuses go. But what made it worse was when the spokesman added that “the President has to take care of the problems of his 25 Cabinet secretaries, making his work 25 times more difficult”.
Now that’s a major, major problem not only to him but the whole country as well!
Imagine, 25 cabinet secretaries who are there supposedly to help the president solve the countries problems! Instead, they make the president’s work 25 times more difficult because of their problems?!
Mabigat ang problema ni Noynoy! But he can easily solve the problem by getting rid of the deadwood, the inept, the corrupt, among his cabinet members!
Who are they? Let me name them once again: Abad, Abaya, Alcala, Del Rosario, Deles, Lacierda, Ochoa, Paje, Petilla, Roxas and Soliman. Heads of GOCCs who do not deserve to remain in office, like Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara of GSIS, the highest paid civil servant with a monthly income of over P1 million a month and allegedly a “kaklase” of Noynoy, should be booted out too.
A reader asked why I left out Cristino Naguiat of Pagcor and Jose Honrado of NAIA. Okay, them too.
***
The fellow who is principally responsible for the woes of MRT commuters, DOTC secretary
Joseph Emilio Abaya, took up the challenge to try the MRT. He went during the off-peak hours and, therefore, didn’t have to queue. He also reportedly had an alalay with an umbrella to cover his bumbunan from the rain and allegedly went straight to the coach reserved for women and senior citizens. (It reminded me of Makati Mayor Jun Jun Binay with an aide holding an umbrella over him on a rainless night during an altercation with security guards of Dasmariñas Village.)
No wonder Abaya said it was a pleasant experience. He was also the same fellow who said that riding the MRT is a matter of choice. As a reader wrote: “If this guy ever rode the MRT again, someone should push him through the open door of the running train.”
Another reader remarked: “This Abaya should also take up another challenge. No, not the ice bucket challenge… a new one called the boiling hot oil bucket challenge! That would surely cook his goose!”
The other fellows who should take the boiling hot oil bucket challenge are DBM Secretary Florencio Abad and Senate President Franklin Drilon who are reportedly friends of pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles and are both DAP-challenged!
***
The Aquino administration insists that the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement with the US does not violate constitutional provisions.
Let’s look at the facts:
1) EDCA will bring in US troops (number still unspecified) into the country on a “rotational” basis to give the impression they will not be based here permanently. That’s misleading. Troops are assigned to posts for specified periods. They will be replaced/rotated after those periods, unless they ask for and are granted extension of stay. Ergo, US troops will be based permanently, at their own military bases here, for the next ten years at least.
2) EDCA will allow the building of US military facilities in the country (locations still unspecified) to pre-position and store military equipment, arms, ammunition, supplies and other war materiel.
3) EDCA was signed as an executive agreement, not as a treaty.
Now, let us look at Section 25, Article XVIII, of the Constitution:
“Section 25. After the expiration in 1991 of the Agreement between the Republic of the Philippines and the United States of America concerning military bases, foreign military bases, troops, or facilities shall not be allowed in the Philippines except under a treaty duly concurred in by the Senate and, when the Congress so requires, ratified by a majority of the votes cast by the people in a national referendum held for that purpose, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting State.”
The words of Section 25 are so plain and simple that there is no room for its being interpreted any other way.
And then, there is the constitutional prohibition against the entry of nuclear weapons and materiel into the country. The US cannot be expected to revise its “neither confirm nor deny” policy on these weapons and materiel. But their fleet of aircraft carriers and submarines are known to be nuclear-powered and carry nuclear weapons. Under EDCA, they will be allowed entry into the country.
So there… I would be surprised and utterly disappointed if the Supreme Court does not declare EDCA unconstitutional!
***
Reaction to “Smiley” in the DFA entrance published in my last column:
1) “Wa` class! Nakakahiya!”
2) “With all his riches, Del Rosario does seem to lack sophistication.”
3) “Obviously, the DFA professionals do not have the guts to tell Del Rosario what they think… or they too do not possess good taste and sophistication?”
4) “That aberration would be better placed in the DFA’s consular offices which deal directly with the public. Only foreign diplomats and dignitaries go the DFA main office and it is in our nature to treat or serve, if you will, foreigners with a smile.
No need to advertise it.”
***
Reminders (for Noynoy):
1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Authority (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. That was four long years ago.
(Ironically, one of the biggest scandals to hit Noynoy’s administration is the alleged corruption in the NFA and the pork barrel scam in the Department of Agriculture headed by Proceso Alcala who is still sticking like a leech to his post notwithstanding the appointment of former senator Francis “Mr. Noted” Pangilinan as his virtual replacement. Noynoy’s first appointee to head the NFA, Lito Banayo, has been charged, along with others, for alleged graft and corruption during his tenure in the agency. Banayo’s successor, Orlan Calayag is now under investigation for allegedly granting a P1.08-billion rice cargo-handling contract to a trucking company without a bidding being conducted. That’s not all… Calayag, who resigned earlier, had been replaced by Arthur Juan who, in turn, is now accused of extortion by rice trader Jomerito Soliman. NFA accursed?)
2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia and order his successor, Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara, to file the proper charges, if warranted, against the former.
Noynoy should also order Vergara to report to him on COA’s findings that:
(a) He received the obscenely excessive compensation of P16.36 million in 2012 making him the highest paid government servant then. The latest COA report also has Vergara as the highest paid for 2013 with P12.09 million; and
(b) That over a year ago, 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 at the time that 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.
There are three questions being raised when remittances, or parts thereof, of government agencies are not recorded by the GSIS on time: a) Where are these huge sums “parked” in the meantime?; b) Do they earn interest?; and c) To where (whom?) does the interest, if any, go?
Pray tell, Mr. Vergara, what is the present status of these funds, including those that may have been remitted since and not yet recorded by the GSIS? How long do you think you can “dedma” these questions?
I believe it is time for COA to follow up on what Vergara has done on the above findings so that affected GSIS members would know the status of their contributions!
In this connection, I would like to address this question to Mesdames Grace Pulido Tan and Heidi Mendoza of COA: “Is GSIS head Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara one of the sacred cows in Noynoy’s coterie whom you are afraid to investigate?”
***
Today is the 137th day of the eighth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.
Nineteen weeks ago, Jonas’ mother, Edita, reminded Noynoy in a letter of his promise to conduct a “dedicated and exhaustive investigation” on her son’s enforced disappearance.
“Our hope was anchored on your promise to do what you could ‘on the basis of evidence’ when I personally pleaded for your help. This was almost four years ago, May 2010,” she wrote.
Mr. President, Sir?
***
nd:
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn’t run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow I always had something else to take care of first… the shed, the boat, making beer.. always something more important to me.
Finally, she thought of a clever way to make her point. When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a minute and when I came out again
I handed her a toothbrush.
I said, “When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway.”
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
***
Email: roacrosshairs@outlook.com
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