THEY DON’T GET IT

By REY O. ARCILLA  
MALAYA

(Criticisms against Noynoy’s welcome remarks for Pope Francis.)

President Noynoy Aquino’s apologists just don’t get it.

Granted, Noynoy was just telling the truth when, in his welcome remarks for Pope Francis, he griped about the biases of some bishops during the Marcos and Arroyo regimes.

But that wasn’t the point at all!

The reason for all the criticisms leveled against Noynoy was the fact that he did it while welcoming an invited state guest who is the leader of those he pilloried in his remarks. It was most inappropriate. It left a bad taste in the mouth. It was un-presidential!

He and the Pope had a private session after the welcoming ceremony. He could have aired his grievance then. He didn’t have to make it public. His bosses know and are aware of those bishops’ biases.

Enough said.

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Noynoy doesn’t get it either.

When Pope Francis spoke of the need to protect and help the poor, Noynoy said he did not feel alluded to – that the Pope did not criticize him.

But of course! The Pope couldn’t possibly have stooped to the level of directly criticizing his host. That would have been quite unbecoming of a guest.

Then again, who could the Pontiff have been criticizing but the leader of the poor?

Hay naku…

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The US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel blew into town supposedly to meet with his Philippine counterparts and to lead the US delegation to the 5th US-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue held last week.

Russel has only one counterpart in the Philippine Government and that is the DFA Assistant Secretary for American Affairs who, logically, should have led the Philippine side in the Dialogue.

So how come the PH delegation to the Dialogue was led by a DFA undersecretary who ranks second only to Super Amboy aka Giant Smiley foreign secretary Albert del Rosario?

Russel also had in his delegation an Assistant Secretary of Defense. Yet, we had in our delegation, supposedly his counterpart, a DND undersecretary.

The only reason I could think of is that both the DFA and DND secretaries did not think that the real counterparts of the Americans were up to the task at hand. If that is so, why were they assigned as such in the first place?

By implication, the two cabinet members thought that their undersecretaries would do a better job of dealing with the Americans.

Not if the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) were to be used as a gauge! It was the same DND undersecretary, assisted by two ambassadors handpicked by Del Rosario, who led the PH side in the negotiation of that horribly one-sided and unconstitutional agreement. The same DFA undersecretary was pretty much involved in the crafting of that agreement as well.

(Worthy of note is the fact that the DFA assistant secretary who had the guts to stand up to the Americans was removed from our team allegedly upon the insistence of our ambassador to Washington, another Amboy, who may have been talked to by his host government.)

Of course, there is also the apparent lack of appreciation of our officials on the great significance of fielding delegates of equivalent rank vis-à-vis their counterparts in any kind of negotiations.

Incidentally, I was astounded by the confirmation by Russel, when he referred to the Pemberton murder case, that “there are thousands and thousands, tens of thousands US military people regularly visit the Philippines”. Since when has this been happening? And under what arrangement?

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For the umpteenth time, Del Rosario has again promised to try and sway ASEAN to work together “in terms of ensuring that there is a full and effective implementation of the DOC (Declaration on the Code of Conduct) and the early, and I emphasize early, conclusion of the COC (Code of Conduct)” during a retreat with his counterparts in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia this week.

The idea is to persuade China to abide by the DOC prior to the conclusion of the COC following her “massive” reclamation activities in disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea (WPS/SCS) that will again be the subject of a protest from the Philippines.

As in the past, I’m afraid Del Rosario will be utterly disappointed. He just could not seem to accept the reality that there is no “centrality”, nor will there ever be in the foreseeable future, within ASEAN when it comes to the territorial disputes with China in the WPS/SCS.

China does not want a binding COC. What for? She already has the upper hand in the dispute with the occupation and development of several places in the disputed areas. (Why can’t the US just blockade China from entering those areas or bombing them to smithereens?) Besides, China has in her pocket at least three ASEAN members who would do her bidding any time. Others have a more pragmatic approach to the issue. And with the consensus rule in ASEAN decision-making, I consider the COC already dead in the water.

So what do we do in the face of this great odd? As I have said many times before, we start talking with China in earnest and strike a modus vivendi with her on the conflicting territorial claims without necessarily giving up the rules-based approach we have already started, i.e., the arbitration case we lodged with the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). Even assuming the Tribunal rules in our favor, China has already made it clear she will not abide by its decision.

Let us stop following the US dictate. When the chips are down, we won’t be able to rely on her. Jeopardize her relations with China by helping us with our claim? No way! How many times does she have to declare that she is “neutral” in our territorial dispute with China to convince us of that? She, in fact, reiterated that again through Assistant Secretary Russel last week. My goodness, are we getting senile or what?! Blinded by our conflicting loyalties, are we?!

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Freedom of navigation in the high seas? Unimpeded flow of commerce?

China has repeatedly said both of these will be honored and respected. And why not? It is also in her interest to do so. Her imports and exports go through the same sea lanes. Surely, she knows that the minute she jeopardizes either, other powers led by the US will not stand idly by. I don’t think she is ready to risk a holocaust that will spare no one.

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I am just reminded of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s vow to render a decision this month on the petition of alleged murderer US marine Joseph Pemberton to delay for sixty days the resumption of the hearing of his case. Will she or won’t she? Decide this month, I mean.

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And what has happened to the investigation supposed to be conducted on the US Navy drone found off the coast of Masbate a couple of years ago and the other found late last year in Lucena. A third one has just been found off Cagayan. What is our government doing about this evident violation of our sovereignty by a foreign power?
Nothing? Just because it is the US that is involved? All the more reason we should investigate. A friend and ally isn’t supposed to do such a thing… I mean violate our sovereignty.

Or worse, has the Aquino government given permission to the US to undertake whatever activity the drones are supposed to be doing?

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And what about the Supreme Court, when will it rule on the several petitions filed before it questioning the constitutionality of the EDCA?

And Noynoy’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) outlawed by the Court? When will it rule on the government’s motion for reconsideration? Why is it taking so long? I hope it has nothing to do with the threat of Noynoy’s lackeys in Congress to scrap the Judiciary Development Fund.

That would be a serious blow to the reputation of Maria Lourdes Sereno whom I called the “Chief Justice with balls” when she declared: “I do not serve presidents, excuse me… that’s unforgivable.”

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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 more than four and a half years ago.

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. He was also the highest paid in 2013 with P12.09 million. I wouldn’t be surprised if he again tops the list in 2014; and

(b) That over a year ago, at least P4.13 billion in contributions and loan payments made by 12 government offices, maybe more by now, to the GSIS had not been credited to the offices as of Dec. 31, 2011.

COA also said that the amount of unrecorded remittances could go much higher because only 36 agencies have at that time 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 Vergara one of the sacred cows in Noynoy’s coterie whom you are afraid to investigate?”

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Today is the 270th day of the eighth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.

The trial of the primary suspect in the enforced disappearance of Jonas, Maj. Harry Baliaga, Jr. has finally begun about six months ago, after seven and a half years.

I dread to think of how many more years it will take before Jonas’ disappearance is finally resolved. Or, for that matter, the items in the Reminders above. It is beginning to look like it will not be during Noynoy’s watch.

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From an internet friend:

More genuine answers (from 16-year-old kids):
Q. Give the meaning of the term ‘Caesarean section’.
A. The caesarean section is a district in Rome.

Q. What is a seizure?
A. A Roman Emperor.
(Julius Seizure, I came, I saw, I had a fit.)

Q. What is a terminal illness?
A. When you are sick at the airport.
(Irrefutable)

Q. What does the word ‘benign’ mean?
A. Benign is what you will be after you be eight.
(Brilliant.)

Q. What is a turbine?
A. Something an Arab or a Sikh wears on his head. (Now we are getting somewhere.)

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27 January 2015

Email: roacrosshairs@outlook.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/reynaldo.arcilla.9847