By Rey O. Arcilla
Malaya
Malaya
Ho Chi Minh City by night (File Photo)
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino said in his speech to the nation last week that he is not a thief.
I do not recall anyone, least of all his bosses, accusing Noynoy of stealing from government. Insinuations from the opposition perhaps, but that is to be expected.
In fact, his bosses are appreciative of the fact that his government had already lodged a complaint before the Ombudsman against those suspected of doing so. They are also anticipating the filing of more cases against other suspects, regardless of party affiliation.
In his speech, Noynoy also insisted on retaining the Presidential Social Fund (PSF) and the murky Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).
It’s either he doesn’t get it or he is just plumb pigheaded (no pun intended). His bosses want him to ditch totally all kinds of pork not because of him, but because of some people around him, both in the legislative and executive branches of government, who are known or suspected of being thieves.
And, as he himself admitted in his speech, a certain percentage of DAP had been used to augment the pork barrel of legislators which his bosses believe was intended as a bribe to congressmen and senators to vote for the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona.
As for the PSF, what his bosses want is for the revenue generated by PAGCOR, PCSO and possibly the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) to be made part of the General Fund and appropriated, exclusively if you will, for the PSF.
***
There are a couple of other things that Noynoy mentioned in his speech with which I do not completely agree.
The first is his sweeping claim that he had “appointed people of unquestioned integrity who are fulfilling their sworn duties”. His bosses know there are quite a number of people he appointed to important and sensitive positions who do not fall into this category.
The second is his sweeping statement that part of the DAP came from good governance now seen in our GOCCs.
Surely, the controversy surrounding the SSS, the GSIS and other GOCCs has not escaped his attention.
Surely, he now must be aware of the failure of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GSG) in performing its duty to protect the interests of the stakeholders of GOCCs.
***
Speaking of the GSIS, I found out from its website the following compensation package for the members of its Board of Trustees effective September 2011 when Robert “Pretty Boy” Vergara was already at its helm:
Maximum Per Diem/Year – P1,152,000 (for Vergara), other trustees – P960,000; Maximum Committee Per Diem/Year – P576,000; Maximum Gasoline Expenses/Year – P132,000.
As has already been widely reported, they also got a bonus P1,250,000 each (some say P1,400,000) last year.
And so, each trustee, except Vergara, must have gotten a total of P2.918 million last year.
In addition, the trustees are also entitled to travel, communication and meal expenses which may amount to a hefty sum especially when they go on official business abroad.
Vergara, of course, was tagged by the Commission on Audit as the highest paid government servant when he reportedly received a total compensation of P16.36 million last year.
Doesn’t Noynoy find these amounts obscene and unconscionable? The GSIS members, not to mention its employees, I’m sure, do.
***
Incidentally, the GSG acknowledged receipt of my column last week and said that it has been forwarded “to the responsible officer and shall be acting on the same at the soonest possible time”.
In that column I said, among other things, that the GSG should make public how much its commissioners get in per diem, allowances and bonuses, seeing as how it has approved excessive compensation and bonuses to GOCCs, contrary to its mandate.
Let’s see how soon “soonest possible time” is.
***
Shouldn’t we ask the Chinese government to apologize for the alleged terrorist attack in Beijing last week that killed one of our nationals and injured three members of her family, in the same manner that Hong Kong, China’s Special Administrative Region, keeps asking us to apologize for the unfortunate Luneta hostage incident three years ago?
Or, perhaps, the next time they ask us again for an apology…?
Let’s watch how Noynoy and his Amboy of a foreign secretary, Albert del Rosario, will handle this.
***
I had a 3-day tour of Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) last week together with some of my students. It was a good experience except for the very unpleasant behavior of Vietnamese immigration and security personnel.
Not one of them knew how to smile. They were dour and gave the impression that they consider their visitors, mostly tourists, a nuisance, to the point of being rude to them. They didn’t make you feel welcome at all… like they are doing you a favor by allowing you entry into their country.
I must hasten to add though that the average Vietnamese we met in the course of our tour were friendly.
The experience was reminiscent of the ones I had in Hong Kong and Singapore many years ago when both were beginning to rise economically, as Vietnam now is. Their airport personnel were also unfriendly and rude to visitors.
To the credit of their governments, they realized they had to mend their ways and launched a “smile” campaign, with Singapore airport officials even required to pin smileys on their uniform. I don’t know how they are now. I haven’t been to either place in ages.
It must be said though that we too have grouches among our immigration and security personnel in our airports but no one can dispute the fact that, in general, they are quite friendly and helpful to foreigners who come and visit us.
***
There are news reports that based on intelligence information leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, the US has a monitoring station in its Kuala Lumpur embassy to tap telephones and monitor communications networks.
The reports also said there are 90 electronic US surveillance facilities worldwide, including in US embassies in Jakarta, Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Yangon. I did not see Manila in the list, but that must have been a mistake.
Expect the governments of the countries concerned to immediately launch an investigation of the reports with a view to protecting their national interests and protesting against the US. Already, the American and Australian heads of missions in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur have been summoned by Indonesian and Malaysian authorities. Australia has been found to be in cahoots with the US in the spying activities.
Here, presidential mouthpiece Sonny Coloma said the matter has been referred to the DFA and the DND. I doubt the two agencies will come up with a credible report, seeing as how both are headed by suspected Amboys.
***
The speculation that Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin may be relieved of his post because he made a mistake last September in saying that the concrete blocks spotted at Panatag Shoal were placed by Beijing is, I believe, off the mark. (The blocks reportedly turned out to be old sinkers used by the US Navy.)
I think what caused the rumor about his leaving the Cabinet was more likely the statements issued by the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) which is actually composed of both retired and active officers, and the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. (PMAAAI).
The two associations have, among other things, called on Noynoy to abolish pork barrel in all its forms, including the DAP; submit all unbudgeted funds, like the Malampaya Fund, the Road Users Tax, and the social funds from the PAGCOR and the PCSO, to the budgetary process and oversight power of Congress; that said funds, but not limited to them, be deposited in the National Treasury to be spent only as may be provided in the yearly General Appropriations Act.
I could be wrong, of course, but being a member of both associations, Gazmin must have been expected to be able to influence the members to desist from issuing such a statement which contradicts Noynoy’s position on the pork barrel controversy.
***
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.
2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia and ordering his successor, Robert 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 last year making him the highest paid government servant and;
(b) That, as of four or five months 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 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?
3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments.
4) Expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos.
***
Today is the 191st day of the seventh year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.
The Justice Department has dismissed the charges against several of those accused in Jonas’ disappearance. Cleared were former AFP chiefs of staff Hermogenes Esperon and Alexander Yano, ex-PNP chief Avelino Razon, retired Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Ano and Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano. Only Maj. Harry Baliaga will be charged for arbitrary detention, murder and obstruction of justice on the disappearance of Jonas.
“Pwedeng kasuhan ang kamay ng krimen pero ang utak ay hindi?” rued Lorena Santos, daughter of a desaparecido like Jonas.
Mr. President, is this what you meant when you called for a “focused, dedicated and exhaustive” probe of what really happened to Jonas?
***
From an internet friend:
Fearing that he would be late for an important business meeting in London, a motorist was beginning to panic because he couldn’t find a parking space. Street after street was full, and growing ever more desperate, he decided to seek help from the Almighty. Looking up to Heaven, he said: “Lord, please help me out here. If you find me a parking space, I’ll give up drinking, and women, and go to Mass every Sunday.”
Then as he turned the corner, miraculously a parking space appeared.
He looked skyward again and said: “Never mind, I found one.”
***
Email: ambaroarcilla@gmail.com
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