COPOUT

By REY O. ARCILLA  
Malaya

(For a former law dean, it is a wonder Villanueva seems unable to understand the spirit of the law that created the GCG.)

What a copout!

This fellow by the name of Cesar Villanueva, chairman of the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG), insisted that his office had nothing to do with the “unauthorized allowances, bonuses and benefits amounting to P2.313 billion” granted to certain government-owned and –controlled corporations (GOCCs) in 2012.
Eh, alin pa?! Sino pa?!

Obviously, this fellow conveniently forgot that the GCG was created by law precisely to safeguard the people’s money from being appropriated for themselves by conscienceless officials of GOCCs.

The GCG failed miserably in doing its job by granting fat and excessive allowances to officials of certain GOCCs that have subsequently been disallowed by the Commission on Audit (COA).

Recently, Villanueva granted, allegedly with Malacanang approval, the reported P1.2 million Christmas bonus for each member of the GSIS Board of Trustees for 2013 but denied any for the pension fund’s employees who have been getting it over the years.

If indeed it was Malacanang that approved the GSIS trustees’ bonus, that would put President Noynoy Aquino in a rather awkward position. It would, among other things, fortify the perception of many of his bosses that he really does not have their interest at heart… that it’s all palabas lang! That is how the poor employees of GSIS certainly feel!

Noynoy and his minions should always bear in mind the Lincolnesque admonition: “You can fool some of the people all of the time and you can fool all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”

If this fellow Villanueva has any delicadeza at all, he would resign irrevocably for failing in his duty. But before he does, if he does, and if he has nothing to hide, he should come clean and disclose, as I have suggested in previous columns, how much he and his fellow commissioners get by way of bonuses and per diems. I would think it is better that he does that now instead of COA doing it for him later.

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Are we being primed for the kill, so to speak?

First, there was US Ambassador Philip Goldberg saying that his government is going to help improve the Philippines’ maritime defense capability after China issued a new law requiring foreign countries to get clearance first before they go fishing in disputed waters in South China Sea, including the West Philippine Sea. The US described the new law “provocative” and “dangerous”.

I thought that is precisely what the US has been doing ever since China started making trouble in the South China Sea. I hope Goldberg did not make the statement as “sweetener” for us to succumb to US demands for an increased rotational presence of her forces on our shores.

My understanding is that we are not against US troops’ increased presence here per se. What we want is that it must be in accordance with our Constitution and that it must be mutually beneficial. Is that so much to ask?
Here, I would like to re-state the conditions that, in my view, would make such arrangement mutually beneficial:

1) The agreement should be embodied in a treaty ratified by both parties as prescribed by our Constitution, not in a mere executive agreement;

2) Rental of $2 to $3 billion annually, in cash, for the use of our military bases;

3) Immediate settlement of what is rightfully due to all our WWII veterans commissioned by the US government;

4) The agreement must be for a maximum of five years only, with either party having the right to terminate it before the end of that period;

5) Everything that is brought in by the US and still in place at the expiration of the agreement must be left behind and become ours, just as they did in Iraq;

6) No nuclear weapons or materiel should be brought into the country (no more of that “neither confirm nor deny” bullshit);

7) Clean up their toxic wastes when they leave; and

8) Equal access to places where US troops and facilities will be located.

Then, shortly after Goldberg made his statement, news came out that President Barack Hussain Obama will make his oft-postponed visit to the Philippines in April as part of a scheduled Asian trip. A source said “there’s no schedule yet, but the announcement will be made probably next month”.

The US State Department, however, said there has yet been no decision reached regarding the visit.

Another source said the visit will depend on the outcome of the talks on the increased US troop presence in the Philippines and that “if all goes well, Obama’s schedule would include signing the agreement during his visit and a probable announcement of additional aid for the victims of typhoon “Yolanda”. Hmm…

Let’s watch what happens.

In the meantime, I have been hearing reports that there appears to be dissension in the ranks within the DFA and the DND regarding our position on the ongoing talks with the US.

I am not entirely surprised, at least about the DFA. The truth is most professionals in the DFA are against the obvious pro-American foreign policy stance of Foreign Secretary Albert “Amboy” del Rosario. Or is it Noynoy’s? As the president, it should be his. But then, does he really have a mind of his own when it comes to foreign policy? As I have said, I have yet to make up my mind about whether or not Noynoy is himself an Amboy.

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Noynoy said the 2014 national budget should have no pork barrel (PDAF). I agree. Everybody does.
Question: So why did he sign it?

Answer: Because he didn’t want his own pork barrel removed, e.g., the Presidential Social Fund and other lump sum appropriations.

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Senators Sergio Osmena and Chiz Escudero, administration allies both, said it would be unrealistic for the Supreme Court to declare lump sum appropriations (pork barrel) unconstitutional as it has done on the PDAF.
Escudero said that if the Court did that, it might as well declare its own lump sum funds unconstitutional.
I again ask the oft-repeated question raised in this space… is that the reason the Court is taking so long to act on the so-called Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), another form of pork barrel, of the administration?

If that is the case, and I believe it is unless proven otherwise, then the honorable members of the Court would be no better than their counterparts in the legislative and executive branches of the government.

Where would that leave the people and their expressed desire for the total abolition of the pork barrel system?
Excuse me, could you please tell me where “daang matuwid” is?

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There are only ten days left in January 2014. How come the Ombudsman has not yet lodged a case against the alleged plunderers of pork barrel in the Sandiganbayan? She said she will have that done before the end of last year. What is she waiting for?

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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.

2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia and ordering 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 last year making him the highest paid government servant and;

(b) That, as of six or seven 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?

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?

3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments.

4) Resort to his immense presidential powers to expedite the resolution of the Ampatuan massacre case that is now on its fourth year.

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Today is the 247th 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?

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From an internet friend:

Subject: DID JEWS SINK THE TITANIC?

The plane leaves Heathrow Airport under the control of a Jewish Captain; his Co-pilot is Chinese. It’s the first time they’ve flown together and an awkward silence between the two seems to indicate a mutual dislike.
Once they reached cruising altitude, the Jewish Captain activates the auto-pilot, leans back in his seat, and mutters… “I don’t like Chinese…”

“No rike Chinese?” asks the Co-pilot. “Why not?”

“You people bombed Pearl Harbor, that’s why.”

“No, no”, the Co-pilot protests. “Chinese not bomb Peahl Hahbah! That
Japanese, not Chinese.”

“Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese… doesn’t matter. You’re all alike!”

There’s a few minutes of silence.

“I no rike Jews!”, the Co-pilot suddenly announces.

“Oh yeah, why not?” asks the Captain.

“Jews sink Titanic!” says the Co-pilot.

“What? You’re insane! Jews didn’t sink the Titanic!” exclaims the Captain. “It was an iceberg!”

“Iceberg, Goldberg, Greenberg, Rosenberg… no mattah… all same.

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21 January 2014 Email: roacrosshairs@outlook.com