F-35 is Liaoning’s worst nightmare, says Global Times

Source: Want China Times

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter developed by Lockheed Martin. (Photo/CFP)

The US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is capable of combating China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, reports Huanqiu, the website of China’s nationalistic Global Times tabloid.

In a hypothetical aircraft carrier battle between China and the United States, the main fighter jets would include the United States’ F-35C fifth-generation multirole fighter developed by Lockheed Martin and China’s J-15 carrier-based jet developed by Shenyang Aircraft Corporation.

The F-35 is equipped with extremely powerful offensive capabilities for both land and sea combat, with a weapons load of eight tonnes and the capacity to carry four AIM20C and AIM-9X mid-range and short-range air-to-air missiles.

In an attack on the Liaoning the F-35 could carry joint strike missiles developed in Norway, which have a range of 290 kilometers. The J-15, on the other hand, could carry two YJ8-3 anti-missiles with a range of only 180 km.

In terms of radar technology, the US has the clear upper hand with its AN/APG-81 AESA radar developed by Northrop Grumman, which has a thousand transceivers with the ability to simultaneously search for 23 moving targets, including 19 targets in just 2.4 seconds, after which it would turn to tracking mode.

Even against China’s J-20, the stealth, twin-engine fifth-generation fighter aircraft prototype being developed by Chengdu Aerospace Corporation, the F-35 would still be the first to detect its opponent due to its superior radar.

Observers are asking whether the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will make modifications to its F-35A jets to use the domestically developed AAM-4 and AAM-5 medium-range active radar-guided air-to-air missiles or if they will use US missiles given the differences in dimensions.

The problem for Japan is the cost of the F-35A, which could mean fewer aircraft if the price continues to rise. The price of the F-35A was US$111.6 million back in 2010, while the F-35B cost US$109.4 million and the F-35C was priced at US$142.9 million; since then the average price of one F-35 has risen to as high as US$228 million, according to some sources.

http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140429000104&cid=1101

Mindanao power outages reach up to 10-12 hours

By Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Longer power outages of up to 10 to 12 hours have hounded a large part of Mindanao at the height of summer.

As of yesterday, Mindanao registered a power shortfall of 314 megawatts (MW), according to the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), forcing the different distributors on the island to curtail the available power supply.

Mindanao yesterday posted a power demand of 1,236 MW as against the actual supply of only 922 MW.

Various areas in northern, central and western Mindanao, South Cotabato and Misamis Oriental have lately been experiencing power outages of eight to 12 hours.

Mindanao is largely dependent on hydroelectric power but the water levels in two of its main sources, Lake Lanao in Marawi City and Pulangi River in Bukidnon, have been low and not enough for the Agus power plants to operate normally.

The worsening power situation has now affected Davao City, which has a standby power plant run by the Aboitiz-firm Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC).

DLPC officials yesterday said the rotating power outages within the utility’s franchise area have increased from one hour to two and a half hours starting Monday due to lower supply from the Mindanao grid – and could even reach six hours.

The NGCP said the National Power Corp.’s Agus 2, 4, 6 and Pulangi 4 hydroelectric power plants now have reduced capability due to low water elevation as a result of lack or absence of rainfall, forcing the Napocor to decrease its supply allocation to DLPC and other electric utilities.

As of 7:47 a.m. yesterday, the Napocor, through the NGCP, only allocated about 150 MW to DLPC from last week’s 180 MW – way lower than the utility’s contracted supply of 270 MW.

DLPC’s total energy supply is currently about 262 MW while its peak demand is estimated at about 320 MW, resulting in a deficiency of 58 MW. This shortfall translates to 2.5 hours of rotating outages.

With the lower Napocor allocation, Ross Luga, DLPC communication officer, said their only option now is to stretch the duration of the rotating power outages to avoid total collapse of the entire Mindanao transmission grid, which happens when the demand for power exceeds the available supply.

Enough with selective justice!

ON DISTANT SHORE

By Val G. Abelgas

Abad and Aquino (File photo)

Here we go again.

After Budget Secretary Florencio Abad was tagged as the alleged mentor of businesswoman Janet Napoles in designing the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Malacanang spokespersons were quick to point out that Abad still enjoys the trust and confidence of President Aquino.

Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma said Aquino would not be affected by the allegations until proven, and that while Aquino and Abad had talked after the claims were made, they did not discuss the pork barrel scam involving funds of the now illegal Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). It’s hard to believe that Aquino would not be bothered by the allegations, and that Abad would not even try to deny the claim or give his side to the boss. Unless, of course, they’ve become so calloused they didn’t care what the people think about the shameless scheme.

We would have understood his focus on reforms except that the allegations would tend to shatter the very foundation of his much-ballyhooed campaign against corruption, Abad being one of his most trusted aides and the Department of Budget Management (DBM) that he heads being the central agency from which all those billions were released to the allegedly fraudulent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to fund ghost projects.

And from the many bits of information being leaked by former Sen. Ping Lacson, who is one of the few lawmakers not tainted by the pork barrel stigma, and Napoles’ lawyer Bruce Rivera, it would seem that Abad was not the only Aquino ally and aide who are being tagged by Napoles in her “tell-all” affidavit, but over a hundred other government officials.

Among those allegedly named as co-conspirators in the biggest heist of public money ever were Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, another Aquino trusted aide and who also remains in Aquino’s confidence; a leading senator and prominent member of Aquino’s Liberal Party; an agriculture undersecretary; and a former agrarian reform secretary.

“They instructed me about the procedures and taught me the process of how to undertake the PDAF cycle,” Napoles was quoted as saying in her affidavit.

In a report in the Manila Times, Dr. Dante Ang, the paper’s chairman emeritus, said some Malacañang officials were not spared in the damning affidavit. Quoting a reliable source, he said a ranking DBM official is alleged to have taught Napoles the ropes. “[Name of DBM official] was the one who taught me how to follow the procedures at the DBM in order to expedite the releases of the funds,” said the source quoting from the Napoles affidavit. Napoles added that she “followed up the releases” with another ranking DBM official.

Ang added: “Yet another Palace factotum was also mentioned in her affidavit. Wrote Napoles, “[Name of the Palace official] is one of my contacts in Malacañang and who was introduced to me by [name of a Public Relations practitioner]. We casually know each other.” She said she “talks” to the PR guy “for advice every now and then.”

The alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam says persons very close to the Aquino administration were the real masterminds of the scheme, and Aquino is not bothered and remains focused on reforms? Because he believes they are innocent until proven guilty?

But why did the President not accord former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona the same presumption of innocence until proven guilty, and instead proclaimed him guilty of so many violations before the House of Representatives could even vote for his impeachment and before the Senate could start his trial? Why can’t the President and his allies accord the same presumption of innocence to all the senators and congressmen that have been maligned and unfairly tried in the court of public opinion?

Why did Justice Secretary Leila De Lima, obviously on the say so of Malacanang, so easily released all damning information about the roles of leading opposition Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, and is now overly careful to release the names of all those tagged in the signed written affidavit of Napoles, which De Lima claims seemed very credible.

If the affidavit were credible, then why is she hesitant to release the names or its contents? Is she really concerned about the harm it would do to the “innocent” persons that may have been dragged into the controversy, or is she worried about the harm it would do to Aquino’s allies in the list and to the Aquino administration’s “clean” image?

Now we know why the Aquino administration has been forestalling the approval of the Freedom of Information Act. If an FOI law were in place, the people, through court action, can compel De Lima to reveal the contents of the affidavit since it is a signed document submitted to a government agency, making it a public record and, therefore, subject to public disclosure.

Even without the FOI law, the document is now public record and in the interest of fairness, transparency and accountability, should be disclosed to the public or made available to scrutiny by Congress, the courts and media.

It is becoming obvious that the pork barrel scam that the administration blatantly used to destroy the reputations of opposition leaders, and which it hoped would damage the backbone of the opposition before the 2016 presidential elections is doing a boomerang and is coming back to haunt the country’s leadership.
Apparently, the public is beginning to see through the hypocrisy of the Aquino administration. In the latest survey released by the Social Weather Station, Aquino’s ratings dropped by a huge 13 points in the first three months of the year. The survey was conducted just after revelations of corruption in the National Agribusiness Corp. (Nabcor) and the Technology Resource Center (TRC) involving billions of pesos.

But ‘daang matuwid” or not, the Ombudsman must prove its worth and prosecute to the full extent of the law all those responsible for this shameless scheme, whether they are opposition leaders or allies of the Aquino administration.

The Lady of Justice was not blindfolded for nothing. It means that justice will be meted out without fear or favor, and that ultimately the scales of justice would tip in favor of the truth. Hopefully, that will be the case with this horrendous crime presented before her.

(valabelgas@aol.com)

Russian Economy Hit the Skids Before Sanctions Even in Place

By Dan Weil

MoneyNews.com

Russia’s economy is tanking, even as the West’s sanctions for its takeover of Crimea have just begun to bite.

The country faces stagflation and plunges in the ruble and stock market. That has helped send foreign investors running for the hills, taking billions of dollars out of the country with them. Recession appears to be looming, New York Times columnist David Herszenhorn writes.

“This is our fee of sorts for conducting an independent foreign policy,” Aleksei Kudrin, a former Russian finance minister, said at a recent investor conference in Moscow, according to Herszenhorn.

Kudrin said Russia’s adventurism in Ukraine would ultimately strip hundreds of billions of dollars from the economy and put the kibosh on economic growth through year-end.

“Even before the Crimean episode, and the resulting imposition of sanctions by the West, Russia’s $2 trillion economy was suffering from stagflation, that toxic mix of stagnant growth and high inflation typically accompanied by a spike in unemployment,” Herszenhorn explains.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that Russia’s GDP will expand only 1.3 percent this year, matching last year’s total and down from the IMF’s 2 percent estimate in January. Russian inflation hit 6.9 percent in March, the highest in nine months.

“The near-term growth outlook for Russia, already weakened, has been further affected by these geopolitical tensions,” the IMF said in its World Economy Review, according to Bloomberg.

The report was referring to the situation in Ukraine, of course. Concern remains that Russia will invade the eastern part of that country.

Meanwhile, if oil prices fall, the Russian economy will suffer greatly, given its huge dependence on oil and natural gas.

http://www.moneynews.com/StreetTalk/Herszenhorn-Russia-economy-sanctions/2014/04/17/id/566209/

St. John’s University Names Conrado M. Gempesaw, Ph.D. 17th President

St. John’s University

Conrado M. Gempesaw, Ph.D.

It is our great pleasure to announce that the Board of Trustees has electedConrado M. Gempesaw, Ph.D., Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, as the 17th President of St. John’s University effective July 1, 2014. Dr. Gempesaw will succeed Rev. Joseph L. Levesque, C.M., who will be stepping down as planned at the conclusion of this academic year.

Dr. Gempesaw is an accomplished scholar, teacher, and administrator who comes to St. John’s with almost three decades of academic experience. At Miami University, he led the institution’s comprehensive strategic planning efforts and introduced new enrollment management strategies based on capacity planning that increased the school’s applicant pool and improved student diversity. Miami University comprises six colleges and more than 22,000 students and 1,000 faculty members. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked Miami third nationally for its exceptionally strong commitment to undergraduate teaching, 31st among national public universities, and 75th overall.

In Dr. Gempesaw, we have found a visionary leader who understands and embraces St. John’s mission as a Catholic and Vincentian university, and has the skills necessary to realize our goals for the future. We are confident he will help St. John’s continue its remarkable transformation from a commuter school into a global educational institution with enhanced and expanded facilities and new academic initiatives, while maintaining its mission of providing a world-class affordable education.

We would like to extend our deep appreciation to all of you who provided input and feedback throughout this process, and in particular, to the members of the Presidential Search Committee for their hard work in conducting this extensive national search. The 13-member committee represented multiple constituencies, including faculty, students, administrators, alumni, and trustees. As a result of their efforts, we had a final pool of truly exceptional candidates. The search was led by Mr. Bill Funk of R. William Funk and Associates, one of the nation’s leading higher education consulting firms, and Mary Harper Hagan, Senior Vice President for Human Resources and Strategic Planning, St. John’s University, whose professionalism ensured that the search process remained focused and on track.

As Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Miami University, Dr. Gempesaw led the development of new academic initiatives to enhance retention and graduation rates, increase international enrollment and global partnerships, establish student learning outcomes assessment practices, and create e-learning niche programs and market strategies.

Before joining Miami University, Dr. Gempesaw held several positions at the University of Delaware. As Dean of the Lerner College of Business and Economics, he was responsible for the University’s second largest college with five academic departments, 3,500 students, and 120 faculty members, as well as the university-wide Division of Professional and Continuing Studies. Prior to that, he served as the University’s interim Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences, with more than 8,000 students, 24 academic departments, and 600 faculty members. His other positions at the University of Delaware included Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Planning; Acting Associate Provost for International Programs and Special Sessions; Chairperson of the Department of Food and Resource Economics; and Acting Director, Operations Research Program. He also chaired the NCAA compliance effort at the University of Delaware. In 2000 and 2005, he co-chaired UD’s Middle States Commission on Higher Education Steering Committee for Accreditation. He also co-chaired UD’s NCAA Certification Self-Study Committee in 2002.

Dr. Gempesaw has also held faculty positions as a professor in the Department of Economics at Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, and professor in the Department of Economics and Department of Food and Resource Economics at the University of Delaware.

Dr. Gempesaw received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from The Pennsylvania State University; a Master of Science degree in agricultural economics from West Virginia University; and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Ateneo de Davao University in the Philippines. He has published more than 100 papers in various academic journals on financial simulation analysis and modeling, higher education administration, agribusiness economics, and marketing and international trade.

Dr. Gempesaw and his wife, Clavel Albay Gempesaw, are members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oxford, Ohio. In Delaware, Dr. Gempesaw served on the St. Thomas More Oratory Advisory Council and the Diocese of Wilmington Catholic Youth Ministry’s (CYM) Athletic Committee, and was a CYM basketball referee. Clavel Albay Gempesaw earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware. They have two sons, Daniel, who earned Bachelor of Science degrees in mathematics and mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware and a Master of Science degree from Georgia Tech, and David, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance from the University of Delaware and is currently a graduate student at Miami University.

Beginning today and over the coming months, many of you will have the opportunity to meet Dr. Gempesaw during his visits to St. John’s before he officially joins the University. Additionally, there will be ample time to express our gratitude to Fr. Levesque for his service, and we will keep you apprised of those plans. We look forward to a seamless transition to St. John’s new leadership and an outstanding future for our beloved University. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Gempesaw and his family to the St. John’s community.

http://www.stjohns.edu/about/office-president/presidential-search/st-john-s-university-names-conrado-m-gempesaw-phd-17th-president

From EDSA to EDCA

PerryScope

By Perry Diaz

Magnificent 12 or Dirty Dozen?

Twenty-eight years after the EDSA people power revolution and 23 years after the Philippine Senate kicked the U.S. bases out of the Philippines, the Americans are back at the request of the Philippine government. Why?

The toppling of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 whipped up nationalistic fervor among the newintelligentsia who saw an opportunity to create a society free of foreign influence and interference. It was a period of unbridled nationalism that blamed the malaise of the past on America’s perceived meddling in the Philippines’ national affairs.

U.S. Marines lower the American flag as their Philippine counterparts raise the Philippine flag during morning colors at the start of the base deactivation ceremony for Naval Station, Subic Bay on November 24, 1992.

It did not then come as a surprise that the 1987 Constitution was crafted to prohibit foreign military bases on Philippine soil. Article XVIII, Section 25, of the new constitution states that“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.”

In 1991, twelve senators voted 12-11 to reject the extension of the US-Philippines Military Bases Agreement. The vainglorious senators – who called themselves, the Magnificent 12 – justified their vote by claiming that the treaty was favorable to the U.S. but not to the Philippines. The following year, the U.S. bases were closed.

Chinese aggression

Chinese fortifications on Panganiban Reef.

Two years after the closure of the U.S. bases in 1992, China seized the Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) in the middle of the night. And the Philippine Armed Forces couldn’t do anything to take it back.

In the past three years, China aggressively pursued her territorial claim to about 80% of the South China Sea including the Spratly archipelago. In 2012, she took possession of Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal).

That didn’t bode well with President Benigno Aquino III, who, ultimately would bear a stigma of guilt should he fail to do something to deter Chinese aggression. While the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) is still in effect, there is no ironclad guarantee that America would come to the Philippines’ aid in a timely fashion.

Ayungin Shoal. BRP Sierra Madre is shown encircled on the photo.

Recently, China attempted to take possession of Ayungin Shoal, which is only 105 nautical miles from the coast of Palawan and within the Philippines’ 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). But what deterred the Chinese from taking over the uninhabited but strategically located shoal was a small detachment of Philippine marines deployed to a rusty naval ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, which lay aground off Ayungin.

BRP Sierra Madre

Consequently, China made several diplomatic efforts to pressure the Philippine government into removing Sierra Madre from the vicinity, claiming that China has absolute and indisputable sovereignty over Ayungin and the rest of the Spratlys including the proven oil- and gas-rich Recto Bank. But with a navy with no warships and an air force with no warplanes, the Philippines is defenseless against Chinese attack.

EDCA

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin shakes hands with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg after the signing of EDCA on April 28, 2014. (Photo credit: Carmela Fonbuena/Rappler)

The signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) last April 28, 2014 came at a time when China was poised to strike at the Spratly islands. Signed hours before U.S. President Barack Obama arrived in Manila, EDCA will give American forces temporary access to selected Philippine military bases, and allow them to preposition fighter jets and ships.

The question is: How significant is EDCA to the overall rebalancing of U.S. naval and air forces in the Asia-Pacific region? To answer that question, one has to be cognizant of China’s goal of controlling the First Island Chain and Second Island Chain. The First Island Chain runs from Japan all the way to Vietnam by way of Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo, Malaysia, and Singapore. The Second Island Chain runs from Japan all the way to Australia by way of the U.S. territories of Guam and Saipan, and Papua New Guinea.

China Dream

Admiral Liu Huaqing

In an article titled, “China to take Second Island Chain by 2020,” published last year in the Want China Times, it said: “In 1982, Admiral Liu Huaqing, the former commander of the PLA Navy and the mastermind of China’s modern naval strategy, said that it would be necessary for China to control the First and Second Island Chains by 2010 and 2020. The PLA Navy must be ready to challenge US domination over the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean in 2040. If China is able to dominate the Second Island Chain seven years from now, the East China Sea will become the backyard of the PLA Navy.”

Prior to the signing of EDCA, the Philippines was the weakest link in the First Island Chain. Not anymore. EDCA strengthened the chain link; thus, containing China to the confines of East China and South China Seas.

Obama’s four-nation Asian tour to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines plays an important part in maintaining the status quo and balance of power in the Asia-Pacific Region. China should realize that she couldn’t – and shouldn’t — bully her neighbors into submission for as long as America remains a Pacific power.

It was a long journey from EDSA to EDCA indeed. But it was a journey worth taking.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Growing anger over PDAF scam could bring govt down

by DR. DANTE A. ANG CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, THE MANILA TIMES 
Failure of the government to dampen the growing unrest over the P10-billion PDAF (or pork barrel) scam could bring the whole government down. DOJ Secretary Leila de Lima was right when she said that baring the list to the public at this time would cause “havoc and confusion.”

Yet, keeping the people in the dark would increase the pressure on her to release the names. Her refusal to do so could unlock torrents of angry protests from a disgusted public, which would then engulf the Aquino administration.

I would have thought that President Benigno Aquino 3rd had learned his lessons from a series of crises he faced during his past three years in office. Unfortunately, the reverse is true. He loathes criticisms and brands his “critics” “destabilizers” or “enemies of his administration.” He categorizes the people into two groups: “Those who are for him” and “Those who are against him.” He has shunted his well-meaning sisters aside in favor of DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, DBM Secretary Butch Abad and DOTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya. He now considers these three, “family.” He has failed miserably to demonstrate that he is President of all Filipinos, friend or foe alike.

Take the case of the MRT3. Guilty parties hastily came up with a pre-emptive black propaganda blitz accusing presidential sister, Ballsy Cruz, of attempting to extort $30 million from Inekon, a Czech company bidding for the supply and maintenance of the MRT3. It was patently a ruse to divert public attention away from them, the real extortionists.

Cruz reportedly cried and complained to the President, according to a highly reliable source, and pointed to a group inside the DOTC responsible for the malicious story. The President summoned the DOTC official to the Palace and admonished him but refrained from suspending him for his role in the sordid affair, the source added.

Now to the Napoles affidavit.

First, what de Lima has in her possession is not the signed affidavit, a source close to Napoles told The Manila Times over the weekend. What she has are notes she took during her meeting with Napoles at the Ospital ng Makati from the night of Monday until 3 a.m. of Tuesday. The affidavit was already signed by Napoles when the DOJ chief came for a visit. She was not given a copy but was allowed to read it.

Former senator Panfilo Lacson, too, does not have the signed affidavit. What he has, according to the same Times source, is the first unsigned draft among several drafts of the affidavit. It had undergone quite a few changes, but only in form, not in substance. The lawyers had to change the verbiage or the language in some instances, but the names, events and dates were consistent, the source emphasized.

So that when de Lima hurriedly went to Malacañang on Tuesday morning to brief the President, she must have read from her notes. It is therefore useless for us to step up the pressure on her to release a legal instrument she does not have. What we can do is to ask her to make public her own notes.

Napoles, we are told, would be releasing her signed affidavit soon, the same source told The Manila Times. She is resigned to the distinct possibility that she will be incarcerated and any help from her “friends” in high places is wishful thinking, the source added.

President summons Secretary Alcala and Secretary Abad
Immediately following de Lima’s briefing, President Aquino summoned Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala and DBM Secretary Florencio Abad separately to the Palace, a Palace source said in a phone call to The Manila Times.

He said, “Hindi naman tatanggalin sina Abad at Alcala. Concerned pa nga.” (Alcala and Abad won’t be fired. In fact the President is concerned about them.)

Instead of suspending or firing them, the President was even protective of them and warned them, said the source, “Mag-ingat kayo, lumabas na mga pangalan ninyo.”(Be careful, your names have already come out).

It is logical to assume that the flurry of statements from the Palace, the Lower House and the Senate are in response to the President’s instruction to counter the fallout from the Napoles affidavit. These stories border on the pathetic and ridiculous. Their lines are the same; their appeal to the public clearly choreographed.

Sen. Franklin Drilon went the media rounds the other day even before his name could be made public. The two-part Times article (April 21 and 22), “They were my mentors,” purposely withheld the names of Napoles’ “mentors.” Still, the Senate President went on radio and TV to deny that his name “was on the list” and say that “it will never be” because, as he put it, he has never used any NGO to channel his funds except thru the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

It would be prudent of the good senator to just wait for the release of the Napoles affidavit before he protests. We would want to unmask the names of Napoles’ “mentors” were it not for the request of the Times’ source to momentarily withhold the names from the public.

Drilon added that it is OK for his name to be included and released if Napoles has “evidentiary documents” to back up her claim. What? When he, along with the other senators, ruled to accept the list of former SC Chief Justice Corona’s bank accounts that came from a fictitious “small lady,” did he ask Congressman Umali to show evidentiary documents to authenticate the list and the amounts? Did he even consider whether due process was served? Did he take any steps to determine the existence and identity of the small lady?

Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo “small lady” Umali echoed the Drilon script. He warned the public to be wary of Napoles’ sworn statement, which he said without any corroborating proof “is useless.” One wonders why, without any corroborating evidence and without identifying the “small lady” who allegedly handed him the envelope containing the bank records of former SC Chief Justice Rene Corona, he still went ahead to present them as evidence at the impeachment trial. The senators accepted his “evidence” without regard to due process.

Drilon is now crying wolf. He is demanding that evidentiary documents be provided first before accepting the Napoles sworn statement. Karma?

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evaronde, for his part, defended Abad. He said that “reports claiming that the DBM chief was the main author of the irregularity are part of a grand design to confuse the public and divert the real issue from the perpetrators of the crime.”

“The public should be forewarned about these machinations. Those behind it will try every opportunity to bring the pork barrel anomaly issue to the doorsteps of Malacanang to deflect attention away from their principals,” (Phil. Star, Saturday, April 26, 2014) Evardone added. He accused the Public Relations handlers of the real scammers to have concocted the wild accusation against Abad. “Their strategy is to spread the mud and make everyone a suspect. I think the people will not fall for this tactic because they know better, and they now know who stole their money,” he emphasized.

We couldn’t agree more with that observation of Evardone. The people already know the identities of the thieves in Congress, in the Senate and in the Palace. Maybe the good congressman should just keep his mouth shut and concentrate instead on liquidating the millions and millions of government funds that went into his district during the incumbency of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and now President Aquino. As sure as the sun rises in the east, he will be made to account for the funds poured into his province. He should begin with the Typhoon Yolanda fund assistance that until now has not been properly liquidated.

DBM Secretary Butch Abad’s protestation of innocence is funny. He said “I’m no pork king” (Phil. Star, Saturday, April 26, 2014). He said, “These fresh allegations that I tutored Napoles in designing the PDAF scam are simply not true. I’ve been called several names since I began serving in this administration, but ‘pork king’ is certainly the most ridiculous. It would in fact be funny if it weren’t such a blatant lie.”

Maybe we should remind Abad that the Supreme Court has recently declared the PDAF unconstitutional. And he was right in the middle of it all. He was the principal architect of the illegal disbursements of the PDAF to the congressmen and senators that found their way to bogus NGOs. Pending still before the Supreme Court is the question of the constitutionality of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). He is also the chief architect of the DAP. Now the question: If Abad is not the “Pork King” who is? The President? Or are Abad and the President the two sides of the same liempo?

In the beginning, the Palace and its allies were in ecstasy. They thought that the P10-billion PDAF scam would be the opposition’s death knell. They thought that by singling out the three senators, they had the opposition by the balls. They thought making Napoles a state witness would cripple the opposition, and clear the road to the presidency in 2016 for their chosen one.

Wrong. Even the “best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men often go awry, an’ leave us nought but grief an’ pain” so wrote the poet Robert Burns in his poem “To a Mouse.” (Very apropos, isn’t it, since mice are related to rats.)

The Napoles caper has become a bane, an albatross around the administration’s neck. It has freed the worms that now threaten to inundate the Palace and its allies.

Sadly, President Aquino, the only one who can help bring justice to the Filipino people, is acting like a spoiled brat, protective of his playmates, bullying those who refuse to “play with him” and unmindful of the consequences to the people and country that he vowed to serve and protect.

Instead of firing those involved in the P10-billion PDAF scam, he has opted to embrace them, coddle them and reward them with their continued tenure in the government, allowing these crooks to amass ill-gotten wealth at the expense of the Filipino people.

Instead of acting like a statesman, President Aquino is behaving like a “conman.”

http://www.manilatimes.net/growing-anger-over-pdaf-scam-could-bring-govt-down/92359/