by Lito Banayo
Malaya
After Joseph Ejercito Estrada was all but sworn in as the 13th president of the Philippines, his announced Executive Secretary, Ronaldo B. Zamora, instructed Elmer Mercado, Jimmy Policarpio and myself, among others I presume, to start working for the election of Joker Arroyo, the congressman of the first district of Makati, as speaker of the House of Representatives. This was a campaign commitment, as soft of course as political commitments go, made by then candidate Erap to Joker.
At about the same time, Mrs. Cynthia Villar of the landowning Aguilar clan of Las Piñas and Muntinglupa suddenly became a regular fixture at the incoming president’s Polk address in North Greenhills. Her husband Manuel was elected virtually unopposed for his third term as representative of Las Piñas, the family fiefdom. Villar openly supported Jose de Venecia of his party Lakas for president. Of course Erap swept all of Metro Manila including Las Piñas, but that was no thanks to the Aguilar-Villar clan. Erap maintained that Nene Aguilar “secretly” supported him, but then, even if the latter did not, all of Luzon except Pangasinan was swept by Erap. Surely the residents of the fiefdom of Las Piñas are not the unthinking robots of their landowners.
One fine Sunday, the exact date of which I have yet to check from a diary I am too lazy at the moment to retrieve from an antique baul in my den, Erap’s secretary asked me to proceed to Polk Street, and witness the mass oath-taking of 50 Lakas congressmen brought in by Lakas into LAMMP, the coalition that Erap used as flag of convenience for his successful presidential run. I did not feel like going, because I have always had a distaste for balimbings. But Erap was my president, and so I had to go. I was quiet all along the mass turncoatism ceremony, and didn’t even bother to stay for the food and drinks, always overflowing in Erap’s manse.
I asked confirmation the day after from Erap about my reading that Villar had become “it” for the speakership. He said, “Tamad kasi si Joker”. And added, “besides, Villar is the choice of the majority. Pinondohan niya pala ang kampanya ng maraming nanalo.”
I said, “Kung ayaw ninyo kay Joker, bakit hindi pa si Bibit (Duavit)?” And he chuckled, “Okay sana, pero tamad rin iyun, golf lang ng golf.” And so Manuel Villar became speaker of the lower house, by the grace of Joseph Ejercito Estrada, who (chuckle), hated lazybones. Nobody becomes Speaker of the House in this country without the president’s imprimatur.
On August 17, 1998, a dejected Joker Arroyo rose on a question of personal and collective privilege, and began lambasting the man who beat him to Numero Quatro in Philippine officialdom, for clear conflict of interest between his dealings with government agencies as real estate magnate and his sworn responsibilities as a congressman under the laws of the land. Joker listed down some ten issues against Speaker Villar, including his sponsorship of a bill in 1994 that eventually became the Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Finance Act of 1994. That law provided for the increase in capitalization of the NHMFC from 500 million pesos to 5.5 billion pesos. Joker charged that as head of the country’s largest low-cost housing conglomerate, Villar made piles of money from the housing loans that government provided, and which he “took out” and monetized out of future installments of Pag-ibig loan homebuyers. He also claimed that Villar and his family corporations had caused the conversion of some 60 million square meters of agricultural land in Southern and Central Luzon in contravention of the Agrarian Reform Law. He even made his peers visualize what 60 million square meters meant. All of Makati, he said, is 21 million square meters, and all of Las Piñas is 41 million square meters. “If you add the entire area of Las Piñas and Makati, that is the (size of the) residential subdivisions covered by the companies of Speaker Villar,” Joker said.
And many other charges, made by Joker, ten years ago. Now Joker calls it “idiocy” to even discuss the same issues, which are at the core of what Ping Lacson detailed in a privilege speech last Monday in a Senate now headed by Senate President Manuel Villar whom he had accused of double insertion in the current budget for a road that would cut across his corporation’s properties. Now Arroyo has taken the role of being chief defender of the man he accused of far worse things ten years ago than Lacson is now charging his principal.
During the two years and a half of Erap’s stay in Malacañang, Joker played the oppositionist’s role, floor tactician even to the so-called “Spice Boys” led by Mike Defensor, Nonoy Andaya, Migs Zubiri and a few others.
Now let’s go back to those tense moments in the impeachment saga of Joseph Estrada. One fine afternoon in November 2000, right after the opening prayer, Manuel Villar suddenly segued into transmitting to the Senate the committee report signed by seventy or so congressmen, swelled by the same number of congressmen that Villar brought into the LAMPP from Lakas when Erap won in 1998. Oh, these balimbings.
Erap can’t say I did not warn him. Even days before the masterly transmittal of the impeachment complaint by Villar, I had told him that contrary to what his wheeler-dealer Danilo Suarez, the Quezon congressman, had been assuring him, Villar and company would bolt. (When I write a book, I will detail the classic words of Danny Suarez each time he would report to the Palace.) Mga balimbing before, balimbing forever.
Now everybody and his mother knows that it was Joker Arroyo who coached Villar on that sleight-of-hand railroad of the complaint, over the hoarse floor objections of Didagen Dilangalen of Maguindanao. Even Mala-cañang’s shepherd for congressmen, the PLLO, didn’t realize what hit them when Joker got Villar to turn traitor to Erap.
Arroyo led the prosecution team when the Senate trial of Erap’s impeachment by the House of Representatives began in December. And after the telenovela that gripped the nation, climaxed by the refusal of Erap’s Eleven to open the second envelope, Joker Arroyo and Manuel Villar succeeded in being queenmaker to Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In the aftermath of Edsa Dos, both became senators of the realm; Joker believed by a gullible nation as “uubusin ang corrupt” and Villar as “Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga.” They became buddy-buddies since, forming a fine dining cabal called the Wednesday Group.
How did the man who would be speaker become the chief apostle of the Speaker by the grace of an Erap they both conspired against? How did the man who charged Villar with gross violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in 1998 now become the chief apostle and defender of the credo of “Sipag at Tiyaga”, even when indications point to “Singit at Taga”?
Someone who was close to Erap intimated to me and some friends the “real reason why Erap junked Joker and chose Manny for Speaker: “There were a hundred million reasons behind Erap’s support of Manny in 1998.” He qualified – “for the party”.
Now I will segue into speculative theory and ask you, my readers to think if this theory of mine is plausible: What impelled Manny Villar to play along with Joker’s desire to install Gloria as “queen”? Could it have been because, had Villar not been nimble-footed enough and abandoned Erap when all the signs showed that the conspiracy of an anti-Erap Cardinal Sin, big business and others would be inexorably successful, Joker Arroyo could have played sweet revenge on a Villar he himself had determined guilty of acts of corruption, and in sums so humongous that indirectly qualify as plunder? And assuming these could not be directly proven, what, pray ask, would have happened to a Villar whose real estate and banking fortunes had crumbled as a result of the 1997 Asian crisis that doubled his peso liabilities? If he had not jumped ship and become Joker Arroyo’s chief instrument in playing queenmaker to Gloria, could balimbing Manny have succeeded in re-structuring and rehabilitating his fortunes so quickly if he had not abandoned Erap and joined Gloria? Remember, Joker had the goods on him.
When the Hyatt Ten resigned in the wake of the terrible revelations of Hello Garci, where were Joker and his Manny? Did Manny and his Nacionalistas ask for the resignation of Gloria? Of course not. But nimble-footed, brinkman-ship expert Manny got his wife Cynthia, now congresswoman after him of the family fiefdom, to play “oppositionist” and vote against Gloria. Moro-moro or a woman’s conviction?
And yet, when re-election time was up in 2007, and the surveys were so dismal for Dona Gloria, what did Manny Villar do? He renewed his friendship with a so-forgiving Erap, and voila, he became an instant “oppositionist.” Still, minding the now-resuscitated business empire that a hostile Gloria could throw a monkey wrench into, Manuel Villar styled himself throughout the campaign as an “independent” along with Kiko Pangilinan. But while Kiko maintained his independence admirably throughout, Villar saw the forthcoming sweep of the so-called Genuine Opposition (a phrase that made me puke when they coined it), and rode the bandwagon at the tail-end, after spending hundreds of his fabled millions.
These days I wonder how otherwise intelligent people could refer to Manny Villar as “opposition”. He supported Joe de V as Lakas in 1998, then switched to Erap right after the latter’s victory, then dumped Erap because Joker must have reminded him of the many “bukols” he had exposed in that 1998 speech in the floor of the House. Then he ran successfully for senator together with his mentor-tormentor Joker under the flag of the Dona Gloria they had collaborated with to proclaim “Queen” at the expense of their “friend” King Erap in 2001. When Gloria’s fortunes soured in 2007, he allied himself once more with an Erap whose memory is as feeble as his forgiving nature, and metamorphosed as “opposition.”
The balimbing aka be-lim-bing, is an elongated fruit with five star-like sides, that is so tart, “mapakla” in Tagalog. Only traditional politicians of the Filipino variety love it, and consider it “sweet”, depending on the “juice” (read that as money) they could squeeze from its mushy pulp.
Now a gaggle of trapos, young and old, dream of making a certified balimbing “king” of the benighted isles. And Joker Arroyo, the man who made an administrative disaster out of a well-meaning President Cory’s first year in office, the man who was “out-bought” from the speakership of the House, and bamboozled the same Speaker into overthrowing Erap to install Doña Gloria queen of the land, hopes to play kingmaker in 2010 for his now beloved King Balimbing.
O tempora, o mores!
You are wondering why Ninez Olivarez is attacking Lacson? Ninez is for Erap. Between lacson and Ping, Erap is for Villar. Jinggoy is even nurturing illusions that he would Villar’s vice president. That’s why Erap supported Villar for senate president.
I never see the Estradas as the solution to the problem. Not one of them even understand the problem.
But Lacson do.
Thanks to Mr. Banayo, lumabas ang totoo.
This article confirms what many of us know deep in hearts…that Manny Villar is a number one balimbing.
Let this article be a warning to those pinoys who see Villar as their ‘redeemer’.
Ewan ko ba diyan kay Erap! If he really loves his country, he should stop being friendly with the Villars and better use his coconut.
Erap dumped Mayor Lim and according to him “daw” dahil sa alleged use of excessive force in the takeover of the Vitas slaughterhouse in Tondo at dahil na rin daw sa participation o pagbaliktad (disloyalty) sa kanya ni Mayor Lim last 2001. So, will he do the same with Villar? Very obvious naman this article showed na Villar is the key of his ouster at yun double insertation may mabigat na charge dahil pera ng tax payers ito o ng mga pilipino.
To Erap, patunayan mo ngayon “huwag niyo akong subukan, walang kaibigan, walang kamaganak…”.
25 September 2008
Bah!!!! I have no qualms about it, Villar has assumed the official title of the greatest Filipino political chameleon. How can he change the color of his skin??? I doubt it very much if it is really “SIPAG AT TIYAGA”??? like the leprechaun in red, he uses his own(???) money to get what he wants, the best political opportunist, better than the leprechaun in red. Imagine aftger getting the speakership, “IPINAGKANULO”!!! nya ang kanyang kaibigan na si presidente erap. This is what a political chameleon is all about, the fastest way to achieve your target, is to crucify your friend. As they say it, and in a matter of speaking, rather writing this slogan really is apt to villar “THERE IS NO PERMANENT ENEMIES AND FRIENDS IN POLITICS”, except to each his own, the best opportunists wins.
During fvr’s time he was with fvr, after pressing erap to choose him to be the speaker, what did he do??? he crucified president estrada, now he claims to be a true opposition, Yup, he is correct to say that, except he is a TRUE OPPOSITION TO ALL THOSE WHO COMES IN THE WAY OF HIS AMBITION, to become president. MORON!!!!
As Mr. lito Banayo, whom I met in Thailand, wrote in his article, its a really a shame on villar. I hope, if he still has conscience, he will resign, and calls on all elective and appointive to resign as well for the better of the Philippines, after all its’s the most honorable thing to do. After all that is said and done, its your move mr. senate president villar.
Kaya nga ba’t ang aking panawagan “SA IKA-UUNLAD NG PILIPINAS, KAMAY NA BAKAL ANG KAILANGAN – tungo sa matiwasay, maunlad at nagkakaisang mamayan ng Pilipinas.
maraming salamt po.
prans
Jojo, huwag ka masyadong magpapaniwala kay Erap. Away ng magnanakaw ang nangyari sa kanila ni Lim.
I think Bitchevil told us the real reason behind the quarrel of Estrada and Lim. It’s over a garbage contract. It’s a stinking affair.
Joker Arroyo said because of a divided opposition, administration candidate will win in 2010. That means, Villar.
Joker works for Villar now and has dumped Kabayad, his fellow in the Wednesday club. Also, Villar is ‘inserting’ himself into Kabayad’s OFW business. Hala, mag-away na kayong dalawa sa boto ng OFWs.
Re: Improvement of C-5 road going to Villar’s land and Villarde
Senate President Manny Villar is the grandfather of all balimbings. He is the king of deal or no deal Philippine politics. Corrupt traditional politicians are obsessed with self- aggrandizement. Political power means to protect their personal interest and other interest groups. Manny Singit at Taga and Villarde are in real estate business. Tama si Sen. Ping Lacson lahing asong mongrel sila Villar, Cayetano, Estrada at Escudero. Alanganin at hindi puedeng pagkatiwalaan.
Gabriela, the garbage fight was only part of it. Erap has lost his patience with Lim. A divided opposition won’t necessarily mean a Villar victory in 2010. We still don’t know who the other candidates are. This early, we know that Lacson, Legarda and Roxas would not support Villar even if they all decide not to run. I don’t think Erap has given his blessing to Villar yet. It’s Villar who keeps going to see Erap.
bitchevil,
na intriga ako sa garbage fight na yan do you have link na puwede kung mabasa? I supported erap and edong during their campaign ako na yata sa village namin may malaking streamer although at that time I am supporting the admin mayor of our town. Medyo di ko nagustuhan ang sinabi ni Biazon na mga istorbo daw si Lacson at Madrigal. I don’t see any problem with what they are doing…part na kasi ng trabaho nila yan. Buti nga at nakikita natin silang nagsasalita eh yun isang senador (LL) binabayaran natin pero tahimik lang lagi sa sulok kaya nga walang nag i-interview media diyan. dalawang oras lang naman nawala sa debate so may natitirang pang six hours. Well, ilan oras ba dapat magtrabaho ang senators?
Here’s BE’s info on Erap-Lim feud. It’s posted under “Fiesta ng Katotohanan”
There are more info on Erap-Lim feud in that thread.
Ping Lacson for President, start na natin ito….
Ping Lacson for President, start na natin ito….
Ping Lacson is a true genuine opposition. who will be his vp?
Mam Ellen, thanks for the info (lim & erap feud)
B/Gen. Danilo Lim for VP!
Lito Banayo’s narration of events revealed another of the several sides of balimbing Villar. He has no character; a traitor; his face is as thick as brick and no feeling of guilt and shame. Sa madaling sabi, manhid siya at hindi tinatalaban ng kahihiyaan.
Once you back-stabbed somebody and considering what was at stake on the victim, you don’t even have to think about going back to your victim for favors or ask his friendship again. Human nature dictates that it’s not only shameful, out of propriety, disrespectful but adding insult to injury. Not in the case of Manny Villar. There’s nothing in this world that he will not do to serve best his personal and business interests and nothing else. It’s narcissism.
Villar has no shame, very much like his president Gloria.
All the names mentioned in the article except for Lacson’s are no longer worthy to be in the list of the kingmakers’, the people, lists hence. This time no one will go wrong. Simply choose Lacson! He is not even the least evil, he is not evil.
Nakakasuka is what this backstabbing ala-Villar-Joker is all about. I feel sorry for Erap that he has never found real loyal friends among his colleagues in Philippine politics majority of whom are kurakots.
Ako nga, talagang mabigat ang dugo ko kay Villar for some reason. Papaano nakakabili iyan ngayon ng mga properties na kung tutuusin di naman niya kayang bilhin sa sueldo niya bilang Senator kundi nangungurakot? Tignan mo nga si Ka Bel na hindi nagpayaman pero isa sa mga masisipag noon na kumakayod para sa mga taong pinangangatawan niya sa Kongreso. Siya lang naman yata ang tunay na tunay!
Ako din ayoko ng balimbing.
Hindi ba si Villar iyong tumayo pa sa lamesa. I remember the guy when Erap came to Japan in 1999. Sipsip na sipsip kay Erap at siya talaga ang binibigyan ni Erap ng attention, pero even then, ang bigat ng dugo ko. Tinitignan ko lang ang mga kasama ni Erap noon, nangingilabot na ako. Kaya nang tumayo si Villar sa lamesa nang akusahan nila si Erap, hindi ko malaman kung si Erap mismo din sisisihin ko sa nangyari sa kaniya o hindi. Napaligiran siya ng ulupong hindi pa siya kasi nag-ingat. Mahirap talaga ang palagi lang nakikibagay at nakikisakay.
Sana nagtanda na siya. At kung ako sa kaniya, puede ba huwag na siyang sumama doon sa labanan ng mga unggoy sa 2010 kung meron pa ngang eleksyon kung wala din lang mangyayaring mabago ang Pilipinas. Golly, hindi mo maipagmalaki ang bansang sinilangan!
off topic everyone 🙂
news item re dureza na naospital sa NY. hehehhe. bakit kaya? at bakit siya lang? hindi na inuna si pandak!
I so love this caricature: http://images.inquirer.net/media/opinion/inquireropinion/editorial/images/pic-09260223510643.jpg
myrna,
Severe stomach pain daw. Kakakain ng libre galing sa pinagnakawan sa pondo ng bayan.
Pati gastos sa ospital ni Dureza at pera pa rin ng pinoy. Hayup talaga si Gloria at ang tropang manggagantso niya!
Dureza just ate too much and complained about stomach ache. What a shit ! He just wanted a day’s rest in a foreign luxurious hospital assisted by lovely foreign nurses.
What do US Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and RP US Senate President Manny Villar have in common? Palin has “The Bridge to Nowhere” while Villar has “The Road to Nowhere”.
Baka nakarma si Duraza. Pera kasi ng taumbayan ang kanilang winaldas. Bakit hindi ba lovely ang Pinay nurses sa New York?
Diego, Dureza prefers non-Filipina nurses.
Sorry guys, but I still have my doubts about Lacson. One reason is that he didn’t continue with his expose’ on the Pidal 2 issue which he was harping about a few months ago. He should tell all what he knows about Pidal 2 even if GMA goons stopped trying to investigate his alleged hidden wealth. Until he speaks out and tells all, I will remain doubtful of him.
As for Villar, someone told me that he is the one who started (nagpauso) the giving of envelopes (with money in it of course) to congressmen during his short stint as Speaker of the house whenever he wants a bill to pe passed? It was his idea/ style and later on picked up by GMA who made it more daring by putting the padulas in paper bags? Won’t vote for this creep.
Very few good men reamins in government. Unfortunately, both are in jail. I hope that Sen. Trillanes and Gen. Danny Lim will remain strong and not give up despite their being incarcerated.
Myrna: News item re dureza na naospital sa NY.
*****
Baka nagsasakit-sakitan lang iyan, Myrna. Nakakaramdam na sigurong galit na ang mga pilipino kay Gloria. At gusto na ng ungas na mag-seek ng asylum sa Tate.
Lahat ng dyaryong pinoy sa Tate sa totoo lang puro anti-Gloria na. Punung-puno ng mga balita tungkol sa kabulastugan ni punggok. Mga columns din puro critical na sa administration niya. Yehey!
Not Philippine News. PN is always pro-GMA. For instance, one columnist named Rodel Rodis used to praise and defend Gloria; but now doesn’t even mention her name in his column. This Rodis was also that Pelaez’s attorney who sued Lacson and then later withdrew.
Re: Manny Villar’s Sipag at Tiyaga senate’s campaign slogan
In 2010 presidential election: Ako ang nag-saing, si Manny Villar ang kumain dahil sa singit at taga. Vote Vilar for president!
Ako refers to taxpayers, singit at taga refers to conflict of interest. Politicos have no delicadeza.
Ang importante sana magkaisa ang oposisyon.
Lahat naman ng nangangarap na kumuha ng endorsement ni Erap na mga ‘presidentiables’ karamihan ay tinraydor or iniwan siya. Si Villar, siya ang pumukpok at nag fastbreak ng impeachment proceedings, si Loren, paiyak-iyak pa noong impeachment trial, si Mar Roxas, iniwan din si Erap, si Lacson, di sumunod noong 2004.
Dapat kay Erap huwag na magtiwala sa mga ito dahil pare-parehong naghudas sa kanya ang mga ito!
With regards to the Erap-Lim feud, I don’t think it was because of the garbage contract. From what I know, may mga maliit na pakiusap si Erap like to get his people jobs because they helped during Lim’s campaign in Manila. Pero nang maupo ito si Lim, kahit isa sa mga tao ni Erap na tumulong sa kanya ay di man lang ipinasok sa trabaho. Mukhang naipon ang mga sama ng loob ni Erap kay Dirty Harry. Walang utang na loob ang sabi ng isang malapit sa kanila.
As I indidated Andres, the garbage issue was only part of it.
What you mentioned was right. The last straw was when Lim asked a common friend to deliver P3M to Erap which offended Erap. Erap angrily returned it.
Andres, if Erap would not trust any of those in the opposition; then there’s no choice but for him to run. For sure, he cannot support a candidate from the administration. What Erap should do is to clear it with the Supreme Court if he’s eligible.