May kasabihan tayo na, “Sabihin mo sa akin kung sino mga kaibigan ko, at sasabihin ko kung sino ka.”
At sa English may popular na kasabihan, “Birds of the same feather, flock together.”
Oo nga naman, hindi ka naman magti-tiyaga makipag-dikitan sa isang taong hindi mo type ang pag-uugali. Ikaw ba, gusto mo makipag-ibigan sa magnanakaw, sinungaling at mandaraya?
The Legacy beneficiaries -From left, Martinez, Zialcita, Nograles
After last Monday’s Senate hearing on the Legacy group of companies debacle which saw millions of pesos of hard-earned savings by thousands of not-so-rich investors vanish into a few people’s pockets, House Speaker Prospero Nograles was asked by reporters if Parañaque Representative Eduardo Zialcita (1st district) would have to face the Ethics Committee.
Nograles replied, “Why ethics? Who is the complainant, who is complaining against him?”
For Nograles to ask “Why ethics” reveals the depth of moral degradation among government officials.
Kung hindi garapal, tanga.
Ito ang impresyon na nakukuha ko ng mga opisyal ng pamahalaan habang pinapanood ko ang hearing tungkol sa Legacy firms ng Senate Committee on Trade and Commerce sa pamumuno ni Sen. Mar Roxas.
Dahil sa recess na, tatlong senador lang ang dumalo ngunit maayos ang hearing. Kasama ni Roxas sa pagtatanong sina Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile at Sen. Rodolfo Biazon.
Maliban kay Celso de los Angeles, may-ari ng Legacy Plans, na hanggang ngayon ay hindi uma-amin sa kanyang kasalanan at nagpupumilit na inosente siya, ang isang natalupan ay si Commissioner Jesus Enrique Martinez ng Secuties and Exchange Commission na siyang dapat magbantay ng mga insurance at pre-need companies na nagtitinda ng mga educational plans.
When a friend, Marlyn Divinagracia, 32-year old wife of detained Scout Ranger Capt. Ervin Divinagracia, was diagnosed to have leukemina Nov. 7 last year, we told her not to lose hope and cited rapper Francis Magalona.
“Look at Francis Magalona. He has leukemia and he has survived it,” we told her. It was announced in August 2008 that Francis had leukemia.
Marlyn’s battle with leukemia was swift. One week after, we bade goodbye to her.
Francis also bade goodbye last Friday. But in his seven-month battle with leukemia, he showed how to turn the prospect of death into a celebration of life. In his blog (http://francismagalona.multiply.com), the Jan. 9, 2009 entry was about the visit of artist-magician Jeffrey Tam while he was in a recording session with “Ely B” at Tracks studio in Pasig.
This is one of the three photos in Francis M’s last blog entry dated Jan. 14, 2009 as he was preparing for his fourth chemo.
by Bibeth Orteza
Thursday night, March 5, I had a meeting with Malou Choa-Fagar, Executive
Producer of Eat Bulaga. The meeting stretched all the way to 4:30 a.m.,
Malou had been informed by Tita Rose (Rosa Rosal) that it was a matter of
time, for Kiko. My friend of many years back was sad, terribly sad, for
Francis called her ³Mama,² and was really close to her. The next day, March
6, at a lunch meeting with Gabriela party-list Rep. Liza Maza, I got a text
from Malou: ³Francis passed this noon.² I was stunned.
March is usually when I work on The ³Eat Bulaga² Holy Week drama episodes as
writer and director. For this year, before we found out we weren¹t going to
do any, Kiko through his wife Pia agreed to the plot I outlined on the
phone. He was to play himself, he was willing to lend us videos and photos
of his treatment, do his voice-over narration, with scenes of his treatment
to intercut with fictional stories about other people who want to give up
because jobless, because spurned by a lover, because unable to deal with an
in-law, etc., with the message ³Yo, I ain¹t giving up, so don¹t.² The
project sadly didn¹t push through.
Computerized na ang eleksyon sa 2010.
Handang-handa na raw ang Commission on Election na magiging computerized ang eleksyon sa buong bansa sa 2010 pagkatapos naipasa ng House of Representatives at ng Senado noong Huwebes ang P11.3 milyon na supplemental budget pambili ng mga kagamitan para dito.
Sabi ni Comelec Chair Jose Melo, sa computerized na eleksyon, malalaman raw and resulta sa loob ng dalawang araw. Galing!
Sa computerized na eleksyon, sa halip na susulatin ng botante ang pangalan ng mga kandidato, i-itimin lang ang espasyo na nakatala sa pangalan ng kandidato. Ipasok sa optical machine reader na siyang magbibilang ng boto.
by Atty. Ernesto B. Francisco, Jr.
At first glance, the proposed right of reply legislation seems to be a valid proposition since it offers a fair chance to the public to reply to published or aired accusations or criticisms. However, a closer examination will show that far from bestowing the public with a right, the end result of this proposed legislation may be to protect public officials from valid accusations and criticisms coming from the public. But public officials are public figures who “have lost, to some extent at least, their right to privacy” and who should not be too “thin-skinned with reference to comment to (their) official acts.” Moreover, this proposed legislation, far from serving its avowed ends, may also be creating a boon to corruption.
Senate Bill 2150 is entitled “An Act Granting the Right of Reply and Providing Penalties for Violation Thereof” and is authored by Senators Aquilino Pimentel, Jr., Ramon Revilla, Jr., and Francis Escudero. It requires the free publication or airing of a reply to any accusation of a crime or offense or criticism that is published or aired.
Let’s pray for the two officials of Legacy Group of companies who have come out, despite threats to their lives, bringing with them documents that would prove the crime of Celso de los Angeles against the thousands of investors of the company.
Carol Hiñola, Legacy’s senior vice president and Namnama Santos, the chief finance officer, sought the help of Philip Piccio of the Parents Enabling Parents (PEP) Coalition that is helping victims of pre-need companies who have failed to meet their obligations to their members.
Piccio described the documents that Hiñola and Santos have as “smoking submachinegun.”
by Lynda Jumilla, ABS-CBN News
The Senate has begun exploring ways to allow detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to participate in the chamber’s proceedings through video conferencing.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, chairman of the Committee on Accounts, witnessed a demonstration by Filipino-owned American Technologies Inc. of its video conferencing technology.
During the demo, Lacson was able to have real-time discussions with another party in a remote location.
“Allowing him to participate is a foregone conclusion that has already been decided in the Committee of Rules,” Lacson said.
Nakakabahala ang hayagang pagdepensa ni MikeArroyo, asawa ni Gloria Arroyo, kay Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez na nahaharap ngayon sa isang impeachment complaint na isinampa sa House of Representatives ng mga dating opisyal ng pamahalaan sa pangunguna ni dating Senate President Jovito Salonga.
Parang instruksyon yun sa mga congressman na depensahansi Gutierrez.Pampalakas loob din kay Gutierrez. “Ang mensahe ay, huwag ka mag-alala. Prutektado ka namin.”
Hindi na tinatago ng Malacañang na kaalyado nila ang Ombudsman. Na hindi dapat ganun. Ang Ombudsman ay para ma-check sa mga katiwalian na nangyayari sa pamahalaan. Independent siya dapat.
Sa ginawang pagdepensa ng hayagan ni Mike, buking na buking na hawak nila si Gutierrez. Anong klaseng Ombudsman siya?