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Author: Ellen

Ambassador Bobi Tiglao

Published by Ellen on October 28, 2005

Rigoberto Tiglao, head of the Presidential Management Staff and one of Gloria Arroyo’s trusted advisers, will be appointed ambassador to Greece.

Tiglao’s nomination was supposed to have been signed yesterday, a highly reliable source said. It will be submitted for confirmation to the Commission on Appointments, which is expected to be convened when Congress resumes session on Nov. 7.

The Department of Foreign Affairs next week will ask Greece for its agreement to the nomination of Tiglao, who will replace Lourdes Morales, who will be sent to Cambodia.

Tiglao’s foreign assignment has surprised even some members of Arroyo’s inner circle and has led to speculations on why he has opted to be away at a time when Arroyo’s hold on the presidency is precarious.

The political opposition is stepping up efforts for the ouster of Arroyo, who has been accused of cheating in the 2004 elections. The court martial of Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan for testifying before the Senate on the use of military personnel to cheat in favor of Arroyo in the 2004 elections has sharpened the restiveness among young military officers who refuse to be used to protect a discredited president.

One source said Tiglao is “running away.” Another source said the ambassadorial post is Arroyo’s reward for Tiglao who had been loyal to her throughout the crisis. In the aftermath of the Hyatt 10’s resignation, Tiglao, together with Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Environment Secretary Mike Defensor, took the offensive against their former colleagues, accusing them of betrayal of trust.

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Nocturnal President

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2005

First published in PCIJ’s “I” Magazine in 1999

by Ellen Tordesillas
Pres. Estrada’s late-night buddies influence decision-making in the Palace.

EstradaTHE MEETINGS take place at night and last until dawn. There, views are traded, strategies prepared, and deals struck. By the time the men at the table stand up and stagger out the door, much has been accomplished that may affect the way things are done in this country. President Joseph Estrada, of course, presides over these meetings. But more often than not, those gathered around him during these caucuses are far from being Cabinet secretaries. Rather, they are his personal friends, some of them buddies of long-standing, such as Ilocos Sur Rep. Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson and Caloocan congressman Luis ‘Baby’ Asistio, with whom, it is said, the president shares a fondness for the pleasures of the good life—gambling, alcohol and women included. Singson and Asistio, say Malacañang insiders, are among the president’s most constant late-night companions.

There are other persistent hangers-on, wheeler-dealers like online bingo operator Dante Tan whose BW Resources Corp. has been accused of insider trading and manipulation of the stock market. Certainly, it would seem that ethnic Chinese businessmen are keenly aware that with Estrada, out of sight is out of mind, and are among those that a Palace insider says are fond of “slipping in when dark sets in.”

Ramon Lee, a close associate of Dante Tan and an Estrada election contributor, drops in occasionally, say Malacañang sources. So does Lucio Co, the goateed owner of PureGold duty free stores who was recently accused of being a big-time smuggler. Another fixture of the late-night teté-a-tetés is Jaime Dichavez, a fiberglass manufacturer and real estate developer who was recently involved in the corporate coup at Belle Corporation, operator of the controversial jai-alai games. Dichavez, who has no official post except as head of the Malacañang golf club, is another of the President’s most trusted businessmen-friends.

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