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.
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.”
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?
by Luz Rimban VERA Files Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez may have filed more cases than her predecessor, Simeon Marcelo, but she has focused on the small…
Please see official statement of World Bank on the meeting with senators below.
by JP Lopez
Malaya
The World Bank had named presidential spouse Jose Miguel Arroyo as a participant in the rigging of biddings for WB-funded road projects and this information was relayed to the Ombudsman 15 months ago.
This surfaced after a briefing yesterday by WB officials of senators on an investigation in 2006, which found that a “cartel” of local and foreign contractors, assisted by public works officials and two “public figures,” had been colluding in bidding for contracts.
The “public figures” were Mr. Arroyo and the late Sen. Robert Barbers.
Dapat siguro palitan na ang liderato sa Senado.Mukha ngang naisahan ng Malacañang sina Senador Ping Lacson, Mar Roxas, Jamby Madrigal nang tinanggal nila si Senate President Manny Villar at ipinalit si Senador Juan Ponce Enrile.
Para kasi makuha ang suporta ng mga kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo sa pagtanggal kay Villar, pumayag sina Lacson na ibigay ang mga mahalagang committee sa mga kaalyado ni Arroyo. At nakikisama sila sa kanila.
Akala kasi nina Lacson na dahil itong sina Enrile at Santiago ay makasarili, kapag mabaho na si Arroyo, bibitawan nila. Hindi nila naiisip na kaya ni Arroyo magbigay ng hindi kayang ibigay ng iba para sa mga katulad nina Enrile at Santiago.
At a forum sponsored by the Catholic Media Network and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines at Ilustrado yesterday Bertie Lim, executive director of the Makati Business Club and Vince Lazatin of the Transparency and Accountability Network expressed concern that despite the damning revelations in the World Bank report, corruption in the Arroyo government is not expected to diminish.
Lim said the public should be vigilant over how the Arroyo government spends the P330 billion stimulus package to alleviate the effects of the global financial crisis on Filipinos.
Lim took note that elections are 15 months away and politicians are known to be brazen in their fund raising for that exercise. In fact, in the investigation that World Bank conducted on the road projects that it was financing, a portion of the report stated, “The winner paid off politicians for election campaign funds.”
Sa hearing kahapon tungkol sa pagbagsak ng mga Legacy banks na pag-aari ni Celso de los Angeles na malapit kay Vice President Noli de Castro at House Speaker Prospero Nograles, inalam ni Rep. Rufus Rodriguez kung sino ang mga judges na nag-isyu ng temporary restraining order sa Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas sa kanilang imbestigasyon.
Pinangalanan si Lina Valenzuela ng Manila Regional Trial Court. Ganun din ang tatlong Court of Appeals justices na nagpatibay ng desisyon ni Valenzuela. Sila ay sina Justice Apolinario Bruselas, Jr., Bienvenido Reyes at Mariflor Punzalan Castillo.
Dahil sa kanilang TRO sa imbestigasyon ng BSP na ipinalabas noong Mayo 2008 at napabale wala lamang nang labas rin ng TRO sa kanilang TRO ang Supreme Court noong Nobiembre 2008, nakaloko pa ang mga bangko sa ilalim ng Legacy ng libo-libong depositors at nakakuha ng halagang P1.3 bilyon.