Category: Graft and corruption

This sordid PhilHealth mess

Published by Ellen on August 28, 2020

Former PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr., Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and former PhilHealth Chief Ricardo Morales.

The PhilHealth mess is still unfolding and it seems that we have not seen the worst of it.

Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III announced that President Duterte accepted the resignation of PhilHealth chief Ricardo Morales.

News reports also said PhilHealth Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs Rodolfo Del Rosario Jr. who was among those suspended for six months without pay, also resigned last Monday.

In announcing Duterte’s acceptance of Morales’ resignation, both Roque and Duque cited the PhilHealth chief’s ill health and nothing about the massive corruption in the agency that has been the subject of a Senate investigation.

Enjoy the games, don’t forget issues that matter

Published by Ellen on December 1, 2019

Tribute to the Filipino people. Opening ceremonies. from SEAG2019 Facebook page.

I enjoyed watching the opening ceremonies of the 30th Southeast Asian Games. Salute to director Floy Quintos. Just enough dazzle to showcase the beauty of Philippine culture.

I liked the use of the iconic song, “Manila, Manila” by the 70’s band, Hotdog, as the athletes entered the arena. It set a happy and bouncy mood for the event.

Presidential daughter Sara Duterte Carpio exposed her parochial mind when she complained through her Instagram account, “Di po ba Philippine flag ang dala? Why would you play the song Manila? Did Lapu-Lapu die for Manila? Wag po natin gawing excuse ang upbeat danceable song. Kami nag-imbento ng budots. Kaloko man oi.'”

Dennis Garcia, the other half of the brothers who formed the band, explained in his Facebook post, “
Rene & I created ‘Manila’, not thinking of ourselves as Tagalogs, Bisayans or Ilokanos but as Filipinos missing the Philippines.”

Advice to Panelo: Read before you speak

Published by Ellen on August 20, 2019

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo. Malacañang photo.

Had Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo read my column last Monday on President Duterte receiving cash gifts in millions of pesos on the 69th birthday, he should not have denied what the President has admitted a long time ago.

In his press briefing Aug. 19, ABS-CBN’s Pia Gutierrez asked for his comment on my column titled “Duterte gets gifts in multi-million pesos.”

I wrote that “On his 69th birthday, on March 28, 2014, seven deposits totalling P193,705,615.88 were credited to the joint account of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his daughter Sara Z. Duterte in BPI, Julia Vargas branch in Ortigas Center. The first was in the amount of P55,131,747.32, followed by P41,721,035.62. Then four deposits in the amount of P20,000,000.00 each came in. The last deposit for the day was in the amount of P16,852,832.94.”

Duterte gets gifts in multi-million pesos

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2019

When President Duterte told members of the police force that it’s okay to accept gifts, he was just preaching what he has been doing. And his harvest has been bountiful, by his own account.

On his 69th birthday, on March 28, 2014, seven deposits totaling P193,705,615.88 were credited to the joint account of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his daughter Sara Z. Duterte in BPI, Julia Vargas branch in Ortigas Center. The first was in the amount of P55,131,747.32, followed by P41,721,035.62. Then four deposits in the amount of P20,000,000.00 each came in. The last deposit for the day was in the amount of P16,852,832.94.

VERA Files obtained the bank records from the Senate Record where former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV submitted the documents. These are the same documents that were submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman when Trillanes filed a plunder case against Duterte.

Battle of Narco lists

Published by Ellen on April 5, 2019

This is a classic case of Duterte getting a dose of his own medicine.

Two weeks after he released the initial list local officials allegedly involved in drug trafficking, two videos implicating the President’s son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and now candidate for Representative of Davao City’s first district, were uploaded on You Tube and Facebook account of “Metro Balita”, which lists itself as “media/news company.”

Titled “Ang Totoong Narcolist” , Episode 1 is 6 minutes and 50 seconds long. Episode 2 is three minutes and 30 seconds.

The videos look professionally done. So is the annotation.

Duterte echoes Imee Marcos’ line

Published by Ellen on March 3, 2019

Pres. Duterte and senatorial candidate Imee Marcos. Malacañang photo by Toto Lozano.

In front of an impressionable audience, Pres. Duterte usually gets carried away with his story-telling and says things that are false and vulgar.

Spewing out false claims has become a standard practice for Duterte. I think it has come to a point when he believes his own lies.

That is dangerous because he is president and many of his statements are basis of government policies. The most glaring example is his figures on the number of drug addicts in the country, which is his justification for his brutal anti-drug war which has killed more than 27,000. At the start of his presidency, he said there are three million drug addicts in the country. Then it became four million. Yet, the Dangerous Drug Board reported in 2016 only 1.8 million drug addicts in the country.

GMA’s HR2467: making SALN unusable as anti-corruption tool

Published by Ellen on February 5, 2019

House Speaker Gloria Arroyo at work. Screengrab from House video.

Last week, The House of Representatives adopted a Resolution that would make it extremely difficult to get a copy of the members’ Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

House Resolution No. 2467, authored by 10 members of the House led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo set requirements that makes the use of SALN as an anti-corruption almost impossible.

The motive of the of the authors is obvious: they don’t want the public to know increase in their wealth while in public office.

Sandiganbayan conviction of Imelda debunks Marcoses’ fake news

Published by Ellen on November 11, 2018

Pres. Duterte and Imelda Marcos SONA juy 25 2016. Malacanang photo by King Rodriguez

It’s doubtful that the fabulous Imelda Marcos would ever set foot in jail after the conviction by the Sandiganbayan on seven counts of graft with a prison sentence totaling 77 years (six years and 1 month to 11 years for each case).

But the decision last Nov. 9 by Associate Justice Maryann E. Corpuz-Manalac and concurred in by chairperson of the graft court’s fifth division, Rafael R. Lagos and Associate Justice Maria Theresa V. Mendoza-Arcega is enough to reverse the declining faith of many in the country’s justice system.

Actually, this is the second boost in less than a month. Last Oct. 22, Presiding Judge Andres B. Soriano of Branch 148 of the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Region refused to succumb to the pressures of those in power to nullify the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in 2011.

In July, Calida sought a businessman’s help with Trillanes

Published by Ellen on October 5, 2018

Solicitor General Jose Calida had sought the help of a prominent businessman to talk with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to go easy on him in the investigation of the multi-million contracts that his family-owned security agency got with the government, a violation of Republic Act 6173, the code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees.

This was in July this year, a few weeks after six opposition senators filed a resolution for the investigation of the government contracts obtained by Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency, Inc. where Calida sits as president.
Calida, a source said, wanted Trillanes “to do a Gordon.” Those who have watched Gordon, chair of the Blue Ribbon committee, treat resource persons close to President Duterte during hearings understand Calida’s request.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes vs Solicitor General Jose Calida

Duterte wants a successor to protect him once out of Malacañang

Published by Ellen on August 16, 2018

Then President-elect Rody Duterte met with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., who lost in the vice-presidential race, in Davao City June 11, 2016.. Photo by Kiwi Bulaclac of Davao City Mayor’s Office.

It’s easy to believe that President Duterte is tired and weary.He is 73 years old and not the healthiest person on earth. The two years as chief executive of the country showed that he does not have what it takes to be a national leader.

But he will not resign. For the simple reason that he has to make sure that he doesn’t end up in jail for all the crimes that he would be charged with once he is out of power.

That’s why he wants to make sure that his successor is someone who will protect him. And that’s former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos or Sen. Francis Escudero for him.