The World Bank has in its possession documents of bribe payments to politicians in connection with public works projects it is funding in the Philippines.…
Making life worth living.
ellen tordesillas Posts
By Yvonne T. Chua VERA Files THE World Bank has identified at least a dozen stages in the country’s road projects, from procurement to payment,…
Update: Rep. Roilo Golez raises questions on “independent” panel investigating Alabang Boys bribery case.
Please see under comments section.
I got a letter from a province mate, Restituto Tapacal, about the gang-rape and murder of a high school student which he said, “sent chills and shock to the peace loving people of Antique.”
Tapacal said the victim, a daughter of a prominent family in Antique was riding on a motorcycle with her boyfriend along the road in barangay Dalila early evening when a group of men hit them with a wooden club. “The boyfriend lost consciousness and the men grabbed the girl and brought her to ‘kampo”, an area adjacent to the police headquarters. The men took turns in raping her.”
While they were doing their evil acts, the girl’s cellphone rang. It was the girl’s mother asking where she was. One of the rapists even mocked the mother, telling her of what they were doing to her daughter, Tapacal related.
Related reports from Inquirer:
Update, Feb. 9,2009: Mike need not show up – Miriam
Senate won’t summon Mike Arroyo
Sa asal nina Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile at Sen. Miriam Santiago sa report ng World Bank tungkol sa kurakutan sa public works, napa-isip ako kung nakakabuti nga ba sa taumbayan ang pagtanggal kay Sen. Manny Villar bilang senate president na siyang nagbigay daan para ang mga senador na kaalyado ni Gloria Arroyo ngayon ang may kontrol ng pagpatakbo ng Senado.
Katulad nitong si Santiago, chairperson ng committee on economics na siyang nag-iimbistiga ng kurakutan sa DPWH base sa report ng World Bank na nag blacklist ng ilang construction company kabilang na ang E.C. Luna Corp, China Road and Bridge Corp ; China State Construction Corp, China Wu Yi Corp ; China Geo-Engineering Corp, Cavite Ideal International Construction and Development Corp. at CM Pancho Construction Inc. Halatang-halata naman na gustong protektahan ni Santiago ang mag-asawang Arroyo.
Kunwari nanggalaiti siya kina Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane at kay Eduardo de Luna, ang may-ari ng isang construction company na blacklisted ng World Bank. Ngunit nang binasa ni Senador Ping Lacson kay de Luna ang mga miting niya kay Mike Arroyo, hindi siya masyadong intresado. Half-day lang ang ginawa niyang hearing. Bitin tuloy.
When Gloria Arroyo last week ordered Lakas and Kampi, her political parties to merge, her minions quickly added that charter change is dead in the water.
They tried to give the public the impression that they are preparing for the 2010 elections.
Beware! It’s all part of the genius of Gloria Arroyo in putting one over the Filipino people. She has gotten away with it several time since 2001; she has no reason to stop doing it this time.
Related story:
WB report says Mike Arroyo got 5% commission: Lacson
Bistadong-bistado na si Mike Arroyo, ang asawa ni Gloria Arroyo, sa kanyang ginawang pangungumisyon sa mga proyekto ng gobyerno.
Sa imbestigasyon na isinagawa ng Integrity Vice Presidency ng World Bank, lumabas na si Mike Arroyo talaga ang promotor ng kurakutan sa Department of Public Works and Highways. Kaya lalong tumibay ang mga isinawalat nina Jun Lozada at Joey de Venecia tungkol sa papel ni Mike Arroyo sa mga tongpats sa NBN/ZTE deal.
Itong World Bank report kasi ay tungkol lamang sa mga proyekto na kanilang ginastusan. Nagpa-utang sila ng pera at napag-alaman nga nila na kornered ng mga kontraktor na alaga ni Mike Arroyo ang mga kontrata. Siyempre malaki ang kumisyon niya kapalit ng pagkuha mo ng kontrata.
Photos taken after the mass last Thursday at La Salle Greenhills:
1. Jun with wife Violet and son
2. With supporters, Juana change and Dante Madriaga
3. Jun with sisters Oye, Carmen and friend Pong Querubin
by VERA Files
One year after he survived abduction by a team led by an officer of the Philippine National Police, the tables are turned on Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, one of the star witnesses in the aborted $329.5 million national broadband project with the Chinese firm, ZTE Corp.
Lozada is in danger of going to jail for the charges of perjury and graft filed against him by persons involved in his Feb. 5, 2008 abduction upon his arrival from Hongkong after he tried avoiding to testify before the Senate investigation on the reported overpriced telecommunication project.
He is embroiled in a theft case filed by a woman he swore he never met in his whole life.
Tomorrow, friends and supporters of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, one of the star witnesses in the $329.5 million aborted telecommunications deal with China’s ZTE Corp, will trace his harrowing experience with the minions of Gloria Arroyo on Feb. 5, 2008.
There will be a mass at the La Salle Greenhills chapel at 7 p.m.
I sent Lozada questions on his thoughts today and here are his answers:
Q:One year after, you are still living under the protective custody of La Salle brothers and the nuns. Do you regret exposing the NBN/ZTE anomaly? If you can turn back the clock, would you do the same?
Lozada: One year after of exile in our own country under the protective custody of the Christian Brothers of La Salle and the AMRSP, I am still convinced that I did the right thing of exposing to the Filipino people the magnitude and the involvement of GMA, FG and their minions in the large scale corruption that is plundering our nation into poverty.
Update on the hearing this afternoon. Judge Zenaida Laguilles was absent. “Emergency,” the staff said.
Mike Arroyo and his lawyer, Ruy Rondain, were also absent.
We were just curious why Arroyo and Rondain knew that the judge would be absent due to “emergency” while Atty Roque was not informed about it.
Related report on Mike Arroyo:
Mike Arroyo is expected to be at the Makati RTC, branch 143, tomorrow, Feb. 4 at 2 pm in connection with the class suit filed by journalists he had sued for libel.
More on this in the comments section.
by Aries Rufo
Newsbreak/ABS-CBN.com
It was a rude baptism of fire for the Japanese contractor. Right before him, “(They) first discussed bribes. They had a rough approach.” From that meeting, it was impressed on him that “(bribe) money was important to do business in the Philippines.”
This was how the Japanese contractor described his meeting with First Gentleman Miguel “Mike” Arroyo and a former senator to World Bank investigators who looked into alleged collusion and rigging in the Bank’s funded road projects.
Sabi ni Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita welcome na welcome daw ang sino na mag- file ng class suit sa kanila tungkol sa kanilang plano na gagamitin ang P12.5 bilyon na pera ng Social Security System sa P100 bilyon na economic stimulus ng pamahalaan ni Gloria Arroyo.
Ang tapang talaga ng apog nitong mga bata ni Gloria Arroyo. Paano kasi mana sa amo.
Marami kasi ang uma-alma, kasama na si Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, sa plano ni Arroyo na gamitin ang pera ng SSS para pangsalba sa problema ni Arroyo sa ekonomiya dahil and pera ng SSS ay hindi pera ng gobierno. Private funds yan. Pera ng nagta-trabaho sa pribadong kumpanya.