Inconsistencies

In the continuing saga of the ZTE-NBN broadband case, more inconsistencies are emerging. However, they’re not coming from star Senate witness Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, as the administration and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Ben Abalos would have us believe. The inconsistencies are coming from the President herself.

On a radio show a few days ago, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo admitted that there were flaws in the ZTE-NBN deal that were discovered a day before the signing. If this was so, then:

· Why did she sign the deal if it was flawed?

· Why did it take her five months to cancel the deal?

· Why did she give the reason then as “political noise” and not the flaws in the deal?

· Why did her underlings, notably Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, testify before the Senate that the deal was above board?

These inconsistencies have yet to be adequately addressed by the government, which is moving heaven and earth to discredit and intimidate those who revealed some of the flaws, and are callhing for the President’s ouster. The only answer I’ve heard so far is that the deal was signed because the flaws were only discovered a day before, and weren’t proven then. But, since there was suspicion of flaws in the broadband deal, shouldn’t the government have thought twice about signing the deal? So what if the other side of the deal was China? Shouldn’t the government have thought it through before entering into what was apparently a flawed deal?

The other official retort, parroted by the most government officials, is that the deal was cancelled, so why continue investigating the deal? Well, the answer to that is that some skulduggery has occurred, and someone must be made accountable for it. Unfortunately, our Senators are more interested in gaining electoral mileage rather than getting to the truth, so the investigation doesn’t look like it’ll go anywhere.

In reaction to the corruption scandal, the President has ordered a probe of the deal, and promised that no friend or relative will be above the law. Of course, this is almost the same as former President Joseph Estrada’s “Walang kamag-anak, walang kaibigan” spiel, and we all know how that turned out. The other problem is that we have seen numerous officials, Abalos, Garcillano, Bedol, et al, escape punishment under this administration, so GMA will have to forgive those of us who take her words with a huge grain of salt.

However, it’s also clear that, despite all of the damning evidence, the President will not be removed voluntarily, and certainly not by impeachment, as her kennel master, Speaker Prospero Nograles, has virtually assured that her lapdog Representatives will sit up on command.

It’s sad that all of this is coming out during the 22^nd anniversary of the first EDSA revolution, when Filipinos united against a tyrant. It’s sad because it’s clear we have not learned our history lessons, and are well on the way to repeating our mistakes.

Economically Sound, Morally Bankrupt

It seems interesting that the Arroyo administration, and their lackeys, such as Philippine Star columnist Alex Magno, keep on harping on the economic gains of the administration, and completely ignore the fact that the appalling amount of corruption going on is slowly but surely eroding our moral fiber.

Sure, the peso’s stronger, and, fiscally, the economic policies appear to have helped the country’s Gross National Product (GNP) rise higher than it ever has in 2007, but at what cost? The fact that our corrupt officials pocket kickbacks and commissions from government deals? The fact that corruption has become so integrated to the government system that people are resigned to it?

The other problem here is that if the moral deterioration continues, the economy, sound as it may be at the moment, will probably be dragged down with it.

As Jesus once said (check reference), and St. Ignatius of Loyola repeated centuries later, what matters if a man gains the whole world, but loses his soul?

On the other hand, one can consider the Arroyo government as the lesser evil over the political opposition. At least with the current administration, the economy looks to grow, despite the moral bankruptcy of the government. If the opposition, led by former President and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada, ever takes power, it’ll probably be a government that is both economically and morally bankrupt. And that is the tragedy of the Filipino people: that we lack leaders whom we can honestly look up to and be proud of.

Regime Change Difficulties

Even with star witness Rodolfo Lozada coming out with even more sordid details into the workings of the government procurement, throwing the Arroyos out of office is going to be a difficult, if not, impossible task, as far as the good of our future is concerned.

First of all, the only alternatives we have in terms of leadership are flawed. Logically, and constitutionally, the clear successor to GMA is Vice President Noli de Castro. However, to the political opposition, he is an unacceptable choice because of his association with the President. For me, I’m not sure whether he has what it takes to run the government.

Then, there is the opposition. There is nothing the opposition would like better than to be able to kick GMA out of office and take power, but it must be pointed out that the current political opposition is composed of very questionable elements, notably former President and convicted plunderer Joseph Estrada. It’s clear that, should the opposition take power, it will resort to populist policies, which may be welcomed by the people, but may be economically detrimental. No, letting the opposition take power is not an option for me.

The second reason is that, while Lozada has emerged as credible and believable in the face of the harassment that he faces, he still doesn’t have much hard documentary evidence that can be presented in a court of law. The best thing to do is to find one who can provide this evidence, because that will definitely be the nail in the President’s coffin.

On a side note, it’s interesting that the administration has belittled Lozada for his ‘theatrics’, when, just yesterday, the whole Cabinet did a ‘solidarity walk’ to show their support for Arroyo. Now, who’s being overly dramatic?

The third obstacle to removing Arroyo is that the Filipino people, particularly the middle class, are so fatigued by the political circus that they seem to be resigned to the fact that corruption will always be a part of our government. It will take a momentous event, such as, for example, Lozada’s assassination, that will galvanize them to action.

The best option is to continue to monitor the events as they occur, be sensitive to the public pulse, and be ready to move when need be.

Corruption on a Grand Scale

In the aftermath of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada’s damning Senate testimony on the aborted ZTE-NBN deal, the administration is scrambling for damage control.

Government officials appeared at the Senate in full force, to deny that Lozada was ever abducted. Full page ads questioning Lozada’s credibility appeared in the newspapers, shortly after his testimony. A supposed assassination attempt against the President was revealed by the Presidential Security Group (PSG), the same unit allegedly responsible for Lozada’s abduction from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Allies loyal to the President have come out with yet another Charter Change proposal.

All of these are simply attempts to distract us from the tale of corruption that Lozada wove in his compelling testimony during the Senate hearing. It corroborated Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) head Romulo Neri’s allegations about the complicity and greed of former Commission on Elections (Comelec) head Ben Abalos. It suggested that the pattern of corruption is very widespread in the Arroyo government.

While not a Clarissa Ocampo, who witnessed with her very eyes corruption at the highest level, nor a Chavit Singson, who was credible because of his proximity to Estrada, Lozada comes off as very credible in his testimony, having been in a position to witness part of the corruption that occurs in our government. One would have to be blind and deaf not to see that the government is engaged in corruption, even in the highest offices. It’s unfortunate, though, that he hasn’t presented any hard evidence of his claims. If he doesn’t have any, it’ll boil down to a “he said, she said” situation without any clear resolution.

Meanwhile, in the media, the government is saying the right things about combating corruption; however, what it’s doing is entirely different. It sent the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to collect papers from Lozada’s former office with frightening speed; when the President said that the government will move to fight against corruption, she apparently meant, “Get me whatever dirt you can on Jun Lozada.” Meanwhile, other big fish slip through the net, protected by their Malacanang masters.

Moreover, the Ombudsman, Merceditas Gutierrez, has announced that it would summon First Gentleman Mike Arroyo to the investigation of the NBN scandal. Of course, this is the same Ombudsman who said that no one was to be charged in the Comelec automation scandal, effectively overturning a Supreme Court decision which stated otherwise, so you'll have to excuse me if I'm more than a little skeptical about the Ombudsman's pronouncements.

The government has also apparently begun flexing its muscle against its critics. First to go was Speaker Jose de Venecia, a long time ally. Next, it appears that big business, particularly the Makati Business Club, is being threatened by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), apparently for having called for the President’s resignation.

It's sad that some of the staunchest fighters against the Marcos martial law regime, notably Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and congressman Luis Villafuerte, are now some of the most willing lapdogs of the Arroyo regime.

The Filipino people, unfortunately, seem too tired to care about the situation, shrugging their collective shoulders and saying, “what else is new?” I can’t say I blame them, considering that it was mass action that installed the Arroyos into power in the first place. I disagree with the Palace’s assessment that people are tired of destabilization; rather, the people are resigned to the fact that the government in power is corrupt, and ousting it through people power will not bring any lasting changes, only more of the same.

Therein lies the tragedy of the situation: we have become too numb to the excessive corruption of government, willing to accept a corrupt head of state because we feel that nothing will really change.

Indiscriminate

Presidential Legal Adviser Sergio Apostol should consider himself lucky that he’s in the Philippines. In any other country, his remarks on having former Philippine Forest Corporation head Rodolfo Lozada, Jr. deported for causing trouble as a "probinsyanong Intsik" (provincial Chinese), would probably resulted in his immediate termination. And if I were a member of the Filipino-Chinese community, that is exactly what I would be demanding, Apostol’s apologies notwithstanding.

Apostol’s remarks were apparently made to try to make light of Lozada’s Senate testimony wherein he exposed a good amount of the corruption that has been going on in the Arroyo government, particularly the ZTE-NBN broadband deal (more on this in a later post, as the issue is still unfolding). However, speaking as the President’s Legal Adviser, his so-called quips were irresponsible and unbecoming of a government official.

In the US, people have been castigated, even fired, for less. A popular radio host was fired after he referred to a women’s basketball team as “nappy-headed hos”. A sportscaster drew fire after she jokingly suggested that the only way for other golfers to catch up with Tiger Woods would be to “lynch” him. Actor Mel Gibson was loudly criticized for his anti-Semitic remarks, and “Seinfeld” alum Michael Richards drew heat from his shouting racial epithets at hecklers during a live comedy show.

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Apostol will be axed for his indiscriminate remarks. Like his predecessor, Injustice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Apostol serves as the administration’s lightning rod, and his remarks are designed to deflect controversy away from the President.

Still, I hope that the Filipino-Chinese community will be angry enough to take action on this.

MMDA Legalities

A few nights back, I was watching the news, and one of the stories they featured was that of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) personnel undertaking their regular sidewalk clearing operations. This consisted of removing the vendors, by force, if necessary. It also included the MMDA confiscating and eventually destroying the vendors’ goods.

It was this bit that bothered me. While, admittedly, the vendors were blocking the pedestrian’s ways, and they were not really supposed to be there, why did the MMDA have to confiscate the vendors’ goods? In the first place, does the MMDA have the authority to confiscate and destroy the goods?

Piqued, I looked up Republic Act 2974, the law which created the MMDA, and you know what? Nowhere in the functions and powers is it clearly stated that confiscation of goods is within the MMDA’s purview. Here are the functions and powers of the MMDA as delineated by RA 2974:

(a) Formulate, coordinate and regulate the implementation of medium and long-term plans and programs for the delivery of metro-wide services, land use and physical development within Metropolitan Manila, consistent with national development objectives and priorities;

(b) Prepare, coordinate and regulate the implementation of medium-term programs for metro-wide services which shall indicate sources and uses of funds for priority programs and projects, and which shall include the packaging of projects and presentation to funding institutions;

(c) Undertake and manage on its own metro-wide programs and projects for the delivery of specific services under its jurisdiction, subject to the approval of the Council. For this purpose, MMDA can create appropriate project management offices;

(d) Coordinate and monitor the implementation of such plans, programs and projects in Metro Manila; identify bottlenecks and adopt solutions to problems of implementation;

(e) The MMDA shall set the policies concerning traffic in Metro Manila, and shall coordinate and regulate the implementation of all programs and projects concerning traffic management, specifically pertaining to enforcement, engineering and education. Upon request, it shall be extended assistance and cooperation, including but not limited to, assignment of personnel, by all other government agencies and offices concerned;

(f) Install and administer a single ticketing system, fix, impose and collect fines and penalties for all kinds of violations of traffic rules and regulations, whether moving or non-moving in nature, and confiscate and suspend or revoke drivers' licenses in the enforcement of such traffic laws and regulations, the provisions of R. A. 4136 and P. D. 1605 to the contrary notwithstanding. For this purpose, the Authority shall enforce all traffic laws and regulations in Metro Manila, through its traffic operation center, and may deputize members of the PNP, traffic enforcers of local government units, duly licensed security guards, or members of non-governmental organizations to whom may be delegated certain authority, subject to such conditions and requirements as the Authority may impose; and

(g) Perform other related functions required to achieve the objectives of the MMDA, including the undertaking of delivery of basic services to the local government units, when deemed necessary subject to prior coordination with and consent of the local government unit concerned.

I’m not even sure if one can stretch any of these to cover confiscation. And if this is the case, then the MMDA has been acting outside its boundaries. Remove vendors who are obstructing pedestrian traffic, fine, but confiscating their goods? Doesn’t seem to be legal.

I realize that the vendors can be stubborn, and, unless their goods are taken away from them, they’ll continue to hawk their wares along the sidewalks and pedestrian flyovers. But, instead of confiscating their goods, which the vendors must have bought legally, couldn’t the MMDA coordinate with local government units to look for a more proactive solution, such as providing an area where these vendors can congregate and hawk their wares? Otherwise, it’s possible that these vendors might be driven to criminal activities to be able to make money.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised when a government agency oversteps and goes beyond what is legal, considering that it seems to be common in this administration. However, considering MMDA chairman Bayani Fernando has already declared his 2010 presidential aspirations, we should be more vigilant about the MMDA’s activities, as these may foreshadow what it’s going to be like for the nation in the future, should Fernando win.

Spoiled Politics

Watching now-former Speaker Jose de Venecia rant during yesterday’s House session reminded me of a spoiled kid’s tantrum. His rant came before the nominal vote of the House of Representatives, which ousted him as Speaker, and installed Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles in his stead.

It’s possible De Venecia was probably hoping that, by coming out and insinuating in his privilege speech (rant) that he would reveal all sorts of skeletons in the President’s closet, notably the cheating in the 2004 presidential elections, and the “Hello, Garci” scandal which followed, he would rally outraged congressmen to his side. Instead, it supposedly galvanized the other congressmen into voting him out of the House leadership. I say supposedly because it’s very clear to me that a good number of the 174 representatives who voted for de Venecia’s ouster had likely been bought before this.

Besides, if he really knew about the cheating in 2004, why didn’t he say anything then? By keeping quiet, de Venecia is just about as guilty as those who perpetrated the cheating. Oh, well, as the old saying goes, better late than never.

It's clear that de Venecia's rant displayed a man who didn't get what he wanted, which was the President's support. And, not having gotten his wish, he throws a tantrum fit.

I can’t really say that I’m shedding any tears over de Venecia’s ouster, as he has been the very paragon of the traditional dirty politics that has kept us from progressing as a nation. While it can be said that his skill in forging alliances kept the political realm fairly stable, nothing really was reformed, not the pork barrel, not the political dynasties, and definitely not the politics of guns, goons and gold, which is still very much in evidence to this very day. He rants against corruption which, ironically, he played a big part in helping its growth.

At the same time, his ouster is clearly a work of revenge by the Arroyo family in retribution for de Venecia’s son accusing the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo of bribery and corruption in the ZTE broadband deal, the Arroyo sons’ blather about reforming the House notwithstanding. If reform was ever on the minds of Mikey and Dato Arroyo, why did Dato have to say during the session that his family will not be threatened or blackmailed? No, this was Machiavellian revenge, pure and simple.

And if reform was in the minds of these congressmen, why Nograles? Sure, he’s the first Speaker to hail from Mindanao, but, aside from that, he may as well have been cut from the same cloth as de Venecia, as he himself also has dirtied his hands in the muck of politics.

It’s unfortunate that the Speakership has devolved into a position where the holder of the office must be completely subservient to Malacanang, but that’s the way it’s been. During Erap’s time, for example, after then-Speaker Manny Villar transmitted the impeachment complaint to the Senate, he was promptly replaced by Camarines Rep. Fuentebella, who was no great shakes as a leader, but completely loyal to Estrada.

And so the lapdogs of the President have a new kennel master. I’m going to be watching the scene with great interest, to see what sort of reforms Speaker Nograles will undertake. It will also be interesting watching what de Venecia will do from here. Will he bide his time, or will he go out, guns blazing? One can only guess.

Upset!

In the recently concluded Super Bowl XLII, two storylines dominated. Would the New England Patriots join the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only unbeaten teams in National Football League history, or would New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning join his older brother Peyton (of the last year’s champion, the Indianapolis Colts) in leading his team to victory?

In the end, the New York Giants pulled off the shocking upset, by driving 83 yards in the last two minutes of play and scoring a touchdown with 35 seconds to go, to put an end to the heavily favored Patriots’ run at making history, winning 17-14.

I am reminded of Super Bowl XXIII, when San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana drove relentlessly towards the end zone, and upset the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16, on a Montana touchdown pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left in the game.

Of course, the Bengals were no Patriots, who were looking to join the 1972 Dolphins as the only unbeaten team in league history. Unfortunately for them, the Giants had other plans.

Fittingly, it was New York’s defense that kept them in the game. The Giants’ pass rush harried Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, scoring five sacks, and forcing Brady out of the pocket numerous times.

On the side of the offense, Eli Manning played superb football late in the game, passing with a precision that rivalled Brady’s efficient style.

It was a bitter pill for the Patriots to swallow. After record-setting seasons by quarterback Tom Brady and wide receiver Randy Moss, the Patriots are relegated to history’s footnotes, as a team that came close but not quite.

Website Focus: The Barrowdowns

One of the things I'm noted for is my love of Tolkien, and his wondrous creation, The Lord of the Rings. It's a love that has caused me to read the books over a dozen times, which created problems for my students trying to fake me out in their book reports.

A site that I visited before, but had forgotten is The Barrowdowns. It's a great resource site for all things Tolkien, with a few nifty gems as well. Within the site, one can check how their names would
translate into Elvish, create mad libs from those provided by guests, and answer quizzes based on the books, among others. I remember trying to see what my friends' Elvish names were, and seeing just how good my knowledge of Tolkien was.

I rediscovered the site on a whim, wondering whether the site still existed. It still does, although, based on the site news, it hasn't been updated in three years. Despite this, it's still an interesting romp for Tolkien fans, so do try to pass by.