All we have heard so far have been mudslinging and name-calling. People are then wondering if there’s any difference at all between Team PNoy and the UNA. So far, the race to the Senate has been a battle of personalities: Who is more popular? Who are the better endorsers—President Aquino on one hand, or Binay, Estrada and Enrile on the other?
What the people would like to hear from the candidates are employment programs to reduce the incidence of poverty which has plagued the country for decades. Yes, some candidates promise this or that for the betterment of lives—jobs, health care, education and housing. But there has been no road map to sustain economic growth to solve poverty.
Shall we be content with what the present crop of candidates is promising us? We have heard their promises too often. Too often, too, they get broken.
***
The news report that the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office board of directors has been ordered by the Commission on Audit to reimburse close to P10 million in unauthorized salaries and allowances paid to them in 2011 caught my attention.
CoA in its report found that the PCSO board and officials were paid P5.607 million in total per diem for board meetings, and, my gulay, they meet about 50 times a year! Aside from committee meetings and even draw allowance (fee paid for attending the lottery draws), they also collected an extra P9,617,576.25 representing salaries, representation, transportation, educational assistance, sweepstakes and lotto draw allowances, revenue performance incentives, rice, COLA, hazard pay, staple food, bonuses, clothing and other benefits.
Santa Banana, the PCSO board and its official outdid those scandals during the Arroyo administration where MWSS, GSIS, SSS and other Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations made the government coffers their piggy banks.
The board is composed of Chairperson Margarita Juico and members Joaquin Francisco III, Betty Nantes, Aleta Tolentino, Mabel Mamba, and PCSO General Manager Jose Fernando Rojas. They even made it to the list of the 100 highest-paid executives, together with some Cabinet members.
All this is happening despite Executive Orders 19 and 24. Ideally, these executive orders restrict GOCCs and government financing institutions and state agencies from receiving excessive salaries and other perks.
It seems the “Daan Matuwid” is a big joke, after all.
The EOs have penalty provisions, but I truly wonder whether Malacañang would act on this matter since the top directors and officials belong to the exclusive club of the President’s partymates, schoolmates and shooting buddies. They have been, so far, untouchable.
If Juico and Rojas et al were considered political enemies, it would be a different story.
There’s a lesson somewhere: Don’t throw stones if you live in a glass house. Straight path, my foot.
***
Smuggling of cars at Fort Irene, or Enrile country?
If you read newspaper headlines, you would think that the Cagayan Export Processing Zone is now the hotbed of smuggled vehicles. If you go deeper, though, you would see that there can be no smuggling.
There has been no finality on the Supreme Court ruling since there has been a Motion for Reconsideration and a petition of clarification affecting Fort Irene. Thus, until the Supreme Court rules with finality, there’s no smuggling.
Speaking of vehicle smuggling, try to visit the car exchanges near Hotel Rembrandt in Quezon City and see for yourself brand new cars, costing P500,000 or more less, compared to cars you can buy from car distributors.
Santa Banana, how did these cars come in? Don’t tell me, Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon did not know about this. It’s either people around Biazon are also in cahoots with smugglers, or the entrenched smugglers at Customs are running circles around him.
Smuggling is now unabated at Customs. And if Malacañang is not aware of this, maybe some people around the President might be involved as well. My gulay, go to Divisoria and Binondo and see for yourself all the smuggled goods from China you can think of. It becomes worse when even rice, sugar and oil are smuggled.
***
I received a letter from our Ambassador to Singapore, Minda Calaguian-Cruz, reacting to my column called “An insult to the Philippines.” In that column, I talked about my trip to Singapore, specifically at the Legoland theme park. The Philippines was depicted as a small town with a church, a small boat and a couple of jeepneys.
The other countries had their famous landmarks: France’s Eiffel Tower, Egypt’s pyramids, The Great Wall of China and Malaysia’s Petronas Twin Towers.
Our ambassador to Singapore admits she has never been to Legoland; thus, she does not know about the matter.
She has sent a copy of my column, however, to Ambassador Eduardo Malaya of the Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, who has jurisdiction over Iskandar in Johor Bahru where Legoland is located, for appropriate action.
That was January 16. Today, more than a month later, nothing has been done yet. Why not represent the country with Mayon Volcano, the Underground River or Boracay? Calling Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario!
***
It makes me wonder why UNA still wants Grace Poe Llamanzares, as a common senatorial candidate when her only claim to the Senate is being an adopted daughter of the late Fernando Poe, Jr.
FPJ may have been the best friend of Estrada, but it’s an insult to the people to have Mary Grace as senator.
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PCSO scam and "Daang Matuwid"
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