Reflections on the Bangsa Moro

 

The newest witness, Dante Madriaga in the Senate investigation of the ZTE-NBN scandal is the exact opposite of Jun Lozada. Both are electrical / electronics engineers. While Jun is Chinese white, small, fragile-looking, crybaby, soft-spoken and very respectful, Dante is Filipino dark, big, tough-looking, tough-talking and very confident.

 

Filipinos love underdogs. Most Filipinos’ instinct is to shield the small crybaby from the “dark forces”. But with the tough-talking roughneck, the natural instinct of most Filipinos is to let him be. He looks strong enough to fight his own battles.

 

This is quite unfortunate. One should never judge a book by its cover. From both their testimonies, as well as the others’ testimonies, I infer that Jun Lozada was Romulo Neri’s hitman or henchman. On the other hand, Dante Madriaga, looked to me like a no nonsense technical man who could be Leo San Miguel’s errand boy.

 

But before going to Madriaga’s fearless exposé, let us first look at Gaite’s nose-lengthening tale.

 

GAITE

 

Deputy Executive Manny Gaite appeared once again at the Senate. But this time, it is doubtful if anybody believed his testimony at all. Senator Joker Arroyo asked everyone to have an open mind concerning Gaite. He said that Gaite’s brother is a priest and his sister is a nun. And like Jun Lozada, there are also priests and nuns praying for Gaite. Really!!?!

 

Gaite was Senator Arroyo’s Executive Assistant when he was President Cory Aquino’s Executive Secretary. Gaite has been working for the government since President Marcos’s time. He is not a career bureaucrat. He is a career political appointee.

 

Manny Gaite wants people to believe that he gave Jun Lozada, practically a stranger to him, half a million pesos out of his own pocket because he pitied Lozada. Lozada texted him that he was running out of money abroad and had no winter clothes. Being a Good Samaritan, he immediately gave P 500,000.00 to Jun’s brother to be sent to him abroad.

 

First, Jun did not ask money from him. Even if he insinuated, Jun never gave a specific amount. So why did he give half a million pesos (US $ 12,500.00)  instead of 50,000 pesos like what Mike Defensor did or even P 200,000.00 ?

 

Second, he gets a salary of P35,000 to 40,000 as Deputy Executive Secretary. So where did he get his money?

 

He claimed that he got it from a fund he borrowed from his uncle, which would be used for the renovation of his in-law’s house. Ooops, that does not seem to be a typical human action. Nobody would give away a huge amount of money to a stranger, especially if that money is meant for other people’s use.

 

Senator Arroyo explained that even though he is a senator, the Gaites (the Gaite clan) are richer than him. They come from the same province in Bicol.

 

Perhaps in 1986, the Gaites were richer than the Arroyos. But now, that would be impossible. Joker Arroyo has been in power – from Executive Secretary to Congressman to Senator – since 1986. The money spent by Arroyo just for his TV ads in the last senatorial elections is already proof that he is a very rich man.

 

Besides, Manny Gaite’s declared worth amounts to only a few million pesos.

 

Third, the piece of paper which Jun’s brother signed indicating that he received the money did not even indicate Gaite’s name. Why would anybody lend a big amount to anyone without even indicating his, the lender’s, name? It only means that the money was not a loan but a gift.

 

I am sure that Gaite does not think that the Senators are gullible. It takes either courage or total lack of self-respect to lie, under oath, in front of senators, the media people, and the millions of people watching TV and listening to the radio.

 

Before this happened, practically everyone in the government – all administrations from Marcos to GMA – have nothing but good words to say about Gaite. If this is the kind of person that government people are proud of, then the Filipinos are really doomed.

 

Come to think of it, how could the supposedly human rights and anti-Marcos activist, Joker Arroyo get Gaite as his E.A. when Gaite was working with the Marcos administration? And how did Gaite smoothly transfer from a very lucrative post in the Erap administration (as undersecretary of Presidential Committee on Flagship Projects and Programs under Aventajado) to a very sensitive post in Gloria’s administration. Gaite must be one smooth operator.

 

MADRIAGA – the ZTE Bomb

 

Lozada revealed to us the corruption involved from the point of view of NEDA’s head (Sec. Neri). Madriaga gave us a more comprehensive picture as it is viewed from the source itself – ZTE, the Chinese firm involved in this scandal.

 

Dante Madriaga is an Electrical Engineering graduate of UP (Class ’66) and attended Texas A&M University. He did not say whether he got what degree from Texas A&M. He said he was the head of the Design Team of the ZTE-NBN project and was the liaison officer to NEDA, CICT AND TELOF.

 

FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE

 

According to Mr. Madriaga, the Filipino group in the Fil-Chinese consortium was composed of Ruben Reyes, Gen. Quirino de la Torre, Benjamin Abalos and Leo San Miguel. San Miguel was his immediate superior. Reyes was the leader of the group. Gen. de la Torre was the Financier.

 

According to Sen. Lacson, de la Torre was formerly Comptroller of PNP.

 

A very important and revealing fact that he said was that the initial true cost (excluding profits) of the project was US $ 50 MILLION. This is FIRST HAND knowledge since he was the Head of the Design Team.

 

According to Madriaga, the Consortium added US $ 80 million to the cost. This information is still FIRST HAND knowledge because he has to be told how much cost he would present it to CICT or whatever group. He told the Senate that it was important to see profit margins from the beginning to appreciate the “exponential” rise of the profits.

 

The SECOND HAND knowledge is the information allegedly told to him by his boss, Leo San Miguel that half of the amount would go to the Chinese group while the other half would go to the Filipino group.

 

Then he said that to “match ARESCOM coverage”, they had to redesign the project. The new cost was US $ 109 Million but would be presented as US $ 189 Million. This is still FIRST HAND knowledge.

 

Later, they had to redesign the project again because the government did not want any satellites. So the new project was peddled at around US $ 269 (or US $ 262) Million. The overprice (profits plus commissions) was US $ 140 Million.  This is still FIRST HAND KNOWLEDGE.

 

This (260 plus million dollars) was the price they presented to CICT and TelOf. This is corroborated by Jun Lozada who testified that the initial price was around US $ 260 Million with “commissions” amounting to US $ 130 Million.

(See my post Jun Lozada, Police And Senate Play Hide And Seek )

 

Mr. Madriaga then said that later, they had to redesign the project again so that it will have 100 % coverage. The new “selling price” was US $ 329 Million Dollars. The “profits” for both groups amount to US $ 199 MILLION. This is still FIRST HAND knowledge.

 

The new selling price was corroborated by Mr. Lozada’s and Mr. Formoso’s testimonies.

 

The above information alone is already very telling. It gives a fuller picture. In the Jun Lozada testimony, it appears that all the commission goes to Mr. Abalos. Somehow, the Chinese partners appeared clean businessmen who just agreed to whatever commissions Mr. Abalos wanted. Mr. Madriaga made it very clear that the Chinese were just as greedy as the Filipino counterparts. In fact, whatever amount the Filipino group wanted, they wanted exactly the same for themselves.

 

And Mr. Madriaga pointed out that he believes that the Chinese are even getting higher. Of course, the Chinese can get the supplies at a discount. And they would not need to divulge the discount to the Filipinos. This also explains why there is no problem from the Chinese side (the bank, the government, etc.)

 

Mr. Madriaga’s scenario is more logical and more comprehensive than Mr. Lozada’s.

 

Aside from the above, Mr. Madriaga also had very interesting information, based on first hand knowledge.

 

He said that Asst. Secretary Frank Perez, son of former Sec. Nani Perez objected to the costs and design of the project. Madriaga was told not to worry because “protektado tayo dito” (We are protected here). And so, Perez was immediately replaced by Formoso as the government officer-in-charge for the project.

 

This partly explains Formoso’s staunch defense of the project. It also gives the Senate the chance to call Perez to testify. And quite importantly, this tells the people that there are good people in government but they are immediately silenced if they don’t tow the line.

 

SECOND HAND KNOWLEDGE

 

Mr. Madriaga’s testimony on how the commission pie would have been shared and the various advances made is hearsay because it is second hand knowledge. But first, he has two sources – Mr. Leo San Miguel and Ms. Fan Yang, the comptroller of ZTE.

 

Second, the information provided to him must be given the benefit of the doubt until the sources categorically deny them and that these sources are proven more credible than Mr. Madriaga.

 

Third, this gives the Senate the reason to call on the sources – Mr. San Miguel and Ms. Fan Yang.

The information provided by Mr. Madriaga based on what Mr. San Miguel and Ms. Fan Yang told him are:

– The First Couple are in on the kickbacks

– Advances to the Filipino group totaled US $ 41 MILLION

– US $ 30 MILLION was given to the First Couple “in aid of elections”

– Payments were made in Hong Kong through Cayman Islands

– The President was forced to go to China to sign because that was the Chinese condition in order to release  the P 30 M advance money.

– The ZTE-NBN contract was not lost. ASEC Formoso was forced to say it was lost because he was afraid to show the contract to telecom people and other businessmen in that particular affair. Madriaga said that if the telecom people saw the contract, they would immediately see the huge overprice.

 

 
Mr. Madriaga’s testimony completes the picture of the ZTE-NBN Scandal. Mr. Neri could not possibly add to this except if he will say that the President herself knew about the anomalies, other than the P200 Million bribe offer of Mr. Abalos.

 

MADRIAGA’S CREDIBILITY

 

There are news reports that say Madriaga could be a Trojan horse or a pakawala (roughly a loose cannon or a pawn) of the government. I simply fail to see any logic in that. Madriaga revealed a lot more damaging information than Lozada. How could he be a pawn of Malacanang? If he would recant later, then that could only mean that he received great incentives from some party. That is why the Senate should give Madriaga ample security protection.

 

PEOPLE AS THE JUDGE

 

The Senate hearings are there merely in aid of legislation. They can recommend other actions like asking the Ombudsman or the Justice Department to file charges against some people. 

 

But, to me, the most important function of the Senate hearings is to conduct impartial and thorough investigation of alleged anomalies in full view of the public through the broadcast and even online and print media. The ultimate judge of the culpability of the accused is the Filipino people as a whole. It thus behooves the Filipino people to follow the Senate investigation carefully, analyze the various evidences provided, and assess the credibility of the witnesses.  And each one of us should decide the guilt or innocence of everyone concerned. Sovereignty resides with the people.

 

Like many Filipinos of my generation and older, I memorized the Gettyburg Address in school. I was around 12 years old then, but I still remember what the good Abe Lincoln said: …" the government (is) of the people, by the people and for the people."  We, as citizens, must never forget that.

 

More Power to the Filipino people!

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody has his/her own EDSA story. I have my own.

 

On February 22, 1986, I was in my girlfriend’s home for her birthday party. Her barkada (clique) from her UP days were there and her relatives. One such relative came with the news that he got word that he was going to be given a more important government post. A top government official had just resigned and he was going to replace him. My girlfriend’s family was very much in the “loyalist” circle.

 

Then came the news that Defense Minister Ponce-Enrile and Constabulary Chief Fidel Ramos were in Camps Aguinaldo and Crame and both declared their opposition to Mr. Marcos. I called to check if my mother was safe at home. I called my sister to ask what was happening. She said that it was apparently a defection of some Marcos men and did not think much about it. Ponce-Enrile and Fidel Ramos were among the pillars of Marcos’s New Society. The political opposition, therefore, was very suspicious.

 

The party ended abruptly as everyone wanted to go home. Since a friend and I lived in Makati, my girlfriend’s parents asked us to sleep there as it might dangerous to go all the way to Makati from Quezon City. My girlfriend’s friend who was dating this other guy also decided to stay for the night. We spent the night talking and listening to the news. We were quite excited when we heard that the late Senator Aquino’s brother, Butz and Cardinal Sin were calling the people to support the “rebels”.

 

The morning after, my friend and I had an early breakfast and went to EDSA to see what all the hullabaloo was about. We were excited when we saw crowds of people showing support for the rebels. When I got home, I took a bath, changed clothes and looked for my agimat (amulet). A few months before, a shaman in Malaysia gave me the amulet which he said would protect me from bullets.  I went straight back to EDSA wearing my amulet and half hoping that I would get shot at (and thus prove the efficacy of the amulet).

 

For three days – 23, 24 and 25 –, I was at EDSA with different companions – my girlfriend and her friend, my sister and a contingent of Moros, my friends and relatives. There were many reasons why I went to EDSA. Politically, I was against Marcos, his dictatorial rule and his war against the Moros. Domestically, I had to get out of the house because my mother and grandmother were very angry at all the anti-Marcos people. I couldn’t even watch TV because they both kept on letting out invectives against the anti-Marcos people on TV.

 

My mother and grandmother kept on repeating that whoever will replace Marcos will be far worse than him.

 

My sexagenarian mother and her octogenarian mother belonged to worlds far removed from mine. I was just in my 20’s. I was young, well-read and well-traveled (I had been to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, North America and North Africa). I thought I knew better than them. It turned out that they were, in many ways, right.

 

PEOPLE POWER FEELING

 

Even before the EDSA event, I could already feel the “people power” in the massive rallies against Marcos. The very first “rally” that I got this feeling was the funeral of Ninoy Aquino. For the very first time since Martial Law, the people went outside their houses to protest against Marcos.

 

I decided to come back to the Philippines when I was informed that Ninoy was intent on going home. I knew that Ninoy’s homecoming would be a historic event so I decided to be back to the Philippine before Ninoy’s return. I never thought that Ninoy would be shot. I thought that he would form a coalition government with Marcos, with Marcos as President and Ninoy as Prime Minister.

 

Ninoy’s funeral motorcade was very long and the people came out to give support. We left Santo Domingo Church around 9 or 10 AM and reached the funeral park in the evening. And I could feel the anger of the Ninoy supporters in the motorcade and the support of the people watching us pass. Most of the people lined up along the streets were tentative, Some flashed the L or Laban sign; some did it very discreetly, still afraid to be seen. Only the street kids were noisy. But the adults watching the motorcade were, for the most part, just watching. Every time I leaned out of the car and shouted “Rebolusyon!”, I saw amazed and bewildered faces. But I could feel that the people were waking up. That was 1983.

 

 

THE GROWING OPPOSITION

 

The opposition started to organize in 1983. I attended the first Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Filipino People’s Congress) or KOMPIL held at the Ateneo de Manila (if I remember correctly). Most of the old political leaders were there. Marcos and his people kept on saying that there was no one who could replace him. The congress asked the participants to vote 50 people who could replace Marcos. I remember voting for Dolphy, the country’s top comedian. My point was that even a comedian can run the country better than Marcos. I also voted for Joe Ma. Sison and my brother, Macapanton Abbas, Jr.

 

Most of the 50 leaders elected as capable of replacing Marcos were politicians, mostly former senators including former President Macapagal, I think. I remember Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo giving a speech there. I think it was in behalf of her father.

 

Funny thing was, one Moro politician complained that the election was rigged because his uncle, a former senator, was not among the winners. I think they placated him and made his uncle one of the winners. My brother-in-law, former Senator Tamano, naturally, was one of the winners. He was a close ally of Doy Laurel of UNIDO, the prime mover in the movement against Marcos.

 

The Congress also decided on whether to participate or boycott the coming elections. We were all divided into groups and went into separate rooms to discuss the matter. Among the people in my group was the wife of then Cagayan de Oro City Mayor Nene Pimentel. She was for Participation. I was for Boycott. I remember being in a heated debate with one guy defending Participation.  The Congress voted to Participate in the coming elections.

 

I realized that the old oligarchs and politicians were back. Almost every one in KOMPIL was well-heeled. There were many mestizas and pretty women including former Miss International Aurora Pijuan-Manotoc. And the old politicians and their backers were raring to battle Marcos the old-fashioned way – Elections.

 

1984 ELECTIONS

 

The 1984 Batasang Pambansa (National Legislature) or parliamentary elections brought out the politicos of old, raring to go against new and old rivals. It was very exciting, especially in Metro Manila. The Manila slate was headed by former Senator Eva Estrada-Kalaw. She was a cousin of Ninoy Aquino and victim of the famous Plaza Miranda bombing. The Quezon City line-up was headed by former Supreme Court Justice Cecilia Muñoz-Palma. She was known for her integrity and uncompromising stand against President Marcos. She was also one of the “barkada” of my late father, Judge Macapanton Abbas.

 

But there were cracks in the opposition side. Other parties sprang. In Manila, Pablo Ocampo, Jr and others formed another party. As a child, I had heard of Ocampo when he ran against the popular Villegas for the mayoralty contest of Manila. The Ocampos still had a big following in Manila so I wondered why he was not included by the UNIDO or the United Democratic Opposition party.

 

In Quezon Cuty, another group also came about. Former Minister Francisco Tatad bolted the Marcos camp and put up his own party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He was joined by Harvard-educated Danny Dolor, Diosdado Peralta and my brother, Firdausi.

 

In my idealistic young mind, I thought that only the best and the brightest should lead the fight against the Marcos juggernaut. I wondered why Laurel and UNIDO did not get Dolor and my brother when they were obviously more qualified than the other UNIDO candidates. As for Tatad, I had read so much about his alleged corruption that I couldn’t bear to campaign, much less vote for him.

 

 

As to my brother, I could not understand why he decided to run in Quezon City. If I were him, I would have run in Mindanao. When he ran as Mindanao Alliance opposition candidate in Region 11 in 1978, he made a name for himself. The people rallied to him.

 

Of course Marcos rigged the elections but according to reports I gathered, even after rigging of election count, he still got the highest or second highest vote in our mother’s province, Davao del Sur. He really should have made Davao del Sur or Davao City, where he studied high school (Ateneo de Davao), his political base.

 

At any rate, I remained true to my principles and boycotted the elections. I even registered my boycott at the Boycott Voting Center at St. Joseph’s College.

 

NAMFREL VOLUNTEER

 

As a NAMFREL volunteer, I witnessed some unexpected occurrences. I thought that the electorate had already become intelligent and discerning. I was surprised when several decent-looking young people asked us, the people on the desk, who were the UNIDO candidates. They did not even know their names. I thought, if these guys didn’t know even the names of the candidates, then they could not be considered intelligent voters.

 

I went back to Saudi Arabia for business but returned in time for the SNAP elections.

 

It was quite a shock to me when Salvador Laurel gave way to Corazon Aquino to be the presidential candidate. Even when I was still abroad, I already heard that when Ninoy Aquino would return home, Laurel would be the standard bearer for the Presidency.

 

I went to Malaysia for business. My brother Jun was also there. He said that he met with Butz Aquino who was allegedly asking for some campaign contribution. I urged him to give. But he refused. He argued that his fight was for Freedom, Justice, etc.

 

I met with Butz once. I told him that my mother would like to meet his sister. My mother was a very good campaigner. I thought that it would be good for her to campaign again like she used to before Martial Law. My mother was a very close friend of Dona Josefa Edralin Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos’s mother. But at that time, Nana Sepa, as we used to call her, was already bedridden. I thought that it was high time for my mother to go to the other side of the political fence, especially since all her children were against Marcos.

 

Somehow, I thought that Cory and my mother would get along well. Unfortunately, my mother suffered another stroke and so there never was a meeting between my mother and Cory. (When Cory became President, she appointed Mary Concepcion Bautista as PCGG Commissioner and later Human Rights Commission chair. MaryCon was a former classmate and close friend of my mother. MaryCon used to call my mother “my idol”.)

 

I knew that with Marcos’s command votes, Cory had at best a 50 % chance of winning. But I was hoping for a miracle. Like most Filipinos, I was riled up during the counting of votes. Looking and listening to JV Cruz and company on TV made my blood boil.

 

EDSA REVOLUTION

 

A week or so before the EDSA revolution, I wrote in my diary that the conditions for a revolution were already in place. It just needed a spark.

 

On Feb. 22, the spark that the people were waiting for happened. And instantly, leaders were calling for people action.

 

I cannot forget EDSA 1986. It was such an experience. The people were exercising their God-given right to express grievances and show their anger at the Marcos dictatorship. EDSA had a carnivalesque atmosphere. There were no leaders. Everyone was a leader and a follower. The people were not afraid of the police or the military.

 

When we heard that Marcos finally fled the country, my friends and I were in Quezon City. Everybody was jumping with joy. We flagged a pick-up and asked them if they were going to Malacanang. When they said yes, we jumped into the truck and joined them. The whole Metro Manila was celebrating.

 

At that time, my friends and I were flushed with the feeling of Freedom. Little did we know that political life would be business-as-usual very soon.

 

 

AS THE COOKIE CRUMBLES

 
 

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is feeling the heat. She finally admitted that she knew of the anomalies regarding the ZTE-NBN deal. But she said she was told about it only on the eve of the signing of the agreement in China. And that she couldn’t possibly back off at the last minute since it is a contract with another country. Her own words were: “Someone told me about it the night before the signing of the supply contract… But how can you cancel it the night before, considering that you are dealing with another country?”

               

 

 

I don’t know what Ms. Arroyo think of the Filipino people. In the Garci Tapes scandal, she admitted that she spoke with an Elections commissioner during the election period of 2004. She passed it off as a mere “lapse of judgment”. It was a small miracle that she weathered that political storm. Perhaps she believes she can survive this one as well by using the same technique.

 

As the great Abe Lincoln once said, “You can fool all the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all the time. But you cannot fool all the people all the time.” This time, nobody in the Philippines is getting fooled.

 

LYING G-MEN

 

If Ms. Arroyo knew that the project was anomalous and still signed the bilateral agreement, isn’t she guilty of graft?

 

And how about all the Government’s men who keep on defending the viability of the project, especially DOTC Sec. Mendoza, Asst. Sec. Formoso and even Romulo Neri. They are guilty of perjuring themselves in the Senate, to say the least.

 

But the stakes are getting higher.

 

Jun Lozada filed charges against Sec. Lito Atienza and Police Chief Razon, among others, for Attempted Murder! It’s about time to call a spade a spade. Most of the media had been calling Lozada’s experience with the airport and police escorts as abduction or kidnapping. In my previous posts, I called it “attempted rub-out”.

 

AMATEUR HIT MEN

 

The government boys really botched it up. The first mistake they did was to assume that Lozada was only in touch with government men. They did not know that Lozada was constantly in touch with friends and family while in Hong Kong. And these people were in touch with the Senate, with people’s organizations and with the media. Secretary Atienza kept on saying that he thought Lozada was speaking only to him with regards to his coming home.

 

The next big mistake they did was not to have the passport stamped at the Immigration. They should have done that in the evening after Gen, Razon already admitted that they had custody of Lozada. That unstamped passport is evidence of bad intention on the part of Lozada’s escorts.

 

Then there are the La Salle brothers and Catholic nuns who could testify that even in La Salle, Lozada was not free. As La Salle University President Brother Armin Luistro said, “I felt that the brothers are hostages in our own house.”

 

ARROYO’S INCREASING NUMBER OF ENEMIES

 

Arroyo is now faced with an array of oligarchic families starting from Cory Aquino’s clan. Making an outright enemy out of former House Speaker Jose de Venecia was a very bad move on Arroyo’s part. She is now being backed up by only a handful of business tycoons. They may have some money, but hardly any political and military clout.

 

Trying to take the Lakas party for herself not only angered de Venecia but even the “spiritual” Lakas head, former President Fidel V. Ramos.

 

It has also been rumored that Arroyo was set on removing Ramos’s men from her Cabinet, beginning with Executive Secretary Ermita. But for now, she could not remove anyone as it would be seen as resignation and withdrawal of support for her government and not as sacking of an official.

 

EDSA SPIRIT

 

Arroyo’s opponents are hoping that the EDSA Spirit will come to the people as we are celebrating the 22^nd anniversary of the so-called EDSA revolution. Well, miracles do happen. Arroyo became president in an almost miraculous manner.

 

Tomorrow will be a gauge on how all of these events are going to turn out.

 

 

© by Datu Jamal Ashley Abbas

 

 
In a speech in Wisconsin, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said that he is running for the US presidency because, quoting from Martin Luther King, of the “fierce urgency of now.”

 

Indeed, there is a fierce urgency for the US to change its foreign policy now. Bush’s adherence to the “Clash of Civilization” scenario is alienating America from international communities like most of the Muslim world, the truly non-aligned countries and even the still powerful Russia and the awakening giant China. Even tourists have shied away from the US.

 

Domestically, the “Clash of Civilization” mindset is pitting the so-called Whites – those of European descent – against their hyphenated co-citizens – the Blacks (African-Americans), Hispanics or Latinos (Mexican-Americans et al),  Asians (Indian-Americans, etc.) and of course, the Muslims (Arab-Americans, etc.).

 (See Clash of Civilizations post )

 

 

 
IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

The Senate hearings have highlighted the fierce urgency for change now. The country is fast sliding to become a failing or failed state.

 

THE PRESIDENCY

 

First, the legitimacy of the Presidency is in question. The “Hello Garci” tapes and all other evidence of fraud in the 2004 elections is enough to convince any doubting Thomas that Ms. Arroyo could not possibly have won over the ever popular Fernando Poe, Jr.

 

CREDIBILITY OF ELECTORAL PROCESS

 

Second, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) has no credibility at all. The involvement of the COMELEC Chair in the current ZTE-NBN scandal is proof positive that there was fraud in the 2004 and even in the 2008 elections. The mind-boggling “commission” allegedly asked by the Chair from the ZTE-NBN project is an indication of the magnitude of fraud perpetrated by the COMELEC in the last two elections. The COMELEC Chair was simply calling in the chips. As Mr. Joey de Venecia said, it was the Chair’s "last hurrah" before retiring.

 

With the COMELEC in such a situation, how could the Filipino people trust the outcome of future elections?

 

There is a fiercely urgent need to implement computerized elections. The computer system to be chosen should be able to greatly minimize cheating in the counting of ballots.

 

BLEEDING THE GOVERNMENT DRY

 

Third, the gigantic amounts of “commissions” allegedly being asked or given by government officials is hemorrhaging government coffers. These kickbacks are loans to be paid for by the Filipino people. The Philippines already has massive debts inherited all the way from the Marcos administration.

 

What would the common tao think of people getting kickbacks of US$ 70 MILLION or P 3.5 BILLION (at P 50 : $ 1) or even just US$ 10 MILLION ( P 500 MILLION) to “back off” from a project? These are HUGE AMOUNTS.

 

And more kickbacks of that magnitude will soon be exposed. The Southrail project allegedly involves a minimum of US $ 70 MILLION DOLLARS kickback. The Cyber Education project cost is around 26 BILLION PESOS. Surely, there are MASSIVE commissions hiding there. After all, as somebody said in the Senate hearing, it is just like doing another “Knowledge Channel”.

 

The government should not be a milking cow for a few people. The hemorrhage of government coffers should stop now before the Filipinos are burdened with insurmountable debts.

 

MILITARIZATION OF BUREAUCRACY

 

Fourth, the militarization of the bureaucracy is becoming more apparent. Every Army and Air Force General Tom, Police General Dick and Admiral Harry, who retire from the service, is immediately given a government post. In the ZTE-NBN-Lozada scandal alone, former generals are involved — from Department of Transportation and Communication Secretary Mendoza to Airport Asst. Gen. Manager Atutubo . Even Jun Lozada’s former patron was a former general – Gen. Victor Corpus. The head of the Cabinet – the Executive Secretary – is a former general.

 

Civil Service Commission (CSC) chair Karina Constantino-David, in her valedictory speech, said that more than 90 former military and police officers are now enjoying top government posts. She asserted that these people are "not necessarily qualified."

 (See Civil Service chief: Govt needs to sack 20-30% of workers)

 

It is unfortunate that Ms. Constantino-David only found the courage to publicly speak up when her term was already up. The Civil Service Commission is an independent constitutional body. She was not there for the pleasure of the president. She could have spoken up while she was still incumbent and she should have initiated reforms in the Civil Service.

 

There is an urgent need to stop the militarization of the bureaucracy.

 

BLOATED AND MEDIOCRE BUREAUCRACY

 

This brings us to the fifth item, the bloated and incompetent bureaucracy. In the media report cited above, the former CSC chair said that “Around 20-30 percent of government workers should be removed from the service because of the excess number of employees being employed by the state.”

 

She further said that “4,000 qualified personnel were not appointed to executive posts because these positions were filled up by people close to the President. She said that of the 6,000 managerial positions in the government, 3,500 were filled up by presidential appointees instead of career officials.”

 

Like all politicians pandering to the government workforce, she gives the impression that career bureaucrats are necessarily qualified and competent. That is a non sequitur. In the first place, a great majority of so-called career civil servants got their jobs not because of competence or qualifications but because of padrinos who are either politicians or people within the bureaucracy. And a great majority of these bureaucrats get promoted depending on how good they suck up to the powers that be.

 

In fact, these bureaucrats act and think that they own the government. They call the political appointees like Secretaries and Undersecretaries as “transients.” These civil servants could not care less about the people. They certainly do not think they are servants to the people. In fact, most of them do not even act in a civil manner to the public.

 

In an office I used to work, the Undersecretaries and Assistant Secretaries were even afraid of the Treasurer or Cashier! This woman civil servant had the “power of the purse” and her superiors bowed down to her!

 

These career people get a lot of perks, too. They get to go abroad and even study abroad for free and at the same time still get paid their salaries. What is worse is that these people are sent to seminars or conferences abroad even when they know absolutely nothing about the topic of these seminars. The bureaucrats call these foreign travel “junkets”.

 

These countless junkets cost the Filipino people millions of US dollars a year. The bureaucrats get a clothing allowance and a per diem of US$ 200 per day for accommodation and at least US $ 100 a day for meals. This does not include the airline expenses and seminar / conference fees.

 

Once I went to such a conference. The topic was well within my field of expertise. I attended all the conferences and meetings, and gave a comprehensive report afterwards. I even gave back around half of the per diem because the hotel gave me a 50 % discount on the room accommodation as requested by the host organization. It is rare for a government employee to give back part of the per diem money.

But I saw officials from other Philippine state institutions who mostly played golf and didn’t even bother to attend the conference.

 

Also, it is very common for example, for a Treasurer or Cashier to be sent to a seminar in Europe on say, Petroleum Engineering or Geophysics, subjects which they have absolutely no knowledge of. This I know through personal experience.

 

The problem with our bureaucracy is not just the political appointees. The problem is MEDIOCRACY. Our bureaucracy is full of mediocre people.  And because of their mediocrity, they become “mendicants”, as Mr. Lozada puts it, to the powers that be.

 

The Senate hearings revealed the extent of mediocrity in our civil service. A multimillion dollar feasibility study used a TABLOID as source of important data. Also, the former NEDA chief said that his staff tried to research on the INTERNET but could not find sources. This same NEDA chief had to ask a friend to evaluate multi-million dollar projects without any contractual obligations or accountability to NEDA or the government.

 

The fierce urgency of change in the Civil Service is obvious. A mediocre civil service invites graft and corruption.

 

 

RULE OF (WO)MEN, NOT LAWS

 

Sixth, while administration officials keep on trumpeting that they are for the rule of law, they keep on violating those laws. People are picked up by military or police without arrest warrants. And if they are unlucky like the son of the late Jose Burgos, they do not return. No less that a United Nations report concluded that extra-judicial killings are happening in the country.

 

Even congressmen are arrested on warrants issued decades ago and are already superseded by subsequent government policies.

 

Only in the Philippines one could find several congressmen / women seeking sanctuary in the halls of Congress because they would be arrested if they ventured outside the premises of Congress. Congressmen are supposed to be the law makers. Yet the government’s police force has no qualms in arresting them based on trumped up charges.

 

Senate subpoenas are not honored by the President’s men despite any Supreme Court ruling on the matter.

 

Arrest warrants issued by the Senate are ignored by the police. In fact, Police Chief Avelino Razon told the Blue Ribbon Senate Committee hearing that the police do not recognize arrest warrants by the Senate outside Senate premises despite any Supreme Court ruling.

 

Journalists are arrested without warrants and without grounds whatsoever. And they were arrested without being read their Miranda rights.

 

We must bring the prosper respect for law now before impunity becomes the norm.

 

SUPPRESSION OF FREEDOM

 

Seventh, basic human freedoms are suppressed. The right of the people to assemble and seek redress for their grievances, which is guaranteed by the Constitution, is undermined by the ‘no permit no rally’ rule of the government.

 

The freedom of the press is curtailed as evidenced by the arrest of journalists after the Trillanes episode at the Manila Peninsula hotel. The government has issued guidelines which the Press should follow in pain of punishment, such as revocation of the organizations’ media franchises.

 

And the most basic of all, freedom from want. Millions of Filipinos are without jobs, without homes and even without food.

 

As one American hero once said, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death.”

 

 

EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS

 

The Asian Human Rights Commission in 2007 concluded that “The continued failure to prosecute and punish the perpetrators of extra-judicial killings, forced disappearances and other grave violations of human rights, illustrates how deep the problems concerning human rights are today in the Philippines. Despite repeated assurances, commitments and pledges by the government that it would take action, investigations are cursory at best and legal remedies for the victims and the families of the dead remain beyond reach. In reality, the perpetrators of these killings - whether they are the police, military or paramilitary groups - are not yet being held to account.”

 

The report continued with “United Nations Human Rights Council’s Special rapporteur on extra-judicial killings, Philip Alston, visited the Philippines in early 2007 and concluded that the military are responsible for a large number of the political killings taking place in the country.”

 

Jonas Burgos, son of Press Freedom icon Jose Burgos, was kidnapped allegedly by the military and is still missing. I believe he was a victim of extra-judicial killings.

(See my post IPS INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM AWARDEE JORGE BURGOS’ SON KIDNAPPED)

 

Jun Lozada would have been a number in the statistics in the extra-judicial killings had he not taken precautions by telling his relatives and friends that he would be coming that fateful day and so the media and Senate people were waiting for him at the airport.

 

Nothing demands more urgency than the cessation of extrajudicial killings.           

                                                  

EXPLOITATION OF WORKERS

 

Ninth, nowhere in the world are the workers more exploited than in this country. The minimum wage cannot feed a family of five. The minimum wage is just enough to pay rent for a decent apartment, the electricity and water bills. Most minimum wage earners either live with their parents or relatives or become squatters.

 

Most of these minimum wage earners have no insurance or health care. Worse, many are hired on a “casual” basis every 6 months. I know people who work for the government as “casual” for 20 years!

 

Even having education is not enough. Most fresh graduates are hired on a minimum wage. The money spent on 4 or 5 years of education – tuition and other fees, books, allowances, etc. amount to practically nothing. A fresh Accounting graduate can get as much as a janitor.

 

For on-the-job training of students, the students work in companies either for FREE or a minimum allowance (just enough for bus fare.) Worse, some companies even ask the student TO PAY to work in their prestigious firms. Where in the world can one find anything like these?

 

When I had my practicum in Germany, I was paid 800 Deutsche Marks a month. When I had my on-the-job training at ARAMCO in Saudi Arabia, I was paid US 1000 (one thousand) dollars a month.

 

I once met a Malaysian who was the Country Manager of CITIBANK. He did not even have a college degree! Aside from his high pay, he lived in an expensive condominium in Makati.  It is unconscionable for a government to allow its college degree-holders earn salaries 1000 times less than those earned by non-degree holders from other developing countries.

 

The exploitation of workers has to stop now.

 

NO PEACE NO WAR

 

And tenth, in Muslim Mindanao, there is no peace but there is no officially declared war. But it is teeming with soldiers, including American soldiers.

The money spent on troop deployment, war materiel and other war expenses reach billions of pesos. Meanwhile, there is no development in Muslim Mindanao.

 

Even Christian populated places in Mindanao suffer because people are afraid to invest. Foreign investors are loathed to come to Mindanao, what with the regular negative travel advisories of the foreign countries and embassies.

 

More importantly the number of displaced people in Mindanao keeps on getting higher and higher. And of course, countless deaths of Moros and government soldiers simply add to the worsening situation in the land.

 

The "no peace no war" scenario in Mindanao and Sulu affects the whole country. Military spending is sky high, productivity in affected areas is practically nil, and development in nearby areas is hindered by fear of investors to come in. And the reputation of the country is impaired.

 

And pretty soon, the poverty of Moroland, discrimination against Moros’ development, militarization of Mindanao, wanton disregard for Moros’ rights, continued exploitation of Moro resources without benefits going back to them, continued Bush-like rhetoric against Muslims, etc. will finally take its toll. And when the Moros’ will feel that their backs are against the wall, they will have no choice but to rise again just as they did in the early 1970s. And like before, Malacanang’s cronies will not be able to help the administration.

 

It must be remembered that the Moros won the 1970s battles but they lost the war in the negotiating table.

 

The Mindanao conflict needs to be solved now. When the Bangsa Moro people(s) strike back, the Abu Sayyaf menace would be remembered as the good old days.

 

 

PANEM ET CIRCEM

 

Marcos and Imelda used the panem et circem strategy to the hilt. The cronies’ pockets were full but they were in the shadows not in the limelight. Inflation was low, employment was high, the peso was high and stable, and the people (except for Moros and communists) were generally well-off financially.

 

And the people were fed with circuses – the Miss Universe pageant, the Manila International Film Festivals, the constant media hyped parades, etc.

 

This time, like in the Erap administration, the circus is on TV – the Senate hearings. And the spotlights are on the cronies. They are the clowns. And the people get to see how much bread (commissions, kickbacks, bribes, etc.) are thrown the oligarchs’ way. Meanwhile, much of the people are suffering. The OFWs may have some money but they suffer socially – separation from families which causes so many dysfunctions such as break-up of these families.

 

 

NOT A DEMOCRACY

 

It is now internationally acknowledged that the Philippines is not a democratic country. We never were. We have always been ruled by demagogue politicians and their supporters – the rich oligarchs. Our form of government is plutocracy – rule by the wealthy.

 

The New York-based group Freedom House de-listed Philippines from a “free” country to a “partly-free country.” According to Freedom House “a partly free country is one in which there is limited respect for political rights and civil liberties. Partly free states frequently suffer from an environment of corruption, weak rule of law, ethnic and religious strife, and often a setting in which a single political party enjoys dominance despite the façade of limited pluralism.” (See Tony Lopez’s column at Manila Times.)

 

NOW IS THE TIME FOR CHANGE

 

Before sliding further into chaos, the Filipinos are again called on to stand up and act. The act of granting independence to a country does not make that country a nation. So many nations-states created after World War II have now disintegrated. Kosovo has just declared its independence this week from Serbia, which was itself once part of the nation-state Yugoslavia created after World War II.

 

The process of nation-building is long and eventful. Nationhood cannot be taken for granted. After EDSA 1986, the Filipinos had the opportunity to correct all the wrongs done to it by the Marcos administration and his new oligarchs. But the people were not vigilant. The old oligarchs simply came back to power. And later, the old and the new oligarchs joined forces and cut the Philippine pie among themselves.

 

We do not have the luxury of having an Obama for a leader. But we can lead the change ourselves – each of us advocating for truth, transparency and accountability from the government. Sovereignty resides in the people, not in governments. The people must assert its rights – the right to a free press, the right to assemble, all the basic freedoms, especially the freedom from want, and the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

 

There is a “fierce urgency of NOW”. Before it’s too late, we must all act. We can all become co-creators of a new Philippines- a pluralistic, multi-ethnic, multi-cultural equitable society that is based on Freedom, Justice, Truth, Knowledge and Merit.

 

 

President Bush and the US Congress passed a law that would stem recession and stimulate economy. The new law would give tax rebates to Americans of up to US$ 600 (P24,000.00) per person or $ 1200 per couple.

 

In the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is boasting about the big GDP growth (allegedly around 7 %). This is because of the millions of Filipinos who could not find a decent job in the country so they are forced to leave their families and go thousands of miles away to earn their living.

 

To stimulate the economy, the Administration doles out half a million pesos (P 500,000.00) to governors and congressmen and smaller amounts to mayors.

 

For people with no shopping money in Hong Kong like Jun Lozada, half a million pesos is immediately delivered.

 

For those willing to broker projects like the National Broadband Network, the stimulus package can run up to billions of pesos or millions of US dollars.

 

And for Arroyo’s cabinet members (like Romulo Neri) who want to expose corrupt practices of the government, they scout around for sponsors who would contribute to their “Patriotic Fund” to stimulate them to speak up against the administration.

 

In the Philippines under Macapagal-Arroyo, there won’t be any recession. There is plenty of “economic stimuli” for those willing to support her. After all, she is supposed to be an economics expert.

 

           

 

 

Jun Lozada was again practically all by his lonesome self in the Senate hearing of January 18 because All The President’s Men had the very convenient excuse of being subpoenaed to attend another hearing at the Ombudsman. Only Brother Felipe, the host of the Lozadas at La Salle Greenhills, Jun’s elder sister Carmen and the lawyer for the absent military/police/para-military men who “escorted” Mr. Lozada at the airport and beyond were the other Senate witnesses.

 

CHALLENGES TO THE SENATE

 

The lawyer for Gen. Atutubo and other people who escorted Jun Lozada informed the Senate through a letter and through oral statements that his clients refuse to attend Senate meetings because this particular committee hearing was not “in aid of legislation” but “in aid of prosecution,” as evidenced by Senator Madrigal’s filing of criminal charges against some military people, some of whom were witnesses in the last Senate hearing. The lawyer said that his clients will not attend Senate hearings because they do not want to incriminate themselves.

 

The senators rightly pointed out that as per Supreme Court ruling, the right to self-incrimination cannot be invoked prematurely; i.e., before the questions are asked. And the Ombudsperson herself said to the media that their investigation is “in aid of prosecution” and the Senate’s is “in aid of legislation.

 

The Ombudsman investigation is now being used by the people impleaded as the excuse for not answering questions which may be deemed under sub judice rules.

 

Neri, of course, still hides behind his petition to the Supreme Court on Executive Privilege.

 

The Chinese firm ZTE has called the Senate hearing a “political circus” and refuses to acknowledge the Senate’s invitation.

 

PNP chief Gen. Avelino Razon told the Senate in a previous hearing that as far as they are concerned, the Senate cannot arrest anyone outside the Senate premises. Again, the senators cited Supreme Court decisions (Sabio case).

 

But the Senate’s powerlessness is quite apparent in these hearings. The executive branch has nothing but contempt and disdain for it. When the Senate issued an arrest warrant for Lozada, airport officials Cusi and Atutubo refused to cooperate with the Office of the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms. But, they bent over backwards to help the police“escort” Lozada out of the airport. All The President’s Men still uses EO 464 as their reason for turning down the Senate’s invitation.

 

Without the Media, the Senate is but a paper tiger.

 

But because of the Senate, we have Joey de Venecia, Jun Lozada and other brave individuals who expose some corrupt and even criminal practices of government people.

 

EVIL GLORIA

 

According to Lozada, Mr, Neri described President Arroyo as “Evil” and that she had “lost all moral authority” over him (Neri) after she told him to approve the ZTE-NBN deal.

 

Also according to Lozada, Neri described the President as “right in the middle” of the Philippine society’s “ecosystem of corruption.”

 

It took some coaxing from Senator Lacson and intimidation from Senator Ponce-Enrile for Lozada to reveal Neri’s ideas about the President and the Philippine political economy.

 

Lozada publicly apologized to Neri for saying what he said. He also asked the public to try to protect Neri from possible harm.

 

In a presscon by Malacanang, Neri neither confirmed nor denied he said that Gloria is Evil. He simply quipped that he couldn’t remember.

 

Back to the Senate hearing, Sen, Pangilinan asked Lozada about Neri’s conversation with the President. According to Lozada, Neri told the President, “Baka po ma’am mag-ingay sa Media ito kasi magulo na sa media.”

 

Ms. Arroyo allegedly answered, “Pakulo lang yan ni Joey and his father.”

 

Neri then told the President, “Baka hindi na makasali sa loans ang NBN kasi hindi ito kasama originally.”

 

The President then allegedly told Neri to make sure that the NBN will be included in the loans to be given by China.

 

This was supposed to be the incident that made Neri think of resigning. But instead of Neri quitting, NEDA approved the loan the following day.

 

Previous to this, Neri had testified in the Senate that he told the President that Abalos was bribing him with 200 million pesos to which the President allegedly instructed him to forget the bribe but approve the project.

 

Neri must be in a terrible spot right now. The "Evil" President would surely be furious and sooner or later, she would get her vengeance.

 

 

PATRIOTIC MONEY

 

 

According to Lozada, Neri wanted to testify at the Senate but he was afraid that if he would do that, he might find himself out of job. He thus wanted some “insurance” or “safety net” as Lozada described it. Neri and Lozada termed this safety net as “Patriotic Money.” In other words, Neri and Lozada scouted for “sponsors”; i.e., people who are willing to support Neri with some “patriotic money” so he would not suffer any lifestyle loss.

 

This is truly NAUSEATING. Neri was willing to spill the beans on the administration if some people would pay him for it. This really gives me the shivers. These are the kind of people that people our bureaucracy. And Jun Lozada was the one looking for moneyed sponsors.

 

And to think that Neri has the gall to talk about reforming the society. I feel like puking.

 

In the Malacanang presscon, Neri told the press that he was indeed offered “patriotic money” with the sum of 20 million pesos. But he said he declined. After all, Abalos was offering him 200 million pesos.

 

Neri should, if he still has some dignity left in him, tell the people who was the person or persons who offered him such amount. He cannot forever hide behind technical legalities involving sub judice or Supreme Court petitions. Otherwise, it would be fair for everyone to assume that it is all in Neri’s imagination.

 

A SUPPOSEDLY NON-EXISTENT MEETING

 

On Dec. 7, 2007,  Jun Lozada arranged a meeting between Neri and two opposition senators, Madrigal and Lacson. They were joined by the senators’ chiefs of staff. The meeting was held in Makati.

 

The people present reportedly promised to say that the meeting never happened. However, somebody had leaked it to the press, specifically The Tribune, according to Neri. The Tribune article prompted Neri to publicly admit that there was such a meeting. And since Neri already revealed it, Lacson asked Lozada what transpired in that meeting.

 

Aside from the “Gloria is Evil” bombshell, Lozada said that Neri gave a powerpoint presentation about the “political economy” of the Philippines. As mentioned earlier, Pres. GMA is supposed to be the center of “the ecosystem of corruption.” Surrounding the president are the oligarchs – namely, Enrique Razon, Tommy Alcantara, Lucio Tan and Aboitiz. These people, allegedly according to Neri’s presentation, are the ones who influence (nakakaimpluwensiya) the President and benefit (nakikinabang) from her administration.

 

The huge influence of the above-named individuals is not news to many people. I have known this for quite some time now, but for most Filipinos, this may be the first time they would have heard of it. Of course, Razon’s name and massive influence became widely known during the start of the NBN hearing with Joey de Venecia spilling the beans.

 

OIL SMUGGLING

 

According to Sen. Madrigal, one of the dens of corruption is OIL SMUGGLING which allegedly according to Neri amounts to some P 3 Billion a year. And this is controlled by one crony. If the choices are only limited to the four names mentioned, then one can easily deduce who that is. He is the one whose business is concerned with oil, naturally.

 

But then, there is oil smuggling because there are buyers for smuggled oil. In fact, practically everyone, except for the oil majors, buy only smuggled oil. I am not even sure if the oil majors do not buy some oil from the smugglers.

 

If we are speaking of Moral Recovery (at least some people are), perhaps some oil players would want to try buying oil the regular way – with taxes. I will be very glad to give them a very low price as long as they have the necessary bank credentials. Buying non-smuggled oil can still be profitable and competitive with smuggled oil.

 

 

WORD OF HONOR

 

Sen. Panfilo Lacson kept on repeating at the hearing and to media people that he did not tell anyone of the meeting with Neri because he gave his word that he would keep it a secret. But he said, if under oath, he would reveal everything because a promise is just between him and the other person (Mr. Neri in this case) but if he would be made to testify under oath in the Senate hearing, it would be between him and the Senate, between him and the country and between him and God.

 

Oh my God! I think nobody in his right mind would now trust Senator Lacson if he says he gives his word because his word means nothing if he is under oath in Senate inquiries.

 

In my world, when a gentleman or lady gives his/her word, that means it is between him/her and God or whatever s/he holds most sacred. If I give my word, no Senate inquiry or a thousand oaths can change it.

 

Literature has many examples of men and women who sacrificed even their very lives just so they remain true to their word. I guess this kind of palabra de honor is now unimaginable in political circles.

 

RUB-OUT ATTEMPT

 

The evidence for an attempted rub-out is also mounting. The testimony of Lozada as to what happened at the airport was very different from Gen. Atutubo’s testimony to the senators who made an ocular inspection a few days ago. Atutubo and his companions who escorted Lozada refused to testify in this and future Senate hearings.

 

Another interesting fact was narrated by Jun’s sister, Carmen. According to her, when they were at the Brothers’ cloister in La Salle, Atty. Bautista came over to ask her to sign a letter requesting the police for protection for Jun. The letter would be antedated.

 

She overheard the conversation between Bautista and Col. Paul Mascarinas. Bautista asked, “Eh, yung CCTV?”. Mascarinas answered, “Secure na po ‘yon.”

 

After some more Q & A exchange between the two, Bautista asked, “Eh kung ipaproduce sa inyo si Valeroso?” There was a pause, according to Carmen, and then Mascarinas looked up and said, “Bahala na po sila nun.”

 

Later, Carmen heard Bautista say, (I think over the phone)  “Ipa presscon niyo na lang ito, delikado ito sa Senado.”

 

 

First, the CCTV tapes are very important. The Senate could not get videos of Lozada and company while they were in the tube. The Senate was given only a portion of the tapes where the faces of the escorts cannot be easily recognized. The Senate committee is still waiting for the colored recording.