 |
 |
| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| �Neri was afraid��
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Feb 13, 2008 For the Standard Today, February 14 issue NOTE: I am not the Tony Abaya who, according to Jun Lozada, brought him to the house of Mrs. Felicitas Aquino-Arroyo (wife of Sen. Joker Arroyo) who allegedly counseled him not to testify at the Senate. Similarly, I was not the Tony Abaya who, according to a confused �intelligence source� in Malacanang last Sept-Oct. 2007, was coaching Joey de Venecia on how to discredit the ZTE NBN contract. I have never met Jun Lozada or Joey de Venecia in my entire life. And I was not even aware of their existence until I saw them on television. The other Tony Abaya moves in the corridors of power. I do not. Vicente �Enteng� Romano, lead convenor of the Black and White Movement, emailed me a document � which is now all over cyberspace � which was purportedly written by Jun Lozada in October 2007. Said document is claimed to explain why his (Jun�s) friend Romulo Neri refused or declined to divulge details of his (Nerti�s) conversation with President Arroyo after he (Neri) reported to her that Benjamin Abalos had allegedly offered him (Neri) a bribe of 200 (units unspecified but presumed to be millions in pesos) if he (Neri) would approve the controversial ZTE broadband contract. Abalos has denied the accusation. Neri told the Senate investigating committees last October that he was invoking executive privilege in refusing or declining to divulge what President Arroyo�s further instructions were, after telling him (Neri) to ignore the bribe, but to approve the contract nonetheless. This document, attributed to Jun Lozada and said to have been written in October 2007, purports to read the mind of Neri and second-guess his (Neri�s) reasons for doing what he (Neri) did and did not do. This is probably fair, considering the closeness of the two friends, but it would also be fair to conclude that it is also Jun talking here through the presumed voice of Neri. In the following excerpts and summaries from the document � which is too long to reprint in toto � it would be useful to keep in mind that it is really a Neri-Jun avatar who is talking here. (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that when he (Neri) protested that (the ZTE contract) is too controversial and may attract the wrong kind of attention from media, Arroyo retorted back, �Pakulo lang ni Joey yan and his father.� When he tried to reason that it may not be accommodated in the Chinese ODA package because it has been filled up with a list of projects already, Arroyo again ordered him to remove the low-cost housing project (for policemen and soldiers) and some water project to accommodate the ZTE-NBN deal in the ODA loan. That when he attempted to reason that it may not be approved in time for the Boao Forum which was only two days to go from that April day, Arroyo with raised voice told him to include the ZTE-NBN project in the agenda of the following day�s meeting of a combined NEDA Board and Cabinet Committee, which as expected promptly approved the project, paving the way for the contract signing between ZTE and DOTC in China the next day. Neri is afraid to tell the public that this conversation took place between him and Arroyo because it might spark another impeachment complaint against Arroyo.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that with Arroyo�s firm control of public funds, she can buy al the necessary support from most sectors of society to keep her in power.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the opposition knows about this conversation with Arroyo�they will not pursue a serious impeachment proceeding against Arroyo because it is not to their political interest that (VP) Noli de Castro becomes President in case Arroyo is impeached, and becomes a more formidable political opponent in 2010.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the Church knows the truth about Arroyo�s direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, the Church will still not call for her resignation due to the closeness of Arroyo�s trusted lady liaison to the Cardinal of Manila �.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the military knows the truth about Arroyo�s direct involvement in the fraudulent ZTE-NBN deal, the AFP brass is much too indebted to Arroyo for their positions and the perks that go with their positions, that they have demonstrated this twisted loyalty with their willingness to detain, remove from the service and even shoot their own people for voicing out their legitimate concerns regarding the corruption and moral authority of their Commander-in-Chief�� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the media knows the truth about Arroyo�s direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN scam, media will simply wither in the torrent of cash and favors similar to how the Hyatt 10, the Hello Garci scandal were killed in the media headlines and radio and TV coverage. Although he believes in the integrity of a handful of journalists, he believes that a handful of these mavericks cannot withstand the hordes of paid lackeys of Malacanang�.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the business sector knows the truth of Arroyo�s direct involvement to defraud the coffers of the taxes they are paying, the businessmen will be reluctant to rock the boat of the current economic uptrend�.He is afraid the hard-earned remittances of Filipino OFWs that are keeping the economy booming and that can keep the economy afloat even under any administration are being wasted under this unholy alliance of Arroyo and her favored businessmen.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if civil society knows the truth about Arroyo�s direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal, civil society is now tired of mass action after witnessing two failed EDSA revolutions, that civil society is now afflicted with �rally fatigue� and cannot muster enough public outrage to denounce Arroyo�s �corruption with impunity.� He is afraid that the middle class is now indifferent to the corruption that goes around them�..that the middle class are more interested to become OFWs and leave this country, leaving their family and children behind, and may not care anymore about the crimes being committed against their country by its own President.� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that even if the masa, the students, the workers know the truth about Arroyo�s direct involvement in the ZTE-NBN deal to steal precious resources from public funds, that they are now too poor and impoverished to be able to afford the time to join mass action against the abuses of the Arroyo government�..� (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that the public may not know the extent of corruption in this country and may wrongly believe that they can cure corruption by simply replacing Arroyo with another person. He is afraid that the public may overlook the systemic and institutionalized nature of the source of corruption in this country, that the people will again opt for regime change without concern or a plan to correct the root causes of corruption in the country,�that people may not realize that it is not bringing Arroyo down that is difficult, it is establishing a new order that is the difficult task�..� Of the 10 �afraids� in this document, this last is the one that goes to the heart of the problem and constitutes the dilemma that we all face in our predicament. I will dissect this in a future article. Now that the Jun half of this avatar has unburdened himself of the moral anguish that has tormented his soul in the past months, will the Neri half now come out and confirm what the Jun half has revealed? More important, will Neri now speak out more freely about the corruption that he has had to deal with at first hand, to an extent far wider and deeper than the Jun half ever did? Has Neri found a solution to the 10th �Afraid�? Will he ever find one. *****. Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Neri was afraid�� �Lead, follow, or get out of the way� (Forwarded to Tapatt by Paul Garcia) This was supposedly written by Jun Lozada in October (before he became the Senate star witness and media flavor of the month.) I think what is possibly going on in the mind of Secretary Neri is what every battle-fatigued pre and post Edsa I and II marchers are struggling with right now. Someone, somewhere, out there, please come up with a plan because there seems to be no viable alternative in sight. Neri for president in 2010? Public flogging of GMA? Anything, please. There must be some other action more productive than the current circus in the Senate. Kay Mercado, (by email), Feb. 12, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, This is a reaction to your article entitled Neri was afraid�� I think in a way he is right to be afraid since it seems that the solution is not replacing one president after another but more of a larger need to resolve not only corruption but the larger problem of governance confronting the nation. What is pressing for now is that we cannot see any alternative to that fear and no single president can resolve our current problems on corruption, poverty etc..But for urgent need I think this 10th fear of Neri in a way the reason why most Filipino's just want to go out from the country including the young who dream to work and stay away from our own society. In the end, whether GMA remain or out of power before 2010, those will stay are those who cannot get out or those who want to remain in the country to join the rat race of plundering and continuously corrupting the nation. Albert Banico, (by email), Manila , Feb 14, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Anybody with anti Arroyo symphaties and half a mind could have written these repetitive 'he's afraid' bull. only diehard chismoso's like you get heart palpitations over this regurgitated opposition talking points. stick to the facts. Neri has disowned this statement of presidantial wannabee lacson-lackey mr. corrupt-not-so-poor-intsik Lozada. Sure there's corruption, but do I believe this tale of $130m? NO. Neither does the public. M. Gonzalez, (by email), Feb. 14, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hello, Mr. Abaya; Maybe Jun Lozada can explain what he did in Hong Kong , where he got the money for shopping spree, paid $600 suite a night!!!???? Thanks for including me in your email list. God Bless! Gigi Bonquin, (by email), Feb. 16, 2008 (The money seems to have been sent by, and subsequently returned to, Manny Gaite. The hotel booking must have been done by the people who sent him there: Sec. Lito Atienza or his staff. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Yes, we know that now, although the first thought that came to my mind was that it was the same Tony Abaya Jun_Neri was reffering to, lol. I belive Neri's predicament is a combination of fear coupled with Greed & Corruption that is like a jar of Jalape�os. What you do today�����.. might burn your A$$ tomorrow [email protected], Feb. 16, 2008. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My comments on the Jun Lozada write-up on why ex-NEDA Sec. Romulo Neri is hesitant to reveal all about the ZTE-NBN deal: 1. I think there is a dearth of alternative leaders to GMA willing to rise up at the moment. The military folks like Trillanes, Lim, etc. are too amateurish to lead the nation. The opposition is too discredited to be an alternative. 2. The issue still is powerlessness because of poverty. People, groups, NGOs, activists, etc. cannot mobilize against GMA because they are concerned with their economic problems. After two EDSAs, it's hard to mobilize politically. Plus, the economy, some say, is improving IN SPITE of GMA. GMA claims credit for the success. This may be partly true, but her administration should be ashamed that in spite of perceived widespread corruption, the Philippines is surviving/growing. 3. As I like to say, Filipinos are acting in ways that DISCOUNT government. They detest GMA, but they also detest the opposition. Their "walang pake" is actually an indictment of both. They are voting with their feet by migrating. They are focusing on making money. Once more Filipinos have more money, I think they will demand more of government and of politicians or even kick them out. 4. The other avenue of action is of course through NGOs and social movements like GK. There's a lot activity going on nationwide. People are doing their thing, helping one another, family, kamag-anak, community, probinsiya. In fact, there are new terms for these, which I think many are familiar with: corporate social responsibility (CSR), social entrepreneurship, social innovation, OFW philanthropy, conscious capitalism, LOHAS (lifestyles of health and sustainability) initiatives, etc. lahat to will have some impact down the road...government and politicians are the outsiders here. 5. Of course the government/politicians or technically, the State, are still powerful because they hold the different levers of power. But many of them can be influenced to do good or change. That's what the Ateneo School of Government is doing. Their graduate programs are focused not on the yuppies, but the LGU officials, hoping to influence them. GK is working with mayors and in the process changing them. There is competition between cities; for example, Taguig vs. Makati . News has it that the stock exchange will be unified in Taguig because they offered more including more professionalism. Taguig also hopes to be squatter-free in 10-15 years with GK's help. So there will be "islands of prosperity" in the Philippines ... 6. OFWs, teachers, journalists, environmentalists, artists, athletes, ethical business persons, etc.- these are nice, principled people who are doing things for the good of society. If there weren't good people around, don't you think the Philippines would have collapsed already? What we need are more good people doing good things and more people NOT MINDING the corrupt. 7. The powerful need to consider that the powerless have what James Scott calls "the weapons of the weak" or everyday resistance strategies. While the allegedly overpriced ZTE-NBN deal was supposed to modernize the information and communication technologies (ICT) capabilities of the country, the government's enemies have access to similar technologies. The internet is a tool increasingly used to undermine the government. The number of webpages on this controversy is already in the thousands and is increasing. With either a tinge of irony or poetic justice, check out at the following video uploaded to YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l56JX0weuQw) Regards. Hecky Villanueva, (by email), Tucson , Arizona , Feb. 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I think the real issue here is the morality of the people, both in the government and the constituents. If we change the system of governance from its present form to other forms like federalism or others, the same problem will probably exist. PERA po ang punot dulo nito. However, I believe that there should be a start, for any GOOD change that the Filipinos would want to have. We should never resign and just hand this country to the " ruthless intelligents" or people in power. We begin with the election reforms. I seriously suggest that we should limit the voters to people with the following 2 requirements: - should be college graduate - should possess ITR and TIN - business permits Basta bungal or magbobote, wag na ipaboto. Softdrinks lang katapat nyan, boboto na yan ke kotongressman. I may sound strong with this, but it is the honest truth. Totoo naman eh. With this quality of voters, we can surely get rid or minimize of actors , college dropouts, druglords, gambling lords, old politicians, neophytes from political clans and other second-class people from running and winning. Secondly, campaigning will improve, minus the dancing of bold actresses and novelty actors. Naiingit ako sa mga Americano, candidates debate in their primaries. Here, we see clowns and roadshows of TV personalities during campaigns. What I am saying is, the middle/working class shall be empowered. Tutal, the middle class is the heavily taxed income segment eh, might as well be the ones that decide the fate of this country. You have to understand Mr. Neri. He also has to protect the job that feeds him and his life as well. Bastusan na kasi ang nagyayari eh, wala ng inter branch courtesy ang legislative and executive, may mga EO 464 pa na pinapa-uso and the SC doesnt budge at this issues. Mr Lozada is no Mr. clean, but I say, i believe him, no matter what. Mike Delgado, (by email), Feb. 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: The number 10th Afraid listed simply reflects the state and nature of how complicated the ball of yarn has woven itself that it is almost incredibly impossible to unwind it. The complexity of how graft and corruption have interwoven into a total mess makes me shudder. The arrogance of Arroyo committing these atrocities along the corridors of power is truly mind boggling. Why? because people around her are nothing but tutas giving her free range. Where are the checks and balances? She is toying with everyone for goodness sake. Doesn't anybody hear the bell go ding, ding, ding?. Where is the conscience, the people and the country in her scheme of things? Where is the accountability? Nere and Jun are nothing but gophers. They shake and tremble at the sound of power no matter how precarious their positions were. They knew it and stayed on. And now feel compelled to share these concerns to the Filipino people for what? Give me a break. No sympathy here. To me you are nothing but bearers of bad news. You guys have dirty hands expecting justice? No way.. Of course being close to power has a hallucinating effect to one's ego. The listed concerns do not amount to a hell of beans really. Let us assume they happened? At the end of the day they would remain unresolved .even after the expose'. What did the country gain from it? The country's power has become experts in deception. One day someone will trip and will pay the price, assuming there is no revolt or uprising from the masses. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville , CA , Feb.16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Yes, .I know ur tokayo, d husband of belle. regards Enrico San Juan, (by email), Feb. 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I think there is 'something' very significant in Pedrosa's column today. Of course some would say she is identified with GMA as many tend to dismiss Alex Magno's writings which I find informative (and should be read by the CBCP and the nuns who are not really experts on "wordly" matters thus easily taken for a ride by some questionable 'advocates' and their fake advocacies). Anyway, just thought you might find some clues about the bigger picture behind "L'affaire Lozada". One thing that intrigues me .... Jun Lozada mentioned not once about his fear of "baka ma-Dacer ako". Was he trying to telegraph us something? I hope a person close to him is not being held captive somewhere to make sure that Jun 'sings the right tune'. Btw, me thinks his security welcome party planners really made a big booboo by not assigning a lady operative to stay with his wife to keep her and family assured that Jun is just being whisked to a safe house "because of intelligence reports that another group is out to snatch him" which is not far fetched really. One thing for sure though, Jun holds some sensitive pieces of the ZTE jig-saw puzzle that shows a despicable picture of 'un-moderated' GREED. Ed J. Tirona, (by email), Paranaque City , Feb. 16, 2008 PS. If it is any indication of GMA's chances of surviving this 'golpe', -Binay's crowd, if the rally was held in Luneta, was not large enough to fill the street across the length of the Quirino Independence Grandstand. Maybe not even large enough to fill the Cuneta stadium. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir Walter Scott: �Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive� Pierre Tierra, (by email), Great Falls , Virginia , Feb. 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In context we are assuming that the Filipino can not find the resolve to support a leader willing to eradicate corruption. Magsaysay was able to do it or to contained it before he died in a plane accident. Others can do it too, if they had the same guts as The Guy. If we are to assume that not one of the 85 million living Filipinos has the character, the strength and integrity to change the social malaise of this nation, then we are in for a long wait. Unless of course, we will be overtaken by a more turbulent scenario for change. People's reactions to recent events are a study in progress. There are those who talk. There are those who do write. And there are those who wait-- for something to happen. The scene is pregnant with "IFs". Let's look for someone to lead us--one who is unafraid to offer his life so others can live with self-respect instead of licking ass. . . of those "leaders" (kuno), whose primordial aspirations in life seem to be just to cheat, rob, lie and silence those who dare talk! Repression and even silencing of concerned citizens who talk against those in power appear to be the order of the day. Will there be no end to these atrocities? We read somewhere that what's happening is worst than the Marcos regime. You know better. Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City , Feb. 16, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Why is this ZTE case still dragging in senate? When will the courts start questioning the witnesses? All this news are just talk talk talk. The witnesses and evidence now need to be scrutinized in the courts so we will find out if the accused are guilty or not. Antonio F., [email protected], Feb. 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Tony Abaya of "Standard": I am soooooo relieved to know directly from you that you are not that Mr. Abaya. I was afraid you have gone the way of the rabid Senators Arroyo and Santiago . Of course having known you just by reading all your articles, I know it would not have been possible for you to be that Tony Abaya. On all the "fears" of the Jun-Neri lists (looks more like a bucket list for the Philippines ), I believe that those fears are well founded on what they really know. But I don�t believe on the rally fatigue. I believe it is more like people learned from the GMA way of being installed by forcing Estrada out "illegally". I, for one, want the legal course. And I am praying (really hard) for the Senate to act decently and with deep love for the country. My own fears from the very beginning when this issue first came out is that Gloria Arroyo will do anything to stay in power, even to the point of selling the country to the Chinese as long as she will be promised to remain as the head of state under communist China. Let�s pray that the few honorable members of the Congress will shall as the new heroes of the republic. Pura Flor Isleta, (by email), Feb. 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, You quote Romulo Neri through Jun Lozada as saying: (Neri-Jun) �is afraid that the public may not know the extent of corruption in this country and may wrongly believe that they can cure corruption by simply replacing Arroyo with another person. He is afraid that the public may overlook the systemic and institutionalized nature of the source of corruption in this country, that the people will again opt for regime change without concern or a plan to correct the root causes of corruption in the country,�that people may not realize that it is not bringing Arroyo down that is difficult, it is establishing a new order that is the difficult task�..� Well said! In my point of view, it goes to the very grain of the paradox facing the nation: How do we fix the system without breaking it? EDSA 1 and EDSA 2 have demonstrated that regime change does not correct the systemic corruption ingrained in our society. If we want to go beyond cosmetic changes, we have to dig deep into the roots. Otherwise, it will be the same exercise repeating itself over and over again . . . until some self-anointed savior (or saviors) comes along and takes the bull by the horns. This could be a two-edged sword hanging over us. We could end up with a madman or a messiah. Now, if we were to go through peaceful and democratic means to uproot systemic corruption, how on earth do you think it can be done? There will always be vested interests, from all sides, interfering into the manner of going about those reforms. With so many discordant voices intensely trying to drown out each other, I honestly do not believe genuine reforms can be carried out under the present liberal democratic system. We once attempted land reform and look what happened? Nothing but a big ugly farce that drained our government of time and resources. So it may be just a matter of time. A waiting game. Heads or tails? Madman or Messiah? Sincerely yours, Juan Deiparine, (by email), Toril, Davao City , Feb. 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Good thing you clarified the Tony Abaya person mentioned in this Lozada melodrama. I really thought it was you. Anyway back to the topic. What makes Lozada different from other "whistle blowers" paraded by the opposition? What is the diff between Hello Garci and this ZTE deal? The fist one happened and the last on did not. In both case, GMA has the hand but she remain in power. Why? This whole mess has become a media circus. And again, it sapping the energy of the the entire nation. Lozada is being used by certain sectors to promote their own interest. Senators like Lacson or Villar bask in the limelight of senate hearing to grandstand. Not to formulate laws to stop corruption or to prosecute Abalos et all. Media outlets go gaga over Lozada because of ratings. It's sickening to here diff media groups especially the mainstream TV, say that the public has the right know. But did do any comprehensive investigative report on this matter? No. If ever they will, it will be shown very late in the evening after those mindless telenovela. Maybe. Brother Eddie is right as mentioned in the headline of Inquirer this Sunday. Someone has to convene the senior leaders of this country and declare the presidency vacant. Then on 2010, elections can be help after the computerization and maybe the citizens can pass a law preventing the likes of Lacson Villar or JdV from running. Mabuhay po kayo! Marvin Valido, (by email), Feb. 17, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Good that you are dissecting this preposterous document which the Black and White Movement purports to be a handiwork of the "proto-martyr" Losada. Less than halfway through the document I have already detected that it is a complete sham and as contrived as all these things happening now are. These people are trying to spark a people power event. I lament that the bishops are included in this spectacle (for I am a Catholic) HOPING that in their midst there IS a Cardinal Sin who had a 100% score in successfully triggering people power. BUT Cardinal Sin is Holy Spirt-led in these two occasions. The Bishops are obviously NOT kasi ang damai na nilang palpak na attempts. Can't they discern this up to now ? A chimpazee seems to be challenging the intelligence of humans like us ? Ernie del Rosario, (by email), Cainta, Rizal, Feb. 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Just how much do these politicians need to amass materially in their lifetime? I am at a loss for words to describe their greed. They are not talking in millions anymore but billions in kickbacks! In all these drama, I empathize with Neri's dilemma. he is a good and intelligent man (odd man in the bureaucracy) caught in a web of lies and deceit. In one of his interviews, he said that we should look into the deeper root of all the problems. He also talked about our government being a "transactional form of government". How do we extract ourselves from this quagmire? It is so easy to remove GMA, just like what we did w/ Marcos and Erap, in less than a week, They're gone via Edsa l and ll. Now, did we solve the problem after erap was yanked out? Look what we've got now...An even monstrous conjugal conspiracy. Do we have someone to lead us, someone who cannot be corrupted, someone whose greed cannot be moderated because greed is not in his vocabulary? Because, if ever we are successful in making GMA resign, it is imperative that the one who will replace her is morally fit. We should find a solution to the 10th Afraid of Neri.....soon. Evelina de la Pe�a, (by email), Manila , Feb. 17, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Neri is either a coward or he wants to play the role of a god. Jun Lozada has declared that he would not wish for another person to be in his present predicament. What kind of friendship does Neri have with Jun whom he has seen agonizing over national television while he continues giving interviews and using the mantle of �executive privilege� to keep the people on edge. Is he or isn�t he a Palace stooge. Is he JDV�s secret weapon to be unleashed at the proper time? Or is he just plain �yellow�, unable to finish what he has started. Tet Gambito, (by email), Cebu City , Feb. 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Anyone could have written this up and passed it off as truth. It is so easy to invent and dress up statements. I am very, very skeptical and cynical about these so-called revelations and statements. There are as many personal agendas (which do not have anything to do with the common good) as there are people who want want to out-shrill, out-ululate and out-shout everyone else in this controversy. And why is everyone in an obscene rush to canonize Jun Lozada? Is there no one left in media who has the balls or at least the journalistic curiosity to dispassionately test the veracity of his testimony? There has always been grand larceny going on in government since the 20th century so why are we being made to feel like all of this has been happening only since 2001? Where have all these do-gooders and overly righteous people been all these years? The noise from both sides is already exhausting, at least to those of us in Manila who are bombarded with it day and day out. Good grief! RR, [email protected], Feb. 18, 2008 (Well, at least these �do-gooders and overly righteous people� have the courage of their convictions and attach their full names to their opinions. Which is more than can be said about you. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Neri will have all the opportunity to tell all he needs to tell, when the case is filed in court. I still believe the court is the proper forum. If one does not believe the case will prosper because one feels the administration presently controls the court, one can file the case after PGMA is no longer in power. After all, it is almost sure that the opposition will be in power after 2010, won't they? Everyone should join the crusade against corruption. And I mean not limiting this to the government, but to the other politicians as well. And not only to the politicians but also to media, which is likewise very corrupt, and also the judiciary, and the military. The private sector too is likewise very corrupt. But let us do this the proper way. The Senate hearing is not the proper forum to bring out the truth. It will only bring the out the version of the truth that the majority of the senators would like to bring out because it will benefit their party or their personal ambitions. And that is really expected because the Senate is a political forum. And finally, I say, if we want to fight corruption, the best way is to do so is to start with ourselves. Let us all become law abiding citizens even in just following traffic regulations and not littering in the streets. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! Bobby Tordesillas, (by email), Feb. 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. NOTE: Because of limited space, this post may be truncated in acabaya.blogspot.com. It appears or will appear complete in www.tapatt.org. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr., the humble Chinese from the province, for all his own human weaknesses, faults and venial sins has now become a superstar by virtue of playing a role he did not dream of and tried all he can to avoid. His confessions during a pre-dawn press conference and his testimonies at the Senate hearings showed us a man who struggled to free himself from the midst of a battlefield where contending forces would clash. A simple government functionary but possessed with the expertise and qualifications to dissect the bone of contention that is the ill-fated and scandal-filled national broadband network project, he was the prized trophy of the Senate which wanted him to shed the truth and testify in its investigation of the ZTE-NBN corruption against the wishes of very high government officials and their families who badly wanted to hide what the Senate seeks. Lozada has become a superstar, a hero. All the while I thought that heroism has died with Ninoy Aquino at that airport tarmac. But upon reading about that poor schoolgirl who found and returned a bag filled with hundreds of thousands of pesos lost by a door-to-door money remittance messenger, about those airport security guards who also found bags full of money and gave them to his superiors to be returned to their rightful owners, I know that their are still honest persons among our Filipino countrymen, who, despite their poverty and meager income were not tempted by the lure of big money and kept their conscience clean. These are the day-to-day heroes whose examples should be emulated by those highly educated and well-heeled persons in the government or those who deal with it. But no. They do not have the strength, not the will nor the desire to resist the temptation to enrich themselves even more, even if they can never spend the wealth they already have even if they live many times over. They cannot look at that poor schoolgirl direct in the eye out of shame because the conscientious girl's stare would pierce through their souls and see that they have no conscience in them. Lozada has the courage admit that he has committed misdeeds in his life but that he is sorry for them now. "Mea culpa," said he. It may have been his little misdeeds which made his immediate superiors entrust upon him the monstrous act of grand larceny and greed so gross which he now exposed. Had he been so clean and straight as columnist Ma. Ceres P. Doyo wished he was in her Inquirer column, "Permissible zones, 'bukol,' guavas," he would not be able to know what he is telling us now and the dark secrets of this administration may not have been known. He unconsciously played the role of a "mole" as in intelligence parlance. He was able to know the extent of the greed of those in power and which he was advised to moderate. In doing so, he told Benjamin Abalos in his face that the $130 million commisssion he was asking was too big it will bulge. "Bubukol po ito," he said at tumawad pa, "Baka po kalahati pwede pa." Lozada, the "probinsiyanong Intsik," like presidential legal adviser Serigo Apostol called him in a manner which rivals Raul Gonzales' crudeness was accorded a VIP welcome when he was met at the airport last February 5 by his former superior Joselito Atienza and a cavalry of high ranking military and police officers who whisked him out and took him on a "joyride" south of Manila before he was brought to La Salle Greenhills. Only after the cries of his relatives reverberated in the media when he failed to arrive as expected saved him. The media clamor saved his life and the truth he carried in his head. But his scary brush with the "president's men" (which reminds me of J. Edgar Hoover's G-Men) as the Inquirer in its February 15 editorial wrote, and the manner by which they took him smacks of abduction and attempts to withholding of evidence or obstruction of justice. The rule of law has become a myth in this country as the Arroyo administration gets notorious in its attempts to undermine constitutional democracy. Gloria Arroyo has succeeded in uniting strange bedfellows like erstwhile opponents Sen. Joker Arroyo who fought hard against the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship and Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile who defended them. Their own selfish interests rise above whatever virtue they have despite the unavoidable fate that their time is slowly but surely being shortened by their advancing age. It is not yet late to make a clean breast of one's self and make penance like Lozada did. Those people around Arroyo who still have some amount of self respect should realize that her ship is sinking with the weight of her guilt. The time has come for them to make the choice of going down with her or leaving to live the rest of their lives with a conscience less burdened by remorse and regret. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen , Germany , Feb. 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir, Whether Mr.Neri will corroborate his friend's testimony or not is a question that clouds the thoughts of every interested Filipino following the tawdry affair in the Senate hearings and media blitz. While Mr. Lozada's credibility holds amid the onslaught of the demolition derby that the high and mighty are hell bent on unleashing, I still have doubts on his capacity to convince apathetic Filipinos that it was time to institute changes in every nook and cranny of Filipino society riddled with corrupt practices. I could not help but feel pessimistic about all this because nothing will ever change as long as the halls of powers are peopled with individuals who are unable to "moderate their greed" for more power and wealth. I feel sympathetic for Mr. Lozada for the terror he experienced in the hands of those who are mandated to protect the citizenry. Admittedly, I would also avoid asking for help from the police because I simply could not muster enough to place my trust in the institution. I am sorry to say that despite efforts to improve police image, I would rather call the 'ghostbusters' for help than endure the anxiety of having to deal with "corrupt cops." I hope someday, the police can change my mind with genuine change within their ranks. I still have some hope left in me and I pray that many of disillusioned Filipinos have some left too. I dread the day when hope is gone and it is replaced with indifference. God Bless! Grace Santos, (by email), Feb. 18, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya: Lest my perspective of the Lozada expose got overtaken by the daily breathtaking events unfolding on this sorry episode, please allow me to articulate my humble theory: Neri did not offer any firm denials on any of the statements Lozada enumerated except a lame and weak defensive statement of "one should not put words into my mouth" (Neri's). Since the two are established old buddies and "drinking companions" (according to Neri), it was possible that in one or more of their spirited (please pardon the pun) sessions, both gentlemen with plenty of skeletons in their closets and burdened by guilt and shame (and perhaps by patriotism) planned to play "the chicken game". Lozada, being the subordinate of the two agreed to be the fall guy and take all heat. Neri who have more reasons to be scared and plenty to lose must have told Lozada "Mauna ka, susunod na lang ako sayo" (You go first and I'm right behind you). Thus the whole revelations unfolded in the Senate with Lozada as our "reluctant hero". The almost tragi-comedy of Lozada's return from Hong Kong might have caused him his dear life if not for the incompetence and miscommunications of the PNP, Airport and Presidential Security agents. The administration handlers no doubt got hold or at least became suspicious the Lozada impending Senate appearance. The poor fellow was sent to a junket, first to HK and hopefully to London with 5 million pesos budgeted for his expenses and/ or bribe(as reported by Lozada lately). The handlers were hoping that Lozada will do a Joc Joc Bolante disapperance and self-exile. Lozada, haunted by his conscience and maybe bolstered by patriotism, instead decided to return from HK ( he probably remembered the "chicken game" too). His own resourcefulnes of sending out text messages and calls prior and during his flight, his family's bold intervention in his behalf, and the media's relentless hounding of the authorities probably save his life. It was indeed a very perilous journey. With incompetents at the helm and clueless subalterns handling his "abduction" a misinterpretation of the communications or lack of it would cost him is life. It was allege that if this bungled operation by the authorities were handled by Erap Estrada, Atong Ang and/or Ping Lacson, the outcome would have been similar to Bentain, the unfortunate casino employee and Dacer/Orbito. We are glad that Lozada made it, and the rest is history still unfolding. Sincerely, Mark Enriquez, (by email), Pomona , CA , Feb.19, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww How can you convey to these people who want to amass too much money � to remember that Marcos had all his millions/billions but couldn�t buy his health. Regards, Ma. Purificacion Almeda, (by email), Feb. 20, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Good day! Out of the ten �what if�s� the most probable is the tenth which I think can fairly summarize what most people in our country feel. We can argue in a life time where and when corruption happened or started to happen in our country. Some might say that it started with the Spaniards or it started when the Americans replaced our Spanish conquerors or it started when Marcos came into power. Whether or not it was 300 years ago or 30 years ago, what happened in the past is something we cannot change any more. What is important is what we can learn from that past. Most countries in our world today have done something to correct their past. No country on earth has never faced corruption or got a clean cut government. I also think even now, there is no country I can think of that has a transparent government � maybe the closest is Sweden or Switzerland not the US (I�m sure). But, does it really matter what these people (Lozada, etc.) say? When all they do is talk and not presenting anything concrete to help change it? Maybe Neri is hiding a lot of things but why does he still go to work and help make little changes in his own environment? Changing the government may not be the best solution. We are experiencing a good economic uptrend and will do so for the coming years. But, to really fight corruption and change our country is changing our attitude first. Most of our countrymen are confused or depressed. They think that they can no longer have a future. Isn�t it that giving up is not a solution as well? If we could just stop focusing on the bad things or the reason why we are depressed and just move on, build strength, and succeed at what you are passionate about; isn�t it better to focus our energy with hope than despair? Isn�t it better that we �pay it forward�? Why not focus on nation building rather than tearing it apart? It�s probably true that most of our countrymen is tired of listening to the drama that we call politics. But, our complaints or our regrets won�t solve anything. I believe that even the smallest acts can change the world/environment. Let�s follow our traffic rules, let�s stop feeding the crocodiles in our streets, let�s start buying Filipino products, let�s start caring for our environment thru recycling, let�s respect other people�s business, let�s stop unnecessary spending and start planning for tomorrow, let�s forgive our neighbours, and lastly, let us act on what we pray. Don�t you think it�s better than contemplating on the �what ifs� or the rhetoric of people like Lozada and JDV�s son? Jerahmeal Fandrall Chen, (by email), Feb. 20, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Your analysis on the current "Jun Lozada" moment has given voice to that nagging hesitation that plagues me. I am afraid that mere ouster of the current regime is just going to be a hiccup in the life of the ever-growing monster of corruption that besets us. The next set of leaders might just belong to one of the three groups that I have very little sympathy for. Though I wholeheartedly support the call for transparency and accountability in the face of apparent crude and brazen corruption, I hesitate to jump into the noisy "resign" bandwagon because I don�t trust the other set of misfits that are driving it. I need to see a clear picture of the next step we are to take as a nation, and not just be blindly led to another dead end. The call of the Church to pray, the new people power, may seem anti-climactic for some who want the same "short and sweet" regime changes of Edsa I and II. However, it may give us time to discern the right way out of this national rut we are all in. I do pray that we may be able to find a real moral alternative to the salivating trio of a pseudo-masa godfather (or whatever persona a traditional polititian wants to assume), orphaned communists and rental military idealists. Maybe that will capture my imagination. Fr. John Cordero, MMHC, (by email), Feb. 21, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Rafael Alunan III) To Take a Stand Rafael M. Alunan III February 19, 2008 BusinessWorld Lead, follow or get out of the way The oath of office of the President of the Philippines : �I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God.� The title of today�s column is what FVR, during his time, often admonished. Having served under FVR as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government for four years, the title reflects my personal message to the present crop of elected and appointed leaders in government. While we were not perfect, we took our oath of office and command responsibility seriously. As such, we let go of our own colleagues with integrity issues close as they may have been to FVR or to us. Alas, this is not the case today, and it dismays to see that the oath of public office is being violated with impunity, bringing us back to those dark days before EDSA 1. In recent weeks, I have come across compelling statements from various organizations. This column will share edited excerpts from three declarations. The first is from the joint statement of Kilosbayan-Bantay Katarungan-Bantayog ng mga Bayani, organizations founded by former Senate Jovito R. Salonga to promote virtue in public service, uphold justice and extol the ultimate sacrifice of heroic Filipinos. Aristotle said, �Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.� It is the virtue that makes all other virtues possible. Lozada, who has had an epiphany, is showing us the way to break free. Kilosbayan is advocating that courage and truth become the standard by which all Filipinos live. It is the passport to freedom � from apathy, backwardness, betrayal, corruption, greed, hopelessness, ignorance, inequality, injustice, insincerity, lies, plunder, poverty, repression and selfishness. If we are to be a strong and upright nation, we should first be the change we want our country to be. We must live the truth and do whatever is right to justify our existence and honor the sacrifices of our heroes and martyrs. The second is drawn from the statement of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP). MAP stands for good governance in all sectors of society, and has, for the past three years, adopted �Country Above Self� for its theme. �If corruption cases happen under our watch in our corporations, what would we do? As business leaders and managers, we would immediately order an impartial and thorough investigation, fire all those involved, and offer to resign for having failed in our duty to protect our company�s assets and reputation. Are we to tolerate a lesser standard for those who manage the affairs of government? If there are no differences at all in the yardsticks by which government and private managers are measured, should the leaders under whose watch all these shameless scandals occur offer to resign now? If the President fails to act, does it mean she is tolerating anomalies or is not in control of her people? If so, under the principle of command responsibility, would it be time for all of us to join in asking the President to step down? We call on the military and the police to support the people and the Constitution, and not allow themselves to be used by those who continually violate the oath of public office and betray the people�s trust for their personal aggrandizement. The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men and women to do nothing.� The third excerpt is taken from a statement issued by former government officials to their counterparts serving in the current administration. �In the past, for too many times that we were confronted with threats to our democracy and to our moral values, our response was: �What can we do about it? What is our choice? Who will lead us?� These questions persist but, today, we can no longer stay silent. We can no longer ignore the reality of a government gone wild, wreaking havoc on our rights and institutions in a climate of impunity. The future of our country is at stake. Our democratic institutions are under attack. What we stand to lose is the moral fabric of our society. We call on all those who can no longer endure this wrongful governance, with its structures of evil and unmoderated greed: IT IS TIME TO CUT CLEAN! IT IS TIME TO GO! Truly, what does a battered nation do when a rogue State places itself above the law and does not hesitate to betray, threaten, terrorize and even kill its sovereign citizens who rightfully demand from their public servants the truth, justice, fairness and honest achievement? I�d say that that victimized nation must exorcise its demons, perilous as it may be. Doing nothing means consent and consigns it to a life of constant darkness. This brings to mind the anecdote about �The Two Wolves.� An old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, 'My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson asked, �Which wolf wins?� The old Cherokee replied, �The one you feed.� Mr. Alunan was Secretary of the Interior and Local Government under Pres. Ramos. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |