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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Roosevelt or Hitler?
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Feb. 04, 2008 For the Standard Today, February 05 issue According to Augusto Santos, acting director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Philippine economy, in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), grew by 7.3% in the year 2007, compared to 5.4 % in 2006, the highest growth rate since 8.8% in 1976. (Former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno claims the actual GDP growth rate in 2007 was only 6.0 and 6.5%, but offers no counter-statistics to back his claim.) . This does not include the remittances of Filipino workers overseas, which in 2007 amounted to about $14 billion. These remittances are included in the computation of the Gross National Product or GNP, which is said to have grown by 7.8% in 2007. Does this mean that those $14 billion contributed only 0.5 points to the 7.8%? Not necessarily. Net factor income, which includes these remittances, also includes negative inputs such as losses from Philippine investments abroad, although it has not been explained what these losses were and how much. However these remittances have direct bearing on GDP. They are a major component of consumer spending, which grew by an unspecified percentage in 2007, judging from the madding crowds in shopping malls, as families of migrant workers spent the money sent home by their relatives abroad. These remittances have also fueled the booms in the real estate sector (which grew by 6.0%) and in construction (which grew by a staggering 19.6%). Higher-earning migrant workers, as well as successful Fil-Am professionals in the US , have wisely invested in acquiring real estate assets here. The sector that grew the most in 2007 was the mining sector, which grew by 25% in 2007, compared to negative 6.1% in 2006. This despite the silly objections of some Roman Catholic bishops and na�ve environmentalists. (One of them actually wrote this space saying that we should stop all mining activities. But when I asked him where and how we will get the metals with which to fabricate ships, cars and trucks, airplanes, trains and locomotives, household appliances, industrial machinery, engines and motors, office and medical equipment, electrical wiring, even Roman Catholic religious vessels such as chalices and tabernacles�.he did not reply.) In my article titled GMA�s Successes (Jan. 16, 2008), I wrote that �There should be no doubt or argument about it. The Philippine economy has done better under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo than under any of her predecessors since Ferdinand Marcos.� I pointed out that GDP grew by an average of 4.1% under President Aquino, an average of 3.1% under President Ramos, and an average of 3.7% under President Estrada. With the confirmed GDP growth rate of 7.3% in 2007 � as against my estimate of 7.1% - the average growth rate under President Arroyo is 4.97%.. The caveat, as ever, is that it takes a GDP growth rate of at least 8% over a period of 20 years or 80 quarters for an economy to reach First World status, as shown by the examples of South Korea , Taiwan , Hong Kong and Singapore . President Arroyo is to be congratulated for the 7.3% GDP growth. Can this be replicated in 2008 and 2009? Probably not. The US economy is on the ropes. The sub-prime mortgage meltdown is not over. More than 430,000 US families have lost their homes because they could no longer afford to pay the ballooning monthlies. Consequently housing starts have declined. Banks and finance companies � even blue chip giants like Citicorp and Merrill Lynch - have suffered massive losses in billions of dollars. In addition, automobile sales are down, consumer spending is down, as consumers hold on to their (borrowed) cash because their jobs and economic future have become uncertain. The US economy grew by only 0.6% in the fourth quarter of 2007, the lowest in decades. President Bush is pushing for a $150 billion stimulus package to re-invigorate the ailing economy, by giving tax rebates of $600 each to millions of taxpayers. But critics have pointed out that this amounts to borrowing from the Chinese (who hold almost $400 billion in US treasury warrants and $1.3 trillion in dollar reserves). The millions who receive the $600 checks will just spend the money to buy made-in-China products. The stimulus will stimulate the Chinese economy, not the US , critics say. The US buys about 19% of our exports, is our leading source of direct investments, and accounts for our second biggest tourism market. Some 51% of migrant workers remittances come from the US . A slowdown in the US economy will have negative effects on the Philippine economy. In addition, our other major trading partners � Japan , China , South Korea , Taiwan � depend on the US market for their prosperity. A US economic slow-down would reduce their exports to the US , and thus would also reduce their imports from the Philippines . Whichever way we turn, economic crisis stares us in the face. What to do? Albay Gov. Joey Salceda, one of President Arroyo�s most influential economic advisers, proposes a stimulus package worth P75 billion to cushion the shock of the US slowdown. Of this amount, P16 billion will go to income tax rebates, mostly to middle-class families; P9 billion in discounts to families consuming less than 200 kwh of electricity a month; and P51 billion in increased government spending, including P16 billion for infrastructure, the rest for education, housing, medical care and agriculture. An irresistible temptation to the numerous crooks embedded in the Arroyo government. Presidential wannabe Sen. Mar Roxas has been persistently pushing for suspension of the 12% EVAT on oil products for six months, which will reduce tax revenues, by only P15 billion according to him, by P54 billion according to the Finance Department.. Salceda�s stimulus package makes more sense, provided the issue of corruption is adequately addressed.. During the global depression in the 1930s, increased government spending, especially on infrastructure, resuscitated the US economy under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But it also revived the German economy under Chancellor Adolf Hitler. Do we have a Roosevelt or a Hitler in our future? ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Roosevelt or Hitler?� More Reactions to �Bonifacio Revisited� More Reactions to �GMA�s Successes� Reaction to �Rizal: Undeserved Adjectives� What You Should Know re February 1899 No Presidential Elections in 2010 On Post Office Thievery and Rudeness Jun Lozada�s Expose You wrote: (Former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno claims the actual GDP growth rate in 2007 was only between 6.0 and 6.5 percent but offers no counter-statistics to back his claim � Manong Tony, this is what is very good about your style of writing. You expose the omissions of those that make contratrian views but who fails to show their counter-claims. I hope that what you are doing will help in the reduction of unsolicited opinions who really mean nothing and the improvement in the content of the messages that you received which will eventually be sent to us. More power and God bless. You wrote: President Arroyo is to be congratulated for the 7.3 percent GDP growth. Can this be replicated in 2008 and 2009? Probably not. Definitele YES if the moro-moro in both houses of Congress do their jobs as legislators and crafters of good and doable laws and the executive branch implements without fear or favor those laws that are in place and the judicial branch will see to it that violators will be justly punished. Definitely NO if we go on in our merry ways and compromises. Jerry Quibilan, (by email), Feb. 06, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony: The other caveat if the Philippines is to each First World status is for the country to rise over long-held religious taboos and do something to effectively curb its high rate of population growth. Even if the country's GNP consistently grows by a linear average of over 7% a year, for many years�which is not certain because of bottlenecks and constraints which are bound to occur over time--if the average annual rate of population growth steadies at close to 2.% over time, GNP per capita will rise only minimally . Thus it will take the country longer to achieve an average annual GNP per capita in the order of, say, $10,000 which would be around P440,000 in today's exchange ratios. Let us note that, for comparison purposes, the average annual GNP per capita for Singapore is well over $25,000 now. The United State is already in the throes of a severe recession. President Bush's proposed economic "stimulus" package of $150 billion is rather too little and too late in a $13 trillion economy. Thus, if the US economy does not get a stimulus package which is large enough to produce the financial and economic impact intended, the likelihood is that the present recession will morph into a dreaded depression. Mariano Patalinjug, (by email), Yonkers , NY , Feb. 07, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I think the economy really improved. Businesses are picking up because many people have money to spend due to an improved job generation. No doubt. But, the taxpayers deserve more than this. The so many scandals that continue to hound us have sucked the coffers of government project have run dry. Just go to any public hospital in the provinces and maluluha ka sa conditions. The police station na until today, typewriter parin ang gamit. Brazen graft and corruption acts by officials. A new president is what this country needs. Mike Delgado, (by email), Feb. 07, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Bonifacio Revisited� (Feb. 01, 2008) Dear Tony, The article and analysis of Engr. Dante G. Balacanao is very interesting indeed and provides a clue in understanding the Filipino psyche - his culture that some people even describe as "damaged". What we call "crab mentality", the negative attitude of the Filipino to pull down those who he feels have bested him or simply because of inggit, is shown in his citing of incidences during our Revolution which led to our 1898 Independence from Spain - the first successful (although short-lived due to the American KJs!) revolution in Asia against a foreign colonizer. In particular, the tragic end of Andres Bonifacio in the Revolution remains a dark chapter in our history. That, including the way some of our Filipino historians and those "history-telling-a-lie" ones of the current era and the current state of affairs in our politics gives us a glimpse on how we are as a people. Can we Filipinos ever be able to get our acts together? I am attaching articles that the history buffs in your audience might find interesting. These will support the conclusions of Engr. Balacanao. At least it will show some agreement amongst us. Maybe we can start from there. By realizing our weakness as a people, strengthening and building from there. That will need a value overhaul but we all have to start somewhere. Mabuhay! Edgardo J. T.Tirona, (by email), BF Homes, Paranaque City , Feb. 09, 2008 (Unless you convert your attachments into URLs, we cannot load them here. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Sir: I just came across the feedback of [email protected] to Antonio Abaya�s article, �Bonifacio Revisited�. You wrote, �It simply reminds one of the gravest manipulations committed in Christendom in order to control the behavior of followers: Original Sin.� Great observation! The Roman Catholic Church has used their theology of �original sin� to explain mankind�s sense of helplessness and from this, the Church natures Filipinos� �Bahala na ang Diyos� mentality. The Church�s stand against contraception, for example, stem from this flawed theology and the consequences on Philippine society have been disastrous. I�m sending you an article that discusses original sin. I hope you will find the attached article enlightening. It�s a comparative theology (I don�t mean to make this a religious topic), but it discusses the heart of the issue that continues to enslave Filipinos spiritually. Sincerely, Misael �Sonny� Balayan, (by email), Mililani , Hawaii , Feb. 12, 2008 P.S. I�m a former Roman Catholic (disenchanted by Papist doctrines and teachings) who converted into the eastern Orthodox Catholic Church. Please click the hyperlinked terms above for more explanation. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I read the letter of Rev. Bert Dellosa, a Filipino living in Melbourne . It is unfortunate that the Filipinos he approached in Melbourne would not acommodate two countrymen from the Phililpines for fear of communicable disease. Perhaps there was a need of a medical reassurance to the prospective hosts. I believe that there are also other Filipinos who would have hosted if only they were approached. I find the humanitarian project of the Rotary Club where Bert Dellosa is the past president laudable. I have been involved in a similar Rotary Club Medical Mission in Mindoro and found it very rewarding seeing all the beneficiaries being able to avail of medical services that the Government cannot provide. It is almost one week of work that included operations by surgeons from Manila . Indeed, we should always be proud to be Filipinos in spite of what the others are doing. By our own example of serving less fortunate Filipinos, we may be able to inspire other Filipinos to think of the others - the greater good of the greater number - than their own selves. Regards. Rick B. Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, Feb. 12, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr Abaya, I have been reading your columns with great interest (through my Father's emails). I am a Filipino youth who have read and heard many negative things about Filipinos. I came to Australia at the age of 8 and still vaguely remember the great times growing up, although I did grow up in nicer surroundings than the many other Filipinos. I was fortunate to have an education and be able to migrate to Australia with my family. My question is, with all the corruption, crab mentality, selfishness and other 'nasties' lurking behind many Filipinos everywhere in the world, what are we to be proud about? I have this constant discussion with my dad and am aware of all the corruption and the reasoning of why Philippines is still behind the likes of Vietnam and Thailand . So the question is, is there anything we should be proud about? Is the future generation also susceptible to all the past mistakes and how are we to improve? So many question and so little time to write responses to, but there are many thing I love and proud about being a Filipino and I know there are people out there too who still have pride in our culture and our people. I may not know the history of our motherland but I am slowly learning and intrigued by the details. Thank you very much for further opening my eyes and seeing what was not there before. Keep up the good work and hope that many more young Filipinos read your column and start enquiring about our culture, our people and out history, so one day we may have the right leader to improve the country. Regards Marylou Dellosa, (by email), Melbourne , Australia , Feb.13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Many battles my be lost before the war is won. Is Bonifacio to blame for his own murder? How many battles did Rizal win? He is a National Hero even if he was really opposed to revolution. Can you be a hero for writing senimental book? [email protected], Feb. 15, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Emil Diaz, jr. ([email protected]) thought you would be interested in the following article from globeandmail.com, Canada's leading source for online news: "Filipinos find work faster " Immigrants born in Southeast Asia tend to integrate themselves into the Canadian work force more rapidly than other adult immigrants, Statscan says <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080213. wimmigrant0213/EmailBNStory/robNews/home> Note from Emil Diaz, jr.: Just one positive note on our people. The government of B.C. and previously, the government of Saskatchewan signed and sealed an agreement to allow more Filipinos to work in these provinces because of our reputation as a hard-working group. I heard Australia is doing the same thing. Nice. More OFW remittances coming your way. Take care. Emil Diaz, (by email), Toronto , Canada , Feb.14, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Hi just read your article on Andres Bonifacio written by Engr Balacanao. very interesting. I wonder where he got all that data. a totally different perspective of Bonifacio. I wonder what else could we do to rewrite or at least present to our youth ideas such as those of Engr Balacanao. Athough we have the same last names, I happen to be a direct descendant of Gen Aguinaldo. He is my great grandfather, my grandfather being Emilio Aguinaldo Jr, the son of the general. My dad is the genuine Ilocano. He is former Rep Plaridel Madarang Abaya of the 1st district of Cavite. He was born and grew up in Candon, Ilocos Sur. If you have Ilocano blood, then we are most likely relatives. Also read that Engr Balacanao is an alumnus of Philippine Science High School. I also happen to graduate from the same school. Thanks Jun Abaya, (by email), Feb. 15, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �GMA�s Successes� (Jan. 17, 2008) Dear Mr. Abaya, Do we have figures on per capita �genuine progress� like this one for the United States ? �We could abandon gross national product (GNP) as an indicator of economic well-being; it suggests to the consumer that our economies need take no account of sustainability. In the United States, per capita GNP rose by 49% during 1976-98, whereas per capita �genuine progress� (the economy's output with environmental and social costs subtracted and added weight given to education, health, etc.) declined by 30%.� See basic causes of RP failures in �Celebrating the UP Centennial� posted at, http://www.ovcrd.upd.edu.ph/content/view/461/81/ Best regards, Flor Lacanilao, (by email), Diliman, Quezon City , Jan. 30, 2008 Retired professor of marine science, UP Diliman wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reaction to �Rizal: Undeserved Adjectives� In response to Auggie Surtida's e-mail Reaction to "Rizal: Undeserved Adjectives" (January 10, 2008), I'd say that it looks like hero-bashing [from Rizal to Bonifacio (Mr. Balacanao's Bonifacio Revisited (January 31, 2008)] is in fashion of late. Those that I have read of the works of the Western novelists whom Mr. Surtida mentioned, not one inspired me or drove me to tears as Rizal's two landmark literary pieces Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo did. In fact, they were so moving that they inspired and stimulated a whole nation to a revolution -- the first in Asia against Western imperialists. And they were so powerful that these books have been practically banned in the classrooms of the educational powers that be (read the Catholic Church) to this very day. Isn't to stimulate, inspire, instruct, and entertain [yes, to many being driven to tears could be a form of entertainment (like Erich Segal's Love Story)] the purpose of this literary genre? If so, what could be a more telling testament to Rizal's greatness as a novelist than what his novels have accomplished and his greatness as a man in the nobleness of his spirit and courageous martyrdom? Finally, being a summa cum laude graduate of the Ateneo, a graduate of Europe's two most preeminent universities, the Sorbonne and Heidelberg , and a polyglot, Rizal certainly fits the description of a Rennaissance Man for having excelled in medicine, sciences, languages and the arts. But apparently all this just ain't 'nuff to the sniffing Mr. Surtida. Louie Fernandez, (by email), New Jersey , Feb. 04, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww No Presidential Elections in 2010 The picture is almost complete. With screens, smoke and mirrors, the magic will happen. Chief of Staff, Gen Esperon has been extended to finish off the NPA within the next three months. To placate the next in line, GMA pronounced that Army chief Gen Yano will take over from Esperon. The NPA problem is not going to be over in 3 months. There's another reason why Esperon was extended. It is not the NPA. President's sons, Congressmen Datu and Mikey, are leading the pack to unseat JDV as speaker purportedly because he was not able to stop his son, Joey, from divulging the anomalies of the NBN deal. Malacanang is saying it will not stop the two regardless of GMA's pronouncements of supporting JDV. JDV is not being ousted because of the NBN deal. JDV is being ousted because of his ambition to be the nation's leader which can only be thru prime ministership of a parliamentary government. Very much possible because of his being speaker and his support in Congress. As such he is no more of an ally but a rival. With him out, GMA's ambition to hold on to power is almost a reality. The Constitution will be altered. The AFP under the leadership of Esperon will guarantee that opposition to such will be suppressed. Presidential election in 2010 is not going to happen. Wait, there is more. If only I can go back to sleep. Dan Jimenez, (by email), Feb.03, 2008 Dan, Mel and Jim 'The greatest failure is that never attempted.' wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww On Post Office Thievery and Rudeness Dear Mr. Abaya This has reference to a complaint of Ms. Ana Alayu of Las Pi�as regarding non-receipt of her mails as well as the rudeness of some people at Las Pi�as PO which was forwarded by the Office of the Postmaster General to this Office for our investigation. Our office is unable to conduct an intelligent investigation on the complaint since the complete address of Ms. Alayu is not given. May we therefore request for the address of Ms. Alayu so that we can immediately conduct an investigation and initate corrective actions. Thank you. Truly yours, Alfredo O. Estrera, (by email), Feb. 06, 2008 Regional Director, Philpost -NCR [email protected] wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapaptt by Perry Diaz) What you should know about February 1899 Every year on February 4, as far back as I can remember, my mother would tell me and my siblings about how important that day is in the life of our nation and for all Filipinos. She would always start out by saying that it is the day that we Filipinos have been taught to forget, and if only for that, 4 February 1899 is a day we must remember with our hearts and our minds. What happened on that day?-- my younger siblings who had not quite fathomed the lesson would inevitably ask. On the streets of Silencio and Sociego in Santa Mesa , mother would way, brave soldiers of the First Philippine Republic, Filipinos like us, were guarding the blockhouses at the agreed dividing line between the US forces and the army of the Republic, after the surrender of Manila by the Spaniards. Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo thought the Americans were our allies, and so did many of his generals, some had gone to Bulacan on leave. Suddenly, that Sunday evening , a group of American soldiers called out "Halt!" to a Filipino patrol who ignored them, and they started firing upon the Filipino lines and all along the street the firing began. That was the outbreak of the Philippine-American War. Why is it important for us to remember that night and that first battle that followed?�mother would ask to stress the value of the historical lesson. Then she would continue with the core of her message: Filipinos today are often told that we are lost and foundering, that we find it hard to solve our problems. That is because those who do not know where they came from, will never reach their destination or learn where they are going. We must remember our past so we can reach our future destiny. That is why we must remember 4 February 1899. We must remember where we came from. And this is where we came from: In January 1899, we Filipinos inaugurated our own free, independent First Republica de Filipinas, the first in all of Asia . We had a parliament, a Constitution, an armed forces, an operational government with a cabinet, even a university. We Filipinos had won the anti-colonial Revolution against Spain . We had fought and besieged the City of Manila and it had surrendered. The envoys of the First Republic were sent to Paris and Washington to negotiate the support of foreign nations. All that means that we were not naked savages the American politicians said we were. We wrote and spoke a world language, Spanish, in addition to our own languages. Our young men won prizes in painting, music and literature in the capitals of Europe . We were Christians, civilized Asians with our own unique culture . We were a free people who had fought for our independence and set up our own Republic. We were building a nation! That is where we all came from. That is where we must start again today and everyday.. We must revisit 4 February 1899 to save ourselves today. My siblings and I have remembered that valuable lesson in various degrees. I am doing my utmost to pass it on to my children and grandchildren. ([email protected]) Gemma Cruz-Araneta Landscape, Manila Bulletin wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Jun Lozada Expose at 2:30 a.m. of February 7, 2008: I'd like to start by thanking a lot of people who expressed their sincere sympathy for the family. I'd like to thank them first, so many of them. And in Tagalog, nagpapasalamat po ako sa lahat ng nagpahayag ng pag-aalala sa akin at sa sampu ng aking pamilya. Ako po'y nagtawag sa pagpupulong na ito upang mabigayan ng liwanag. Madami kasing mga katanungan ang bayan ukol sa proyekto ng NBN-ZTE na ito. At upang huwag na sanang mapilitan pa yung iba, marami nang mabubuting taong napilitan pang magsinungaling dahil sa akin. Hindi naman sila kasama rito, napipilitan pa silang magsinungaling. Ayokong maging dahilan na magkasala sa Diyos at sa bayan kahit sinoman. Ayoko ho iyon. Mabigat po sa aking damdamin ito at isipan, ang aking gagawin. Ngunit kailangan kong gawin ito para sa kaunawaan, para maliwanag na ang isipan ng bayang ito na lubhang makaka-apekto doon sa kinabukasan nila. Ang aking ilalahad na mga salaysay ngayon tungkol sa ZTE-NBN ay yung mga bagay na ako'y may personal na ginampanan, the things that I'm involved with. And I'm going to say this with malice to no one. Wala ho akong malisya kahit kanino man. Ang sasabihin ko ay kung ano lang ginawa namin, at kung ano ang nangyari. Introduced to Abalos To my recollection of events, I'll start off the first time I was introduced to this project by Secretary Neri, monitored action to Chairman Ben Abalos. I guess if it was not late September, early October I was introduced by Secretary Neri to Chairman Ben Abalos in Wack-Wack together with his entourage sina Ruben Reyes�and the ZTE president Yu Yong and Fan Yang. We had lunch in Wack-Wack wherein we talked about the NBN-ZTE. I remember that the Secretary told Chairman Abalos to course his project proposal to the proper channel. NEDA received the first copy sometime in October�prepared by�All questions were referred back to Asec Formoso. When the Secretary gave me a copy for me to review, the first three that really caught my attention, when I was reviewing the financial cost, the financial projection were based on� September 20, 2006 issue wherein they were quoting how much government was spending for telecom expenses� �So, I told the Abalos group, through their guy Leo San Miguel, that they should revise their proposal. They should fix it and try to avoid the education part of it, because there's already a cyber-education project. Abalos wanted $130 million Sometime in November, that was the time that I also met Joey de Venecia, to see the presentation on a similar project but on a BOT basis. And at that time, the Secretary asked me if the project was appropriate for NBN. Until we presented the project proposal for the NBN. And the Secretary asked If I think it was appropriate and I said yes, so he encouraged Joey to push through the project development further. And when the Secretary asked me if there was a synergy between the two projects I said, yes. But both of them were pitching for the same project. The Secretary told me to reconcile the two proponents. And at that point, it was really a good project. At that point, when the Secretary told me to reconcile the two proponents, I immediately went to work and proposed one tool for the two proponents wherein both of them can achieve both of their objectives. Joey's objective was to do a BOT with government, which was completely above board, and then Chairman Abalos's objective was to do a loan, a project on a loan basis. So the project structure that I proposed was that Joey becomes the lead contracting party to the government, it's on a BOT basis anyway. And that Abalos, to achieve his objective of supplying, becomes supplier to Joey's project. I thought at that point it was already a win-win situation for everyone involved. The government gets its NBN project, Joey gets his BOT project, and then Abalos gets his supply comes up. So, at one point I got them already to do their own thing. It's finished. But I guess the trouble started when Chairman Abalos wanted to protect his $130-million� how shall I put this�commission on the project. So dapat daw proteksyonan 'yong $130 million, (before) we agree that Joey become the main proponent. 'Bubukol po ito' At that point, I just felt that�it might be a little too big, in the vernacular sabi ko bubukol po ito, sabi ko siguro kalahati pupuwede. But nonetheless I relayed the information to Joey, because it's going to be Joey's project anyway. And Joey's reaction was really like ballistic, parang he was worried, saan n'ya kukunin itong $130 million na 'to, because the project cost is $262 million, and Abalos wanted $130 million na komisyon. So sabi ko sa kanila, hindi ko problema 'yan, that's your problem. So at that point, I don't know if the listener can realize how much money all of these are na pinag-uusapan�$130 million�At that point, I was telling them na problema n'yo na ito basta you make sure you'll get this thing together because we don't want another Atong Ang or Chavit Singson scandal to rock this country. I also made it very clear...na basta maayos lang. ZTE's advances to Abalos Sometime in December, the ZTE rep, si Yu Yong at saka si Fan Yang, who get quite close to me, along the progress of the work, were already getting frantic and talking to me about developments in the project, because they'd already gave enough advances daw to Chairman Abalos. So, sabi ko sa kanila, the project is moving along, they should not be alarmed. So, it was also at this point because of Joey's hesitance to agree on the $130-million commission, that Chairman Abalos started considering doing the project on his own, deretso na siya. Ang sabi ko ho sa kanya na hindi ho puwedeng de-deretcho kayo, kasi ang kabilin-bilinan ni Secretray Neri, na yun din ata ang utos ng Presidente, na this project can only be done through a BOT basis, hindi puwedeng utang. 'Tawagan natin si FG' So I was standing firm on that, na hindi talaga pupuwede. At that point, that was the time that Chairman Abalos said, halika, tawagan natin si FG. So, sabi niya, nung tinawagan niya, pare nandito yung taga NEDA sa tabi ko, hindi raw puwedeng i-utang yung project ko. I cannot hear the voice from the other end, pero sabi n'ya, kung ganyan kayong kausap, and the Chairman continues, kung ganyan kayong kausap, ang hirap n'yo palang kausap, kalimutan n'yo na lang ang usapan natin. I don't know what that meant. But the following day, totoo nga, a letter from the Chinese ambassador came addressed to the government, and� with Mike, stating that this is already December. 'Moderate their greed' You can check this with the records. I'm just doing this through my own recollection. But if you can check sometime December, a letter addressed to Mike yata, came in from the Chinese ambassador saying that there is now money available for a loan, for the NBN project, independent of the cyber-education project. Kasi yung cyber-education yun ang napag-agree-han na ilo-loan na. Ngayon there's another loan na naman na puwede na rin yung NBN i-loan, it was sometime early December. So, I told the Secretary about it, Secretary Neri. And his instruction to me was very clear, sabi n'ya, Jun, you moderate their greed. I was naive to accept that order. I do not know what moderating greed means, but I followed Secretary Neri. 'Pare, okay na kami sa NEDA' And due to the insistence naman nitong mga taga ZTE that the project gets going, Chairman Abalos invited us sometime on the third week of December, I'm pretty sure of the timing, over dinner in Makati Shang-rila. He asked to invite Joey as well, kasi si FG will be there with us. Actually the First Gentlemen did not say much, except that Chairman Abalos told him na pare okay na kami nina Joey, ok na kami sa NEDA. (and the FG answered) Ah, ganon, mabuti naman, okay na , okay na. So, I'm just narrating to you with no malice intended. Whatever that means, kayo na po ang bahalang umano. And on their trip to China , I did not join them anymore, and I guess Joey can speak omn what happened in China . Like the North Rail Sometime in early January naman, Secretray Neri again invited us for lunch with Abalos in Edsa, in Makati-Shangrila in a Chinese restaurant together with Yu Yong and Fan Yang, the ZTE, and the Chinese commercial councilor. At that point, the Chairman again was making the impression that the project is already a go. May be there was parallel trust�because�(but) it was not yet a go. So there was some negative reaction from the ZTE person, and the Secretary noticed some awkward moments there, and then he immediately ask a leave, and said that he had to go, and asked me to stay behind. Chairman Abalos and the ZTE guy were in curious exchange of words, because the ZTE people were like demanding from Chairman Abalos that he promised that the ZTE deal will be done on a loan project under the North Rail. I don't know why they speak about the North Rail. I don't know why they speak about the North Rail. They keep on mentioning ala North Rail terms loan agreement. 'Alam mo bang�?' So, that was last meeting I had with the Chairman. And on January 18, I remember the date very well. This is the only date that I can remember because this was the date I said bye to the project. I was then in Dumaguete in Negros, together with Henry Teves, when Chairman Abalos called me up, to some like early evening, and asked me questions like, "Alam ba ni Neri yung ginagawa mo, (I said) Opo. Alam ba ni Neri yung ginawa mo. Opo. Alam mo bang malapit ako sa military. Opo. Alam mong malapit ako sa intelligence. Opo. Alam mo namang malapit ako� And then he started cursing. Mura siya nang mura in Tagalog, lahat-lahat. At ang sabi niya, nandito sa akin yung CD lahat ng phone conversations ninyo nina Joey, mga hayop kayo, tina-traydor n'yo ko. I don't know what gave him that impression..but the fact, that they said I know the week 17 in ISAPF can do that, which Chairman Abalos and Ruben Reyes are �close to, I was not surprised. So, I just took with a grain, and then Chairman Abalos ended up�his words with, "Huwag kang magpapakita sa aking hayop ka sa Wack �Wack o sa Mandaluyong at ipapapatay kita." That's when all my troubles started. So, I quit the project. I told the Secretary that I don;lt think this project is worth risking my life for. All I did was trying to help the Secretary understand it. So on February 2007, the executive order was issued. So this is now my personal participation ended and where it ended for the project concept. From $262M to $329M In February 2007, an EO was issued by the Office of the President, transferring the telos, the implementing agency to DOTC. And on April, the project� the NBN was approved�at $329 million. When I quit the project, the project cost was $262 million. So it was approved. I don't know what happened then. I'm not imputing anything now. But when it was approved, it was already approved at $329 million. And the day after it was approved, the President together with PagCor officials, went to China to witness the signing of the agreement. This project for me is one transactional example of a dysfunctional government procurement, a systemic dysfunction on how we procure projects. There are other more that have escaped scrutiny, but ganun din ang sistema. And I have agonized over this decision... Ang dasal ko lang sana maintindihan n'yo yung dusang dinananas ng pamilya ko ngayon. Ang dasal ko lang sana matutunan na natin after nito na ang salitang Pilipino ay hindi lang tumutkoy sa isang pamilya. Ang salitang Pilipino ay tumutukoy sa isang bansa, ang bansang Pilipino. And sometimes, it's worth taking a risk for this country. -- Shared by William M. Esposo wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |