The ‘shopping spree’ begins!

PERRYSCOPE
Perry Diaz

Driving on the fast lane of daang matuwid – “straight path” – President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III never had it so good… until now.  By a twist of fate, right after he delivered his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 22, a number of his political allies, personal friends, and relatives were implicated in several corruption scandals.   

 During his lengthy SONA, P-Noy launched an attack against corrupt officials in his administration, telling them that his patience had run out.  “You were given three years to demonstrate your readiness to change. Now, I shall pursue all of you and hold you accountable. No hard feelings,” he said.

                

He singled out the Bureau of Customs, saying: “Here we have the Bureau of Customs, whose personnel are trying to outdo each other’s incompetence. Instead of collecting the proper taxes and preventing contraband from entering the country, they are heedlessly permitting the smuggling of goods, and even drugs, arms, and other items of a similar nature into our territory.” Then he added, “If you cannot do your job, you do not deserve to remain in office.”

                

Immediately, Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon sent a text message to P-Noy and offered to resign. It would have been an easy way out for both of them, but P-Noy rejected his offer. “Ruffy we both know the difficulties in the agency you are trying to reform. My confidence in you remains the same,” P-Noy said.  

***

No sooner than P-Noy had told his friend Ruffy to stay on, a news report about the so-called “Three Kings” emerged from the shadows of obscurity to become one of the most “talked abouts” in the media.  As the story developed, it was revealed that the “Three Kings” -- Ricardo “Boysie” Belmonte, Rogel Gatchalian, and Carlos So --have powerful padrinos or “godfathers” behind them.  Belmonte is reportedly backed by his brother, Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Gatchalian by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, and So by the Iglesia Ni Cristo.  

                

With the backing of powerful padrinos, the “Three Kings” are seemingly untouchable; not even P-Noy could touch them. Not that he can’t do it -- he can -- but because he wouldn’t do it for political expediency. And this proves once again that P-Noy lacks the political will to stop corruption. 

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In my article, “Pork barrel scam scandalizes the nation” (July 17, 2013), I wrote: “All it took was one whistleblower to expose what a lot of people knew but were afraid to talk about because of the magnitude of the scam involving ‘ghost projects.’  This scam has been going on for 10 years, costing the government P10 billion, and involving 28 senators and congressmen.  Indeed, it is so big that there is only one way to describe it – it’s the mother of all scams!”

                

With so much pork barrel wasted on “ghost projects,” there is a growing clamor for the abolition of the pork barrel system, officially known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which many believe to be a source of kickbacks by some politicians.  But P-Noy rejected the proposed abolition, saying that it is “good pork” when utilized properly.  As President, he gets the lion’s share of the pork to the tune of P24.8 billion for next year.  Indeed, that’s a lot of “good pork” and it’s audit-free!    

                

Recently, the fisherfolk group, Pamalakaya, asked the Commission of Audit (COA) to audit P-Noy’s humongous pork barrel last year.  The group issued a statement, saying: “It is against public interest since an audit-free presidential pork barrel is not only prone to big time crime of corruption, but also give political and legal impunity to crimes of plunder and malversation of taxpayers' money.”

If P-Noy really wants to clean up the big mess, he should set an example by making his own pork barrel transparent to his “bosses,” the people.  However, the COA wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.  It’s too hot to handle.

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Recently, allegations that his sister Ballsy Aquino-Cruz, her husband Eldon Cruz, and    Aquino cousin, businessman Jorge Aquino-Lichauco, were involved in an attempt to extort $30 million from a Czech train manufacturing company, Inekon Group, in exchange for Inekon to secure a contract to supply train cars for the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 (MRT-3) project.  The news report said that the Cruzes went to Prague in 2011 and met with Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar, who brought up the extortion attempt, but inexplicably cleared them.  (Source: “Ballsy denies meeting, dares accusers to come out openly,” The Daily Tribune, July 31, 2013)

                

According to the news report, Ballsy explained that she and Eldon were in Paris in 2011 for a business trip with Eldon’s boss whom she did not identify.  Ballsy claimed that while they were in Paris, her sister Pinky, who was in Prague at the time, encouraged them to go to Prague to see the miraculous Sto. Nino statue.  “We went there and I got my wish,” Ballsy said.

                

Although the Cruzes denied any involvement, their story did not come through as a credible excuse why they went to Prague.  Two weeks ago, public opinion was favorable to them, but it is tipping against them today.  

                

The fallout from the Ballsy-Eldon Cruz controversy has resurrected the old issue of “Kamag-Anak Inc.” (Relatives Inc.) that had its beginning during the time of P-Noy’s mother, the late President Cory Aquino.  The Kamag-Anak Inc. reputedly had been involved in massive corruption during her presidency.  One of the allegations was that certain Aquino relatives acquired a number of Marcos assets before the newly formed Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) could sequester them.   

                

And now that her son is the President, are we seeing a déjà vu here?  Or, are all of these allegations of corruption involving relatives of P-Noy mere conjectures that were intended to discredit him and his family?  

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During my Jaycee days, our club had a fund-raising contest called “shopping spree” where the winning contestant was given three minutes to fill a shopping cart in a designated supermarket.   The object of the “shopping spree” contest is for the contestant to fill his cart as fast as he could within the allotted time.  The contestant keeps the grocery items and the club pays for them. 

                

When a President’s term of office is coming to an end, there is a tendency among his or her surrogates to go on a “shopping spree.”  With three years left in P-Noy’s presidency, now is the time for those in power to go on a shopping spree to fill their secret bank accounts.  Makes one wonder if that’s the reason why P-Noy didn’t want a Freedom of Information (FOI) law enacted?  Indeed, the shopping spree has already begun!

 (PerryDiaz@gmail.com)