LETTERS FROM THE AGNO

Golf games and racial slur
March L. Fianza

Aside from the game itself, something else happens between the players in a simple round of golf. Recent revelations of graft and corruption involving President Arroyo’s men elicits questions from the man on the street who, in the end, suffers from the burdens brought about by the actions of his so-called “public servants.”

Some of the President’s men no longer play golf for sports but for something else. For a lucky Malacanang worker, his golf game has slowly turned out to mean another thing. This player aims for things important to his person and cares less about things that benefit the people he is supposed to serve.

I remember finishing just one round of golf in old Camp John Hay years before its fairways were scraped by its developers. That was my first and last round. Many days later, an invitation to another round came but I remember that my schedule did not allow me to finish it.

I do not play golf. That is the quick and ready reason I say when asked about my “handicap.” Although, there are other better reasons. First, there are no more free privileges given to Baguio newsmen, unlike in the past. Second, the membership fee which runs to hundreds of thousands of pesos is no joke. Another fact is that there is no extra money to spend for the green fee and caddie boy.

What is left for a less fortunate newsman is to have coffee at the golf shop and watch a game played by the more privileged mammals. While doing just that, my eyes witnessed a lot of scenes that one could have interpreted into many things. By the way, I remember seeing Bong Pineda play in one of the golf courses here in Baguio many years ago. In fact, the other newsmen who were with me were wondering why Pineda was in the fairways at a time when the city mayor and President Ramos were playing too.

While there were games played with no strings attached, there were rounds played by mayors, governors, councilors and police generals with the gambling lords or Jueteng operators. That was also the favorite game played by public works contractors against government engineers along with other local chief executives, especially congressmen.

In our local golf course, instead of hearing a statement such as “meron kang 200 dito,” maybe what you will hear is “nasaan yung 200 ko?” The first statement was what Romulo Neri, former NEDA boss, heard from Comelec chairman Ben Abalos at the Wacwac fairways in Manila.

While playing golf, they were talking about the controversial national broadband network Chinese project proposal pegged at a bloated price of US$15billion. But apart from what transpired at the Wacwac fairways, a question wanting to be answered is: “Is it SOP to overprice foreign funded projects to accommodate all kickbacks for Malacanang stalwarts?

After Joey de Venecia III who is involved in the communication business opened up and related his side of the story of a US$10million bribe offer, Neri admitted to the truthfulness of the same. Both offers came from Abalos. The next questions the man in the street wants answered is: “Who is the bigger if not the biggest man behind Abalos’ actions? Who else are involved in the scandal? What are the participations of GMA, Mike Arroyo and Speaker de Venecia? If they are involved, how much are they getting, respectively?

Whatever, it is good that people the likes of them play golf. In fact they should play more so that the people will expect more controversies. The more they play golf, the better for all of us.

An investigation on charges of bribery involving the President’s men is underway at the senate. Well, something very wrong while investigating the wrong happened in the senate. Senator Miriam Santiago blew her top accusing the “Intsik” – her own term, the oldest civilization as the ones who brought in corruption to the Philippines.

That, to me was an unfair remark from a supposedly intelligent former judge, now senator. I wonder what our Chinese brothers are up to now. Maybe they want a public apology? Maybe the ethics committee in the senate must act? Her statements about the Chinese which was picked up on national television did not only make her shrink or the senate become so small, it damaged Filipino-Chinese ties. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com