Pedestrian Observer GB: Outrageous Callousness of GMA Angers FilAms

Filipino Americans actively lobbying for the Filipino Veterans (FilVets) equity bill's legislative victory celebration spoiled by the outrageous callousness of Gloria M. Arroyo’s reported impending sale of Veterans Memorial Medical Center.

Ernie Gange, co founder of NaFFA and NAFVE member is asking Senators Dick Gordon, Nene Pimentel and fellow countrymen if there is indeed a CA$H SUNDUAN (shady deal) or if the sale of VMMC to private developers is a done deal, to quote:

We read Neal Cruz of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and it appears that it is true.

Defense Undersecretary Ernesto Carolina did not deny it.

The visiting delegation to the USA, members of the Committee on National Defense of the Philippine Congress led by Chairman Antonio Magsaysay Diaz, Rozzano Biazon and Roman Romulo, they admitted that they did not know that the sale of VMMC is going on.

Congressman Tony Magsaysay Diaz will resign if the sale of the Veterans Memorial Hospital is consummated.

Where does Dick (Sen Richard Gordon) and Nene (Sen. Aquilino Pimentel) stand on this?

Who will get the commission?

And how much is the CA$H $UNDUAN?

Is it true that VMMC was a gift from the people of the United States to the people of the Philippines?

What was the condition?

Can the Philippines sell it without the consent of the donors?

What are you going to do with the sick veterans?

Will both of you agree to sell the Veterans Memorial Hospital?

We want to hear your side of this CA$H $UNDUAN. Please comment.

Luis Ramos in an email to Ernie Gange has dug deeper into the outrageous arrangement that has the makings of a shady deal through his sources reported:

From a very reliable source, the "sale" of the Veterans Memorial Hospital at Quezon City is all done and over except for the signing of the Agreements and/or relevant Presidential Proclamation. The source added that the "sale" of the VMH property is part of the grand design to commercial the entire area of 250 hectares (VMH included). VMH property is a prime area situated in the vicinity of SM Mall and the Trinoma Mall (Ayala Group). This "sale" is concocted by the QC Mayor Sonny Belmonte, Vice-President Noli De Castro (representing Malacañang/NHA) and very likely, the Veterans Federation of the Philippines. The VFP should very well know this because there could never be a "sale" without their approval.

The purported "sale" has the smack of raising funds for the 2010 presidential election. The administration party may very likely put up the tandem of Sonny Belmonte-Noli De Castro tandem for the presidency and vice-presidency position or vice-verza.

Although the deal is practically done and over but the signing, we could still stop the "sale" by vigorous lobby efforts ie going to the press and continued pressures from NaFFAA or all other groups there in the US, especially the Filipino veterans, The VMH must not be sold because its historical value and it's part of Filipino heritage which must be beyond the commerce of man. Emphasize that why you're doing your utmost best and fighting to the hilt just to have the bill passed in the US Congress, here comes the present dispensation selling the VMH. The "sale" would definitely have a chilling and negative effect on the passage of the bill at the US Lower House.
I suggest that you do this ASAP.

Indeed, it does have a chilling and negative effect on the lobby effort especially when the effort is now focused in the US Congress which is bigger in scale in terms of the number of representatives the lobbyist has to win over for the FilVets cause. Ernie Gange says it will be a tougher fight in the US House because of the need to get 281 votes, which represent 2/3rds majority of the 435-Member US House of Representatives.

This is just as sick as it can get, imagine the aging veterans in their 80’s and 90’s treated with utter disrespect by their very own president together with her minions while FilAms are at their wits end trying to improve their lot is literally being sabotaged by greed and callousness. To quote Ernie Ramos Co-Chair of NaFFA, NAFVE member and a proud son of WWII Filipino Veteran:

"Vigilance is the price of victory" so they say. So -- let's not allow another travesty of injustice sully the dignity of our remaining WW II veterans!

And let's be counseled by the words of the British poet Edmund Burke: "For evil to triumph, it's for good men (and women) to do nothing."

Luis Ramos believes that the “sweetheart” deal is not possible without the VFP knowing about it and further questioned whether there was collusion on those involved. Meanwhile Ernie Ramos calls it a stab at the back of the veterans and concurred with Neal Cruz in the purported construction of a new Veterans Hospital elsewhere is subjecting the Bataan Death March veterans to yet another round of death march……. How ironic and pathetic indeed seeing the president and her minions as the modern counterpart of Kempetai in their atrocious cruelty towards the aging veterans in the twilight of their years treated with unspeakable disrespect out of pure greed. An outrageous elder abuse I should say but what can we expect from a president with questionable mandate anyway?

It is definitely an uphill legislative battle and instead of supporting the cause of the veterans this administration only serves as an extra baggage that may derail the lobby effort, an added strain to the lobbyist they don’t need at this crucial point in time. It is up to us if we are going to allow evil to prevail............. now is the time to act, we cannot allow this travesty to our WWII FilVets. Here are some email contact info on some members of the Philippine Senate who are Chairman of different committes, Senators Rodolfo Biazon, National Defense & Security committee, Pia Cayetano, Health & Demography and Alan Peter Cayetano, Blue Ribbon in preventing the illegal and anomalous sale of property that belongs to the Filipino Veterans.