Pedestrian Observer GB: Graft and Corruption

"In societies where Robbing Hoods are treated like a celebrity it is but natural to expect political parties to act like a Mafia syndicate" Political Jaywalker "In a nation where corruption is endemic people tend to confuse due process with aiding and abetting criminals" Political Jaywalker "War doesn't determine who is right, war determines who is left" Bertrand Russell "You have just one flash flood of money, you keep your people poor. It's like a time bomb and it's scary" Philippine Lawmaker

Showing posts with label Graft and Corruption. Show all posts

Having More Fun in the Philippines?

Is it really more fun in the Philippines or is the predatory corporate culture spoiling whatever fun the tourist enjoys?

“It’s More Fun in the Philippines” shouts the slogan in bold letters plastered on billboards, buses, magazines and even on television to attract victims’ errr tourist to come to the Philippines seems to be a good slogan for fun loving tourist.

Fun is good until you learn that the predatory nature of some of the business enterprising, I meant enterprises are more geared towards their predatory orientation than service oriented victimizing rather than catering to tourist. This is where the fun part gets kind of murky or tricky at this point because if the tourists are not exactly careful the predators will be the one having fun on them rather than the tourist having fun.

In order to have fun first time tourist need to feel secure but seeing so many uniformed guards armed with high powered firearms in almost every establishment even in small stores is not exactly reassuring that there is peace and order. Never mind that people needed employment and those tourists are not aware that these prone to abuse guards by the likes of parasol loving drizzle allergic will melt if he gets wet mayor of Makati are paid slave wages thus there are a good number of them guarding almost every nook and corner of the city.

It is bad enough that crossing the streets of the Philippines is like having a death wish or giving you the feeling you are the frog in a computer Ribbit game of crossing the street trying not to get run over but the sidewalks are even worse. Most of the sidewalks are narrow leaving pedestrians with no choice but to walk the streets and with maniacal drivers with no respect for human life especially of others you run the risk of getting run over. Sadly most sidewalks are not exactly pedestrian friendly making it a hazardous trek where you have to always look down in order not to fall in manholes and other holes of different sorts with missing cover because scavengers steal them and sold as scrap metals. If that is the kind of fun that tourism promoters in the country are thinking of then they are missing the point.

Tourist has to walk a lot and commute a lot. Unfortunately commutes can get expensive due to dishonest cab drivers literally taking people for a ride. Going out of the city like Makati to just Sucat, Paranaque can get expensive because there are so many tolls that run a short distance that one feels like they are in a never ending fleecing station after the other. Short commute in a taxi is no better because either the taxi driver is dishonest with rigged meter that seems not to know where they are going even though they have been there all their lives but still “clueless” on directions. Filipinos are known for being directionally challenged that asking for direction will result in more confusion since it is almost impossible to get one accurate direction even from tong collector errr I meant parking fee collector. Yeah, can you believe they have people collecting parking fees instead of parking meters on the street even though we have a taxi driver sitting in his cab which is technically not parking and yet they insist on fleecing you with their parking fees? At least google maps can be accessed in the Philippines, it is a tremendous help in getting you from place to place in a maze like streets of Metro Manila.

Of course some emotional onion skinned card carrying Filipino pride groups will counter that we can’t expect the country to be perfect because they are a developing nation. Sure, but have we ever think or consider that the mess we are in was the result of so many decades old corruption so pervasive that is now been institutionalized?

Widespread institutionalized corruption is a major factor in dumbing down the people into having a skewed mentality resulting in lack of discipline and worst having the same predatory mentality as the corrupt politicians and the bureaucrats down to public clerk workers even seeping in on private enterprises all the way down to their employees.

Traveling can be stressful especially in airports where time is of the essence not wanting to miss your flights and get stranded in the process. It does not help that incompetence really manifest itself at the disorderly system in the Philippine international airport. I never want to fly PAL (Philippine Airlines) when Lucio Tan a former Marcos crony took it over and their bad rap that really discourage me to take their flight. Since this Aquino administration seems to be serious in combating corruption I decided to take a short flight out to Bangkok and see if it has improved since they are part and parcel of the administration's campaign to attract more tourist.

Never again will I fly with PAL!

Despite having business class tickets the PAL counter personnel charged us for excess baggage because the limit she used was for domestic flight. Now how stupid is that, and since when did Bangkok in Thailand ever became domestic much less became a Philippine city that we were treated like a domestic passenger? This even if their website specifically stated the weight limit and guess what was her rationale for charging or should I say victimizing us with excess baggage weight fee when our luggage conform to the stated limit on their website? She says because we used a different airline in flying to Manila that we are like getting penalized for not using PAL. Now what kind of stupid reasoning was that?

Normally when you are going out of the country the tendency is to get rid of the currency since you have no more use for it and changing the depreciated peso outside the country makes you lose more in the rate of exchange. As if to make it even more unpleasant this counter person will not accept US currency forcing one to either use credit card or exchange dollars at the airport where the rate of exchange is not exactly favorable.

Trust is hardest to come by in a society where corruption is rampant and as a rule predators are the ones that has a problem trusting people. Not content with giving us a hard time when holders of business class ticket are accommodated with excellent customer service by other airlines this PAL counter person probably enjoys every minute of agony she subject us, she flexed her muscles by telling us to pay travel tax first before she gives us our boarding pass.

The incompetence at the NAIA never ends.

After getting our boarding pass we were just so glad to get out of that counter and yet the disorderly management of the airport that should serve as the last gateway to showcase the desirable Filipino cultural trait, so outbound tourist leave with a lasting positive impression, only exacerbated the already bad experience they have encountered. A few decades ago lines are non-existent in the Philippines but now that there is a line where people cue to do their business. Now, there seems to be a line obsession that instead of incorporating the terminal fee on the airline ticket all passengers must cue again on another line to pay that pesky terminal fee. A fee that other countries don’t bother collecting when they even have state of the art airports compared to the crappy NAIA ugliest in the world airport. Then you have to go on another line for immigration, now why can’t they have a sign so passengers knew exactly where to go or how about the guards telling people what those lines are so no one gets confused in cueing on the wrong line?

These people at PAL really need to get some more training on customer service or do they even have a clue what it is? I expect good service and more so if I am on business class which any reasonable passenger do but instead of good service PAL chose to be a jerk like predator and separated us on our seats. It’s not like we are a freebie passenger, we are a paying passenger thus we expect the same excellent service we get from other reputable airlines of which PAL seems to be not. Anyway, their predatory manner of treating a victim errr customer just gave me more insights on the Caucasian passenger we were seated with and both of them just like us had the same bad experience and poor service with PAL that they told us they will never return to the Philippines. If they vowed not to return they will of course not recommend the Philippines as a tourist destination and worst may even dissuade people they know not to go to the Philippines. There goes the slogan of “It’s more fun in the Philippines.” How the employees conduct themselves surely reflects the kind of corporate culture they have and it is definitely not service oriented.

No wonder the Philippines is having a hard time meeting the 5M target arrivals for the year 2013 with just 11.+% yearly increase. In comparison Thailand has close to almost 30M arrivals for 2013 and they are even disappointed at not reaching 30M when they are just a few thousand less on their targeted number. English is not widely spoken in Thailand unlike in the Philippines and yet our tourist arrivals are a puny dismal just almost 5M. When I left Thailand I almost never want to leave and now that I am home I am yearning to come back as soon as I can and sadly I can’t say the same about the Philippines.

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Filipino-Americans to hold Solidarity protest vigil against PDAF plunder in the Philippines

ANG AMING PANAWAGAN: US Action Against PDAF o Pork Barrel (USAP COALITION)

Los Angeles—A newly formed Filipino American Community Coalition called United States Action against PDAF or Pork Barrel (USAP) in an emergency meeting last night, August 19 at FACLA calls on all freedom loving and right minded Filipino-American to support the solidarity action against the political patronage of the pork barrel called Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) dubbed as the “Million March Vs Corruption” at the Rizal Park, Luneta in Manila on August 26, 2013.

Our solidarity action --a vigil/ rally for solidarity and our indignation in Los Angeles is on August 25 at 5;00 PM at the PH Consulate General, 3600 Wilshire Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90010.

Similar actions will also be held in the cities of New York, Washington DC, Honolulu, Hawaii, San Francisco and Los Angeles on August 25 and 26 led by the USAP COALITION.

Statement of Unity and Concerns

In a statement of concern and its points of unity USAP called for the following :

1. The abolition of the pork barrel system in the euphemism of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the source of graft and corruption in the government used for political patronage and not for the benefit of the people;

2. The use of abolished PDAF for basic services like education, needed infrastructure against floods and natural disasters, environmental degradation and poverty alleviation, not for elections and not for debt service for foreign banks and interests;

3. Punish all grafters in the governments and those who were found guilty of malversation of public funds and ostentatious living out of PDAF

4. USAP calls on President Aquino to start by divesting himself of his own PDAF and acting his talks. He should serve as an example of real action just has he promised. Not of PR talks and “Papogi” points.

The following organizations and individuals have endorsed the USAP Coalition Statement of Concerns and slated the two days , August 25-26 for mass actions:

BANTAY PILIPINAS-USA, Alliance Philippines, Justice for Filipino American Veterans (JFAV), Seniors for Empowerment (S4PACE), Echo Park Community Coalition (EPCC) ,AWARE-SF, Ugnayan ng mga Anak ng Bayan –NY/NJ, and others..

LABANAN ANG PAMBABABOY SA MASANG PILIPINO!
PERA NG BAYAN, PARA SA BAYAN!
LABANAN ANG KATIWALAAN SA GOBYERNO,
MANGUNA KA PNOY SA PAGBABAGO!
PATUNAYAN SA GAWA, TIGILAN ANG PANAY SALITA PARA SA TUWID NA DAAN!

Signed:
United States Action vs PDAF
Los Angeles
August 20, 2013

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scandals

Sulat kay Janet Lim-Napoles

Dear Janet,

Hindi ko alam kung makakarating sa iyo itong sulat na ito. Idinaaan ko sa Facebook kasi bente otso ang bahay mo, trenta kung ibibilang pati lower house at senado. Kaya hindi ko alam kung saan ia-address, mahal ang selyo, lalong mahal kung ipapa-LBC ko sa lahat ng bahay mo. Hindi ko rin alam kung mababasa mo ito talaga kasi ako man ang lumagay sa pwesto mo, tiyak hindi ako magbubukas ng FB. Babalik ako sa Friendster.

Kahit nasaan ka man ngayon, kung nasa isang yate sa Celebes Sea palabas ng Pinas o nagpaparetoke ng mukha at katawan sa Bangkok o nagpapatanim ng balbas at bigote sa Tayuman, susulat pa rin ako. Dahil isa ito sa kaya kong gawin habang ngumangata ng sinangag at Reno Liver Spread.

Simple lang naman, sumusulat ako sa iyo kasi, kasi paano ko ba ito papadaliin, kasi hayup ka. Ikaw ngayon ang napagbubuntunan ko kasi habang isinusulat ko ito, naaanggihan ako ng ulan. Hindi ko maipagawa ang bubong ng kapiraso kong barong-barong dito sa Coloong. Kailangan kong lumayo sa mag-iina ko dahil kailangan kong magtrabaho dito at kaltasan ng buwis, mga otso mil kada buwan. Hayup ka. Andaming diaper na mabibili sa otso mil. Andaming gatas. O paracetamol hayup ka.

Gusto kitang makulong sa Manila City Jail. Gusto kitang palusungin sa bahang may ihi ng daga. O sige, tutal sulat ko naman ito kaya masasabi ko ang gusto ko: gusto kitang maghirap nang husto. Gusto kong mabungi ang lahat ang ngipin mo maliban sa isang ngiping bawal bunutin, yung ngipin sa harap. At iyang ngipin mo sa harap, habampanahon sanang kumirot hayup ka.

Hindi mo ito magagawa nang mag-isa. Marami kang kasabwat sa kabuhayan slash kababuyan mo. Bukod sa Kongreso, kasabwat mo ang nagpapalabas ng pera namin sa DBM. Siguradong mayroon sa COA. Tapos iyong mga NGO na nakakapit sa kung saan-saang sangay at Department ng Malakanyang. Kaso, at ito ang maganda sa bayan mo, makakakuha ka ng tala-talaksang magagaling na abogado. Dahil bilyonarya ka, sasaksakan mo ng bayong-bayong na pera namin ang kahit sinong kokontra sa iyo. Lahat. Dahil dito kayo nabuhay ng pamilya mo. Ang manuhol ng pera namin. Ano nga uli ang ibig sabihin ng iginisa sa sariling mantika?

Yung nangupit nang barya-barya ang napaparusahan dito sa bayan mo. Alam mo iyan, kaya bilyon-bilyon ang ninakaw mo. Kaya isang batalyon ang nagtatanggol sa iyo: pulitiko, abogado, huwes, si Korina, mediang nabubuhay sa kalabit-penge, Kongreso. At kami, alam mong darating ang oras na magugutom, uulanin, babahain, at aasa kang makakalimot kami.

Hindi ko naman talaga kayang ipangako na hindi ako makakalimot sa kahayupan mo, ninyo. Mamaya, magba-brownout dahil sa baha. Baka nga hindi ko na rin ito maging istatus sa FB dahil baka ubos na ang load ng internet ko. Poproblemahin ko ang tanghalian at hapunan at makakalimutan kita dahil kailangan kong isalba mula sa baha ang kaunting anik-anik na naipundar ko sa pagtuturo at pagpapatawa o pagtuturo nang nagpapatawa. Samantalang ikaw? Hayup ka.

Wala akong ipapanawagan. “Tawag” ang salitang-ugat ng panawagan (nyemas, hindi ko maialis na maging titser kahit sa oras ng pagsesentimyento ko). May epekto ang tawag sa nakakarinig. Eh bingi kayo di ba? Kaya nga idinaan ko sa sulat dahil sigurado akong nakapagbabasa ka lalo na ng kulay ng pera at nakasulat sa tseke.

Hindi ako mag-aaya sa August 26 sa Luneta. Kasi baka ako mismo, hindi makarating dahil baka nagtatae ako sa kinain kong murang barbeque, baka botsa kasi. Natatakot din kasi ako na baka pakana mo rin ang mangyayari sa Luneta. At pipilitin mong magkagulo. Ano ba namang magpasabog ka ng ilang pillbox na binili ng gangsta mo sa mga lumpen na gangsta sa Baseco sa Tondo at Banaue, Quezon City. Na baka nga sinimulan mo nang magpasabog tulad nung sa Cagayan de Oro, Cotabato, at Greenhills. Tapos dahil sa takot ng mga tao, kakaunti talaga ang dadalo kaya mava-validate mo, ng abogado at kampon mong pulitiko, na wala talagang public clamor para parusahan ka.

Kaya susulat na lang muna ako. Ito ang kaya kong gawin. Kaya hindi muna ako makakalimot. Iuukilkil ko sa sinumang makakabasa at makakarinig sa akin na pwede ba, huwag muna tayong makalimot. May oras at araw kayo. Huwag munang makalimot hanggang dumating ang araw ninyo. Darating ang araw ninyo kapag sinabi at sineryoso na nung nakatira sa Malakanyang, yung tao na laging nag-i-invoke na ako ang boss niya at dapat maglakad ako sa kaniyang tuwid-na-daan, na parusahan kayong makulong sa tunay na kulungan at hindi sa resort na kung tawagin ay St. Luke's o Veterans. At sana, habang nakakulong, kumirot habampanahon ang namamagang ingrown sa hinlalaki at molar teeth mo. Hindi dapat ako nag-iisip ng masama sa kapwa. Sa kapwa. Pero ibang specie ka.

Hindi ako papayag na mag-crash ang Lear Jet mo. O lumubog ang yate mo. Masyadong madaling kamatayan. O baka nga gawin mo pa itong palabas. Tapos mabubuhay ka bilang ibang tao o ibang hayup. Tapos magiging paksa ka na ng mga conspiracy theorist na nagsasabing buhay si Marcos, Michael Jackson, Elvis, John Lennon, Michael Jordan (syet, buhay pa nga pala si MJ, bura-bura). Hayup ka. Ang swerte mo, makakasama mo sila sa alinman sa isla sa Greece o Cyprus.

Pero alam mo yun, at the end of this rainy day, lalangoy ka sa pera namin, papakainin mo ng nakaw ang pamilya mo, at ako, magtsetsek ng exam ng mga estudyante kong kabilin-bilinan kong mabuhay nang parehas, nang patas dahil ang tunay na edukasyon ay hindi lang basta makapasa sa board exam. Ang tunay na edukasyon ay mabuhay nang parehas at makatao.

Saka na muna yung ganap na world peace. Ang mahuli at maparusahan ka kasama ng iyong minions will make this world a better place.

Joselito

Pahabol: sa makakabasa at gustong i-share ito hanggang sa makarating sa Friendster account ni Janet, i-share nyo na. Baka bilhin bigla ni Janet ang Facebook. Yari tayo.

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scandals

Sex Predators, Pimps, & Prostitution Ring in the Middle East at Philippine Embassies

Overseas Filipino Workers mostly domestic helpers are easy prey for employers that are sexual predators thus they escape. If they are not caught by the police forcibly retuning them against their will to their employer where they are more likely than ever to be raped, they become runaways. Quite a number end up as runaways and desperate seeking the help of our embassies to repatriate them back home.

Distressed OFWs are those we watched on television and read about in newspapers living in squalid tents, full of hope and dreams for a better life only to end up victimized in untenable working conditions, their contracts violated and becoming prey to all sorts of exploitations. Perhaps it’s the culture that’s foreign to them as some desperately tries to rationalize but rape and outright cruel treatment to fraudulent contract violations is not exactly cultural but criminal. It is bad enough that Filipinos become prey to these greedy inhumane exploitative employers and outright criminal sex predators but to be victimized further by our own people cloaked in authority is the vilest and despicable that one can heap on their very own people.

Cleansing the Source of Philippine Political Wisdom

When Walden Bello an Akbayan party list representative broke the news on sex predators at Philippine embassies regarding some officials having sex with distressed OFWs, pimping, and operating a prostitution ring in return for plane fare tickets for repatriation, the reaction we expect should be that of being scandalized and anger. Unfortunately, instead of being incensed enough to act some are just too numb and dense as if these are normal daily occurrence and that Walden Bello was just grandstanding at the expense of the people he is accusing. Worse one of the accused Mario Antonio, welfare officer of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jordan in denying his wrong doing, brazenly accused human traffickers and manpower recruitment agencies as those behind the “smear” against his “reputation.” In so declaring, he of course implied if not literally saying that Walden Bello is being used by the human traffickers and recruitment agencies. In effect Antonio is saying that Bello was hoodwinked or is one of them only show the pervasive culture of corruption and criminality afflicting government officials.

Of course that brazen counter accusation against Walden upsets him and probably most people will get upset too. It is understandable and as expected when he threatened Mario Antonio with a libel suit if he continues to blabber nonsense. Mr. Bello is within his rights to file a criminal libel suit against Mario Antonio but it will be better to just ensure that they have all the evidence to pin down all the culprits, enough to land them in prison. He can then file a libel suit after their conviction to add to their sentences and maybe enough to lock them up for good so they can throw away the key.

Anyway, what kind of people takes advantage of an already distressed fellow Filipino becoming so desperate that leaves them with a very limited option to refuse the sexual advances of these embassy sexual predators? They went there to seek greener pastures and they end up victimized further as subject of human trafficking ending in a prostitution ring courtesy of the embassy prostitution ring operator and pimp when they are tasked to assist and help them. OFWs dutifully contributed to OWWA funds so that if they find themselves in a desperate situation that very contribution will at least be their insurance that they can fly back home. Since these plane tickets are covered and paid for by OWWA , these predators are defrauding not just OWWA but the OFW contributors as well while denying distressed OFWs the benefit that rightfully belongs to them. Worst they are scammed and forced to pay through sexual favors or prostituting themselves robbing them of whatever dignity is left of them when they should not be paying in the first place? Now let me ask this question if I may, did the Philippines set up a Mafia prostitution and racketeering front in the Middle East courtesy of the Philippine Embassies?

Unfortunately government people seem to operate and think like they are or in creating their own reality that we normal mortals do not see or understand such as this statement attributed to DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario as “disconcerting” but still “hearsay.” Although he changed his tone when he spoke to Mr. Bello that defensive attitude only encourages criminals in their outfit to be more brazen. Recalling the named individuals accused of sexual molestations to actually exploiting the weaknesses of the distressed OFWs by having sex ,pimping, and operating a prostitution ring to explain themselves is moving in the right direction. Calling all the Ambassadors in the region to shed light and come up with policies to avoid a repetition of the scandal is also a move in the right direction. Yes, forming a fact-finding body is indeed what they need and it should be applauded. While at it I hope they also realized that the reason we have distressed OFWs ending up victimized further by the sexual maniacs, pimp, and prostitution ring operator predators cloaked in diplomatic immunity is because the pleas of the desperate OFWs fell on deaf ears? Criminal predators are very keen on seizing the opportunity and are only encouraged further when pleas and complaints by OFWs are not attended to making them more desperate enough to fall victim to their exploitation and probably even thanking them just to get out of the hellish situation they are in.

While those moves are in the right direction, they are not enough because we are talking not just about policy breach here but a criminal act. A criminal act of fraud, estafa, sexual molestation or having sex with desperate , pimped and trafficked to prostitution scammed into believing they have no other option but to submit to the pervert's demand using their position and the embassy for their nefarious sick criminal activities. Is it too much to ask that the DoJ should get involved here instead of the jokers at the senate and for them to instruct the NBI to conduct a criminal investigation by gathering evidence since that is their expertise and not some wannabe jokers trying to impress the gullible public? Is it also too much to ask that said "parallel investigation" be conducted by the palace for them to just ensure that investigations by criminal investigators are conducted professionally in a fair and balanced manner in accordance with what is allowed by the law to ensure that if the accused are indeed guilty of the crime, they are not able to escape justice via technicalities?

The “swift action” by the DFA in forming a fact-finding body is serious business but a little too late because had they listened to earlier pleas of the OFWs this kind of problem would not have escalated into a huge international embarrassing scandal. That is if indeed they are really serious and not just doing the usual damage control since most in government still believe that people are so gullible. The OFWs deserve better, their contribution consistently kept the Philippine economy afloat and is this really how some in the government repay them for their sacrifice to their family and the nation? Oh, and if you are wondering why the US has not removed the Philippines from tier 2 for human trafficking, look no further but to the Philippine embassy people using our embassies as front for prostitution ring exploiting distressed OFWs.

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The Heroes in Renato Corona’s “Fake” Bank Account

It seems that if the rag tag politicians identified with accused electoral saboteur Gloria Arroyo will have and still have their way; they will hunt down and jail the people responsible for what they see, pathetic as they are, only they see as a dastardly act of exposing the numerous bank accounts including the highly state like secret dollar account of Renato Corona.

One is almost given the impression that these politicians who think they are the opposition just because they are former running dogs errr identified with the former plundering regime are really law abiding public officials strictly adhering to the rule of law.

The stupidity never ceases and since when did money laundering become a political platform? Forget I asked because in the plundered land of the Philippines the absurd takes a center stage in an Inquirer report by Gil C. Cabacungan titled, House opposition presses probe into leakage of Corona bank documents. In said report I received a response from a certain Mark, what probably sums up the so-called “opposition’s” sentiments on where they stand on money laundering, to quote:

Gag0.

Bibigyan mo ng medal ang nag leak ng information!

Are you out of your mind? Nababaliw ka na ba?

These people violated the law, and you commend them?

If it is your opinion that the law is so strict, ask your congressman to file a bill to amend it.

Let congress fix it.

Dapat sa iyo itapon sa basurahan kasama ni NoyNoy.

You don't even know how to act right in a civilized society.

Do you understand, stupid?

Was the numb nut errr Mark right in his indignation at seeing how I felt about the source of the scandalous numerous bank accounts of Corona? Here is the comment I left at that report below that elicited a "brilliant" response:

No wonder the so-called minority identified with the plundering regime of Arroyo are so puny, these numb nuts are vent on prosecuting those who leaked the bank accounts of Renato Corona. A law that was legislated during the dictatorial regime of the frozen stiff one whose bank secrecy law is the strictest and frowned upon by civilized society due to the problem it poses on transparency and going after the plundered resources of the government.

Hypocrites known for flaunting their sick perversion of the institution and yet acts as if they are law abiding citizens strictly adhering to the rule of law. The only problem is the law they are so fixated at following is a law that is tailored fit for corrupt government officials, criminals of all kinds local and international where they can launder money in a secure, safe, out of reach of the police agencies and courts due to its absolute secrecy provision that makes us the laughing stock of civilized societies, LOL.

Dingbats, think they can fool the people all the time, keep at it and continually antagonize law abiding citizens with your perversion and you may soon face the wrath of the hungry and angry poor people fed up with your perversions.

The people who leaked Corona's bank accounts deserve a medal and they should be rewarded instead of prosecuted. They should be given immunity or amnesty for what they did is a service to the people who are tired with corrupt public officials of the elected and appointed ones. Those who want the source prosecuted are nothing but corrupt delusional amoral individuals hiding in an unjust law. A law that supports those with unexplained wealth stashing away their loots converted into dollars in our banking system that caters to criminals instead of hard working OFWs, who are the genuine dollar earners of the Philippines. I say expose the crooks for what they are and their hypocrite supporters deluding themselves that they can fool the people all the time!

It is unfortunate that there were so many unjust laws that Marcos left us and no one really paid attention or was it because patronage politics has that uncanny effect on politicians to become crooks?How about you, do you believe the source of the numerous bank accounts of Corona should be prosecuted or given a medal? If Gloria Arroyo can hail Chavit Singson a self-confessed Jueteng bagman as hero why can't we in turn hail our heroes too? Don't you think those who work at the bank are more deserving of appreciation for exposing the truth than those with self-serving interest?

The banking secrecy law is obsolete, hanging on to a law that helps criminals launder dirty money in a safe, untouchable legal manner is corruption of the highest order.

Of course Corona being a thug that he is will not listen to what other religious organizations when it comes to opening his dollar accounts. Corona does not care what religious organizations says as long as he has the backing of fanatical fools like Iglesia ni Batman waving their support for absolute bank secrecy, LOL.... The next time we question why we are in a rut just look at the opportunist Iglesia ni Batman and you will know why, hehehe.

The best way to end the thuggery of a cheap justice is to follow what Walden Bello proposes, seize Corona's assets. I say seize Corona's properties and freeze his numerous bank accounts including the absolute secret dollar accounts, that is the only language a criminal understand to put him in his proper place. Do that and let us see if the cheap justice will still portray himself as a martyr to be pitied, and then we can reward the informer who gave the bank documents to the prosecution team which is really the standard in ill-gotten wealth cases, LOL.....

Watch Impeachment Trial of Renato C. Corona

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Philippine Politics

A nation on trial

AS a physician witnessing the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Renato Corona, I cannot help but compare and discern a stark difference between medical practice and the legal process as far as the search for "the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" is concerned. Also, holistically, at this impeachment, not only one person is on trial but a whole nation and its people.

In medicine, when the complaints of the patients are heard by the physician or a group of physicians, and the clinical interrogation, examination, evidence-gathering (laboratory test reports, etc), are initiated, the "advocates for truth," who are the physicians and other members of the team, have only one clear universal goal: to search for truth (the right diagnosis), supported by facts, upon which the verdict (treatment) will depend. Hence, the truth is essential, fundamental, and truly indispensable. And everyone on the case, in good faith and in accordance to their sworn Hippocratic Oath, works expeditiously, to get to the truth in the name of quality medical care or medical "justice" for everyone, Chief Justice or not.

No member of the treating team, including the Big Professor, would be objecting, or refusing to accept, vital data, reports, documents, evidences, etc. None of them would try delaying tactics and technicalities to evade the issue in order to avoid the proper treatment. Above all, no member of the healthcare team would be calling for the medical investigation to be stopped, before or after it has been initiated, with the intentional sinister purpose of keeping the truth from being revealed and setting a most probable criminal to go scot-free.

Law was my second love in college, before I decided to take up medicine. As a young impressionistic college student, I had the utmost admiration and respect for the law profession and lawyers. To me then, lawyers were synonymous with the defender of truth and justice, who keep criminals off the streets and send them to where they belong, behind bars, to protect the people and the nation.

I also thought they were simply brilliant for crafting legal tenets like "no one is above the law, public trust is inviolate, and that all public officials, especially the members of the executive, legislative and judiciary, must be ethical, transparent, accountable, and held to a higher (nay, the highest!) standard of law and justice.

As I grew older, the legal realities became more obvious: When two sides, as in two legal protagonist teams, collide in court, one prosecuting and the other defending two diametrically opposite stands (as to guilt or innocence), only one could be right and just, since there is only ONE truth. This reality in the legal process means only 50 percent of all lawyers are defenders of truth and justice, and the other 50 percent defenders of falsehood and injustice, as what would result in every trial, including the Corona Impeachment.

It is one thing for the defense team to make sure their client gets a fair trial; it is another to prevent the truth from surfacing and obstruct justice. Lawyers who advocate with blatant disregard for the truth are an insult to the legal profession and no better than criminals themselves. The same applies to the judges, to a greater degree.

Why would any lawyer on the case, prosecution or defense, not welcome legitimate and proper evidences that could help expose the truth and serve justice? Aren’t both sides searching for the truth? The defense can present evidence, if they have any, to show that Corona is a saint and not a criminal, that the Chief Justice was legally compliant in his SALN, that he earned every single penny, every home and property (5 or 45, I lost count!) that he possesses today, that he did not amass ill-gotten wealth, that the praying Corona shedding tears was not a plunderer or law-breaker, that the Chief Justice is sinless. If Corona is innocent and has nothing to hide, why does he not come clean and bare it all? What is he scared of?

So far, I personally view Chief Justice Corona and his defense clowns as enemies of honesty, truth, and justice, by the way they argue and behave in and out of court. They also are alike and truly deserve each other. My respect and admiration go the integrity, tenacity and patience of the "younger, fumbling, inexperienced" prosecutors who are struggling very hard to present the truth, while the grandstanding Cuevas tries to derail and prevent them.

I am one of those who believe that Justice Corona’s defiance and arrogance and refusal to do a "Merci," were a result of Divine Providence. God is good to the Philippines and the Filipino People. He wanted to expose the truth and bestow upon our ailing nation and our suffering people the generous blessing that will help us wage a more effective war against graft and corruption. If the Chief Justice is determined innocent, which is most unlikely with all the evidences presented so far, he deserves to be free, but the painful lessons in this Trial will serve as a serious warning to all our public officials that Juan del Cruz, inspired by P-Noy’s "Daang Matuwid," has awakened and will zoom in on them and their activities with extreme vigilance.

If, in spite of the damning evidences exposed at the Impeachment Trial, the Court of Legislators still does not impeach the Chief Justice and set him free, these members of the impeachment court will become suspect as crooks and thieves protecting the honor of a fellow plunderer and criminal. And they themselves must then face the full wrath of the Parliament of the Streets.

On trial and at stake at this impeachment is not only Chief Justice Renato Corona but Philippine justice itself, and the dignity and honor of our nation and the Filipino people.

Let us show the world that in the Philippines no one, not even a Chief Justice, is above the law, and that the Filipinos are honorable and just, and not dumb and stupid.

*********************************************************************************

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, USA, trained at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, is Chairman of Filipino United Network (FUN-USA), Vice Chairman of Filipino American Leadership Council (FALCONadvocacy) and Vice President for Far East of Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, Wichita, Kansas. He is a columnist for five newspapers and one magazine in the United States and five newspapers and one magazine in the Philippines. Author of Lets Stop "Killing" Our Children, A simplified survival guide for parents and society to save our children.

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Renato Corona's Fake Bank Account Documents?

PINAGUGULO LANG TAYO NITONG DEFENSE AT KABOBOHAN NG PROSECUTION. ANG SUSI SA GULO AY ANG SENADO.

On the matter of the subject DOCUMENT, assuming that the document is fake, then all that the Senate has to do is exclude all testimonies of witnesses on the document, upon motion of defense, punish for contempt those party who knowingly are complicit in the submission of the fake document and set aside the document at opportune time for being spurious or fake. That settles the fake document issue.
But on the CONTENTS of the fake document, the issue is different. The content of the fake document consists of banks accounts of CJ Corona. They appear genuine, existing and has not been declared to be false or spurious. Thus, in so far as these peso accounts of CJ Corona are concerned , there is no legal impediment for the senate impeachment trial body to demand the bank to produce its records for the senate to determine what is true, in the exercise of the senate's plenipotentiary power for truth and justice. Remember, the primary duty of the senate is to arrive at the truth, behind any or all 8 allegations of the impeachment complaint and to pass judgment whether CJ Corona is fit to stay in office or not as charged on the basis of what they found to be true in all these things.

The only reason why the senate could not touch anything that relates to the dollar bank account of Cj Corona is because of its respect to the SC which issued a TRO to the bank pending its resolution whether the senate may or may not look into the dollar account of Corona in the bank, But whatever the decision of the SC, it is simply moot and academic when the senate does not concur with it because Sen, Enrile said that in so far as the proceedings of the impeachment is concerned the senate 's decision is paramount and supreme. It could not be appealed to any court or agency. The senate seems to concede authority to the SC ONLY on matters relating to interlocutory orders

KAYA, BAKIT NAKAKAGULO , when the issues are these simple?

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corruption

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Philippine Politics

The Way I See It

PJ’s musings on the gossip errr news of the day affecting me or maybe just me alone but if you are also affected you are welcome to contradict me or commiserate with me, LOL.

On Corona Mistrial bared……

Corona & his defense counsels are the typical slobs that they are, give them an inch and they want a mile, LOL.

Let us see if Corona will stoop so low to instigate his gang mates at the SC to issue a TRO in desperately stopping the impeachment trial. Let us see if he and his cohorts at the SC are that dense in trying to impose their sick will that will definitely bring us to a constitutional crisis of their own making. Let us see if they can dare face the wrath of a frustrated angry people who may not be as lenient as the impeachment trial.

On SC creating ‘safe haven for criminal acts,’ says justice…..

Indeed it is promoting impunity and opening the Philippine banking industry to shady characters of the criminal syndicate types like the Yakuzas, Mafias, and the Drug Cartel Lords, not even counting the local counterparts who just found a haven and safest place to stash their ill-gotten wealth.

Leave it to the corrupt justices to save the skin of their godfather errrr midnight chief justice to interpret the absolutist privacy right to stash money undetected & unhampered by scrutiny of any kind even trump the exception when it is an impeachment case. Never mind that Corona being an appointed government official is subject to disclose everything in the civil code of ethics because it is the Code of Omerta that is the absolute code they will follow no matter what the public says.

These fools wants us to believe that the law on bank secrecy is absolute when there is no such thing as absolute in law, even taking of a person's life is not an absolute criminal offense when it is self-defense so why can a mere dollar bank account have an absolute secrecy?

On What Crisis?

Constitutional crisis is more likely an induced constipational crisis courtesy of Renato Corona's gang mates in the SC, while the senators who voted to "respect" the TRO are using constitutional crisis to justify their adherence to the CODE of OMERTA, LOL.

These people are losing it or so out of it because of all the law that they are following to the letter it is the one that protects corrupt people in their "right" to bank secrecy. What the Mafia can't openly declare, the Philippines even created into law courtesy of the Marcos dictatorship. If these people are truly law abiding public officials they could have countered with the PD that amended this law that allows the opening of the dollar bank account in impeachment case. Isn't that ironic that our justices and majority of our senators are better Mafia's than the Mafias? LOL

On Dense and denser……..

In the Mafia Republic the code of omerta is legislated into law that must be strictly adhered to in the absolutist manner or it will disrupt their money laundering activities, LOL.

We know who you are and why you are so protective of Corona's dollar bank account because once Corona's dollar account is exposed what will prevent your dollar account from being exposed and scrutinized by the hungry and angry public too, hehehe.

On Arroyo allies working to impeach Aquino……..

These morons are no different from the perennial nuisance presidential candidates, they are more likely to get hit by lightning or my chance of winning the lottery is way greater than they are even getting into the first base, LOL.

Hey fools, perhaps you should help Oliver Lozano to become a legislatong so he can lead your bankrupt Palaka Party since his numerous impeachment petition cannot even get a single legislator to endorse it.

If Edcel is one funny character Danilo Suarez is even worse but the irony is he cannot even pass himself off as a clown, LOL.

On PS Bank execs ‘very evasive’ over Corona bank records………

I feel sorry for the PS Bank execs finding themselves between the rock and a hard place. Their option is either to perjure themselves (hoping against hope that perjury is really treated lightly without any consequence but there is no guarantee it will be so) or tell the truth that the "fake documents" came from them which may land them in jail and lose money launderers errr client depositors who might see their bank compromising the code of omerta errr their right to bank secrecy, LOL.

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Philippine Politics

Noriyo Ohara, Kidnapped for Ransom by the NBI?

NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) is patterned after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation composed of elite lawmen & women who are educated degree holder mostly lawyers, certified public accountants, master degree to doctorate degree holders. Their stature makes them stand tall above the crowd of pathetic potbellied counterpart in other police agencies and as such the citizens look at them in awe and respect.

Lately though it seems endemic corruption has reached even the elite investigative agencies getting into unthinkable scandals that the agency is like or expected to get involved in such dastardly act of human rights abuse of kidnap for ransom under the guise of an arrest. As if that is not bad enough one would expect that the scalawags would have used or have their own unauthorized safe house to detain their kidnap victim but no, they used NBI facilities as if it was their gang hideout.

The scalawags may just be security guards but the fact that they detained Ohara in the NBI for a month indicates that they were given the authority. The question now is who gave these security guards the authority and why did they target one who is hiding from the dreaded Yakuza, are the security guards working with Yakuza? Were they bribed by the Yakuza in arresting Ohara that is more of a kidnap when they knew that it does not fall under their jurisdiction?

Why will they allow a civilian girlfriend of one of the "arresting" security guards steal Ohara's properties and make it appear it was confiscated, on what grounds exactly?

These are incidents that indicate that it may not be an exception but more like the norm when they can have someone detained illegally for a month and a civilian helping herself to the detainees’ properties in the form of "confiscation." Whoever is in charge would have known better lest he or she is so incompetent or moronic to not know what's going on in their agency. But then if Ramon Tulfo’s feedback is accurate then it is not a surprise why something as dreadful as this is happening in the prime investigative agency of the nation, to quote:

That every office or division within the NBI is run like a fiefdom, independent from other offices and even from the NBI director.

That there is no distinction between a security guard, tasked with securing the NBI premises and facilities, and an NBI line agent, who is either a lawyer or certified public accountant.

NBI security guards go on missions like NBI line agents without authority from the NBI director.

The people who arrested Ohara and demanded ransom for her release were NBI security guards.

Director Magtanggol Gatdula admitted as much in a letter to this columnist.

That there are persons who are not organic members of the bureau who hang around the NBI premises and pass themselves off as NBI agents.

That the NBI, patterned after the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is as corrupt as the Philippine National Police (PNP) and needs to be overhauled.

A fiefdom explains why there are civilians close to someone even just a security guard who is not a line agent can pretend to have the authority, such as this one described by Ramon Tulfo:

A certain Chona Espina, who hung around at the SMD office, confiscated from Ohara a suitcase containing very expensive watches, jewelry, an Apple laptop, documents pertaining to her house in Parañaque City, a 2010 model BMW car and two Honda cars.

Espina, reportedly Garcia’s or Cabillan’s girlfriend, should be made to return all the things she took from Ohara.

Do these scalawags even think that 10% of the Philippine populations are scattered the world over known to us as our OFWs? They may be known to us our modern day heroes but in the eyes of the world outside the Philippines they are known as foreigners. Yes, just like the poor Japanese woman named Noriyo Ohara, 33, whose family was murdered by the dreadful Yakuzas desperately hiding for her safety only to be kidnapped for ransom and her personal property stolen by these scalawags using the NBI badges for their dastardly act. Now how exactly will they feel if their relatives are treated in the same manner?

The initial reaction when a probe was conducted on the anomaly was even more anomalous, insensitive, inhumanely uncaring, and totally callous. Of all the things they could do they transferred her from the kidnappers’ safe house to the Bureau Immigration detention facility, now if that is not mind boggling I don’t know what is? As if she has not had enough harrowing experience they now threatened her perhaps unwittingly or maybe more to it than meets the eye to be deported back to Japan at the waiting criminal hands of the Yakuzas? How can the probers establish trust that they are there to give her justice when she maybe in more danger in their hands than her original kidnapper/captors?

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