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Joe de V’s Biography

Monday, November 24, 2008

“At that lunch, the Shanghai crabs were cooked as excellently as promised, and lunch being at three hours past noon, we all had good appetites.” 

by Ducky Paredes

 

“Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia Jr., the Visionary Five-Time Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines” written by veteran American journalist Brett M. Decker, an editor of the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong talks of what happened when the President of the Philippines and its Speaker met with officials of the ZTE (Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company Limited) in Shenzen, Guangdong Province across from Hong Kong.

This was on November 2, 2006. They had a golf game and proceeded to the ZTE Headquarters. According to Joe de V: “At that lunch, the Shanghai crabs were cooked as excellently as promised, and lunch being at three hours past noon, we all had good appetites.”

Benjamin Abalos apparently was thoroughly at home in the ZTE headquarters and dominated the discussion on the National Broadband Network project. According to Joe de V, Gloria made no comment and her husband hardly said a word.

But after lunch, Mike Arroyo suggested a formula that would eventually see the awarding of the NBN project to the Chinese telecommunications company.

In the book, De Venecia n otes that after their visit to ZTE, the President changed her policy of undertaking the project on a BOT (build-operate-transfer) scheme to a government-to-government contract that required a Philippine government loan guarantee. This was later awarded to the Chinese telecommunications company.

According to the book:  “Then came the second surprise: Abalos led the discussion on various matters but primarily he talked about the ZTE group and its capabilities.

 “The Speaker had the growing sense that Abalos was thoroughly at home in Shenzhen—so at home, in fact, that as the President and her party stood up to tee off, Abalos announced that lunch would be served at ZTE headquarters, and it would feature the well-known Shanghai crabs, which were then in season.”

After the golf game, De Venecia and the other Filipinos arrived at the ZTE headquarters at past 2 p.m. and were welcomed by its officials.

According to the book, “Abalos was virtually monopolizing the discussion. He pointed out how much the Philippines needed to modernize its telecommunications capabilities, just as China is doing, and how ZTE could help provide the Philippines with good equipment and technology.”

For the first time, the NBN project was discussed “and De Venecia could not forget what Abalos and the ZTE officials assured the President.

“They said that the broadband project could be financed by the China Export-Import Bank under terms similar to the project loan of NorthRail.”

 “I didn’t comment on that suggestion. Nor did I hear any comment from Mrs. Arroyo. As always, the First Gentleman said hardly a word,” De Venecia recalled.

On the way back to Hong Kong, the President said that if Abalos and the ZTE officials were interested in the NBN project, they should submit a BOT proposal “competitive with” the proposal of Joey de Venecia or other companies.

 “In other words, the President was continuing to stick by her word that the expensive project should not cost the Philippine taxpayers any money,” De Venecia says in the book.

The book continues: “But when the President and her group returned to Hong Kong, before they disembarked from the coaster, the President’s husband began suggesting that the best formula would be for a government-to-government loan, even if the Philippine government then would have to take a project loan from China with a Philippine government guarantee, to be paid by the Filipino people.”

The book says that  De Venecia thought the trip to Shenzhen was the “turning point” for ZTE, which was awarded the project four months after the President’s visit.

Says Joe de V in the book: “That was the first and last time I talked about the NBN project with the President. In hindsight, I would say I was brought to Shenzhen to play golf and have lunch with the President, the First Gentleman, Abalos and the ZTE officials, to show that the father of the owner of one of the companies interested in the NBN project was cooperating with them. This they did to redeem whatever promises they may have made to ZTE and other persons involved in the project.”

Luckily for us, ZTE and Gloria misread the De Venecias. They thought that Joe de V was in control and that his son would go away. Also, they were confident that their secret would never surface. Too bad for ZTE. Whatever they might have paid up front they have lost forever!

As for Joe de V pater et fils as well as the Arroyos, what I truly resent about al of these is the idea that we need foreigners to do national broadband for us when we actually have local companies that are already providing us this service. In fact, if the government would talk to the present providers and open bids for whatever government’s needs are for broadband, I am sure that this can be served by the present provides. Why do we need a different provider to do what is already being done by Smart and Globe and other carriers?

* * *

After being discharged from discharged from St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) Sunday noon after a one-day confinement due to “infectious diarrhea with vomiting,” First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo castigated former  Speaker Joe de V for linking him, President Arroyo and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr to the $329.48-million ZTE broadband deal mess.

 “That JDV is a liar and you can tell him to his face,” said Mike. While the Presidential Husband did not say which part of the JDV book were lies, he did comment on other matters: “I did not have a heart attack, thank God. But it was very painful, very severe abdominal pain so it’s already led others to conclude that I had a heart attack.”

* * *

“A lot of people ask me: Why did you choose to fight Manny Pacquiao? The process went like this. I chose Pacquiao first and foremost because of the challenge. Manny Pacquiao is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today by experts. That is a challenge that motivates me. Second, I took the fight because of the fact that they called me out. I always take it as a challenge when you call me out. I’m going to respond to it, I’m going to react to it. And, third, this is a worldwide event. You have the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world and you have the most popular fighter in the sport in world in myself. ” Oscar de La Hoya

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hvp 11.23.08)

Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com

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The OFW and Overpopulation

Saturday, November 22, 2008

“Why are there OFWs? Because we do not have jobs for them in their own country. If we had jobs for them here, there would be no OFWs.”

by Ducky Paredes

In the debate over whether or not, we ought to pass a Reproductive Health Bill, the silliest argument I have ever heard is the one that says we cannot afford to cut down on the growth rate of our population because over a million OFWs will be getting too old to continue as such in the next few years. Thus, the argument goes, we must continue producing new OFWs so that their remittances will keep our economy afloat.

That has to be the sort of argument that only a loser can think of.

The lack of well-paying and even just any jobs in the Philippines is the main reason for the existence of the more than 11 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) worldwide. This is equivalent to about 11% of the total population of the Philippines.

Why are there OFWs? Because we do not have jobs for them in their own country. If we had jobs for them here, there would be no OFWs in the first place and we would have no need for their remittance. The reason why their remittances are so important to us is because we do not have the level of economic activity that our large population needs.

Forget about people density (persons per sq. km.) and the fact that other countries have larger populations than we have. (It is not a valid argument that China has close to two billion people and India has close to a billion and a half. The fact is that these two countries have enough jobs for most of their people and even their overseas worker populations are much, much smaller than the Philippines’.)

We do not need to cut down on our rate of population growth because of the total number of Pinoys but we do need to control our population for our economy to be able to keep pace with our population growth.

The Rotary Club of Pasig had Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquiel speak on the pending Reproductive Health Bill and she stressed that this was needed more for the women to have better lives and to give them a chance at being more useful to themselves and their families. Also, spacing their children at more than three years apart gives them and their children healthier and better lives.

We are not speaking here of the women from the richer families. These have maids to do most of the house work and drivers to move them around the city.

The poorer women are the ones who have health issues and who must be helped. Let’s face it; richer couples have fewer children; poorer couples are causing the population explosion and they’re the ones who cannot afford their bigger families. The more affluent have only two, three or four children primarily because they go out of their way to control the size of their families. (We have just four children because four was all we wanted. This is true of a lot of families; yet, when congress wants to give the same choice for the poorer couples, a lot of us object to this.)

The rest of it – controlling population, cutting down the size of families and so on were, according to Rep. Baraquel, not so important as concerns over the health of the women and their children.

* * *

I bought 50,000 share of Aboitiz Power Corporation (AP) on its Initial Public Offering (IPO) last year and instructed the broker to send the certificates to HK Securities, Inc. since the owner was a fellow Rotarian whom I had known for more that ten years. I had been buying and selling shares through HK during that period. I was one of 892 clients of HK.

Recently, the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) was ordered by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to take over HK Securities’ operations after the company failed to account and produce securities of its clients worth approximately P106 million. Rodolfo Cruz, HK’s owner, promised but failed to pay the short security position.

Prior to the takeover, the PSE Market Regulation Division suspended HK Securities from trading and subsequently,  issued an order expelling the broker from the PSE.  HK appealed the sanctions.

 Currently, the PSE is in the process of validating the claims of HK Securities’ clients. The results of the validation will be the basis in allocating and distributing the remaining trade-related assets of HK Securities pursuant to SEC’s order.

Several HK clients have already filed criminal charges against the company’s directors and officers for fraudulent securities transactions.

Charges of syndicated estafa were filed against HK Securities president and principal shareholder Rodolfo Cruz and members of his family as well as other non-executive directors of the brokerage firm for numerous fraudulent transactions involving the funds and securities of clients.

The Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) has expressed support for the move.

“It is encouraging to note that HK’s clients have come forward to assert their rights as investors. (Knowing and asserting one’s) rights is one of the best forms of protection,” said PSE president and chief executive Francis Lim.

“The filing of a criminal case for syndicated estafa which, under the law, is non-bailable is a powerful message from clients to their brokers that they will not tolerate their brokers fooling around with their funds and securities,” he added.

I will be filing my own estafa complaint next week. And to think that Rody Cruz just two years ago was pushing for a resolution that would  condemn fellow Rotarian (from Makati) Joc-Joc Bolante! It must be true that it takes a crook to spot a crook.

Lucky for me that I had liquidated everything else in my portfolio before buying into the Aboitiz IPO! I lost money but what caused me more pain was that I thought I was investing with a friend I could trust.

* * *

Over the last week, I played in the 34th Oasis Park Hotel Golf Classic – five courses in five days: Sun Valley, Canlubang North, Forest Hills, Canlubang South and Eastridge. This was participated in by golfers from Guam, the United States, Australia and Europe.

This was a smaller group than the 33rd Golf Classic in May – just slightly over 30 persons.

It occurs to me that this sort of activity ought to be encouraged by the Department of Tourism and by our Golf Clubs. We have great courses that we can be proud of and friendlier people including caddies and other golf personnel who are ever helpful.

Instead, preparing for the tournament was made even more difficult because only a few golf clubs actually welcome foreign players. A lot of them will charge the foreigner five or more times what the local players pay. Why do we do this if we want tourists to visit our country?

Instead, we have crummy ways of showing our visitors that they are welcome; thus, we get mostly crummy tourists visiting us and playing on our courses.

I played in four our of the five days since I had something to do – a Rotary meeting — on Thursday. I am eager to again  play in the 35th Oasis Park Hotel Golf Classic early next year.

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hvp 11.21.08)

Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com

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Can a Loser Stop a Ballot Recount?

Friday, November 21, 2008

“Dueñas lead is down to 34 with just 25% of the precincts he identified in his counter-protest having been counted. 

by Ducky Paredes

There are 28 poll protests over the 2007 elections filed in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) against 25 proclaimed winners in congressional race. Supreme Court Associate Justice Angelina Gutierrez is the HRET chairperson.

The case with the strangest twist is the revision of ballots being done in the protested and counter-protested precincts of the 2nd Congressional District of Taguig City between Angelito “Jett” Reyes and the proclaimed winner, Henry Dueñas.

The true will of the people of Taguig City must shine through, especially since the HRET has done a splendid job so far in coming tantalizingly close to determining the real winner.

Dueñas, a former councilor,  was proclaimed winner with  28,564 votes against the 27,107 votes of Reyes and the 22,264 votes of a third candidate, Arturo Alit.

Reyes protested the result before the HRET, which subsequently reduced the lead of Dueñas from 1,457 to only 166 after physical appreciation and evaluation of the ballots in all of the precincts identified by Reyes in his protest and in 25% of Dueñas’ counter-protested precincts.

Then, Reyes closed the gap further to just 34 votes with the discovery by the HRET of spurious ballots in these precincts. Not only that; there were also ballots – all clearly written by just one hand – which the HRET, however, refused to invalidate. If the HRET had done so, Reyes would already have won without the need for further revisions.

On September 25, the HRET ordered the continuation of the revision of the 75% of the ballots in the precincts which Dueñas had identified as needing a recounting. On Sept. 30, alleging that the Sept. 25 HRET order was broad, vague and contrary to Rule 88 of the HRET rules of procedure, Dueñas asked that the revision of votes be discontinued.

On October 21, the HRET denied Dueñas’ motion, citing no less than Rule 88 which states that HRET actions are exercises of discretion based on the outcome of the initial revision and appreciation proceedings and the initial evidence presented by the parties.

In the same Oct. 21 order, the HRET also directed Dueñas to pay his share of P320,000 to cover the expenses for the revision of ballots in the precincts that he identified in his counter-protest and where he wanted the votes recounted. On Oct. 22, only five days before the Oct. 27 deadline given him by the HRET to provide the revision funds, Dueñas filed his motion seeking to abandon the revision of the remaining 75% of the ballots that he originally wanted recounted.

Should the HRET agree to this motion that clearly indicates that Dueñas has realized that continuing the recount at his expense would surely result on his being unseated as congressman?

The way I see it, the only thing that the HRET can do is to remain steadfast and complete its job in fulfillment of its mandate. Its members must not allow technicalities and the clear intention of the losing party to avoid the truth – that he lost the election!

 It has no choice but to abide by how it ruled on the Oct. 22 motion filed by Dueñas asking the HRET to discontinue the revision of ballots in the remaining 75 percent of the precincts he identified in his counter-protest.

Why else would Dueñas want to stop the revision of ballots in the very precincts he put under question in his counter-protest, if not for the clear realization of his impending defeat?

Dueñas lead is down to 34 with just 25% of the precincts he identified in his counter-protest having been counted. There are still 75% of his own precincts to count. Dueñas has clearly lost the election.

Will the HRET allow a losing candidate’s  ploy to subvert the true will of the electorate, which can only be determined by the HRET completing the revision of ballots in all of the contested precincts?

Can the HRET, using Rule 88, rule on Reyes as the clear winner based on the “exercise of its discretion based on the outcome of the initial revision and appreciation proceedings and the initial evidence presented by the parties.”

The HRET should be allowed to do so; otherwise, any losing candidate  –down to his last 34 vote-lead – can get away with the moral equivalent of murder by just refusing to participate further in  the revision of ballots!

* * *

 If there was ever any doubt that Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza is deadly serious about dismantling the fish pens of Laguna de Bay, Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) General Manager Edgardo Manda now knows that Lito Atienza means business!

Atienza told the press:  “We have repeatedly asked the LLDA to intensify the dismantling of illegal structures in Laguna Lake. But it seems they have done nothing but to delay the clearing-up work. Now it appears that they are asserting their authority over all the activities in the lake, including our right to protect the lake’s environment from pollution and degradation. This is a clear case of stalling the fish pen demolition.”

Manda had written a letter to the DENR asserting that he had “exclusive jurisdiction over the lake and that the LLDA “prevails over and above the mandates and functions of different line departments and regional agencies/offices operating under their own enabling law/charters dealing with environmental and natural resources management.”

This is laughable because the LLDA is only an attached agency of the DENR. Thus, Atienza pointed out that the DENR rules over the LLDA, as stated in Executive Order (EO) 149, which was issued by former President Fidel Ramos.

Thus, Atienza took from the LLDA its power to regulate property development projects around Laguna de Bay.

Atienza issued an administrative order transferring the regulatory function to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), which report directly to the DENR Secretary. Atienza explained that he wanted to “end all horror stories” on the slow issuance of environmental compliance certificates (ECCs).

After clipping its powers, Atienza told Manda to focus solely on cleaning up and rehabilitating the Laguna de Bay. He said the cleanup of the lake, including the dismantling of fish pens and fish cages, was crucial to the rehabilitation of other bodies of water in Metro Manila.

Atienza designated Juan Miguel Cuna as the new officer in charge of issuing ECCs, and directed him to cut red tape.

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hvp 11.20.08)

Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com

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A Letter from Meralco

Thursday, November 20, 2008

“Self-dealing contracts per se are not prohibited under the law. These contracts are invalidated only if the same are proven to be unfair and unreasonable.”

by Ducky Paredes

Following is a letter from Meralco. It has been abridged only to keep within the space reserved for this column:
“This is in response to your column entitled ‘Still no stopping Winston G’ that came out in Malaya on November 14, 2008. You raised a couple of issues there pertaining to Meralco that I would like to answer here point for point. You mention that Meralco power rates are more expensive compared to other distribution utilities (DUs). I beg to disagree. Meralco’s distribution rates have been structured to favor small consumers through socialized pricing. As such, small consumers are charged lower distribution rates while those consuming more are charged relatively higher rates.
“For example, a Meralco residential customer consuming 200 kWh/month is given a distribution charge of only P1.37/kWh. For a consumer using 200 kWh/month or less, the distribution rate in Cebu is P1.47/kWh, in Davao P1.64/kWh, and in Cagayan de Oro P2.04/kWh - all higher than Meralco’s distribution charge. Meralco residential customers using up to 200 kWh/month account for 77 percent of all its residential customers. I also would like to state that there are at least 37 other distribution utilities that have higher residential rates than Meralco.
“On your other point, meanwhile, that Meralco should drop its ‘onerous’ contracts with its Independent Power Producers (IPPs), may I be allowed to explain why we, in the first place, entered into these contracts with the IPPs and why such contracts cannot be rescinded as easily as you are suggesting?
“First, it is not true that IPP provisions are onerous. These contracts have been subjected to public hearings by both the then Energy Regulatory Board (ERB) and its successor, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC). Meralco’s IPP contracts were duly certified, evaluated, and approved by the government in ERB Case Nos. 97-03 and 99-62 and ERC Case No. 2004-74.
“In 1997, Meralco’s contracts with First Gas were reviewed and upheld by a Board Committee. Later in 2004, the First Gas contracts were reviewed again by a Board Committee, the results of which were then submitted to the ERC, subjected to public hearings, and the contract amendments were eventually approved by the ERC.
“It may also be recalled that under Executive Order (EO) No. 215, the business of electric power generation was opened to the private sector, thereby allowing the government to meet future power demands without much financial cost, and thus avert a threatening crisis of widespread and continuous blackouts in the country.
“For this purpose, the government, through the NPC, decided to enter into purchase power contracts with different Independent Power Producers (IPPs). However, to encourage the IPPs to establish and operate generating plants in our country, and assure them of reasonable return on or recovery of their investment, the government deemed it necessary to include certain provisions in the contract which would guarantee the IPPs of a ‘minimum energy off-take’, or a minimum payment for generated power. This provision is what is popularly referred to as the ‘take-or-pay’ provision.
“The take-or-pay provisions are internationally-accepted commercial arrangements, and are also contained in the contracts of NPC with its own IPPs, which greatly outnumber Meralco’s IPPs. The IPP contracts were approved by the ERB on the fundamental justification that the cost of power from such IPPs were shown to be cheaper than the contemporary rates of NPC.(?!?!) In fact, the IPP proponents have had to obtain accreditation from the NPC and DOE before they could construct their power plants. The accredited IPP projects were made part of NPC’s Power Development Program and the DOE’s Philippine Energy Plan.
“On your other point, such contracts with the IPPs can not just be scrapped on a whim because such contracts were done with an arm’s-length negotiation (not ‘sweetheart deals’), have undergone public hearings, and have been approved by government regulators.
“You also made mention about ‘questionable deals with the Lopezes’. Meralco does, not, either with Lopez companies or non-Lopez companies, engage in questionable deals. If you’re suggesting that Meralco sources most of its power and other operational needs from sister companies, that is not true. In 2007, related party transactions, including power purchases from First Gas, accounted for only 30% of total goods and services purchased. This is down from 34% in 2006.
“Further, a summary of Meralco’s major equipment purchases since 2007 shows that, while Meralco purchase some of its requirements for meters, transformers, and computer equipment from related companies, none of its requirements for the following are supplied by a related company: wires and cables; poles; distribution type switchgear and accessories; substation equipment, hardware, and accessories; vehicles, transportation materials, and accessories, and; insulators and electrical insulating materials.
“All equipment purchases including those for meters and distribution transformers (DTs) undergo competitive bidding. Awards are based on lowest evaluated cost. It just so happens that Gepmici and Philiex are affiliates, but they are also the only local manufacturers of meters and DTs. Having these two local manufacturers support the “Buy Filipino” movement, otherwise, the entire Philippine electric industry will be fully reliant on imported equipment. Having local manufacturers provides local supply stability, promotes employment and also supports the sourcing operations of electric cooperatives and other private distribution utilities - not just Meralco.
“Self-dealing contracts per se are not prohibited under the law. These contracts are invalidated only if the same are proven to be unfair and unreasonable. All contracts with affiliates or sister companies of Meralco were negotiated at arm’s length, to ensure that only the most reasonable costs are charged to the company. Further, all contracts that would affect the consumers of Meralco are required to be approved by the ERC and all the costs of said contracts are subject to the strict evaluation by the ERC to determine the reasonableness thereof for purposes of pass-through to consumers.
“On the 30-billion refund, meanwhile, that you’re urging one of the senators to ‘press Meralco to complete’, may I inform you that we are continuously processing and giving the refund and that we are well within the timetable given us to complete the refund. Meralco, moreover, is not ‘violating with impunity both the terms of its franchise and the EPIRA,’ as you stated. For the record, we never disregarded any moral and legal norms as you claimed in your column. I find your statement most unfair.
“Please allow me, too, to enlighten you on the issue of system loss, which you attempted to discuss in your column. Local distribution utilities are among the most transparent in presenting their system losses. Unlike other utility services (e.g., electricity transmission, water, telephone, cable, etc.), local distribution utilities present system loss charges as separate and verifiable quantities. Meralco’s System Loss Charge computations, along with supporting documents, are submitted monthly to ERC for verification. No charges are imposed on the customer unless with explicit approval of the ERC.
“The results of Meralco’s system loss reduction efforts attest to how serious it is against electricity pilferage. In 2007, Meralco attained its lowest system loss in 27 years. Meralco’s system loss in 2007 was only 9.65%, down from 21.01% in its high in 1986. Despite its residential-biased sales mix, this performance still places Meralco in the 15th percentile rank of local distribution utilities with the lowest system losses.
“In the same year, Meralco was able to collect a total of P789 million from electricity pilferers, which was used to lower customer’s distribution charges by 3 centavos. The discount is reflected as a reduction in the Generation Charge. In the past 10 years, Meralco has already refunded to its customers an estimated P7.5 billion in pilferage recoveries. For comparison, Meralco’s total pilferage recoveries in 2007 (P789 million) was 24 times the combined pilferage recoveries of the 120 electric cooperatives in the country for the same period.
“Major system loss reduction efforts of Meralco include a comprehensive drive to review and update business processes, promoting the consumption of large customers, increasing the productivity and effectiveness of apprehending crews, and providing additional protection to its distribution and metering facilities. Meralco owes much of its success from different local government units, community associations, and concerned citizens who share the objective of promoting public safety and order.
“Meralco welcomes an objective review of system losses in the Philippines. As a regulated entity, Meralco is vitally interested in how it could best serve the interest of its customers in a manner that would be both cost-effective and sustainable, while remaining within the bounds of laws and regulations. Any review of applicable laws and regulations that would ensure long-run benefits (in terms of better service quality and cost) to all distribution utility customers in the country would positively reflect both on the local economy and the entities that provide power for it.“– Elpi O. Cuna, Vice President and Head, Corporate Communication, Meralco

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hvp 11.19.08)

Readers who missed a column can access www.duckyparedes.com/blogs. This is updated daily. Your reactions are welcome at duckyparedes@yahoo.com

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Ang 24 na Senador

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Deretsahan

ni Horacio Paredes

Sa totoo lamang, kung ikaw nga naman ay isa sa mga tinatawag nating mga  “bagong bayani” na OFW na inaasahan ng bansa para sa kaniyang padalang kwarta sa kaniyang pamilya sa Pinas, tapos ay makakabasa ka ng balita tungkol sa pulitika, talaga nga namang madidismaya ka. May sulat tayo galing sa Saudi:
“Sumulat po ako sa column ninyo upang magpahayag ng aking saloobin, mga nararamdam namin dito sa Gitnang Silangan kaugnay sa mga kaganapan diyan sa ating bansa. Habang papalapit ang 2010 lalong lumalabo na magkakaroon pa ng pagpapalapit ng mga namumuno sa ating bansa. Ito ang aking personal na nakikita at nararamdaman sa takbo ng pulitika ngayon sa atin. Ang patunay riyan ay pagpapatalsik kay Senate Pres. Manny Villar na pinalitan ng isang kilalang kakampi ng Malakanyang. Saan pa tayo babaling, ang Kamara hawak ng mga kawatan na mga alipores ng nasa palasyo. Ngayon nagbabadya ang senado ng kawalan ng delikadesa.  Papaano na ang bukas ng bansa natin, papayag na lang ba tayo  na maghahari sila siguro panahon na upang magising tayo sa katotohanan.
“Umaasa ako na magkakaroon pa ng eleksyon sa 2010 para mapalitan ang kasalukuyang naloklok na walang hiya, manhid sa kahirapan ng mga nakararaming Pilipino, kawatan ng salaping pinaghirapan ng iba.” — Ignacio Dapiton, Saudi Arabia
* * *
Masyado ka naman, Asyong. Bakit pa nga naman magiging pulitiko ka kung wala kang ambisyon na mamuno sa bansang ito upang makamit ang kung anuman ang nais mong mangyari sa sarili at sa pamilya. Para sa kanila, wala nang mas madaling paraan na maging Pangulo kundi ang pagkapit sa saya ni Gloria.
Sino pa nga naman ang may sapat na kwarta upang makakampanya at manalo (sa anumang paraan) sa isang pambansang halalan?
Hindi naman na mayroong pinipili – si Manny Villar man o si Enrile – ngunit sa totoo wala naman talagang silbi kung sino man ang mamumuno sa ating Senado. Sa totoo lamang, napaka-baba na ng kalidad ng ating mga senador kung kaya nakakahinayang ang ating gastusin sa 24 na kung sa factory pa ay dapat na mga reject ang karamihan.
Wala tayong nakikita sa Senado na kahit na anumang maganda. Ang kanilang mga imbestigasyon ay walang katapusan at walang nakikitang kahit ano pa mang magagamit “in aid of legislation.” Gingawa nila ang mga ito bilang isa lamang pasiklaban ng mga senadores. Mayroon na bang napakulong ang Senado? Mayroon na bang bagong panukalang batas na kanilang naipasa dahil sa kanilang mga imbestigasyon? Wala. Ngunit, dito nauubos ang oras nila.
Kung tatanungin mo ang senador kung bakit pinasa niya ang isang resolusyon o batas na noon pang hindi pa siya senador ay talagang kinakalaban na niya, isasagot sa iyo na wala siyang magagawa dahil upang makuha niya nag tulong ng ibang senador sa kaniya namang mga panukala’y kinakailangan niyang makipaglaro sa kanila.
Ganito ang ating senado at ganyan ang ating mga senador kung kaya isa ako sa mga tumutulak ng pagbabago. Dapat nang buwagin ang senado. Bakit natin kinakailangan ang 24 na tao na wala namang silbi dahil mayroon na rin tayong sobra sa 200 na mambabatas na wala namang pagkakaiba sa 24 na senador? Hindi naman mas matitino ang mga senador kaysa sa mga kongresman. Hindi rin naman sila mas matatalino or kaya’y mas matatatag. Kahit na sa kung anumang bagay pa natin sila ikukumpara, hindi naman nakakalamang ang 24 na ito; kaya. bakit pa natin sila binubukod. Sa katunayan pa nga, maraming mga kongresistang mas matitino pa nga kung ikukumpara natin sa lahat ng 24 na senador natin.
Kaya ayan, sa pag-uwi ninyong mga OFW, ito ang inyong uuwian. Mas mabuti pang diyan na muna kayo at tulungan na lamang ninyo ang mga pamilya ninyo upang sila’y umunlad at maka-alis na nang tuluyan sa ating ka-awa-awang bansa. Baka nga ang tunay na swerte ng Pinoy ay sa labas lamang ng Pinas. Dito ay kahirapan lamang ang naghihintay sa kaniya.

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hvp (11.19.08)

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De la Paz is no Joc-Joc

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

“Our senators should leave the issue to the proper investigating bodies, such as the Office of the Ombudsman.”

by Ducky Paredes

Let us get one thing clear: The probable crime of retired Police Director Eliseo dela Paz is a world apart from the probable crime of former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante.

At worst, Dela Paz “borrowed” money under his care and for which he was solely responsible. He “borrowed” the equivalent of 105,000 euros from that intelligence fund. He must, when confronted, show that all the money under his care and responsibility is intact and available for the next PNP Comptroller.

Dela Paz informed the senators during last Saturday’s joint hearing of the foreign relations committee and blue ribbon committee that the Russian authorities will soon turn over  the money to the Philippine government.

Dela Paz converted P6.93 million drawn from the PNP’s intelligence fund to 105,000 euros before leaving for the trip to Moscow last month.  The former comptroller was questioned by Russian authorities after the undeclared amount of euros was found in his possession as he was about to go through the final boarding gate at the Moscow airport.

His lawyer, Roel Malaya, said last week that Dela Paz’s Russian lawyer, Alex Binetskiy, had informed him that the 105,000 euros “will be returned immediately.” The remittance of the money back to the PNP was being facilitated, said Binetskiy, by a certain Capt. E. Rudenko.

When the Russian side has actually returned the money, that ought to be the end of that. When that happens, what Senator Gringo Honasan unearthed regarding the handling of intelligence funds ought to be thought over and changes in the law should be considered. (Gringo seemed the only senator who was actually interested in pursuing the De la Paz investigation “in aid of legislation.” He was actually the only senator who was into how such incidents could be prevented.)

Our senators should leave the issue to the proper investigating bodies, such as the Office of the Ombudsman, which is actually set this week to kick off its own probe of the Moscow incident.

After conducting two hearings on the issue, it has now become clear to our Senators that Dela Paz bears the full responsibility for the fund mess.

In his testimony before the Senate, Dela Paz said he got the P6.93 million in cash from Senior Supt. Tomas Rentoy III, who is budget division chief of the PNP Director for Comptrollership and the designated Special Disbursing Officer for the travel allowances of police personnel.

As  Commission on Audit chief Reynaldo Villar himself noted during the Senate hearing,  there is a need to change the system within the PNP (and other government agencies) that allows officials like Dela Paz to be both the requesting and approving party in the release of the funds involved, being the then PNP comptroller.

But despite the overwhelming evidence all pointing to Dela Paz as the sole culprit—topped by his own admission of culpability—Senate probers were in no mood to let the issue rest. Instead they railed at what Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago described as a “bigger conspiracy” with Dela Paz as a fall guy covering up for those above him in the food chain.

When will these senators realize that what needs legislating is how intelligence funds should be handled. Period. There is no “parallelism” (a Senator’s word) between De la Paz and Joc-Joc. Bolante is covering up while De la Paz is taking responsibility for the whole thing.

P6.93 million is definitely a lot less than P728 million, more so when one considers that the 105,000 euros equivalent to the P6.93 million will be remitted back to the PNP by Russian authorities while the P728 million, or most of it, has been lost already in overpriced liquid fertilizer purportedly given to ghost farmer-beneficiaries four years ago.

Unlike Bolante, Dela Paz did not flee the country to dodge a Senate investigation. De la Paz volunteered to testify during the second hearing after the Supreme Court failed to rule on the motion for a TRO.

Also, while Bolante professed innocence and even blamed other agriculture executives for the P728-million scam, Dela Paz, from the beginning, owned up to the Moscow fiasco. Moreover, his admission of guilt had been corroborated during the Senate hearing by the three Camp Crame finance officers who have had a hand in withdrawing the intelligence funds on his direct orders.

* * *

When I was in government, I always worried about the intelligence funds under my care. All one needs to do – at the end of a quarter – is to type out a one-page confirmation that the funds under your care were spent for the purposes for which they were intended. You sign it and your superior signs it. And, that’s it!

In my case, the President signed as the superior. That made me nervous. I was always ready with a full report of where all the money went in the event that she would ever want to know how the money was spent. I never had to show that report to anyone.

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hvp 11.18.08)

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Abortion in the News

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

“US funds to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have been blocked since 2002.” 

by Ducky Paredes

 It is a bit of good news to those that see a more aggressive population control program as being good for this country that many observers believe that the incoming Democratic administration in the United States may lift a ban on US funding for overseas family planning groups.

It is no secret that whatever funding was coming from the U.S. for population control in the Philippines was reduced to a trickle during the Bush presidency. This is referred to as the  “global gag rule,” which was first established by Ronald Reagan in 1984. It cuts off funding to overseas family planning clinics which provide any abortion services whatsoever, from the operation itself to counseling, referrals or post-abortion services.

Among the first acts of President Bill Clinton was one that undid the population policy of the Reagan and Bush presidencies. Now, the Obama presidency is expected to unfreeze funds for many overseas family planning groups.

 US funds to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) have been blocked since 2002. The State Department says that the UN agency supports China’s one-child policy, which i amounts to coercive abortion.

The Bush administration said that because UNFPA supports coercive birth control, it would receive no US money. Of course, money to UNFPA also goes to family planning and contraception programs in many developing countries, not just to China. Thus, by cutting off all money to UNFPA, the Republican policy could actually be encouraging abortions.

A World Bank report says that women in developing countries, where access to contraception is poor, often turn to abortion as a means of birth control.

Abortion is more costly than providing contraceptive services, and around half the 42 million abortions performed annually are unsafe, the report said.

UNFPA senior culture adviser Azza Karam stressed at the launch of the UN agency’s annual State of World Population report in Washington this week that family planning is “not a luxury of whether or not you’re going to have premarital sex” but a service to which women must be given access.

One woman dies every minute somewhere in the world because of complications during birth.

According to a survey conducted in May by Gallup, roughly 50 percent of Americans are pro-choice — for abortion rights — and around 40 percent are pro-life — opposed to abortion rights.

* * *

And, now, for something thoroughly ridiculous. The following is from an Associated Press story from South Carolina sent by a reader in the U.S.:

“A South Carolina Roman Catholic priest has told his parishioners that they should refrain from receiving Holy Communion if they voted for Barack Obama because the Democratic president-elect supports abortion, and supporting him ‘constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil.’

“The Rev. Jay Scott Newman said in a letter distributed Sunday to parishioners at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Greenville that they are putting their souls at risk if they take Holy Communion before doing penance for their vote.

“’Our nation has chosen for its chief executive the most radical pro-abortion politician ever to serve in the United States Senate or to run for president,’ Newman wrote, referring to Obama by his full name, including his middle name of Hussein.

“’Voting for a pro-abortion politician when a plausible pro-life alternative exists constitutes material cooperation with intrinsic evil, and those Catholics who do so place themselves outside of the full communion of Christ’s Church and under the judgment of divine law. Persons in this condition should not receive Holy Communion until and unless they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation.’

“During the 2008 presidential campaign, many bishops spoke out on abortion more boldly than four years earlier, telling Catholic politicians and voters that the issue should be the most important consideration in setting policy and deciding which candidate to back. A few church leaders said parishioners risked their immortal soul by voting for candidates who support abortion rights.

“But bishops differ on whether Catholic lawmakers — and voters — should refrain from receiving Communion if they diverge from church teaching on abortion. Each bishop sets policy in his own diocese. In their annual fall meeting, the nation’s Catholic bishops vowed Tuesday to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights.

“According to national exit polls, 54 percent of Catholics chose Obama, who is Protestant. In South Carolina, which McCain carried, voters in Greenville County — traditionally seen as among the state’s most conservative areas — went 61 percent for the Republican, and 37 percent for Obama.

“’It was not an attempt to make a partisan point,’ Newman said in a telephone interview Thursday. ‘In fact, in this election, for the sake of argument, if the Republican candidate had been pro-abortion, and the Democratic candidate had been pro-life, everything that I wrote would have been exactly the same.’

“Conservative Catholics criticized Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry in 2004 for supporting abortion rights, with a few Catholic bishops saying Kerry should refrain from receiving Holy Communion because his views were contrary to church teachings.

“Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said she had not heard of other churches taking this position in reaction to Obama’s win. A Boston-based group that supports Catholic Democrats questioned the move, saying it was too extreme.

“’Father Newman is off base,’ said Steve Krueger, national director of Catholic Democrats. ‘He is acting beyond the authority of a parish priest to say what he did. … Unfortunately, he is doing so in a manner that will be of great cost to those parishioners who did vote for Sens. Obama and Biden. There will be a spiritual cost to them for his words.’

:A man who has attended St. Mary’s for 18 years said he welcomed Newman’s message and anticipated it would inspire further discussion at the church.

“’I don’t understand anyone who would call themselves a Christian, let alone a Catholic, and could vote for someone who’s a pro-abortion candidate,’ said Ted Kelly, 64, who volunteers his time as lector for the church. ‘You’re talking about the murder of innocent beings.’”

* * *

Added my correspondent who lives in Florida and not in North Carolina: “This is one reason I have given up on the Catholic Church. This priest will drastically reduce the number of practicing Catholics in his parish. This priest is a total idiot.”

# # # #

hvp 11.17.08)

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Senador Joc-Joc

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Deretsahan

ni Horacio Paredes

Nakaka-asar ang ating Senado. Sa kay tagal nilang hinintay na makaharap si Joc Joc Bolante na pinaghihinalaaang mastermind sa pag-gamit ng napakalaking pondo na dapat sana’y ginamit upang pambili ng abono ng mga magsasaka ngunit nagamit kuno sa halalan noong 2004 kung saan dinaya ang boto ng bansang Pilipinas upang manatili sa puwesto ang nang-agaw ng Malakanyang sa tunay  na Presidente.

Tatlong taon nilang pinaghandaan ito. Ngunit, bakit noong kaharap na nila ang sinasabi nilang nangwalanghiya sa atin ay napakawalang-ka-kwenta-kwenta ang nangyari. Estupido at napakabababaw ng mga tanong. Marami pa’y walang saysay. Bakit hindi nila inimbitahan ang nag-imbistiga nitong pangyayari – ang dating Senador Jun Magsaysay — na maging adviser ng komiteng nag-imbistiga? Baka gumanda-ganda ang saysay kung naroroon si Magsaysay.

Gaya ng karamihan sa mga imbestigasyon na ginagawa ng Senado naging pagkakataon lamang upang ipakita sa atin ng ating mga senador na nagkamali tayo sa pagpili sa mga ganitong kabababaw na mga senador sa ating bayan. Sa ating sistema na halos bilyones na ang gastusin upang mahalal ang isang senador baka mas mabuti pang ibenta na lamang natin sa pamamagitan ng public auction ang pwesto ng senador. May papasok pang kwarta sa kaban ng bayan. Tapos, limitahin na rin natin ang maaaring kitain ng mga senador sa kwarta na kanilang binayad upang matawag na senador.

Habang hindi marurunong ang mga botante natin sa pagpili ng kanilang mga mambabatas kung kaya panay paltos ang mga pinauupo, baka naman dapat na paramihin ang mga senador sa hanggang labing-lima upang hindi na lamang sila nang sila ang natatanaw natin. Okey lamang na kakunti lamang sila kung mga matitino at magagaling ang humaharap sa atin. Kapag ganito, mas mabuti nang mas marami sila at baka sa mas marami’y mayroong lilitaw na iilang may sinasabi.

Ang pamagat ng kolum ay galing sa isang matandang nakapansin na mas senatorial raw ang dating ni Bolante kaysa sa mga senador natin. Kawaang Pinas!

* * *

“Sumulat po ako sa kagustuhang makapagbigay nang sa loobing sa araw araw na pangyayari sa ating bansa. Isa po akung OFW na  napilitang magtrabaho sa ibang bansa sa dahilang walang mapasukan diyan sa atin na maitataguyod nang disente ang aking pamilya.

“Ako po ay hindi na naniniwala sa ano mang gagawin nang pamahalaan, sa kahit anong ahensya, maging sa palasyo sa senado o sa kongreso  lahat sila pare-pareho lang para sa amin. Mabuti pa ang media ay mayroon ilang tapat sa kanilang gawain. Tulad po nyo nais kung ibahagi ang aking agam agam. Malapit na po ang 2009, at sa takbo nang ating gobierno, tiyak pong makakalimutan nila yung importante na ‘Baseline teritoryal’ na dapat ay mayroon nang malinaw na pananaw ang ating bansa.

“Tinatawag natin silang ‘Government official’ na ang layunin dapat nila ay ang kapakanan nang mga Pilipino, subalit wala akung makitang malasakit, bagkus puro kasakiman, sa yaman at sa kapangyarihan.

“Dapat po sana ang tawag sa kaniya ay ‘public servant’ ang literal pong tawag sa Tagalog ay katulong nang Pinoy - para po sosal nang kunti DH po nang mga Pinoy. Kaso po baligtag e; ang mga Pinoy ang utusan.

 “May tawag noon dito - public servant is to serve the people, not the other way around that the people shall serve the government official.” — Jomar De La Cruz. Dito po sa bansang Libya.

Kaya nga Jomar, sinasabi kong ka-awa-awa ang Pinas!

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hvp (11.17.08)

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Limited ‘Unlimited’ Cellular Packages

Monday, November 17, 2008

“Spotty coverage, weak or dropped signals, poor service – these make Sun’s offer of unlimited calls and text not even funny.” 

by Ducky Paredes

 

The Philippines is admittedly behind in a lot of things. Cell phone use is not one of them.

A Wikipedia entry notes: The Philippines sends on the average 400 million text messages a day or approximately 142 billion text messages sent a year, more than the annual average SMS volume of the countries in Europe, and even China and India. It is said that the Philippines is the texting capital of the world. Did you know that text messaging was originally developed for the hearing-impaired?  

A visiting niece was surprised in talking to people her age to discover that Pinays actually feel disrespected if a new male acquaintance calls her on her cellphone. She would rather receive a text that a voice call. Said my stateside niece: “I  would rather get a call than a text.” Texting has grown its own subculture in this country.

Other, more developed countries have higher percentages of actual cell phone users. Taiwan has 111 percent cellular phones to population since many Taiwanese have more than one cell phone. Hong Kong has a penetration rate of 91 percent and Singapore stands at 75 percent.

Yet, we rule the world in the number of text messages.

The rest of the world is only waking up to the use of cell phones for SMS messaging which has been the main use of the Philippine cell phone. Where else can you buy just enough load for jut one SMS message if not in the Philippines? Money is even sent through SMS. A pioneer in this is the GM Bank in Nueva Ecija that uses the cell phone almost like an Automated Teller Machine (ATM).

The Philippines is a virtual ongoing, real-time laboratory experiment in how people actually use cell phone technology, what can be done with it, and how to make money from it. From business models, marketing efforts, service packages, technology deployment to social repercussions, the world is watching what is happening in our country.

Regionally, the Philippines is at the cutting edge of telecommunication, with Korea and China and most neighboring countries following suit. We are in a unique situation as far as the cell phone usage is concerned.

At the GM Bank in any town in Nueva Ecija, a student enters the branch, fills out a form and sends a text message from his cell phone to a phone in the bank dedicated to the service. In a matter of seconds, the transaction is approved and the teller gives him the dollars sent by his mother who is working abroad after deducting a one per cent fee. He need not even have a bank account to retrieve the money.

More than 5.5 million Filipinos now use their cell phones as virtual wallets, making the Philippines a leader among developing nations in providing financial transactions over mobile networks.

With a very rabid, active and passionate user community, our society is the perfect laboratory for the technology and the business. As one of the most cell phone-active parts of the world, we have been able to take a simple concept and take it to the extreme, experimenting with variations on complicated, intricate usage plans while the rest of the world is only now discovering that they can use their phones for SMS messages.

Thus, when a telecom provider offers a cellular service that retards rather than helps  move cellular use forward, it ought to be given notice.

Our telecom providers here offer liberal and generous business packages, due mainly to a viciously competitive environment that often results in dynamic and innovative efforts that drive prices down but still increases their profits.

Among the most appealing and enticing are usage plans that promise “unlimited” calls and texts. The promise is that for a small fixed amount, we can enjoy calling and texting without limits for a day or a month. Sounds too good to be true and it sometimes is. A particular “unlimited” plan offering usually results in one’s actually paying much more for the service that one actually receives.

The  promise of “unlimited” calls seems like a wonderful idea for people with large social groups, families, or even companies that need to be in constant communication with its employees.  These unlimited plans make users feel safe and secure that whatever happens during their day, running out of load for calls and texts seems to be the least of their problems.

One provider offers as its main package a full day’s worth of unlimited texts and calls for just P25. Looks really good; but, when one looks at actual usage, most of their customers are paying P25 actually get to use less than P25 worth of calls and texts.

Sun Cellular’s service is far from perfect. Spotty coverage, weak or dropped signals, poor service – these make Sun’s offer of unlimited calls and text not even funny.  The meter’s not running but can you even complete a call in the first place? And if you could make that call, can you actually complete it going before the signal drops?

I have yet to meet anyone who has not complained about this very popular “Unlimited Call & Text” plan of Sun Cellular. It actually turns out to be expensive and misleading, and is unfair and disadvantageous to the consumer. The concept is nice, and in a perfect world, it would be the best offer ever. Given the actual calling needs of the average consumer, and the current state of service and support by Sun, their unlimited call and text plans turn out to be, in more cases than not, poor value for your money. Consumers actually pay more for less.

Sadly, while the rest of the cellular phone industry seems to be improving its services, this one telecom is dragging the rest down. Can someone stop Sun Cellular from selling “unlimited” for their present service and reach that is actually limited by poor technology and inadequate networks.

* * *

Last Saturday, playing for the broadcast sector in the first media golfers Ryder Cup-type “pasiklaban” between Print and Broadcast media men, MMDA Deputy Chairman Cesar Lacuna had his first-ever Hole-in-One on the 13th Hole of South Forbes Golf and Country Club.

Cesar, who was not playing his best that day, hit a borrowed Callaway ball with a Honma Twin Marks # 11 iron (equivalent to a sand wedge) 100 yards to the hole. His ball went past and up the raised edge, then rolled back down smack into the hole. From then on, his game improved. It was only the eighth hole-in-one in the beautiful but mountainous tough par 67 course.

By the way, the broadcast players, tired from the industry’s Golden Dove Awards the night before lost to us print golfers. Competition was between three teams playing Best Ball, three teams playing High-Low and the top five best net scores for the rest of the players. Each side had more than 17 players. It was a lot of fun and had grand raffle prizes.

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hvp 11.16.08)

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Be as Patient as Barack

Saturday, November 15, 2008

“Gloria Arroyo and her spear-carriers in Malacañang should stop talking, speculating or mentioning the name of US President-elect Barack Obama.” 

by Ducky Paredes

 

Complete annual hospital medical check-ups are never a pleasure. One is starved, pricked, given enemas and subjected to all sorts of inconvenient experiences. The best place to have this done, however, has to be St. Luke’s Hospital. Not only are the facilities first-class; the rooms have also been renovated to make one’s hospital experience a comfortable one. The equipment is also world-class.

I must commend St. Luke’s Wellness Center that handles hospital clients so well. Most of the people one meets are respectful and helpful, ready to answer questions and attend to every need. A patient feels like a guest or an old friend on a visit.

My visits to the hospital over the last decade have convinced me that St. Luke’s must be the best hospital in this part of the world. I have been having my annual medical in St. Luke’s for the last three years and the experience has been positive each time around. Give them a try; you won’t regret it.

* * *

From Tong Payumo, former congressman and SBMA Chairman comes this item as part of their ongoing dispute with Banco de Oro over first-refusal right in Maxicare: “Atty. Dindo delos Angeles, who was Corporate Secretary of Maxicare, was, earlier asked to surrender the Stock and Transfer Book of Maxicare to his former Assistant Corporate Secretary, Atty. Martin Samson.

“Since Atty. Dindo has not been officially informed that he was replaced as CorpSec’ (he was asked to leave at one point during a Board meeting), he asked that he be given a certified copy of the Board Resolution. But instead of furnishing Atty. Dindo the requested copy, Martin Samson went to the Securities and Exchange Commission to secure a second Stock and Transfer Book on the grounds that the original “was presumably lost,” and forthwith made an entry of the “sale”. Dindo, of course, had to present to the SEC the original Stock and Transfer Book to show that they were not lost and to request that the second book be cancelled.

“The SEC has since corrected itself by nullifying and canceling the second Stock and Transfer Book. We immediately thereafter filed a Motion for Reconsideration with the Judge and pointed out that the question has not been mooted because the second Stock and Transfer Book into which the sale to Pin-An Holdings has been entered was nullified and cancelled by the SEC.

“Did the Judge entertain our motion? Nah! He said that our motion is a prohibited pleading in an intracorporate dispute.”

That was not the end of that. BDO, through its appointed directors in Maxicare, also filed a case against Dindo for keeping the books of the company on his person (and not where they could get at it in the Maxicare offices). I am glad to read in the news that the Makati fiscal dismissed that case. According to the fiscal, a Corporate Secretary is charged with keeping the Stock and Transfer Book and this is exactly what Dindo did when he kept it. The Makati fiscal ruled that a Corporate Secretary can keep the books wherever he feels they are safe.

* * *

The Philippine Rural Electric Cooperatives Association Inc. (Philreca) notes that most electric cooperatives (EC) are currently offering electricity cheaper than the rates offered by private utilities, especially the Manila Electric Company. How do they do this? Their operation does not require them to post any return on investment, as has been the practice for privately-run corporate utilities.

EC operations are “revenue-neutral”, meaning they are not entitled to “income allowance” in their rates as measured via the return on rate base (RORB) for the private utilities.

“The ERC (Energy Regulatory Commission) just allows us to recover any adjustment in our costs of operations or equipment upgrades, but there’s no provision for income, that’s why many cooperatives offer rates that are cheaper than Meralco,” says an EC manager.

Thus, the Philreca comments that bills now before Congress that allows private individuals and corporations to take over ECs send dangerous signals because “we believe that these will ultimately pave the way for the take-over of all electric cooperatives by certain sectors with vested interests.”

Would that it were possible for Meralco clients to form a cooperative that could take over the company. Then, perhaps, we would finally be getting our money’s worth when we pay our electric bills!

* * *

Gloria Arroyo and her spear-carriers in Malacanang should stop talking, speculating or mentioning the name of US President-elect Barack Obama. Every time they do so only underlines the wrong impression that the new master of the western world spurns our country’s leader.

This can’t be so but every action of Malacañang seems to prove that it is so. Imagine staying overnight in Chicago on the pretext of meeting with the Filipino community while on the US on a lighting-quick trip to the United Nations in New York to attend a Saudi-Arabia- sponsored interfaith dialogue! How transparent she is – like some spurned lover looking for any excuses to catch a fleeting glimpse of her desired one.

Even when he was chosen as the Democratic Party candidate, Gloria chased Barack all over Washington, D.C. and, for her effort, only got a pro-forma letter on the history of our countries’ historical friendship.

He did not return her call congratulating him on his becoming President-elect. Was there something in her message that he found offensive? Why did he return the call of nine heads of state (out of the hundreds that called him) but not that of Gloria? Unless she said something stupid in that message, which  is highly unlikely, she ought to take a page our of Barack’s playbook and remain as cool and patient as he was throughout his campaign.

Clearly, the Philippines, while a true friend of the US, is a tiny bleep on the Obama radar. Those nine country leaders Barack called back are larger bleeps.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita says: “President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is confident that the incoming presidency of US President-elect Barack Obama will (hold) much promise in ushering in an era of enhanced relations between the Philippines and the US.”

Though Ermita has nothing to show to prove his statement, he is probably right. After all, countries do not change overnight just because a new leader has been chosen.

* * *

“The solution is not the military, but the problem cannot be solved without the military. Negotiations are not just all about talking, but also it’s about fighting.” — Retired Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, executive director of the Presidential Commission on the RP-US Visiting Forces Agreement and former Southern Command chief on achieving peace in Mindanao.

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hvp 11.14.08)

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