Ni Ellen Tordesillas
March 25, 2010

Ang balita kung sino-sino na raw ang kumaka-usap kay Philippine National Police Chief Jesus Versoza na mag-resign para mailagay na ni Gloria Arroyo bilang PNP Chief si NCR Chief Roberto Rosales.

Kinausap na siya ni Local Governments Secretary Ronaldo Puno. Pati na raw ang anak ni Gloria Arroyo na si Mikey, congressman ng Pampanga (2nd district) ay kuma-usap na rin kay Versoza.

Sana hindi magpa-pressure si Versoza dahil Disyembre 2010 pa siya dapat mag-retire.

Si Rosales ay kasama sa Class ‘78 ng Philippine Military Academy na honorary member si Arroyo.

Galit kasi si Arroyo kay Versoza. Hindi dumalo si Arroyo sa graduation ceremonies ng Philippine National Police Academy noong Marso 18 sa Camp Castañeda, Silang Cavite. Sa anibersaryo naman ng Philippine Army noong Lunes,binati niya ang lahat na mga matataas na opisyal maliban kay Versoza.
Ano ba ang problema ni Gloria Arroyo kay Versoza?

Galit siya dahil sinabi ni Versoza na hindi niya susuportahan si Armed Forces Chief Delfin Bangit kung sakaling ipilit niyang panatilihin si Gloria Arroyo sa kanyang inagaw na pwesto sa Malacañang lampas ng Hunyo 30, 2010.

Sabi ni Versoza, ilegal yun dahil ayun sa Constitution, dapat may bago tayong presidente pagdating ng Hunyo 30.

Masama ba ang sinabi ng PNP chief na hindi siya susunod sa illegal na order? Ibig sabihin noon talagang gagawa siya ng ilegal na hakbang para manatili siya kapangyarihan lampas ng Hunyo 30.

Kung sabagay, hindi nakakapagtaka ang mga ilegal na Gawain ni Arroyo. Ang pag-upo lang niya sa pagka-presidente noong Enero 2001 ay ilegal na. Hindi naman bakante ang pagka-presidente, inagaw niya kay Pangulong Joseph Estrada na binoto ng sambayanan. Mula non, kaliwa’t kanan na ang paglabag sa Constitution ang ginawa niya para lang manatili sakanyang ninakaw na pwesto.

Noong 2004 na eleksyun, nandaya siya kasabwat ang Comelec. Ngayon mukhang may niluluto na naman siya para hindi siya maalis sa kapangyarihan. Siyempre ilegal at dapat hawak niya lahat lalo pa ang military at pulis.

Akala niya hawak na niya ang military sa kanyang pagtalaga kay Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit bilang AFP chief. Kaya siguro siya inis na pumapalag si Versoza.

Nakapagtaka itong si Versoza dahil akala ko, bata siya ni Mike Arroyo. Ngunit mukhang may panindigan at gusto niyang alalahanin siya ng taumbayan na kagalang-galang.

May isinulat ako dati nang balak pa nina Arroyo na isulong ang charter change. Si Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano pa noon ang AFP chief of staff. Kinausap raw sila ng isang taong malapit kay Mike Arroyo at tinanong kung maasahan sila na protektahan ang interes nila kung sakaling magkagulo.

Ang sabi raw ni Yano, hindi raw magbabaril ang mga sundalo sa mga sambayanan na magpu-protesta sa charter change. Sabi rin daw ni Versoza, “Ganun din po ang mga pulis. Hanggang water cannon lang sila.”

Kaya hindi na ipinilit ang charter change na sana ay magiging daan upang manatili si Arroyo sa Malacañang bilang prime minister lampas ng Hunyo 2010. Kaya nag-iisip pa sila ng ibang paraan. Sigurado ilegal.

Nakakatuwa. Mukhang kinakarma na si Arroyo dahil kaya niya pinili si Versoza kaysa kay dating PNP Deputy Director General Geary Barias, na nagpasikat sa Manila Pen na insidente sa mga Magdalo noong Nobiembre 2008, dahil Disyembre 2010 pa ang retirement.

Si Barias kasi Pebrero 26 nag-retire. Isip ni Arroyo at ng mga taong nakapaligid sa kanya, kapag mag-appoint siya ng bagong PNP ilang buwan lang bago siya bumaba, ang loyalty nun sa bagong presidente. Hindi katulad kay Versoza na matagal na ang kanilang pinagsamahan, sigurado siya sa kanyang loyalty sa kanya.

Paano ngayon yan na mukhang loyal sa Constitution at sa sambayanang Pilipino itong si Versoza. Nakakarma na si Arroyo.

Sana manatiling matibay si Versoza para sa katotohanan.

By MIRIAM CORONEL FERRER
ABS-CBN News; 03/13/2010

Everyone has been focused on the election trail, and while we’re not looking, the government is fast tracking the selling of valuable government assets.

The issues surrounding the selling of the Food Terminals in Taguig and the real estate owned by government in Fujimi, Japan have already come out in the open. But still outside of the public glare is the ongoing negotiation to sell the 10 percent share of the government in the Malampaya oil field.

If Malacanang manages to arm twist the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC) board to sign the deed of sale – and it seems they are trying their darnedest to pull this through — the billions of fresh funds from the sale will immediately prop up the sagging coffers of this administration. But the Filipino people and Philippine government will lose forever significant and potentially higher annual revenues from the resource in the next 20 years.

Gas from Malampaya fuels the 2,700 megawatt power plant in Batangas. So far, Malampaya is the biggest oil and gas producing field in the country. It is estimated to contain 3 trillion cubic feet of gas and 40 million barrels of recoverable oil reserves. However, there are indications that it has much more in store not only in the Malampaya structure, but also in the nearby prospects that Shell and the Service Contract 38 joint venture have identified and will be drilling soon.

The government plans to sell Malampaya for about US$300 million or P14 billion. In 2008, the PNOC-EC earned P3.08 billion, most of which came from Malampaya earnings. At this rate, and assuming steady gas prices and volume of sales, it can easily raise the $300 million in six years without having to sell the goose that lays the golden egg.

In fact, the Malampaya consortium has already fully recovered its initial $4.5 billion investment. It started operation only in 2001.

Obviously, disposing of the asset now will immediately strip the government, starting with the next administration, of a sustained and significant revenue source.

Without the Malampaya asset, the PNOC-EC’s net worth would be decimated. It won’t have the capacity to invest in other exploration projects.

The government plan is to eventually sell 60 percent of the PNOC-EC. But without the Malampaya goose, it won’t fetch much. If it sells PNOC-EC with its Malampaya share intact, it can fetch a much higher value for the same share. So why is the government so keen to sell the shares now?

This is the not the first time, the GMA administration tried to sell the participating interest of the PNOC-EC in Malampaya. In 2005, it approved the sale of half of Its participating share to the Korean LG company. But several people in government managed to block the planned sale. With only three months to go before a new administration takes over, high-ranking government officials are once more working fast to swing a deal asap.

Speculations as to motives are naturally rife when a government-brokered deal is evidently unwise from a business investment point of view and fraudulent from a governance perspective. Some surmise the funds will be diverted to private pockets, or electioneering. Others think the administration wants to exit without the shameful legacy of a huge budget deficit. That’s why they badly need the green bucks-transfusion. Still others cannot help think of even more sinister plots in the offing, such as the eventual privatization of the much devalued PNOC-EC at bargain prices to a favored investment group.

The president has promised a smooth transition to the next administration. And while we have yet to see through this promise, we have before us very high-ranking government officials hell-bent on using their terminal powers to squeeze the most benefit for themselves.

The president has been filling up all appointive positions with people whom we will have to suffer even after she has stepped down. It seems she will appoint the chief justice of the Supreme Court during the election ban period even at the cost of a constitutional showdown. It is pathetic that an incoming AFP chief’s inaugural speech is a plea for trust, given how little there is on both the appointer and appointee.

And now, we have this impending sell-out of a prime revenue-generating government asset for one more short-term and self-serving gain.

E-mail: mcf178@yahoo.com

Ni Ellen Tordesillas
Pebrero 17, 2010

Ang yabang talaga nitong executive secretary ni Gloria Arroyo.

Minaliit kahapon ni Executive Secretary Ermita ang kandidatura ni Brig. Gen. Danny Lim at ang dalawang Magdalo na oisyal, si James Layug, dating kapitan sa Philippine Navy na ngayon ay tumatakbo para kongresista sa second district ng Taguig, at si Gary Alejano, dating Marine captain na ngayon ay tumatakbo para mayor ng Sipalay sa Negros Occidental.
Tinatanong si Ermita kung ang pagpayag ni Judge Elmo Alameda ng Makati Regional Trial Court na makapagpiyansa sina Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, at ang 16 na Magdalo na opisyal at sundalo kasama na doon sina Layug at Alejano ay makakatulong sa kanilang kandidatura, ang sagot ni Ermita na painsulto “Oh..oh…oh.. Only in the Philippines.”

Nakalimutan na yata ni Ermita na minaliit din nila noong 2007 si Trillanes. Kaya nga nila pinayagan kumandidato kasi akala nila walang pagasang mananalo. Kasi nga naman, walang pera, nakakulong pa.

Kaya malaking sampal sa mukha nila ang pagkapanalo ni Trillanes, ang talagang nanlaban at lumalaban sa pagtraidor at pang-aabuso ni Arroyo sa bayan.

Ito namang pagpayag ni Alameda na ppwede na sila mag-bail sa kasong rebelyon kaugnay ng Nov 2007 na insidente sa Manila Peninsula, ang tuno ni Ermita ay wala rin mangyari dyan kasi dalawang kaso ang hinaharap ng mga Magdalo.

Maliban sa 2007 na rebelyon, nandiyan pa rin ang 2003 na coupd’etat kaugnay ng paninindigan nina Trillanes sa Oakwoon Hotel noong Hulyo 2003.

Sabi ni Ermita, iku-contest dawn ng prosecution ang pagpiyansa nina Trillanes, Lim, Layug, Alejano at 14 pa dahil malakas daw ang kaso nila.

Sinabi kasi ni Alameda sa mga ebidensya na binigay ng prosecution, ang maa-aring kasalanan nina Trillanes ay “contempt of court” at hindi rebelyon.

Sabi ni Alameda, “No direct, material and competent evidence adduced to prove the specific act committed by the accused constituting the crime of rebellion or any of the elements thereof. The walkout from the court, the marching to the Manila Peninsula hotel and the press conference held in the same hotel denouncing the administration of President [Gloria Macapagal-]Arroyo are not sufficient to prove the non-bailable crime of rebellion.”

Ang rebelyon kasi ay kung nag-alsa ang maraming-maraming taong may armas ang umalsa. Sabi ni Alameda hindi yan napatunyan ng prosecution.

Hindi talaga mapatunayan dahil wla naman talagang rebelyon.

Kung maayos ang pagpiyansa ng mga nakakulong na mga opisyal, baka si Trillanes na lang nag maiwan dahil hindi naman siya pinapayagan mag-piyansa sa coup d’etat niyang kaso kaugnaay ng insidente sa Oakwood.
Kahit ganun, nagpapasalamat si Trillanes at mukhang hindi napi-pressure si Alameda.