The Academy is no longer a bastion of integrity and honesty

What happened between the years when the academy was viewed with awe and respect, and today when it is perceived as a producer of adventurers and of big-time crooks? Sad. ~Gualberto B. Lumauig, former member of the House of Representatives and former governor of Ifugao

I admit I was smitten whenever the words Philippine Military Academy (PMA) are mentioned. Was. Infact, I was an eager visitor to that academy many years back and was proud I had a first degree cousin who graduated from there.

Now whenever the word PMA is mentioned I cringed, the hairs at the back of my neck standing like there was a ghost pouring ice water in my neck. Not that I believe in ghosts. No wonder my cousin hastily left from the military after a few years of service and pursued his flying career overseas.

My biased mentality always focus on the generals and officials claiming they were a graduate (mistah, I supposed they were called) from that prestigious academy. Now that prestige is being tarnished because that academy was producing, after the hype and all, corrupt generals and officials of the Philippine military. 

Nothing, not even the suicide of its known graduate, the former AFP chief Angelo Reyes, could erase the case of plundering people's money by these high and mighty officials. Angelo Reyes was given a hero's burial.

If they could deceive the people of the Philippines into believing that they were taught honesty, integrity, gallantry and obedience to duty in that academy while secretly pocketing millions of our money during their terms, what is the use of PMA's presence?

I am sure the city of Baguio are no longer proud of that Academy.

Read some more here-

Commentary: PMA: An image gone from posh to pot
News: DoJ eyes wider probe of military corruption

Pic from cityofpines.com

Corruption in the Philippines: Only the small fish can be fried!

I remember when I was still at the local government of Bohol, the HRMDO always prod me to do my SALN (Statement of Assets and Liabilities) form every year. I have a very little salary and no real estate nor business to brag about, so I always tardy my submission. But still they insisted to the extent of sending official memoranda. 

I've worked hard and anybody from that office could affirm that but government forms were a waste of time. That was why I always question that SALN. No one filled them up seriously. Not even the honorable officials.

Which reminds me of the cases that sprung from not accomplishing the form. And they usually threatened employees with salaries or incomes no bigger than a few thousands. 

Remember Mikey Arroyo (in case you did not know, he is the son of the President of the Republic of the Philippines) bragging about incomes he "forgot" to put in his SALN? No Civil Service Commission came after him. Not even the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Such a sad state indeed. Which brings me to whistle-blowers. Why them too?

The likes of Lozada and de Venecia III who were "pursued by different people" because they opened their mouths and they had a mouthful as their evidence. There was also a female official in the military who claimed funds "donated" by the US of A was misused by the military. And for opening her mouth to whistle and say STOP! she was leveled a graft and corruption case because she was not able to liquidate her 5,000 pesos (or lesser amount, I am not sure) travel expense.

See? It does STINK!

The release of the NBN-ZTE report by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee affirming the bribes and other scandals would surely be just a report. Nothing more. I would be more than happy if it would ever get the attention of the Ombudsman, who, as people have noticed, was not actually working for the benefit of the people.

Meanwhile, the lowly government employees would still fillup their SALN painstakingly for fear of graft and corruption cases.

However, it [Corruption] always means the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Corruption in itself is not a human rights violation, and there is no right to live in a country that is not corrupt or that suffers no corruption. However, corruption does have consequences for human rights:

• It harms the economy and can create or exacerbate poverty.
  
• It destroys democratic government, even if it doesn’t take the very specific form of electoral corruption (hence it violates people’s political rights)
  
• Corruption in the judiciary compromises the rule of law and the effective enforcement of human rights law.

Cartoon and quote from filipspagnoli.wordpress.com

Another confirmation that GMA and cohorts are GLUTTONS...

...despite hunger here in her country. Di naman sila mga patay-gutom dito sa Pinas katulad ko at nang marami pang iba. What would Cerge Remonde say this time?

Quoted in full from 

Reliable Source of The Washington Post-

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's visit to the White House on July 30 didn't draw much attention, and her dinner in Washington that night got nary a mention. And that's how it might have stayed -- if not for a controversial meal in New York City.

Arroyo is under fire in her native country for a $20,000 meal at Manhattan's Le Cirque on Aug. 2, which included caviar and several bottles of champagne. The dinner, first reported in the New 

York Post, has Arroyo's critics comparing her to the extravagant Imelda Marcos.

The Reliable Source has learned that three days earlier, Arroyo and an entourage of about 65 people (including security and food tasters) had dinner at Bobby Van's Steakhouse on 15th Street NW hours after she met with President Obama. The group took over one of the restaurant's private rooms and dined on lobster, steak and fine wines; at the conclusion of the meal, an unidentified woman opened a handbag stuffed with cash, counted out bills and paid the $15,000 tab -- which included a generous tip.

The Philippine Embassy did not return calls for comment Tuesday.

What did Arroyo and cohorts ordered at Le Cirque

If Representative Romualdez of Leyte shouldered and footed the bill (accept my grammar, for all I know he sold his body and soul on this) as claimed by Palace-mongers, the good congressman must be that rich. 

I should see him feeding his constituents especially those roaming around Tacloban City begging for food.

5 servings of Osetra caviar and 5 California Osetra caviar - $1,900

25 sets of Chef's seasonal menu - $1,450

25 sets of Chef's tasting menu with wine pairing - $4,500

Appetizers - $714

2 sets of main courses - $1,442

11 bottles of Krug champagne - $5,610

Total cost, including tax and service charge/tip - $19,866

Source: inquirer.net Editorial

Pic from Hay!Men

"Even coffee, biscuits overpriced"

This is still too early to whine. My gosh, at 7 in the morning? Excuse me for being bitter and weak, but when I opened my news feed, this headline caught my attention- "EVEN COFFEE, BISCUITS OVERPRICED."

That was how Lani Abarquez, the vice mayor of Talisay City in Cebu reacted as she was made to sign purchases from equipments down to biscuits, ALL OF THEM OVERPRICED! I don't know the political career of Ms Abarquez, but knowing all these and made them publicly  just now is quite amusing if not sarcastic.

I've been working with the provincial government of Bohol for ten long years, and overpricing everything the government purchases is not alien to me and even to laborers and down to contractual workers of that institution.The Commission on Audit turns its ugly face on the other side when doing so-called audits.

Why whine?

My theory- Ms Abarquez did not get anything from these overpriced items.

But it is still a beautiful morning though.

A News That Completed My Day

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Metro Manila remains center of corruption in RP

By Jocelyn Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:37:00 08/18/2008

MANILA, Philippines—Official corruption remains highest in Metro Manila, as it has for almost 30 years now, among all the regions of the country, according to the Sandiganbayan.

Figures released by the anti-graft court’s Judicial Records Division showed the capital region accounted for 23 percent (6,770 suits) of the 29,231 cases filed in the Sandiganbayan between February 1979 and May 2008.

Central Visayas (Region VII) and Southern Tagalog (Region IV) shared an equally large portion of the case pie with 11.32 percent (3,310 cases) and 10 percent (2,932 cases), respectively, the records showed.

Central Visayas comprises four provinces—Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor. Southern Tagalog provinces include the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Marinduque, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Romblon.

“The seat of government and the bulk of public funds are here in Metro Manila so it is not [unimaginable] that it would register the highest number of graft cases with the Sandiganbayan,” Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio told the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the phone on Monday.

Villa-Ignacio said most government officials were tempted to dip their hands into the public coffers for personal gain because of easy access.

“We also don’t have enough field investigators to monitor them,” he added.

Only about 200 field investigators have been deployed to keep a tight watch on the country’s 1.5 million public officials, he said.

The Sandiganbayan listed 30 crimes the government officials were charged with. Malversation of public funds was the top offense, accounting for 9,231 cases. This was followed by violation of the Anti-Graft Law with 6,240 cases, falsification of public documents, 5,445 cases, and estafa, 4,394 cases.

Other cases at the Sandiganbayan involved perjury, bribery, murder, homicide, robbery, theft, kidnapping, slander, among others.

Of the 9,231 malversation cases handled by the court, 1,302 of them involved public officials in Metro Manila, followed by officials in Regions IV and VII with 906 and 853 cases, respectively.

But the records also showed that more government officials in Metro Manila were accused of violation of the anti-graft law, accounting for 1,777 cases of the 6,240 filed across the country.

About 1,200 graft cases were attributed to Region VII, while 626 suits involved public officials in Northern Mindanao (Region X). The region has five provinces, namely, Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental.

From www.inquirer.net