When money talks

Why did Jun Lozada blow the whistle for the ZTE-NBN deal?

It is said that Jun Lozada asked the help of Malacanang para di siya humarap sa Senado. Baka daw kasi magsalita siya ng totoo. In response, people from the palace promised Lozada to bring him to London. Pero ng makaalis ang eroplano, ibinaba lang siya sa Hongkong. Nagtipid daw kasi ang Malacanang. To get even, Lozada went back to the Philippines and exposed what he knew.

Though this is just a joke, whispering spirits from Malacanang admit a grain of truth in the story. Dahil sa expose dati ni Gov. Ed Panlilio na binigyan siya ng half million, nalaman ng ibang kapartido ni GMA na un-equal pala ang hatian sa Malacanang. At dahil me mga hindi na masyadong nalalangisan, dumadami ang mga "wait and see". At dahil umagos ang pera sa panahon ng pagpapatalsik kay Speaker Jose De Venecia, pumintig ang mga puso at nabuhay ang mga dugo.

In simple terms, when money talks marami ang nakikinig. And money needs to flow steadily to keep the audience from going away. Ang problema, hindi ganun ka-steady ang source ng pera. Sooner or later, mauubos din ito. And it might be impossible to do another ZTE. Lalo pa ngayon na mapagbantay na ang mga tao at aktibo na rin ang media.

Can't a sinner become a saint?

In yesterday's Senate hearing on the ZTE Broadband Scandal, Miriam "I lied!" Santiago confronted Jun Lozada with documents on the latter's alleged irregularities. She even portrayed Lozada "as a self-dealing government executive with political ambitions who acted as an agent for Jose de Venecia III, the first whistle-blower on the broadband scandal."

According to Santiago, she was merely testing the credibility of Lozada. Lozada, though, did not deny and admitted Santiago's accusations, mea culpa. Which reminds me of her "I am sorry" speech during the elections for her "mistakes" in supporting Erap and the EDSA III. Just to aid Tikboy's memories, Santiago was the one who spoke during the EDSA III and called on the people to storm Malacanang. She was also famous for saying she will jump from the airplane if ever Erap will be ousted. But when her obligation to jump was due, she just said: I lied, hehehe.

Because of her "mistakes", she lost the 2001 Senatorial elections. Fearing another failure, she asked for an apology over the media and sided with Gloria Arroyo. The people forgave her ... and won.

But with her reactions at Lozada, it appears that she forgot her past mistakes. And she forgot that the people also gave her another chance -- that is, by re-electing her. Or maybe she was not really forgiven and she doesn't think it that way. It could be that she also cheated her way to the Senate so why entertain the idea of the voters forgiving her? As she laughingly admitted that she lied, she can also laughingly admit that she cheated during the elections -- that is, if there are evidences shot at her face. So why, indeed, should she think of being forgiven and return the favor by also giving others another chance?

Kung sabagay, ang lohika ni Miriam ay "once a thief, always a thief". If this is the case, she remains to be a liar as a liar is a thief of truth. And her apology is nothing but a pure politically-motivated activity to boost her campaign. And if the logic is indeed "once a thief, always a thief", her boss, GMA, is also guilty for stealing people's votes as the "Hello, Garci!" remains undisputed to this day.

O di ba?

Mickey says it all

Who says Mickey Arroyo is doing nothing in the Congress?

Just this afternoon, at the Newsbeat in Net 25, Mickey Arroyo was interviewed on his withdrawal of support from Speaker of the House, Jose De Venecia. Arroyo forwarded two reasons: De Venecia's lack of transparency, and the Speaker's failure to push reforms in the lower house.

Pero teka, kung ito ang mga dahilan bakit pinipilit mag-resign si De Veneca, di ba ito rin ang mga dahilan sa pagpapatalsik sa ina ni Mickey na si Gloria? Bakit ambilis ngayong magturo ni Mickey ng bang tao eh ang mama niya mismo ganun din ang mga isyung binabato? In the issue of reforms, for instance, corruption is an all time high in the Philippines. Killings, disrespect for freedom of the press, freedom to air grievances and assemble, and lack of genuine anti-poverty and other economic and social reforms continue. In the same way, di pa rin natatapos ang isyu ng “Hello, Garci!”, ZTE, jueteng, smuggling, malversation of funds, liquified fertilizer scandal, ang P500,000 Malacanang payoffs, proper accounting of expenditures, sobrang biyahe, ang di pagbibigay pahintulot sa mga Cabinet members para magsalita sa Committee hearings sa Senado, etc., etc., etc., etc....

Kunsabagay, understandable naman si Mickey. Nanay niya si Gloria so why would he also withdraw his support from her. To consider, one of the reasons why he run for District Representative is to save her mother. And shifting the burden as well as the limelight to De Venecia is one way of realizing his objective.

Which reminds me of the Tammany Ring in the drawing pen of Thomas Nast. Tammany Ring is a sort of a mafia in the early 1900's in New York. All the persons involved have been pointing at each other as the corrupt official. Yun pala, lahat pala sila involved.##