From kickbackers to kidnappers

GOTCHA, Published in The Philippine Star, Friday, February 8, 2008

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak out for me.

— Martin Niemoeller, German pastor imprisoned by Hitler

Joey de Venecia had just narrated the threats on his life when — wham! — another startler leapt from the ZTE thriller. Malacañang thugs in broad daylight snatched witness Jun Lozada to prevent him from talking at the Senate. Indications are the admin will stop at nothing to stifle evidence and testimony of $200-million (P10-billion) overpricing in the $330-million deal. It not only will depose a long-time political ally like the Speaker, but even kidnap.

De Venecia said their lives were imperiled when son Joey blew the whistle on the ZTE scam. Linking First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, Comelec chief Ben Abalos and Sec. Larry Mendoza to high crime worsened matters. Ex-Army chief Jaime delos Santos confided to them (but denied in public) that three generals, including Mendoza, were plotting their murder. Joey promptly reported to the police. De Venecia for his part wrote President Gloria Arroyo for action, since the trio is under the Executive.

It would have been proper for Arroyo to direct the National Police chief to investigate and render a report to the fourth highest official of the land. The President’s sworn duty is to “execute laws and do justice to every man.” But Arroyo did nothing, de Venecia lamented. Not even an answer to his letter. And so he warned, while recounting the many unsolved killings and kidnappings since Arroyo came to power in 2001, “If it can happen to me, it can happen to you.”

And then, the next day, they kidnapped Lozada to silence him.

Many things can be said about this latest attempt at coverup. For one, the Manila airport is truly unsafe and so deserves international demotion. Imagine its own security boss, (one-time Arroyo aide) Gen. Angel Atutubo, turning over Lozada from the plane to a “cop”, instead of to the Senate that was well publicized to be hunting for him. And then it turns out that in the National Police rolls there’s no such Officer Roger Valeroso, the armed man to whom Atutubo entrusted him.

Moreover, in pattern of the 1983 Ninoy Aquino assassination, Lozada was whisked from the air tube to the tarmac and into a car. It may even be said that it also smacks of the abduction of publicist Bubby Dacer when the Estrada regime was crumbling from exposés of high crimes in Nov. 2000. In both cases, security forces committed the heinous crimes.

The saving grace in Lozada’s abduction perhaps is that dogged press reporting scared the perpetrators into returning him to his family. Cabinet chief Ed Ermita frowns at The STAR’s Wednesday banner quoting Lozada as crying “kidnap”. Had that crucial word been suppressed, Lozada might not have resurfaced alive.

At least 200 persons, by the National Police’s account (800, according to militants) have been killed or disappeared for their work as activists and unionists, journalists and jurists. The United Nations has taken the Arroyo admin to task for failing to stop the death squads. Malacañang spin-doctors in response keep denying convincing proof of paramilitary involvement.

It’s up to brave Filipinos to denounce the murders and abductions, lest these worsen until no one is left to speak out.

* * *

Notably, in reply to de Venecia’s gripe of no official action against assassination plots, the Armed Forces chief claimed he could do nothing because the source of the info had denied it. At the same time, the National Police head took custody of Lozada allegedly because of threats to his life, although he never sought help from the police he so distrusts.

It must be said that Joey and I have been getting death threats since Sept. and have reported so — yet the police has not offered us the protection that it so eagerly is giving to the reluctant Lozada.

Threats masked as reactions to my column in the The STAR Internet Edition are but the latest attempts at intimidation. They had killed my TV show, wiretapped my sources, tried to pin me with concocted theft of the ZTE contract, and more. But the stink already is out. No more bribery of congressmen and local officials, as in Oct., can stop that.

Bumangon 12 oras matapos mamatay

SAPOL Ni Jarius Bondoc, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Friday, February 8, 2008

BINUHAY ang isang ina sa Ethiopia na 12 oras nang patay — at nagkuwento siya tungkol sa langit. Heto ang ulat ng Breaking Christian News:

Nang ikasal si Fatuma Shubisa sa isang evangelist, lumipat siya sa Kristiyanismo mula Islam. Pero nagkasakit ang ina ng siyam, at pumanaw sa harap ng inang nag-aalaga sa kanya. Nagsimulang magluksa ang Baryo Alelu. Nagkataong naparaan du’n si Warsa Buta na Protestant missionary. Sa pagtupad ng aniya’y pangako ng Diyos na bubuhayin ang patay ng kamay niya, hinanap ni Buta ang namatay na babae.

Nagtaka ang mga kaibigan at kamag-anak nang dasa­lan ng preacher ang nakatalukbong na bangkay. Kuwento ni Buta: Sampalataya ako na kikilos ang Diyos sa pamamagitan ko. Nagdasal ako tulad ng pagdarasal ni San Pedro, ‘Fatuma, sa ngalan ng Panginoong Hesus, bu­mangon ka.’”

At umupo nga si Fatuma sa kama. Dose oras na siyang patay noon.

Si Fatuma ang nagtuloy ng kuwento: “Agad-agad napabalik ako sa aking katawan. Umupo ako at nagta­nong, ‘Ano’ng nangyayari?’ Nagkagulo ang lahat. Anila nagagawa raw ng isang paring Kristiyano na pabalikin ang kaluluwa sa katawan. Sumigaw sila, lahat daw sila magpapa-convert na.”

Habang patay si Fatuma, tila nakaranas siya ng maga­gandang silip sa Langit. Nakita raw niya ang mga yumaong kamag-anak at kapitbahay at nakipagku­wentuhan.

“Bumangon ako sa kagustuhan ng Diyos na bumalik ako sa piling ng mga musmos kong anak,” ani Fatuma sa video ng breakingchristiannews.com nu’ng Enero 29. Ngayon batid ko na kung mamatay tayo ay mapupunta tayo sa napaka-gandang pook.”

Paminsan-minsan pinadadama ng Diyos na nasa pa- ligid-ligid lang natin Siya sa pamamagitan ng pagtata- laga ng ilan sa atin bilang healer. Hindi ang mga tao ang gumagamot sa ating karamdaman o umaayos sa ating pagkatao, kundi ang Diyos na nagmamahal sa atin.

Without JDV, what happens to GMA?

GOTCHA, Published in The Philippine Star, Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Sec. Romy Neri swears that Comelec chief Benjamin Abalos offered him P200 million to endorse the overpriced ZTE deal. Yet Malacañang keeps denying sleaze in the $330-million telecom purchase. Does that mean it treats Neri a liar? And so if Neri invented the story, why’s he still in the President’s official family?

That’s another one of many upshots in the ZTE scam that defy logic. Others have long bugged those who’ve been following developments. Like, if the deal was so upright, then why did President Gloria Arroyo cancel it, while she often says she’d rather be right than popular? Or, again if the deal was so dandy, why do Neri, Abalos, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo and Sec. Larry Mendoza refuse to further testify?

Those holes in the official story gape because there can be no perfect crime. The cleanup team is bound to leave traces of dirt.

* * *

It’s inane to ask Joe de Venecia, in the wake of his acrid exposés of Arroyo admin scams, “why only now?” The answer already was in his exit speech as Speaker, in his confession of being a sinner like everyone else. So it’s like niggling Saul for becoming Paul and ending his persecution of Christians only after being blinded on the road to Damascus.

The question to ask is, what happens now to Gloria Arroyo? Bluntly, what faces she after her congressmen-sons’ toppling of her closest political ally Joe?

Her worry, even if de Venecia has joined the Opposition, is not a new impeachment by Oct. Her congressmen-sons anticipated and thus planned for that. They will simply use the pork barrel — taxpayers’ money, all P17 billion of it — to buy Congress’ quashing of any complaint.

What they didn’t calculate in their hurry to exact revenge against de Venecia is the clang of his fall on international circles. The Management Association of the Philippines and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry had warned them of serious overseas repercussions. They didn’t listen as parochial mentality prevailed.

Businessmen’s fears rested on what they know de Venecia to be and what Arroyo isn’t. De Venecia was Speaker in 1992, when Arroyo was but a three-year-term junior senator. Before that he had “exported” Philippine constructors to the Middle East, while Arroyo was a middle manager at the trade ministry. As founder of the Lakas-Christian-Muslim Democrats, de Venecia is a high officer of the global Christian Democratic Union, in power in most of Europe and South America; Arroyo’s Kampi party has no global political affiliation. As five-term Speaker, de Venecia built first-name-basis friendships with leaders of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas; Arroyo has no close world leader-friend except perhaps old college classmate ex-President Bill Clinton. (She could have cultivated ties with the US had she not alienated her own ambassador who was well respected in Washington.)

In breaking away de Venecia rattled off some misdeeds of the Arroyo team: the Hello Garci election farce, ZTE scam, and road user-tax misuse. He vowed to bare more. But even if he doesn’t talk, international leaders would judge Arroyo by what she did to de Venecia. Without the latter, and because corruption will surely worsen, official development assistance and military aid will suffer. Arroyo’s tenure will be hard-pressed for money for basic services while its officials steal for retirement in 2010. The public will have no one else to blame but her. Dark clouds of a US economic recession already are threatening to storm the Philippines as well.

Of bad omen for Arroyo is de Venecia’s diatribe, at last, against killings and kidnappings of activists and unionists, journalists and jurists. This will be of prime international interest. De Venecia’s mention of a UN report of paramilitary atrocities in RP was made vivid by his narration of personal experience. At the height of plots to assassinate him and son Joey because of the latter’s exposé of the ZTE overpricing, de Venecia wrote to Arroyo for help. After all, the three generals reportedly planning to rub them out were executive branch officials.

What happened next points up what’s in store for ordinary mortals. “Should not the President order the PNP (Philippine National Police) to investigate and render me a written report?” de Venecia disclosed, in effect saying lower citizens are in grave danger. “How can the complaint for the (extrajudicial) murders be given due course by security (officials) when even my appeal to the President she chose to ignore.” The UN will surely look closer now at Arroyo’s spotty human rights record. 

Ano’ng tinatago nila kung ‘malinis’ ang NBN deal?

SAPOL Ni Jarius Bondoc, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Tuesday, February 5, 2008

KUNG sinusundan n’yo ang mga kaganapan sa national broadband scam, tiyak ako na nauubos na ang tiwala n’yo sa administrasyong Arroyo. Bakit hindi? Lahat na lang ng sangkot sa umano’y $200-milyong kickback sa $330-milyong kontrata ay iniisnab ang subpoenas ng Senado.

Maski may warrant of arrest sa kanya, iginigiit ni Sec. Romy Neri na wala na siyang masasabi matapos tumestigo nang 11 oras. (Ngitngit tuloy ni Blue-Ribbon chairman Alan Peter Cayetano na silang mga senador ang magsasabi, hindi si Neri, kung tapos na ang pag-uusisa nila.) Si Comelec chief Ben Abalos naman, nagpasya matapos sumipot minsan na hinding-hindi na siya babalik para igisa muli. Kesyo resigned na rin lang siya at private citizen na, kaya hindi na mapupuwersang tumestigo. Gayundin sina DOTC Sec. Larry Mendoza, at mga ayudanteng Lorenzo Formoso at Elmer Soñeja — ayaw nang bumalik miski tungkulin nilang kumbinsihin ang mga senador na kailangan talaga ng exclusive government telecom network. Si First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, miski kaoopera lang kaya ayaw ng doctor, ay lumipad sa Europe nu’ng araw ng imbitasyon.

Ngayon pati isang mababang opisyal ng Ehekutibo ay may ganang bastusin ang subpoena ng Senado na siya mismo ang humingi.

Si Jun Lozada mismo, presidente ng Forestry Corp. ng gobyerno, ng nagsabi kay Sen. Ping Lacson na darating siya kung sapilitang imbitahin at usisain. Alam niya umano lahat ng dumi sa NBN. Ehemplo: magkano ang partihan ng kickbackers mula sa paunang $70-milyong lagay ng ZTE, at proyektong ibabasura (repair ng Angat dam, pabahay ng pulis) para lang mapondohan ang NBN. Nakokonsiyensiya raw siya.

Pero nu’ng Miyerkules, araw ng Senate hearing, lumipad siya sa Hong Kong para makaiwas. Iniabot sa kanya ng mga amo ang travel order at official itinerary kuno, antedated ang petsa. Tinalikuran na niya ang pangako at konsensiya.

Anang Malacañang walang anomalya sa NBN, kontra sa exposé ni Joey de Venecia III. Kung gan’un, bakit itinatago nila ang impormasyon?