Anwar facing rerun of political stalking

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc. The Philippine Star, Friday, July 18, 2008

When I called my diplomat-friend Fernando Tuesday afternoon, my question for him was for a simple yes or no answer. So his reply came unexpected: “I’m in Kuala Lumpur right now and sitting beside Anwar Ibrahim. Good you called. Talk to him.”

Before I could say anything, the would-be prime minister of Malaysia was on the other end, asking me how the weather was in Manila. “Stormy as ever,” I said, gazing out the car window into the second day of Tropical Depression Helen. “But not as bad as it is there, from what I read,” I added upon recalling the news about Malaysian police roadblocking Parliament to prevent a rally of his supporters.

“Yes, it’s not too good here,” Anwar understated.

Malaysia is sitting on a political powder keg. Street protests are about to burst for Anwar, like in 1998. In a sour rerun of ten years ago, police are foisting on the opposition leader 20 years in jail allegedly for sodomizing an aide. Family and friends decry the charge as harassment. For it comes in the midst of Anwar’s backroom talks with past associates in the ruling Nation Front to topple the government that has ruled since the 1950s. In an election upset last March, Anwar’s People’s Alliance shook up the Front’s traditional three-fourths hold on the 222-seat Parliament, leaving it with an edge of only 30 members. His wife and daughter handily won seats in districts held by beefy Cabinet ministers, a sign of Malaysian discontent with their rulers. At least 21 ruling MPs were being rumored to defect to Anwar, and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was mulling abdication — and then popped up the sex charge.

“I am scheduled to go to the police at 2 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday,” Anwar explained to me the deadline for him to answer the allegation. “But we were surprised earlier today, when they issued a warrant of arrest. I think that means, when I meet them tomorrow, they will arrest me. From there, I don’t know what will happen.”

Anwar’s voice was calm in the face of uncertainty. He had seen it all before. In 1998 he was finance and deputy prime minister slated to inherit the top post when suddenly unseated for a policy tiff with Prime Minister. Mahathir Mohamad. The aging boss perhaps thought his chosen heir could mess up his envisioned legacy, and so turned insecure and wanted him out. Anwar was accused of sodomizing a driver, booted out of Parliament, and jailed. As followers took to the streets, the government sent out riot squads. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the charge in 2004. But by then he had already overstayed six years for a less serious rap of abuse of power.

Sir, are you sure you should even go (meet the police), I pressed? “I have to” was Anwar’s quick reply, “I have to prove that I am innocent and the charge is malevolent.”

When the new sex rap was filed in June, Anwar dashed to the house of the Turkish ambassador to Kuala Lumpur for sanctuary. A discomfited government assured the diplomatic community of fair treatment to induce Anwar back out. He reemerged into the arms of adoring fans.

The government reneged. On Wednesday, an hour before Anwar was to drive to his 2 p.m. conference with prosecutors, police swooped in and brought him to jail. Nobody would explain the reason for the arrest before the deadline lapsed. Lawyer Ainiah Kamaruzaman only said the authorities could hold Anwar for a maximum 14 days before allowing bail. “That’s what they did in 1998,” she recalled, “and they tortured him on the first four days.” Another aide said the jailors had wanted Anwar to submit to a DNA test. It would have been fine with their charismatic leader, but he distrusted the police and so preferred a court order for it.

At press time yesterday, the jailors had relented and accepted bail. Resting at home, Anwar received calls from worried friends in Manila. Among them was Joseph Estrada, who as Vice President in 1992-1998 had often met deputy premier Anwar as counterpart second-in-command. They see parallels in their common experience of being deposed, jailed and eventually freed.

Anwar is also close to Lakas leaders: founder Fidel Ramos, president Joe de Venecia, and ideologist Joe Almonte. Over dinner recently at de Venecia’s house, with Ramos, Almonte, Senate President Manny Villar and congresswoman-wife Cynthia, he thanked his Filipino friends for their trust and succor. The man who might soon be Prime Minister restated his vision for closer ties between the two lands that owe nationalist beginnings to the great Jose Rizal. Anwar while in prison read Rizal’s novels and biography twice. He has so imbibed the hero’s traits, even the little-known ones, that he now also dunks his bread in his coffee.

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E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail

Kamatayan ipinaliwanag

SAPOL Ni Jarius Bondoc, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Friday, July 18, 2008

MALALIM ang tingin ng malalang pasyente sa doctor, na papa-alis na sana sa examination room. “Doc, takot akong mamatay,” aniya. “Sabihin mo sa akin, ano ba ang nasa kabilang buhay?”

Marahan tumugon ang doktor, “Hindi ko alam.”

“Hindi mo alam?” usisa ng pasyente. “Kristiyano kang tao, pero hindi mo alam kung ano ang nasa kabilang buhay?”

Nakahawak ang doktor sa door knob; akmang pipihitin na niya ito. Sa kabila ng pinto narinig niya ang kaluskos at atungal. Pagkabukas niya ng pinto, sumu­ngaw ang aso at tumingkayad sa doktor upang ipakita baga ang labis na pagkatuwa.

Bumaling ang doktor sa pasyente at nagwika: “Na­pansin mo ba ang gawi ng aso ko? Ni minsan hindi pa siya nakaka­pasok sa kuwartong ito. Hindi niya alam kung ano ang nasa kuwarto. Ang alam lang niya ay nasa loob ang amo niya. At nang bumukas ang pintuan, lumukso siya papasok nang walang takot...

“Hindi ko talaga alam kung ano ang nasa kabila ng ka­matayan. Pero ito tiyak ko: Naroon ang aking Pangi­noon, at sapat na ‘yon para sa akin.”

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Nasa edad ako kung saan marami akong kaibigan at kamag-anak na nasa balag na ng kamatayan. Mas madalas na nga ako makiramay sa burol at bumisita sa nasa ospital kaysa dumalo sa inuman. Malimit, sa lamay, sapat na ang mahigpit na pagyakap sa naiwan ng yumao para ipaabot ang taos-pusong pagdadalamhati. Sa pagbisita, sapat na ang salubong ng mga mata sa may­sakit upang ipaalam ang pakikiisa sa maselang kalagayan.

Paluhang bumubulong ang mga naiwan ng yumao na “nasa langit na siya.” Nagdarasal namang taimtim ang malubhang maysakit na sa langit mapunta. Pero may agam-agam sa sasapitin, tulad ng kaba ng mga naiwan na sapitin ang dinanas ng yumao. Takot sila — ako, tayo — sa kamatayan. Kung anu-ano ang naiisip natin dito: Madilim, malungkot, mahirap. Na­kakalimutan natin na sasalubungin nga pala tayo ng Diyos.

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Lumiham sa jariusbondoc@workmail.com

Plot to control power sector unraveling

GOTCHA By Jarius Bondoc, The Philippine Star, Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Sadly, the maker of home insecticides loaded in sunken m/v Princess of the Stars is keeping quiet about it. Although its tons of toxic chemicals can harm salvors and fish, the company prefers that authorities discover first before it talks. The insecticides consist of liquids in aerosol tins and plastic pails, and mosquito coils (katol) wrapped in paper and cardboard. The tins and plastic covers could be leaking deadly contents by now; too it takes only a few days for paper to disintegrate in seawater. Aerosols carry more than 50 percent LPG, which can explode if torch cutters are used to get to the cargo hold.

Del Monte has come clean about its poisonous endosulfan pesticide in steel barrels. Bayer Crop Science too admitted to loading into the passenger ship a few samples of farm insecticides. A spokeswoman said the niclosamide, methamidophos, carbefuran and propineb already could have been diluted by seawater. The Coast Guard and foreign salvors have considered the presence of the poisons in plans to either re-float or drag the ship to shore to recover trapped bodies and cargo.

The third chemical shipper thinks silence can save it from liability for its transfluthrin, tetramethrin, d-allethrin and permethrin. But irate employees might squeal — not only about the reckless cargo but also the sweatshops where these were made.

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The truth is unraveling, slowly but surely. A clique in the Arroyo admin is capturing the energy sector for kickbacks.

First, there was a sudden flurry to amend the Electric Power Industry Reform Act. Rep. Mikey Arroyo, the presidential son who chairs the House committee on energy, said it was necessary to bring down consumer rates. His congressmen-brother Dato and uncle Iggy assented as committee members. It turns out, however, that the main amendment is to advance the start of open access from the time 70 percent of Napocor generators are privatized to only 50 percent. While speeding up open access is fine on paper, since it will allow big users to pick their own electric retailer earlier, it would be unfair in practice. State-owned Napocor will still control half the power plants, so there won’t be true competition. Worse, the Napocor mafia will continue to dictate, for multimillion-dollar kickbacks, imports of coal to fuel the plants, whether sold or not.

Then, Gloria Arroyo appointed amiga Zenaida Ducut as Energy Regulatory Board chief. Aside from Ducut being the town mate from whom Mikey inherited his congressional seat in 2004, they have a common friend, the oft-named jueteng lord Bong Pineda. Ducut’s posting jolted the industry because of a recent Napocor scam. The state firm last Feb. awarded to a four-month-old, undercapitalized and flighty broker a P956.4-million coal import from Indonesia. There must have been P258-million overprice, since the bid price was $109.50 per ton, although the Indonesian posted rate then was only $77 (at P40.418:$1 for three shiploads of 65,000 tons each).

Among the listed incorporators of broker Transpacific Consolidated Resources Inc. are Leslie and Ressie Ducut, but Zenaida disclaims kinship. Still, there are many inconsistencies. Napocor faxed the bid invitation two weeks prior to TCRI’s only known address then, the nearby Danarra Hotel’s business center, closed since Christmas. Now Napocor insists it awarded the deal when TCRI moved into a real office — in two short weeks. Paid-up capital was only P62,500, but Napocor says “so what?”, in disregard of the Public Bidding Act that requires congruity of capital with contract price. Ducut says the scam does not matter since, as ERC chair, she will have nothing to do with Napocor operations. But Napocor spokesman admits that the ERC, aside from the energy department and NEDA, needs to approve coal imports.

The capture of the electricity sector is complete — from the executive and legislative branches to the quasi-judicial ERC. From there the clique can move to other energy sectors — say, oil exploration — if it has not already.

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Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico laments the Supreme Court’s basis for declaring as moot his petition to cancel as unconstitutional the ZTE deal. The Tribunal ruled that President Arroyo already scrapped the deal, as reported in October, so there was no need for judicial action. But Suplico says it should have sought official Malacañang verification of the cancellation, instead of just relying on Arroyo’s word. He recalled that Arroyo declared in Dec. 2002 that she would not run for President, but did just the same. So there.

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E-mail: jariusbondoc@workmail.com

Dela Paz: Bantayan, pera ninyo sa SSS

SAPOL Ni Jarius Bondoc, Pilipino Star Ngayon
Tuesday, July 15, 2008

AYAW umamin si Cora dela Paz kung bakit tila paspasan siyang inalis ng Malacañang bilang presidente ng SSS. Pero tiniyak niyang may kinalaman ang pulitika. At nang mag-press con siya para batiin ang kapalit na Romy Neri, nanawagan din siya sa 27 milyong kasapi: bantayan ninyo ang halos P250 bilyong pera ninyo sa SSS.

Makahulugan ang babala ni Dela Paz. Kasing tindi ‘yon ng batikos nina Sen. Chiz Escudero, Mar Roxas, Ping Lacson at Nene Pimentel na hindi dapat ang kontrobersiyal na si Neri ang ipinalit kay Dela Paz. Lalo na’t, sa pagtatakip nito sa ZTE scam, napatunayang mas itataguyod ni Neri ang interes ng amo na si Presidente Gloria Arroyo imbis na publiko.

Napatunayan sa kasaysayan na ginagamit ng mga Presidente ang kapangyarihang magtalaga ng SSS CEO para sa sarili. Merong gumigimik na papogi at itinataas ang pensiyon miski hindi ito kayang bayaran ng SSS; merong tahasang kumi-kickback mula sa stock market transactions ng SSS, na pumapalo nang P200 milyon araw-araw. (Naaalala n’yo ang sapilitang pagpapautang ng SSS sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo, na hindi nabayaran? E ‘yung BW Resources stock market scandal nu’ng panahon ni Erap?)

Sa pagka-ganid sa kurakot ng administrasyong Arroyo, hindi nakakagulat kung pag-interesan ng mga buwitre ang private mutual provident fund na pinangangasiwaan ng gobyerno.

Tatlo ang rason kung bakit sinibak si Dela Paz, ayon sa hugung-hugong sa SSS:

• Tinutulan niya ang kagustuhan ng Arroyo economic advisers na bumili ang SSS nang marami pang Meralco shares (pambambo sa Lopezes);

• Tinanggihan niya ang pagtustos ng SSS sa universal ID system; at

• Hinarang niya ang balak ng isang stock broker na malapit sa Malacañang na maging solong trader ng P200 milyon araw-araw ng SSS.

Magbantay tayo, para hindi tayo maisahan sa termino ni Neri.

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Lumiham sa jariusbondoc@workmail.com