NCFC blames Abaya for systemic breakdown of comm and transportation

Lack of foresight by DOTC caused Holy Week systemic breakdown

Glitches in the operation of the MRT and the LRT as well as sudden breakdowns in the operation of airports and seaports during the Lenten season could have been avoided had Malacanang appointed a technocrat instead of a politician at the helm of the Department of Transportation and Communication.

This is in reaction to what Malacanan today announced thru Communications secretary Sonny Coloma asking the public for patience and assuring the riders of the MRT-LRT that assistance is forthcoming.

Atty. Oliver San Antonio, spokesperson of the National Coalition of Filipino Consumers (NCFC), an umbrella organisation of five urban poor groups says how can government normalize the already “abnormal” situation in the MRT and LRT stations when the DOTC did not prepare any contingency plan for the expected surge of the number of riders for the two railway systems.

Instead of letting the situation gets worse, the DOTC should have planned for utilising other modes of transport to ease the pain of more than 1,600,000 commuters using the MRT-LRT systems.

San Antonio blames Secretary Emilio Joseph Abaya for the veritable systems breakdown that the entire transportation and communications infrastructure suffered during the Lenten season and which extended today, Monday.

San Antonio says Abaya, a former Cavite politician, does not deserve to head the DOTC, the agency tasked in ensuring that the integrity of the transportation and communications infrastructure of the country remains robust and functioning. Sources say that Abaya and his officials over at the agency failed to create contingency plans and did not coordinate with the MRT3 technical team.

Instead of preparing for the expected spike in the influx and outflux of people, goods and services, Abaya was seen with DILG secretary Mar Roxas distributing goods to thousands of Yolanda survivors in Leyte.

Abaya was even quoted as referring to Roxas as his “president” an obvious disrespect to President Pnoy who appointed him and remains in power. Aquino’s term ends in 2016.

“ The President should let go of Abaya and replace him with a person who is more than capable of handling the myriad and technical issues besetting the country’s entire transportation and communications infrastructure. What happened during Lent affected millions of Filipino commuters and consumers who suffered long hours of waiting for their buses, their trains, their planes and their ships all because of a systematic breakdown of the country’s infrastructure which began last Tuesday and ended Sunday.

Today’s breakdown (Monday), all the more emphasized the urgency of letting Abaya go and replace him with a guy who can handle the Samsonian task of harmonizing the operations of the entire infrastructure. Someone who will concentrate on fixing the problems and not someone whose mind is obviously directed at ensuring the victory of his political benefactor,” adds San Antonio.

Thousands are still stranded in various parts of the country due to the failure of communications and signalling equipment of various ports and airports around the country. Several thousands missed their flights over at several international and local airports either due to brownouts or technical glitches of navigational equipment.

Hundreds of thousands more got stranded in different bus terminals which began last Thursday, the start of a noticeable increase in the volume of people leaving the metropolis.

IN the past, notes San Antonio, the DOTC averted possible technical glitches because officials prepared for months prior to the advent of Lent. Now, the DOTC did not even notify the public or went tight-lipped when asked about their preparations during the Holy week.

“ Let’s face it---Abaya is a political animal more than a technocrat kind of guy. He loves politics so much he had the gall of referring to Mar Roxas as his president. Let him go, Mr. President. Abaya needs to be given what he truly wants, to be Mar Roxas’s `trouble shooter’.”

--nothing follows—

For inquiries:

Atty. Oliver San Antonio
Spokeperson
09178388196

ZTE-NBN like scandal at DOTC unravelling

Two weeks from now and we will be treated with another kind of spectacle--the despicable kind, I might say, that will rival every single conceivable graft you could ever imagine that would happen in this sun drenched country of 90 million.

Everyone is aware of how this administration wants to make itself known of--it wants to leave an infrastructure legacy. Yes, nothing wrong with that. Everyone wants people to think that Aquino has left the country in a good condition and what better to do this than showing that off with new roads, new bridges, new airports and new ports.

However, laudable as these things might sound but many people are dubious of the real reasons for this. For one, these projects are being "fast-tracked" and are being undertaken at the last minute. The DOTC for one, is awarding projects left and right to companies with either dubious records or has conflicts of interests.

In the past years, the DOTC has been the subject of intense scrutiny. This agency whose responsibilities lie on infrastructure development has been the center of controversies, simply because of the way it conducts itself. People have been assigned to head this agency, people as incompetent and as clueless of their real functions are except of course, being political operators. Look at the names appointed to head the DOTC these past few years and you'll notice that their only qualifications lie on their proximity to the Center of Power and their previous work as political animals of the mischievous kind.

These appointments only show one thing--the government thinks that this agency is just a mere source of political funds, nothing more. Hence, people in this agency thinks of satisfying the appointing power instead of doing their jobs right.

Of course, the appointing power's interests is purely political--it wants to perpetuate its powers perpetually. And the only way to do this is thru funds.

I am now giving Malacanang a heads up--in the next few weeks, this administration will be rocked by a monumental scandal so vile and so gross, that it probably eclipses the ZTE-NBN scandal several years back.

These DOTC officials have prostituted themselves before the Mammon and once more, transformed this agency into a money making machine just to ingratiate themselves before their political benefactor.

These DOTC officials have turned a blind eye and have abandoned the tuwid na daan and instead turned into a "tuwad na daan"---prostituting themselves for the spoils and the future rewards their decisions have earned from the private companies they have so involved in their nefarious schemes.

Let the anvil falls. Those who have sinned against the Filipino People will merit the obvious punishment like what their predecessors got when they were the ones in power. 

DOTC officials shown as inept and clueless of their own processes

The recent Senate inquiry chaired by no less than Senator Serge Osmena revealed how inept and indecisive the present leadership of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) is.  Osmena is investigating the brouhaha caused by several DOTC officials involved in the Mactan airport controversy.

What Osmena discovered was pretty much damning and entirely humiliating, to say the least. The inquiry showed how inept and totally clueless the DOTC officials are, with their own bidding processes that it is entirely unacceptable why we need them in the first place.

Osmena ferreted one important thing from the whole process of inquiry---the obvious lack of due diligence on the part of these officials in doing background checks of companies which want to bid for PPP projects.

My good friend Bo Chanco wrote this highly interesting piece in his column today see here.

I am not entirely surprised why people are militating against the DOTC, and why even the MRT-LRT common ticketing system has been questioned because of the very fact that these DOTC officials lack the proper skills and intelligence necessary to do their jobs right.

Mr. President, please fire these nincompoops pronto. The people do not deserve such charlatans in power.

Shady DOTC deals to cause Pnoy's downfall---and possible incarceration post-2016

I will not be surprised if this administration will exit the scene ala Arroyo---in a blazing Southward streak. Many friends from the business community are very disappointed with the way the DOTC is conducting itself especially in bidding the Public-Private partnership projects. 

My good friend, Jess Diaz of the Philippine Star wrote this today " DOTC clears execs in $ 30-M extort try". Anything odd?

Well, do you really expect the legal department of the DOTC to prosecute its own executives, particularly those who conducted anomalous actions with Inekon? Obviously not. This extort try even involved the names of several relatives, close one of President Aquino.

The DOTC may have cleared its own of any wrongdoing but it does not really state that there was none? Sources say there was really some deal which happened but was prevented when the Ambassador sought assistance from the NBI.

One tip to the DOTC---don't be too obvious. Let other people clear your people of any wrongdoing.

One thing is clear---the DOTC right now is really involved in very serious stuff that will eventually merit a probe or even jailtime for some people there. If they do not stop what they are doing, another explosive scandal similar to the ZTE-NBN deal will blow up before the faces of these officials, and will even affect the political fate of their 2016 candidate.

Read my lips---an explosive scandal akin to the ZTE-NBN deal is expected to happen within the next few weeks if the DOTC will not heed my words. Take it from me, a veteran of many wars, a combatant during the ZTE-NBN deal. I know what I am talking about, and this one, no amount of crisis management is enough to stop this stinking deal from being discovered. This issue is a career-ending one.

There is a deliberate effort to grant most of the PPP projects to just one group. This group already had an agreement with the Big Benefactor of most people occupying High Seats at the DOTC. Fact is, the group controlling the DOTC and the DILG have already been working together to fund the aspirations of this Big Benefactor come 2016.

When I fought the DOTC in 2003-2009, I was proven correct. The many personalities who amassed great wealth during the nine-year tumultuous Arroyo reign suffered bad luck during the last days of this regime and after. Many died, and even one, killed himself because he cannot stomach seeing himself in a wheelchair. Some got jail time, and many others were ostracized. The pressure these people got during those times were extreme, and many of them got sick.

The one who was very close to Arroyo, had a debilitating stroke. The stroke entirely paralyzed him. In weeks, this portly man, went from a man in a pink of health and once in the Apex of Power, to a shrinken and crumpled and old, chap. This is his punishment for betraying his sworn duty with the People. 

Several close friends of mine told me that in his last days, he cannot accept the state he was in. He cannot even control his bowels. There were two versions of his death--unofficially, he hurled himself down a flight of stairs in his own home in the provinces. Another one, unofficially of course, shared that he pulled the trigger and blew his brains out. The official version of course was he died after suffering from innumerable pains. 

This man prosecuted and even tried to kill his fellow EDSA dos conspirators when these people discovered the shady deals. The group survived and campaigned with their lives. Yes, this man prevented a power grab, yet, he was'nt able to stop the claws of death from snatching his soul.

Mr. President, I am writing this as a sort of warning. Review all these deals being entered by the DOTC right now with several of your political allies and campaign contributors. Some of these deals are disadvantageous to government and it will not be too long before a group once more campaign against the DOTC which will definitely affect your administration.

To those who consider this administration their enemy---just focus your attention at the DOTC right now and you have enough fodder to blast this administration to smithereens.

Right now, some people of this administration are hell-bent using the 48 PPP projects as a source of campaign funds for 2016. These people are now in the thick of negotiations with willing individuals from the private sector. 

Be advised---I am positive these deals will be headline stuff post-Aquino administration. I will not be surprised if President Noynoy Aquino and some of his close friends will suffer the same thing as what their predecessors suffered. 

"The Reign of the Classmates: The culture of impunity exists even in boardrooms

Three years and still the trial against perpetuators of the Maguindanao massacre remain in chains, some still enjoying their freedom. Those who are closely monitoring the progress of the case said that the defense team is really employing all legal and dilatory tactics to further prolong the trial and neutralize many of those who testified against the Ampatuans. For sure though, the Ampatuans will get what they deserved when they masterminded this gruesome murder, if we are to ask the relatives of the victims. The very society which they protected through the strength of their arms is also the one who condemned them eventually. The brutality and senseless inhumanity of it all will forever be etched in history.

The State has shown no mercy to the likes of Ampatuans and the Arroyos for their alleged thievery, but , how about those who work under the shadows? How about those who act with impunity but are never punished nor put under the spot by the State and the Powers? Will, these people, too, get the punishment they deserve?

Those who are nearest the Power are now muscling themselves and getting their wallets and bank accounts fatter, what with the prevailing smuggling activities at the Bureau of Customs, the alleged irregularities happening at the PAGCOR and deals in other agencies, such as the DOTC are being talked about in cigar houses and cafes. As they say, when there is smoke, there is fire. Of course,these tattle tales will surely not compromise their friendships with these "classmates" of Noynoy, seeing that doing so, will eventually attract retribution.

The almost nonchalance of Malacanang insofar as the PAGCOR OKADA deal is concerned, is worrisome, since this is a business deal gone sour. Some businessmen thinks that there is still a culture of impunity when corporate games are concerned and those who think mightily about things are those closest to the center of power.

This explains why even corporations now need "padrinos" or "lobbyists" to get their message relayed to the palace. Every single time someone had a hair-brained idea of tinkering with laws and existing jurisprudence, they need to send a representative to the palace along the river.

Anyway, the second chapter of this Aquino administration is expected to be the "reign of the classmates". Deals will be made in the name of securing the future, and several political decisions will be undertaken in the name of liberalist economics. What is good though, civil society has not abandoned its avowed

Pnoy's fight against graft is getting stronger and bearing fruit

Contrary to popular perception, the fight against graft and corruption is actually gaining ground, thanks to the tireless efforts of these men and women who now serve the Aquino administration. 

For one, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) thru the leadership of Commissioner David has managed to lessen the incidence of graft in the bureau by rotating their personnel and keeping in the freezer or filing cases against erring personnel. David, a military man, has already kept in check, numerous cases of graft in the bureau.

The Immigration bureau also successfully conducted entrance examinations meant to hire new blood for the bureau. Years ago, when the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) decided to put a stop on graft, they hired new blood and re-organized themselves. Now, the BIR is now one of the agencies with less graft and corruption cases. Fact is, in the graft and corruption fight, the BIR right now is the model to emulate. 

The DOTC or the Department of Transportation and Communication is now a very highly organized and highly efficient organisation, thanks to the efforts of Mar Roxas, Jeary Sison and the bunch of undersecretaries who now put in check the previous graft practices of people there. 

The only blight spot in the DOTC is the Land Transportation Office (LTO) whose personnel continues to do their graft-y ways. 

There are still some form of graft at the Department of Agriculture, yet, compared with the previous dispensation, operators there are now afraid of entering into multi-million deals. 

Other agencies who have turned a new leaf is the Department of Energy, the Tesda, the POEA and the OWWA. Yes, procedures at the POEA and the OWWA remain underpar, but they are in the right direction.

I highly commend the men and women of the Social Security System or SSS, the GSIS or the Government Service Insurance System and the Department of Foreign Affairs passport division for improving their services. Yes, the long lines are still there at peak hours, yet, they are manage-able. I just applied for an SSS ID and it only took me about ten minutes to get one. Kudos to the patriotic men and women of the SSS!

I will restrain my praise to the Bureau of Customs. Some say I criticize the bureau because of personal interests. What? I am a private citizen with no business whatsoever at the bureau. The information I get come from Patriots working inside the bureau of Customs. They are the ones who tell me about what's happening there. And I write about it--without adding anything, even an opinion. 

War Cabinet

While Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile accuses colleague Senator Edgardo Angara of trying to "broker" talks between Senators Manny Villar and Richard Gordon at the height of the C-5 road controversy, the administration maneuvers to tighten its grip over the State.

Members of PMA Class 1978 are now positioned in very sensitive posts in the military and PNP, as what this blog tried to warn the public last year. Members of the class are poised to ascend power by March, the month when General Victor Ibrado retires. Calls for the extension of Ibrado's term fell on deaf ears. Mrs. Arroyo is determined to appoint a very close friend and "mistah", Lt. General. Delfin Bangit as the New Chief of Staff ahead of the May 10 elections.

Not that Bangit and members of PMA Class 1978 are unqualified--the timing is really suspicious, what with their honorary member in her last days in power.

Fact is, Mrs. Arroyo and her cohorts are really doing it quite well, what with the appointment of General Mendoza as Executive secretary. Mendoza, as everybody knows, is not just a loyal soldier--he is, in fact, the president's "enforcer." Mendoza proved his mettle during EDSA dos and numerous stinking deals as DOTC secretary.

What we are seeing is in fact, preparatory to the formation of a war cabinet, with Arroyo's most trustworthy mistahs controlling both the AFP and the PNP and her trustworthy enforcer serving as Little President. Nothing suspicious with a former General holding power as Executive secretary. The timing is really off.

And if you look at it more closely, other PMA classes have positioned themselves behind presidential candidates, a move which tells you something. PMA Class 1977 and other classes have been supporting Manny Villar, while others support Gibo, Erap, Gordon and some even support Noynoy. These classes are like Guardians of the political elite, ready to act in the event of widespread fraud or a discredited elections.

Though Arroyo promises to lead a smooth transition of power by June, with these formations and configurations, you'll get a sense where the Nation is really headed after the elections. And you can't really blame yourself from actually having that stinking feeling that something very dangerous will happen sooner or later.

Is the Philippines prepared for a pandemic?

Many Filipinos are asking how prepared our government, especially the Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture in addressing the Influenza A virus containment. Here are the facts:

1. On anti-Influenza A virus vaccines/tablets---Currently, the Department of Health has 440,000 vaccines, 50% of which have been found to be outdated. So, if God forbids that a pandemic strikes, only 0.005% of the population will be able to survive this latest viral infection.

2. The DOTC confirmed that we have twelve (12) thermal scanners, spread throughout all our ports and airports. Thermal scanners can identify those who have flu, but unable to pinpoint exactly if that sick person has the new Influenza A virus.

3. We have medical teams on place. However, are they trained to handle a pandemic? How about their medical equipment? Are they complete? Is the San Lazaro medical hospital designed to handle pandemic cases? Is the place complete with insulation materials against disease control and prevention?

DOH secretary Francisco Duque III assures the public that, for now, the virus has not arrived in the Philippines. The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alert level to 5, which means that human-to-human infection has spread. What the world is anticipating is the increase of the level from 5 to 6, which means that a pandemic is already upon humankind.

Let's help the DOH fight this pandemic. They can't do it alone.

Bloggers Unite! You only have your chains to unshackle!

Calling all those Filipinos who blog.

We are faced with a threat more vicious and more deadly than those we ever faced before.

Having been hit so many times, the State is now undertaking a campaign that would paralyze this new found freedom of ours.

Like what China did to its blogging and online community, the State is thinking of shutting down the entire online community and make us toe the Palace line.

A report says that Malacanang is pissed with the Truths we have been writing against this dispensation and has ordered the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) and the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) to debilitate our Internet access.

With a pending authoritarian measure right before the laps of Mrs. Arroyo, propagators of this evil regime are propounding the inclusion of blogging as another media which they want to conquer and kill.

Let us not allow these evil men to triumph.

Let us make our voices heard.

We call upon all bloggers to unite and rally behind the Cause of Freedom. Let us organize ourselves now and destroy these people before they use their iron fisted hands to strangle us to our online deaths!

Ridiculous Right to Reply Bill

My colleagues in the mainstream media have already wrote their pieces against the Right to Reply bill. Doronila described the bill as "offensive to the freedom of the press" and "as pernicious as the muzzling of the press by totalitarian dictatorships." His quips are just some of the hundreds of words used to describe the effects of such a bill would do should it pass executive scrutiny.

The bill's author, Senator Aquilino Pimentel challenges us to make a "reasoned argument" against it. He thinks that it's logical---a news paper hits you, you hit back. Good. But, is this sound reasoning?

Consider this--a newspaper reports a scam based on a final report given by a government agency. The agency condemns a Senator for being part of that scam. Notice that it's a final report, meaning, the agency already made the necessary preliminary investigation, called both parties, the accuser and the accuse to a hearing and already made a conclusion, which now forms a part of the final report.

Now, under the Right to Reply bill, the newspaper will then be held liable for a crime should it fails to give the accused the right to reply, for what? To contest the results of that final report? It's final already, is'nt it? Why will the newspaper give the accused the right to reply?

And is'nt it right to say that the accused be made to reply in court or in that government agency, not in the newspaper?

Likewise, a newspaper writes about a Supreme Court ruling. The Highest Tribunal says that the son of a Senator is guilty of rape. Under the Right to Reply bill, the newspaper is now obliged to give space to the rapist who will probably contest the ruling of the Highest Tribunal and say his innocence.

There are so many instances that we can cite here that refutes the arguments of Pimentel and his colleagues. What Pimentel is probably referring to here are opinions, not news. He should have qualified the provisions of that bill. But, if he do so, will he not violate press freedom and the right to self-expression clauses enshrined in the Constitution? Yes, he will.

Consider this---an opinion writer, under the Right to Reply bill, will lose his job because the bill will effectively curtail his responsibility of writing a learned column. For example, my friend Jarius Bondoc writes about an anomaly at the DOTC. With a space requiring just 2,000 or 3,000 words, would it be sufficient to write about the side of the DOTC? Probably yes, Bondoc still has some space left. But, it is his discretion to include that reply in his column. NO ONE has the right to tell him otherwise.

Likewise, my friend Neil Cruz of the Inquirer and Julius Fortuna will also lose their shirts because of this bill. Why? Their columns will eat up so much space if we allow millions of Filipinos to exercise their right to reply for or against the things which they wrote in their columns.

So, now, Mr. Pimentel, is this logic for you?

Breaking news--NORTHRAIL PROJECT TO GO AHEAD!

After all the hoopla and the drama, the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) is pushing thru with the very controversial and very overpriced Northrail project. Yes, Noemi, it is definitely pushing thru. And the people must be made to understand that they must be ready to pay more than US$700 million for this huge monstrosity.

Imagine, this project and that of the ZTE cost the head of former Speaker (and alleged “Global Filipino”) Joe de Venecia Jr. No, I stand corrected—this controversy actually put an end to the decades-old political ascendancy of JDV. It has lead, providentially in fact, to a succession, which we will see in 2010.

So, if the Northrail project is pushing thru, are we then seeing the revival of the mothballed ZTE project? Or, the project is actually now on-going in a different name? We will never know.
Ultimately, it was only the activists who got hoarse shouting to high heavens how fucked things are. Eventually, those close to the Palace got their millions, plain and simple.

What can you say to this, Joey de Venecia? After all your revelations in the Senate, you failed to prevent these grafters from getting what they want.

With the same thick skin

A colleague of mine once said that more people wrote about Ces' kidnapping incident than this latest tragedy involving Sulpicio lines. I just visited www.filipinovoices.com and found his observation false. Both incidents got equal attention. And both should be condemned as signs of government negligence.

However, I find very disenheartening opposition's silence about this latest incident. It seems that their mouths were suddenly gagged. They probably think that this incident is not political at all. It's a tragedy and like their counterparts in the States, they should keep their big mouths shut.

As usual, the opposition is misinterpreting the situation. If they're really dead serious in toppling this government, now is the time to do it. People are mourning. People know that the cause of their suffering was government negligence. First, government still allowed a recidivist like Sulpicio Lines to still operate despite its dismal record as a carrier. Second, the DOTC, Marina and Coast Guard erred in handling Sulpicio Lines with kid's gloves. And third, government just acted after four days, it is as if they allowed all those people trapped inside the ship to die first before undertaking retrieval operations (note: its retrieval, not rescue).

Look at the depth of the people's despair. Any revolutionist would probably exploit this situation to push for his cause. To hell if people would accuse a revolutionist of being a manipulative and exploiter of bad fate. Hey, this is a struggle. And this is an opportunity that should not have been passed by those who want Gloria's head.

That's the problem with the opposition. Their sights are directed at 2010. This fact highlights one thing--they are no different from those who illegally occupy Malacanan. They have the same skin, the same hide as those whom they publicly despise.

Esperon's fate--DOTC Chief

Its confirmed. GMA will NOT, I say, WILL NOT EXTEND ESPERON'S TERM. This was confirmed by one of my sources at the palace. There's a twist however. Esperon is said to be replacing former PNP chief and now DOTC Secretary Mendoza. Yes, some of the palace hawks are giving the gauntlet to Mendo. The loyal DOTC secretary who has done a good job cleaning house, is said to be on his way out.

Yano is the new AFP Chief of Staff, one of Arroyo's closest advisers said. Arroyo reportedly gave Esperon a verbal dressing down just recently. Esperon reportedly shouted at Arroyo for not extending his term. The incident happened last Friday when Arroyo called Esperon to her office at the palace. Esperon allegedly threatened the president that he'll side with the anti-Arroyo groups. Arroyo was unfazed, knowing fully well that no group will ever get Esperon in their side.

So, its final--Esperon out, Yano in.