Reso 1472 an exchange deal?

How transactional Philippine politics is, you ask Mang Isko? I will refer you to Senate Resolution 1472, that piece of document purportedly signed by twelve "See-Nay"-tors and allegedly cleared the name of Nacionalista party president bet and billionaire Senator Manny Villar.

The Resolution, which was purportedly written and pushed by no less than Liberal Party member Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan, expressed the "sense of the Senate" and bore the signatures of Aquilino Pimentel Jr., Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Lito Lapid, Gregorio Honasan, Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Ramon Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada, Loren Legarda, Francis Pangilinan and Villar.

The "see-nay" tors who signed based their "sense" on oral testimony instead of overwhelming documentary evidence linking Villar to the mess which was presented before the Senate of the Whole.

Resolution 1472 was released to the media a few days before yesterday's (November 17) announcement of the Villar-Legarda tandem. It had impeccable timing. Yet, like all dastardly deeds, it stinks to the highest heavens.

Shortly after it was released, Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile was apprised of the sneeky reso and threatened to resign. His colleagues prevailed him.

Eventually, Enrile learned that there was an element of deception here. Most of those who signed the Reso, omitting of course the familiar names of Pimentel, the Cayetano siblings, Pangilinan, Joker and Jinggoy and of course, who else but Loren, are claiming that they signed the reso purportedly after being told that it has the expressed support of the Senate president.

Enrile denied supporting Resolution 1472 which he, in fact, viewed as a direct affront to his leadership. That Reso, says Enrile, violated Senate rules and smacks of fraud. And who else to defend it but the venerable See-nay-tor Francis Kiko Pangilinan, whom pundits say, was the one who lobbied the others to sign.

Strange that a non-Nacionalista party member would push for a Resolution exonerating Villar when it is clear in the Senate rules that it is now the Senate of the Whole who will release the final report on the C-5 controversy.

Wagging tongues cannot but say that maybe Resolution 1472 was an "exchange deal" between the Nacionalista and the Liberal Party, ahead of the expected filing of an ethics case against Liberal Party presidential bet Noynoy Aquino, this time, on another "C-5"-like road controversy involving of course, the conversion of hectares of land in Hacienda Luisita for SLEX.

Remember that it was Cong. Crispin Remulla, a Nacionalista, who "exposed" the supposed complicity of Senator Aquino in that alleged overpricing of Hacienda Luisita land used for SLEX.

Seems like the Nacionalistas used Remulla's expose as a "bait" for the Liberals to enter into an "exchange deal"--tit for tat---your overpriced C-5 in exchange for my overpriced SLEX. Sounds logical right? And with a Liberal (PANGILINAN) leading the pencil pushing and lobbying, all the more suspicious.

And it seems like the Nacionalista got Loren Legarda not because the beautiful environmentalist shares a common goal with their presidential bet Villar. Legarda was one of Villar's rabid commenter at the Senate. And Legarda admitted that it was "all for show", part of the "daily grind" of "usual questions", of "common parliamentary debates".

Statements such as these can't prevent one from asking---did Loren baited Villar to make her his VP in exchange for one signature in that Resolution? That signature might have cost Villar a hand and a limb. Such political prostitution extraordinaire, if you ask me.

The sad thing about this---that Reso 1472 was junked. And the obvious loser was of course, Manny Villar, who mobilize all his resources just to make that Reso happen. Poor Manny. He tried to sneak himself out of the C-5 mess only to learn that, in the end, he still stinks and worst, left holding an empty bag (of tricks?).

As they say, when it stinks, it stinks really bad.

Ebdane and Puno charged with MONUMENTAL PLUNDER

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago just recommended the filing of graft and plunder charges against former DPWH secretary and now, self-proclaimed "labor and peasants" party presidential bet Hermogenes Ebdane. Included as the principal in Santiago's charge sheet is Dodie Puno, the brother of Santiago nemesis Ronnie Puno of DILG. The two sheenanigans were charged with plundering the Road Users' Tax. How much is involved? 60.5 billion pesos of our monies. Wow. "Apocalytic Corruption" indeed.

Santiago's main point is that Ebdane and Puno allowed the anomalous use of the Road User's Tax in scandalous circumstances, transferring funds collected from the tax, and using it to allegedly "fatten the wallets" of both Puno and Ebdane.

The report of Santiago is so detailed that it even includes juicy details of the ala "rich and famous" lifestyle of Dodie Puno. Santiago blamed the two for the monumental disaster called Ondoy, which killed 1,000 and left millions homeless.

“I accuse those crooks of the crime of terminal corruption. They are ghouls, they are vampires, and they should spend the rest of their lives in jail, for they have violated the laws of civilized society, the laws of nature and the laws of God"

With Santiago's charge, speculations are rife that Ebdane, who proclaimed his bid for the presidency yesterday, is just making a mockery of justice. Ebdane, who resigned as DPWH secretary might have proclaimed the bid to skirt the corruption issue and prevent it from infecting the entire Arroyo administration. Others say that Ebdane should be prevented from running in the elections since it is now highly suspicious how he got the money to spend for his electoral bid. Many believe that Ebdane is now using those anomalous billions he got from the Road User's Tax and diverted it to fund his election machinery. Remember that election funds are still unaccountable.



Dodie Puno, says Santiago, used the Road User's Tax to spend lavishly on his girlfriends and alleged paramours, despite having a family of his own. Puno reportedly owns two yatchs, purchased under suspicious circumstances, numerous expensive condominiums, expensive luxury vehicles and host lavish parties for his friends.

Senator Villar's Conflict of Interest

Ariel Radovan,a Facebook friend made a comment about your note "Senator Manny Villar got my vote today". He wrote thus:

"..you are not asking a question because you have already concluded on the facts... since you are referring to the C5 project kindly be reminded that the Senate Committee on Finance approved and past the budget for that project. there was no finding by the same comm of any irregularity neither was there any anomaly found by the Comm until the national budget was approved. With reference to your question about the properties, Villar did not hide the fact that he was engaged in the real estate business, it was his bread and butter even before he ventured into politics. The properties you mentioned was bought even before the project was considered.
That is why I told you if there really was an anomaly behind the project and that he allegedly benefited from it... then bring the issue before the Ombudsman and let the issues be settled. What I am not in favor is that many of us Filipinos always resort to trial by publicity. That should not be the case, otherwise what are courts for..."

Ariel, let me direct you to a provision of the Constitution which prohibits Senators like Villar on things like these:

Sec. 12, Article VI. No Senator or Member of the House of Representatives
shall, upon assumption of office, make a full disclosure of their financial and
business interests. They shall notify the House concerned of a potential
conflict of interest that may arise from the filing of a proposed legislation of
which they are authors.

Ariel, Senator Villar did not disclose this neither did he actually refrained himself from the C-5 road project. That, to me, is an expressed violation of this provision, and worst, even sponsored the project. It is not just violation, but an IMMORAL act.

Yet, like I said, his singular act of giving away 6 house and lots is, by itself, a worthy one.