Update on General Angelo Reyes' death: The Country Club Group's Involvement

After several people exposed the (including this writer) alleged links of Major General Carlos Garcia to several military contractors, businessmen and political personalities, and his knowledge of their offshore accounts and even allegedly helped them in laundering their monies, according to ex Commodore Rex Robles, several members of this exclusive group reportedly met in a posh Chinese restaurant in Makati to plot their next move.


This group, says several sources, control the procurement of arms and equipment at the AFP. They are also involved in several government-related projects, big-ones, and financiers at that. 


The meeting was called to strategize how to "take care" of the Garcia situation. Garcia, several months before the elections, reportedly intimated to a friend, his desire to "spill the beans". Garcia, according to intelligence reports, know of the confidential accounts of several high ranking officials of the Arroyo administration. Garcia reportedly used two foreign based Filipino groups: one in Hongkong and the other at Anaheim California. 


When Noynoy won, this group reportedly assured Garcia of their continued support for the beleaguered general. The group told Garcia to "hold his ground" since the win of Noynoy assures them of continued protection. It was this group who reportedly arranged for the bargaining agreement, and did ways on how to contain those who know what really happened, several deep sources say. 


When the Senate hearing happened, the group reportedly conspired to get the "heat off" Garcia and train the media guns at former defense secretary Angelo Reyes. Reyes, reports say, did receive a sizeable amount for his retirement. Yet, it was really a customary gesture at the AFP. Besides, Reyes reportedly spent the money on several C-S related activities. 


Anyway, it was decided that Reyes should be "out of the loop" since the heat feel on him. Several calls and meetings were made with Reyes in it. Reyes was never apprised of the plans of the group, sources say. He was "left hanging" in several meetings and telephone conversations. 


This led to Reyes' depression, the first one when he lost his money to support a partylist organization which eventually decided to drop him as nominee and second, when his dear friend, Rabusa, decided to "spill the beans". 


Several close associates of Reyes who are still very close to the "boss", reportedly acceded to the wishes of the group and altogether, decided to "come out". The group wants to take off the heat from Garcia and instead, want Reyes to sacrifice his reputation.


Worst, the boss reportedly called him and told him not to mention the name of the boss and their group. This, according to one source, Robles, became unbearable for Reyes. 


I call upon the Senate to investigate further the cause of Reyes' untimely death. We should not stop seeking for the truth. 


Reyes' death is a sign for us to look deeper into this very serious fund misuse scandal. Reyes would have died in vain if we failed to really bag those who still continually support former Major General Garcia.


I call upon President Noynoy Aquino to order a thorough investigation on those who reportedly met and called General Reyes in the last ten days of his life. Some of these people are the same ones who continually protect Garcia's ass.


Let us not just jail Garcia and let him rot there. We, the people, deserve the Truth.  


Garcia should expose those people whom he helped before. They should be held responsible for the death of General Reyes. Their names should be exposed. 

Walang hiya

How many more times will we allow unscrupulous men and women to trick us into believing that they are after change and not their personal interests?


Twenty five years after the first EDSA, and we feel like we are hollow inside. We are a beautiful people living in a beautiful country. We are a very decent people. Most of us are honest. Most work for every single cent that goes into feeding our families. We pay our taxes. We follow the laws. We pray to our Gods, and we lavish ourselves with praise for Him, Who lives forever.


We don't deserve these things. We don't deserve men who think of themselves as higher than us. We don't deserve men of uniform stealing billions from us. We don't deserve men wearing barongs and Amerikanas with deep pockets for keeping our monies. 


God, why do you give us evil men for officials? 


Who will protect us from our protectors?


Are these men so insensitive that they are not affected by the thought of they using other's people's monies to feed their families? Are their stomachs so strong that they can eat food they bought from illegal means?


Are these men so crass and so inhumane that they steal these monies and for what? To fatten themselves and for other people to praise them for their wealth, ill-gotten and ill-deserved?


Woe to them, those who stole our monies, our hard-earned monies. As a father, I work very hard for my salary. I work and slave myself to death just to feed my family, and here, you'll find and hear some thief working the bank and stealing everything with just one signature?


Hey, Mr. Garcia, are you listening? Hey, Mr. Reyes, are you even aware of what you did? Wala na bang hiyang natitira sa inyong dalawa? Our soldiers in the field are sacrificing their very lives just for you to live comfortably in your homes.

Heidi Mendoza---a Patriot

Let there be no doubt---the Filipino People will protect honest government people like Heidi Mendoza, the fearless auditor who now is exposing the anomalies at the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Mendoza has called upon the Filipino People to protect her and her family from harm. And the Filipino People will respond accordingly. 


I call upon all Patriotic elements to rally behind this petite lady as she takes the cudgels for honest men and truth seekers everywhere. 


Various groups, including ecumenicals, have rallied behind Mendoza as she exposes how millions of pesos went poofed during her probe into the Garcia case. It seems that there were numerous pieces of evidence against Garcia that the Office of the Ombudsman failed to consider when they were investigating the case.


A re-investigation, and possibly a deeper one, is in order. Ombudman Merceditas Gutierrez should, in the interest of honesty and fair play, re-investigate this matter and file an appropriate case. There should be no doubt about it. Mendoza and ex Lt. Col. Rabusa's revelations are new pieces of evidence that could really be used to pin down Garcia and his cohorts.


Likewise, the State should not proceed with the plea bargaining agreement with Garcia given these new revelations.


The only question now is---how deep will these revelations affect the institution, that is, the Armed Forces of the Philippines? Will it initiate a reform movement within the organization?

Why Major General Carlos Garcia is "untouchable"?

Ex Major General Carlos Garcia knows many secrets

So, it is now in the open.


Major General Carlos Garcia and government prosecutors entered into a plea bargain agreement as early as May 4, 2010. The agreement was finalized during the frenzy of the election period. Sneaky sonafab...h.


Garcia entered into an agreement with government to avoid possible death sentence after being accused of violating the anti-graft and corrupt practices act and the anti-money laundering law. The agreement was entered by Garcia with the Office of the Special Prosecutor of the Ombudsman. 


Garcia pleaded guilty to a lesser offense which would also exonerate his wife and kid. His wife was caught with US$100,000 by US immigration authorities. His kid, meanwhile, enjoys the high life, thanks to those billions stashed in various locations in the United States. Garcia's gay son lives as a high fashion consultant in the states. 


Before his arrest, Garcia was the AFP Comptroller. Sources say Garcia amassed his wealth from alleged protection money from syndicates, car companies, insurance and commissions from defense deals entered during the Arroyo, Estrada and Ramos administrations.


He was charged with graft, for amassing 300 million in assets. In the plea bargain, Garcia agreed to part with 135.5 million pesos worth of his assets. Sources within the military says that what Garcia promised to give was just a tip of a billion peso ice-berg. 


Why is Garcia's case so special, so controversial and makes him "untouchable"?


Some disgruntled junior officers revealed that Garcia serves as the alleged official "treasurer" and "trust keeper" par excellence of the organization's pool of generals. 


Garcia managed to sneak his way out of his predicament after allegedly threatening to "spill the beans". Garcia knows how certain officials of the AFP "laundered" money, including those formerly involved in the controversial RSBS deal. 


Many former generals are having "sleepless nights", says several officers, and sweating profusely because of Garcia's case. The only reason why Garcia is still alive is he knows the "combination" and "bank account numbers" of "certain accounts" being kept in various foreign banks allegedly entrusted to him by several high-ranking officers and former generals of the AFP. 


A Hongkong group composed of Filipinos (some of them former journalists) is reportedly the "handler" of several accounts which Garcia entered. This HK-based group is allegedly the "go-to" agency of high-profile public personalities. 

Six Stupid Things that Undermine Philippine Justice System

What justice? Justice is for the rich,
none for the poor.

In just three days, we, the Filipino People, were treated with a succession of depressing news. The Supreme Court, Sandiganbayan and a local court in Pasig all gave us deplorable news which seriously undermined the People's trust in the Philippine justice system.


These attacks on the Philippine justice system, I call the "six-peat Injustice scandal".


The Supreme Court rendered a decision which declared the Executive Order creating the Truth Commission unconstitutional. Basis for the ruling? The very tenor of the E.O. violates the equal rights clause in the 1987 Constitution. This is the first attack.


Then on December 14, just eleven days before Christmas, the SC reversed the initial guilty ruling in the controversial Vizconde massacre case, allowing Hubert Webb, son of former Senator Freddie Webb, and some others, to regain their freedom. Lauro Vizconde, the family patriarch, described the decision as a disappointment. The Public Assistance Office (PAO) meanwhile, is thinking of filing an appeal for reconsideration. This is the second attack.


That same day, the SC granted former First Lady Imelda Marcos two mansions which were initially subject of sequestration by government in her hometown of Olot in Leyte. These mansions, which were subjects of graft and corrupt cases filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), rests in a 46 hectare lot, which is claimed by Imelda as a "family heirloom" prior to her marriage with the former strongman Ferdinand Marcos. This is the third attack.


Also, in that same day, an RTC judge found self-confessed sex maniac Hayden Kho not guilty of the offense of illegally producing a sex video. Reason for the decision? The judge said that the victim, actress Katrina Halili, knew that she was being filmed by Kho, therefore, the video was not illegally obtained. Support for the judge's belief that Halili knew she was being videotaped? The camera was just five feet away from her, and therefore, the judge deduced, Halili would have known that she was being filmed. Stupid. This is the fourth stupid thing.


A day later, the SC squashed the petition questioning the legality of the election of former Pampanga Congressman Mikey Arroyo as representative of Ang Galing Pinoy, a partylist of security guards. The SC said that Arroyo, indeed, represents the partylist organization. This is the fifth stupid thing. 


And lastly, the Sandiganbayan granting Major General Carlos Garcia bail after pleading for a lesser offense of direct bribery. Garcia has been accused of plunder and violation of the Anti-Money Laundering Art which is worth 303 million. With the plea bargain, government is now poised to regain a fraction of the declared illegal money, which is about 130 million. This is the sixth stupid thing.


Learnings:


1. In the first stupid thing: Don't forget that thieves share one common class. Don't mis-classify those sophisticated ones (The Arroyos) with that of the roques (The Pereses) because that's a violation of the equal protection clause of the Constitution. If you want the truth, prosecute all members of the class of thieves. 


2. In the second stupid thing: If you think you have money for a prolonged court battle, and you have connections, then do what you want. Hubert Webb was brutally frank when he admitted that the reason why he is now a free man is his family, especially his father, who is a former Senator and Congressman. Webb successfully defended his innocence with complete documentation, a group of corroborative witnesses in his beck and call, and a battalion of legal minds who did serious legal work to buttress his alibi that he was not present when the Vizconde Massacre took place. Lucky for Hubert, but not so lucky on other innocents out there suffering inside cramped cells, who are now getting old, but lack the money and the influence Hubert got, to prove their innocence.


3. Third stupid thing: If you want to video tape your sexual exploits with your unknowing fiancee, put your camera at least five feet away from the bed. Enuf said.


4. Fourth stupid thing: If you want to regain your illegally obtained properties, go, tell the courts that those hectares and hectares of property were yours before you even got married. Don't mind those thousands of articles quoting you as saying that you were once poor and destitute before your marriage to the Congressman of Ilocos. And don't worry that you even don't have any title for those properties. Just enter into a compromise with the PCGG.


5. Fifth stupid thing: Prove that you're a security guard and is worthy of representing the class despite the very obvious fact that you, yourself, have been the most abusive employer of security guards. Don't worry, you have your mother's friends in high places to back you up.


6. Sixth stupid thing: When you steal other people's hard-earned monies, steal big. Don't worry. You can enter into a plea bargain agreement with a bunch of nincoompoops posturing as government prosecutors and share with them half of the loot.