So, Congress voted to impeach Merceditas Gutierrez. The articles of impeachment will be submitted to the Senate. The Senate will then determine the veracity of the pieces of evidence against her.
This is historic because Gutierrez will be the very first government official impeached for betrayal of public trust. This is a precedent, because the very process which will be used to impeach Gutierrez will likely be used to other government officials who'll likely be accused of the same offense (s) later. Paging Arroyo! Madame, are you listening? :-)
Technically, Gutierrez is already impeached. The question now is--who will replace her?
Basing on the record of this administration, Gutierrez replacement will most likely be: (a) a close ally of the President, probably a shooting range or Playstation buddy or (b) someone close to the former and present administration. So there.
Are we really hopeful that something will change for the better?
If Atty. Alex Lacson is nominated for the post, I am hopeful. If someone else, an operator hiding in the cloak of a politician or "legal expert", who knows the ins and outs of this industry called graft and corruption, nothing will happen.
Look at Customs. An insider was appointed, someone very close to an Aquino relative and what do we have?
Lobbyists want Justice secretary de Lima for the post, but she declined. Executive secretary Ochoa is also a nominee, but he'll probably decline out of respect for Mar who is looking for a right place to wait for 2013.
Showing posts with label paquito ochoa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paquito ochoa. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Paquito Ochoa, Puno and Torres--The President's men under fire
My late grandmother used to say--don't get associated with those who drink and play with guns. I'm sure if former president Cory Aquino is still alive, she will counsel her son, now President Noynoy, to heed my grandmother's advice.
Look, three of Noynoy's closest buddies---Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa, DILG undersecretary Rico Puno and now, his other "firing range" buddy, LTO chief Torres came all under fire for acting and doing things contrary to what their buddy, Noynoy does.
The President works hard to at least follow what he preached. He preached for good governance. Yet, it seemed though that his closest associates probably either think Noynoy's promises are just mere politics or they think lowly of him by not swearing with their lives to follow Noynoy's vow for government officials to follow the "straight path."
Another Pinoy adage comes to mind---your closest friends are your closest enemies. In this case, appointing your closest friends in the Cabinet seems the most stupid decision a president can ever do.
Ochoa has to explain why he just declared 12 million pesos in assets while a mansion constructed in Barangay White Plains shows his wife as the one administering the property while Ochoa's name was simply not among the roster of incorporators of the firm registered as the owner of the property.
Ochoa must explain to the public what right does his wife has to represent HedgeRow when the Executive Secretary's name is simply not among those who manages the company. Is the wife a buyer of the property?
Presidential spokesperson Ed Lacierda whom everyone knows as an honest man, was hard-pressed when asked this question. In the usual Lacierda-style, he simply paroted the report by ABS-CBN TV Patrol Lynda Jumilla and declared that the property was not owned by the Executive secretary, period. Yet, Lacierda failed to explain how Ochoa's wife turned out to be the one ministering the property which, under the law, was not theirs in the first place.
Is Ochoa's wife the buyer of the property? In that case, where did Ochoa's wife get the 40 million pesos or so to buy the property considering that her family's income only amounted to a million per year?
Virgie Torres, the firing range buddy of Noynoy, was also caught on camera accompanying Sumbilla, one of those who claims to own Stradcom, the company who snatched the 2.8 billion pesos computerization project of the Land Transportation Office.
The Department of Justice just found out that Torres reportedly colluded with Sumbilla in the intra-corporate dispute with Cesar Quiambao. It seems that the plan was to show to the public that Stradcom had already "changed management" to avoid possible "political prosecution" after being very closely associated with the former dispensation. Some sources say, this "takeover" was just a ruse to show that Quiambao had nothing to do anymore with the company and therefore, could continue doing business with the LTO.
Torres, a long-time insider of the LTO, was appointed LTO chief, despite having been charged with involvement in the processing of the illegal registration papers of a Pajero late 2009. And now, Torres has been exposed as the alleged "backer" of Sumbilla in the controversial Stradcom corporate dispute.
The DOJ just recommended for the suspension of Torres. Good.
We have'nt heard much about Puno, who, apparently lost the intra-office power struggle with DILG secretary Jesse Robredo. Robredo, who was reported to have lost the confidence of the President early on in his appointment, suddenly got a shot in the arm, when public opinion shifted to Undersecretary Rico Puno, who brags as the closest associate of the president.
From being the "fair-haired boy" of the president to the "unspoken pariah" in the DILG, Puno suddenly went out of the limelight the same way he got himself in. He was "unofficially" exiled abroad, and nothing was heard from him every since. Puno continues to sit as an undersecretary, yet, nothing is heard about his work or "accomplishments". Does Puno continues to enjoy the confidence of the President?
President Noynoy Aquino should fire these people from his administration. They are making life extremely difficult for him. Likewise, they are tainting the clean reputation of the president who vows to tread the "narrow and straight path."
One EDSA lesson--it is not enough that we elect an honest president when his family and friends are not.
Look, three of Noynoy's closest buddies---Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa, DILG undersecretary Rico Puno and now, his other "firing range" buddy, LTO chief Torres came all under fire for acting and doing things contrary to what their buddy, Noynoy does.
The President works hard to at least follow what he preached. He preached for good governance. Yet, it seemed though that his closest associates probably either think Noynoy's promises are just mere politics or they think lowly of him by not swearing with their lives to follow Noynoy's vow for government officials to follow the "straight path."
Another Pinoy adage comes to mind---your closest friends are your closest enemies. In this case, appointing your closest friends in the Cabinet seems the most stupid decision a president can ever do.
Ochoa has to explain why he just declared 12 million pesos in assets while a mansion constructed in Barangay White Plains shows his wife as the one administering the property while Ochoa's name was simply not among the roster of incorporators of the firm registered as the owner of the property.
Ochoa must explain to the public what right does his wife has to represent HedgeRow when the Executive Secretary's name is simply not among those who manages the company. Is the wife a buyer of the property?
Presidential spokesperson Ed Lacierda whom everyone knows as an honest man, was hard-pressed when asked this question. In the usual Lacierda-style, he simply paroted the report by ABS-CBN TV Patrol Lynda Jumilla and declared that the property was not owned by the Executive secretary, period. Yet, Lacierda failed to explain how Ochoa's wife turned out to be the one ministering the property which, under the law, was not theirs in the first place.
Is Ochoa's wife the buyer of the property? In that case, where did Ochoa's wife get the 40 million pesos or so to buy the property considering that her family's income only amounted to a million per year?
Virgie Torres, the firing range buddy of Noynoy, was also caught on camera accompanying Sumbilla, one of those who claims to own Stradcom, the company who snatched the 2.8 billion pesos computerization project of the Land Transportation Office.
The Department of Justice just found out that Torres reportedly colluded with Sumbilla in the intra-corporate dispute with Cesar Quiambao. It seems that the plan was to show to the public that Stradcom had already "changed management" to avoid possible "political prosecution" after being very closely associated with the former dispensation. Some sources say, this "takeover" was just a ruse to show that Quiambao had nothing to do anymore with the company and therefore, could continue doing business with the LTO.
Torres, a long-time insider of the LTO, was appointed LTO chief, despite having been charged with involvement in the processing of the illegal registration papers of a Pajero late 2009. And now, Torres has been exposed as the alleged "backer" of Sumbilla in the controversial Stradcom corporate dispute.
The DOJ just recommended for the suspension of Torres. Good.
We have'nt heard much about Puno, who, apparently lost the intra-office power struggle with DILG secretary Jesse Robredo. Robredo, who was reported to have lost the confidence of the President early on in his appointment, suddenly got a shot in the arm, when public opinion shifted to Undersecretary Rico Puno, who brags as the closest associate of the president.
From being the "fair-haired boy" of the president to the "unspoken pariah" in the DILG, Puno suddenly went out of the limelight the same way he got himself in. He was "unofficially" exiled abroad, and nothing was heard from him every since. Puno continues to sit as an undersecretary, yet, nothing is heard about his work or "accomplishments". Does Puno continues to enjoy the confidence of the President?
President Noynoy Aquino should fire these people from his administration. They are making life extremely difficult for him. Likewise, they are tainting the clean reputation of the president who vows to tread the "narrow and straight path."
One EDSA lesson--it is not enough that we elect an honest president when his family and friends are not.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Paquito Ochoa owns 40 million peso mansion?
Reports on the 40 million peso mansion being built in an exclusive subdivision in Quezon City have been going around talk circles since early January. The mansion is reportedly owned by Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa.
Ochoa declared in his SAL (Statement of Assets and Liabilities) that he's just worth 12 million pesos. With several people swearing with their lives that this mansion is really Ochoa's "property", journalists discovered that the "administrator" of the mansion is actually Ochoa's wife.
Curiously though, why would a law firm own a mansion and why build a mansion? Is the law firm involved in the real estate business? Obviously not.
Is the law firm transforming the house as their "company staff house"? That's one alibi.
What hurts us the most is being misled by people claiming to be different from the previous dispensation, when, in truth and in fact, they belong to the same despicable kind.
Ochoa declared in his SAL (Statement of Assets and Liabilities) that he's just worth 12 million pesos. With several people swearing with their lives that this mansion is really Ochoa's "property", journalists discovered that the "administrator" of the mansion is actually Ochoa's wife.
Curiously though, why would a law firm own a mansion and why build a mansion? Is the law firm involved in the real estate business? Obviously not.
Is the law firm transforming the house as their "company staff house"? That's one alibi.
What hurts us the most is being misled by people claiming to be different from the previous dispensation, when, in truth and in fact, they belong to the same despicable kind.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Mar Roxas as Executive Secretary in 2011
There are talks about the possible appointment of former Senator and campaign buddy Mar Roxas as Executive secretary of President Benigno Noynoy Aquino. Other appointments, says several sources, include members of the Balai group.
Roxas wants the Executive secretary post. He does not want to re-assume his post as Secretary of Trade and Industry.
Jose Almendras, the current Energy secretary and rumored as Ochoa's replacement instead of Roxas, stays with the Energy department.
Several sources within Roxas camp are against the former Senator's decision. There are, however, several business groups who want Roxas as Executive secretary.
Other Liberal candidates, including Riza Hontiveros, will be given highly sensitive posts in the Aquino administration come 2011. Hontiveros is being groomed to take care of Tourism and/or overseas Filipino workers.
Dr. Nereus Acosta is preparing to assume the DENR post. Fact is, Nereus has prepared a set of his close associates to accompany him to the DENR.
Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa will be given a Cabinet portfolio. He is bound to lead a government agency close to the Office of the President. The current legal counsel of Aquino, a close Ochoa associate, will also be replaced.
There are talks of Ochoa assuming the DOJ role, replacing Leila de Lima, who was rumored as the strongest candidate for the COMELEC chairmanship.
De Lima, according to sources, has quietly refused the chairmanship. De Lima's decision muddled the original plan, since there was a plan for Ochoa to replace De Lima there. Ochoa, says some sources, is expected to occupy a post which has "lesser implications".
Aquino is scouting for a reputable "Constitutionalist" and/or "election lawyer" to assume the COMELEC chairmanship. There is, however, several talk of a Comelec commissioner being asked to chair the electoral body. This is none other than Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.
The DILG post will be given to a former general, while former Naga and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Robredo will be ousted from his post and given a more "non-controversial" one.
Other news include the possible integration of a political party headed by close Arroyo ally Pablo Garcia with the Liberal party. This regional aggrupation supported the legislative agenda of Speaker Sonny Belmonte. Garcia's inclusion in the administration party will make the Liberal, the strongest political party in the country.
How true?
Roxas wants the Executive secretary post. He does not want to re-assume his post as Secretary of Trade and Industry.
Jose Almendras, the current Energy secretary and rumored as Ochoa's replacement instead of Roxas, stays with the Energy department.
Several sources within Roxas camp are against the former Senator's decision. There are, however, several business groups who want Roxas as Executive secretary.
Other Liberal candidates, including Riza Hontiveros, will be given highly sensitive posts in the Aquino administration come 2011. Hontiveros is being groomed to take care of Tourism and/or overseas Filipino workers.
Dr. Nereus Acosta is preparing to assume the DENR post. Fact is, Nereus has prepared a set of his close associates to accompany him to the DENR.
Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa will be given a Cabinet portfolio. He is bound to lead a government agency close to the Office of the President. The current legal counsel of Aquino, a close Ochoa associate, will also be replaced.
There are talks of Ochoa assuming the DOJ role, replacing Leila de Lima, who was rumored as the strongest candidate for the COMELEC chairmanship.
De Lima, according to sources, has quietly refused the chairmanship. De Lima's decision muddled the original plan, since there was a plan for Ochoa to replace De Lima there. Ochoa, says some sources, is expected to occupy a post which has "lesser implications".
Aquino is scouting for a reputable "Constitutionalist" and/or "election lawyer" to assume the COMELEC chairmanship. There is, however, several talk of a Comelec commissioner being asked to chair the electoral body. This is none other than Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento.
The DILG post will be given to a former general, while former Naga and Ramon Magsaysay awardee Robredo will be ousted from his post and given a more "non-controversial" one.
Other news include the possible integration of a political party headed by close Arroyo ally Pablo Garcia with the Liberal party. This regional aggrupation supported the legislative agenda of Speaker Sonny Belmonte. Garcia's inclusion in the administration party will make the Liberal, the strongest political party in the country.
How true?
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Is Justice secretary De Lima out of the loop already?
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| The hostage crisis that changed the administration |
I remember one threat made by De Lima that she will resign if Aquino does not fully support the findings of the IIRC report. Aquino did not and instead targetted policemen and even the Office of the Ombudsman as his fall guys. De Lima, it seems, is staying.
The Hongkong administrative state has expressed their sorrow over the IIRC report. Senator Joker Arroyo also expressed his dismay, saying that the review was undertaken by those of lesser minds.
This also is very alarming. Joker is right on saying that how, then, will the palace, treat the report of the Truth Commission, chaired by no less than a former Chief Justice? Will it undergo the same process? Imagine the scenario of a report written by a former Chief Justice and then put into scrutiny by lesser mortals such as Ochoa and de Mesa?
It also puts this administration in moral question---what is their interpretation of truth? Is it legal or factual truth? So, now, truth and justice now depends on the opinions of two people?
Likewise, this is also very dangerous. Are we now saying that all reports or at least those undertaken by the Justice department are to be reviewed first by the Executive secretary and the presidential legal counsel before being released to the public?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Shameful and unshameful acts
Anyway, I almost cried when I saw this photo from the Philippine Star today--former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo lining up to pay his airport taxes. They are like a normal family.
I really think that the Arroyos are now one big happy family. It has been a long time that we see them like this. I just hope that they stay this way and I pray for them.
They are now showing us some delicadeza, a thing which they lost for the past nine years. When you're out of power, that's the time you feel delicadeza.
By the way....
William Villarica, owner of a string of pawnshops around the country, goes around with a Lamborghini. He lives a high life. Yet, he's now accused of tax evasion. He has not paid any single cent for the past 8 years. He's now the first "big fish" that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will go after.
Villarica should be ashamed.
Equally ashamed is this news I got from a highly reliable source.
Executive secretary Paquito Ochoa, along with several lawyers, including Atty. Musngi and Jose Amorado drank to their hearts content inside the Premier Guest House in Malacanang.
Ochoa and his buddies ordered cases of beer and pulutan. They reportedly was very rowdy and even sang lewd songs.
Probably they don't know one administrative regulation in government prohibiting public officials from drinking intoxicating drinks inside public offices even after regular office hours. Such regulation merits a suspension, even outright loss of their jobs.
If a janitor does this, he's suspended and will not get his salary. But, if its the Executive Secretary.....is this the way people of this new administration now act, as if they own the country? They should at least be ashamed because their president always follow the law and me delicadeza.
Will Ochoa and the rest of these lawyers submit themselves to this regulation? Or will they feel mighty and proud and just make an alibi?
As they say, when you're in power, you feel (in)different.
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