By Lira Dalangin-FernandezINQUIRER
MANILA, Philippines --As the House of Representatives deliberates on the proposed budget of the Department of Health (DoH) this Friday, a militant lawmaker criticized its "skewed" priority, which he said prioritized foreign patients.
Deputy Minority Floor Leader and Bayan Muna partylist Representative Satur Ocampo said the DoH budget showed a "skewed investment in government-sponsored medical tourism that targets foreign patients instead of millions of Filipinos who do not have access to quality government health care."
"The DoH should explain government's health priorities. They should tell Congress why healthcare is apparently being transformed by government into a money-making venture targeting foreign medical tourists over ordinary Filipinos in dire need of health care," Ocampo said in a statement.
The DoH has a proposed P27.803 billion allocation for 2009.
Citing a study of the Health Alliance for Democracy (HEAD), Ocampo lamented that "past and current national health budgets under the Health Facilities Enhancement Program have not changed the general state of disrepair and lack of adequate facilities in public hospitals and government-run health facilities."
The program got P1.66 billion in 2008 – a whopping 822% increase from its 2007 P180 million allotment.
For 2009, the program will be getting P2.03 billion or a 22.29% increase, the lawmaker said.
"This Health Facilities Enhancement Program only aims to refurbish certain specialty hospitals for the government's medical tourism agenda. It has the highest appropriation compared to the potable water program (P1.5 billion) and the Tuberculosis Control Program (P1.3 billion) that will go directly to indigent Filipino patients," he added.
The HEAD study also noted that the 2009 national budget would only give substantial increases to specialty hospitals like the Lung Center of the Philippines (an additional P157.6 million), National Kidney and Transplant Institute (P185 million), Philippine Children's Medical Center (P236 million), and Philippine Heart Center (P185 million).
Ocampo said the DoH flagship hospital, the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila, is only getting P359 million in the 2009 budget. It is much worse for other public hospitals under the DoH, he added.
"Our government doctors and health professionals in HEAD aver that these are the same hospitals earmarked for integration as the 'Philippine Center for Specialized Healthcare' in line with the medical tourism program. If the Arroyo administration allocates hefty amounts to specialty hospitals, I do not see any reason why it should not give equal or greater budgets for government medical centers that cater to the general public and indigent Filipino patients," Ocampo said.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Too much pork in the budget
From Cebu Daily News
The problem isn’t that the Constitution doesn’t need amending, because it does; rather, it is that the amendments of interest to those in a position to do something about it, immediately, aren’t of particular interest to the broader electorate. We view any officially-proposed effort to amend the Constitution with mistrust.
Nothing our officials do reduces this mistrust. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, for example, has tried to reassure the public by saying that while he’s convinced efforts to amend the Constitution will take place before the incumbent President’s term ends, Congress will tackle other pending legislative work first. First and foremost being the deliberations on the National Budget for 2009.
Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno said that this year’s budget is actually more pork barrel-oriented than the 2007 budget. Now budgets for election years have traditionally been stuffed with all sorts of goodies for our elected officials. It’s how presidents and Congress provide funding for the sudden frenzy of public works and other activities to court the electorate’s support.
But why should the 2008 budget actually exceed the 2007 budget in terms of these political goodies? Normally, to prevent massive inflation and restore some fiscal order to the sorely-strained finances of the government, post-election budgets are leaner and less pork-filled. The reason for this, Diokno said, is that we have to realize the useful life of a budgetary item is not one, but two years. This means that if you stuff the 2008 budget now, it not only helps you in 2009, but all the way to the eve of the 2010 elections.
In other words, the 2007 election-oriented budget, bloated as it was, was bloated further because if you think the political funding required for a congressional election last year was big, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet: 2010 will either be a presidential election year, or the year the administration makes a last-ditch effort to campaign for, and win, a plebiscite changing the rules of the game.
So when the Speaker says don’t worry, while we fully intend to amend the Constitution, we will attend to our work first, we have to bear in mind that the two are connected and that the success of the latter depends on the passage of the former. The present budget is a campaign budget, not only providing for our government’s expenses for this year, but sinking funds into the administration campaign kitty for 2010.
Our leaders, ideally, should be stepping in to help form a national consensus so that we can find reforms on which we can agree. Instead, the proposals being floated officially simply aim to limit the electorate’s already limited ability to have a say in what officialdom does. We are increasingly at the mercy of all the sectors that view elections as a means of making a killing every three years, instead of selecting people who can be trusted with the stewardship of public office and public funds. — Manuel Quezon III, Inquirer
The problem isn’t that the Constitution doesn’t need amending, because it does; rather, it is that the amendments of interest to those in a position to do something about it, immediately, aren’t of particular interest to the broader electorate. We view any officially-proposed effort to amend the Constitution with mistrust.
Nothing our officials do reduces this mistrust. House Speaker Prospero Nograles, for example, has tried to reassure the public by saying that while he’s convinced efforts to amend the Constitution will take place before the incumbent President’s term ends, Congress will tackle other pending legislative work first. First and foremost being the deliberations on the National Budget for 2009.
Former budget secretary Benjamin Diokno said that this year’s budget is actually more pork barrel-oriented than the 2007 budget. Now budgets for election years have traditionally been stuffed with all sorts of goodies for our elected officials. It’s how presidents and Congress provide funding for the sudden frenzy of public works and other activities to court the electorate’s support.
But why should the 2008 budget actually exceed the 2007 budget in terms of these political goodies? Normally, to prevent massive inflation and restore some fiscal order to the sorely-strained finances of the government, post-election budgets are leaner and less pork-filled. The reason for this, Diokno said, is that we have to realize the useful life of a budgetary item is not one, but two years. This means that if you stuff the 2008 budget now, it not only helps you in 2009, but all the way to the eve of the 2010 elections.
In other words, the 2007 election-oriented budget, bloated as it was, was bloated further because if you think the political funding required for a congressional election last year was big, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet: 2010 will either be a presidential election year, or the year the administration makes a last-ditch effort to campaign for, and win, a plebiscite changing the rules of the game.
So when the Speaker says don’t worry, while we fully intend to amend the Constitution, we will attend to our work first, we have to bear in mind that the two are connected and that the success of the latter depends on the passage of the former. The present budget is a campaign budget, not only providing for our government’s expenses for this year, but sinking funds into the administration campaign kitty for 2010.
Our leaders, ideally, should be stepping in to help form a national consensus so that we can find reforms on which we can agree. Instead, the proposals being floated officially simply aim to limit the electorate’s already limited ability to have a say in what officialdom does. We are increasingly at the mercy of all the sectors that view elections as a means of making a killing every three years, instead of selecting people who can be trusted with the stewardship of public office and public funds. — Manuel Quezon III, Inquirer
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Teenager bodyguards
Mindanao politicians use teenagers as bodyguards
By James Mananghaya, Philstar
Children between the ages of 12 and 14 act as armed bodyguards for politicians in Mindanao, a Muslim youth leader revealed yesterday.
“I went around one of the provinces in central Mindanao recently to look for a mosque to pray, and then I saw these armed children, mostly 12 to 14 years old, who are working for a local government official as bodyguards,” Revi Sani, a member of the Philippine karate team and a multi-awarded Muslim youth leader from Marawi City, told The STAR.
“Instead of being given proper education, these kids are being exposed to danger. Instead of holding pens and books, they are holding high-powered pistols and rifles. How can they match the police or the soldiers who are trained in combat? They should be saved otherwise they would die early.”
Sani, son of Sultan Punduma Sani, one of the founders of the Moro National Liberation Front in the 1970’s, said these children are being lured to work as bodyguards for politicians because of the lack of alternative channels where they could use their youthful energy.
“As young boys, we are naturally adventurous,” he said. “We only have to give them the right alternative such as sports.”
Sani, who was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Muslim Award from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Center for Moderate Muslims in 2004 and 2005, said if these children are not given proper education, they would never realize that they have great potentials.
“They would be like eagle eggs that landed on the chicken’s nest,” he said.
“When they were hatched, they grew up as chickens. They never found out that they are eagles that can soar to great heights.”
Sani said part of the glorious tradition of Muslims in Mindanao is being a warrior, having fought the Spaniards.
“As a young boy, my father would tell me not to forget that I am a warrior,” he said.
“But he never encouraged me to be a warrior who uses violence,” he said of his father, who is now a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City and a consultant at the Philippine Sports Commission.
He recalled a karate competition abroad when his first opponent was a Spaniard.
“I told myself that karate is the best way that I should fight him,” he said. “It was then that I realized that my own jihad can come in this form.” He said that as a sportsman who also advocates peace, he dreams of a day when there would be no more fighting in Mindanao.
“Why don’t they just compete in sports?” he said.
“Maybe they can think of having a sports fest between the armed forces and the MILF. That could put an end to fighting in Mindanao if they would not have to use their guns anymore.”
Troops ready for action
Armed Forces chief Gen. Alexander Yano ordered troops in parts of Mindanao to prepare for any attack from rogue bands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces public affairs chief, said Yano gave this directive during a visit to troops in Sirawai, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro City the other day and yesterday.
“Troops there were given an instruction that while seemingly, there is a lull in combat operations in their area of operation, they have to be prepared just in case there would be an escalation of atrocities from nearby provinces,” he said.
Eight soldiers, including an officer, have been reported wounded when an improvised explosive went off following a clash with MILF rebels in Barangay Tukanalipao, in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao yesterday.
Maj. Armand Rico, Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman, identified the wounded soldiers as Lt. Edever Pulido, S/Sgt. Joseph Simangan, Sgt. Renato Roble; Corporals Ruben Nicolas; Roberto Anap, Jesus Alcoba; and Privates First Class Gilbert Garciano and Erwin Palencia.
“The wounded were evacuated to Tamundong Hospital and Isulan Hospital,” he said.
“They are all in stable condition.”
An MILF rebel was also reported killed and an undetermined number wounded in the fighting, he added. Rico said the soldiers, backed by two armored vehicles, fought for 15-minutes with about 60 rebels.
Meantime, Sen. Manuel Roxas II told the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) not to revive the agreement on ancestral domain since it was already a dead issue that “needs to rest in peace.”
Speaking to reporters in Zamboanga City yesterday, Roxas said the government has already junked the signing of the agreement for the creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.
“Patay na ang MOA-AD, ilibing na natin ito at lagyan ng bato (The MOA-AD is dead, let’s bury it and put a gravestone). It’s a dead issue,” he said. – With Roel Pareño
By James Mananghaya, Philstar
Children between the ages of 12 and 14 act as armed bodyguards for politicians in Mindanao, a Muslim youth leader revealed yesterday.
“I went around one of the provinces in central Mindanao recently to look for a mosque to pray, and then I saw these armed children, mostly 12 to 14 years old, who are working for a local government official as bodyguards,” Revi Sani, a member of the Philippine karate team and a multi-awarded Muslim youth leader from Marawi City, told The STAR.
“Instead of being given proper education, these kids are being exposed to danger. Instead of holding pens and books, they are holding high-powered pistols and rifles. How can they match the police or the soldiers who are trained in combat? They should be saved otherwise they would die early.”
Sani, son of Sultan Punduma Sani, one of the founders of the Moro National Liberation Front in the 1970’s, said these children are being lured to work as bodyguards for politicians because of the lack of alternative channels where they could use their youthful energy.
“As young boys, we are naturally adventurous,” he said. “We only have to give them the right alternative such as sports.”
Sani, who was a recipient of the Outstanding Young Muslim Award from the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Center for Moderate Muslims in 2004 and 2005, said if these children are not given proper education, they would never realize that they have great potentials.
“They would be like eagle eggs that landed on the chicken’s nest,” he said.
“When they were hatched, they grew up as chickens. They never found out that they are eagles that can soar to great heights.”
Sani said part of the glorious tradition of Muslims in Mindanao is being a warrior, having fought the Spaniards.
“As a young boy, my father would tell me not to forget that I am a warrior,” he said.
“But he never encouraged me to be a warrior who uses violence,” he said of his father, who is now a professor at the Mindanao State University in Marawi City and a consultant at the Philippine Sports Commission.
He recalled a karate competition abroad when his first opponent was a Spaniard.
“I told myself that karate is the best way that I should fight him,” he said. “It was then that I realized that my own jihad can come in this form.” He said that as a sportsman who also advocates peace, he dreams of a day when there would be no more fighting in Mindanao.
“Why don’t they just compete in sports?” he said.
“Maybe they can think of having a sports fest between the armed forces and the MILF. That could put an end to fighting in Mindanao if they would not have to use their guns anymore.”
Troops ready for action
Armed Forces chief Gen. Alexander Yano ordered troops in parts of Mindanao to prepare for any attack from rogue bands of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres, Armed Forces public affairs chief, said Yano gave this directive during a visit to troops in Sirawai, Zamboanga and Cagayan de Oro City the other day and yesterday.
“Troops there were given an instruction that while seemingly, there is a lull in combat operations in their area of operation, they have to be prepared just in case there would be an escalation of atrocities from nearby provinces,” he said.
Eight soldiers, including an officer, have been reported wounded when an improvised explosive went off following a clash with MILF rebels in Barangay Tukanalipao, in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao yesterday.
Maj. Armand Rico, Armed Forces Eastern Mindanao Command spokesman, identified the wounded soldiers as Lt. Edever Pulido, S/Sgt. Joseph Simangan, Sgt. Renato Roble; Corporals Ruben Nicolas; Roberto Anap, Jesus Alcoba; and Privates First Class Gilbert Garciano and Erwin Palencia.
“The wounded were evacuated to Tamundong Hospital and Isulan Hospital,” he said.
“They are all in stable condition.”
An MILF rebel was also reported killed and an undetermined number wounded in the fighting, he added. Rico said the soldiers, backed by two armored vehicles, fought for 15-minutes with about 60 rebels.
Meantime, Sen. Manuel Roxas II told the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) not to revive the agreement on ancestral domain since it was already a dead issue that “needs to rest in peace.”
Speaking to reporters in Zamboanga City yesterday, Roxas said the government has already junked the signing of the agreement for the creation of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity.
“Patay na ang MOA-AD, ilibing na natin ito at lagyan ng bato (The MOA-AD is dead, let’s bury it and put a gravestone). It’s a dead issue,” he said. – With Roel Pareño
V.I.P. Jail
Editorial
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines - If Rizal were alive today, and writing the “Fili,” he may well begin by describing the social hierarchy inside the National Bilibid Prisons. Here, truly, can be found the ship of state, run aground.
Some convicts, rich or well-connected or both, live in special housing of their own, markedly different from the rest; the rest, most of them poor, share wretched, even inhuman conditions. Above them all sits a compromised management, partial to the powerful and protected by partisan politicians.
One thing the controversial and rashly rationalized release of double-murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr. has done is to remind the public, all over again, that justice is all too often not blind, that all too often the administration of justice does not only recognize but actively reinforces the difference between rich prisoners and poor. When Teehankee served his double life sentence (he was released after about 14 years), he lived in a rich man’s “kubol”—a special, customized detention area—isolated from non-privileged prisoners.
In his last days in Bilibid, Teehankee moved into the special quarters built by ex-congressman Romeo Jalosjos, convicted of raping a child but now enjoying the privilege of “living out” of prison in preparation for his eventual release. The Jalosjos “kubol” features a queen-size bed, a refrigerator, a private bathroom with hot and cold water and, not least, a 42-inch LCD television set with cable service.
According to an Inquirer source, as many as 6,000 “kubols” were constructed inside the maximum security area over the years, “with the permission of the NBP superintendent.”
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez admits the practice is a problem, but telegraphs an unwillingness or an inability to do anything about it. Instead, he rationalized the practice in characteristically outrageous terms. “High-profile inmates have threats. It is also fair to give them some exceptional security,” he said. “It is a difficult situation to mix them up with the other inmates …. Inmates tend to kill each other.”
By that token, every prisoner should be in solitary confinement!
But of course all Gonzalez meant by “high-profile” is “rich.” Rich or powerful prisoners are the only ones who can afford to construct special quarters (or buy one, in the case of the Jalosjos “kubol,” after he was done with it). Indeed, and as Gonzalez should know all too well, most victims of intra-prison violence are those who are decidedly low-profile: gang members who ran out of luck or convicts who have no money to pay for protection.
Why shouldn’t the government “allow” these likely victims a measure of “exceptional security”? Because they cannot afford it. That is what makes the special-quarters practice offensive. It renders the administration of justice unfair, and makes the application of the law’s heavy hand self-evidently uneven.
The chair of the Commission on Human Rights, noted election lawyer Leila de Lima, acknowledged that there may be nothing illegal in allowing inmates to construct improvements inside prison. “Nothing can prevent them from improving the facilities in prison, like the sports facilities, or adding more cells or rooms, or starting livelihood [projects] for other inmates. They can do that. That is laudable, in fact. That is the primary duty of the government, but it just can’t afford it.”
But: “What makes it objectionable is when they [build] special quarters [for themselves] while others do not.” Or, because of financial circumstance, cannot.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines - If Rizal were alive today, and writing the “Fili,” he may well begin by describing the social hierarchy inside the National Bilibid Prisons. Here, truly, can be found the ship of state, run aground.
Some convicts, rich or well-connected or both, live in special housing of their own, markedly different from the rest; the rest, most of them poor, share wretched, even inhuman conditions. Above them all sits a compromised management, partial to the powerful and protected by partisan politicians.
One thing the controversial and rashly rationalized release of double-murderer Claudio Teehankee Jr. has done is to remind the public, all over again, that justice is all too often not blind, that all too often the administration of justice does not only recognize but actively reinforces the difference between rich prisoners and poor. When Teehankee served his double life sentence (he was released after about 14 years), he lived in a rich man’s “kubol”—a special, customized detention area—isolated from non-privileged prisoners.
In his last days in Bilibid, Teehankee moved into the special quarters built by ex-congressman Romeo Jalosjos, convicted of raping a child but now enjoying the privilege of “living out” of prison in preparation for his eventual release. The Jalosjos “kubol” features a queen-size bed, a refrigerator, a private bathroom with hot and cold water and, not least, a 42-inch LCD television set with cable service.
According to an Inquirer source, as many as 6,000 “kubols” were constructed inside the maximum security area over the years, “with the permission of the NBP superintendent.”
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez admits the practice is a problem, but telegraphs an unwillingness or an inability to do anything about it. Instead, he rationalized the practice in characteristically outrageous terms. “High-profile inmates have threats. It is also fair to give them some exceptional security,” he said. “It is a difficult situation to mix them up with the other inmates …. Inmates tend to kill each other.”
By that token, every prisoner should be in solitary confinement!
But of course all Gonzalez meant by “high-profile” is “rich.” Rich or powerful prisoners are the only ones who can afford to construct special quarters (or buy one, in the case of the Jalosjos “kubol,” after he was done with it). Indeed, and as Gonzalez should know all too well, most victims of intra-prison violence are those who are decidedly low-profile: gang members who ran out of luck or convicts who have no money to pay for protection.
Why shouldn’t the government “allow” these likely victims a measure of “exceptional security”? Because they cannot afford it. That is what makes the special-quarters practice offensive. It renders the administration of justice unfair, and makes the application of the law’s heavy hand self-evidently uneven.
The chair of the Commission on Human Rights, noted election lawyer Leila de Lima, acknowledged that there may be nothing illegal in allowing inmates to construct improvements inside prison. “Nothing can prevent them from improving the facilities in prison, like the sports facilities, or adding more cells or rooms, or starting livelihood [projects] for other inmates. They can do that. That is laudable, in fact. That is the primary duty of the government, but it just can’t afford it.”
But: “What makes it objectionable is when they [build] special quarters [for themselves] while others do not.” Or, because of financial circumstance, cannot.
Drugs, cell phones found in QC Jail
Nancy C. Carvajal, Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—A surprise inspection of inmates’ cells at the Quezon City Jail Sunday morning yielded more than 200 sachets of drugs, drug paraphernalia, cell phones and deadly weapons.
The operation, which was ordered by Senior Supt. Emilio Culang, city jail warden, led to the seizure of at least 250 grams of dried marijuana leaves, 206 sachets which contained marijuana and shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), several bottles of solvent and paint thinner and drug paraphernalia.
Also confiscated were 70 cell phones, lewd magazines, playing cards, a bottle of wine and dozens of improvised deadly weapons.
These included spoons, forks, toothbrushes and pencils with sharpened points. There were also needles, lighters, belts, electrical wires, scissors, hammer, assorted ropes and nail cutters. Culang said he has ordered an investigation to determine how the contraband ended up inside the facility.
“There is money in this. I believe some jail personnel are involved in the operation,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). According to him, a cell phone which is valued at only P500 outside the prison can fetch a sum of as much as P2,000 inside the facility.
“The price goes up in the jail,” Culang said.
The jail warden added that he plans to conduct an inspection of the city jail every month to discourage the entry of contraband. “Even if we could not totally eradicate the bringing in of contraband, we would at least reduce it,” Culang said. The move would also ensure the safety of prisoners, he added.
“The jail is overcrowded and the inmates do not stay and sleep inside their cells but in the yard of the prison compound which also serves as a basketball court,” Culang said. He explained that the jail has 2,800 inmates although it was built to accommodate only 1,000 detainees.
Sunday’s surprise inspection started at 7 a.m. and ended at around 12:30 p.m. It was carried out by dozens of jail guards, including trainees from the Jail National Training Institute, who were called in to augment the city jail personnel. Culang said the inmates were asked to step out of their cells and to stay in the yard of the compound during the duration of the operation. The prisoners were also asked to strip off their T-shirts to ensure that they were not hiding any contraband.
Culang said the inmates were cooperative and showed no resistance during the operation.
“They knew we would apply force to anyone who would try to cause trouble,” he said.
MANILA, Philippines—A surprise inspection of inmates’ cells at the Quezon City Jail Sunday morning yielded more than 200 sachets of drugs, drug paraphernalia, cell phones and deadly weapons.
The operation, which was ordered by Senior Supt. Emilio Culang, city jail warden, led to the seizure of at least 250 grams of dried marijuana leaves, 206 sachets which contained marijuana and shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride), several bottles of solvent and paint thinner and drug paraphernalia.
Also confiscated were 70 cell phones, lewd magazines, playing cards, a bottle of wine and dozens of improvised deadly weapons.
These included spoons, forks, toothbrushes and pencils with sharpened points. There were also needles, lighters, belts, electrical wires, scissors, hammer, assorted ropes and nail cutters. Culang said he has ordered an investigation to determine how the contraband ended up inside the facility.
“There is money in this. I believe some jail personnel are involved in the operation,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net). According to him, a cell phone which is valued at only P500 outside the prison can fetch a sum of as much as P2,000 inside the facility.
“The price goes up in the jail,” Culang said.
The jail warden added that he plans to conduct an inspection of the city jail every month to discourage the entry of contraband. “Even if we could not totally eradicate the bringing in of contraband, we would at least reduce it,” Culang said. The move would also ensure the safety of prisoners, he added.
“The jail is overcrowded and the inmates do not stay and sleep inside their cells but in the yard of the prison compound which also serves as a basketball court,” Culang said. He explained that the jail has 2,800 inmates although it was built to accommodate only 1,000 detainees.
Sunday’s surprise inspection started at 7 a.m. and ended at around 12:30 p.m. It was carried out by dozens of jail guards, including trainees from the Jail National Training Institute, who were called in to augment the city jail personnel. Culang said the inmates were asked to step out of their cells and to stay in the yard of the compound during the duration of the operation. The prisoners were also asked to strip off their T-shirts to ensure that they were not hiding any contraband.
Culang said the inmates were cooperative and showed no resistance during the operation.
“They knew we would apply force to anyone who would try to cause trouble,” he said.
'Christmas in October for Arroyo Allies
AFTER FILING OF IMPEACH RAP ‘Christmas in October’ for Arroyo allies
By Lira Dalangin-FernandezINQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines -- It will be "Christmas in October" for allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representative with bribe money expected to flow anew to quash the impeachment complaint against the President, one of the signatories said Monday.
Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico said that in fact, some members of the majority were "salivating" on the new impeachment complaint, filed by staunch Arroyo critics early in the day.
"Some quarters in the majority actually welcome the filing of the impeachment complaint. They are salivating on the prospects that the impeachment complaint will be filed against their boss because this would mean for them Christmas in October," Suplico told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
He added, "This is the best Christmas they will have."
Suplico said a first-term congressman, whom he refused to identify, in fact told him that with the filing of the complaint, “the pot has been sweetened,” which he said was an expression in poker, a popular card game.
Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio in October 11 last year admitted receiving P500,000 contained in a bag as he was walking out of Malacañang.
The opposition alleged that Malacañang then distributed money to congressmen ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 in an attempt to quash the impeachment bid filed then against the President.
Several congressmen admitted receiving the money but said they would talk only in the proper forum.
By Lira Dalangin-FernandezINQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines -- It will be "Christmas in October" for allies of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the House of Representative with bribe money expected to flow anew to quash the impeachment complaint against the President, one of the signatories said Monday.
Iloilo Vice Governor Rolex Suplico said that in fact, some members of the majority were "salivating" on the new impeachment complaint, filed by staunch Arroyo critics early in the day.
"Some quarters in the majority actually welcome the filing of the impeachment complaint. They are salivating on the prospects that the impeachment complaint will be filed against their boss because this would mean for them Christmas in October," Suplico told INQUIRER.net in a phone interview.
He added, "This is the best Christmas they will have."
Suplico said a first-term congressman, whom he refused to identify, in fact told him that with the filing of the complaint, “the pot has been sweetened,” which he said was an expression in poker, a popular card game.
Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio in October 11 last year admitted receiving P500,000 contained in a bag as he was walking out of Malacañang.
The opposition alleged that Malacañang then distributed money to congressmen ranging from P200,000 to P500,000 in an attempt to quash the impeachment bid filed then against the President.
Several congressmen admitted receiving the money but said they would talk only in the proper forum.
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