A ROTTEN LEGACY

Since President Gloria Arroyo and her army of apologists have been talking about the legacy she intends to leave behind, allow me to post a number of GMA's 'legacy' then, and see for yourself if it makes you happy or angry.

1. $500 million IMPSA Napocor/Argentine deal c/o Sec. Nani Perez
2. NAIA-3 project / Germany's Fraport AG
3. Overpriced P1.2 billion PEA-Diosdado Macapagal Highway
4. PCSO ads and multi-million funds misuse
5. SBMA smuggling operations
6. BCDA - loss of AFP modernization funds
7. Camp John Hay rentals
8. Poro Point revenues
9. PhilHealth cards
10. Joc-Joc Bolante's P1.3 billion fertilizer scam
11. OWWA fund diversion
12. PAGCOR deals with the clergy, media and gov't. officials
13. DPWH contracts including the road-users' tax
14. $329 million overpriced ZTE-NBN mess c/o Abalos and Neri
15. North Rail ('railroaded' project)
16. South Rail ('railroaded' project)
17. DOTC contracts including RORO ports and local airports
18. Transco bidding
19. NFA rice
20. DSWD cards
21. Spratlys sellout to China
22. 'Hello Garci' scandal and GMA's 'manufactured mandate'

23. P1.3 billion missing irrigation fund

24. Venable contract c/o Sec. Norberto Gonzales

25. P5 billion swine scam c/o pigs in government

26. Jose Pidal kickback account

27. P2 billion National Food fund loss in 2005

28. The grossly overpriced lamp posts (from P16,000 to P300,000 each) of Gloria's Cebu c/o DPWH

29. $147 million DA/agriculture and fisheries modernization act (authored by Sen. Angara) the DA has misused the funds

30. $1.3 billion crooked Comelec computerization deal

These are only some of GMA's legacy projects. Want more? Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.

(Image from http://www.inquirer.net/)

SONATAS DE GLORIA

In 2001 - She said she was fighting poverty with a four-point program: free enterprise, modernized agriculture, attention to the disadvantaged, high moral standards for government and society. Three little boys with their wishes written on paper boats sailed (kuno) all the way down the Pasig until she caught them (kuno) by the river alongside the palace and read them aloud before congress, exhibiting the tykes - Jason, Jomar and Erwin - as testimonies of her compassion.

In 2002 - She sounded like President Fidel Ramos, announcing "A strong republic, independent from class and sectoral interests, supported by a strong bureaucracy." "A strong republic takes care of its people," she said. "A strong republic is the bedrock of the victory we seek over poverty," she concluded. The oratory was slightly as impressive as her diction.

In 2003 - She was confident. "We should be at peace," she began, "but we war against terrorism, against corruption, against disease, against drugs..." There was not much to remember after that.

In 2004 - She orated about creating "jobs thru higher economic growth; eradicate corruption thru good governance, provide social justice and basic needs, enhance education and youth opportunity, boost power sufficiency and savings." The rhetoric was vintage classroom teacher, and she was the economic professor lecturing about the financial projections and expectations under her tutelage.

In 2005 - She suddenly enthused over Charter Change and emphasized how seriously it was needed to enable the country "to surmount the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century." The Garci scandal was still hovering over her pathetic "I am sorry" (kuno), and an impeachment debate was the soap opera entertainment of the day. She had to hold on to the urgency of changing the constitution. It was a tactical diversion. An emotional crutch and a Samurai sword alternately.

In 2006 - She was dwarfed (she's a black dwarf) by a background of a huge screen projecting an awesome power-point presentation on the 'super regions' of her creation. She talked about them collectively and singularly, "enhancing the competitive advntage of the natural configurations," whatever that meant. These were the North Luzon agri-business quadrangle, the Metro Luzon urban beltway, the region in Central Philippines, and Mindanao's power sources, with the entire country linked by "the cyber corridor." The superlatives were profuse, so were the applause for other "super" people in the audience she sorted out on cue. The audience was breathless at the revelation of the proposed infrastructure's magnitude. She fashioned "new heights" for the people's expectations.

In 2007 - We heard more of those super regions. Expectedly she concentrated on the progress of the work that was done and may still be on-going: roads, bridges, ports, airports, shipyards, ship-building facilities, billions of dollars in investments (kuno), and the cyber highway connecting the islands to her laptop.

2008 - She is well on her way - clearly, signs that she will be leaving us a legacy of illegitimacy, immorality, corruption, and the frequent "Filipino Last Policy" evident in her subservient business deals with foreign businesses.

(Image from http://www.geocities.com/metropolitanbacolod)

NFA = NATIONAL FRAUD AUTHORITY

A journalist recently asked this question: "Considering what had happened to the P783 million fertilizer fund managed by Joc-Joc Bolante, what can be done to assure that the P500 million for fertilizers just announced by Sec. Arthur Yap from the Agriculture Competitiveness Enhancement Fund reaches the farmers?" Well, in Joc-Joc's time, the fund was released to congressmen and governors, including city districts that had absolutely no need for agriculture fertilizers. Perhaps it would be wiser if the fund be given directly to farmers' cooperatives and associations instead of giving them to the usual greedy congressmen and governors. If Secretary Arthur Yap is really serious in making sure that the fund reaches our farmers, then he should at once institute correct measures. As it is, seventy-six NFA retailers were suspended in the Bicol region while scores of retailers were found to have been diverting rice from Isabela to Metro Manila to Cotabato. Proof that NFA operations are tainted with crooked deals, run by a syndicate close to Malacanang from the importation, transport, palay-buying to retail. What is Secretary Yap doing about this as chair of the NFA board? And, remember the 'Gloria Rice' of 2004? What has become of it now it? Was it just a campaign propaganda, or have the many cooks in Malacanang cooked it to porridge to be called 'Arroyo's Caldo'?

(Image by http://english.aljazeera.net/)