Sham Moves
The Philippine Star -
Provided by The Philippine Star
Despite the numerous exposes of
anomalies and corrupt acts being committed by officials under the
present administration, the public is still being led to believe that
P-Noy is not personally involved; that his reputation for honesty and
integrity remains intact and unquestionable. Obviously it is intended to
show that P-Noy is over and above the mess and continues to wage his
lonely battle against graft and corruption.
The problem here however is that most of the officials implicated in the various forms of lying, cheating and stealing already prevalent and carried over from past administrations are either close to him or members of his Cabinet, his alter egos and kabarkadas, kabarilan and kaibigan. They seem to be untouchable despite the existence of probable cause showing their involvement in the anomalous transactions amounting to millions or even billions of pesos. It is really quite unbelievable that P-Noy is not likewise involved in those anomalies especially considering his protective stance or lack of action against them.
Over the years since Aquino III assumed the Presidency, so many irregularities have been uncovered by Congress, by the Commission on Audit (COA), the government investigating agencies, the Ombudsman and crusading non-government organizations (NGOs). They found that graft and corruption are still rampant and have even increased in various cabinet departments.
Most notable here are the anomalous rice importation by the National Food Authority under the Department of Agriculture (DA); the indiscriminate granting of mining permits particularly to Chinese companies by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); the improper implementation of land reform by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); the continuous and uncontrolled corruption in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue under the Department of Finance (DOF); the continuing corrupt practices in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as well as the questionable award to provide maintenance service to the MRT and LRT that has resulted in the repeated breakdown of the train operations under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
Of course there is also the notorious disbursement of public funds by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the form of the newly devised pork barrel dubbed as Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which has already been declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Then there is also the questionable disbursement of funds for relief of typhoon and earthquake victims and for assistance to the poor under the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT) by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Even the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been tainted with anomalies particularly in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) which granted special treatment to detained drug lords. Then there are also the highly irregular purchases of equipment particularly the refurbished helicopters worth over a billion pesos by Department of National Defense (DND). In the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the most graft ridden agency seems to be the Philippine National Police (PNP) whose former Chief has apparently enriched himself in office, suspended by the Ombudsman and had to eventually resign. The COA has likewise found some irregular practices and questionable transactions in the Office of the President and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The tuwid na daan envisioned by P-Noy when he assumed office has obviously become quite crooked as he is about to end his term. Up to now nearing the end of his term, none of the officials in above mentioned Departments have been investigated and charged; or the charges against some of them are being heard at a snail’s pace and may eventually be dismissed when nobody is looking. P-Noy’s continuous posturing of reforming and cleaning our government really appears to be a sham. It is one of the myths and fabrications being fed to the public up to now.
Another sham that we are currently witnessing is Aquino III’s alleged aim to unify our country. It is really sad and dismaying to note in this connection that even as he appeals for unity among our countrymen, he is the one making divisive moves that tend to sow bitter discord and deep division among our people. One of these moves is of course his discriminatory manner of carrying out his alleged fight against corruption. He relentlessly prosecutes only the officials who are part of past administrations or who do not belong to his political party. In fact he always blames the past administration for the many faults and failures of his own administration. And he considers those who criticize and oppose him as his bitter enemies. Because of his self righteousness, he did not spare the Supreme Court from his personal attack when it ruled against him regarding the unconstitutionality of the DAP which he used as pork barrel to entice members of Congress to do what he wants especially against his perceived enemies like former Chief Justice Corona.
Then of course another divisive move he has recently undertaken is the relentless pursuit for the approval of the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law supposedly for the sake of peace in Mindanao. Even with clear signs that said law violates our Charter and would eventually result in the dismemberment of our Republic, he uses all means to convince Congress to pass the law and the Filipinos to accept it. The latest move he has undertaken is to preside over the symbolic decommissioning of the MILF members and their arms. Obviously this is just another fake move because only about 75 dilapidated firearms were surrendered by old and weary MILF fighters. More divisive here is that P-Noy seems to be favoring this MILF members who were given P25,000 cash and granted Philhealth membership while the relatives of the SAF 44 victims of the Mamasapano massacre are still waiting for the compensation and benefits due them. In fact one observer noted that the old firearms were surrendered because the MILF has already purchased more modern weapons to replace them.
These are just some of the more shameful shams we are now witnessing under this administration.
The problem here however is that most of the officials implicated in the various forms of lying, cheating and stealing already prevalent and carried over from past administrations are either close to him or members of his Cabinet, his alter egos and kabarkadas, kabarilan and kaibigan. They seem to be untouchable despite the existence of probable cause showing their involvement in the anomalous transactions amounting to millions or even billions of pesos. It is really quite unbelievable that P-Noy is not likewise involved in those anomalies especially considering his protective stance or lack of action against them.
Over the years since Aquino III assumed the Presidency, so many irregularities have been uncovered by Congress, by the Commission on Audit (COA), the government investigating agencies, the Ombudsman and crusading non-government organizations (NGOs). They found that graft and corruption are still rampant and have even increased in various cabinet departments.
Most notable here are the anomalous rice importation by the National Food Authority under the Department of Agriculture (DA); the indiscriminate granting of mining permits particularly to Chinese companies by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); the improper implementation of land reform by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR); the continuous and uncontrolled corruption in the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue under the Department of Finance (DOF); the continuing corrupt practices in the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO) as well as the questionable award to provide maintenance service to the MRT and LRT that has resulted in the repeated breakdown of the train operations under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
Of course there is also the notorious disbursement of public funds by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the form of the newly devised pork barrel dubbed as Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) which has already been declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Then there is also the questionable disbursement of funds for relief of typhoon and earthquake victims and for assistance to the poor under the Conditional Cash Transfer Program (CCT) by Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).
Even the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been tainted with anomalies particularly in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) which granted special treatment to detained drug lords. Then there are also the highly irregular purchases of equipment particularly the refurbished helicopters worth over a billion pesos by Department of National Defense (DND). In the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the most graft ridden agency seems to be the Philippine National Police (PNP) whose former Chief has apparently enriched himself in office, suspended by the Ombudsman and had to eventually resign. The COA has likewise found some irregular practices and questionable transactions in the Office of the President and the Department of Education (DepEd).
The tuwid na daan envisioned by P-Noy when he assumed office has obviously become quite crooked as he is about to end his term. Up to now nearing the end of his term, none of the officials in above mentioned Departments have been investigated and charged; or the charges against some of them are being heard at a snail’s pace and may eventually be dismissed when nobody is looking. P-Noy’s continuous posturing of reforming and cleaning our government really appears to be a sham. It is one of the myths and fabrications being fed to the public up to now.
Another sham that we are currently witnessing is Aquino III’s alleged aim to unify our country. It is really sad and dismaying to note in this connection that even as he appeals for unity among our countrymen, he is the one making divisive moves that tend to sow bitter discord and deep division among our people. One of these moves is of course his discriminatory manner of carrying out his alleged fight against corruption. He relentlessly prosecutes only the officials who are part of past administrations or who do not belong to his political party. In fact he always blames the past administration for the many faults and failures of his own administration. And he considers those who criticize and oppose him as his bitter enemies. Because of his self righteousness, he did not spare the Supreme Court from his personal attack when it ruled against him regarding the unconstitutionality of the DAP which he used as pork barrel to entice members of Congress to do what he wants especially against his perceived enemies like former Chief Justice Corona.
Then of course another divisive move he has recently undertaken is the relentless pursuit for the approval of the controversial Bangsamoro Basic Law supposedly for the sake of peace in Mindanao. Even with clear signs that said law violates our Charter and would eventually result in the dismemberment of our Republic, he uses all means to convince Congress to pass the law and the Filipinos to accept it. The latest move he has undertaken is to preside over the symbolic decommissioning of the MILF members and their arms. Obviously this is just another fake move because only about 75 dilapidated firearms were surrendered by old and weary MILF fighters. More divisive here is that P-Noy seems to be favoring this MILF members who were given P25,000 cash and granted Philhealth membership while the relatives of the SAF 44 victims of the Mamasapano massacre are still waiting for the compensation and benefits due them. In fact one observer noted that the old firearms were surrendered because the MILF has already purchased more modern weapons to replace them.
These are just some of the more shameful shams we are now witnessing under this administration.
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