Noynoy Aquino for 2010: it’s what he stands for

Philippine politics is getting exciting by the minute. An rip-roaring rigodon is going on, barely a year before the next presidential elections. For a change, i feel a glimmer of hope with these new breed of younger politicos, like Mar Roxas giving up his presidential bid yesterday and a few others hinting that they are following suit. It gives us hope that the clamor for reform is stronger than the lure of term extension (read: cha-cha) and traditional politics.

Truth to tell, I still don’t have a candidate to vote for, although a lot of my well-meaning friends are ready to chant “Noynoy!” any minute. I think his greatest appeal is that he was unprepared for this and is not hungry for the power. By delaying his announcement to run to pray for further discernment, Noynoy is following the example of his mother Cory who did the same in 1986.

Unlike his mother who became President, Noynoy is no political newbie, but he didn’t start out with guns a-blazing either. I really don’t remember him sponsoring legislative initiatives that will merit the front page and beyond. The page about him in the Senate website only lists his proposed law “to make the procurement of the petroleum, oil and lubricants requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines transparent by requiring public bidding.” I am sure Senators Mar, Kiko and Chiz fare better than him when it comes to legislative mileage.

But what he has for certain is the family name and the legacy that goes with it. Nonoy will definitely run for the land’s highest office carrying the banner of “democracy.” I know it’s kinda off now, given that we are no longer under a dictator. But there is something about the Aquino name which bespeaks of a greater sense of integrity. Save for his fondness for dating broadcasters, actresses and pretty ladies, this Noynoy also hasn’t been tainted of a scandal of any kind. If ever he gets elected in office, we really don’t expect to see a throng of relatives currying for favors. Certainly not Kris who’s richer than him by a mile :D

The good thing about Noynoy is that he has the example of his parents to protect. I am actually reminded of the book that my old friends Robert Reid (of Associated Press) and Eileen Guerrero authored. It’s entitled Cory Aquino and the Brushfire Revolution (published by Louisiana State University Press). I got around to re-reading it during Tita Cory’s death even though it critiques the Aquino administration for wasting ” a unique, historic opportunity to correct the injustices of Philippine society.” In the post-Aquino, post-EDSA era, Filipinos were still poor, landless, jobless. The status quo continued to prevail. A vicious cycle, this is.

But one thing you cannot fault Tita Cory on was the moral high ground. I was impressed by this part of the book:

” It was said that she could not control Peping, but this was not the case. When she wanted to, she could stand up to both Peping and even her elder brother, Pedro. In 1991, Peping and Pedro visited Cory at the Palace to ask for favors, which she refused to give. The discussion degenerated into a shouting match. Elder siblings are accorded lifelong respect in Filipino families, but his angry sister accused “Don Pedro” of meddling in her affairs. Pedro stormed out of the office, shouting “I promise you, I’ll never, never come back as long as you are President.” The two reconciled moments later when Cory rushed to her elder brother and apologized. “Kuya (elder brother), I just blew my top.” Nevertheless, she would not budge on their request. “OK, we’ll just forget it,” Peping said meekly.

Let’s just hope Noynoy will set the same moral high ground, when the time comes.

Babala sa mga magbubulgar ng katiwalian ng mga Arroyo

Pambihira namang buhay ito. Sina Joey De Venecia na nga at Jun Lozada ang nagbulgar ng katiwalian sa $329 milyon na NBN/ZTE deal, sila pa ngayon ang kakasuhan.

Si Gloria at si Mike Arroyo naman ay libreng-libre dahil wala raw makitang ebidensya, sabi ni Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman ng Senate Blue Ribbon committee.

Ano ba naman itong si Gordon? Mataas ang respeto ko sa kanya dahil sa kanyang ginawa sa Subic kung saan ginawa niyang industrial at tourism hub nang inalis ang U.S military base noong 1992.

Nakita ko rin kung gaano kasipag si Gordon. Minsan tumawag ako sa kanya hatinggabi dahil may kaibigan kaming banyaga na sinasalubong sa airport at hindi naming makita, tinulungan niya kami.

Ang kanyang asawang si Kate, napakabait. Tinulungan ako niyan ng mabalitaan niyang maysakit ako.

Kapag humingi kami ng tulong para sa mga kaibigang maysakit na ginagamot sa PGH, hindi na ako kailangan magdalawang salita, kahit holiday, pinapatrabaho ni Sen. Gordon ang kanyang mga tauhan para matulungan ang mga nanganga-ilangan na nilalapit namin sa kanya.

Sa maikling salita, mataas ang tingin ko.

Kaya nadismaya ako sa nakita ko noong Martes sa televised hearing ng Senate Blue Ribbon committee sa NBN/ZTE deal. Yun ang kauna-unahan at pinakahuli na rin na hearing sa ma-anomalya na bilyun-bilyung kontrata na yun ng telecommunication project sa Chinese na kumpanya sa kanyang pamumuno. Dati kasi si Sen. Alan Cayetano ang chairman.

Noong isang lingo, nilabas ng Ombudsman ang resulta ng kanilang imbestigasyon ng NBN/ZTE. Nakakadismaya rin. Nirekomenda ng Ombudsman na kasuhan si dating Comelec Chairman Bejamin Abalos na siyang nag-broker ng deal at si dating NEDA Director Romulo Neri. Ibinulgar ni Neri ang alok ni Abalos na P200 milyon para ma-aprubahan ang kontrata ng ZTE.

Ngunit sinabi ng Ombudsman na wala raw ebidensya laban kay Mike Arroyo na siyang partner ni Abalos sa deal na ito. Si Gloria Arroyo naman daw ay may immunity sa mga kasong criminal dahil president siya, sabi ng Ombudsman.

Nakakadismaya na nga ang ganun. Ito naman si Gordon sabi niya dapat daw si House Speaker Jose de Venecia , and anak niyang si Joey, isang telecommunications na negosyante, at si Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, dating hepe ng Philippine Forest Corporation na kinuhang consultant ni Neri, ay kasuhan din dahil may kinalaman daw sila sa ma-anomalyang proyekto.

Galit siya sa mag-amang De Venecia. Ginamit daw ni Joey ang posisyon ng tatay niya para makakuha ng kontrata sa gobyerno.

Alam ko ito ang gusto ng mga Arroyo para makaganti sa pagbulgar ni Joey de Venecia at ni Lozada ng kanilang katiwalian.

Ayaw kung isipin na nagpapagamit si Gordon sa Malacañang. Para ano?

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Holy Week 2010 Philippines Schedule

Christmas time is fast approaching. We are already in the BER months season. And before you know it, Summer 2010 is Back and so is the Holy Week 2010. For many, the Holy Week is a great season for for retreat and reflection. Many also grab this oppurtunity to go back to the provinces and have a reunion with famillies.

Cutud Lenten Rites

It is also during this time when the Catholic church gets busy with all the ceremonies. Large images of saints, Mary, and Jesus are brought out of the churchyard fbelowor processions.

Check out the Holy Week 2010 Schedule below:

Palm Sunday – March 28, 2010
Holy Wednesday – March 31, 2010
Holy Thursday – April 1, 2010.
Good Friday – April 2, 2010
Black Saturday – April 3, 2010
Easter Sunday – April 4, 2010.

Please note that the 2010 Lenten Season Starts on Ash Wednesday February 10, 2010.

You like reading this blog post? You might also be interested in BYAHILO's other adventures at Sugarloaded!

Holy Week 2010 Philippines Schedule

No malice, just the truth

Click on photo to enlarge

Mikey's house(2)

Downloaded by Tongue-Twisted from Google Earth :Look, 5 nice cars, one that looks like a Mercedes Benz Kompressor is in the garage!

In all the interviews with Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo on his property in San Francisco in the United States which is not included in his 2007 and 2008 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth, he claimed that VERA Files that did the story, never asked for his side.

He also said, “Unfortunately, either the writer or writers deliberately imposed a malicious twist on the story or they lack knowledge on the legal aspects regarding corporations.”

I’m a trustee of VERA Files, a group that undertakes in depth reporting on current issues. I’m one of the writers of the article, “Arroyo’s sons acquire U.S. Homes, businesses after election to Congress.”

Before we released the story last Sunday afternoon, I texted Rep. Arroyo late morning of August 30, introduced myself of Malaya and VERA Files. I told him that we have a story about his SALN and asked, “May I call you?”. I got no answer.

After about an hour, I texted him the my questions in two parts: Is it true that your Foster City house is for sale?”

Data gathered by VERA Files showed that Mikey owns the house at 1655 Beach Park Blvd, Foster City, San Mateo Country which he bought in 2006 and was transferred to his wife, Angela, in the same year.

Mikey’s younger brother, Diosdado Ignacio “Dato” Arroyo, representative of Camarines Sur also owns a condo unit in Gramercy Towers in the upscale area of Nob Hill, also in San Francisco.

Mikey’s property is up for sale and can be viewed at www.zillow.com and www.ewalk.com. (Journalist Raissa Robles took the online tour of Mikey Arroyo’s property. She said she had a great time which is reflected in her blog report: http://raissarobles.blogspot.com/2009/09/psssssssst-again-mikey-do-share-how.html )

The other questions I sent him were: Why was the Foster City property not included in your 2007 and 2008 SALN; In 2005 and 2006, you declared a property in the US. What property was that?;Why was the Redwood property transferred to your wife’s name before it was sold?; and, Why was the Foster City property transferred from you to your wife after it was bought in August 2006?

When I didn’t get any reply, I called him in his two cellphone numbers. One of the numbers said “not in use” while the other number rang but it was not answered.

Rep. Arroyo said insisted “I declared everything I own” and that “With regards to the San Francisco Bay house, it is registered under Beach Way Park LLC in which I am a shareholder .”

VERA Files report has included that in the report: “Mikey did declare himself a ’shareholder’ in a company called Beach Way Park on “Beach Park Blvd, California”, the same street where the Foster City property is located. Unlike his other business interests, he did not say when he acquired the shares in his company.”

Guidelines for the filing of SALNs require the location of the property. In an interview with GMA-7 yesterday morning Arroyo declined to answer Winnie Monsod’s question who were the other shareholders of Beach Way park LLC.

A check with the San Mateo County Assessor’s Office yielded no record of Beach Way Park or its ownership of the Foster City property, which the Arroyo couple bought in 2006.

An online search with the U.S. and California Securities and Exchange Commissions and the State of California’s official Website, including its database of LLCs or limited liability companies, also yielded no record of “Beach Way Park LLC.” Information on the State of California’s Website is updated weekly and “is current as of Aug. 28, 2009.”

The most recent transaction on record at the assessor’s office on the was between IndyMac Bank and Angela coursed through the Mortgage Electronic Registration System in which the deed was reconveyed or returned to her, not to Beach Way Park. The transaction was recorded on April 15, 2008.

As of Aug. 31, 2009, the property remains registered in the name of Angela Arroyo Montenegro, the maiden name of Arroyo’s wife.

The latest entry in the assessor’s office was dated April 2008 and shows Angela as the “grantee” of the property, which Mikey on Monday said he had already transferred to a company called Beach Way Park LLC as a way of explaining why the property did not appear in his 2007 and 2008 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Network (SALN). LLC is short for Limited Liability Company.

Lawyers consulted by VERA Files said LLCs or limited liabilities companies in the U.S. are small businesses similar to single proprietorships in the Philippines and can be set up even with just one person as shareholder.

Rep. Arroyo referred all questions about his SALN to his lawyer, who is still out of the country. He also said those who still don’t believe him are free to sue him in court.

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Hainanese chicken rice, anyone? My search for the best Singaporean resto in Manila begins here

I’ve been to Makansutra in Manila Ocean Park several times, and I have to agree with the others that it’s quite a letdown. The concept of having several hawker stalls in one cozy environment is nice, but the quality of the food is not something which will make me excited to go back there again. Case in point is the soggy wantan mee I got the last time and the teenie-weenie stick of chicken satay.

Same with the Malaysian restaurants in Manila. I still have to find one which will completely impress me, including the ones found in the malls.

So I’ve only been to Singapore ONCE and Malaysia three times and don’t claim to be an expert. But I just know when something tastes glorious, like this Hainanese chicken rice meal I had at Tao Yuan Restaurant in Malate the other night.

Hainanese Chicken Rice

The bowl of chicken rice and the beautifully-presented Hainanese chicken plate with three dipping sauces was just exquisite. The chicken was immersed in its own juice with a savory oily flavor I can’t quite connect. My dinner for one cost me P280, but I didn’t mind. It’s really hard to find restos offering Hainanese chicken rice in my part of town, and not this divine.

Prior to this, the house served me a free appetizer of pickled vegetables which I really liked. I loved the crunchiness of the carrots and the turnip in their sweet-sour vinaigrette.

Tao Yuan Restaurant

It is quite misleading though. Tao Yuan is essentially a Cantonese restaurant. The waiter or manager will just tell you their Singaporean offerings verbally :D although I heard their full-scale Singaporean menu will be ready soon.

Tao Yuan Restaurant

Some of the things you can order here: the sought-after fish head curry and chili crabs with mantao which am saving up for my next paycheck. Hehe.

In the meantime, you can be satiated with their Singaporean beef hofan – P368 for a full plate. Flat rice noodles with scrambled eggs, bean sprouts,a generous topping of shrimps, clams, pork bits and (gasp!) chorizo.

Beef hofan

The color is kinda off, but their mango fish fillet (P420) is also a must-taste. Fish slices in a combination of chili and mango sauce, topped by shredded green and ripe yellow mangoes. Flavor is a combination of salty, sweet and sour. You can order a whole garoupa or lapu-lapu for this, but that will be measured per 100 grams. :)

Mango garoupa

An indication that Taoyuan is the real deal: some of the owners are Singaporean. They have one Singaporean chef and three Cantonese ones. (I guess this is what’s wrong with Makansutra at the moment: I will trust a Filipino cook in whipping up real good adobo, and not some foreign dish. In the same way, a Chinese chef can prolly not make chicken apritada the way I’d like it.)

So even if I work in the Malate area, I really got to know about this resto through Reggie Aspiras’ previous column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It turns out she’s there on the day of my visit. The manager Benny (who I know from the defunct Fishing Village resto) told me she’s a regular patron. So yes, here’s my souvenir pic with Chef Reggie, one of the food columnists I really read :D

With Reggie Aspiras

Tao Yuan Restaurant
Location: 508-512 Gen. Malvar St.
corner A. Mabini (across Pan Pacific Hotel)
Malate, Manila
Tel. Nos. 522-7009, 522-7010