Day: September 29, 2009

Update: Back to Malacañang as evacuation center.

Arroyo grandaughters Mikaela and Monique

Former AFP Chief Hermogenes Esperon, now chief of the Presidential Management Staff said there was an apparent miscommunication: Malacañang was not supposed to be an evacuation center as Arroyo herself announced Monday.

“This is a repacking center, meaning we will receive donations, repack them, then send them to evacuation centers where the flood victims are,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “If they want to receive relief goods, they should go to the evacuation centers.”

Arroyo announced Monday that she will be transferring temporarily to Bahay Pangarap across the Pasig River to accommodate the victims of typhoon Ondoy. Her exact words: “Relocated families will be sheltered in all available premises within the Palace grounds. Government employees will be asked to make room for our guests, and I myself will move across the river to temporary quarters at bahay pangarap in the PSG compound.”

In ANC’s “Strictly Politics”, Presidential Spokesman Anthony Golez had another version of Arroyo’s announcement. He said Malacañang as evacuation center is only for flood victims in areas surrounding Malacañang.

Host Pia Hontiveros pointed out to Golez that those who were rendered homeless by typhoon “Ondoy” were mostly from Marikina, San Mateo, Quezon City which are far from Malacañang.

Inquirer’s story:

Long lines at Palace ‘relief’ center irks Arroyo

By Christian V. Esguerra
Philippine Daily Inquirer

President Macapagal-Arroyo didn’t like what she saw on the first day of her unprecedented order to open Malacañang to common folks: a long stretch of poor villagers peeking through the gates of the Kalayaan compound under the intense mid-afternoon heat.

That was apparently the closest they could get to the National Relief Operations Center set up at the Palace grounds to help victims of typhoon Ondoy—until Ms Arroyo got visibly irked.

Such was the sight that greeted Ms Arroyo when she arrived at the Kalayaan Hall at around 1:30 p.m. from a Cabinet meeting in Camp Aguinaldo. Her face turning sour, she immediately ordered Palace guards to let the villagers in.

Hermogenes Esperon, presidential chief of staff, sought to downplay Ms Arroyo’s subdued annoyance, saying “she just didn’t want to see the people lined up outside.”

About an hour later, the number of people expecting relief goods would swell to around 500. Many of them were women and kids coming in slippers and tattered clothes.

An old man on a wheelchair fell in line, at the end of which volunteers were distributing only hamburger buns.

Esperon said there was an apparent miscommunication: Malacañang was not supposed to be an evacuation center as had been announced Monday.

“This is a repacking center, meaning we will receive donations, repack them, then send them to evacuation centers where the flood victims are,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “If they want to receive relief goods, they should go to the evacuation centers.”

But no less than Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had announced that offices at the Kalayaan buildings could be used to temporarily house flood victims.

To avoid disappointing the villagers, many of whom were from neighboring communities just outside Malacañang, volunteers handed out pieces of bread and softdrinks. By 3:30 p.m., most of them were filing out of Kalayaan.

The supposed miscommunication aside, Malacañang promised more assistance for families affected by the storm.

Ms Arroyo, Vice President Noli de Castro, and members of the Cabinet promised to donate their two-months’ salary for the victims. There are 23 active members of the Cabinet.

She also ordered an early release of the 13-month pay of government employees not spared by intense flooding over the weekend.

The President earns at least P69,916 monthly, the Vice President P55,916, and Cabinet secretaries P48,916, according to Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya.

Ms Arroyo also appealed to car repair shops not to “take advantage of the situation and give a good price rather than higher prices” for motorists, whose vehicles had bogged down in heavy floodwaters.

In a late afternoon statement, Ms Arroyo expressed dismay over criticisms regarding the government’s purportedly slow and inadequate response to flood victims.

“The disaster work we do is critical, but often other people have a wrong understanding,” she said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Palace relief operations center had distributed donation packs to 273,453 victims in Metro Manila.

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My column in Malaya, Sept. 30, 2009

Disaster spin

I posted on Facebook and in my blog the statement of Gloria Arroyo on her latest public relations gimmick, turning Malacañang into a relief operations center and she, moving out of the Palace to stay temporarily at Bahay Pangarap in the compound of the Presidential Security Group across the Pasig river.

“I have ordered Malacanang Palace to be opened to the general public, effective immediately, as a center for relief and rescue operations, the receipt and distribution of charitable donations and the temporary relocation of families who were displaced or made homeless by the storm.

“Relocated families will be sheltered in all available premises within the Palace grounds. Government employees will be asked to make room for our guests, and I myself will move across the river to temporary quarters at Bahay Pangarap in the PSG compound…

“I am confident that the right example will be set by all our government leaders, whatever their party preference or political coloring, as we are challenged once again to show the world that the Filipino nation does not lack in the qualities that can make heroes out of us all.”

Sorry, Malacañang’s spin is not working. No one is impressed.

Lyn Resurreccion saw through the spin: “This is all for show.”

Abdollah Mouawad shares Lyn’s sentiment: “This is pure gimmickry. Kulang lang yan sa pansin.

“Malacañang Palace is where the highest official of the land lives holds office.Its only use other than that is receiving and holding banquets for visiting dignitaries and local official functions. Using it as center for relief operation and housing the displaced victims of the recent man-made calamity is disrespect to the dignity of the Palace.

“Oh well, what do you expect from the not-duly president. Showing compassion to the victims in this time of disaster cannot erase the unexplained involvement in Gloria, her family and her allies in several anomalies.”

Orlando de Leon said,”Just ignore her. We don’t have a president at this time anyway…..except for one pretending to be.”

Harold Brian Geronimo said, “This is a PR nightmare. Whoever suggested this should be crucified. First and foremost, the timeliness of this gesture is out of momentum. Many other entities, mostly private and religious, have already opened their doors for evacuees since Saturday. Malacanang did the same just today.

“Second, Malacanang is too far to be an evacuation center for those coming from Pasig and Marikina. Who would want to go that far to seek shelter? They would rather go to Goldilocks commissary in Shaw blvd that was opened for evacuees since yesterday. I bet most of them enjoyed the puto, dinuguan and cakes.

“ Third, who would want to see Mrs. Arroyo there? I don’t think the evacuees would want to see her either.”

Ferrum Mann said there maybe those who would really want to go to Malacañang. “ Yung mga nakawalang buwaya sa Pasig Nature Park doon nakita sa Malacañang. May nunal pa nga yung isa.”

Vic who is based in Canada said is amazed by Gloria’s chutzpah:”Even in a state of calamity, GMA doesn’t fail to try to play for Points. Being a mediocre leader, she can only provide a mediocre leadership in times like this.

“Fortunately, majority of Filipinos are resourceful. They will survive on their own despite their impotent leaders. My own brother was stranded up in his upstairs room with his wheelchair-bound wife with nothing. We could not even communicate with him.

“We found out they have survived through relatives from Davao, but lost all their stuff. That’s not important. Material things can be replaced. What is not acceptable are uncertainties, insecurity and the lack of protection from your own government.

“And she has the gall to brag how well her leadership is accepted by her people. It is shameful.”

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While everybody is busy coping with the damage wrought by typhoon “Ondoy”, congressmen saves Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Inquirer.net

The House of Representatives’ committee on justice has junked the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

Cheers erupted from employees and officers of the Office of the Ombudsman who attended the proceedings as the chairman of the panel, Quezon City Representative Matias Defensor, announced that an “absolute majority” had found the complaint insufficient in substance.

Defensor did not anymore count the vote of the pro-impeachment lawmakers and left the room after announcing that the complaint was dismissed for insufficiency in substance, prompting minority lawmakers to protest.

“You did not even have the decency to count our votes,” shouted Akbayan party list Representative Walden Bello.

Representative Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna partylist raised suspicion that “they wanted it done and over with” while the public’s attention was focused on the flood victims in Metro Manila.

Gutierrez had been charged with betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution in the complaint filed in March by former Cabinet officials and leaders of civil society groups led by former Senate President Jovito Salonga.

The voting came immediately after eight anti-impeachment lawmakers presented their position before the panel defending Gutierrez, in response to a presentation made by endorsers of the complaint during a previous hearing.

Representative Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna partylist requested for a copy of the presentation and asked for time to debate the anti-impeachment lawmakers who have raised “novel theories” in defending Gutierrez.

But Oriental Mindoro Representative Amelita Villarosa made a motion vote on the sufficiency of substance. Questions raised by the minority lawmakers were ignored and the panel, packed mostly by administration allies, went on with the voting.

Interviewed after the proceeding, Defensor said he ruled that there was absolute majority vote because only 28 votes were needed to decide on the case. He said a total of 38 members voted to dismiss the complaint.

“You only need 28 votes, there are 38 who voted, so it’s carried. . . . It’s gonna be beyond question,” he said.

“And we don’t want anymore to dramatize all these things because I think we have to put an end to this, this has dragged long enough, the House has many things to do,” Defensor added.

Defensor said the dismissal of the case for insufficiency in substance “was the not the end of the impeachment complaint.”

“This is just the committee report, subject to presentation to the plenary,” he said.

Pro-impeachment lawmakers can still keep the complaint alive and send it to the Senate for trial if they get the signatures of at least one-thirds or the 268-member chamber, or 90 members.

Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni said Gutierrez was “relieved this impeachment case has been dismissed.”

“Ombudsman Gutierrez has consistently stated that she was confident that these charges will be dismissed because it has no leg to stand on so today is the affirmation of her expectations so now we move forward and go back to the daily duties in the office,” he told reporters in an interview.

Asked if they were sent by Gutierrez to the House, Jalandoni said, “No, together with the rest of the Ombudsman employees and officers, we filed our respective leaves to be able to be present today to watch the proceedings.”

Asked if they expected the voting Tuesday, he said, “We wanted to be part of the proceedings, to witness the proceedings and see it for ourselves.”

Anti-impeachment lawmakers who defended Gutierrez were Representative Exequiel Javier of Antique, Antonio Cerilles of Zamboanga del Sur, Pablo John Garcia of Cebu, Vigor Mendoza of 1-UTAK party list, Raul Gonzales Jr. of Iloilo, Jonathan Mendoza of Abakan partylist, Giorgidi Aggabao of Isabela and Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City.

Grounds cited against Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution included:

• Deliberately ignoring the Supreme Court’s findings, which voided the P1.3-billion supply deal of Mega Pacific with the Commission on Elections under Chair Benjamin Abalos.

• “Deliberate and inordinate” inaction on collusion and corruption involved in the World Bank bidding of road projects.

• Filing late and defective information that undermined the cases against former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez who has been charged with extorting money from former Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez.

• “Gross inexcusable inaction” on the P1-billion fertilizer fund scam cases filed by the Senate, lawyer Frank Chavez and murdered journalist Marlene Esperat.

• Failing to promptly resolve the “Euro generals” dollar smuggling case despite overwhelming evidence and admission by the PNP comptroller, Director Eliseo de la Paz.

• Committing grave abuse in dismissing and suspending local government officials, specifically Iloilo Governor Neil Tupas and Bataan Governor Enrique Garcia.

Mendoza, who discussed the fertilizer fund scam, refuted allegations in the complaint that Gutierrez could be charged with betrayal of public trust because the issue remained unacted for almost three years.

“The fact that it’s delayed does not make it capricious, vexatious, oppressive. . . .Mere mathematical reckoning of time is not sufficient,” Mendoza said.

Domogan said that the “Constitution requires that betrayal must be characterized by grossness, oppressiveness, inexcusableness and tastelessness to warrant the removal of the office holder.”

The Office of the Ombudsman was pleased to know that the House of Representatives was able to see through the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, an official said Tuesday.

“We are happy that an absolute majority of the House committee on justice was able to see through the impeachment complaint filed against Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas N. Gutierrez,” assistant ombudsman Jose T. de Jesus, Jr. said.

“This proves that indeed, the Ombudsman has not been remiss of her duties, and that she diligently performs her functions as mandated by the Constitution,” De Jesus said.

De Jesus said with the impeachment dismissed, “everybody can now focus on the more important issues besetting our country.” -Tetch Torres

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