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Gutter talk in the Senate is good

JPE. Thanks to Yahoo for this photo by Voltaire DomingoNPPA Images
Of course, what has been going on in the Senate the past weeks is disgusting.

But it is good that it is happening.

Alan Peter Cayetano standing up to Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

If the controversy over the discriminatory distribution of Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile of the Senate Christmas loot – P1.6 million for the 18 senators and P250,000 for the four whom JPE does not like namely Senators Miriam Santiago, Antonio Trillanes IV, Pia Cayetano and Alan Cayetano- the public would not have known how they are skewered by the people they are spending billions on supposedly to serve them.

If Enrile didn’t become petty and arrogant and gave all the 22 senators, even including himself, the same amount, we would not have known that they are wallowing in excess funds while millions of Filipinos survive in a hand-to-mouth existence.

God, indeed, works in mysterious ways.

After his brilliant handling of the impeachment trial of disgraced Supreme Court Chief Renato Corona, Enrile was once more on the roll. He even launched his book, Juan Ponce Enrile: A Memoir, where he re-wrote history, with his version of his role in Marcos’ Martial Law.

He enjoys a “very good” (plus 65 per cent) satisfaction rating, according to the Sept. 2012 survey of the Social Weather Station.

His popularity has rubbed on to his son, Jackie, who is consistently in the top six of possible winners in the 2013 senatorial race. That despite the fact, that until the advertisement of the United National Alliance started running on television, people didn’t know how he looked.

I’m not sure if those who said they would vote “Enrile” for senator if elections were held today knew that it’s Jackie, not JPE, who is the candidate.

I imagine that Enrile thought of nothing of this Christmas bonus controversy. He has been through worse situations before and had come out on top. And besides, who are those four who dared stand up to him? He has belittled Santiago and Trillanes in several interviews.

Enrile is quoted in Facebook as having said, “Thy cannot destroy me as Senate President. My God, I have a national following.”

Last Monday, he did another “masterstroke”, when he resigned upon learning that a coup against his Senate leadership was in the offing. He took advantage of the absence of some senators and the division in the Liberal Party.

But Enrile’s masterstroke was actually a desperate act. He knows that he is losing this war. Reyes’ radio interview was a sign of desperation.

In that radio interview, Reyes called the Cayetanos “hypocrites.”

That riled up Alan Cayetano, who told Enrile in his Wednesday privilege speech, “For every lie that you told about me, I have a hundred truths about you and Ma’am Gigi.”

Cayetano went on and on: “ “Let’s call a spade a spade. Why are you personally upset with me? It’s because you and Attorney Gigi are close to the former President GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) and the First Gentlemen” who the then congressman of Taguig-Pateros accused of having secret bank accounts in Germany.

Cayetano also said Reyes is also related to the Tingas who are political enemies of the Cayetanos in Taguig.

The exchange at Senate last Wednesday turned ugly and gutter- level.

Enrile actually used the word “gutter” which we equate to drainage or canal.

Standing up to counter Cayetano’s accusations of mismanagement of the Senate and mentioning the powerful role of his chief of staff, Atty. Gigi Reyes, Enrile declared, “I will not go down to the gutter.”

The younger Senator would not be intimidated by the former administrator of Marcos Martial Law: “You already did, Mr. President. You already went to the gutter. Your chief of staff has already gone to the gutter.”

This is good. Bring out what’s in the gutter, foul or vile. Maybe that would help clean the Senate.

Published inMalayaSenate

35 Comments

  1. Mike Mike

    Away ng mga kawatan. Tsk, tsk. 😛

  2. Mike Mike

    One thing good about this drama is that all the secrets among thieves are coming out. 😛

  3. vic vic

    Ellen, that is the reason why we can underestimate the IMPORTANCE of the Freedom of Access to Information Act as even if the Disgruntled Senators in Ms Miriam, the spoiled Brat in Alan Cayetano and two others who share of the Pie is a 6 th or less of the others did not yell this in not Fair (when in fact they should all be Quitting for “stealing” the peoples money) the Public or anyone, especially the members of the Media could have no Trouble getting the Information…You see, we all know to the last $$ how much each of our MPs made the year before, no wheeling dealing as it is open book…even their Tim’s Horton Coffee are receipted…if its an official expense…(people addicted to Tim’s can spend a fortune on the Cafe which corners 65 % of the Market..all the rest including Starbuck share the remaining 35 %…And that is Perhaps the Reason why this FOI will again not see daylight this current Congress…

  4. vic vic

    And by the way, it will Cost nothing to request for Information and a token of $5 if the information requested will necessitate an abnormal working hours for the Government Civil workers to produce…and except for some infromation specified in the Act., which can be contested in the Court of Law (in a close door hearings) all Ministries and Government Instrumentalities can not deny records as requested.

  5. vic vic

    It would have nice to hear and read the NEWS regarding these Senator Punching each other noses in arguments about the legislation that is of paramount to the welfare of their Constituents, but insulting each others about MONEY for themselves is the lowest of the Low…and the rest of them who received the Gifts are so quite like the lambs going to the slaughterhouse…That is the Image of the Philippine Senate as painted by its CURRENT OCCUPANTS and believe me these Scandals will not amount to NOTHING, but will make the Senate worse than the Gutter it is now.

  6. parasabayan parasabayan

    Enrile got away with a lot of things including but not limited to denuding the forests when he was still in the logging business. Now I heard he is in the smuggled used car business.

    One thing is for certain, he knows how to play the game and can cling on to power for as long as he wants. He is a PRO in re-inventing himself. If indeed Gigi Reyes is his “love of his life” dyan na siguro siya babagsak dahil mawawala niya ito sa isang iglap. But we better watch out, baka maging ala Ibuna yan who may have ended with the millions that the Pidals hid in Iggy’s bank accounts. Baka yung millions ni Enrile ay nasa Germany na rin. Lots of possibilities.

    In fairness, may hitsura si Gigi kaya siguro na-true love si Enrile since 1988 pa daw…heh,heh,heh…half of Gigi’s life.

  7. baycas2 baycas2

    “Yung mga kahoy?”

    So, what about it, Manong?

    (It appeared a monologue because he was barking on someone no longer alive. He is the only one to enlighten us.)

    So, what about the “kahoy”?

  8. batangpasig batangpasig

    Kahoy – eh di yung galing sa mga kabundukan ng Cagayan.

    You should see Santa Ana in northern Cagayan – hectares and hectares of imported vehicles and a sprawling casino/hotel catering to Asian foreigners flown in from a nearby military airport.

    Enrile – the duke of Cagayan Valley!

  9. chi chi

    Si JPE kung nakokorner binabago ang usapan.

    Nakorner ni Trillanes sa CamSur dinala ang isyu sa China.

    Nakorner ni Cayetano about ma’am Gigi, dinala ang isyu sa utang ng patay na ama ni Allan.

    Sabi pa he’s too old daw to have gf samantalang 1988 pa yun na nilayasan sya ni Cristina dahil sa nakita silang dalawa sa compromising situation sa ospital (daw).

    Kailangan nila sa Senate si Malabanan.

  10. chi chi

    Gusto ni Enrile kontrolin ang mga bagitong senador, marami daw utang na loob sa kanya ang mga ito. Buti na lang may sariling isip ang mga newbies at hindi lapdogs ni JPE di gaya nung ibang nakatatanda sa kanila.

    Too old na si Enrile para lider ng Senado, nangangamoy na ng husto.

  11. Nakapagtataka bakit patuloy pa silang nagiging Senador. Sa ganito ay tiyak hanggang may mundo, may Pilipinas sa senado ay laging may apelyido na Enrile o Cayetano.

  12. Last Monday, he did another “masterstroke”, when he resigned upon learning that a coup against his Senate leadership was in the offing. He took advantage of the absence of some senators and the division in the Liberal Party.

    Enrile did not resign. He purposely made it appear that way. What he actually did was he declared the position of Senate President vacant via a motion. Knowing the implication of a backlash if Enrile was replaced by a possibly defiant, reformist new leadership, those who received their P1.6M had no choice except to reject the motion.

    If he really wanted to resign, he should have done so explicitly and irrevocably.

    A face-saving Zarzuela.

  13. Hahaha. VACC now wants the Ombudsman to do a lifestyle check on Gigi Reyes.

    Pag pinahaba ni Enrile ito, dito na siya malalaglag.

  14. parasabayan parasabayan

    Exactly Tongue! At dapat lang pagtuunan ng pansin si Gigi. Kung dabarkads ni Gigi sila Pidal, Tinga atbp, feathers of the same feather flock together. Yan ang point ko prior. I-check kung ilang beses yan nag-tatravel sa Europe at US. Remember the Reyeses, Garcia’s and etc? I-check and lifestyle. Angkop ba sa pwesto na Chief of Staff sa senado and “compensation”? O baka mas malaki pa ang mga assets niya kesa sa mga senators. If she has so much power in the senate to sign on millions of disbursements, she can do anything. Hindi naman sa nag-dududa tayo, naniniguro lang.

  15. baycas2 baycas2

    Sayang na-cut ni Drilon ang away ‘pusali’. Mangangahoy pa naman tayo ng kumpirmasyon sa mga kunwari’y sekreto…

    —–

    Ang balita sa radyo si Drilon at si Angara pala ang nangantiyaw sa pa-Krismas.

    Mga dating Senate Presidents…

    —–

    ‘Old Boys Club’ daw ang SC kay Renato. Ano kaya naman ang umaalingasaw na Senado?

    —–

    Ang babae may pitik pa nang lumisan.

    Baka may ikakanta pa…Abangan…

  16. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    Enrile to Winnie Monsod about Gigi:

    My God I’m too old for that.

    Ramjeet Raghav to Enrile:

    Speak for yourself man.

    newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/18/worlds-oldest-dad-96-fathers-another-child/

    examiner.com/article/96-year-old-dad-fathers-another-child

    The 96-year-old dad also says that he has sex at least three times a night, according to the Daily Mail. This and his healthy and simple lifestyle is likely the reason he is still formidable in the bedroom. Imagine that?

    “My wife will undergo a tubectomy operation this year. We aren’t planning more children

    Now you know why there are a billion Indians.

    Ano? Hayden Kho? Kaya mo yan when you hit 65?

  17. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    Oops. Mali na naman ang html tags.

    Enrile to Winnie Monsod about Gigi:

    My God I’m too old for that.

    Ramjeet Raghav to Enrile:

    Speak for yourself man.

    newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/18/worlds-oldest-dad-96-fathers-another-child/

    examiner.com/article/96-year-old-dad-fathers-another-child

    The 96-year-old dad also says that he has sex at least three times a night, according to the Daily Mail. This and his healthy and simple lifestyle is likely the reason he is still formidable in the bedroom. Imagine that?

    “My wife will undergo a tubectomy operation this year. We aren’t planning more children

    Now you know why there are a billion Indians.

    Ano? Hayden Kho? Kaya mo yan when you hit 65?

    Paki-delete na lang yung una, Ellen.

  18. vic vic

    Follow up to the Court Decision ordering the Toronto mayor to VacaTE THE OFFICE for Conflict of interest (the amount involved was $3l50 for his football foundation)and the appeal ruling will be handed down 9;30 this morning..if the Divisional court Panel of 3 judges reverse the Trial court decision the mayor will stay, if not he can appeal the case to SC…that will immediately hear it before his two years remaining terms expires…the Case was heard in November and the appeal the past 3 weeks…that is Quick

    http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1319871–mayor-rob-ford-s-job-on-the-line-this-morning

    Mayor Rob Ford’s job on the line this morning

    Toronto’s government could be launched into unprecedented uncertainty Friday by a court decision ending Rob Ford’s unlikely mayoralty.

    Unless there is a longshot appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, the Divisional Court decision to be released Friday morning will complete the legal saga that has roiled city politics and imperiled Ford’s political future. It could leave Ford in power; it could also leave the city in the hands of an acting mayor.

    The decision on Ford’s conflict of interest appeal was made by a panel of three widely respected judges, including Edward Then, the senior justice for the Toronto region. It will be delivered at 9:30 a.m. to the lawyers involved in the case, then released online an hour later.

    The panel could decide that Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland was wrong to rule in November that Ford violated the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act by voting in February to excuse himself from repaying $3,150 to lobbyists from whom he improperly took donations to his charitable football foundation. If Hackland’s ruling is overturned, Ford will stay in office

  19. chi chi

    #18. Ay, hindi pala makakalusot sa sex issue si JPE, hehehe!

  20. vic vic

    Enrile “suspected” relatiohship with ms Reye predates the Gift Giving for which that time, ED pills were not around yet (yes they works, My Doc use to say you want some HERO Pills?, and then he’ll give you a very thorough Lab check if its ok)So Juan is never to Old for love nor Sex..

    here is the follow up for our Mayors appeal..he wins..

    http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1319970–mayor-rob-ford-wins-appeal-will-stay-in-office

    Mayor wins appeal…Lawyer will try to appeal to the SC…

    In a judgment released Friday morning, a three-judge Divisional Court panel overturned the November ruling that evicted Ford from office over a February violation of the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.

    Ford’s victory ends an unprecedented period of uncertainty at City Hall — and averts an unprecedented period of upheaval. Had the court upheld the ruling, Ford would have lost his job, Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday would have become interim mayor, and council would have been forced to call a $7-million-plus byelection or appoint a successor.

    The lawyer who tried the case against Ford, Clayton Ruby, will now try to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. The court has no obligation to take the case, and most legal experts believe it is unlikely that Ruby will succeed.

    Ford said at a City Hall press conference that the experience has been “very, very humbling.” Asked what he will now do differently, however, he said only that he has learned that he has wide public support. Projecting confidence, he twice said that he plans to be mayor for the “next six years,” suggesting he will win the 2014 election.

  21. chijap chijap

    Well said Ma’am Ellen. It all started about because of 250k, went to 37M, and now they suddenly realized, uh oh people are listening na pala.

    Now the question is: Is Jack still in the top six?

  22. chi chi

    Nag- Ay Em Sori na daw si Ma’am Gigi na tinanggap naman ni Alan. Tapos na ang kanilang dakdakan, talo na naman ang bayan!

  23. chi chi

    Sabi ni Gigi Reyes at JPE ay wala raw silang love affair. Ganun, bakit hindi nakontrol ni Gigi ang sarili at naging very emotional sya sa pagtatanggol kay Enrile? Di ba dapat as boss and employe meron silang distance? 🙂

  24. Mike Mike

    Question!
    Kung lahat ba binigyan ng
    1.6M ni JPE, may magrereklamo kaya? 😛

  25. chi chi

    Mike, kung ako magrereklamo din. Ano, sila nagpapasko sa pera ng bayan ako hindi? 🙂

  26. parasabayan parasabayan

    Tahimik na tahimik yung mga nakatanggap ng pamasko. Yung iba ni hindi nag-attend ng session noong gustong mag-resign si Enrile. Ito rin marahil ang hindi boboto sa motion ni Cayetano na i-audit ang senate. Abangan natin ang susunod na kabanata ng senadoserye.

  27. Mike Mike

    #27

    Chi, di tayo pinalad maging senador. 😛

  28. Para sa akin, we should thank JPE for his showering MOOE or gifts whatever they call it, to the senators. At least alam na natin na wala rin silang pinag-iba sa kanilang tuwina’y tinatawag as “resource person” to attend and be questioned, pilloried, insulted, shouted at and sometimes jailed in the senate investigation for squandering people’s money in aid of election, este legislation. Pasalamat din tayo kay JPE na hindi parehas ang pamamahagi ng MOOE. Kung equal equal ika nga, hindi naman papalag yung kokonti ang tinanggap dahil matagal na rin silang nakikinabang. Hindi baga at parang dagat silang tahimik sapagkat sandamakmak na datung ang dumarating dahil sagana sa galunggong?..Aminin!

  29. chi chi

    Totoo sabi mo, joeseg.

    Salamat din kay JPE sa hindi pantay na distribution ng wealth, este MOOE…at nalaman ko na may Ma’am Gigi pala nun pang 1988, at 25th senator pa na nakahanay sa VIP row kasama ang pangulo at 2nd pangulo ng bansa. Kundi yan VIP, ano sya?

  30. Rudolfo Rudolfo

    Tama ka, joeseg !..Dagdag dyan ay, Saan nga ba nahuhuli ang isda, y di sa “bibig” daw..Saka, pinaka-matalas pa sa patalim ay ang “dila”..At isa pa, lagi nang may KARMA ang lahat ng nangyayari sa mundo, masama man o mabuti !…Masaklap nito, laging nakaka-rami ang issues tungkol sa kasamaan, at pang-aapi sa kapwa tao, lalo na sa buong mamamayang Filipino ng mga ina-asahang mga mambubutas este, mambabatas ?..a comment for a change..Nag-papasasa sila sa kabang bayan, na di naman kanila….Ang kanila lamang ay mga sweldo, at allowances, ngunit, pina-susubrahan nila ang kanilang sarili, ng limpak-limapk na pera, na para sa kapa-kanan ng mga mamamayang naghihirap, saka, pag-aaral ng kabataan pulubi..

  31. florry florry

    The spectacle in the senate is all about money. Money is everything; it can turn friends into enemies and vice versa.

    If anything came out about this spectacle, it only proved that all these “honorables” are not that honorable at all, but some kind of shameless, greedy and hypocrites.

    The leadership’s act in excluding some gangmates was a big mistake.

    It’s like if you give candies to everybody, nobody can talk because the mouth is full, busy sucking and enjoying the sweet taste, but if the others has nothing in their mouth, all they can do is salivate until they can no longer bear and then complain out loud.

    The lesson learned from this; don’t ever mess in sharing the loot to fellow gangmates. Anyone who feels that he/she is being short-changed will cry foul.

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