BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR
EDUARDO Mañalac yesterday said he resigned as president of the Philippine National Oil Co. because he feared he would be turned by the Palace into a Jocelyn “Joc Joc” Bolante for the May mid-term elections.
Bolante, former agriculture undersecretary, was tagged by a Senate investigation as the architect of the diversion of P728 million for fertilizers to the campaign chest of President Arroyo last 2004. He is detained in a Wisconsin detention facility over problems with his US visa.
Mañalac, in a radio interview, said he was pressured by Planning Secretary Romulo Neri to come up with P500 million to finance a nationwide program to plant jatropha, a shrub whose fruits yield a substitute for diesel.
Mañalac said he heard reports that President Arroyo wants to use the funds for her alternative fuel program but his office has not received an official order to release the money.
Mañalac said he preferred to wait for the administrative order before approving the release of the fund which would be sourced from the P5.6 billion “idle” funds of PNOC.
“We are not saying that we do not want to give. Yes, please, we will do that. But help us justify it and establish the legal basis,” Mañalac said.
Neri said Mañalac was “crazy” for speculating the money would be used to bankroll the campaign of administration candidates.
He said the order to allot P500 million for jatropha production came from President Arroyo during a Cabinet meeting.He said the minutes of the Cabinet meeting will bear this out. He said the order was given about four months ago.
Neri said what he heard was that Mañalac was waiting for the issuance of an administrative order before the PNOC board would act on the release of the money.
Neri added that Mañalac also wanted a feasibility study made on the jatropha planting program.
Neri said no money has been released although he was hoping that it would be made available soon “so we can jumpstart (the jathropa production).”
He said the project calls for the setting up of jatropha plantations in military land.
Jatropha is known as “tuba” or “tuba tuba.”
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo is going over a shortlist of candidates for Mañalac’s post.
“In the matter of replacements, I’m sure the President would choose the candidate who would be in the position to carry the reforms that she has been espousing especially in terms of energy sufficiency,” he said.
Mañalac announced his resignation last week. He cited “health reasons” for his decision to leave government.
Before Mañalac’s disclosure of pressure to release the P500 million for jatropha production, the speculation was that he resigned because of Malacañang meddling in the project to recover the oil deposits at the Malampaya natural gas field offshore Palawan.
PNOC has already reached a preliminary understanding with Mitra Energy, a Malaysian company, for the latter to undertake the project.
Malacañang directed PNOC to scuttle talks with Mitra and reopen the project for bidding.
A local firm whose stockholders prefer to stay anonymous is Mitra’s main rival for the project.
Mañalac was energy undersecretary before be was tapped to head PNOC.
Before joining government, he had 30 years of experience in international oil exploration and production, with 26 of these spent with Philips Petroleum Co., now ConocoPhilips, in various managerial positions in Indonesia, Pakistan, Latin America, the United States and China.
In 1999, while serving as vice president and exploration manager for Philips China, he discovered what is now known as Peng Lai 19-3, the largest offshore oilfield in China.
As the Malaya editorial said, “‘The Arroyo government may be incompetent but it has a proven track record in the fine art of stealing.’”
It is simply logical that the “fine art of stealing” can be honed to perfection when the thief sees no impediment to his efforts and he has the tools to implement his wiles. Pinoy must wake up fron his lethargy.
“Neri said no money has been released although he was hoping that it would be made available soon “so we can jumpstart (the jathropa production”.
And why would Neri “jumpstart” planting to coincide with the May elections? It’s also the season to jumpstart giving away people’s money!
Romy Neri should jumpstart the economy, not tuba-tuba! Hay, buhay pinoy under a master cheater!
Ellen,
Just read this in the Inquirer:
““What the President needs now is muscle not brains,” the first Malacañang executive told the Inquirer, referring to Ms Arroyo’s declared policy of subduing the communist insurgency by the end of her term in 2010.”
Ugh! Geez, Ermita is growing old in the reverse.
Ebdane’s name has cropped up too. (And he’s close to Max!)
Heaven help the AFP and Pinas if Pichay gets the position.
Btw, Ellen, Prince William, 2nd in line to sit on the British throne did not pull rank when he tried to get into a “Club Class” lounge on the P&O Ferry Dover-Calais according to a report by The Times of UK.
The future King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland had tried to “crash” the gate to the ferry’s Club class lounge without a ticket. He was not recognized by a stewardess aboard the Channel ferry and therefore refused entry.
Nothing was made out of it.
Gloria Encantada has also perfected the fine art of lying and harassing dissenters. The Office of the President is one the most corrupt government agency since 2001. The Ombudsman and Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) are just playing lip service to curb corruption. Jatropha shrub may cause fire in the open fields due to its “oily fruit” content. PNOC should start planting jatropha inside Malacanag Palace compound.
Anna:
Prince William is a true prince, and no matter what he does or how people treat him does not diminish nor change the fact that he will one day sit on the throne of England if Queen Elizabeth steps down and his father will not own the crown.
Also, he knows he has done something wrong, so why should he make a fuss about it and pretend to be the offended one when he is in fact the offender.
Apparently, it is another case of the genuine and the fake!!! 😛
In the case of Padlan and the bogus president’s daughter, I doubt if the latter did not make a fuss about it, for as the Immigration officer had stated, it was actually a routine procedure, and not reason enough for a dismissal.
In short, Anna, trying hard to become a princess the bogus president’s daughter is!
DKG said “Jatropha shrub may cause fire in the open fields due to its “oily fruit” content”.
BALAK PA YATANG I-TERMINATE LAHAT AND DISSENTERS!
“PNOC should start planting jatropha inside Malacanag Palace compound.”
I’M ALL FOR IT!
Marami na ang kumakalas kay tiyanak. Ang tanong: Bakit ngayon lang? Kaya duda tayo sa tunay na loobin ng mga taong iyan. Kahit na ang mga pulitiko ngayon na kumalas at kumakalas sa Malacanang, bakit ngayon lang kung malapit na ang election? Ang hinahanap ko sa isang tao ay iyon may paninindigan…hindi balimbing o doble kara. Hindi na baleng demonyo basta subok ang katapatan. Iyan ang dapat tingnan ni Erap. Marami siyang tunay na kaibigan at taga-suporta pero hindi na niya ngayon pinapansin. Halimbawa ako na lang. Puro ang text at e-mail ko sa kanya pero hanggan ngayon walang sagot. Sa inis ko nga isang araw, hinagis ko ang Apple laptop ko na nagkakahalaga ng halos P200,000. Tapos, ang blog site ni Erap wala na…under construction daw. Siguro under construction ang bahay ng mga pato niya sa Tanay.
Anna,
You said,”Heaven help the AFP and Pinas if Pichay gets the position”.
I am not really familiar with Pichay, is he the old or the young one? Ano ba itong Pichay na ito, para din bang gulay?
Neri said Mañalac was “crazy” for speculating the money would be used to bankroll the campaign of administration candidates.
He said the order to allot P500 million for jatropha production came from President Arroyo during a Cabinet meeting.He said the minutes of the Cabinet meeting will bear this out. He said the order was given about four months ago.
SINUNGALING at PALUSOT pa itong si Neri…eh ano pa ba ang mangyayari kapag “naipalabas ba iyong kaperahan”…hindi ba’t “programa” din kuno ni gloria at UTOS din iyong “pagpapalabas” ng salapi na “TINIMBOG” nila sa Fertilizer Scam? Ito talagang grupo ni gloria…UBOD NG KAKAPAL ANG MUKHA, MAGALING MGA LUMUSOT…mamatay na kayo!!!
Problema lang talaga ay “mas NAPAKARAMI” ang mga kababayan nating “SALAT, NAGHIHIRAP, at TALAGANG WALANG-WALA”, kaya nakakapamayagpag ang mga HAYOP NA POLITIKONG ITO na “PERA-PERA” lang talaga ang GAMIT. Anyone saw the coverage of “imeldific” during the MMDA anniversary celebration yesterday? I myself can’t help but “curse and puke” on those “pipol” that are “jockying for position” to “touch, shake the hands, and show their adolation” on kapalmuks imelda. Sana ipalabas ulit sa telebisyon iyong eksena just after the marcoses left the Palace…iyong pinaghahampas at sinusunog ang “portrait” ng “orihinal na she-devil” ng Malakanyang.
Jathropa Production?? Ha,ha, ha, ha, !!! Another joke, joke alibi. Sana ibahin naman ni bansot ang drama nila. Ang mga pagre-resign ng mga alipin saguiguilid ni glueria ay palatandaan na malaki ang takot nila na madamay sa darating na paghuhukom ng taong bayan sa mga mandaraya, magnanakaw at sinungaling. Pero ang mga aliping namamahay sa malakanang ay patuloy pa rin kumakapit sa palda ni bansot. Sa malaon’t madali ay bibitiw din sila, sapagkat unti-unti nang napupunit ang damit. Time to pack-up!!!
I am not really familiar with Pichay, is he the old or the young one? Ano ba itong Pichay na ito, para din bang gulay?
chi, itong si pichay ay isang avid supporter ng incredible family. isang mamababatas na nasa kasibulang gulang subalit mas masahol pa sa isang lumang TRAPO ang kaisipan. wala siyang hindi bubuwagin huwag lamang matanggal sa pwesto ang ninang niyang magician.
Chi, iyang Pichay na iyan iyong kaibigan ni Mike Jimenez Gestapo ba iyon who was convicted in the US. Siya iyong kunyari sinamahan si Jimenez without going through due process since he was in fact still a Congressman when indicted in the USA.
In a way, I can understand the lamentation of hindinapinoy about the slow poke Filipinos who want to have the Midget removed but would not like to do it themselves and want the Americans to do it for them. Golly, bilib ka talaga sa mga pinoy. Gutom na pasayaw-sayaw pa ang mga iyan, pero siyempre inaasahan kasi may pakain sa mga pasayawan! Wais? Nope, survival of the fittest lang ang utak! Talagang ganyan daw.
Ang hindi ko lang gusto ay ang sobrag paglait niya sa kapwa niya pilipino! Susuya din ako doon sa mga pilipinong humahalik sa mga puwit ng mga puti na tingin nila lahat ay mga kano! Colonial mentality? You bet. Nandiyan pa rin!
Mrivera, Ystakei: thanks, now I can imagine who this Pichay is, bata pa pala pero luko-loko na rin. Mana sa ninang tianak!
The old one I believe used to be member of the lower house then became governor (correct me if I am wrong).
I’ve met the older Pichay who wanted French business for his “constituents” kuno. We met in Intercon – he was as fat as a house, sweating like a pig and really, had the appearance of one who couldn’t be trusted.
I think at the time the old fatso Pichay was a congressman in charge of committee on agriculture or something like that. He came to the meeting with a Filipino “broker”. I agreed to meet him at the behest of our country rep even if I didn’t know what Pichay and his friends really wanted from my group.
Nakakatawa ka naman, Anna. Sweating like a pig…hahaha! Just eaten petsay siguro when you met him. Another shadowy character. “Kung ano ang puno, siya ang bunga” kind of thing.
Aside from being “…as fat as a house, sweating like a pig and…had the appearance of one who couldn’t be trusted…” Pichay’s family is-or was-also in the Tabloid business, having sexy women on its front cover! In an interview, he saw nothing wrong with it. So to add to Pechay’s description, he’s sleazy, too!
Sleazy, too, ha!
Anna, you’re absolutely correct, “Heaven help the AFP and Pinas if Pichay gets the position”. I just read he is still one among the “few Glue minions” being considered as DND chief.
Nakupo Chi, kapag iyan ang napunta sa DND, imagine, what with the hundreds of billions being earmarked for the modernization of the AFP, guess who’s gonna make a huge killing? Heck, not the AFP!
ay, nakakakilabot isipin, Anna.
The P500M jatropha fund is peanuts compared to the billions at stake in the exploration contracts some favored crony had successfully squeezed out of the previously-defiant Mañalac. Burgundy Fund Management had a tough time with PNOC, until Gloria’s EO 556, which virtually threatens to cancel all previous contracts Mañalac had approved.
This company does not have the capability, track record, nor the financial backing except that of its investors in the Fund which its does not even own. At best, Burgundy, as Ellen says, is “A local firm whose stockholders prefer to stay anonymous” makes it even more suspicious, doesn’t it?
Reading between the lines, you can see that Mañalac’s ouster, a product of official as well as unofficial pressure from the despotic Mafia Queen, was designed to silence oppositors to another grand theft in the making.
The P500M extortion is but icing on the cake.