When Gloria Arroyo last week ordered Lakas and Kampi, her political parties to merge, her minions quickly added that charter change is dead in the water.
They tried to give the public the impression that they are preparing for the 2010 elections.
Beware! It’s all part of the genius of Gloria Arroyo in putting one over the Filipino people. She has gotten away with it several time since 2001; she has no reason to stop doing it this time.
Related story:
WB report says Mike Arroyo got 5% commission: Lacson
Bistadong-bistado na si Mike Arroyo, ang asawa ni Gloria Arroyo, sa kanyang ginawang pangungumisyon sa mga proyekto ng gobyerno.
Sa imbestigasyon na isinagawa ng Integrity Vice Presidency ng World Bank, lumabas na si Mike Arroyo talaga ang promotor ng kurakutan sa Department of Public Works and Highways. Kaya lalong tumibay ang mga isinawalat nina Jun Lozada at Joey de Venecia tungkol sa papel ni Mike Arroyo sa mga tongpats sa NBN/ZTE deal.
Itong World Bank report kasi ay tungkol lamang sa mga proyekto na kanilang ginastusan. Nagpa-utang sila ng pera at napag-alaman nga nila na kornered ng mga kontraktor na alaga ni Mike Arroyo ang mga kontrata. Siyempre malaki ang kumisyon niya kapalit ng pagkuha mo ng kontrata.
Photos taken after the mass last Thursday at La Salle Greenhills:
1. Jun with wife Violet and son
2. With supporters, Juana change and Dante Madriaga
3. Jun with sisters Oye, Carmen and friend Pong Querubin
by VERA Files
One year after he survived abduction by a team led by an officer of the Philippine National Police, the tables are turned on Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, one of the star witnesses in the aborted $329.5 million national broadband project with the Chinese firm, ZTE Corp.
Lozada is in danger of going to jail for the charges of perjury and graft filed against him by persons involved in his Feb. 5, 2008 abduction upon his arrival from Hongkong after he tried avoiding to testify before the Senate investigation on the reported overpriced telecommunication project.
He is embroiled in a theft case filed by a woman he swore he never met in his whole life.
Tomorrow, friends and supporters of Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, one of the star witnesses in the $329.5 million aborted telecommunications deal with China’s ZTE Corp, will trace his harrowing experience with the minions of Gloria Arroyo on Feb. 5, 2008.
There will be a mass at the La Salle Greenhills chapel at 7 p.m.
I sent Lozada questions on his thoughts today and here are his answers:
Q:One year after, you are still living under the protective custody of La Salle brothers and the nuns. Do you regret exposing the NBN/ZTE anomaly? If you can turn back the clock, would you do the same?
Lozada: One year after of exile in our own country under the protective custody of the Christian Brothers of La Salle and the AMRSP, I am still convinced that I did the right thing of exposing to the Filipino people the magnitude and the involvement of GMA, FG and their minions in the large scale corruption that is plundering our nation into poverty.
Update on the hearing this afternoon. Judge Zenaida Laguilles was absent. “Emergency,” the staff said.
Mike Arroyo and his lawyer, Ruy Rondain, were also absent.
We were just curious why Arroyo and Rondain knew that the judge would be absent due to “emergency” while Atty Roque was not informed about it.
Related report on Mike Arroyo:
Mike Arroyo is expected to be at the Makati RTC, branch 143, tomorrow, Feb. 4 at 2 pm in connection with the class suit filed by journalists he had sued for libel.
More on this in the comments section.
by Aries Rufo
Newsbreak/ABS-CBN.com
It was a rude baptism of fire for the Japanese contractor. Right before him, “(They) first discussed bribes. They had a rough approach.” From that meeting, it was impressed on him that “(bribe) money was important to do business in the Philippines.”
This was how the Japanese contractor described his meeting with First Gentleman Miguel “Mike” Arroyo and a former senator to World Bank investigators who looked into alleged collusion and rigging in the Bank’s funded road projects.
Sabi ni Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita welcome na welcome daw ang sino na mag- file ng class suit sa kanila tungkol sa kanilang plano na gagamitin ang P12.5 bilyon na pera ng Social Security System sa P100 bilyon na economic stimulus ng pamahalaan ni Gloria Arroyo.
Ang tapang talaga ng apog nitong mga bata ni Gloria Arroyo. Paano kasi mana sa amo.
Marami kasi ang uma-alma, kasama na si Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, sa plano ni Arroyo na gamitin ang pera ng SSS para pangsalba sa problema ni Arroyo sa ekonomiya dahil and pera ng SSS ay hindi pera ng gobierno. Private funds yan. Pera ng nagta-trabaho sa pribadong kumpanya.
President Arroyo is making a quick visit to the United States on Wednesday, catching by surprise even Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo.
Based on Arroyo’s original schedule, she should have left Milan, Italy last night (Manila time) for Saudi Arabia. She was expected in Bahrain Wednesday for an official visit.
A naughty mind in the Palace said maybe the President is still angling for a meeting, even if by chance, with US President Barack Obama.
by Evangeline de Vera
Malaya
The Court of Appeals yesterday affirmed the legality of the continued detention of the so-called Alabang Boys despite a prosecution panel’s recommendation to dismiss the drug charges filed against them.
In denying the petition for habeas corpus of Richard Brodett, Joseph Tecson and Jorge Joseph, the CA said preliminary investigations of the Department of Justice have not been concluded, citing the requirement that the recommendation be approved by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez.
The three remain in the custody of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency which caught them in buy-bust operations in Quezon City and Muntinlupa in September last year.
Brad Pitt and Angelina arrived in Japan yesterday with the whole family. Click here for more photos (40) http://www.popsugar.com/2741617?carousel=1
This is a story of my friend. She is so traumatized by her encounter with a bully from the Presidential Security Group that she asked me not to mention her name. For this article, I’ll call her “Gabby”.
Gabby works in an advertising agency in Makati. Last Jan. 23, a Saturday, she was driving home from Tagaytay around 8 p.m. Gabby was extra careful with her driving because there were a number of road repair works on the South Luzon Expressway.
She had passed the Sta. Rosa exit when she noticed from her rear view mirror a convoy led by motorcycle escorts. She was still figuring out where she would place herself (since it was a danger zone with constructions signs all over the place) when she was suddenly bumped by the convoy’s motorcycle escort. She took the service lane to give way to the convoy. At that time she didn’t know who was the all-important person it was protecting.