E·N·Q·U·I·R·Y
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
Abandoned
Sunday, 01 26, 2003
Executive Secretary Bert Romulo may be off the hook on the Impsa Scam, after his claim of total ignorance about the legal opinion rendered when he was Finance secretary, but he may have put former Justice Secretary Nani Perez in deeper trouble. If Romulo, who should have been, in the logical course as Finance secretary, the official to request a legal opinion but who now claims he never did, why then did Perez proceed to issue his opinion with that controversial intercalation, sanctioning a direct government guarantee? More damning against Perez is Romulo’s insistence that Perez should explain why he issued the legal opinion that gave financial closure to the transaction.
Would anyone believe that Perez did everything on his own? It is not believable that a contract of such magnitude would be concluded so fast without anyone equal to or higher in rank than Perez sanctioning the transaction.
Perez appears to have been abandoned, left to fend for himself. His resignation was accepted, assured probably beforehand that he would be protected, or at least the justice machinery would go easy on him. But with the Romulo denial which now puts the blame squarely on Perez, the former Justice chief must now be ruing his agreement to quit the Cabinet and not get any protection in return. Perez can still come out to tell the whole truth, i.e., exactly who was involved, how much was given in exchange for the intercalation, etc.. He is much too smart to accept the blame, alone; something has got to give. While the John Osmeña-led committee at the Senate continues with its probe, Perez must come forward, before his testimony is rendered useless by the declarations of others. Perez should make a clean breast of everything, and finally confirm the belief in everybody’s mind: That he did not do it and benefit from it alone.
Edgardo Manda must be a lonely president of a foundation whose finances are suspect. He has suddenly become forgetful about the millions that passed through the Lualhati Foundation. The foundation of which he is the chief operating officer has an account in a bank near the LTA building where it holds office, but Manda denies that his foundation has an account there. He previously admitted that millions were donated by Mark Jimenez to the foundation, but in a sudden change of mind claimed that it was never the recipient of Jimenez’s beneficence. Confronted with his prior inconsistent statements, Manda could only give a lame excuse – that he has forgotten a lot of things mainly because of stress. Hardly the acceptable reason for a man not yet 50 to forget so important a matter.
And now, Manda faces graft charges filed by the PAGC, arising from his alleged role in the Piatco mess. Although the Piatco and the foundation scams appear to be a ploy to rein in Manda, and keep him to tell only their side of what they claim to be the truth behind the funds of the foundation.
In any case, Manda appears to be another fall guy, and he’d better come out clean before the John O. committee at the Senate forces him to make the correct admission. Manda, like Perez, must be ruing his loyalty that is not being reciprocated. Abandoned again.
Abandonment, synonymous with betrayal, appears to be the rule of thumb for now. You get dumped when you are no longer of any use; or, you are assured of protection in return for your avowal to keep quiet, but you get charged anyway.
Perez and Manda do not know what hit them.
Nobody lands in jail for coming up with a legal opinion that defies the law; but anyone who comes up with a skewed legal opinion for millions of reasons stares at many years of incarceration. That is probably what Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong meant when he answered a question related to the legal opinion (and its controversial intercalation) prepared by his predecessor. Datumanong would never agree to be a willing apologist for anyone, and betray his commitment to serve as Justice secretary for all, who will administer justice without fear or favor. It serves no purpose to put malice in his answer, except for the politician out to gain media mileage, because it is always good copy for any politician to put malice in somebody else’s mouth, on a raging scandal.
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Revenue measures originate from the House of Representatives. It was, therefore, wrong for the movie stars who invaded the Senate last week to put the blame on Sen. Ralph Recto for the delayed action on the VAT bill. Recto, who is married to a movie star, was being accused of abandoning the cause of his wife and the industry she represents. The VAT bill is still in the House, in the committee of Rep. Jules Ledesma. Until such time as the House version is referred to the Senate, there is nothing that the latter chamber can do. One pundit remarked that the VAT bill is going to be substituted with a bill entitled as “An Act to Strengthen a Sustainable National Tax Administration.” Figure that out. It explains the delay at the House.
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