Change Politicians

Kris-Crossing Mindanao : Am I asking for the moon?

Antonio Montalvan II
Inquirer News Service

I WANT not just the political system changed. I want the politicians changed as well.

I want a system free from the greed of our country's ruling elite. I cannot entrust my future to politicians who are so full of themselves with their moronic tantrums.

Could I entrust my future to a Jinggoy Estrada or a Loi Ejercito? Or to a Lito Lapid? Or to a Tootsie Guingona, freshly harvested from his family orchard of balimbings yet already behaving like a trapo? It is perhaps true: Con-Ass is, pardon the language, only for pompous asses.

Would I want my future mapped out by an Imee Marcos? God forbid, the Filipinos forgetting the accountability of the Marcoses. The war for accountability can never be waged through sheer hypocrisy.

I want a system where all the Imelda Marcoses, all the Erap Estradas, all the cheaters and stealers found guilty of making their own "Hello Garci" calls (and there are many) go to jail. For it is important for us to live under a society that recognizes what is right and what is wrong. That is a fundamental virtue that should not be selective and applicable only to a few scapegoats and political pet peeves. Enough with the tomfoolery!

I want a system of genuine nationalists, not of blabbering nationalists whose unprincipled and changing alliances go by the shifting sands of Philippine politics, never mind if they make strange bedfellows. Having dud nationalists is the last thing we need.

I want a system insulated for all times from these harbingers of idiocy-our present crop of leaders, national, local and whatever. I do not want to see their wives, husbands, children, brothers, sisters, cousins and in-laws play "merry go-round" with the sacred elective positions in our government, as though we, voters, were the most gullible fools of this earth. Dynasts you all are, no matter how many times you deny it to death.

I want a system where the poor do not vote according to the wishes of the highest bidder. For here we have a system of politicians whose words grandiloquently proclaim noble political visions and goals but whose ways and interests are very much like those of the dark underworld. Exploitation of the poor is one of the gravest sins of our politicians, who are now destined for Hades.

I want a system free forever from local mayors and governors who behave like monarchs, potentates and egomaniacs as they treat local government units as their personal rubber stamps. I want local leaders who sit for only one term and, together with all their relatives, prohibited forever from running for any office anywhere, anytime. Why, they are no gods! I am certain our lives will be better without them.

I want a political system where major decisions come down not from an ivory tower in Manila but take into account the angst and yearnings of faceless ordinary Filipinos even in the remotest countryside. I do not want to submit papers to a bureaucrat who is based in Manila and who does not understand my wholeness and my being.

I want a system that puts food on the family tables of our languishing poor who number in the millions, not a system that is mired in the silly gridlocks of senseless political grandstanding and debate.

I want a system where the rich resources of Mindanao go to Mindanao's marginalized people, not to the coffers of an uncaring Manila that thinks all talk of Mindanao secession is just an empty threat. I dream of a Mindanao that is not a victim of a juvenile and trigger-happy mind disposed to fire guns and explode bombs as a strategy for silencing opposition.

I want a system where the Philippines stands proud as a sovereign among sovereigns, not a puppet republic in an archaic world dichotomy prescribed by a self-appointed global policeman. I want a system with the chutzpah to take up the cudgels for the Aung San Suu Kyis of this world.

Am I making impossible demands? I think not. A Charter change for federalism would be good. Jose "Pepe" Abueva is correct: Mindanao is the cradle of the federalist movement. Come to think of it, power is a commodity that is most effective only when it is near. In this sense, Charter change that includes federalism will have my awe and my reverence.

This is precisely why I cannot entrust Charter change and my future to congressmen and senators and all the purveyors of political patronage, who have only discredited themselves and have long been on the road to self-destruction; and it is definitely not the road less traveled.

What bliss it would be to have them all impeached!

Women's Champ

At Large : Raul and 'Lola Afric'

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

THEY called him an "honorary woman," and true to his nature and his advocacy, former Sen. Raul Roco didn't seem to mind it at all, and in fact basked in this appellation.

He may have received the "title" for drafting and successfully pursuing the passage of the "Women in Nation building Act," which laid to rest several gender-based biases in our laws. But even before this and long after it, Roco was a champion of women's rights and equality before the law. I remember the years when the progressive anti-rape bill was going through an excruciating deliberation in Congress; Roco provided valuable advice on ways to "tweak" the draft law and avoid possible pitfalls in the language of the legislation, as well as how to win more advocates. Actually, we couldn't have expected any less from the husband of Sonia Malasarte Roco, herself a feminist, women's rights advocate and educator. For if there was anything truly admirable in their marriage, it was Raul and Sonia's partnership, their mutually supporting each other in their pursuit of each one's causes and dreams.

There could not have been a bigger dream than that of the presidency, which Raul pursued twice, with Sonia proving herself his most ardent supporter. In his first attempt, he did better than most had expected, scoring impressive gains among the youth and demonstrating a solid hold on the loyalty of Bicolanos. But in his second stab at the presidency, despite early impressive showings in the polls and high credibility ratings, his campaign seemed to stumble and stall, crashing inexorably when he left the campaign shortly before the elections on reasons of health.

* * *

RAUL Roco may have been "the best president the country never had," as the Inquirer cleverly, and quite touchingly, put it. But his failure to make it to Malacañang should not detract from a proper appreciation of his role in our political life. From his stint as chief of staff of the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino to his participation in the anti-dictatorship movement and his career as a legislator, Roco proved his commitment to democracy and his enduring belief in the power of the law to right inequalities and address social problems.

Here's to Raul Roco, then. Here's to an "honorary woman" whose championship of women's causes and feminist ideals proved even more solid than those of some "real" women in positions of leadership. Here's to a man of amiability and generosity, despite reports of his having a temper. Here's to a loving husband and father and a doting grandfather. We may never know how the country would have fared under a Roco presidency, but we do know that the country has lost a good man.

* * *

IN 1973, widowed suddenly after her husband, architect Jose Reynoso, succumbed to a heart attack, Africa Valdes Reynoso went into partnership with Hans Sy, son of tycoon Henry Sy, and opened "Sizzling Plate" in the food court of SM Makati.

Though she ran a successful eatery in the pioneering Valleson department store in Escolta shortly after World War II, "Lola Afric" was, at the age of 56, a relative newbie, having spent the previous 20 years as a full-time housewife, looking after her and Joe's nine children. But, her entrepreneurial instincts "unleashed," Lola Afric proved a formidable competitor. She rounded up her household help, dressed them in "civilian" wear and had them crowd in front of the "Sizzling Plate" stall, pretending to point to items on the menu board. In no time, curious diners were lining up along with the house help, launching "Sizzling Plate" as one of the most successful tenants of the SM chain of malls.

As the first enterprise to popularize steaks, which before had been enjoyed only by the moneyed few, as well as to serve the steaks in cast-iron "sizzling" plates, "Sizzling Plate" could be said to have democratized fine cuisine for Filipinos. Lola Afric's domain has since expanded to other eateries, from the "Sizzling Plate" restaurants in Baguio (owned by daughter Edna and her husband Mike Anton), and those in Legazpi City (owned by son Tito; "Steak Escape" (jointly owned by daughter Cecille and grandson Emilio); "Steak Break," a successful chain of "low-end, masa" versions of the steak stalls (owned by daughter Mia Laws); to "Pinoy Toppings" (owned by grandson Mike Anton); and "Steaks and Toppings" outlets of Mike's brother Carlos.

* * *

THE "REYNOSO FLAIR" for good food and cuisine, which her children all attribute to Lola Afric, is likewise expressed in the work of three daughters: the eldest child Leni Reynoso Araullo who commutes from Los Angeles to Manila for regular teaching stints on cake-decorating and sausage-making; Sylvia Reynoso Gala, a well-known cooking instructor, writer and TV chef; and Lorrie, a chef-instructor at the Art Institute of New York who has trained so many chefs in New York's fine-dining establishments that she can book seats at even the most exclusive places at a moment's notice.

To celebrate Lola Afric's 88th birth anniversary, her children, with the indefatigable Edna at the lead, launched last Friday a book, "The Reynoso Flair: 80 Years of Lola Afric's Cooking," which documents, through family stories as well as recipes of Lola's specialties, her life-long affair with food.

At that rambunctious affair, generations of Valdeses and Reynosos, as well as friends from Baguio and Manila, including the book's creative team headed by writer-editor Babeth Lolarga, mingled for book-signing and recollecting.

At the center of it all was Lola Afric, elegant in a piña gown, silently basking in the attention of a clan that has come to love her, not just for her cooking but most of all for the generosity of spirit that animates their family.

Half-Truth

Right time to do what is right

Inquirer News Service

I AM writing as a wife and a mother. It would be very easy to just concern myself with taking care of my husband and my two young children. But I feel I have a responsibility not just to my family but to my country as well.

I feel that there is something that I have to ask the Catholic Church. As you well know, our country is in a political crisis. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has admitted an indiscretion and wishes to close the chapter on the "Hello, Garci" tapes. But how can we close this chapter when the whole truth has yet to come out? The President says all Filipinos are equal under the law and yet her continued occupancy of Malacañang betrays that assertion.

Forgive my bias, but I don't think the President appointed Virgilio Garcillano for his integrity. How can we give the commissioner the benefit of the doubt when he cannot even face the Filipino people? We can have our different interpretations of the conversations between him and the President, but one thing is all too clear: the Palace attempted a cover-up. And President Arroyo must take full responsibility for this betrayal of public trust.

I am writing this letter in the hope that the Church will press for the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

If you would allow me to quote Martin Luther King Jr: "The time is always right to do what is right." And with all due respect, I can think of nothing worse than knowing what is right and not doing anything about it.

I trust that the Church will do what it ought to and the time is now.

DANIELLE S. LIZARES, 30 Mercury St., Bel-Air, Makati City

Mercado's Column

Viewpoint : Taxicab tutorial

Juan Mercado
Inquirer News Service

WHAT has a taxi driver, barreling through traffic gridlock, got to do with today's crisis and Mark Twain?

"Our 'mga (expletive deleted) ina' leaders made us believe it's better to have Filipinos, even if they'd run government like hell," he said while cutting lanes. I braced for a crash. "We got what they wanted."

"Life here is rough," he continued while braking behind a scavenger's cart. I let my breath out slowly. "But Filipinos with foreign spouses must be embarrassed over what's happening here. 'Nakakahiya.' [It's shameful.] We were better off under the Americans."

"Mark Twain wouldn't agree," I mumbled. "Mark who?" he asked.

This American humorist, I explained, dismissed Washington's decision to take over the Philippines as a laughable status symbol. The May 10, 1907 issue of the Baltimore Sun's interview with Twain had this:

"The funniest thing was when at the close of the Spanish-American War the United States paid poor decrepit old Spain $20 million for the Philippines. It was just a case of this country buying its way into good society.

"Honestly, when I read in the papers that this deal had been made, I laughed until my sides ached.

"There were the Filipinos fighting like blazes for their liberty. Spain would not hear of it. The United States stepped in, and after they had licked the enemy to a standstill, instead of freeing the Filipinos, they paid that enormous amount for an island which is of no earthly account to us.

"(We) just wanted to be like the aristocratic countries of Europe which have possessions in foreign waters. The United States wanted to be in the swim, and it, too, had to branch out, like an American heiress buying a Duke or an Earl. Sounds well, but that's all."

What's-his-name got it right about our fighting for freedom, the cabbie persisted. "The Guinness Book of World Records says Andres Bonifacio was the first Asian to successfully challenge foreign colonizers."

"There's nothing about Bonifacio in the Guinness Book of World Records 2005," I said. A fixture in Guinness' "Crime" section in the 1990s, the Marcoses were dislodged since the 2000 edition. That triggered a philippic on how Marcos ripped off Japanese war reparations. But that was when we arrived and I dropped off.

This cab-ride tutorial was stripped of administration spin and untainted by opposition bile. Was it a state of the nation message from "below"?

He reflected our stunted national self-esteem. Like most Filipinos, he went through the economic wringer daily. The $60-a-barrel oil hits cabbies first.

And he saw clearly that massive impoverishment occurs as so-called "leaders" gambol in ill-gotten luxury, blind to the misery, cocksure there'll be no accounting.

None of those who tortured under martial law were ever tried. Coconut farmers haven't received refunds from the coconut levy, imposed by the dictatorship, over two decades ago.

"There's a widespread impression that the most pervasive rot today is massive corruption," Cebu Daily News said in an editorial, titled "Crime pays."

"It is not so," the paper says. "Rather, it's the miasma of cynical impunity that corrodes democratic governance. Daily experience tells us the law is skewed in favor of the affluent and vests them with impunity. Thus, the list of those who thumb their noses at the law is long."

What aggravates this impunity is the fact that, in our lives and institutions, far too many work by "pecuniary decency." Cash is the sole yardstick of value. "Self worth equals net worth," a banker explains.

What is decent and human is overwhelmed by appetites, not shaped by "values that endure even after the sun goes out." We saw that in Joseph Estrada's second envelope, those Mega-Pacific election computers or the "Garci" tapes. This results in an economy where the powerful batten off on the weak.

But context is not destiny. Repeated betrayal of the poor is not inevitable. Change is needed. Governance must be overhauled so that the basic human needs of the poor command first priority. Measures that reinforce skills should replace doles. Our scarce resources must broaden options for people, like our cab driver.

"There has never been this number of poor people in the Philippines," Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales said. He'd just visited a Maricaban hovel, where squatter families huddled. "It was broad daylight outside," the Inquirer reported. But inside the hovel, it was "as though night had fallen."

That image of darkness resonates. Fridays I'd drive the wife and friends to the pediatric charity ward in a run-down public hospital to bring medicines, etc. Once, we came across an almost totally blind girl, singing softly a lullaby to herself. She was all of five -- too young to sing of "old unhappy far-off things / And battles long ago."

Her left eye was gone, the emaciated mother explained. Early treatment could have saved the right. But they never could scrape up enough loose change for the jeepney fare to the hospital. Now, she faced a prospect of night falling, "even if it was broad daylight outside."

The cab driver, Maricaban hovel dwellers and the girl of the lullaby "do not belong to another race of creatures, bound on other journeys," as Charles Dickens wrote. "We are fellow passengers to the grave."

They deserve far better than Estrada who offers himself as alternative head of government, Senators Franklin Drilon and Mar Roxas sprinting for president, and below the radar screen, Eduardo Cojuangco and his Brat Pack positioning for a grab, at a prime minister's post, should that appear.

"These are all honest men," the bitter Spanish proverb says. "But my cloak is not to be found."

Tan's Column

Pinoy Kasi : Kindness of history?

Michael Tan opinion@inquirer.com.ph
Inquirer News Service

WAS Ferdinand Marcos the best president we've ever had in recent history?

Seems so, based on Pulse Asia's July 2005 "Ulat ng Bayan" [Report of the Nation] national survey which asked people to rate recent presidents. Marcos romped away with a median rating of 7, compared to 6 for Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took a 4.

I wish I had more information on the research instruments themselves, such as the questions used, and how people actually rated the presidents on each of several criteria. Nevertheless, the findings were enough to get me alarmed.

Marcos era

Time, we are told, is like a medicinal balm that heals wounds. Put another way, history tends to be kind. And yes, it's been almost 20 years since Marcos was stormed out of Malacañang. But that still seems a terribly short time to forget the thousands of political prisoners, the tortured, the disappeared and the way the nation's coffers were plundered.

Maybe the mass media's focus has been banal -- Imelda's shoes and parties, for example -- so that now we tend to be more benign as we look back. Maybe, too, we're in collective denial about the Marcos era.

We tend to refer to that era simply as "martial law," yet our problems started when Marcos first came to office in 1965. Conrado de Quiros' "Dead Aim" is the best chronicle yet of the Marcos era, pointing out how Marcos was driven by ambition, and a cunning ability to read the public's pulse ... even without public opinion surveys.

He capitalized on our aspirations and our fears to keep himself in power, using democratic institutions and constitutional processes to his advantage. We forget that only nine years of the Marcos era (1972 to 1981) was technically under martial law. Much of his rule was "constitutional": from 1965 to 1972 as a duly elected president, and from 1981 to 1986 after he "lifted" martial law. Ever conscious of how history might judge him, he was always trying to legitimize himself with constitutional conventions, elections, the imposition and lifting of martial law.

We have to remember all his machinations, including the invoking of "due process," if we are to understand the dangers of complacency that come about today, where democratic institutions, however fragile, still prevail.

Totalitarian temptation

Marcos won Filipinos' hearts with promises of firm leadership. People were willing to give him a chance when he declared martial law and, although that experiment was disastrous, we tend to blame the failure on Imelda, or his cronies.

These days, we are again being seduced by offers of strong leadership. Ms Arroyo tried with her "strong republic" rhetoric but the rhetoric lingers only on "Matatag na Republika" [Strong Republic] emblazoned on our license plates (a parody, when you think of how our motor vehicles so represent the disdain Filipinos have for the laws and law enforcers of that "strong republic").

The Pulse Asia surveys show Ping Lacson leading in the National Capital Region among those who Filipinos think should replace Ms Arroyo. Nationwide, he was third, after Noli de Castro and Joseph Estrada. We know Lacson's appeal: If he ever became president, the Department of Public Works and Highways would spend most of its time building more jails, than schools, hospitals or highways.

But therein lies the paradox of totalitarianism, one that Marcos was well aware of: precisely because people yearn so much for democracy, we often end up believing democracy is best served through authoritarianism. As democratic institutions falter, as noise levels of discontent and dissent rise, we complain about "democrazy" and yearn for the fictitious peace and order that comes with kings (or in our case, datus and sultans) and dictators.

Bodies politic

As the country's body politic is slowly being torn apart, it is not surprising that Ms Arroyo's advisers have seen another political opportunity, this time in a literal body, to "heal" the nation. Perhaps reading the Pulse Asia findings and the high ratings for Marcos, Ms Arroyo is now courting the Marcos family (currently identified with the anti-Arroyo forces) by offering to have Ferdinand Marcos' remains transferred to the Libingan ng Mga Bayani [Cemetery of Heroes]. It's a battle the Marcos family has been fighting for years, with Joseph Estrada almost acceding, except that there was a massive public outcry protesting the proposal.

This time around, there's not just silence from protesters but more voices saying let bygones be bygones. Yet, I would argue this is an even worse time to have him buried there. If we feel uneasy about the Marcoses and Marcos cronies surrounding Susan Roces and the opposition, we should be even more concerned about the unholiest of unholiest alliances that could be built up via Ms Arroyo and the Marcoses as they feed into each other's delusions of grandeur.

In recent weeks, we've seen how totally clueless Ms Arroyo is when it comes to public relations. Her speeches, her press conferences have to be scripted and pre-taped and despite all precautions, she still falls flat. Her advisers know this all too well and how a grand Marcos burial would serve her well. But if that ever comes about, the Libingan ceremonies would be doubly blasphemous, not just a canonization of Marcos as national hero but also his ghost resurrected to anoint Ms Arroyo as his spiritual successor.

In all these events, I wonder if we are seeing the kindness of history, or the kindness of historians. Are our historians perhaps remiss in chronicling the past? Should it be surprising that we then suffer national amnesia, and are therefore unable to see through the replays of history, the deceptions of politicians, the quagmire of authoritarianism?

Historical memories aren't built by historians alone. I've mentioned "Dead Aim" as an important source book for building our historical memory. I'd recommend, too, a conference report published by the Ateneo de Manila University, "Memory, Truth-telling and the Pursuit of Justice," which brought together scholars from different disciplines to look back at the dictatorship.

But books are books, and in a country that reads so little, the burden of memory-keeping and truth-telling falls the on mass media, and on families and schools. Let us not forget most of our students today were born after the Marcos era.

De Quiros' book is subtitled "How Marcos Ambushed Philippine Democracy." With little or no historical memory, my nightmare is that perhaps we are walking right into another ambush. Mind you, I have a strong suspicion that Ms Arroyo isn't doing the ambushing, or even directing it. I'm afraid that, overwhelmed by desperate pride, she is walking right into it as well, taking the nation with her. That will be another story for historians to tell, and to judge.

Jimenez-David's Column

At Large : Moral disgust

Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service

"MORAL disgust" is how many describe their sentiments these days, a conviction that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated her way to the presidency as indicated in the "Hello, Garci" tapes, and dismay, disappointment and even anger that she seems to be getting away with it.

Even as pressure builds to shame President Arroyo into voluntarily resigning, she has shown every sign of staying on, from turning the nation's attention away from the "tale of the tapes" to Charter change, from proclaiming her willingness to have her day in court through an impeachment even as her allies in Congress take every step to derail the impeachment motion.

Perhaps the President's confidence has to do with the lack of focus of all the groups and movements calling for her ouster. A motley collection of the "usual suspects" -- Joseph Estrada supporters, failed candidates, leftist groups, and liberal clergy -- joined by deserters from among her support group, including former Cabinet members and NGO sympathizers, the anti-Arroyo movement has found it difficult not just to mount united protests but even to propose a credible post-Arroyo scenario. As a friend put it: "We have no alternatives, no Plan B, no taste for the rabble-rousing opposition, no inclination to heroics, and no antidote to exhaustion."

What seems clear at this point is that doing more of the same, more of the tried and true forms of protest dating back to pre-martial law days, even, will no longer work. Some new, creative form of distilling the moral disgust in the air and giving expression to it has to be devised. As another friend put it: this new expression of public indignation "must take a different form from marching in the street or signing a petition or issuing a statement because people recoil from doing anything political when they feel particularly morally affronted."

* * *

WHATEVER "new" trigger or precipitating event emerges, it doesn't look like it will be coming from the ongoing hearings on the illegal lottery "jueteng" or the "Gloriagate" tapes. This despite the surfacing of a new witness who puts the President personally present during the distribution to Commission on Elections (Comelec) officials of bribes solicited from jueteng lords. Talk about joining the issues!

I don't usually agree with the President's political adviser Gabby Claudio, but I think what he says about Michaelangelo Zuce, a relatively minor Malacañang functionary, bears considering. How could Zuce, who worked in the office of Joey Rufino, a liaison officer for political affairs, have enjoyed such trust that he would be allowed to join the very few people at the President's personal residence in La Vista? Especially since President Arroyo not only met with Comelec officials, which would be fishy in itself, but also stood by while they received millions of pesos in bribes?

It seems particularly brazen of the President, and careless, too, which she certainly is not. Why would she need to be present at such an occasion, after all? And why hold the payoff in her family home, which would tie her to the bribery even if she weren't present?

Though the Senate is giving Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz one last shot at presenting witnesses on the jueteng racket, my feeling is that the public has already turned off on the hearings by now. From what I gather, the public seems to believe there's nothing really new or spectacularly scandalous about the revelations so far, with administration supporters successfully boring holes through the more sensational allegations.

* * *

TALK about amending the Constitution for now centers on the proposed shifts in form of government: from presidential bicameral to parliamentary unicameral; and the adoption of a federal system, that is, dissipating the power of the executive at the national center by granting more decision-making power and control over local resources to state or regional governments.

But there's nothing to prevent the opening of other provisions or sections of the Charter to changes or amendments, especially if Congress simply meets as a constituent assembly. This is because the public would no longer have a chance to decide what areas they want to be amended by voting for delegates to sit in a constitutional convention, granted that all candidates would present a menu of Charter changes they would undertake.

It's possible that some new features introduced in the 1987 Constitution, such as the "people power" provisions on recall and oversight, or the more stringent requirements for the declaration of martial law, could be overturned. And certainly, we can expect debate on such controversial items as the so-called "right to life" provision granting state protection to the "unborn" or even the provision granting women and men "equality before the law."

* * *

ON THE LATTER, we need to keep a close watch on the drafting of the Iraqi constitution, which is expected to wrap up by Aug. 15. Iraqi women's groups are organizing themselves to counter attempts by religious conservatives to impose Islamic laws on the country's once-secular legal system. Some 200 women have already marched on Baghdad's streets precisely to prevent this from happening.

Iraqi women are particularly alarmed by proposals to adopt Sharia law as the civil code applied to Muslim families. Under Sharia law, for instance, a woman who files charges of rape must be able to produce a male witness in her favor, or else face the possibility of being convicted of adultery herself.

Though religious parties have tried to placate the women's fears, the women are not reassured any by the statement of one prominent cleric that while Islam respects the right of women, women must content themselves with "limited equality" under Islamic rules.

Gloriagate Blogs

Posted by Alecks Pabico
PCIJ

LET a thousand (journalist) blogs bloom.

No doubt about it, the current political crisis rocking the Arroyo administration has made blogging, for all its unmediated, instantaneous and personal nature, an attractive reporting medium for Filipino journalists. Of course, the case for blogging journalists has already been made by the likes of Manuel L. Quezon III, Jove Francisco (By Jove!), Chin Wong ( Digital Life), Erwin Oliva (cyberbaguioboy), to name a few, even before we at the PCIJ started venturing into the blogosphere ourselves.

Recent welcome additions to the journalist blogging community are GMA Network's Howie Severino (Side Trip with Howie Severino), who has a blog on blogs today, and Philippine Daily Inquirer's editorialist John Nery (Newsstand). Much earlier, we also saw GMA reporters coming out with blogs of their own — Tina Panganiban-Perez ( crimson page) and Joseph Morong (Essays and Other Lullabies). The media network is said to be encouraging its reporters to go into blogging.

Another journalist has also been blogging anonymously since May at The Early Edition.

While the mainstream media based in Metro Manila seem slow in grasping the potential of blogging as an important addition to the journalistic toolkit, interesting developments have happened elsewhere. In Cebu, Sun.Star has spiced up its coverage of "Gloriagate" by launching the Citizen Watch: The Arroyo Presidency blog. There's also dyAB, the first radio station (as far as I know) that is complementing all its programs with blogs ( dyAB Abante Bisaya). 

Gloria's Fighting Words

(Text of Pres. Arroyo's Nationwide TV/Radio Address on July 7, 2005)

 

Mga Minamahal kong kababayan.

When I was young and my late father Diosdado Macapagal was president of our country, I thought of him as the "good guy" and his political opponents on the other side were the "bad guys".

Because of my father's influence, I had always thought of myself as on the side of the good. Thus, it is very painful for me to know that among many of our countrymen today, I have been demonized as the "bad guy." This is unfair, but it is a cross that God in His wisdom has given me to bear, so I will bear it. I have never questioned God's ways before, and I will not do so now.

When I first entered politics in 1992, little did I know that within a decade, I would become president of our country. And little did I expect that within another five years, there would be calls from civil society for my resignation from office or for the formation of a "Truth Commission" regarding some of my political actuations.

When I spoke before the nation some two weeks ago, I did so against the advice of my legal counsel. But I thought that speaking before you, the Filipino people, was the right thing to do. Shameless people have peddled the lie that I confessed to cheating. What I disclosed was that I talked to an election official. But that this had taken place after the certificates of canvas had already been used to proclaim the winning senators, and it was those same certificates of canvass that showed that I won by around a million votes. That is the truth.

Indeed, it is right for our country to confront the truth, but if we do so, let's confront the biggest, most painful political truth. The big truth that we are aware of deep in our hearts, but that we collectively sweep under the rug. The big truth whose debilitating effects on our country, year after year, decade after decade, have developed into feelings of disgust, hopelessness and even despair among large segments of our society.

The truth that I discovered from my beginnings as a neophyte politician in 1992, rising to become a veteran politician through the years, is this: over the years, our political system has degenerated to such an extent that it is very difficult to live within the system with hands totally untainted. That is the truth. In addition, our system has degenerated to such an extent that more often than not, it is political agenda first, and national interest last. For example, we have endless investigations and scandals in aid of political and media projection, rather than in aid of legislation or executive action. That is the truth. Because of this system of politics, our country has been left behind by other countries in the region, and our best and brightest, the cream of our youth, are voting with their feet to leave the country. That is the truth.

I do not blame any individual or political block for this sad state of affairs. It is simply the truth that the political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change. We are collectively to blame, so we must collectively be the solution. Let he who is without sin, cast the stone. To those who feel that they cannot cast the first stone, I invite you to help in the solution.

My proposed approach to reform our system of politics and governance is something that I had wanted to bring forth during the upcoming state of the nation address. However, because our country is hungry for a resolution to the political uncertainties that have plagued us these past few weeks, I will bring it up now.

First of all, I am not resigning my office. To do so under circumstances that connote an EDSA 3 would condemn any successor to the possibility of an EDSA 4, then an EDSA 5, and so on, unless our political system were first reformed to make it more responsive to the people's will, such that changes in leadership come about in an orderly and stable manner.

The world embraced EDSA 1 in 1986. The world tolerated EDSA 2 in 2001. The world will not forgive an EDSA 3 in 2005, but would instead condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable. And the Filipinos as among the finest people in the world, but who always shoot themselves in the foot. Under those circumstances, who would invest money in the Philippines? How would we weather the difficulties arising from the price of crude oil being at its highest in history?

What I intend to do is to work with legislators and civil groups who believe that changes in the fundamental law of the land are necessary in order to confront such basic issues as federalism, the character of our legislative process, reducing red tape in government processes, running for public office under a true party system and with less need to raise campaign funds, modernizing the economic provisions of our constitution, and so forth.

At the same time, I will restructure and strengthen the cabinet, giving it a free hand to meanwhile reform and manage our day to day governance with as little political interference as possible, even from me.

This is how we will proceed.

First, I'm asking my entire cabinet to tender their resignation in order to give the executive a free hand to reorganize itself. I'll ask our sectors to give me the names of candidates that we can invite to replace those who will not return to the cabinet, or even to help out at other levels of the executive.

Second, the cabinet will be given a free hand on governance, while I focus on the fundamental changes that we need to put in place.

Third, I will begin to reach out to the political and civil sectors that have an interest in the various advocacies that are relevant to our constitution. Federalism, for example, is an advocacy that I had espoused long ago.

This is neither political ploy nor gimmick. I believe that this process will quickly lay the foundation for deep reforms in our society, including reforms in our political way of life. This would be a legacy that our generation of politicians and citizens could collectively be proud of. I now have grand children to play with and to help bring up. Like all of you, I want our children to grow up in a better Philippines. I have prayed on this, and I hope that I have discerned God's will properly.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.

Cardinal Sin, 76

Jaime Cardinal Sin, 76
Former Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin passed away Tuesday morning after a lingering illness, DZMM reported. He was 76.
abs-cbnNEWS.com

Cardinal Sin dead at 76

Philippines' Cardinal Sin dies at 76 MSNBC  ... his death early Tuesday. "Our call to all the faithful is to include in their prayers the soul of Cardinal Sin," Sescon said.

Cardinal Jaime Sin Dies at 76 Los Angeles Times, CA  MANILA, Philippines -- Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Roman Catholic cleric who helped lead revolts that ousted two Philippine presidents, died early Tuesday.

Philippines Cardinal Sin is dead BBC News, UK  Cardinal Sin played a key role in the Philippines' transition to democracy following the lengthy dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

Cardinal Jaime Sin Dies at 76 San Francisco Chronicle, CA  Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Roman Catholic cleric who helped lead revolts that ousted two Philippine presidents, died early Tuesday. He was 76.

Hello, Garci Ring Tone Download

Here are Mp3 and wav files of the Hello Garci ring tone:

Indymedia server:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (124.1 KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (72.1 KB)

Server Mirror 1:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

Server Mirror 2:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

Server Mirror 3:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

To save, right-click on the file and click save as.

Many thanks to QC Indymedia and Yuga of PinoyBlog and Ploghost for hosting the files.

Links to the entire tape are at the PCIJ blog.

How do I put it in my phone?

1. Download your choice by clicking any or all of the files.

2. Transfer the downloaded file/s from the computer to your phone using either an infrared connection or a USB-to-phone cable.

3. For those whose phones have GPRS/WAP access, point your phone's browser to www.txtpower.org and download it directly to your phone.

4. Once transferred to your phone, the sound file may be used as ringtone for calls or text messages.

Other options

1. Ask for file-transfer from friends who may already have the ringtone. Both your phones should have either infrared or bluetooth connections.

2. Join any of the future anti-GMA rallies and look for the TXTPower banner. Next big date is June 24.

3. Watch out for the TXTPower "Hello Garci" Ringtone Download Team when they go around offices, stores and tiangges, communities and schools!

Download Garci Ring Tone From TxtPower

June 17, 2005
Here are Mp3 and wav files of the Hello Garci ring tone:

Server Mirror 1:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

Server Mirror 2:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

Server Mirror 3:
"Hello Garci" ringtone, MP3 format (360KB)
"Hello Garci" ringtone, WAV format (197KB)

To save, right-click on the file and click save as.

Many thanks to Yuga of PinoyBlog and Ploghost for hosting the files.

Links to the entire tape are at the PCIJ blog.

ABS-CBN Download

 

You can download the controversial "Gloria-Garci" tapes from ABS-CBN Archive.

Tax Cheats, Beware!

'No Compromise'
By Lala Rimando
NEWSBREAK Business Editor

 

"I WILL resign."

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima's voice was forceful, his face stern. He was responding to a question on what he would do if someone told him to go slow in his crackdown on tax cheats or if he missed his self-imposed target of filing one case every Thursday.

"If I cannot perform my function, what's the point of staying?" he told NEWSBREAK.

Last March, Purisima launched a campaign called Run After Tax Evaders (Rate), the cause of much talk nowadays. As of writing, 16 have been charged with tax evasion before the justice department. Most of those charged are from the entertainment industry.

These cases have led other individuals, especially those with a high profile and high net worth, to check their own tax filings and payments for fear of being next on the Rate's list.

It's a scare tactic that seems to be working. Last April, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) reached an all-time high collection of P62.9 billion, exceeding the target for the month by P200 million. It was 18.8 percent higher than the collection for the same period last year, the highest growth ever recorded.

Rate's creation was one of Purisima's first moves when he assumed the post early this year. One of his conditions before accepting the transfer from the trade department to the finance department was that he be given a free hand in appointing the members of the economic team, and for Malacañang to support him in everything he would do as finance chief. "[President Gloria Arroyo] and I had long discussions about this," he said. When Malacañang got him, he added, they knew he was "passionate" about improving the country's fiscal status.

One person who knows how passionate he is about this campaign is Finance Undersecretary Emmanuel Bonoan, who is Purisima's right hand at the department for the Rate campaign. They used to work together at SGV & Co., the country's top auditing firm. "He is very militant with his follow-ups—there is not one day that he does not inquire about the progress of the Rate program." Bonoan described his boss.

Bonoan designed the Rate program. He patterned its basic strategies after the Revenue Integrity Protection Service (Rips), an anti-corruption campaign that compares the assets of government officials with their declared incomes.

Implementing the Rate program is the responsibility of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Thus, Internal Revenue Commissioner Guillermo Parayno Jr. and Deputy Commissioners Kim Jacinto Henares and Licerio Evangelista are members of the Rate core team. The Rate team used to meet once a week, but lately, meetings have become more frequent as the cases attract attention—and heat.

Media Strategy

Parayno stressed that the Rate program does not imply that his bureau had not been doing its job. In fact, he said, more than 50 tax cases were filed last year, in two batches. By this he meant, these efforts were not designed to attract a lot of media attention. The BIR chief and his subordinates are realizing now that it pays to have a strategy.

While past efforts to improve tax collection were mostly the bureau's initiative, the BIR, under the Rate program, is backed by the machinery, resources, and even ideas of the finance department.

Consider how the media coverage is being managed. Bonoan's group prepared the press releases once cases were finalized by the BIR and presented to Purisima the day before they were filed with the justice department. Thus, members of the press now look forward to the tax officials' Thursday announcements on new cases filed as a source of story for the week. To prevent press releases from crowding out one another, cases under either Rips (against corrupt government officials) or Rats (against smugglers)—both complementing the Rate program—are filed every other Monday.

Purisima is in constant communication with the justice department to ensure that the tax cases get priority. He said the target is for the justice department to file the cases with the Court of Tax Appeals 60 days after the BIR turns the cases over to justice officials. Henares said: "On our level, we are pushing. On the top level, they are also pushing. It's really a team effort."

Purisima and Bonoan usually join a BIR team when it files a case with the justice department. Their presence shows the Rate campaign has political will behind it.

Clear Signals

In the past, there was little political will behind efforts to improve tax collection and efficiency. The bureau was sidetracked by internal corruption issues and moves to reform the tax structure. Besides, the BIR mindset before was to collect taxes soonest, not to put tax evaders in jail.

This time, it's totally different. "We have to change mindsets by sending a clear signal that we will enforce the law," Purisima said. Using the traffic situation for analogy, he explained: "There are 10 policemen on a street. But none of them is enforcing the law. So drivers will continue to violate [the law]. We must create an environment where people comply."

Philippine tax laws have both civil and criminal aspects. In the past, only the monetary or civil liability of most tax cases was tackled, and most of them ended in a compromise that enabled the tax cheat to pay his tax liabilities immediately or over a period of time. Sometimes, penalties and interests were even condoned just to hasten the tax collection.

Under Rate, the battle cry is "No Compromise."

Take the case of the financially embattled pre-need company College Assurance Plan (CAP), which did not remit to the BIR, and instead used for its operations, the P86 million worth of value added taxes and other taxes it had withheld from its employees. Some BIR officials felt that by filing a court case against CAP officials, they would be letting go of around P150 million in amortized payment that they could already collect from the company. But because of the Rate program, Parayno said the case should be filed.

"When people believe that they can compromise, they will do it again," Parayno said. "In fact, it will encourage others to do the same. It will spawn more people who evade taxes, knowing that if caught, they can compromise with the BIR anyway."

This time, too, the penalties will be pushed. Depending on the gravity of the offense, convicted tax cheats can be jailed for up to 10 years.

Driving It Home

The strategy of the Rate program is to make the cases something of a "personal experience" to every Filipino, or something he or she can relate to. In fact, the first criterion in filing a case is that the person to be charged should be a celebrity, or at least someone who is known among his peers. "If we [sue] somebody whom people know, they can relate and think that it can happen to them, too," said Bonoan.

Thus, while Eliseo Co is unknown to most Filipinos, he was slapped with a tax case because he is popular among his group in the markets of Divisoria. Soon, doctors in popular hospitals will be included in the Rate's list to set an example to their peers.

Another criterion for choosing a target under the Rate program is that it would be easy to establish prima facie evidence and therefore build a case—such as for non-filing of tax returns, under-declaration of at least 30 percent of total taxes due, or non-remittance of taxes withheld by a company. In short, the offense is so obvious or self-evident that it would be easy to prosecute the case.

Priority cases are those where the tax liability is at least P1 million so that these can be filed with the Court of Tax Appeals and not in the crowded regional courts.

Administration critics have pointed out that while the government has run after tax cheats, it has not aggressively pursued the tax evasion cases against people like tycoon Lucio Tan, a known campaign supporter of President Arroyo in the last elections. To this, Purisima would say: "It's important to create small victories first and build confidence." He promised that the campaign would not spare the big fish.

Not paying the right taxes is very rampant, Bonoan lamented.

"If only the 700,000 professionals and self-employed pay an additional P100,000 each, that's equivalent to P70 billion already," Purisima said.

One sticky aspect of tax collection is the fact that the tax system is largely based on self-declaration. And Rate members say that it is usually the rich or high earners who under-declare and don't pay the right taxes. Purisima said up to 60 percent of at least 600 doctors in Metro Manila had declared an income of less than P1 million each. He also noted that property and estate taxes, aside from income taxes, were not being paid properly. These will be the next on his agenda.

"Just by looking at the jewelry, fancy cars, and many houses of a person, I already know how much he should be paying," Purisima said. He used to be chairman of SGV & Co., which had an active tax division business. "We have a very small business community. It's very easy to compute how much taxes needed to be paid."

The Rate team says that they sometimes get calls from people on a fishing expedition, asking if their or their friends' names are on the list of those being investigated. Wrong move, it seems. The investigating team, headed by BIR Deputy Commissioner Evangelista, is alerted, and the caller's tax records are pulled out and scrutinized. Purisima himself makes it a point to check with the BIR the tax records of individuals in business groups who invite him for various occasions.

The Rate program is here to stay, Purisima vowed—at least while he is finance secretary. To skeptics who think that this will be another case of ningas cogon, he said: "We cannot argue with that. We just need to prove them wrong."

Alternative Arroyo Download

Posted by Alecks Pabico

PCIJ
 

THE tsunami-like surge in bandwidth usage due to the unprecedented download requests for the controversial tapes has already forced the shutdown of one of our servers and those of the mirror sites that have been generously shared to us. However, thanks again to some of our fellow bloggers' initiatives, the files can still be downloaded via the following links:

Three-Hour Tape

• BitTorent: http://mininova.org/tor/55762 (160MB)
• RapidShare:
  1. Audio Set 1 (01-11) - 48.7MB
  2. Audio Set 2 (12-20) - 45.6MB
  3. Audio Set 3 (21-29) - 46.8MB
  4. Audio Set 4 (30-33) - 20.5MB

Paguia Tape

• BitTorent: http://mininova.org/tor/55788 (31MB, including text file of transcript)
• Windows Media Video: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=12LP7M2J (with subtitles)

PCIJ Download

Posted by Alecks Pabico, PCIJ 

FINALLY, here's the tracker to the torrent file of the three-hour tape, courtesy of Yuga and MLQ3, from which you can start seeding to have your own copy. You will need a BitTorrent client installed on your PC to download the content of the torrent file. With a DSL connection, download time is roughly about two hours.

 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |

6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |

11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |

16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |

21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |

26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |

31 | 32 | 33

Kapamilya Run

Registration Centers:

• Ayala Center (beside the Activity Center)
• Aboitix Express in E-Mall
• SM City (beside the Supermarket)
• Cebu City Sports Commission (Cebu City Sports Center)
• ABS-CBN Broadcast Complex, Jagobiao, Mandaue City

The P100 registration fee entitles each runner singlets, snacks and giveaways.

 

Pulso sa DYAB Abante Bisaya ug TV Patrol Central Visayas

Too ka bang Estados Unidos maoy utok sa pagbisto sa audio recording ni Pres. Arroyo?

Please text your answer to DYAB REACT (opinion) and send to 2366.

Weather Update

Southwest monsoon prevailing over Luzon and Western Visayas.

Metro Cebu: Occasional rains, winds will be light to moderate blowing from the southwest, coastal waters will be slight to moderate, temperature range 24 to 30°C (75 to 86°F).
 

More Weather

Daily Tribune Expose'

CONVERSATIONS WITH COMELEC COMMISSIONER VIRGILIO GARCILLANO

Wednesday, 06 08, 2005

Part I

15.Conversation between Gary and Lyn 03 18:30 June'04

Gary: Hello, ipa-alala mo kay Romy meron silang reward nyan pero wag maingay kahit na isang M makuha nya. Pero kasing isa pa sana kung pwepwede pero hindi ko lang alam meron silang ikwa-kwan, yung "SMILE" din ke kwan pa naman yan, sa kaibigan dyan sa tabi. Pero yung isa sigurado na yun, yung sinabi ko. Pagkatapos nung kwan, tatanungin ko pa yung isa.

Female: Oho.

Gary: Pero unahin na nyan yung sinabi ko na. Sige, sige

16. Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male personality on 03 19:03 June'04

Gary: Hello

Man: Padre, pag nakumpleto mo, proclaim mo na kaagad, para tapos na.

Gary: Oo, naka-ready na ha.

Man: Oo sige, sige sabihin mo lang sakin kung kelan ko dadalhin.

Gary: Ngayon, ngayon hanggang bukas kailangan mayari ito.

Man: O sige, basta sabihin mo lang kung magkano.

Gary: Magkano? Xxx Sinasabi ko nang isa pero kung kwan, dadagdagan natin baka manghingi eh.

Man: Ok lang pare, kelan ko dadalhin?

Gary: Ahh.

Man: Ah hindi, malalaman ko lang bukas maaga. Syempre ipro-proclaim mo na, kung magkano sabihin mo na lang sakin. Sige, ok.

Gary: Ok.

17. Conversation between Gary and one unidentified male and Supt. Ampatua on 06 18:00 hrs. June'04

Man: Comm. Afternoon. Nasa Manila?

Gary: Nasa Manila.

Man: Andito ko sa resthouse, sa Baguio.

Gary: Pangasinan?

Man: Oo (Visayan dialect followed)

Supt. Ampatua: Good afternoon, Nagkaproblema ako, kasi at 4 o'clock dawn yesterday binaril sila. Malaki, indiscriminate firing __79 then, kinabukasan while nga yung military dalhin nila yung mga paraphernalia sa bayan, hinarang sila doon saka pinutol yung mga kahoy, hindi na maidaan. So, dumating ang mga balota sa polling place mga 1:30. So wala ang Comelec, wala. Naiwan sila Pualas, eh hindi sila pinatuloy. Hinarang talaga, nag human barricade. So ngayon, may dala akong pulis report. It's a spot report stating all these things kaya gusto magpunta sayo bukas, kasi with these things happening, there's no use scheduling it again maybe...

Gary: It will not anymore.

Supt. Ampatua: Iproclaim na natin yun son-in-law ko, then the best thing to do really, we need 33 votes. With 33, we will be spending millions, money of the people of the republic.

Gary: But how many votes, is he over with opponent?

Supt. Ampatua: Oo, 205 ang lead nya. Ang boto is only 270 so minus that lead nya, the remaining is only 65 considering na lahat mag-boto, kung 50 lang, 100 lang ang magboto, its no more needed.

Gary: O sige, sige. Ako na ang kwan.

Supt. Ampatua: What could have my money bought. We'll go there ha, we'll take the first flight hah.

...More conversation (Visayan dialect)

18.Conversation with Danny and Gary on 25 19:52 May 2004

Danny: Sir, good evening. Si Danny po ito, Sir, Tapos na po ang Cotabato City?

Gary: Hinihintay ko yung i-fax ni Vidol.

Danny: Ano kaya, nagawan ng paraan Sir?

Gary: Oo. Ang akin, sabi ko, kwarenta mahigit ang kailangan para omo-ver siya. As of this afternoon, 39.

Danny: Ang hinihintay lang po ay Cotabato City, ano po sir?

Gary: Ha?

Danny: Cotabato City na lang ang hinihintay?

Gary: Oo, pero may konti pa sa Lanao Sur.

Danny: Ah, yung anim na municipalities. Panalo daw siya dun eh.

Gary: Mananalo siya talaga. Nandun si Lou Makarambong eh. Pababantayan ko.

Danny: Opo, opo.

Gary: Kaya nga sabi kung makapanalo siya ng 20, 25,000, magcelebrate na tayo

Danny: San po ba kayo, nasan kayo sir?

Gary: Nandito ko sa kwan, Westin Plaza.

Gary: Hayaan nyo, ipapahanda ko yung mga kwan sir, basta't na-kwan eh aking ipapahanda yung para sa ating mga kwan...

Gary: Bata. Nag-usap na kami. Sabihin mo lang tumawag lang sya sa akin.

Danny: Sige sir. Sir, ganito sana eh. Kung malalaman ko ngayong gabi, ipacelebrate ko na siya eh.

Gary: O sige lang, mag-uusap na kami.

Danny: Opo, opo...

19. Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male personality on 20:00 hotel May '04

Gary: Hello

Male: Padre, naniniwala kayo sa amin na makabawi daw dyan Comelec. Humihingi ng binebentang boto. Ano bang gagawin natin dyan.

Gary: Sino sa kanila yun

Male: Hindi ko alam kung sino eh, pero merong naglapit samin.

Gary: Kaya ko, kaya ko yan

Male: Binigyan ng kwan. Masyadong malaki pare, limang milyon ang hinihingi eh.

Gary: Magkano?

Male: Limang milyon daw.

Gary: Ha?

Male: O hindi bale kung magka-abisuhan lang pwede naman tayong magdagdag eh...xxx

Gary: Oo, kung makakapagbigay talaga, xx. Makikiano ka muna pagkatapos titingnan ko kung sino. Kunwari lang maki-ano ka. Ipasok mo ang tao mo.

Male: Pero pare willing naman kaming magdagdag kung kinakailangan ha!

Gary: O sige, oo. Para mabantayan ko.

Male: O sige...

20.Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male on or about 14 08:51 hotel June 2004

Male: Hello, good morning. Nandito ako sa Malaybalay. Sabi nung kabila kung kailangan daw dagdagan pa, dadagdagan pa. Di ba ang usapan natin kulang pa ng six, six hundred.

Gary: 6 or 8

Male: Hindi yung ibibigay ko sayo. Atin lang yun, kulang pa ng 600?

Gary: Hindi sakin yan, sa mga bata.

Male: Oo alam ko. Tulungan mo na lang, meron akong inaano dyan eh..

Gary: O sige

Male: Kung maari daw before the 30 kasi sila magfacilitate ng pagdating ni Gloria sa Cebu, sa ano.

Gary: Ah hindi wala na, wag na nating istoryahan tana.

Male: Ah ok.

Gary: Tingnan ko lang kung ano. Basta inaano ko nga sa kanila, kung hindi, di balik yan.

Male: OO, ikaw na bahala dyan.

Gary: Eh kung hindi nila magawa nila eh di pano.

Male: Pwede akong pumunta bukas.

Gary: Hindi kausapin ko muna si Boss.

Male: Tawagan mo ako ha kung punta ako dyan

3. Conversation between Gary and a certain Ruben: on 07 20:38 June '04

Ruben:: Hello Garci, si Ruben:. Anong balita?

Gary: Eto, nag-aano kasi ako yung sa Tipo-tipo na tao, parang nasa kamay na nila. Pero wala naming damage sa atin, per okay Wa-ab. Kaya dapat si Wa-ab ang gumalaw nyan.

Ruben:: Pero, mag-tetestify sya against the administration eh, against the President!

Gary: How can he? Wala naman siyang ginawa kay Presidente.

Ruben:: Eh hindi diba, ang gagamiting, mag-tetestify siguro yun against the President regarding the bawas-dagdag na ginawa dun sa ano..

Gary: Wala naman tayong ginawa para kay Presidente dun sa kanya ah.

Ruben:: Hindi, yun ang pine-presenta di ba? Yan yung prine-presenta ni Rufus Rodriguez pati yung kay Libron?

Gary: Oo nga, pero wala naman. Kay Libron, di nila makukuha si Libron, wala na din a nila makukuha.

Ruben:: Si Libron nga, hindi na nga dahil as of two days ago, naka-usap na nga raw eh.

Gary: Sinong nakausap?

Ruben:: Si Libron, naka-usap na ng military.

Gary: Sabihin mo dyan sa military nay an, wag silang masyadong makiki-alam, kasi sinampal pala si Libron eh, akin yang tao nyan eh, taga Batangas yan eh.

Ruben:: Ah ganun ba?

Gary: Oo, wag naman ganun. Bago nila gawin yung primero, sinampal pa kasi eh, kaya mangiyak-ngiyak yung tao eh. Kaya kahit paka-inin mo ng bala yun, din a magpapakita. Ngayon, itong si Rasma Ali, wala naman masasabi against kay Ma'am eh, kahit anong sabihin nila because she has not done anything except kay Wahab Akbhar. Kaya dapat si Wahab ang ma-warningan.

Ruben:: Pero, ano ba pare yung pinakikitang ano ni Rufus na ano...?

Gary: Ah, pabayaan mo siya but it does not have anything to do with the President.

Ruben:: Ibig mong sabihin yung pinakikitang dinagdagan daw yung boto ni Presidente eh...

Gary: Hindi naman nila mate-testiguhan kung hindi sa kanyang munisipyo.

Ruben:: Yung tipo-tipo diba?

Gary: Oo nga, pero ang problema nyan, wala naman kay Presidente dyan

Ruben:: Hindi bay un ang pine-presenta ni Rufus na dinagdagan?

Gary: Yung pinakita ni Rufus, tingnan natin sa Provincial Canvass, kasi wala naman nagagawa yan dun sa kanyang munisipyo. Bahala siya, kaya nga ina-ano ko sa Wa-ab, pina-aano ko kay Wa-ab ngayon, dapat si Presidente ma-kwan nya kay Wa-ab para si Wa-ab ang kumuha ng tao na yan kung hindi, pakukuha ko ang pamilya nyan.

Ruben:: Uh-humm..

Gary: Yun na ang last resort, pakukuha ko ang pamilya nyan.

Ruben:: Yun na lang ang dapat gawin dun.

Gary: oo, pero dapat malaman ni Wa-ab na si Wa-ab, kasi ang more damage will be against that Wa-ab Akbhar, not the President.

Ruben:: Bakit, naapektuhan ba yung boto ni Wa-ab?

Gary: Siya lang talaga ang ano malaking naka-pabor. Kaya kung maari papuntahin ko dito yung supervisor, patago ko rin dito sakin. Because, I want to clean out kung alin yung mga by municipality results.

Ruben:: Hindi yun nga ang nagkaka-problema dahil si Wa-ab ang nagpatrabaho nyan eh.

Gary: eh ang problema nyang si Wa-ab, gumalaw si Wa-ab nung huli na.

Ruben:: huli na nga eh, akinse na nung gumalaw si Wa-ab eh.

Gary: Alam mo si Wa-ab was working for FPJ actually.

Ruben:: Oo, nung una.

Gary: Nung malalaman nyang matatalo si FPJ, saka bumaligtad

Ruben:: Sinabi mo, totoo talaga.

Gary: Yung mga tao namin dyan, eh galit na galit sa kanya eh. Kaya ito, kung anuman basta malalaman hanggang umaga, ng magang-maga kung ano talaga ang score doon so I can tell them to get her families kung halimbawa. Sabagay medyo matindi na tokasi andun si Lumibao, andun naman si...ewan ko kung sino pang nandun, may isang colonel na nandun. Kung kailangang kunin, di kunin na nag pamilya nya. Lokohan narin lang eh, di kwan, Pero yang Rufus na yan, wala namang alam yan.

Ruben:: kaya nga, kaya nga.

Gary: Ewanko lang kung pupunta pa uli yun, pakidnap ko nalang sya.

Ruben:: Hindi naman pumupunta, pero ang balita, nandirito sa Parañaque.

Gary: Nandito na, yung ano.

Ruben:: Nandito na sa Parañaque nung pang Saturday

Gary: O sige. Basta't we'll ask somebody to look for her and then get her family, kung pwede.

Ruben:: Oo, oo

4. Conversation between Gary and an unidentified man on 31 21:38 hotel May 2004

Man: Hello sir.

Gary: Hello

Man: Sir.

Gary: Ah tawagan mo nga si Datu Buklakbun(?)

Man: Oo sir, hanapin ko siya, hindi kasi siya magsagot eh.

Gary: Kaya nga eh, baka ipakidnap ko siya, baka ipakidnap ko siya

Man: Ha, ha. Hanapan ko ng paraan para makontak siya.

Gary: Kontakin mo kasi kailangan ko siya

Man: Oo sir.

Gary: Baka gusto niya pakidnap ko siya...

Man: Oo sir, ok sir

Gary: O sige

5.Conversation between Gary and a certain Boy on or about 05 13:41 hotel June '04

Gary: Hello Boy.

Boy: Hello, sir. Si Raspa parang nandyan sa Maynila.

Gary: Nasa Maynila? Naku delikado. Hindi ba natin makontak?

Boy: Walang, walang ano..In-off ang cellphone. Pahahanap ko sa Isafp.

Gary: Ah paki kwan, delikado yan.

Boy: Oo nga, sabi ko, sabi ko sa Isafp kay Col. Hondong(?) sa Zamboanga para may bargaining chip tayo dyan, eh damputin na natin yung pamilya din nya.

Gary: Oo, oo

Boy: Para dina siya makapagsalita.

Gary: Oo nga eh.

Boy: Kasi delikado yan eh.

Gary: Pero, nagtrabaho ba talaga yan?

Boy: Nagtrabaho yan sir. Pero yung trabaho nila ano yun, limp yung trabaho nila. Ang problema ang Catangan, baka ang sabihin siguro niyan na binaliktad ni Catangan dun sa itaas, sa provincial level.

Gary: Hello

Boy: Hello sir.

Gary: Maghanap kalang yung well-meaning na kamag-anak niya. Wag mo munang pakikidnap yung pamilya. Soft touch muna na pwedeng maka-persuade sa kanya (line cut)

4.Conversation between Gary and unidentified male and personality on 07 20:40 June '04

Male: Hello sir, good evening ho. Sir yung tungkol sa party-list.

Gary: Anong party-list yan?

Male: Yung pong VFG

Gary: Veteran ano yun?

Male: Veterans' Freedom Party? Diba, meron na silang nakalusot na isa ron? Baka yung isa pwede pa nating ihabol?

Gary: Ah, hindi pwede na kasi pag-proclaim dyan, meron na kasi number of votes na inilagay namin eh. Mahirap na. Pero may nakalusot na isa. Oo, nag-proclaim na kami nung isang araw ng beynte-tres.

Male: Oho, eh mukhang meron pang isang namumurong isa, hindi ba pwede yun?

Gary: Ang hirap, kasi nung pri-noclaim naming, nakalagay na yung number of votes sa kanila eh. Alam ko yun, nakalusot yun.

Male: Yung isa, Malabo...

Gary: Hindi eh, hindi naman pwedeng ganun, kasi makakahalata nayan. Mahirap na. Mahirap kasi, nagkaroon na ng proclamation ang isa sa kanila na nilagay doon, isa lang ang qualified sa kanila.

Male: Ah isa lang ho talaga? Hindi ba pwedeng maging dalawa dahil ang boto nila medyo malaki naman yata.

Gary: Hindi. Tingnan ko yan pero kwan eh, hindi magkakaron ng ganyan dahil halimbawa, may desisyon mamaya na kung may sobrang 1 point something, baka sakali pero titingnan natin.

Male: Boss, baka pwede nating tulungan.

Gary: Oo, oo ok sige...

5.Conversation between Gary and a certain Ruben: on 07 20:38 June '04

Ruben:: Tanong ko lang pare, papano yung ano natin, sa party-list?

Gary: Hindi ko pa maa-ano kasi hanggang ngayon wala pang usapan ang mga tao tungkol diyan. Tawagan kita bukas ng tanghali kung anuman.

Ruben:: O sige.

Gary: Ano yun? Ano?

Ruben:: Yung TUCP at tsaka ALAB.

Gary: Ay! Wag mo nang dadagdagan, mahihirapan tayo nyan.

Ruben:: Hindi mas maganda kung lahat ng magkakatabi nayan eh.

Gary: Hindi kasi nag-proclaim na kami. Ang alam ng Commissioner and some other people there, mahirap ng kumuha, kasi kung kumuha tayo, yung malapit, yung hindi na mahahalata kasi...

Ruben:: Pero malapit yan ha kesa sa "SMILE"

Gary: Kaya nga, bahala na pero ang kaso, pag sabay-sabay na, sinong pagagawin mo nyan eh itong mga bata hindi na pwe-pwedeng gumalaw eh. Titingnan ko bukas kung anuman.

Ruben:: Sige, tawagan mo ko hah.

Gary: Oo.

6.Conversation between Gary and Gene on 08 13:25 hotel June '04

Gene: Boss, nakatanggap ako ng certification ngayon dito galing sa mga bata natin sa Lanao, nag-failure na naman pala dahil kay Butani. Putang-ina, sino ba yang Butani, bakit ganun yun...

Gary: Yun ang pina-alis ko.

Gene: Oo nga, bat nandito na naman, papano to?

Gary: Oo nga, bumalik na naman. Kaya nga ayaw makialam ni First Gentleman dyan. Pinasabi ko nga kay Ruben: Reyes na paalisin na nyo yan.

Gene: Putang-ina, tarantado talaga to.

Gary: Oo, pina-alis ko yan eh. Pero after three days after elections, bumalik man dyan. Ang nag__dyan si Col. Tereno thru Gen. Teron at tsaka si Gen. Quiamco.

Gene: Eh ano ba gagawin ko, gagawan ko ng memo o ipapa-reschedule, papano, gagawa ako ng memo sa inyo?

Gary: Ipa-reschedule natin

Gene: Gagawa ako ng ano ha.

Gary: Oo para sa commission en banc

Gene: Ano nangyari sa inyo. O sige, nasa meeting ka yata eh, Ok sige ok.

Gary: Mamayang hapon nandyan ako...

Gene: Yung best friend mo bumabanat na naman, putang-ina talaga itong si Pimentel

Gary: Bakit, bakit

Gene: Hindi ka ba nano-nood ng TV?

Gary: Hindi ako nano-nood.

Gene: Putang-ina, binabakbakan si Pisana

Gary: Oo nga, anak ng jueteng yan, wala ng kakwenta-kwenta yan.

Gene: Sinabi na nga na clerical error, putang-ina talagang matandang ito, 16 votes lang.

Gary: Ibigay mo na lang sa kanya.

Gene: O sige, ok, ok

7.Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male on 08 20:45 hotel June '04

Gary: Si ano?

Male: Cebu? Yung sa Governor?

Gary: Ewan ko kung kaylan aarya

Male: Pare kung anong konsiderasyon pare ha, paki-declare si Garcia ha, tinanggal siya eh.

Gary: Oo syempre, pinag-usapan natin yun eh.

Male: Basta't may sinabi naman nya kung ano raw ang konting pang for disposal na, basta.

Gary: O sige lang, ok lang Oo.

8.Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male on 08 15:33 hotel June '04

Gary: Hello

Male: Comm, tinawagan ako ni Chair dahil napanood yata si Comm. Rex tungkol ba kay Barbers, diba. May annulment kasi na fi-nile si Barbers. Tapos, di binabasa ko kasi tong petisyon niya, ang sabi nya ang canvass votes sa South OP Maguindanao 7,000 votes, sa Talitay 6,000 votes, sa Columbo 4,000. Diba mga tapos na to?

Gary: Hindi yata napasama.

Male: Patay kang bata ka. Hindi napasama? Eh papano to? Eh di talagang yari tayo nito.

Gary: Eh siguro.

Male: Naku po. Patay tayo. Akala ko tapos na to. Diba ang South OP meron double proclamation? Pati yung Talitay.

Gary: Sa Talitay meron.

Male: 6,000 daw eh, ayan o, nakalagay sa ano nya eh. Sabihin ko na lang kay bosing na talagang di nakasama?

Gary: Oo

Male: Ok boss.

9.Conversation between Gary and Cheng on 09 17:00 hotel June '04

Gary: Hello

Cheng: Hello, good afternoon bay, si Cheng po ito. Ituloy na natin yun sir?

Gary: Oo, sige!

Cheng: Ituloy natin lahat, lahat? Linisin ko lahat?

Gary: Oo. Kelangan linisin nyo na lahat. Kasi minsan bahala na kung anong mangyari. Kasi parallel move to eh. Dito sa Commission, we try to find out kung makakalusot, di ready na tayo lahat.

Cheng: Oo sir, ang problema ko dun sa ER, nasabmit na yung sa statistic record.

Gary: We will not resort to that.

Cheng: Ah, dina pala

Gary: Papalitan, then papakuhan natin.

Cheng: Ah ganon, O sige sir, di magfi-file na ko ng ER.

Gary: O sige

Cheng: Salamat po.

Gary: Ok, sige

10.Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male personality on 03 13:37 June '04

Gary: Hello

Man(Mike): Padre, yun daw sa Basilan wala nang nagbabantay pare, pinabayaan na ng mga tao. Yun nalang ang natitira eh, Basilan.

Gary: May kwan petition kasi for annulment dun

Man(Mike): Ah ganun

Gary: Sumobra masyado.

Man(Mike): Pwedeng ikarga mo naman yung 70,000 pare...(line cut)

Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male personality on 03 13:39 June '04

Man(Mike): Padre, may pag-asa pa ba tayo? Sa Basilan pala pwede pa eh. Tsaka sa Isabela.

Gary: Oo

Man: Pero sitenta mil ang kailangan pare eh. Hati-hatiin na lang yun, konti lang yun eh.

Gary: Oo

Man: Paano mo na, patotohanin mo na. Wala ng pag-asa yan. Kung ano mang konsiderasyon pakisabi lang sakin. Pare, pakisuyo lang, pakitapos nalang para yun nalang alalahanin ko sayo. Pero, marami pang natitira, pwede pang dagdagan hah.

Gary: O sige, sige.

Man: 70,000 pala ang kailangan pare

Gary: Ok sige

To be continued

 

CONVERSATIONS WITH COMELEC COMMISSIONER VIRGILIO GARCILLANO

Thursday, 06 09, 2005

Part II

Conversation between Gary and Tony on 12 10:03 hotel June 2004

Gary: Hello Tony, si Commissioner Garcillano.

Tony:Oo Garci.

Gary: Yung sinasabi na ako daw nag nagsabi na 330 million ang na-spend ni Presidente. Interview lang sa akin kahapon.. Yung sabi ko the person should file a separate statement of expenses because there is a treasurer. Bakit naman sinasabi na ako ang nagsabi that she spent the most amount.

Tony: No, no, no. The problem is like this no, Gar. Ah, according to news report... (line cut)

Continuation...

Gary: Hello. Ah tawagan kita kasi ako nga ang nag-quote dun sa newspaper issue about nung filing ni Presidente.

Tony:Eh siyempre kasi ikaw ang Commissioner eh.

Gary: Oo nga, pero hindi ko man sinasabi yung mga amount ganun, pero sabi sa akin ni Tony Vilar, dati naman daw na siya ang nagpa-file for the party and tsaka ang kandidato.

Tony:Ganun, hindi eh. Hindi lang siguro napansin yun.

Gary: Hindi eh. Pero ikaw din ang nag-receive eh. Inano nya yung fi-nile nung 1998, 1992, ikaw din daw ang nagre-receive eh.

Tony:Hindi, meron kasing ano...pero hindi eh. Nung 1992 klarong-klaro, ngayun kwan kasi...

Gary: 98 binasa niya sa akin.

Tony:Hindi lang siguro na-ano yan. Kasi diba nung 1998, wala ng nag-intidi dahil landslide si kwan, Joseph. Pero yung kay Jose De Venecia, siya mismo. Yung kay Ramos, siya din. Kina Salonga...

Gary: Pero meron siyang ifi-nile, binasa sa akin eh.

Tony:Alam mo kasi yung fi-nile nila, para sa party. Hindi candidates of the party. Yung ginastos ng mga party sa mga kandidato nila eh. So hindi lang naman yung ginastos ni Presidente, yung ginastos ng party eh. Ang magiging number 1 na issue dyan yung assumption ng office. Eh maliwanag naman sa Law eh. Every candidate or treasurer of the political party, ang deemed requirement sa Law, the political party leading candidates and every candidate shall file an itemized statement of contribution and expenditures, requirement yun sa law at may provision doon na you cannot assume the responsibility of the office unless you file a statement of contribution and expenditures. So baka magiging issue pa yan kung sinabi nila na yung fi-nile ng K4 ay kwan.

Gary: Yun nga eh, nalaman na ng iba, baka sabihin e i-demand na mag-file sya eh, baka kelangan...Si Manolo at si Dante hindi naman daw nag-prepare nyan eh. Di ba si Manolo nag-file sayo.

Tony:Oo, si Manolo at si Dante, sila nag-file.

Gary: Silang dalawa. Eh paki-kwan na lang sa kanila. I-explain mo sa kanila kasi baka ma-issue na naman yan eh.

Tony: Sigurado. Eh ang ano naman eh...xxx kasi kung ano mangyari nyan eh...

Gary: Oo, that's kwan...

Tony:Kasi hindi maging issue yung pag-assume, kasi she cannot ah, any winning candidate cannot assume without filing the necessary statement.

Gary: Yung nga, sabihin mo kila Manolo. Pati na si Dante. Kasi ini-insist ni Vilar na ganun din daw ang fi-nile 1998.

Tony:Pero sabihin mo, kaya namin sinasabi ito eh, problema ninyo ito. Mamaya eh maging ano yan eh issue yan eh.

Gary: Kaya eh..ikaw kasi ang nag-receive kay Dante at Gorospe, eh tawagan mo sila.

Tony:As far as they are concerned kasi, hindi compliance yun. Kami ang tatanungin.

Gary: Ako rin, ako rin. I am with you. Ang problema nyan, we are claiming na, Vilar is claiming that he has been doing that...

Tony:Pero kung sakali hindi napansin yun nung nakaraan, this time mahirap yan kasi she is a winning candidate eh. Magiging issue yan eh. And dapat sabihin mo sa kanila, alam nyo wag kayo gumawa ng istorya, kayo ang kawawa dayn eh, hindi kami.

Gary: Oo nga, pero dapat sabihin mo na sa kanila kasi...eh naka sinasabi sayo, ikaw rin daw ang nag-receive nung...

Tony:Alam mo kasi receiving lang yan eh.

Gary: ...later on that will call their attention at the time.

Tony:Oo, wala pa noon. Hindi inaano yan eh. Ngayon, baka mamaya matawag ng pansin kasi nalaman ng iba, di ba?

Gary: Ako, nakasabi rin ako dun, pagtawag mo, sinabihan ko si Ma'am...Aywan ko kung ano, kung anong gagawin nila.

Tony: Oo, sige.

Gary: Pero kwanan mo si Dante at si Gorospe.

Tony: Hindi compliance yun eh.

Gary: Kaya nga paki-ano mo sa kanila. Para hindi siya ma-ano. Ako ang kino-quote na ako ang nagsabi dun sa amount pero sa pagsabi ko na separate sana kay Presidente, nagsabi talaga ako dun. Pero yung sa interview mo, bakit ako ang inaano nitong is kwan?

Tony:Dinagdag nila siguro

Gary: Villaneuva.. eh ikaw na-interview di ba?

Tony:Oo, yun tungkol dun sa ten pesos.

Gary: Ten pesos per candidate?

Tony: Sa presidente.

Gary: Ah presidente?

Tony: Yung sa party five pesos.

Gary: Ok lang din naman yung amount no?

Tony:Oo, oo

Gary: O sige na, pakitawag na din man sila Gorospe at si kwan, si Dante...

Tony:Ok.

Conversation...

Tony:Hello, ang tinawagan ko nalang si Mrs. Pineda. Eh mas mabuti pa ito nakakaintindi eh. Alam yung ano eh. Ang sabi niya, Oo kelangan talagang may individual yung kwan.

Gary: Oo nga, ini-insist nila yung ginagawa nila nung araw.

Tony:Ngayon sabi niya, pinaliwanag ko, sabi niya oo naiintindihan ko yun, Sabi nya tatawagan ako ngayon.

Gary: Sana sinabi mo na tinawagan ko na rin si Ma'am. Pero sinabi ni Ma'am kahapon ok eh.

Tony:Eh kasi baka mamaya maging issue pa eh.

Gary: Oo nga wag na natin hintayin na darating sa ganyan

Tony:Kasi itong mga tao niya masyadong pabaya.

Gary: Kung ano-ano kasing pinagsasabi eh. Na ikaw din daw ang tumatanggap noon, ganoon.

Tony:Naku wala eeeh, iba noon kung ano kasi, hindi naman napansin siguro.

Gary: At tsaka hindi yun, hindi naman sya kandidatong Presidente noon, yung 2000...

Tony:Nung 1998 na kumandidato siyang Vice President, maganda yung fi-nile nya. Sabi nga ni Atty. De Mesa na ginaya na lang nya yung finile nya nung vice presidential candidate siya.

Gery: Ah nag-file sya ng separate nun.

Tony: Oo.

Gary: Eh bakit sinasabi nitong Vilar ngayon na...

Tony:Ang pumirma pa nga si Mike Arroyo.

Gary: Ang akala niya siguro ang nire-represent niya, pinapalabas niya yung fi-nile niya for the President before.

Tony:Hindi, for the party yun eh...iba yung sa party, iba yung sa president eh.. Si De Venecia nag-file din ng sarili eh.

Gary: Ewan ko si Vilar yan.

Tony:O sige, ganon nalang.

Gary: Ok sige oo.

35. Conversation between Gary and an unidentified male on 26 19:50 hotel May 2004

Gary: Nakita mo yung sa news?

Male:Alin yun?

Gary: Inilabas na nila yung napirmahan ninyo. Hindi ko alam kung official yan but I saw its really ____....

Male:Uhhh.

Gary: Eh automatic yun eh.

Male:Talagang hindi official, hindi pa dumadaan sayo eh.

Gary: Wala pa sa akin, yung isa na kay Tinong. Tsaka walang promulgation eh.

Male:Oo nga.

Gary: Hindi na maganda ang kwan. That's already making (?). Eh nakakasama, meron pa ba tayong pag-uusapan. Once they will agree to us baka maiba pa ang decision. Eh hindi maganda eh. Kaya tinawagan ko si GMA, sabihin niya si Chairman. Kasi it was not yet promulgated.

Male:But that's in favor of Padaca, hindi ba. Favor in Padaca yun ha. May laman pa yata yang isa.

Gary: Oo, Ha?

Male:Hindi, hindi...

Gary: Anak ng jueteng yan, hindi maganda. Bahala na kung mapaboran si Padaca pero wag naman ganun.

Male:Oo...

36. Conversation between a certain Commissioner and Governor on 28 12:58 hotel May 2004

Gov: Hello, hi Commissioner, si Gov. ito.

Gary: Jhun?

Gov: Oo, ya si Jhun. Ito ang kwan...

Gary: Sultan Kudarat?

Gov: Ya, oo...si Montilla. Xxx. Tulungan natin yan.

Gary: Clear mo kay Ma'am

Gov: xxx meron siyang file. Na sayo yung kwan nya eh.

Gary: Wala sa akin, baka nasa division namin

Gov: Yung papel, nasa division, oo nga, oo puro-forma lang yan...xxx(muffed)

Gary: Xxxx...Kung ano ang posisyon kasi..nagusap din kami ni Ma'am dyan, tinawagan nga ako ngayon pero hindi yan.

Gov: Tinawagan ka ni Presidente tungkol dyan?

Gary: Hindi naman tungkol dyan pero kakausapin ko din siya tungkol dyan.

Gov: Sabihin mo, yan lang ang hihilingin ko naman eh yang lang ang hihilingin ko sayo, alam mo naman hindi ako humihiling sayo.

Gary: Hindi. Naipit na ko dun sa kaso...xxx

Gov: Yung sa akin, yung tungkol dun sa akin pabayaan mo Nayan... Ok lang ako.

Gary: Ako ang tinitira dun

Gov: Alam ko binibira kayo ng NPA pati dyan ha. Alam ko yung buhay mo ang nakataya dun. Kanya ito ang ipakikiusap ko lang sayo ha, ok.

Gary: O sige basta dumating sa amin.

Gov: O sige, basta dumating saiyo, suportahan mo.

Gary: Oo...

37. Conversation between two an unidentified male on or about 24 16:00 hotel May '04

Man 1:: Hello

Man 2:: Hello, si Commissioner?

Man 1:: Yes?

Man 2:: Xxxx. Ah nag-memeting kami kanina, one of the topics...xxxx

Man 1:: Ganito, ganito. Tanggalin mo yung kay Sen. Barbers ha. Tapos wag mo ipahabol kay Biazon. Kasi kwan, may regalo para saiyo...

Man 2:: Ok sir.

Man 1:: Ha, ok sige.

38. Conversation between a certain Chairman and an identified male on or about 24 17:37 hotel May '04

Chairman: Hello pare, si Chairman to

Man: Oo, oo

Chairman: Apat na probinsiya nalang yung mga di pa pumapasok, eh baka malintikan na tayo.

Man: Bakit ilan na ang panalo nila?

Chairman: 475,000(?) na eh... 175,000 ang boto natin.

Man: 175,000 ang boto natin?

Chairman: Oo, eh kung madagdagan man lang sana ng mga 200,300 (line cut)

39.Conversation between two an unidentified male on or about 25 09:03 hotel May 2004

Man 1: (Gary): Hello

Man 2:: Hello sir, umpisahan ko na yung tampering sir hah, wala pa rito yung mga burado.

Man 1:: Sige lang, na-notifyan sila?

Man 2:: Notify na sila sir eh

Man 1:: Ah, kung na-notify sila, start. Tapusin mo na

Man 2:: Ok, yan ang gagawin ko ngayon sir, eh.

Man 1:: May mga government organization dyan nagsasabing kung di raw kita papalitan o-objectkan nila ang aking confirmation?

Man 2:: Ah ganun ba, hindi ko alam kung sino yun eh

Man 1:: Hayaan mo sila, patuloy mo, tapusin mo na.

Man 2:: Yun na nga sir eh

Man 1:: O sige

40. Conversation between Gary and John on 16 12:00 hotel June 2004

Gary: Hello John.

John: Sir, yung pong kay Mayor Tito Osang, fi-nax ko napo kay ate Virgie, tinawagan ko po. Pina-alala ko na sa kanya ito previously nung February, yung request na hinarap ni Sec. Albas hanggang Nov. 29, pero nagkaroon ng subsequent order na up to June 30. Nakiki-usap kako yun. Siya na raw bahala po.

Gary: Nasan Ka?

John: Nandito po sa office po

Gary: Nandito ko sa labas. Pumunta ko dun sandali kanina.

John: Oo nga daw sabi ni Ate Kay, sinundan nyo daw kung dumating ako dun..

Gary: Hindi tayo kasali pa roon eh. O sige, magtawagan tayo mamaya.

John: Sabi ko nga kay ate Baby, the moment na maproclaim na eh mare-point agad kayo, walang problema. At tsaka nakausap ko si Presidente, sinabi ko. Yung nga lang daw eh she is barred by the Constitution dahil baka maano na midnight appointment eh.

Gary: Oo, yun ang prohibition eh.

John: Eh ngayon after na ma-proclaim eh irere-appoint kayong dalawa. Sinabi ko eh, pinakiusap ko eh. Sabi naman eh wala namang problema ika yun, sabi ni Presidente,

Gary: Sige, thank you.

43. Conversation between Senator Barbes and Gary on 29 15:16 hotel May 2004

Barbers:Hello Commissioner. Si Senator Barbers. Meron daw order na ipalipat sa Manila yung canvassing sa Cotabato?

Gary: Wala akong alam diyan Senator. Sabi May 29. Wala naman akong napirmahan ngayong araw. Wala naman kaming pinipirmahan. Kaya nga, bine-verify ko, pero si Atty. Vidol, yung ating tao dun, hindi makontak...(line cut)

44. Conversation between Gary and Senator Barbers on 14 10:32 hotel June 2004

Barbers:Comm., good morning.

Gary: Good morning.

Barbers:Tumawag sa akin si Congressman. Salceda kagabi, panalo tayo sa Ligao ng mga 1,2. Lamang tayo ng mga 1,2.

Gary: 1,2?

Barbers:Oo, kaya maganda na.

Gary: Oo, ang problema nyan hindi ako makapag-participate ngayon kasi...

Barbers:Di bale, di bale, basta ikaw ang tumutulong sa akin wala akong problema.

Gary: O sige lang basta kayang tulungan Senador.

Barbers:Sinabi naman ano eh, nag-usap kami ni Mike. Tinawagan nya ako kanina 8:30. Sinabi ko, sabi nya "sina Garci ba tumutulong ng husto?" Oo kako, sobrang tulong kako sakin ni Garci. Sabi nya "sabihin mo sa kanilang dalawa ni Nonie wag mag-alala, kami ang bahala pagkatapos ng proclamation." Tinawagan ako, tinatanong ako tungkol sa Ligao.

Gary: Ligao, Albay?

Barbers:Oo, kaya sabi ko tumawag si Cong. Salceda, ang ginawa ko roon ginamit ko si congressman, si Gov. elect at tsaka yung Mayor. Kaya malinis tayo roon, wala tayong problema. Basta wag mo ko, kahit na hindi ka pa nare-appoint wag mo ko pabayaan.

Gary: Ah, Oo.

Barbers:Kailangan kita dyan.

Gary: _____ nyon lang ako.

Barbers:Kumusta, tumawag naba sayo si Harry?

Gary: Oo, anong bang magagawa ko, ano bang gagawin nya.

Barbers:Ok yun, ok kausap yon eh. Tsaka pag nagsalita yun totoo. Hindi yun...i-set ko bukas ng gabi, gusto mo. Darating yun bukas ng tanghali eh.

Gary: Titingnan ko lang Senador kung kwan, kasi inaayos ko muna itong mga records ko kasi ipapasa ko na sa En Banc.

Barbers:Ah Oo, di bale sabihin ko nalang pagkatapos ano. Sabihin ko nalang sa kanya? Kasi masigasig sya eh. Sabi niya, "alam mo, kilala mo naman ako, pag nag-commit ako, ginagawa ko."

Gary: Yun lang, ok lang...

Barbers:Sabihin ko nalang tapusin mo muna yung mga ginagawa mo. Basta ako wag mong pababayaan Commissioner hah.

Gary: Ok, Walang problema yan.

Barbers:Ikaw lang ang ina-asahan na gagalaw sa akin.

Gary: Ok, walang problema yan.

Barbers:O sige, thank you, thank you

Gary: Ok...

1. Conversation between Gary and Mike 08 14:33 hotel June '04

Gary: Hello, Mike

Mike:Hello Boss, boss. Tulungan mo sana na yung loyal sa atin, si Bobby.

Gary: Bobby?

Mike:Oo, Barbers.

Gary: Papano pag kayo kayo dyan?

Mike:Nag-file ng parang annulment or something. Tingnan mo kung matutulungan mo.

Gary: O sige, basta kwan talaga namang ating inaano si Bobby eh. Siya naman talaga ang atin eh.

Mike:Oo, siya talaga ang atin. Tulungan mo sana,

Gary: Ok, sige.

Mike:Thank you, God bless.

2.Conversation between Gary and Mike on 02 11:56 hotel June 2004.

Gary: Hello Sir

Mike:Sabi ni Bobby Barbers, meron paraw siyang kakasegunda Lanao del Sur, mga 27 Municipalities pa.

Gary: Alin, alin

Mike:27 municipalities pa sa Lanao del Sur.

Gary: Hindi, hindi, ang kwan dun sa Lanao del Sur, dalawang presinto sa Bayang, apat na presinto sa Madalon, isang presinto sa Kapaye. Yun lang.

Mike:Bale lima.

Gary: No, presinto lang.

Mike:Ahh, precinct lang.

Gary: Oo, wala na ngang 1,000 eh.

Mike:We don't have that kind of impression.

Gary: Wala na ngang 1,000 eh.

Mike:Umm, sabi ng xxx sa Columbio meron pa raw tsansa.

Gary: Hindi, wala na yung Columbio, magkasama na tong kwan.

Mike:Sa Kalibo wala na rin.

Gary: Sa South OP ang kwan, nilagay nila na merong 4,000 pero kahit Itaka(?) wala pa rin, hindi makahabol.

Mike:Hindi. Baka sa Tawi-Tawi makakuha pa siya ng several precincts.

Gary: Eh wala naming ano eh, ewan ko, wala naming ganun eh. Alam mo talagang inaano ko naman eh, pinagdududahan nga akong nag-kwan sa Lanao Sur eh

Mike:Oo, anak ng puta...kawawa naman...

Gary: O sige tatawagan ko sya.

Mike:Oo tawagan mo sya.

3.Conversation between Gary and Mike on 02 10:23 hotel June 2004

Mike:Hello, si Mike to. Kung pwede ho tulungan si Bobby Barbers.

Gary: Oo nga, pero mahihirapan na tayo, medyo nabuko tayo sa Lanao del Sur at hindi na makakahabol dito sa Cotabato.

Mike:Ganon ba. Baka pwede pa magawan ng paraan.

Gary: Ah ganun ba.

Gary: Nagusap na kami ni Senator.

Mike:Ok, Yun na lang.

Gary: Ok

3. Conversation between Gary and PGMA on 31, 23:17 hotel May 2004.

Gary: Hello Ma'am.

GMA:Hello, tsaka ano yung kabila, they stand to get copies of Namfrel of the Municipal CoCs.

Gary: Namfrel copies ho? Ay wala na, naman, ok naman ang Namfrel sa atin, they are now sympathetic to us.

GMA: Oo, Oo, pero we'll just have to make sure with some Namfrel in the province, pero yun nga, yun nga, when do you plan to get that.

Gary: Oho, we will get an advance copy ho natin kung anong hong kwan nila.

GMA: Oo, oo.

Gary: Sige ho.

4. Conversation between PGMA and Gary on or about 01,21:43 hotel June 2004

Gary: Hello Ma'am, Good evening Ma'am.

GMA: Hello, when they opened the ballot box of Camarines Norte, it was empty.

Gary: Um, this afternoon Ma'am? Camarines Norte?

GMA: Uhuh!

Gary: I'll call up the supervisor tonight or tomorrow Ma'am.

GMA: Uhuh, its Caringe?

Gary: Ah. Lisa Carino. Please, she's not going to do that because this guy is a straight guy.

GMA: But it was empty.

Gary: Oh yes, I'll call her up Ma'am.

GMA: Okay.

5.Conversation between Gary and PGMA on 02, 22:29 hotel June 2004.

Gary: Hello Ma'am, Good evening.

GMA: Hello, tungkol dun sa Lanao del Sur at Basilan, di raw nagma-match ang SOV sa COC.

Gary: Ang sinasabi nila, nawawala na naman ho.

GMA: Hindi nag-mamatch.

Gary: Hindi nag-mamatch? May posibilidad na hindi mag-match kung hindi nila sinunod yung individual SoV ng mga munisipyo. Pero aywan ko lang ho kung sa atin pabor o hindi. Dun naman sa Basilan at Lanao Sur, ito ho yung ginawa nila na pagpataas sa inyo. Hindi naman kwan, maayos naman ang paggawa eh.

GMA: So nag-mamatch.

Gary: Oho, sa Basilan, alam ninyo naman ang mga military dun eh, hindi masyadong marunong kasi silang gumawa eh. Katulad ho dun sa Sulu sa Max Habakon(?). Pero hindi naman ho, kinausap ko na ho yung Chairman ng Board sa Sulu, ang akin, patataguin ko lang muna yung EO ng Pagundaran na para hindi siya makatestigo ho. Na-explain na ho yun sa Camarines Norte, tomorrow we will present official communication doon po sa Senate. Doon ho sinasabing wala hong alam yung ballot box. Na-receive ho nila lahat eh.

GMA: Oo, oo.

Gary: Tumawag ho kayo kanina Ma'am?

GMA: Yeah, about that Lanao del Sur at saka Basilan.

Gary: Iaano ko na lang ho, nag-usap na kami ni Abdullah dun sa kwan kanina. About this, iaano ko ho, wag ho kayong masyadong mabahala. Anyway, we will take care of this. Kakausapin ko rin si Atty. Macalintal.

GMA: Oo, tapos nun, si uhm..sa Calanguyan, meron daw silang teacher na nasa Witness Protection Program ng kabila.

Gary: Sino ho.

GMA: Yung kabila, may teacher raw silang hawak.

Gary: Wala naman ho, baka nanakot lang sila eh.

GMA: Ano na yung sa Tawi-tawi.

Gary: Ano ho yung sa Tawi-tawi? Wala naman ho tayong kwan dun, wala naman ho tayong ginawa dun, sa mga yan. Talo nga tayo dun, talo nga si Lor dun.

GMA: Oo, oo.

Gary: Sige, aanuhin ko ho lahat ng mga yan.

To be continued