We have been advised that summer here in the country may end as early as the last week of May this year if a low pressure area detected by climatologists will develop fullscale. Various reactions for this news- a sigh of relief from thousands who are bearing the searing heat of summer- iba talaga ang init ngayon than when I was a child. Summer then was so enjoyable with days spent playing yard games, going swimming with chums, or simply staying at home and getting lessons to make me a good homemaker when I grew up. Learning from Mother during the precious hours when she essayed the role of Mama (she was a mother who had a career) or being assistant to a number of Manangs, distant relatives from La Union and Tarlac who stayed in the house and helped bring five children (that included me) up while Mama performed her duty to nurse ailing people in a government hospital.
But I know that the onset of rainy and cooler days will not be met with true joy and gratitude by now- sweating Pinoys either. Panu ba naman, many fear of storms and typhoons unleashing their wrath on this poor archipelago. Baka maging ‘from the frying pan to the fire’ daw- mas delikado ang mabaha at maanuran ng kubo kaysa summer pawis- pawis lang ang maranasan, hwag naman sana.
But it’s not only the weather that makes Pinoys confused these days. Ano nanyari?, some ask as two cases that hoped to run after government officials who have ‘erred’ met their demise very recently. The case filed by one, Danilo Lihaylihay with the Office of the Ombudsman against former President Gloria Arroyo on her involvement in the Php728million fertilizer fund scam was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in the early days of May. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio- Morales declared that ‘there was no factual or legal basis’ to show the former President’s participation in the scheme. Morales’ resolution also declared that there was no evidence establishing Arroyo’s hand in the fund’s disbursements. On record. the case against the former President was already advised for dismissal by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2011. A reinvestigation was conducted and another complaint was filed. This is the 4th case dismissed by the Ombudsman against the former President. In April this year. Ombudsman Morales also cleared Arroyo and son Camarines Sur Congressman Diosdado ‘Dato’ Arroyo in their participation over the Php1-billion Libmanan- Cabusao Dam and Skybridge 1 and 2 projects; another dismissal by the Ombudsman for the former President was the plunder case on the Php72million in capital gains tax not collected on the sale of Iloilo Airport to Megaworld Corporation in 2007; the third dismissal by the Ombudsman involved the supposed misuse of the Php 530million Overseas’ Workers Welfare Administration fund by Arroyo. Investigations conducted by the Commission on Audit showed the funds were accounted for and liquidated.
Ano nanyari?, this question again as the Commission on Elections announced that the ‘Hello, Garci’ group accused of rigging electorate votes in Mindanao in the Presidential elections in 2004 can no longer be pursued in the name of justice because the prescribed period of running after them has already expired.
The case of electoral sabotage filed against former Comelec official Virgilio Garcellano a.k.a. ‘Garci’ and cohorts was filled in 2009 on the strength of a taped phone comversation presented by the National Bureau of Investigation. In this conversation, ‘Garcia’ was heard making his report on tyhe ongoings in the electoral processes in Mindanao during the presidential elections. The public also heard a woman ‘sounding like former President Arroyo’ giving Garcia instructions on how to insure the administration’s lead in the counting of votes in the region.
The scandal sparked a nation’s indignation. Ten officials of the Arroyo administration resigned and called for the President’s apology and resignation. Former President Corazon C. Aquino was most vocal in urging Arroyo to step down from the Presidency. To no avail as Arroyo finished her 6- year term. Meantime, ‘Garci’ even went on to seek an electoral post in his home province but lost.
‘Ano nanyari?’ again as a confused populace read and watch denials by people in Congress and within government regarding their participation in the Napoles scam. A Napoles list was released and it contained the names of those who ‘supposedly joined the Napoles scam on- going since before the year 2000. The list is allegedly accompanied by appendices that detailed projects done and the process by which the scam was conducted. Napoles’ insinuations have reached the participation of people in the executive branch- with no less than Budget Secretary Florencio ‘Butch’ Abad joining in. Palaki ng palaki, pagulu ng pagulo!
Entonces, Investigations are and will be conducted- the Senate, The Department of Justice, at kung anu ano pang offices ciguro.
What a muddled situation we are in, indeed. The ordinary Pinoy wonders why complainants did not present strong evidences for the cases they filed to prosper. Sayang lang the effort and the hope of many that that good governance will be the norm na. Di man lang nasampolan si Garci. Talaga bang walang kasalanan si former Prez? The layman asks which of the lists that have come out ( Napoles’, Ben Hur Luy’s) is the believable one. He hopes that the confusion created by the lists will not make people distrust their leaders more.
Baka wala na talagang mangyari sa bayan natin
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My congratulations to a former colleague Henry Huerto who got his certificate na- a licensed accountant na in Canada, wow!
THANK YOU, TORONTO!