MALAYA OPINION BY REY O. ARCILLA: NO BRAINER
MANILA, MARCH 8, 2011 (MALAYA) REY O. ARCILLA - 'Where to put Heidi Mendoza is a no-brainer. Noynoy should appoint her chairman of the Commission on Audit.'
EXECUTIVE Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. has denied owning the P40-million 'glass mansion' at posh White Plains subdivision in Quezon City, thinking perhaps that his denial would write "finis" to the matter. Wrong!
Certain questions still beg for answers. For instance, if the house really belongs to his brother-in-law, why didn't he just put it in his name? Why does it have to be registered in the name of a company? Is it for company use then?
Why is Ochoa's wife the one reportedly listed as the contact person in the directory of the homeowners' association? As far as is known, she's not even an officer or shareholder of the company.
What is also curious is the statement of Ochoa: "I do not own the said house. It is owned by my brother-in-law, Jerry L. Acuzar and his wife, Tess Ochoa-Acuzar. I don't intend to live in it."
"I don't intend to live in it." He needn't have said that. The house is not his! Or is it? Ok, Ok, he said it's not his. Then again…
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Ms. Heidi Mendoza, that brave former Commission on Audit (COA) official who revealed the extensive corruption in the military establishment, said she would be open to Noynoy's offer for a job in government.
Noynoy, on the other hand, said he is still considering what job to offer her.
By golly, that's a no-brainer. He should appoint her COA Chairman as many have already suggested. The post is already vacant.
If he is dead serious about fighting corruption in government, he has just been presented with a golden opportunity to accomplish that noble mission.
With Mendoza as COA chairman, virtually all financial irregularities in government and in corporations owned and controlled by the government will stop or, at least, be minimized. With her in that post, the corrupt cretins in government will think twice before helping themselves to public funds.
Can Noynoy or anyone think of a better way to stop corruption in government?
Stop considering, Mr. President. Offer her the job, please! That is, if you really are serious about "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap".
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I can see that Noynoy is becoming adept at determining where the national interest lies when making decisions on foreign policy matters.
For instance, who can argue against the correctness of his decision not to join other world leaders in condemning Libya's Muammar Gadhafi? As he so rightly put it, "all of my actions will be guided by not increasing the risks that they (OFWs) will be and are facing, or are being forced to face there."
And what about the way he balances his policy approach towards China? Look at his past decisions concerning our nationals condemned to death in China and the ones he had just taken on last week's Chinese incursion into our territorial waters.
At the same time that he instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to file a protest with the Chinese Embassy, he decided to send a "Spratlys expert" to Beijing. It was obviously his way of stressing that he wants a sustained and continuous dialogue with China to sort out the problem amicably. Neat.
The diplomatic protest was brought on by the unwarranted harassment by Chinese patrol boats of a Philippine exploration vessel at the Reed Bank which is part of the Kalayaan island group considered a municipality of Palawan.
Reflective of the warming relations between the two countries, both sides have agreed that the matter should be resolved through negotiations alone.
Noynoy is slated to go on a state visit to China this May. That has been in the works for sometime now and I'm sure neither side would want that visit scrapped over the incident.
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On the Reed Bank incident, Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario had this to say:
"That is our territory. We ascertained that is within our territory. We are asking our Chinese friends [for] an explanation and we are in dialogue with them. I would prefer that we leave it at that."
Through that statement alone, I can tell that Del Rosario has the qualities of a mature, wise and at the same time forthright diplomat. He and Noynoy will make a good team as long as they adopt and implement policies dictated by the national interest alone, nothing else.
Incidentally, as far as I'm concerned Del Rosario IS the foreign secretary. He is acting only because of a technicality. All this legal mumbo-jumbo about his having to be appointed as presidential adviser on international affairs first before he could be designated acting foreign secretary is beyond me. How come there was no such problem in the cases of the acting environment and local government secretaries?
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I am informed that Del Rosario has scuttled the referendum on the status of the DFA Personnel Association (DFAPA) that was supposed to take place yesterday. Moreover, he reportedly even gave one of the instigators, Voltaire Mauricio, a piece of his mind. Mauricio is an officer with a pending case before the Ombudsman.
Meanwhile, Michael Macaraig, the ousted illegitimate DFAPA president who was behind the planned referendum, was reportedly sent on temporary duty to Tunisia to assist in the more worthy endeavor of assisting our OFWs stranded in Libya.
I wonder who sent him there. It would have to be Del Rosario himself. But if not, it is possible the undersecretary for administration, Rafael Seguis, had something to do with it. Seguis is allegedly a Macaraig patron, aside from ex-foreign secretary Alberto Romulo.
That good administration is essential in the effective pursuit of foreign policy is a given.
It, therefore, behooves Del Rosario to have a serious look at his team handling administrative matters in the department. One of them is, of course, Seguis, Romulo's favorite. The other one is the assistant secretary for administration, Catalino Dilem Jr., another alleged Macaraig patron. Dilem has been accused of nepotism but has, so far, ignored the allegation. If he is innocent, why couldn't he simply deny it? I have even offered to publish his reply in this space.
***
Justice Secretary Lilia de Lima appears to have painted herself into a corner again.
De Lima recommended suspension of President Noynoy Aquino's shooting buddy, Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres, for alleged involvement in the failed takeover of LTO's information technology provider Stradcom by a rival business group. While it is up to Torres' boss, Transportation Secretary Jose de Jesus, to adopt De Lima's recommendation or not, the final say still rests with Noynoy. Torres is Noynoy's own personal choice for the LTO post and he has indicated he still has full trust and confidence in her.
What will De Lima do should Noynoy rebuff her once again as he did with her recommendations on what to do with those officials who botched the hostage-taking incident in Luneta last year? Is she going to take it on the chin again just so she can stay on as justice secretary? I suggest she should even now weigh all her options or she might wind up losing whatever credibility she has left.
It is obvious Noynoy has a tendency to stand by his friends through thick and thin. That's a good trait. But he should also bear in mind that that can be a drawback now that he has the entire Filipino nation to look after, not just his friends. In short, the interest of the people, his bosses, should come first.
Surely, he must be aware of the saying: "Walang sumisira sa bakal kundi sariling kalawang". That, of course, includes his relatives.
***
From an internet friend:
Q: What do you call 1 Al Qaeda terrorist on the moon?
A: Problem...
Q: What do you call 10 Al Qaeda terrorists on the moon?
A: Problem…
Q: What do you call 100 Al Qaeda terrorists on the moon?
A: Problem....
Q: What do you call ALL the Al Qaeda terrorists on the moon?
A: ...... Problem Solved!!!
***
Today is the 316th day of the fourth year of Jonas Burgos' disappearance.
Why the heck is the Commission on Human Rights taking so long to reinvestigate Jonas' case? Paging Chairman Etta Rosales.
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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