Marcos Truth: Letters prove Marcos didn't sequester Meralco from Lopezes

Let the Marcos Truth prevail.

Letters prove Marcos didn't sequester Meralco from Lopezes
05/15/2008 | 12:07 AM
MANILA, Philippines - The late Eugenio Lopez Sr had written three letters to former President Ferdinand Marcos offering the sale of their shares in the Manila Electric Company during the Martial Law years.

The letters, which were included in the book "Let the Marcos Truth Prevail" that was published by the Marcoses, would belie claims the Marcos administration sequestered Meralco from the Lopez family.

In GMA's Saksi, Maki Pulido reported that in the first letter, dated February 1973, Lopez Sr informed the late dictator of their plans to sell their Meralco share to Meralco foundation, which was composed of Meralco's employees and customers.

An excerpt of the said letter read: "... would like to offer sale of our holdings to a cooperative composed of Meralco employees, customers and the general public that could be organized with the assistance of the government."

In the second letter, Lopez Sr reportedly proposed a financial scheme that will transfer to the Foundation the more than P100 million debt incurred by the Lopezes from banks.

Part of the second letter read: "It is proposed that the Foundation's note to the banks be predicated on amortization over a period of 8 years beginning with the third year following consumation of the sale..."

The third letter reportedly contained Lopez Sr's detailed account of the sale as well as his request for assistance from Marcos.

An excerpt of the letter read: "I hope Mr President, that you could spare some time from your more pressing duties of State to help us and to give this proposal your sympathetic consideration."

The sale of Meralco's share by the Lopezes pushed through in 1978 at the price of more than P800 million.

However, when Marcoses were driven out of Malacañang as a result of the People Power Revolution in 1986, the Lopezes were able to regain their shares without paying a single centavo.

Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who was then Defense minister, expressed incredulity at this turn of events involving the country's largest power distributor.

"I thought it would've been better if they allowed the Sandiganbayan to decide the issue of whether this (Meralco) is ill-gotten weath or not," he said.

For his part, Sen. Joker Arroyo, who was executive secretary during the Aquino administration, admitted that Meralco was returned to the Lopezes without formal written documents because it was a sequestered asset.

But according to Sen. Benigno Aquino III, son of former President Corazon Aquino, it was the Supreme Court that ruled in 1991 to return to the Lopezes their Meralco shares that were not paid by Meralco Foundation.

He also urged Enrile to bring the issue to the courts if he has questions about it.

"He (Enrile) is a member of the government and if he feels that my mother did something wrong, then the courts are open," he said.

GMA's news team tried to get the Lopez family's comment but the family refused to issue one.

In an open letter to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, however, Oscar Lopez, chairman of First Holdings Corporation, claimed that Eugenio Lopez Sr was forced to sell their Meralco shares due to pressure from the Marcos family.

"Given the Martial Law situation and the fact that the son of Lopez Sr, Eugenio "Geny" Lopez Jr, was at the time rotting in jail, can there be any doubt that it is a transaction done under duress?" the letter said. - GMANews.TV

PCGG and PAGC probe incoming.

The PCGG should have been dissolved years ago. The Marcoses were found innocent in the United States and the assets should have either returned to the Marcoses or the Republic of the Philippines. Instead, we have the officials of PCGG milking the cow dry for their own corrupt purposes. On this aspect, i applaud you Madam President.

Probe of PCGG, PAGC heads ordered
By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) Updated November 14, 2009 12:00 AM

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo has expressed alarm over reports of corruption and nepotism in the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) and the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission (PAGC) and directed concerned agencies to investigate the allegations.

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera ordered yesterday an investigation into reports that PCGG Chairman Camilo Sabio had misused the agency’s $5-million travel funds for round-the-world travel with his wife.

“We will look into this. I haven’t seen the letter yet but what we can do is (have a) fact-finding investigation,” Devanadera told reporters.

The justice secretary was referring to a confidential letter from PCGG employees that reportedly accused Sabio not only of misusing the foreign litigation fund but also of nepotism and excessive hiring of consultants.

She said a fact-finding committee would be created to determine if there are ample grounds in the complaint against Sabio that would warrant a preliminary investigation, where it will be determined if the PCGG chief should be charged in court or not.The PCGG is under direct supervision of the DOJ.

In their letter, the PCGG employees also reportedly alleged that Jaime Bautista, PCGG commissioner for litigation, joined Sabio in his travels.

They accused Sabio of hiring some 35 consultants – mostly legal consultants – who were already of retirement age upon their appointment.

One of them was former elections commissioner Manuel Gorospe who had been involved in a controversy over kissing another Comelec commissioner, the employees added.

The PCGG employees said Sabio has appointed several relatives as consultants and aides in his office or in PCGG-controlled companies.

Among these are his sons-in-law Gerry Ledonio and Titong Feria, his son Jayvee and daughter May, the employees added.

Sabio and Bautista allegedly tapped the PCGG’s foreign litigation fund set up in 2004 by then chair Haydee Yorac to pay for the legal fees of foreign lawyers retained to represent the government in foreign ill-gotten wealth cases.

The PCGG employees said Sabio also gets huge allowances on each foreign trip.

On one trip alone, he had an allocation of $120,000 for himself, the employees added.

Serious allegations

Presidential economic spokesman Gary Olivar said such allegations should be taken seriously owing to the sensitive mandate of the two agencies, but stressed the accusers should file the proper complaints before the appropriate agencies along with working evidence.

“Obviously, charges like that should be taken seriously and the Palace would have to share everyone else’s concerns about whether or not these charges are true,” Olivar said.

He said he was sure the Department of Justice would “get to the bottom of these charges.”

“The PCGG is an important body. It is supposedly at the forefront of a particular type of anti-corruption effort. So this kind of behavior to be alleged is something that deserves investigation,” he said.

He noted that it was not the first time that such allegations have been hurled against Sabio and that would also be taken into consideration.

Olivar urged Sabio’s accusers to file a formal complaint as part of the legal process instead of “stabbing someone in the back or distributing white papers.”

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said in a telephone interview that the Palace would also look into the allegations of nepotism and corruption against PAGC chair Constancia de Guzman.

He said he is awaiting a formal report on the matter.

STAR columnist Jarius Bondoc in his second column on the matter reported that De Guzman has appointed her son and his fiancee to top posts in her agency.

The unnamed fiancee, he said, revised PAGC rules so that she can hire her sister to the agency.

Bondoc also said De Guzman’s children bring their pet dogs to the office and are attended to by the agency’s guards.

“The Constitution states: ‘Public officials and employees must at all times be accountable to the people, serve them with utmost responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency, act with patriotism and justice, and lead modest lives.’ Supposedly among the provision’s lead enforcers is the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission. But the elite Malacañang unit, in charge of keeping presidential appointees on the straight and narrow, can’t do its job. That’s because the boss and her minions treat it like it’s their private kingdom,” Bondoc wrote in his column that appeared yesterday.

Meanwhile, a PCGG source said Malacañang has already ordered the PCGG to explain the use of government sequestered United Coconut Planters Bank’s plush executive dining room at the head office in Makati last Friday for a conference to discuss initiatives to amend the Constitution.

Sabio was being questioned for allowing the conference, attended by several anti-Arroyo personalities like former ambassador Roy Señeres and Jose Luis Alcuaz, the source added.

The source said former House speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., vocal critic of Mrs. Arroyo, was invited as guest speaker.

The event was organized by Sabio and Danilo Coronacion, administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority and president and chief executive officer of the CIIF Oil Mills Group, the source added. – With Paolo Romero

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=523192&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Manny Pacquiao! The real pound for pound king!

Congratulations Manny Pacquiao! The real pound for pound king! Manny Pacquiao beat Miguel Cotto in the 12th round via referee stoppage for the TKO win. Manny has broken a world record with 7 belts in 7 different weight classes after taking Miguel Cotto's WBO welterweight belt.

It was a grueling first two rounds with Miguel Cotto effective with his jabs. Manny then scored a knockdown in the 3rd with a right that Cotto didn't see coming. In the 4th, Cotto again hit the canvas but came back with a good performance in the 5th and 6th rounds. In the 7th however, Manny punished Cotto once again which caused the Puerto Rican to start retreating. He then took a serious beating from our countryman. After taking more vicious blows in the 12th, the referee Kenny Bayless intervened as he has seen enough.
Congratulations again Manny. It was great seeing him perform this well albeit his singing, acting, etc etc etc. (not to mention his political rendezvous with another Manny-- presidentiable Villar). Bring on Floyd Mayweather!

Aquino Truth: The yellows' dark age

An interesting article by Mr. Herman Tiu Laurel on the Daily Tribune

http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20091009com6.html

I do believe that Cory should never have ceased the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant project. It caused the downward spiral of the country.

An excerpt:

"As we begin with this piece, we find ourselves in more dark days, reminiscent of the great Dark Age in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during the time of Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos. Those were the days of week-long blackouts that ensued from Cory’s mothballing of the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, plus the cancellation of the mini- and large-scale hydro-electric dams and other alternative energy programs of Marcos. Millions of Filipino households and enterprises suffered staggering losses while the oligarch cronies of the Yellows, earned billions in supplying emergency generators. FVR’s Yellow business cronies then packaged almost 50 Independent Power Producer (IPP) contracts worth hundreds of billions of pesos. And just like déjà vu, we are again being plunged into blackouts."

Let's hope history doesn't repeat itself.

Don’t Forget Smoking

One of the articles posted in the Inquirer Politics website on October 1, 2009 written by the Cebu Daily News is entitled Make Smoking an Election Issue. This article informs that a Department of Health official said that smoking should be one of the issues that should be tackled in the 2010 Election. This is because smoking has been a one of the prevalent causes of illness and death in the country. Dr. Paulyn Jean Ubial, health assistant secretary implied in her statements that health should be one of the priorities of our leaders. This assertion of the DOH is only one of the calling to the 2010 candidates that they should dwell on issues that affect on Filipinos rather than destroying each other’s reputation and spending too much money for their materialistic campaign. Aside from health, other issues that I know Filipinos would love to hear discussed by the candidates are poverty, debts of the country, imperialism, terrorism, peace and order, security, climate change, and sustainable development among others. It would be also better that these issues are specific to know how aware and educated the candidates are. Aside from the discussion of the candidates, voters should not be carried away by the rhetoric speeches of the politicians. Instead, they should focus on sound and reasonable statements that are seldom to a candidate.

Marcos Truth: Criminal Allegations to Marcoses, Mere Fictions (Archive)

*A repost from my Wordpress Blog, I thought it would be relevant especially with the current platform of Senator Noynoy Aquino*

Years had passed after the EDSA People Power Revolution in the Philippines and the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) was established, yet up to now, the government has not recovered mostly of the said ill-gotten wealth and has even freed Imelda of some of her criminal convictions.

Is it because there is really NOTHING to be recovered? Is it because those accusations are mere fictions, of no facts and truth? Is it because the false accusations were only effects of the an anti-publicity campaign against the Marcoses which were said to be led by the former President Corazon Aquino? Are the Filipinos given the false hope shaped by the media and former and even recent administrations?

In 1995, Peter Cosandey, one of the persons in charge in the said Swiss accounts of the Marcoses told the PCGG that it would take 150 years or even no assurance of recovering it. This is primarily because there is no sufficient evidence of the existence of that wealth. The statement of Cosandey seems to be right because until now, PCGG has not so much boasted that they have accomplished their mission. It is funny to say that four administrations have already succeeded Marcos yet PCGG has not accomplished its battle against graft and corruption. Maybe, they have also to expand their fight against graft and corruption to the administrations proceeding Marcos.

Meanwhile, Imelda Marcos, wife of Ferdinand Marcos has been freed of criminal convictions early this decade because also of lack of evidence.

These happenings among others should have long awakened the nation to stop the useless and false accusations to the Marcoses. Instead of dwelling to the long time fiction and imagination of the ill-gotten wealth, the country should spend its money to the real and tangible problems of the society nowadays.

Wednesday Rant: Mobile Emission's Testing

I recently got flagged along C5 by the MMDA for allegedly smoke belching. It's been just a few months since i got my van registered and i was appalled that my car was in question. I argued for a few minutes with the officer in charge to no avail. After debating that I was newly registered and tested he still demanded that my van get tested with their mobile emission's testing units. Ready to submit to the test, I glance upon a pickup in front of me who had also been caught and was midway into the testing. To my surprise, they were really revving the car's engine. With the sound the pickup was making they must have really had the pedal to the metal. Now, I'm no expert but there's no way any 2 year old diesel vehicle here in the Philippines will pass an emissions test conducted that way. Luckily, i remembered an acquaintance of mine who runs and emissions testing center and told me to watch out for these so called mobile testers. He instructed me to ask the officer about the calibration of the machines as these are supposed to be calibrated twice a year to ensure the fair testing. True enough when i brought this up to the officer, he admitted that it has not been calibrated since it was acquired 3 years ago. I told him i had a "friend" who will be very angry about that and in the end, he let me go.

Watch out for these mobile testers. It seems very sneaky and looks like another revenue scheme for the MMDA. It's not fair to motorists if you're doomed to fail.

Aquino Truth: Not ready for the presidency

I read an article last week in the Daily Tribune that i would like to share:

http://www.tribune.net.ph/commentary/20091008com1.html

It's about how Senator. Noynoy Aquino, the Liberal Party presidential bet is NOT ready for the presidency. I have to admit, what the arguments the writer posted are very clear and concise. They point straight to the core that Senator Noynoy Aquino is in so far, just a name and nothing more. He is riding the wave of his mother's death and clearly does not know what he is doing. The platform of Noynoy seems empty and outdated. There is nothing current about it and i must say, if he has to ask his superstar sister Kris on how to comment on these presidential issues then no thank you, he does not have my vote.

Marcos Truth: New York Anti Racketeering Case "Silly"

Marcos Truth: An excerpt from Jerry Markham's book, Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals: From Enron to Reform:

Bess Myerson, the former Miss America, socialite and New York’s cultural affairs commissioner, was arrested for shoplifting and accused by then U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani of bribing a judge by giving the judge’s daughter a job with the city. Myerson was acquitted of the bribery charge after a two month trial, but still received much criticism for the telephone harassment of a former boyfriend and for engaging in various dubious financial schemes. Another overbearing woman who would be demonized and then stood in the dock was Imelda Marcos, the former first lady of the Philippines. She became infamous for the thousands of pairs of shoes in her closet, leading the press to characterize her as a “world-class shopper.” After her husband’s death , Giuliani’s office charged her with fraud and racketeering for having helped her husband loot the Philippine treasury of over $220 million. She was tried with Adnan Khashoggi, a wealthy Saudi Arabian businessman who had been embroiled in the questionable payments scandals involving Lockheed in the 1970s. Khashoggi was charged with helping the Marcoses conceal their ownership of four buildings in New York. The government tried to convict Imelda Marcos on the basis of her extravagant lifestyle, but the jury acquitted her and Khashoggi of all charges, one juror even calling the government’s case “silly.”

Jerry W. Markham, A Financial History of Modern U.S. Corporate Scandals: From Enron to Reform Pg 392-393.

http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=Z7qTGiF8FCgC&pg=RA2-PA392&lpg=RA2-PA392&dq=giuliani+marcos+acquitted&source=bl&ots=lCbbvli1Bi&sig=g14fB_T-stMgbxXRSRZxaRDuk6s&hl=tl&ei=MSy7SvLrCJr27APDyO2MCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=giuliani%20marcos%20acquitted&f=false

This is a Marcos Truth. The Marcoses were acquitted of this case and still they're labeled as thieves. If there was a murder there would be a body but the Cory Administration clearly had no evidence to show. The Arroyos on the other hand, have their SALN to show and it will be used against them. Silly.

Typhoon Pepeng

Typhoon Pepeng from the Navy/NRL Tropical Cyclone Page

Typhoons batter Philippines: Ondoy, Pepeng, Melor

Typhoons continue to batter the Philippines. After Metro Manila suffered from Typhoon Ondoy last week (International name: Hurricane Ketsana), This weekend it is being hit by Typhoon Pepeng (International name: Hurricane Parma) with Hurricane Melor not far behind.

Typhoon Ondoy displaced hundreds of thousands of people in the greater Metro Manila area and its death toll has already risen to 246. Just barely recuperating from Ondoy, Typhoon Pepeng has already arrived and bringing in more rainfall. Though it has been downgraded from a super typhoon to a regular typhoon, the rainfall it will bring will defray more hope and pound on the fears of the Filipino people.

Stand by for a list of the donation centers should you want to volunteer.

Marcos Truth: Marcos Did Not Bomb Plaza Miranda; It Was Sison (Archive)

It has been said by many Filipinos that one of the major events that motivated the declaration of Martial Law by the late President Ferdinand Marcos which also resulted to the EDSA Revolution in 1986 is the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971. The late President Marcos who has been maltreated by Filipinos because of his alleged massive graft and corruption, human rights violation, and dictatorship among others was earlier named as the mastermind and blamed of the bombing.

The said historical and long-time controversial bombing happened August 21, 1971 at the Plaza Miranda in Quiapo, Manila. This was during the political rally campaign of the Liberal Party which killed nine people and hurt about 100 politicians and audience. Included those injured were former Liberal Party President Gerardo Roxas, Roxas’ wife Judy Araneta- Roxas, Sergio Osmeña Jr., and former Senator Jovito Salonga who later asserted that Marcos was not the brain of the incident. Instead, he pointed Jose Ma. Sison as the head of the said bombing which cause a lot of political and social turmoil in the country and even destroyed the name of the late Marcos. Truth is, it was actually Jose Maria Sison, a leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), not Marcos who initiated the incident according to Salonga. This was highlighted in his book A Journey of Struggle and Hope and has been stressed in several press releases.

On various interviews with Salonga, he said Sison knew that the people would blame Marcos for the said event. This then would cause chaos in the country. It was said that with that bombing, the membership in the CPP-National People’s Army increased against the Marcos leadership. Thus, destroying the latter’s leadership through various means of intervention by the group. It was Sison’s intention then to really confuse the people and cause anti-Marcos acts while strengthening their organization.

In Salonga’s book, his prime evidence of naming Sison as the main author of the bombing is a story of Ariel Almendral. Almendral in a conversation with Salonga in the US in 1986 introduced himself as a member of the CPP-NPA. According to him, Sison instructed a person named Danny Cordero to do the bombing. Almendral knew the information after meeting Cordero in Sierra Madre who had admitted and boasted that he was actually instructed by Sison to do the attack. The book also contains stories of an anonymous who claimed to be the driver of Cordero on the said bombing and of Victor Corpus in connection to the said incident. With this, Salonga then who has been against Marcos’ leadership has freed the latter of a sin he never committed. This is a Marcos truth.

The labeled-dictator Ferdinand and his family have been accused of so many crimes by the Filipino society. Majority look at the Marcoses as evil and as a sinner. However, with their innocence in the said root of Martial Law, it is just right to say that Filipinos must also be open-minded to other stories. They could be also innocent of other accusations which they never did but they have been long and patiently suffering.

Upholding Filipino Values Amidst Tragedy

Amidst the adverse effects of Ondoy in the country, the Filipinos have continuously asserted positive Filipino characteristics, traits, and values which help us to recover though not that so soon from the tragedy.

Some of these values or traits are bayanihan, pagiging maka-tao, and pagiging maka-Diyos.

The ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. for example through its broadcast network was able to raise money and goods for the relief operations easily the day after the typhoon attacked. The network’s celebrities convinced and motivated their endorsements to donate in the relief operations. Kapuso Foundation did the same also. Various volunteers of various ages and status also participated in the relief operations of various private and public agencies.

While there were numerous victims, they themselves help each other in surviving the catastrophe. There was no rich or poor anymore. These stories were told in various broadcast and print media. Some even die in saving their family members. A manifestation of heroism for example is Private First Class Venancio Ancheta of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who died after saving more than 15 residents as these were almost swept by strong currents in Famy, Laguna. He had died for the others and for the country.

Meanwhile, the Filipinos continuously urged everyone to pray for those who died, fast recovery of the victims and the community, and that this tragedy will not happen anymore. The spread of the information, concerns, news, and assistance was fast as these are seen not only in TV or radio but as well as in the internet especially those Filipinos abroad.

May the real Filipino spirit of genuine love and heroism be not only present in these moments but in our day-to-day lives.