Starting over

Our last piece on the Trina Etong case drew quite a response from many of our readers.

We would just like to echo their sentiments as we put in our last word on the saga of the Etong family in the light of the untimely demise of Trina, wife of broadcaster Ted Failon.

First off, many of our readers joined us in expressing gratitude to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for the thorough job it did on the probe of Trina’s death. They are almost one in saying that the delay in the release of the official results of the probe did get them worried that the controversy might drag on. But that is water under the bridge now. The NBI has done its job and the threat of a long-drawn controversy is no longer there.

In our column last Sunday, we asked that the brewing guessing game on whether or not Ted Failon would return to the air be laid to rest. We noted that it would be unkind to speculate on the fate of a man who has just begun to grieve his loss. We are glad that many of our readers shared this sentiment, even expressing the hope that the Etong family, Ted in particular, would soon start over and move on with their lives.

Our readers also shared with us the view that there is an important symbolic value to a return to the airwaves of Ted’s voice.

Ted, they noted, has been more of a critic of the political establishment. This vocation has been given added credibility when Ted decided not to run for re-election for the congressional of post of his district in Leyte which he held for just one term. That showed Ted is more committed to his role as a fiscalizer of sorts, not in the halls of Congress but in the airwaves.

If Ted does not return to broadcasting, that would be one less significant voice for those who want to see abuses by the powerful checked, if not at least brought to light.

Unknown to many, Ted’s life is a success story of sorts. His father was a jeepney driver and his mother was a market vendor. For his part, he once worked as a waiter and a construction worker in order to support his studies.

His life of hardship in San Dionisio, Paranaque and Tacloban City may have been the reason why Ted strongly identified with the “dehado” – those who because of their station in life are usually in the disadvantaged position in the face of a conflict.

We agree with our readers. While we may not be a personal friend of Ted, we find affinity with his vocation.

And so we join the chorus of hope that his voice would be back in the airwaves at an appropriate time. That time is soon, we hope.

Mysterious Wincorp investor

Last week, we shared with our readers the news coming out of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that Commissioner Sixto Esquivias IV has started to look into reports that a “mysterious investor” who is trying to claim some P400 million from the defunct Westmont Investment Corporation (Wincorp) actually has no record of any tax payment.

Sources from the BIR revealed that the alleged subject of the reported investigation by the bureau is a Filipino-Chinese by the name of Alejandro Ng Wee, reportedly a close friend of the country’s ambassador to the Court of St. James, former Finance Secretary Edgardo Espiritu.

Ng Wee is also reportedly spending huge amounts for legal services in his bid to collect the P400 million he claims to have invested at Wincorp.

Esquivias has reportedly directed the BIR’s National Investigation Division to look into Ng Wee’s tax payment record because if it is true that he has P400 million in cold cash stashed away in Wincorp, then he must be a sizeable taxpayer. Initial reports indicate that the division was shocked to find out that the man claiming to have P400 million in Wincorp does not have any record of any tax payment since time immemorial.

As we said, if it is true that Esquivias has asked his bureau to look into Ng Wee’s personal fortune, then this is a good move.

The BIR has a full-year target of P850.6 billion, a goal that has already been lowered by P15 billion given the prognoses that raising revenues would be more difficult this year amid an overall growth slowdown. If the BIR is able to pinpoint the business source of Ng Wee’s hundreds of millions and tax them, that would be of some help to the overall tax generation effort.

Tale of two brothers

Coffee shops are rife with talk about the ongoing feud between taipan Lucio Tan and his brother, Mariano Tanenglian. The feud centered on the alleged embezzlement of company funds for personal profit by Mariano. He has refuted this claim and many of his supporters are prepared to stand by him.

Tanenglian’s supporters insist that the success of the Lucio Tan Group of Companies should be attributed to four individuals, namely: Lucio Tan, Benito Tan (deceased), Atty. Florencio Santos (deceased) and Mariano Tanenglian. Lucio’s group however thinks otherwise.

The business started out as a small trading firm in the late 1950s. From there, it expanded to a multinational that includes a chemical manufacturing company, a cigarette manufacturing company, a piggery, a brewery, banks, hotels, airlines, a distillery and a real estate development. It has business interests not only in the Philippines but in Hong Kong, Papua New Guinea, Guam, Canada and the US as well.

In order for this enterprise to get to where it is now, it needed a trusted chief financial officer. For 50 years, Mariano held that position.

With the position of CFO of a huge conglomerate came all the power and perks. Therefore, it is not surprising that in his 50 years of service, Mariano has accumulated so much power, and his share of detractors.

The relationship between Lucio and Mariano eventually soured. Mariano was reportedly given the ultimatum of either being exiled abroad with the rest of his immediate family or otherwise, a memo will be issued to the security officers of all the companies in the group prohibiting him from entering the companies premises. In Feb. 2009, he was actually barred from entering the premises of the Allied Bank Building in Ayala where he holds office.

Will the brothers kiss and make up? Younger brother Harry is reportedly trying to mediate.

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