Master impresario - JAYWALKER by Art A. Borjal

It is weird and odd that a top executive of one of the biggest corporations in the country – RAMON ANG, vice chairman and chief executive officer of San Miguel Corporation – played the principal and most active role in the Impeachment Trial of Erap Estrada. It was Ang who was in Malacañang almost everyday, calling the shots, telling Estelito Mendoza and Andres Narvasa what to do, plotting how to cover up the bank records and the real ownership of the famed mansions. It was he who was the "Chief Operations Officer" in the effort to save the presidency of Erap Estrada.

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How will the bank records of Jose Velarde and all the other Erap accounts be hidden? How will the paper trail be covered up? How will they make it appear that the Boracay mansion and other mansions were not owned by Erap and his mistresses? It was Ramon Ang who, apparently acting in behalf of Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco, masterminded the "Save Erap Plot" – from Day 1 to the suspension of the Impeachment Trial.

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It was Ang’s role to provide all the logistics, and assure the implementation of the survival plot, to the participants in the "Save Erap" campaign. The busing of pro-Erap hakot crowds, the staging of pro-Erap demos, the dirty tricks propaganda effort aimed at smearing the anti-Erap advocates – all these machinations and more were plotted under the direction of Ramon Ang.

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Remember what Rep. Joker Arroyo, the colorful and inimitable Prosecutor, said in his opening statement in the Impeachment Trial: "This case can rise or fall on the basis of bank records." Realizing this, the pro-Erap strategists, under the direction of Ramon Ang, tried every maneuver, every stratagem, to foil the opening and disclosure of bank records. At the law office of Estelito Mendoza, in the midnight emergency meetings of the cover-up plotters, Ang was there as the master impresario.

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I hope that the "honeymoon" between President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the diverse forces that helped propel her to the presidency, especially the media, will not be short. As it is now, there are disturbing signs that the honeymoon may be cut short, primarily due to the public perception that many of GMA’s appointees to government posts are trapos or are beholden to trapos.

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Look at last Friday’s opinion columns and front-page stories in the major newspapers. Almost all expressed worry, disappointment, and even indignation, over some GMA’s announced designees to government posts. The same disturbing tone was sounded in the airwaves, as broadcast journalists in the radio and TV stations took turns expressing alarm over the re-emergence of trapos in the GMA administration.

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Rep. Nereus Acosta of Bukidnon, one of the young idealists in the House of Representatives, was eloquent when he spoke in behalf of a cause-oriented group led by artists Kuh Ledesma, Anthony Pangilinan, Danny Javier and many others who participated in EDSA 2. The Bukidnon solon said that what his group wants to know is how the appointment process took shape. Did trapos have a hand in his or her selection? Was the appointment due to political accommodation? What criteria were used in selecting the appointee?

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The negative comments about GMA’s appointments had a common thread: That no transparent process was followed. That there was an obligation on the part of GMA to inform the people about the how’s and why’s behind the appointments. That pressure from traditional politicians was behind several appointments. That since it was People Power that catapulted GMA to the presidency, the people have every right to know why this or that appointment was made.

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Thanks, and God bless the following kindhearted individuals for lending a helping hand to the Good Samaritan Foundation:

* "A disturbed yet hopeful soul" who sent P3,000 (Asian Bank 0002663) for those whose lives were shattered by the atrocious Rizal Day (December 30) bombing

* G.A. of Quezon Avenue, Quezon City, P20,000 (Global Bank 0000170)

* Consuelo Campos of Dasmarinas Village, Makati, P1,000 (BPI 0202149)

* Anonymous donor from Antipolo City, P2,000

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Dr. Art Libao, the inspiration and organizer of the "PEDYA KAMP" projects, which are all designed to enhance the quality of life of special children, contacted me to say that Pedya Kamp 2001 is all set for April 18-27 at the West City Central School in Cagayan de Oro City. Even now, the training of volunteers is being undertaken, with the first session scheduled on Sunday, February 11, at Mezzanine 1 & 2 of Makati Medical Center. Those who would like to participate in the training workshop are asked to bring a 1x1 ID picture and an ID jacket.

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Dr. Libao, who put up God’s Special Children Inc. to handle the implementation of Pedya Kamp, asked me to thank Misamis Oriental Governor Calingin, Cagayan de Oro Mayor Vicente Emano, Rep. Oscar Moreno, and Rep. Constantino Jaraula, for their unstinted support of Pedya Kamp. Thank you, too, to the volunteer doctors, nurses, therapists and plain citizens who will help stage Pedya Kamp 2001 in Cagayan de Oro City.

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So many letters have been coming, prior to EDSA 2, in reaction to the Impeachment Trial. Since the contents of the letters have been overtaken by events, let me merely cite the names of the following writers and thank them for going out of their way to share their sentiments on what were then the raging issues of the day: John Lisboa of Kuwait; L. Marie; Rogel Nuguid; Tom M. Roxas; Isagani B. Dada; Danilo Manalo, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia; Rolly Amaranto, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; a certain "Cesar"; Joel V. Sarmenta; Mario E. Valderarama; Reo A. Raymundo; Prof. Roland G. Simbulan of UP; Jun Adan, New York City, USA; and Rolando Elardo.

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Here are excerpts from letters I received during the past few days:

Former Ambassador RODOLFO A. ARIZALA, Santiago, Chile: "Your column, ‘How God’s Script Saved the Philippines,’ are, indeed, true and could be titled in Filipino or Tagalog as HULOG NG LANGIT. Aside from God’s blessings, People Power and support of the Military, the press like your column also played a key role in the peaceful and bloodless EDSA II."

Etay Hilao, New York City, USA: "May I call the attention of President Macapagal Arroyo on the abhorrent junkets of our congressmen abroad? It is high time these unnecessary trips are stopped."

Blessie Abad, a graduating college student: "Our nation has only two paths to choose from. Either we choose to be a better nation by learning from our mistakes and resolving to stop committing these mistakes. Or we may opt to continue tolerating the corrupt system that runs our lives."

Dr. Conrad G. Javier, Cleveland, Ohio: "Congratulations to the Filipino people for a very democratic, peaceful and bloodless EDSA 2. The more than 15 million Filipinos all over the world must surely be very proud of their loved one’s patriotism and heroism at home. Very proud to be a Filipino myself after 42 years in the USA."

Grace De La Rama, Quezon City: "Era’s political appointees should submit their courtesy resignations out of a sense of delicadeza and to give President Macapagal Arroyo a free hand in establishing her team."

Roberto Vergara, a nurse working in New York City, USA: "How I wished I was part of that historic People Power 2."

Mario E. Valderrama: "Thank God that we have professional soldiers. I was afraid that we would either have a revolution, or that we may become another Myanmar."

Omar Dizon: "The vicious cycle of corruption begins from a new President who has just won an election, likely to make deals to recover and pay back those who supported his campaign with huge sums of money. This is not true with GMA who took over the presidency through People’s Power."

Gil Utanes: "Thank God that, by our own will and right, we installed a moral person as our 14th President."

Ronnie Manlapaz: "Someone’s got to stop Mike Velarde from using public places for their religious meetings. Why can’t he build churches for his congregation?"

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My e-mail address: [email protected]