‘Damaged goods’

I watched on television with bated breath (because I’m suffering from a mild case of asthma attack) the supposed explosive testimony of the newest witness in the jueteng payola scandal allegedly involving President Arroyo and members of the First Family in the live broadcast the other day of the Senate hearing.

Army Capt. Marlon Mendoza, former operative of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), was presented by opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson as his witness.

Prior to his Senate appearance, Lacson announced Mendoza could corroborate the previous testimony of Michaelangelo "Louie" Zuce, the nephew and self-confessed conspirator of his controversial uncle, Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano, on the alleged rigging of the May 2004 presidential elections.

Zuce was the former Malacañang employee who confessed to being the one who distributed money, given to him by Garcillano, to election officials. Garcillano supposedly told him it came from jueteng payola from gambling lord Bong Pineda to ensure the victory of President Arroyo in the elections.

By way of observation, was it not coincidental that Technical Sgt. Vidal Doble, who was supposed to turn himself as the opposition’s witness to authenticate the wiretapping of the telephone conversations of President Arroyo and Garcillano, also belongs to ISAFP?

Doble belongs to ISAFP’s MIG-21 (Military Intelligence Group) while Mendoza is from MIG-23. Are these the kind of intelligence operatives we have now? Just asking.

Before I run out of breath trying to link these characters to one another, something struck my memory, when Mendoza dramatically read his prepared testimony of what he supposedly knew directly of the hanky-pankies of Garcillano to tamper the election results last year.

Mendoza reminded me of the same very bombastic testimonies made by Lt. Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV at the live telecast of the public hearing by the Feliciano Fact-finding Commission that looked into their Oakwood takeover in July 2003.

Trillanes and his fellow Oakwood officers have since subsequently admitted being misled and apologized to President Arroyo for their misplaced idealism, but they are still undergoing court martial.

The only headline-hogging testimony that Mendoza made at the Senate hearing was a personal recollection of a drinking spree he had with Garcillano who supposedly boasted and toasted with them his receipt of P300 million from Bong Pineda to fix the election results in favor of Mrs. Arroyo.

In obvious panic reaction, the AFP leadership called a press conference a day before the Senate hearing, to unmask Mendoza for what he is, specifically, among other charges, his alleged involvement in a money-making scam of selling "mission orders" that would allow non-military individuals to be deputized to carry firearms.

But as it turned out, the AFP’s use of its overwhelming force to discredit Mendoza exploded on its face, since they were dealing with just another "damaged goods" used by the opposition in their on-going battle to bring down the administration of President Arroyo.

It was Sen. Lacson who, I noted, talk much on record at the Senate hearing on jueteng payola about his being victimized by Garcillano’s election manipulation, when the opposition leader had long periods of monologue while supposedly grilling Mendoza.

While on duty as chief security officer of Garcillano, Mendoza testified under oath, and I should add with pained expression in his eyes at the Senate hearing, that he supposedly saw for himself Zuce handing out envelopes of money to certain election officials to make them "manipulate" the election results in Mindanao.

I would have believed his claims of patriotism in such highly emotional denunciation of these alleged election crimes at the Senate hearing where he admitted these things took place before his very eyes, yet he did not do anything about it, despite him being an officer of the law.

Did he also receive money from Garcillano that kept him quiet all these times?

I would not question his motives for coming out only now with these testimonies more than a year after they happened.

With his pending charges at the AFP, jokes say Mendoza is no longer with the Army but joined Trillanes in the Navy, because both are now on "floating" status.

* * *

"Delicadeza" is a rare quality during these times and it is worthwhile to note that there are still some people who practice it.

Words got out from Malacanang Palace that President Arroyo has accepted the "courtesy" resignation of Margarita "Margie" Juico as member of the board of directors of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Out of "delicadeza," Margie submitted her resignation after her former boss, ex-President Corazon Aquino for whom she worked as appointments secretary during her administration, joined the resignation calls against President Arroyo.

Margie submitted her letter through the courtesy of presidential daughter Luli. The next thing she knew, the Office of the Executive Secretary called her up and asked for a copy of her resignation letter. She was told that she has been replaced at the PCSO Board by Stryke Revilla, brother of administration Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla.

Their father, septagenarian ex-Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., is the chairman of the Public Estates Authority (PEA) which President Arroyo originally wanted to abolish as early as three years ago, following the scandal of alleged "over-pricing" of Pres. Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard project.

Except for the fact that this agency has been transferred from the Office of the President to the Department of Public Works and Highways, and subsequently to the Department of Finance for its planned privatization, PEA has up to now defied the odds and remain in existence.

Finance Secretary Margarito Teves has earlier announced plans to intensify the privatization program of the government. He could very well start this at PEA. * * * Write to [email protected]