Divided opinion

President Noynoy Aquino’s Facebook subscribers were 50-50 divided about his performance in his live panel interview with ABS-CBN, GMA-7 and TV-5 last Thursday afternoon. I think he did come across quite well.

He gave spontaneous answers and except for one or two points was quite credible. The major admission was he erred in believing the assurances given to him by lower officials that the situation was under control and would be peacefully resolved.

Just like Mayor Fred Lim, General Leocadio Santiago and General Rodolfo Magtibay, President Aquino admitted he was also confident the hostage taker could be tired out and will eventually give up peacefully.

At least 3 times he gave assurances that heads will roll although he was clearly not ready to can DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo or Undersecretary Rico Puno stressing he will wait for the recommendations of the De Lima committee.

Just like everybody, President Aquino agreed that the arrest of SPO2 Gregorio Mendoza, the hostage taker’s brother was a big mistake and triggered the bloody ending. But President Aquino carefully avoided mentioning Mayor Fred Lim in his answers to the panel. He didn’t even confirm Mayor Lim’s testimony that P-Noy called him at 1:30 p.m. It was not also clear what he did from late afternoon to evening before going to Emerald Restaurant.

The bottom line is everybody is waiting for his decision on who should be held responsible. Until then, the debate is revived regarding the issue of the President’s competence to discharge the multifarious functions of the highest office of the land, the main issue raised against him during the election campaign.

One comment I can make, President Ferdinand Marcos lasted so long in Malacañang because he never hesitated to fire anybody.   

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Almendras: P60 billion lost . . . No less than DOE Secretary Rene Almendras has now confirmed that the government loses P60 billion a year from oil smuggling. Everyone at the Bureau of Customs knows this. It’s a puzzlement that while the smuggling of oil and oil derivatives accounts for at least 40% of revenues lost, oil smuggling has not been given top priority attention by Commissioner Angelito Alvarez, the Alabang golf cheat. Under Alvarez, the BOC registered a record deficit of P4.47 billion in August.

To begin with, there is on record BOC findings of smuggling by Union Oil/Oil Link owned by one Paul Co including smuggling thru Subic, Mariveles and Clark. Other small players are also suspect.

Oil smuggling is facilitated by BOC by its not having a data base system on oil/oil products. An investigation of BOC records will show that copies of Inward manifests, notice of arrival, Bills of Lading and other pertinent documents used in the processing and release of oil/oil products shipments are nowhere to be found. They have even been erased from computer files.

Oil depots have not been monitored as to the volume of oil/oil products arriving at and leaving from them. Common sense requires that BOC verify the origins and documentation of volumes of oil products being loaded into the depots and shall require an update on a daily basis on all withdrawals from such facilities. The amount of oil arriving at Clark from the Subic pipeline will show that it is much more than the reported amount of oil that arrived at Subic.

The DOE and BIR should review the volume of retail sales at gasoline stations and to industrial consumers and compare it with the amount of importations reported. Why has the BOC not done this? Even PASG never pursued its investigation of oil smuggling. On the usual 50-50 sharing of foregone revenues, the loot is between P25-30 billion. Yes, BILLION. If Malacañang and BOC divide that 50-50, then they get at least P12.5 billion each.  

That’s a temptation very hard to resist if cheating is part of your system and on top of your agenda.

President Aquino and Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima must make sure Commissioner Alvarez puts a stop to oil smuggling. Any hesitation or failure on their part will certainly raise a presumption that they are receiving the big bucks their predecessors used to receive.

Meanwhile, an indignant businessman from Cebu called us to confirm that Customs personnel there have also increased their demand from P200,000 to P500,000 per container. . .

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Interesting conversation . . . Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, in a visit to Cebu told Bago City Mayor Junie Martinez that the problem of Noynoy is that he is making decisions all by himself.

That in effect confirms that P-Noy has become a micro-manager and explains why he suddenly took full responsibility for the hostage fiasco, even preempting the report of the Incident Investigation Review Committee (IIRC) of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Palace insiders say that the decision to sack DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo is most likely. The search for a replacement has started. The leading candidate is Davao City Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

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Stumbled . . . Inquirer Columnist Solita “Winnie” Monsod was a rabid campaign leader of then candidate Noynoy Aquino. She was so diehard she was highly critical of the other candidates, especially President Erap and Mayor Binay. Last Saturday she wrote this:

“All right. Let’s face it. P-Noy’s Administration has fumbled and bumbled and stumbled since Day 1.”

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Tidbits . . . Representative Gloria M. Arroyo is preparing a privilege speech to expose the incompetence of P-Noy. Her allies say she will explode a bombshell . . . A tourist bus operator told us all tourist buses have TV sets. Gen. Magtibay and Col. Yebra did not even know that . . . Sen. Serge Osmeña observed that Globe Asiatique should not be held solely responsible for the spurious loans totalling P7 billion from Pag-ibig.  He said that Pag-ibig officials who connived with him should also be sent to prison. . .

President Aquino announced he is cancelling his scheduled State Visits to Indonesia and Vietnam because the two countries were not ready to receive him in September. Why did Malacañang announce the visits when the arrangements, especially the dates were not yet finalized with Indonesian and Vietnamese authorities?

The tabloid Bulgar headlined that Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa was seen “lasing na lasing” in a five star hotel in Makati. Any comments Mr. Secretary?