No again to US bases

It is good that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has shot down the possibility of a return of US bases to Clark or Subic. As Senators Serge Osmeña and Gregorio Honasan Jr. have correctly pointed out, that issue has been decided and foreclosed 20 years ago when the Senate rejected the extension of the US bases by the vote of 12 magnificent senators.

However, through the VFA/Balikatan exercises, the US has continuously maintained troops in Zamboanga and Sulu, thus establishing a de facto US base in Zamboanga City which GMA allowed. President Aquino should now close down that de facto US base in Zamboanga City.  

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COMMENDABLE. . . The decision of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez to resign is good news for the President and Congress. It will save a lot of money that would have been spent for eight months of trial by the Senate.

It will also save precious time which Senators and Congress can now devote to more than 27 priority bills still pending.

Merceditas Gutierrez should now be allowed to enjoy her retirement in peace. We join in commending her for this decision.

Now, President Aquino has no more excuse for not pursuing his anti corruption campaign.

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ABOUT TIME. . . The BIR has filed tax evasion cases against four gold traders for non payment of P4.76 billion in taxes from 2005 to 2009. Charged were Sylvia Chua Cantoria of Caloocan City, Diomedita Canonigo of Parañaque City, Felonila Caluag of Meycauyan and Ronaldo Castro also of Meycauayan.

The BIR based their charges on the record of sales of the four gold traders to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for which they failed to file income tax returns.

There are many others in Davao and Agusan who have become extremely rich by engaging in the buying of gold from gold panners. One has even put up a mall.

This case once again supports the view that there is no need for new taxes. Just collect the taxes due from existing tax laws.

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ANTI RH. . . Rep. Roilo Golez (LP, Parañaque) is confident the RH bill wouldn’t pass in the House. He says that Deputy Speakers Pablo Garcia and Raul del Mar of Cebu are leading the fight against the RH bill. He points out that one of the biggest arguments against the bill is the admission that contraceptive pills causes breast cancer in women.

In the Senate, opposition to the RH bill is led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Majority Leader Tito Sotto.

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ANOTHER WIDOW MAKER. . . Another S-211 trainer plane crashed in the sea off Bagac, Bataan killing the pilot, Major Ephraim Gatus Suyom, valedictorian of the PMA Class of 1997 and the co-pilot, Captain Raymond de Leon.   

The 18 S-211 trainer planes from Agusta of Italy were acquired during the time of President Cory Aquino. About 12 have previously crashed, thus earning the widow maker tag. The Philippines is the only country that bought the S-211 for training at the time it was acquired. As chairman of the Senate Defense Committee, we initiated a Senate investigation and objected to the deal, but the Philippine Air Force pushed through with the purchase anyway.

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DENIAL. . . The spokesman of the Office of the Solicitor General has come out to deny again that they are receiving allowances from the Trust Fund intended for immigration officers doing overtime work at NAIA. In the same breath, they admit they are receiving allowances from the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), not from the Bureau of Immigration.

It is the Bureau of Immigration that bills the airlines who pay the Bureau. It is the Bureau that pays out the allowances. Precisely, Bureau of Immigration personnel are complaining why should the OSG and DOJ personnel receive allowances from the Airline Trust Fund when they do not actually do overtime work at the NAIA.

If the OSG has cancelled its plan to hold its 110th anniversary at PICC complete with expensive hosts and artists from the entertainment business, well and good. At least, they heeded the complaint of the OSG rank and file.

Where there is smoke, there is fire. OSG employees just want their new bosses to stick to the “matuwid na daan”.

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TIDBITS. . . Malacañang through Sec. Edwin Lacierda in a surprise turn about announced that new taxes are planned for 2012. Again, we say, reduce unnecessary expenses first. Too much money is still being spent for travels and representation expenses and overpriced purchases of cars and equipment.

The DFA is now asking 17,000 OFWs mostly domestics, to leave Syria while commercial flights are still available in Damascus. DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz admitted that only 837 or five percent are OWWA documented.

LTO warns the public against buying stolen No. 8 plates.

The seven-kilometer Cavite expressway in Kawit, Cavite, started during GMA’s administration, cost P5.8 billion or P850 million a kilometer. Looks overpriced like the DM Boulevard at the reclamation.

Our condolences to former Rep. Ed Mendoza on the death of his daughter in an accident at the Star Tollway. Ed Mendoza and Dr. Boy Palacios of Batangas are avid readers of this column.

University of Caloocan Professor Jose Calalung Jr., 47, a native of Isabela was robbed and stabbed to death inside his house in Brixtonville Subdivision in Caloocan City.

Pedicab driver Reynaldo Sonario, 35, was shot dead with a 9MM pistol by the driver of a Toyota Vios in an apparent road rage incident in Halcon St., QC.

Another Barangay Chairman was shot in Leveriza Street, Pasay City, Wednesday night. Chairman Jethro Balais, 37, of Barangay 37 was shot and seriously wounded by John Lacsamana, a robbery suspect he arrested on March 18 out on bail.