Roadmap for luxury vehicles?

For the past two days, the public hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee looked into the alleged questionable fund releases by the previous board of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). The PCSO  aptly described on the first day of the hearing by Sen. Francis Escudero  has become one big source of “pork barrel funds” for sitting presidents.

Escudero deplored the PCSO had even become the milking cow of the past administration, in particular to favor “a selected few” of its allies, notwithstanding the mandate of the agency to assist all Filipinos in need out of its proceeds from state-run lotteries like lotto and sweepstakes.

This glaring fact came out at the core of the Senate inquiry that looked into the alleged use of PCSO funds to buy sports utility vehicles (SUVs) for certain bishops close to then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. 

On the second day of the public hearing on the PCSO fund mess, the senators noted and complained of the obvious inequitable distribution of PCSO ambulances, again in favor of allies of the previous administration.

Incumbent PCSO officials led by chair Margarita Juico presented as evidence at the Senate hearing some of the checks issued by the PCSO, including the P1.7 million given to Bishop Juan De Dios Pueblos of the Diocese of Butuan. Bishop Pueblos readily admitted to it and explained that the Mitsubishi Montero SUV was a “birthday gift” he really asked from Mrs. Arroyo so that he could use it for community service at his Diocese. 

Interviewed yesterday over the Church-run Radio Veritas, Bishop Pueblos declared he is ready to face the Senate inquiry if invited to shed light on this matter. Obviously hurting over the flak he received over this “birthday gift” SUV, the 68-year-old Bishop Pueblos announced he is, in fact, preparing to deliver his own “privilege speech” at the Senate. The embattled prelate must be referring to the opening statement that each invited resource person in Senate hearings is allowed to make to defend himself.

Bishop Pueblos decried the “character assassination” he feels being subjected to by allies of the present dispensation. He is one of the five bishops tagged as having received SUVs from PCSO donations.

A few weeks before P-Noy marked his first year in office, Bishop Pueblos figured as the first Church official who called for P-Noy’s resignation. Now, he sees where his misfortune started. Bishop Pueblos said yesterday he is ready to give back to the PCSO this SUV, if asked to.

Incidentally, President Aquino confirmed he had already given up his own controversial luxury vehicle, Porsche. He could only wish this big issue over his acquisition of this luxury sports vehicle is finally put to rest. Actually, the biggest sigh of relief came from the Presidential Security Group (PSG) now that this Porsche is out of the Palace garage.

He admitted it was with a heavy heart he had to part ways with his dream car. It was already too late in the game for P-Noy though when he reached this decision. Presidential publicists have blamed the Porsche as having largely contributed to the slide of P-Noy’s popularity rating in the latest opinion surveys.

The Porsche certainly dented and chinked P-Noy’s armor against administration critics who went to town to carp about the presidential insensitivity and proclivity to fun life.

If we are to believe coffee shop talk, P-Noy quietly slips in and out of Manila to take his Porsche for a spin. The 50-year-old bachelor President reportedly drives the Porsche all the way to Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac taking unnecessary risks with such daredevil antics on the highway.

The President purchased the white luxury car last year after selling his dark blue BMW. He revealed having sold it for exactly the same price, reportedly P4.5 million, that he bought it for. But up to now it was never clear how this transaction went about.

The Palace publicists were vague to explain it when the public got to know about P-Noy’s acquiring the Porsche.

P-Noy manifestly tried hard to hide his irritation whenever this Porsche issue was raised in public.

When asked last Monday to confirm reports he had sold it already, P-Noy had his last say on the issue: “I hope that’s the last question on the car that is no longer in my possession.”

After having put an end to this issue, perhaps the Chief Executive is now also ready to move his administration towards the direction of his vision for the country, if there is any. The Filipino nation deserves to know exactly where P-Noy would like to take us other than “Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap” campaign.

That was exactly the public expectation when P-Noy made his “Ulat sa Bayan,” or his report to the nation on his one year in office last June 30. At the end of P-Noy’s report, all we heard were nothing but the “sins” of his immediate predecessor that have already come out in media.

Official statements emanating from the Palace said P-Noy has intentionally kept short his “Ulat sa Bayan” because he would make the more comprehensive one in his forthcoming state of the nation address (SONA). The Chief Executive is slated to deliver the traditional SONA when the second regular session of the 15th Congress convenes jointly on July 25 at the Batasan Pambansa in Quezon City. This will be P-Noy’s second SONA since assuming office.

During a recent radio interview, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma disclosed P-Noy’s next SONA in Congress would be around 30 minutes long. As P-Noy wanted it, Coloma said, there would be a separate Technical Report where each and every department would explain in detail the specific government projects and programs so far implemented and their status.

Still being drafted, Coloma believes the upcoming SONA would satisfy those asking about the administration’s roadmap for the Philippines in the remaining five years of P-Noy in office. We cross our fingers that P-Noy’s roadmap is not only for luxury vehicles but clear routes to reach our common desired destination, a better life for all us.