Guess who got richer working for the gov’t

I went to the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.  meeting to witness the signing of the agreement with RAFI represented by Pres. Roberto “Bobby” Aboitiz and the Department of Education (DepEd-7) represented by regional director Carmelita Dulangon for the integration of the Bugsay Philosophy of Mr. Bobby Aboitiz into the primary education’s curriculum. This will begin with the piloting of 20 selected public elementary schools in the 10 divisions of Cebu for the school year 2014-2015.

The Bugsay principle as espoused by Sir Bobby is simply about having a goal, planning it well, and working hard to achieve it. Ms. Amaya Aboitiz, the daughter of Sir Bobby, turned it into a children’s book entitled “Akong Bugsay” which included the singing of Akong Bugsay for children to adopt and sing. The Akong Bugsay is bi-lingual and taught in Cebuano and English, and it is a workbook that will help teachers convey to our grade school children that a bi-lingual person is considered an intellectual person.

I just didn’t stay for the signing ceremonies, but I stayed on to watch teachers use this workbook on grade 3 school kids from the Mabolo Elementary school, and it was quite amusing to know that kids so young could already understand what some adults never understand. Kudos to RAFI and DepEd for this noble endeavor. The future of our youth is secured when they adopt the Bugsay principle.

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The report from the Commission on Audit was quite telling. It stated that the heads of the three supposedly independent constitutional bodies increased their incomes from the year 2012 to 2013. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, for instance, declared a net worth of P48,962 million in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and for the year 2013 she increased it by P5.6 million. Now we’d like to know from the Ombudsman what her secret is. Perhaps a better question is who double checks the SALNs of the Office of the Ombudsman?

The other constitutional body is the Commission on Elections whose chairman Sixto Brillantes showed some brilliance when he reported in his SALN a net worth for Dec.31, 2013 of P40.323 million. According to the Star report on the Comelec chairman’s SALN’s: “Meanwhile, Brillantes’ wealth rose from P32,427 million in 2012 to P40.323 million as of Dec.31, 2013. His net worth went up despite total liabilities of P9.2 million—a bank loan of P5.8 million and payables of P3.4 million. Brillantes still has his 2007 Toyota Fortuner worth P1.5 million but he now drives a 2014 model Hyundai Starex valued at P1.8 million and “other properties” worth P6.8 million. Brillantes listed the same real properties in Parañaque and Las Piñas valued at P8.831 million.”

Grace Pulido-Tan of the Commission on Audit was considered the richest among the three with a net worth of P65.731 million in 2012 and for the year 2013, her net worth rose to P68.020 million giving credit to her real estate properties and shares of stocks. I’m not accusing these people of corruption. But when their net worth increases in just one year by the millions, it just makes you wonder whether these people are seriously working in their respective government offices or they are concentrating in increasing their respective incomes?

I’m sure that the great majority of ordinary Filipinos who barely earn enough to make a living must be scratching their heads how to increase their incomes especially under the Aquino regime when gasoline fuel, the price of rice, power, and electricity has peaked at an all time high? Forgive me for my suspicions but I would like to ask those three personalities, Grace Pulido-Tan, Sixto Brillantes, and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales to further explain to the Filipino people their secret on how to increase their incomes while in the service of the government?

Lest they have already forgotten. In May 2013, a sitting Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, CJ Renato Corona was convicted by the Senate for a non-crime of having miss-reported his SALN, to which the Bureau of Internal Revenue  in a total act of oppression has filed tax evasion, charges against the Coronas. Yet today, the majority of those pompous senators are embroiled in the nation’s largest scam — with Janet Lim Napoles.

At that time, we challenged those senators and those who testified against Corona to also open their bank accounts so we can truly see whether or not they are lying in reporting their SALNs. But no one dared open their bank accounts. So do we accept their SALN’s hook, line and sinker? I think not! If we do not get a satisfactory explanation, then we must demand for the resignations of these constitutional officers.

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