GMA against
the ropes again

The APEC meet in Busan, Korea was a brief respite from local troubles. But the President returns home buffeted on all sides by a string of embarrassing developments.

The first, of course, is the announced surfacing of former Commission on Election Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Now, his wife, no less, admitted that he was already in the country. Now she did not state whether he actually had gone abroad or simply hinted that he might never had gone off to other places and just returned home.

Even then, the opposition has already started painting a picture of a Malacañang-scenario where Garcillano is supposed to contradict all the claims of alleged cheating in the elections in Mindanao.

Then there is the problem with former Undersecretary of Agriculture Jocjoc Bolante. The latter is supposed to be in the vortex of the multimillion peso fertilizer scam that purportedly helped boost the electoral caches of local government officials and solons that enabled GMA to win the last polls.

Bolante flew the coop shortly after he had been served (his lawyer reportedly received it) his summons by the Senate agriculture committee.

But no one owned that Bolante could not have been stopped from flying abroad since no court order had been issued for a hold-departure order. But, as is usual with the opposition, they immediately raised a howl over Bolante's disappearance.

Of course, Bolante, himself, seemed impervious to the clamor for him to appear before the Senate probe body. He could have immediately returned to the Philippines to face the music, so to speak. But, instead, he only fueled suspicions that he was allowed or encouraged to go abroad to get away from the heat of the inquiry by the committee headed by Senator Ramon Magsaysay, Jr.

***

Then, there was bloody landmine explosion and ambush by the NPA against the troops of the 41st IB and the First Scout Rangers in Calinog, Iloilo City, last Saturday. It was a major setback in the counter-insurgency campaign that prompted the President to order the AFP again to launch a counter-offensive.

Later, the NPA killed another three soldiers in Quezon.

But there was one thing that bothered me. The revelation by Batangas Vice Governor Richard Recto about his meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang. Together with him, Recto said, were Lipa Archbishop Arguelles and two others.

They had gone there to present to her their "solid proof" of shenanigans involving a P30-million contact signed by Gov. Sanchez on behalf of a firm in which among the incorporators were his own nieces and Undersecretary Roquero. The latter has since been named as DILG undersecretary.

Recto, incidentally, is the younger brother of Senator Ralph Recto. And that could spell a lot of trouble for the president. Vice Gov. Recto, himself, said he had been a member of the Lakas-NUCD for 17 years and simply gave way to Sanchez for the Batangas gubernatorial race on intercession by the top party moguls, including political secretary Gabriel Claudio and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

He presented to ANC his documents, including the corporate papers that bolstered his position that the P30-million contract had been approved even before the firm had been registered with the SEC.

And, because of the damning evidence, Recto said, he and Archbishop Arguelles sought an audience with the President. This after both Ermita and Claudio allegedly told him to settle amicably his suit against the Batangas governor. And, if offered a bribe, to just accept it as settlement.

If the opposition is looking for the smoking gun, Recto is it. He and the Lipa Archbishop reportedly received an answer from the President that she was aware that Sanchez was a jueteng lord.

Ces Drilon, however, failed to follow it up with the question whether the same documents had been presented by Recto to brother Ralph and the latter's reply to its importance.

Anyway, if Archbishop Arguelles were to confirm Recto's recitation about the talks in that incident - the meeting with the President - and testifies to the same in the Senate, she could be in real trouble.

The reason - she did not even peruse or examine the documents that would have at face value indicated that Sanchez was reportedly involved in a violation of several laws.

She reportedly just said - okay, submit these to the Ombudsman or the DILG, but I must remain neutral.

Recto claimed he met that statement with incredulity. The President had just been presented proof of crimes but did not even examine them.

Anyway, as I had said, If Lipa Archbishop Arguelles were to confirm Recto's tale, the President will really be in trouble by the time the second impeachment charge is leveled against her next year.

Well, if you have noticed, she gets better stories from the international press than domestically. One gets the feeling that she seems to be like a boxer against the rope fighting for dear life.*

back to top