---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: R Azada-Palacios Date: Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 7:52 AM
Winnie Monsod said in her column this week that this email was not written by her. You can read her statement about it here (scroll down to the bottom): http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20100227-255577/Somersaulting-Court On Mon, Mar 1, 2010 at 11:34 PM, Erlinda Alonde <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Please take time to read... > > ----- Forwarded Message ---- > *From:* Erlinda Alonde <[email protected]> > *To:* [email protected] > *Sent:* Monday, March 1, 2010 10:59:35 > *Subject:* Monsod's Musings on the Presidentiables > > > > > > Villar still refuses to attend the Senate to face questions, and it > only > reminds me of how GMA used the privilege of her office to avoid > questioning. What will happen if Villar wins and more corruption scandals > surface? > > With Villar catching up to Noynoy in the polls, I am honestly quite > terrified of the prospect of him winning. There is a clear case of graft > in this instance, and instead of delving into the issues, his allies in the > legislative are simply brushing off the allegations as "politically > motivated". As a citizen, we should not accept this. If there is smoke, > we must see if there is a fire that needs to be put out. Yes, the timing > of the allegations seem a bit off. ( Joker Arroyo was pushing these > issues as early as 1998). A known crook and political opportunist, Juan > Ponce Enrile, is the person leading the censure. However, when the facts > are presented, it is clear as day that something is amiss. It just > further builds on my strong suspicions that Villar is a businessman simply > looking to control the political arena to make a boat load of money. > > I have never trusted Villar since day one. I never trust businessmen who > enter politics, because in the end, their core value is and always will be > profit maximization. It is well documented that Villar's real estate > empire ran into some serious financial problems when his overexposure to > the real estate market and the Asian FInancial Crisis made him unable to > pay debts he took out to expand his real estate business in the early > 1990s. After the Asian Crisis hit, Capitol Bank, owned by Villar and > heavily exposed to his real estate investments was essentially ran to the > ground and needed to be bailed out. In 2005, Villar tried to solve his debt > problems by hiring a group of investment banks to advise him on how he can > consolidate all his assets into one company (Vista Land). With the local > and foreign investment bankers, Villar came up with a growth story for > investors: "Invest in my company because we need it to fund all these > wonderful project!" However, what was downplayed during the IPO roadshow > was that instead of financing growth, resources from the offering would be > used to finance his debt. To appease creditors, Villar even had his > investment bankers pitch some form of a debt-to-equity conversion that > raised skeptical eyebrows of many. In 2007, the IPO of Vista Land did not > do as well as planned, in part because many investors and brokers were the > same people who were burned by Villar's inability to pay back his loans. > > Now, as part of a corporate growth (or should I say corporate > restructuring) plan, Villar is lusting for the highest position in the > land. This scares me because Villar already has a track record of using > his political position to gain the upper hand for his businesses. To save > his empire and increase shareholder value of his business, Villar used his > influence as Senate Finance Chair to shrewdly derail a Cavite road project > that was supposed to be BUILD, OPERATE, and TRANSFER. Villar built a > longer and more expensive road, the C-5 extension, adjacent to it; > subsequently forcing the private investor in the initial project to pull > out. The fishy thing is that this new road, longer and more expensive than > the previously planned project, passed through all of Villar's land in > Cavite. It is a clear case of graft, pointing to Villar use of influence > and government funds to substantially improve the values of his real estate > properties. To add insult to injury the right of way the government would > have to pay in order to complete the project was substantially higher for > the land that Villar owned. These funds could have easily been used to > build needed schools. > > This scandal should be a red flag for all voters. However, the scary part > is that Villar is spending billions to keep this out of the picture as he > continues his attempt to brainwash our masses that he is their saviour. He > convinces the masses that he is one of them. A poor boy from the slums of > Tondo. In actuality, he is more like the 5-6 and syndicates, slum dwellers > themselves who make a profit out of their poor brethren. Villar's ad > agencies are doing an excellent job of maintaining this image as well as > doing damage control. TV and radio continues to churn out Parokya Ni > Edgaresque jingles that compete with "Nobody, Nobody." Dolphy is Villar's > new spokesperson and Wowowee is one giant ad for him. In this process of > brainwashing, the masses are not cognizant of how Villar conducts business > as a politician. What they do not see is a man hell bent on turning our > archipelago into his own personal piece of real estate. > > It is sad that the efforts of Juan Ponce Enrile, who is leading the > censure for Villar, is actually giving Villar more sympathy votes. People > do no trust Enrile, and when Enrile pounces on someone, it is usually met > with a high degree of skepticism. I do not blame people for feeling this > way. I also think Enrile is a crook who should be jailed for conspiring to > implement Martial Law, for coup attempts, and for the human rights abuses > during the Marcos regime. If someone with a more respectable reputation > were to level these charges on Villar, I am sure the surveys would tell a > different story. > > I also fear from some credible reports that Malacanang has actually made a > deal with Villar (under the table). Essentially, GMA's goons said, "We > will help you, in return, leave us alone when you win". Villar's > behaviour in recent forums further adds credence to these reports as Villar > has been very tame and quiet when it comes to how he will treat GMA after > the elections. Appealing to common sense, it makes ALL THE SENSE for GMA to > support someone who has a chance of winning, not a person rating at 4% in > the surveys. GMA tried to reach out to Noynoy after Tita Cory died. All > she got was rejection. > > WHo can stop Villar in his quest for the presidency? > > I am known to be a Noynoy supporter, but to those skeptics and to those who > are still undecided, I do concede that he is not perfect. His record as > a politician is average and unspectacular at best. He does not have the > charisma of his father. Before the death of his mother, he did not get > much mileage. But I am going all out in support for Noynoy in 2010 because > he stands for clean governance and appear willing to accomplish this. In > addition, he has the best chance of preventing a opportunistic businessman, > the assured next President of our country before Cory died, from using the > Office of the President as a personal growth asset to his business empire. > > Noynoy's clean record is a big plus for me. It is a trait that I think > should be the most important quality that we should look for in our next > president. His appeal is that his track record is not tarnished by > corruption scandals and his political debts are minimal. I know that many > critics are trying to make an issue over his involvement in Hacienda > Luisita, but Noynoy is not even heavily involved in the company. As a > shareholder, Noynoy only owns .04% of Hacienda Luisita, a drop in the ocean > and hardly in any position to do something about it. The case of the > Hacienda does not have the substance that the C-5 extension contrversey has > a lot of. > > In addition, Nonoy also has an incredible legacy to live up to. All the > pressure is on him to be clean and stay clean. He can't afford to tarnish > the Aquino name and the immense legacy that his parents left behind. Cory > and Ninoy practically sacrificed their family for their dream of a better > Philippines. FOr Noynoy, to know that your father and mother went through > so much hardship to improve our country is a heavy burden to think about > if you do decide to become a crook and destroy everything that they fought > for. > > We all have to make a choice. In my opinion, it has to go to the > presidentiable who has an independent mind, stands up for what he believes > in, is clean, and has the legacy his parents to live up to and maintain. > For me, Nonoy, with all his flaws, is that candidate. For what this > country needs is a clean president who can set an example top-down for the > entire state; it needs a president with the will to change things and stamp > out corruption; it needs a President who can set an example and is willing > to perfect our dysfunctional democracy. > > I want someone who stands for being clean. He does not need a degree from > Harvard. He does not need to have a multi-million peso business to show me > he can make us all rich. He does not have to speak well. He just has to > be clean. Nothing else should matter. He has to prioritize a platform of > clean and effective governance and make sure that it delivers on that > promise. Policies on the economy, education, energy, environment and health > can all follow after the fundamentals are taken cared of. So far, the only > candidate who promotes my vision with a clean record to back it up is > Noynoy. > > Our urban landscape is replete with political slogans that attempt to > convince people of certain candidate's ability to lead our nation > > Galing at Talino? Sorry Gibo, those were the supposed qualities of GMA, > rubber stamped with a Phd in Economics. And what happened? She only > worsened our economy. To GMA's credit she did balance our budget at one > point, but it has again ballooned to the level where the next president > will have to deal with the same economic issues she faced in 2005. During > GMA's watch investment in infrastructure was insufficient, poverty > incidence worsened, public education deteriorated, our nautical highway is > still incomplete, goons like the Ampatuan's flourished in the south, and a > culture of corruption flourished in our institutions. Instead of creating > jobs, GMA focused on a policy of exporting labor without measuring the > social costs of such a policy- thousands of broken OFW families and > children of OFW's who do not have the proper parental supervision to teach > them the differences between right and wrong. In effect, our next > generation is left on their own to figure out how to become empowered > patriots who love their country and will fight to defend it. In effect, > whatever statistics in GDP growth GMA and her allies love to advertise, non > of it trickled down and benefitted the poor..and none of it accounts for > the social costs to her policies. > > Good speaker? Sorry Gibo, Marcos had that quality and he did nothing good > for our contry. In fact, Marcos squandered the opportunity to be our Lee > Kuan Yew and Dr. Mahatir. If I want a good, charismatic, and eloquent > speaker, let's just run down the list of effective public speakers and vote > them in. > > Para sa mahirap? Sorry Erap, you had your chance and failed miserably. > Your only accomplishment is in convincing our masses that movie roles do > not carry over into the political area. > > My only concern with Noynoy is how deep he might be in the Liberal Party > and whether he has accumulate political debts to Liberal trapos. The > Liberal PArty, like any party, has its own share of crooks (including those > bandwagon trapos who jumped off GMA"s boat to ride on Aquino's popularity). > How much will Nonoy have to give back to the LIberal trapos (and bandwagon > Liberals who jumped GMA's ship) if elected? We will never know. However, > I am willing to live with that unanswered question if it means preventing > someone like Villar from turning the Philippines into Vista Land's next > subdivision development. I am also reassured by the fact that he has that > "Aquino" name and the ghosts of his parents to answer to if does decide to > go down the immoral path. > > Nonoy will not solve all our problems. One person can't. But we need a > start somewhere and it should be with someone who pushes honesty, reform, > and good governance. It will be a tough battle, but I want to give Noynoy > the chance to build on what his mother tried to accomplish. ANd I hope > that if Noynoy wins, he will have the courage to make tough decisions and > go after crooks, even if it means hurting a lot of friends and colleagues > in government. > > To give you a better sense on how Villar conducts business, here is also a > link to Joker Arroyo's 1998 privilege speech. > > http://www.malayang halalan.com/ 2010/01/26/ joker-arroyo- raises-issue- > of-accountabilit y-of-public- officers- against-manny- > villar/<http://www.malayanghalalan.com/2010/01/26/joker-arroyo-raises-issue-of-accountability-of-public-officers-against-manny-villar/><http://www.malayang > halalan.com/ 2010/01/26/ joker-arroyo- raises-issue- of-accountabilit > y-of-public- officers- against-manny- > villar/<http://www.malayanghalalan.com/2010/01/26/joker-arroyo-raises-issue-of-accountability-of-public-officers-against-manny-villar/> > > > > I guess "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a > duck.." Well, as the saying goes...... > > Vote wisely Philippines. And continue to work towards uplifting the masses > and freeing them from their state of hopelessness. Defend them from > opportunists. DEVELOP THEM (FIRST) SPIRITUALLY AND BEHAVIORALLY; THEN > ECONOMICALLY! When we lift up the poor and ween them off the mentality of > hopelessness, our country will become first world. Only then will we have > the powerful middle class that our young democracy is screaming for. > > > > > > Winnie Monsod > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > Try the new FASTER Yahoo! Mail.. Experience it today! > <http://ph.mail.yahoo.com/> > > > ------------------------------ > Try the new FASTER Yahoo! Mail.. Experience it today! > <http://ph.mail.yahoo.com/> > > ------------------------------ > Try the new Yahoo! 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