Inside Philippine politics & beyond

Senator Miriam Santiago reveals for first time how much senators really get

Share:
LinkedIn0
Pinterest0

I’m reprinting below the entire speech of Senator Santiago. I agree with her disclosures and recommendations.

How about a petition for Senator Santiago to be appointed head of the Senate Ethics Committee, which NO ONE really wants to chair?

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was a GROSS disappointment in that post. He said he would investigate the allegations of plagiarism against Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto.

Cayetano never did.

Transparency in the Use of Senate Funds

By Senator Miriam-Defensor Santiago

(Keynote speech on 15 July 2013 at the opening ceremonies of the 2013 National Accountancy Week celebration by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants, at the Intercontinental Hotel, Makati City.)

Principle of Transparency

The principle of fiscal transparency is defined by the International Monetary Fund as: “the clarity, reliability, frequency, timeliness, and relevance of public fiscal reporting and the openness to the public of the government’s fiscal policy-making process.” In a culture of corruption, fiscal transparency helps to check corruption in high office by enabling the people to hold the government, and particularly the Senate, to account for its fiscal performance and the use of public resources. Government transparency is also defined as the ability of the Filipino public to gain access to the facts, figures, documents, decisions, and other aspects of government.

History shows that corrupt governments have always sought to limit transparency. Controlling information is central to maintaining political power. Hence, leaders of authoritarian regimes refused to explain the mechanics of the state apparatus to their subjects.

All these changed with the American Revolution in 1771-83, and with the French Revolution in 1789-99. As a result, transparency entered the political discourse as a priority for governments and citizens. The modern paradigms of transparency are: the system of checks and balances among the three branches of government; and the role of the press in fighting for increased access to public officials and their public policy decisions. I take this opportunity to reiterate my support for the freedom of information act. We need to increase the transparency of government actions, and the motivations of public officials, specially senators.

I wish to make it of record that I am against certain exceptions to transparency, because I believe that these exceptions constitute a channel for the desire of government to still protect its power through the restriction of information to the public. Such exceptions include: bureaucratic red tape and other techniques; invoking national security; and asserting certain privileges, or hiding behind an official secrets law. All of these claimed exceptions are simply the efforts of politicians to protect their power, by not allowing the public to know their actions while they are in office.

I strongly advocate to you as distinguished members of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants to compel elected public officials to observe the principle of accountability. Specifically, every senator should acknowledge and assume responsibility for his elected position, including the responsibility to report and justify the consequences of actions taken within the scope of his role as senator. If these responsibilities are not met, then there should be sanctions for Senate officers who fail to meet their responsibility to report and justify, in using public funds.

Your Institute has the unique ability to hold senators and congressmen responsible for their actions in their official capacities with respect to the use of public funds. The Institute should base this role as actors in civil society, by invoking the two accepted theories of accountability: the principal-agent theory; and the theory of moral responsibility. Under the principal-agent theory, the principal is the voter who selects his agent, meaning the senator, to choose actions that benefit the interest of the principal or the public. Under the agency theory, senators should increase accountability by making their actions on public funds more observable to their constituents. As for the moral responsibility model of accountability, the Institute should focus on internal feelings of obligation and duty that the Senate should inculcate in its members.

The principle of transparency has been officially adopted by the Philippine Constitution in two provisions. The first provision is found under the Bill of Rights and provides: “The right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized.” (Art. 3, Sec. 7).

The second provision states: “Public office is a public trust. Public offices and employees must at all times be accountable to the people . . . .” (Art. 11, Sec. 1).

Sources of Income of a Senator

These are the sources of income of a senator:

1. Salary as senator – P 90,000 based on the Salary Standardization Law. The gross amount is P 90,000 a month but after deductions, the take-home pay is about P60,000 a month.

2. Honorarium as Senate officer – the Senate officers are the Senate President, Senate Protempore, Majority Leader, and Minority Leader.

3. Office of the Senator, including :

Monthly funds for Personal Services

Monthly funds for MOOE (Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses)

Travel allowance (international)

Capital Outlay

Additional MOOE

Permanent Committees

Oversight Committees

Commission on Appointments

Senate Electoral Tribunal.

According to the 2011 COA Report, a regular senator, meaning one who is not a Senate officer, received some P43 million per annum. This income basically came from the funds for the Office of the Senator, plus the funds for permanent committees to which the senator belonged. But the Senate officials received additional income as follows:

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile – P 71.7 million, or 166.30% more
Senate Protempore Jinggoy Estrada – P 9.3 million, or 21.69% more
Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III – P 9.3 million, or 21.64% more
Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano – P 10.2 million, or 23.67% more

Each regular senator is given funds in the approximate amount of P63.3 million per annum, but the senators collectively control and are accountable only for 47.49% of the total Senate budget. Here is the deep, dark secret: the Senate President controls the remaining 52.51% of the Senate budget, or the total amount of P 1.7 billion for 2013. Thus, when Enrile was Senate President, he controlled over 50% of the Senate budget. But he proved that with great power comes great conceit, and perhaps megalomania.

The Amounts Paid to, and Expenses Incurred for, Each Senator

I obtained these figures covering the period January to December 2011 from the COA. Here are the amounts from Senate funds paid to every senator in the descending order of the amounts:

1. Juan Ponce Enrile, P 118 million
2. Jinggoy Estrada, P 62 million
3. Vicente Sotto III, P 56 million
4. Alan Peter Cayetano, P 55 million
5. Antonio Trillanes IV, P 54.9 million
6. Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., P 49 million
7. Ramon Revilla, Jr., P 49 million
8. Francis Escudero, P 48.7 million
9. Gregorio Honasan III, P 47 million
10. Francis Pangilinan, P 46 million
11. Loren Legarda, P 44 million
12. Aquilino Pimentel, P 43.9 million
13. Manuel Lapid, P 43.5 million
14. Ralph Recto, P 42 million
15. Pia Cayetano, P 42 million
16. Edgardo Angara, P 41.7 million
17. Teofisto Guingona, Jr., P 41.5 million
18. Miriam Defensor Santiago, P 41 million
19. Manny Villar, P 40 million
20. Sergio Osmena III, P 37.6 million
21. Panfilo Lacson, P 37 million
22.Franklin Drilon, P 34.9 million
23. Joker Arroyo, P 31.8 million

To summarize, the senator who received and spent the most Senate funds was Senator Enrile, with P 118 million for the year 2011 alone. The senator who spent the smallest amount for that year was Senator Arroyo at P 31.8 million. The rest of the senators received more or less some 40 million for the year, including myself with P 41 million.

Sources of Income in Actual Figures

I have given you a table of the sources of income of a regular senator. My figures are based on averages, because senators have variable number of staff, variable number of memberships in oversight committees, and other dissimilarities. The funds for monthly expenses in the Office of the Senator consist of the following:

Capital outlay – P 16 million

Travel allowance – P 59 million

Savings – If the Office of the Senator is able to set aside savings, they are realigned as additional MOOE.

Additional MOOE – The additional MOOE for each office of the senator is distributed upon discretion of the Senate President. Traditionally, this amount comes from the budget of the unoccupied office of the 24th senator.

The permanent committees of the Senate deal with their savings and with liquidation using the same procedure as the Office of the Senator. With oversight committees, usually the annual budget is from P 5 million to P 38 million. Most of the oversight committees have a budget of some P 10 million to P 20 million. There are also honoraria for the chair and members of oversight committees which are listed as extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses, also known as EME.

If a senator is a member of the Commission on Appointments, he is given P 50,000 per month as additional MOOE.

Recommendations

Recommendation No. 1

The tradition is that the Senate President enjoys discretion in the grant of additional MOOE to every senator. However, last Christmas, Mr. Enrile sought to exclude four senators, including myself, from the grant of additional MOOE in the sum of P 1.6 million for each senator. As far as I know, no senator who received this amount questioned this scandalous exercise of discretion, which is a plainly partisan political act. I shall have more to say about this anomaly, in my privilege speech after Congress opens, as soon as I am medically fit to attend sessions.

As a lawyer specializing in constitutional law and a former trial judge, I believe that the issue of Mr. Enrile’s overt and admitted partiality in the use of public funds is a justiciable issue, for the Constitutions defines judicial power as the duty of the courts to, among others, “determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the government.” The Senate President, like any other public official, is prohibited from abusing his discretion by making personal dispositions, based on his personal sentiments and violative of the Equal Protection Clause.

Based on the grave abuse of discretion exercised by the former Senate President, it is time to remove from the Senate President the power to control over 50 percent of the total Senate budget. I have already said that for 2011 alone, he received as his personal income alone the gargantuan sum of P118 million. Mr. Enrile should be held accountable for 52.8 percent of the total Senate budget for every year that he was Senate President.

Recommendation No. 2

Members of the so-called oversight committees, which are bicameral with members from both the House of Representatives and the Senate, received honoraria which I believe are excessive. A senator’s annual gross salary is some P1 million. But on the average, a senator is a member of seven oversight committees. Thus, he receives P 2.5 million annually in so-called extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses or EME. The EME that he receives is more than double his salary, which is not equitable. I humbly propose that the EME for oversight committees should constitute no more than 50 percent of a senator’s salary.

Recommendation No. 3

Today, the Senate is rethinking the previous policy of Mr. Enrile, that certain amounts received by a senator could be liquidated by simply signing a certification that the money has been spent. The new Senate that opens this July will have the power to retain or to reform the system. This will need the majority vote of the senators.

For my part, I believe that starting with this new Congress, it is better to adopt the new rules proposed by COA that expenditures for the items called Capital Outlay (or CO), Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (or MOOE), and Personal Expenses (or PS), should be liquidated by receipts and other supporting documents. Expenditures should be made only for account items which are specified by COA. Non-supported expenditures should be disallowed.

Savings, which were previously realigned as additional MOOE, should be returned to the Senate. I did this in good faith during my first year as senator, but was roundly attacked by my colleagues who resented what I did, because it showed how much they kept for themselves.

Recommendation No. 4

My strongest recommendation is that the practice of giving the Senate President the discretion to release additional MOOE funds for each office of the senator should be removed. Just because one senator has left his office is no reason to avail of the monies allocated for his office, as additional MOOE. It makes the additional MOOE the personal pork barrel of the Senate President. In the hands of a corrupt Senate President, this discretionary power over additional MOOE becomes a tool not only of corruption but also of oppression, and of ugly politics.

Conclusion

In insisting that the public have a right to know what senators do with public money, I strongly adhere to what the English poet John Milton said: “Truth is compared in scripture to a streaming fountain; if her waters flow not in a perpetual progression, they sicken into a muddy pool of conformity and tradition. . . . For who knows not that Truth is strong, next to the Almighty. She needs no policies, nor strategems, nor licensings, to make her victorious – those are the shifts and the defense that error uses against her power. Give her but room, and do not bind her while she sleeps. . . .”

Comments

  1. kung magkakaroon man ng imbestigasyon sa mga PDAF ng tongressman at senatongs na napunta sa 10B scam, sana ay isuspendi rin muna ang pamimigay nito sa lahat ng politiko…kung hindi man nila isuspendi ay wag na lang muna nilang pagbayarin ng buwis ang lahat ng pilipino.

    • Tama ka pare. Dapat imbestigahan ang PDAF but it the senate will do the investigation – we know it’s going nowhere. The right agency is the Ombudsman which is hoped Justice Morales is on her usual effectiveness.

      If true, the loss of billions of taxpayers’ money is another slap on our faces in general and to our leaders in particular.

      I”m just wondering why only opposition senators are being mercillesly exposed while Pinoy’s senators are spared. Is the NBI being pressured to select only UNA senators to be included in the affidavits of whistleblowers?

      Just curious…

    • @ czech,

      Tama ka czech,

      Saka ang dapat sigurong gawin ay lahat nang mga senador at congressman na may anomalyang ginawa sa PDAF ay huwag bigyan nang PDAF at ipaliwanag muna ang kanilang kababalaghang ginawa lalo na ang JLN, Corp. na palaging sangkot sa katiwalian at kong paano nagkaroon nang fake N.G.Os.? mga wala ba silang UTAK at basta nalang pinamigay ang Milyones nang TaongBayan tapos ay wala silang follow ups na ginawa, Napakaliwanag nang ANOMALYA bakit walang naipakulong?

  2. Ang gusto ko marinig sa SONA ni Pnoy ay itigil na ang PORK BARREL nang SENADO at KONGRESSO dahil dito sila kumikita nang malaking kickbacks…

    Maipasa ang F.O.I. Bill at gawing URGENT….

    Ihabla at Ipakulong mga imformal Settlers/ Squatters…

    Trabaho sa mga mahihirap at hindi sustento nang 4 Ps. dahil nagiging tamad mga Beneficiaries.

  3. ipasa ang FOI, tanggalin lahat ng exceptions sa Senado, Congresso, at Sangay ng pamahalaan para transparency ng ating government system. Tanggalin ang anumang discretionary budget ng gobyerno at pairalin ang reward system sa good governance. Ang kalayaan sa kaalaman ang pangunahing susi sa malinis na pamahalaan.

    • @clearpasig…can Pnoy & Company do that? YES. if he got a political will.

      Remove ALL ITEMS re discretionary funds! It’s a cookie jar for corruption via abuse!

      Tama FOI…KK [kalayaan sa kaalaman] first priority of our government!

      …and make the Pasig River clear!

      • he, he, it must be lonely to have political will. PNoy is fast finding himself standing alone in his daang matuwid. with his enemies using legal muscles and having legal wills and using the constitution to check on him, and having tons of money to fund TROs and delaying tactics, his political will versus the tsunami of their political wills, the prez had better start learning how to swim the pasig river. that might be his only way out, he, he.

        • Moonie, PNoy is a politician through & through – but a good and presumably an incorruptible one – which we Pinoys are lucky to have a leader for 6 years.

          He was elected through the supports of many sitting lawmakers and he owes them a debt of gratitude. One can trace the beginning of PDAF scam from the previous senate prexy who allowed them to flourish with his blessings. If drillon and belmonte will learn from this lesson and begin in earnest to restore the tattered image of congress – well and good for the country – but it’s like asking the stars to leave the night sky.

  4. ay naku ang mga cbcp ay dapat wala ng maniniwala sa kanila. eh puro na lang kung ano ang mali ng gobyerno ang kanilang sinasabi ah. Bakit, di nila tanungin ang kanilang mga sarili kung ano ang kanilang ginagawa para ma ibsan ang kahirapan sa ating bansa.

    Just look at how they live, ay buhay mayaman naman sila ah. Look at where they live, they live in mansions called bishops’ palace. Look at their vehicles, pajero and Montero na hiningi sa dating pangulo.

    They really are no longer important to the Philippine society.

      • ay naku ang Obispo na to ay parang hari ah. if you look at the rest of the pictures naroon at kasama nila si gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, gezzzz what are they communicating to the public.

        See they do not just live in bishops palaces, the move around like kings!

    • @ella,
      e bakit nung sina gma ang gumagawa ng kabalbalan, tagimik silang lahat?
      ibig ba nilang ipahiwatig na kalaban sila ng matuwid at mabuti?
      anong isasagot nila sa tanong na iyan?

      • siguro if they are benefiting eh tama. like one of the commenters said: “walang corrupt kung kakampi si bishop.”

        kawawa talaga ang mga naniniwala pa sa mga kumag na to.

      • @ Vander,

        Ibig nila sabihin kahit kurrapt ka basta naglalagay ka OK sa kanila…Nawala na sa C.B.C.P. ang kagandahan nang pagpapakita nang magandang halimbawa… basta ba busog sila at tinitingala ay bahala kayong mga mahihirap na dapat nilang alagaan at bigyan nang kaukulang pansin…Ninakawan pa nga nila nang karapatan ang mga mahihirap nating mamamayan nang magpakapal mukha silang humingi nang S.U.V. noon kay G.M.A. na galing sa pundo nang P.C.S.O. at dahil doon ay nawalang nang kaukulang pundo ang mga kakailanganin nang mga mahirap na mamamayan…What a SHAME on this BISHOPS…

    • be humble, sabi ni pope francis, but there is nothing humble about the mansions of the pinoys bishops. they just passed on being humble to others. asking PNoy to do more for the poor, because the bishops will not. create more jobs for the poor too, because the bishops will not. despite having institutions like private schools and colleges that charges higher tuitions, private hospitals and businesses, they did not employ more people. and only employ those nearest the top, rarely employing those starting at the bottom and giving them chances.

    • An Open Letter to the CBCP:

      Dear Philippine Bishops,

      Shut up !

      From a fed-up Catholic

      • Hey Cha, Highly Seconded. I think this is the only country having a bishops association, is it not? And for what? Meddle with govt policies? Not good eh?

  5. Headline “Catholic bishops: ‘Do more for the poor’ “? ?

    …but they want the poor ‘to be more’!

    • I read that also from inquirer and made me laugh because they never gave an alternative besides criticism. It reminds me of the SUB scandal and its my birthday Bishop Pueblos, using public’s money for their own avarice and selfish interest.

      Why don’t CBCP open their coffers and tell the Filipino people how much shares of stock do they have in companies. How much money do they send to Vatican every year.

      (Note: “B” is not a typo)

      • Dit·to

        Since they (CBCP) advocate for transparency in the gov’t., why not transparency in the Phils’. Roman Catholic Church?

        • I suggest check also the other albums like “Cardinal Vidal’s 81st Birthday”

          Ang title pala nung album na link sa itaas ay “Visit to Cardinal Vidal’s Retirement Home”. I wish someone can verify this.

          Kung totoo ang yaman pala talaga ng mga pari…..

        • Ape saw and shared the link to ‘Cardinal Vidal’s Retirement Home’.

          Retirement? Binata sa mansyon?

          When couples retire, they usually downsize. Kung mansyon ang palasyo, pupuwede ang isa o dalawang kuarto lang kung nag retire.

          Baka naman galante ang pensyon ng dati o Cardinal pa rin? He can afford kasambahays o kasamMansyon. Nasaan ang garahe? Baka may nakaparadang mga …

          Mapalad si dating Cardinal Vidal. Tumutubo ang real estate value (equity) ng mansyon niya sa Cebu. O baka naman isa sa mga retirement properties ng simbahang Katoliko sa ‘pinas.

          Do they get free overseas trips and paid holidays too? They must have many mansions spread across the globe.

        • let me guess, could O be for obispo, and B for his bambinos? bimbos? no wonder the obispo needs all the rooms in his mansions! and they shall all have S for sleepovers.

    • @leona: “do more for the poor” ang karugtong nyan: para naman may akuin kaming naimpluwensyahan namin ang gobyerno na sumunod sa gusto namin. devah?

  6. Gusto Ko Maniwala Ka! SONA ni PNoy dapat may PAG-ASA ang Tao Bayan: Mga ito –

    1. I will work to remove PORK BARRELS in Congress!
    2. In Congress, I will remove all PORK BARRELS!
    3. All PORK BARRELS no more in Congress!
    4. BARRELS ON PORK Congress will not have!
    5. No more in Congress PORK BARRELS!

    6. Jobs Jobs Jobs for those looking for Jobs!
    7. Political Will I will have these days!
    8. These days to come Political Will IS THE TUNE!

    9. Remove all corrupt officials in the Government!
    10. …

    I will be disappointed to hear old sona tunes tweeted long agos! Give us HOPE and Actions
    Mr. President.

      • @Martial B…that is for “No. 10. …” [left it blank for U to give it out ] …ty…hahaha

    • tama ka leona. hayaan ang paggasta sa mga secretaries. para hindi makapangupit.
      maraming bantay. lower house, senate, judiciary at executive.
      bantayan din ang paggasta ng mga LGU’s. bantayan ang mga 15/30. bantayan ang mga nagmumultong proyekto. bantayan ang mga hilaw na asphalt overlay na wala pang 1 month marami na uling pot holes.
      hayyyyssss. ang daming babantayan. kasi pati bantay ay dapat bantayan…

      • @vander…it just looks like nobody can ‘guard’ all these culprits! Tigas ang mga ulo. What’s should be done with ‘heads’? Umpo-gin?

        • oo nga. baka wala na talagang magbantay. maging ang coa ay wala ring magawa. nakikipagkamutan na rin lang ang iba jan.
          not tigas ulo. tigas mukha. in other words, makakapal ang apog. hindi nahihiya kahit malantad na magnanakaw…
          iumpog natin…

    • …another blog in limbo! …just now…I was asked “Do you approve of this change?”…gave it a GO [ what change?] …?????

      let’s me see if this goes IN…

  8. What is happening is one of the perfect example how they (senators) set up the system to manipulate the public money, so that they could facilitate corruption. The taxpayer’s money is out of control and if they (senators) dont start protecting public interest instead of their friends there will be enough money to raise salaries and wages, thereby helping to close the gap between the poor and the rich which is around P70K difference per month.

    According to the survey the poor makes around P7,800/mo and the rich is P78K/mo.

      • Raissa, I am sorry I dont remember the link, but it was on the PhilStar business section and I believed it was last week. If I could find it I will get it to you.

  9. …coming in new Senate –

    “Drilon-led Senate to be thriftier, stricter – Cayetano

    By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News
    Posted at 07/19/2013 4:11 PM | Updated as of 07/19/2013 4:11 PM
    MANILA – A Drilon-led Senate will no longer commit mistakes in the past that plunged the chamber into bruising and divisive controversies involving the use of its funds, according to a senator who’s rumored to be a leading candidate for a key leadership position in the 16th Congress.”

    future mistakes…baka mayroon! tsk tsk tsk

    • Hi Leona,

      That’s Alan Cayetano speaking, right? (about being thriftier, stricter..)

      But look at the Raissa’s list above of amounts paid to and expenses incurred by each senator under Enrile’s watch, Cayetano ranks no. 4 among the top recipients at P55 million. Drilon is second from last at P34.9 million.

      So maybe the other senators in the bottom 4 (Osmena, Lacson, Drilon, Arroyo) shoud say to Cayetano : Look who’s talking!

      • as for me, the senate’s responsibility is to draft laws. actually, redundancy na nga ang senado dahil may lower house na. kaya na iyan ng more than 200 tongressmen. at dumarami pa sila dahil na rin sa mga mahika nila.
        the executive is the one to decide on the budget at ang bantay ay ang senado/congress.
        bigyan mo ng poder ang bantay, tingin nyo babantayan nila ang sarili nila?
        hinde. sa p’nas pa. gagayahin lang nila ang ginagawang mag-isa noon ni makoy.
        kaya ayan tuloy, malala na ang kanser ng pananalapi ng bansa.
        alisin sa kanila ang poder ng paggasta. hindi sila karapat-dapat. hindi nila alam gamitin ang kaban ng bayan.
        yan ang maliwanag…

      • @Cha…yes it’s Alan Caye! We really don’t know “who suggested such whopping huge PAYS to these people elected by us!” Yes, they not only ‘hold the purse’ but gets to have the contents – MONEY! of that purse!

        …compared to us…to the lowly gov’t employees and ordinary employed citizens, we are nothing to these purse-holders & spenders! No equal protection of the law. Unconscionable at that!

        …it’s unconstitutional. A very ‘fine sweet way’ of robbing people’s money.

        Salaries/Compensations of public officials must be reasonable, moderate, atbpa in acc with the work and functions entrusted to them. People/tax payers must have a say before ‘they’ do get such items.

        …why not ‘small PER DIEM’ for every month of work. No work No Pay too! This rule is applied to almost every worker but not to them?

        We are crying! They don’t cry at all like us. The MONEY belongs to us!

      • …@Cha…am repeating what I lost here…You are right – Alan Caye yan!

        …huge pays for senators… nothing for the rest of the people! No equal protection of the laws.

        …unconscionable and unconstitutional…their porks. We get beans!

    • I will really believe in the sincerity of Drilon if he will work real hard to abolish pork barrel and will come up with laws for stricter monitoring of projects implemented by the Executive Department, like DPWH who are supposed to oversee the building of public works and highways.

      • katulad lang yan ng political dynasty. no politikos in their right political-dynastyc minds will ever work for the abolition of both pork barrel and political dynasty. isama na ang FOI dahil isa ang FOI sa maglalantad ng mga inililihim nila. kamutan lang sila nang kamutan ng kati sa likod. baka nga bakbak na ang mga likuran ng mga iyan…

  10. …na labas loko na! na una yun kareton sa kabayo “MANILA – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima will not categorically say it, but she believes the killing of two Ozamis gang leaders while in police custody may be a rubout.

    De Lima says both physical and testimonial evidence appear to debunk claims by police that Ricky Cadavero and Wilfredo Panogalinga died in an ambush by gunmen on motorcycles.”

    rubbing alcohol na!…hehehe

    • More than 10 heavily armed policemen nalusutan ng riding in tandem? Sinong lolokohin nila? Sa raid na ginawa nila asan, ang barangay? Ang media? Di ba SOP yan? To Gen Purisama, hindi heroes ang mga criminal, ang mga bata mo ang nag-asal criminal dahil pinaglalanganan ang taong bayan. I-trace ang mga sasakyan at gamit na nawawala daw at i-report sa bayan kung asaan. Tiyak may gagamit ng mga yon o kaya ibebenta (liquify ika nga para di ma-trace).

      Iyong nawawalang cash daw sa Atimonan rubout wala ng nabalitaan, kung baga “successful operation” kaya ito, tumira na naman.

  11. 5 signs you’ll get Alzeheimer’s here…click here!

    “MANILA, Philippines – Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II decried yesterday being dragged into the multimillion-dollar Metro Rail Transit 3 (MRT 3) project controversy.

    In a letter to The STAR, Roxas denied blacklisting the Czech firm Inekon from bidding in the project.

    He said he was being unfairly dragged into the controversy only because certain officials were brought into the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) during his watch.

    “Contrary to what was reported in The STAR, I did not blacklist any entity during my watch. Inekon was and is free to participate in any bidding,” he said.

    “In all my undertakings, my policy has always been open and transparent in bidding. That was set forth early and clearly at the start of my term as DOTC secretary in July 2011.”

    Roxas said linking him to an alleged shakedown involving MRT train bidding was baseless.”

    hehehe