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No denial from Ruffy Biazon over his role in the pork barrel scam

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Just my opinion 

By Raïssa Robles

Two years ago on Bonifacio Day I wrote about former Congressman Rozzano “Ruffy” Biazon, who was newly-installed as Commissioner of Customs.

I entitled it – Looking for heroes, I talk to a Nice Guy with a dirty job

Today, however painful, I have to write again about Ruffy Biazon because the Justice Secretary said he was among the 33 former and current lawmakers to be charged for malversation, graft and bribery before the Ombudsman.

When the Commission on Audit (COA) came out with an initial report on the pork barrel scam in mid-August this year, I had scanned it and found the name of Rozzano Biazon.

The Coa report said its team of investigators had asked for Biazon’s side several times but he never responded.

BREAKING NEWS AS OF 4:51 pm Dec 2, 2013

Ruffy Biazon has just tendered his  “irrevocable resignation.”

I commend him for doing the honorable thing. I hope he turns whistleblower.

Two weeks later on August 30, 2013 a Philippine Star news report bylined by Jess Diaz saved me from making a phone call to Biazon. The report noted that between 2007 to 2009, Biazon had given P28.7 million of his pork to three NGOs: Dynamic Filipino Citizen Civic Organization Inc., P18 million; Unlad Pinoy Organization, P8 million; and Philippine Social Development Foundation, P2.7 million.

The report said Philstar had asked Biazon for his reaction to the COA report. And Biazon’s reply was that he would review his disbursement record.

So when Justice Secretary Leila de Lima announced last Friday that Biazon was among those to be charged, I had expected Biazon to explain what he had found after examining his disbursement records.

Before I could phone him to ask, Biazon released the following statement on his website:

“Accounting for public funds comes with the territory of serving in government, whether it be at the lowest levels of local government or in the high levels of national office.

Therefore, I am willing and ready to face the allegations raised today pertaining to the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocated to my congressional district during my term as representative of the lone district of Muntinlupa.

I had always exercised prudence and fidelity in the performance of my duty as Representative of the Muntinlupa as well as in other responsibilities to the public, and pursued projects and programs that benefited my constituents. But as we have seen in some instances, the processes involved have been vulnerable to abuse by certain parties.

I have yet to see the documents pertinent to this issue, but I welcome the opportunity to clarify and answer the accusations whether before the National Bureau of Investigation, the Office of the Ombudsman or the courts.”

I read it inside out and I could not find any denial of wrongdoing.

What caught my attention was the sentence:

“But as we have seen in some instances, the processes involved have been vulnerable to abuse by certain parties.”

Biazon’s statement reminded me instantly of a statement issued by ex-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo years ago, wherein she blamed the political system for the 2004 election fraud, wherein she had been implicated.

The political system is corrupt, yes. Temptations abound. But everyone has the free will to succumb or refuse to take part in the corruption.

Biazon’s statement – that he had yet to see the documents – also rings hollow. He had the months of September, October and November to clarify with COA why he had been named in the report.

Personally, I had wanted Biazon to succeed in ridding the Bureau of Customs of corruption. But with this now hanging on his head, he has no hope anymore to do that. Resignation is the only option.

However, he may still have a chance to redeem himself. And he doesn’t need to see the President to do it.

He needs to tell his ultimate boss – the citizenry – all that he knows about how pork barrel gets funneled to private pockets.

Wish ko lang for Christmas – that Biazon will tell the people what he knows and help break wide open the pork corruption that has been going on for a long, long time. Name names. He can be protected from libel if he testifies in the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

What he couldn’t do in Customs he just might succeed in doing to our political structure.

Comments

  1. A Very Gentleman Gesture and Honorable Manner of Sec. Petilla Tendering his Courtesy Resignation kahit sa napakaliit na Mali at mabuti hindi tinggap ni Pnoy, pero ang iba diyan kapit tuko sa puwesto na akala nila ay PAG-AARI NILA, RESIGN NA KAYONG MGA SUWAPANG SA KAPANGYARIHAN NA MAY KASONG PLUNDER…..

  2. Now that ruffy biazon had resigned as Bureau of Custom Chief, l expect others will follow this unselfish moved of biazon,,, pero bakit wala pa rin gumaya kay ruffy biazon? saan kaya kumukuha nang KAPAL NANG MUKHA ang ibang kinasuhan lalo na ang may plunders na kaso? sana isipin naman nila ang katagang dilikadeza kong mayroon sila noon bilang legislators? KARMA na dumarating sa mga MANDARAMBONG… Ha Ha Ha Ha…..

    • And dami talagang makapal ang Mukha na ayaw bumaba sa puwesto kahit na lantaran na ebidensiya nang kanilang PAGNANAKAW SA KABAN NANG BAYAN…kong nangyari ang katiwalian/kabobohan nang isang beses ok lang sana at puwedeng palagpasin pero dahil paulit ulit ang katiwalian at kabobohan nangyayari sa parehong fake/bogus N.G.Os. ay malinaw na PAGNANAKAW? Ano kaya masasabi nang mga OBISPO at C.B.C.P. na kakampi nitong mga legislators? Naging Bulat, Pepe at Bingi na naman silang taga simbahan… Nagtatanong lang po?

  3. From below Comment No. 44.3:

    leona says:
    December 7, 2013 at 7:38 pm

    @baycas…indeed I got into that link! Worth reading it. Thanks.

    Your argument dtd June 15, 2009 6.06 AM on Philippine Commentary 2013 link, last portion ‘Summary C’ saying “This time “voting jointly” was added obviously to veer away from the usual Congress path”…meaning what? Abandoning the points in “In Summary A”?

    If you brought me to this due to Pacquiao’s ‘tax exemption’ by HOR proposed bill, still it is ‘nutting’…Nuts! News today says from Palace it won’t happen. Short of saying ‘NUTS!’

    Thanks again.

    More reading here:

    http://philippinecommentary.blogspot.com/2009/06/amongst-legal-eagles-on-constituent.html?showComment=1246273249616#c3221426080691722301

  4. LP solon eyes impeach raps vs SC justices

    By Leila B. Salaverria Daily Inquirer 6:32 am | Friday, December 6th, 2013

    newsinfo.inquirer.net/541379/lp-solon-eyes-impeach-raps-vs-sc-justices

    MANILA, Philippines—Some members of the House of Representatives are bent on taking on the Supreme Court for the supposed tyranny of its justices.

    A prosecutor in the impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona is intent on filing an impeachment case against certain magistrates for their “despotism,” as evidenced, he said, by their decision declaring the lawmakers’ Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork barrel, as unconstitutional, and for disqualifying Regina Reyes as Marinduque representative.

    Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, a member of the ruling Liberal Party, on Thursday said he was working on gathering the support of one-third of his 289 colleagues, the number needed to initiate an impeachment complaint.
    Umali, however, declined to identify the justices he was referring to.

    Consensus

    “I want to get the consensus of the House. The more appropriate time to file it is when I get a consensus,” he said in a phone interview on Thursday.

    “When I file it, I will make sure I have 99 [supporters],” he added.
    He believes he will get his colleagues’ support, as many are angry over the high court’s decisions, particularly the one that declared the pork barrel, a source of kickbacks for some legislators, unlawful.

    In an earlier privilege speech, Umali scored the Supreme Court for its “despotism,” criticizing its flip-flopping on the PDAF issue and its inconsistent ruling in Reyes’ case.
    He warned of “judicial despots” in the court, who he said had violated the fundamental principles of law and jurisprudence and established doctrines.

    He noted that before declaring the PDAF unconstitutional, the court had upheld it in an earlier case. He also slammed the court for ordering the prosecution of those involved in the misuse of their pork barrel, saying that this was a usurpation of the executive branch’s power.

    He likewise lambasted the tribunal for upholding Reyes’ disqualification for failing to renounce her American citizenship. He said the high court, in previous decisions, had ruled that once a candidate had been proclaimed, it was the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal and not the Commission on Elections that had jurisdiction over disputes arising from his or her election and qualifications.

    • @yehey…I’d like to know what’s your comment to that article on cong. Umali and on the Congress.

      Robbery vs Tyranny? Publicity vs Impeachment?

      Nuts!

      • Pork Barrel is a way of accelerating assistance to provinces, especially at widespread localities…but being abused and malversated, it’s better to have it totally eliminated in our system of governance.

        As portion of the ruling Leona posted here: there will never be a Pork Barrel…in any name or in any form. But with the kind of flip-flopping Decisions emanating from the Supreme Court, we can only guess what would come next.
        Unless another Pnoy- like president, we will see this Pork Barrel System back in place in 4-year time.

        They trampled upon the Constitution with the midnight appointment of Corona, so it would be much easier to circumvent SC rulings, with just a matter of juggling the wordings.

  5. MERON na namang nag resigned, Adminstrator daw ng LWUA.
    Abogado daw siya ni Napoles, kaya legit lahat ng cash o kotse
    galing kay Napoles. Puede bang malaman dito sa CP Miranda
    yung mga kaso niya at serbisyo niya kay Napoles.

    Mga Tunay na abogado, meron record of billing and big payments
    from clients, nakadeclare dapat sa income niya yan. KUNG HINDI
    ay TIYAK fraud yan o tax evasion. Dapat saliksikin ng NBI at BIR YAN as
    part of their sworn duty.

    • I am wondering when Enrile would tender his resignation, but i know I’m dreaming of an unreachable star for his resignation. Everybody knows he won’t resign as it’s like signing his own death warrant, that in doing so, he is relinquishing his position of power and influence that would mean he would become nothing, that would mean he would be subjected to house arrest ( or whatever ), that would mean his enormous billions of ill gotten wealth would slip between his fingers.

      Is Enrile exhibiting the symptons of a pathological liar? Also, by the way he raged and ranted at Miriam in his speech, he showed he has an emotional and mental meltdown.

    • Pork Barrel is a way of accelerating assistance to provinces, especially at widespread localities…but being abused and malversated, it’s better to have it totally eliminated in our system of governance.

      As portion of the ruling Leona posted here, there will never be a Pork Barrel…in any name or in any form. But with the kind of flip-flopping Decisions emanating from the Supreme Court, we can only guess what would come next.

      Unless another Pnoy- like president, we will see this Pork Barrel System back in place in 4-year time.

      They trampled upon the Constitution with the midnight appointment of Corona, so it would be much easier to circumvent SC rulings, with just a matter of juggling the wordings.

      • Yes, ‘we can only guess what would come next,’ @yeheywater. Maybe in another due time, soon maybe, plug loopholes via amendments…make the ‘dept of justice’ an independent constitutional body…like in Italy, prosecutors also guardians of the law like their courts. An idea, if courts under the judiciary are independent from the Executive, so also the justice department be.

        Again, revising or making ‘amendments’ to the constitution should not be made in short periods of time like four months. At least a year for a good study to avoid creating a mess of words and doubtful intents.

  6. Early this morning — a full month after his last full post in “The Society of Honor” — Joe America posted a comment.

  7. DBM – AN IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS

    DOJ – The controversial P879M faked SARO in Cagayan province seemed to be the handiwork of the employees of the DBM who want to make their own money just like the big-time pork barrel scam.

    The DOJ is finding it difficult to gather/obtain the relevant documents from the DBM.

    This comes to mind the first “kahindik-hindik” news conference of Grace Pulido Tan on 8/16/13 where the big-time pork barrel scam goes public starring Senators Enrile, Estrada, Revilla etc.

    Enrile’s scrutiny of the 2007-09 special audit report shows that DBM failed to turn over to COA records of P69.26 billion of pork barrel released during the period of audit. What was turned over was the records of P12B in which P6.15B was found to have been mis-used by 12 senators and 180 congressmen by endorsing their projects to napoles NGOs but so far, only 3 senators from UNA are being crucified. Enrile raised the suspicion that DBM is protecting some “sacred cows” of the administration (Political Tidbits by Belinda Olivares-Cunanan 8/25/13)

    When Tan was asked why she only audited about 48% of PDAF during 2007-09, she answered the unavailability of records from the DBM.

    It seems that “fairness” is not part of “Daang-Matuwid”

    • Ibig lang sabihin, marami pa ring alagad si Binay at Enrile sa DBM, ilan sa gabinete at halos lahot ng sangay ng gobyerno.

      • Sana magka-totoo para makuha ang mga incriminating documents that involve administration senators, etc. By withholding them, they’ll be beholden to the palace’s whims and caprices lest their political future be compromised.

    • Ano ba ang CONTEXT ng fairness sa politika? Pag may UNA politiko inupakan ng batas dapat meron ding Liberal or Nationalista o miembro ng Kawatan Party na kasuhan? Aba’y magaling yan Sampung UNA akusado magiging apatnapung akusado dahil segun sa dami ng partido. Fairness yan bakit miembro lang ng UNA o dating alipores ni Arroyo ang inuupakan ng gobierno. Yan ba ang tinatawag equality before the law; equal application or protection of the law; NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW?

      Kawawang NBI, kawawang Pulis, Kawawang BIR.
      Dapat fairness sa kanilang trabaho. Pag may kinasuhan dapat ba may katapat? Bakit ba puro taga past administration ang inaakusahan ng corruption? In fairness, Dapat yata one is to one for all political party para walang ngaw-ngaw? Ano nga ba ang dapat sundin ng autoridad?

      Bakit pag may bilyon-bilyon badyet si Noynoy parang susuluhin niya ang kurakot kung sa totoo lang yung mga kawatan sa paligid niya napupunta ang kurakot? Meron bang precedent sa mga dating Pangulo? Sinosolo ang laki ng kurakot?
      Yung maling tuligsa, nakakakuba yan. Kaya seguro si Noynoy ayaw niyang kumabila pa sa 2016. Tankad siya hindi bagay ang walker.

      • KAWAWANG PILIPINAS.

        kung bibgyan ng walker baka pumayag si Noynoy baguhin
        ang saligang batas, dalawang lima ang term ng Presidente
        para may magawa naman. Sa loob ng sampung taon puede
        nang maipakulong ng iang mabuting presidente ang
        napakaraming corrupt sa gobierno.

        • Ang logic niyan ay ganito tulad sa Amerika.
          Walong taon (two terms) of Republicans,
          giyera dito, gyera doon, upak sa ekonomiya PAPALITAN
          walong taon din ng mg DEMOCRATS, repair dito repair
          diyan sa ekonomiya, lakas panlabas ng Amerika.
          A vicious political cycle.

          Sa Pilipinas naman SAMPUNG TAON NI GLORIA kurakot dito
          kurakot diyan, pasyal dito pasyal diyan, suhol dito suhol sa
          mga bishop diyan. Sa SAMPUNG TAON ni Noynoy dapat aresto
          dito aresto ng mga kurakot diyan, kulong dito kulong diyan
          ng mga corrupt. AYOS ang buto-buto ng mga Filipino.
          DI BA?

        • A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE

          Baka naman ganito ang mangyari ayon sa nasusulat este graffiti sa pader: sa anim na taon ni Noynoy, utos dito utos diyan, imbestiga dito, imbestiga diyan, aresto dito confine diyan sa hospital, hearing dito hearing diyan. Sa anim na taon ng papalit kay Noynoy ang president at bagong mga alipores – on-going investigation negosyo yan; mga arrest warrant uupuan negosyo yan, mga confine sa hospital negosyo yan, mga kaso sa korte, may pera diyan, cases dismissed negosyo din yan; mga nakakulong, mga pardon negosyo yan; sa anim na taong negosyong lehitimo yan, baka lampas lampas sa BILYON pesos yan.

          Oy hindi tsismis yan, nabasa ko yan dito sa pahina
          Ni Ms Raissa, binuo ko lang.

        • NATUTULOG BA TAYO SA PANCITAN talagang
          bang HAPPY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN AFTER 2016?
          Banaagin sa mga komento dito sa CP Miranda.

        • WHAT IS THE POINT, the logic of scoundrels?

          Mas maginhawang patuta sa bagong presidente
          kaysa makulong. Tuloy ang daloy ng datong.
          Mas okay maraming tuta kaysa palaging tinutuligsa.

        • Siguro para may makitang may nagawa ng administrasyon na ito, sa lahat ng currupt sa gobyerno kunin lahat ang mga pera/asset nila including tax evader, at ibalik sa government coffer. Less than 3 years nalang ang natitirang term ni President Pinoy, ang bagal ng Judicial System dito sa Phils. huwag na silang epa kulong dahil kung e follow mo pang due process tapos na ang term ni Pinoy…

        • If these rich PORK thieves can’t do jail-time, they can do rehab work /community service,,, isn’t this what they promised before..cleaning up the different typhoon ravaged provinces without any alalay with soldier or army supervision for a couple of years. No VIP TREATMENT …housed them in common living quarters. Para naman mabawasan ang kapal ng mukha. Let them feel how a common street cleaner and basurero works.Delay rehab clean up for a while so they can catch it with the plan.This can be one option they may choose, but I doubt it if they would, either batuhin sila ng kamatis ng mga tao or people would love take selfies with them. I have doubt too if anyone of them would get one step closer to the bilibid door. Who knows Tacloban and others can revive their tourism fielding these pokbugs as attractions?

    • Can CoA not file a case for ‘Mandamus’ vs DBM and Abad? Either before a lower court or the supreme court. A case between a constitutionally created body vs the Executive Dept for release of the relevant documents.

      Go for it Madame Grace Polida-Tan! Please do not be helpless. Order your ‘legal staff’ to do it.

      For the sake of Daang-Matupad!

      • No amount of coercion can force abad to release documents that would incriminate administration lawmakers – per instructions presumably from malacanang.

        On 8/16/13, COA first released special audit report on the P10B pork scam involving 12 senators and 180 congressmen – but sadly, only enrile, estrada and revilla have been formally charged. How about the 9 senators? COA has submitted all the necessary documents to back up their findings.

        It seems they are being protected by DOJ whose NBI is getting the testimonies of all whistle blowers. Looks like the testimonies are being sanitized to protect them and the COA is kept silent by the 143M given to them by abad from the DAP funds to buy SUVs, computers and travelling expenses.

        SABI NI KUYA KIM – ANG PANAHON AY WEATHER-WEATHER LANG

        • Maybe, Abad can stay in jail until he delivers the ‘documents’ for refusal of an order by a court of law under ‘Mandamus.’

          The SC did ‘touched’ on this minor issue of ‘getting copies of documents’ from the DBM but which was refused, saying ‘Mandamus’ is the proper remedy and not Certiorari, Injunctrion. And the Court added, ‘this can be done by CoA’…something to that phrase.

          Well, if Ms. Tan is scared or afraid, who can do it for her or CoA?

        • Our some public officials and maybe citizens [ except Sen. Merriam, perhaps] have not yet discarded that ‘being cowed’ mentality.

          It affects the task of seeking justice for all. Corruption is alive and continues.

  8. nadayo ang mang-mang sa karinderia at nakarinig ng balita.

    pabili ng load kaniya sa tindera. low bat na kasi ang smart ko.

    sa lakas ng boses ng radio announcer, “… more low breaking for free loaders sa tongreso…’
    ngek ngek…

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