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Vicente Paterno’s autobiography minces no words about corruption, GMA etcetera

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And about fleeing from a singer in dead of night

By Raïssa Robles

There were only two senators I covered who I continue to respect to this day. One of them is Senator Vicente Paterno.

I am honored to attend the launching of his autobiography tomorrow. And I urge you to read it.

His former chief-of-staff Kathy Moran gave me an advanced glimpse of his memoirs published by Anvil.

I must say, Paterno doesn’t mince words and makes some startling revelations. For instance, why he left Meralco; why he has never forgiven the late industrialist Vicente Madrigal; why he didn’t see eye-to-eye with then Senate President Jovito Salonga; and how he fled in the night from the temptations of a young singer who was about to be offered to him while he was the Public Highways Minister.

Paterno’s autobiography is like following Philippine history through the life of one man. I don’t agree with everything he said but it makes a fascinating read.

I promised Kathy I won’t say much but she said I could quote some excerpts:

On former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:

“I hope that before the end of Pnoy’s term, GMA may be tried judicially and sent to prison for enough years to partially pay for her crimes against the Filipino people. Her most damaging crime was to corrupt and seriously damage the institutions of our democracy—the bureaucracy, the legislature, the judiciary up to and including the Supreme Court, the Armed Forces, and some local governments, most notably in ARMM. Her husband must also be tried and imprisoned for his own crimes against the Filipino people.”

On what others thought of him as Ferdinand Marcos’ Public Highways Minister:

“And here are contractors reportedly talking about me over beer in Nueva Ecija: “Hindi namin maintidihan yang si Paterno. Marami na tayong isinubok.
Ayaw sa lahat na inalok natin. Ayaw sa pera. Umiilag sa babae. Ano kaya, baka lalake?”

“Maghintay na lang tayo. Bagyo lamang iyan. Lilipas din.”

On how his mother obtained antibiotics she secretly sent to American internees during the Japanese Occupation:

“I knew about Mother’s purchases of medicines during the Japanese Occupation because I met her supplier of much of the antibiotics which she was sending to the American internees. I would meet him when he came to our Mendoza St. house with parcels of the medicine strapped to the bike. His name was Joselito Yao, a young relative of the prominent Chinese businessman Yao Shiong Shio. Joselito was born and had lived his youth in Quezon province, and so spoke Tagalog with a distinctive Quezon accent.

Joselito and Mother got along well. He became Mother’s preferred supplier. Mother had helped Joselito one day on a problem he encountered with the Japanese authorities, and he never forgot it. Joselito was on his bike when he was stopped by a Japanese official, who inspected the parcel on his bike and suspected him of having stolen it. Joselito and his bike were brought to a place on Azcarraga Street where he endured interrogation. He was told to produce a credible person who could verify his story. Being new in Manila, he did not have many contacts he could call on the telephone. Hesitantly he phoned our house, and told Mother his plight. Mother did not hesitate and immediately replied that she would come to vouch for him. She arrived posthaste in our vehicle, an elderly matron dressed in her saya to present herself and assure the Japanese that she knew Joselito to be honest and law-abiding and that she was
vouching for him.

Joselito often recounted to his family and friends that he owed Mother his life because of that act. After the Japanese occupation Joselito founded United Laboratories, or Unilab. That company became the largest medicines manufacturer in the country, establishing subsidiary enterprises in Thailand and other ASEAN countries. The young Joselito had become the highly successful businessman––Jose Yao Campos.”

I would have wanted to read Paterno’s assessment of the late dictator and thief Ferdinand Marcos. But he did not include that. He merely said:

“I left the Marcos cabinet in November 1980 because I wanted no part in the anomalies that his cronies were bent on perpetrating.”

Still, what Paterno does include is worth reading. Especially the  section about coping with state corruption as a high government official; how he picked up the pieces after leaving the Marcos cabinet by going into the retail business; and how he was shocked into becoming a member of the Marcos opposition.

Why is Paterno so blunt and so frank about his life?

Because he wrote the book especially for his grandchildren to read even when he is gone.

Comments

  1. taus pusong pakikiramay po sa pamilya ni senador paterno.
    SUMALANGIT NAWA PO ANG INYO KALULUWA. maraming salamat po sa mga itinulong nyo sa ating bansa.

  2. Rest in Peace, Sen. Vicente Paterno. Thank you so so much for your great service to our country. Be with God, together with Sir Jesse Robredo, Siir Juan Flavier and the others who went before you whose same dedication, selfless interest and integrity to continue watching us and intercede for our country to the great Almighty to please, please put good, decent people in the service of our country for our continuation of progress and development in his service.
    Condolense to the family.

  3. Rest in peace Sen. Paterno, I’ll remember you as a beacon light to follow by rabid cyberworld anti-corruption crusaders on this blog. Condolence to the family.

    • My family’s condolences, too, to the family of Vicente Paterno, through this website. May you rest in peace — sleep the sleep of the righteous.

  4. In #192, Johnny Lin said: “In Makati City Hall, payroll is done manually with cash payments up to now. Why? For corruption by city officials padding their payroll with ghost employees.”

    I wonder if this is really true, and if it is, then VP Binay’s boast that his family’s 28 years (first, him; second, his wife; third, him again; fourth, his son) of governance has made Makati City a premier city is a COMPLETE LIE.

    And now, he’s saying that once he becomes President of the country in 2016, he would duplicate in the country what he and his family had done in Makati City. HEAVEN FORBIDS!

    Why doesn’t he compare what he and his family have done to Makati City for 28 years to what the late DILG Sec. Jesse Robredo has done to Naga City during the few years that he served as Mayor there?

    http://raissarobles.com/2014/10/18/comparing-vp-binays-accomplishments-in-makati-to-jesse-robredos-record-in-naga-city/

  5. Ting Paterno served as the catalyst that caused the over pouring comments in Raissa’s blog on the corruption of Binay. The death of Ting may be an ill omen to Binay’s ambition similar to the death of Cory that brought portent of good to the country, that is, the landslide victory of PNoy over Erap and Villar.

    Thanks to Ting Paterno. May he rest in eternal peace.

    • May the good Lord lead the soul of Ting Paterno into heaven. May his righteous acts and selfless service to the country and to the people be the torchlight for corrupt politicians to emulate him, touching the hearts, body and souls who need most of their God’s mercy.

  7. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/focus/11/21/14/vice-vs-vice-senate
    Vice vs Vice
    ————————————————————————————-

    Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano supports former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado’s call for a face-off with Vice President Jejomar Binay, even offering the Senate as a venue.

    Cayetano on Friday raised the possibility of a “vice versus vice” encounter as part of the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee’s probe on Binay, who is accused of hiding ill-gotten wealth and being behind overpriced infrastructure projects in Makati when he was mayor.

    ———————————————————————–

    But! Binay’s camp chicken out and said “Vice President would rather focus on his work “than debate with liars, perjurers, and paid hacks of the desperate opposition to the Vice President.”

    ———————————————————————–

    Work ba? or focus on his early campaign? Liars? diba sila (binay’s camp) yon nag lie?

  8. condolence to ting paterno’s family and kins.
    may he rest in peace in our Lord’s hands.

    bet sen ting paterno left this current battle as his legacy to us here in cpm.
    this article had converged a lot of comments.
    posts here are pouring like rain.
    sort of habagat downpour.
    this could be a sign.
    a sign we are waiting.
    hoping.
    this could jump start a nation’s call.
    a call to all of us.
    from all walks of life.
    to cut-off the evil’s feet.
    to stop its roam-around mode.
    to snap its exploit of gullible folks nationwide.
    this could be it.
    i hope it is.

    • Our profound condolences to Ting Paterno’s family and kins. Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine on him. May he rest in peace. Amen

  11. This is my reply to [email protected] which got lost.

    Whether now or later, booting Binay out of the cabinet is not enough to derail Binay’s juggernaut.

    Regardless of whether it’s now or later, Binay must be booted out of cabinet soonest and out of government perpetually very soon after. But it must be an uninterrupted, determined and merciless move from the start to finish and regardless whether Pope Francis postpones or cancels his visit. Regardless also whether Christmas and New Year are also suspended, postponed or cancelled. I mean the celebration.

    • i have this feeling (gut) that Pnoy is just biding his time for the final kill. the opposite (balay) faction is just gathering enough, more than enough attestation, confirmation, corroboration, documentation, proof, substantiation, testament, testimonial, testimony, validation, voucher, witnesses to pin down DAMIEN. i guess this will be the last christmas that this man will savor throughout his life.

      • the bull has not been ‘stab’ once yet…tagal pa yun ‘final kill’…2 ‘stabs’ needed

        hahaha

  12. “Let’s just be honest with each other. We will not be able to distinguish whether I am working or campaigning,” Binay said. As head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and President Benigno Aquino III’s adviser on migrant workers’ affairs, Binay is going around the country attending to business. But he conducts business whistlestop-style—speaking at meetings, pumping the flesh, giving away T-shirts and eating with the locals—arousing suspicion that he is campaigning on government time and expense. – PDI, 21 Nov 2014

    Binay is making a joke out of this government – a very sorry and cruel joke. His impunity is boundless, his shamelessness limitless. He believes the presidency is his destiny, and he is God’s gift to the Filipino people. We need a government that will put this delusional despot in his proper place. Democracy bestows us, the people, the power to make things right for us and the future generations, as well as the power to make a mockery of elections and condemn the future generations to corruption, ignorance, servitude and poverty. The choice is ours: we either stand up, speak out and fight the system that bedevils us, or shut up and hand over the country to the dogs.

    • Hello? In case you forgot, The country was and is ran by the dogs for decades!

      We just need to take it back and hand it over to one less rabid for now, then let humans take over it completely after rhe cleansing!

      • @Parekoy, you do have a point. But IMHO, we are not yet completely at the mercy of the rabid dogs. There are sparks of heroism here and there, and there are still people and groups, even those in government, who are really trying to make a stand for a better government. By my last statement, I am saying that if we had become so inured to what Binay and his ilk are doing to the point that we accept his presidency as an inevitability, then we have really lost it – kaput.

        • Why is the Comelec so quiet about Binay’s illegal early campaigning. Is Brilliantes among Binay’s conspirators?

        • Some are interpreting this as Aquinomis giving Binay more rope to hang himself, but the opposite is more plausible that the rope is for the lynching of the Taongbayan!

        • Den,

          I am with you and everybody here!

          But we need to be angry and let Aquino know that he is doingbus a disservice. His actions of tolerating Binay and dumping his own party by recruiting outside are portraying betrayal of the Filipino People.

          Our brothers and sisters atbdifferent feedback sections of the newspapers are already seething and saw Aquino’s inaction as betrayal, and some our CPM cohorts are in denial and even saw some hiidden brilliance of a secret plan to oust Binay. So I share our netizens frustrations and wevneed it be known at every nook ofbthe filipino cyberworld that indeed enough is enough!

        • I agree with some of Aquino’s actions and decisions, but I am pulling my hair in frustration at his stubborn refusal to discipline and fire inept, abusive and good-for-nothing subalterns and allies. In the case of Binay, my thinking right now is that Aquino is being practical. He might be assessing the chances of Binay still being elected president despite him cracking the whip on his errant VP. And a spurned Binay suddenly becoming president is bad news for Aquino. This perplexes me though, because in many instances he has taken bulls by the horn. Why can’t he be bold and daring on Binay? In some previous posts, I voiced out my suspicion that Binay might have something against Aquino that the former is using to keep the latter in his court. Will a viable alternative candidate change Aquino’s tact regarding the Binay dilemma?

        • Binay is family!

          PNoy is in quandary but he needs to choose between Binay and Taongbayan. I he choose the former then we need to treat them both as enemies of state!

          Evrybody is viable as long as that somebody will continue servingnthe people. The viable candidate should promise not to free Enrile, Jinggoy and Bong and alsomuse the full might of the government to convict Binay and family! The viable candidate should continue the Tuwid na Daan and if Aquino was not able to deliver his campaign promise of FOI Law and to sweeten the gift pass the Anti-Dynasty Law!

          What I am afraid of is the window of the opportunity to burst the dam to release the real transformation and reforms of our country is closing. And if we miss this opportunity, then maybe we need a couple of generations just to be in this state of real change. It is already cusp of the new era but this damn thing is slippery and Aquino seems all thumbs and not a closer!

        • Erratum

          and if Aquino was not able to deliver his campaign promise of FOI Law, then the viable candidate should promise to deliver it himself/herself and sweeten the gift with passing the Anti-Dynasty Law!

      • I thought dogs are man’s best friends.

        You mean to say these were rabid dogs?

        For decays rabid dogs ran this country to the hilt.

        yea…rabid doggie robber in our window. . . for sale.

    • Well said. I’m beginning to believe that it is not lethargy which is holding the people back but a fear of losing their perks. I think that this is the case from the Senate to the Barangay.
      Could be we are in a no win situation and Binay is in a win-win situation.
      Roll on the day when people become politicians for the love of their country and not the love of money.

  13. “Let’​s just be honest with each other, we will not be able to distinguish whether I am working or campaigning. Meron akong napuntahan dito OFW na kailangan ng tulong, mayroong Pag-IBIG na fino-follow up namin. Along the way, minsan, katulad nito. Let​’​s not be hypocrites. Sa incumbent, it will be very hard for you to distinguish if we are campaigning or we are working,” he said. (VP BInay)

    honest? Are you? That’s why PNoy can’t decide whether to fire you or not, he looks like YOU ARE WORKING but LOOKS LIKE YOU ARE CAMPAIGNING…alin ka doon?

    Aha! both pa la. So everything Binay does is both are both always both eternally both vice president cabinet member both speaking both truth and lies both . . . watta a f…?

    …bothbothantes nga!

  14. @yvonne post #195
    Another way to derail Nog in 2016 is to encourage the dummies of those condos to come out. Those condos represent taxable income to Nog2 and very unlikely would have been declared for taxation either by the dummy or Nog2. If the dummy spill the beans to sec Kim Henares, they are entitled to a whistle blower reward just like the Pesos 2 million collected by drug informers the other day. Here in the land of Al Capone the reward range from 15 to 30 % of the money collected by the government. Imagine that on a Pesos 30 million condo.

    If the dummy does not come out and was found out later, the dummy could be prosecuted for undeclared income. Or could be silenced forever by wearing concrete shoes in the bottom of Manila bay. The dummy’s defense is to create a will that a certain key to safe deposit box will be delivered to Raissa. The box will contain incriminating info about Nog2.

    The developers are not out of woods since they can be prosecuted for bribery. They might as well come out now and be state witness or face the consequences later. Once this process starts going, Nog2 2016 is derailed.

    • The date of delivery or sale of condo unit would indicate when the capital gains, doc stamps and transfer taxes should be assessed.

      The electric bills would show when the unit is occupied or when the building was completed. The electric meters could not be installed unless the units are ready or safe for occupancy. Meaning that the condo building had been completed prior to this date. Gas, water and other facilities should be looked into also.

    • @Matan G. Pusa, all exposes supported by evidences will be of great help in unmasking Binay. We netizens in this forum all agree (well almost) that Binay is not the man to be president in 2016 (and should not be) but the great majority of the D&E of our population are the ones that can deliver winning votes for him.

      Why do you think is he making sorties left and right among the masa (at nagpapa-awa pa). This is his critical mass na inaalagaan nya. Unless they are convinced 100% that Binay is corrupt and cannot be an ethical leader, and unless a dark horse (not dark Bee Neigh) comes out for the 2016 presidency Malacanang for him (Binay) is not far-fetched.

      Massive and objective voters education should be parallely done.

  15. Toby Tiangco told Ms. Earth Pageant not to hold its special event on Mercado’s property in Palawan.
    Tiango said this is to avoid them being involved with Mercado’s ill-gotten wealth. However, Ms. Earth Pageant organizers will still continue its event on the said place.

    http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/video/nation/11/20/14/miss-earth-hinimok-na-iwasan-ang-resort-ni-mercado
    ——————————————————————————————————————————————

    I noticed after Mercado announced his willingness to donate the property under his name and exposed those properties, Binay’s Dogs became more aggressive, barking louder.

    Finger crossed, sana DAR will make a public announcement, that they accepted Mercado’s donation.

    • nice move VM!
      sana marami ang sumunod sa iyo.
      magdonate ang may malalaking lupa.
      kaylangan natin para sa nais kong project.
      road widening.
      sa lahat ng mga lugar na ma-traffic.

    • cannot accept…as it was just in an affidavit…should be a Deed of Donation form and requisites included.