My column today is Bolante’s great escape. For details, check out Newsbreak’s Timeline: Joc-joc Bolante and the Fertilizer Scam and CA upholds decision to freeze Bolante’s bank accounts and the Arroyo Corruption wiki and Rotarians urge Bolante to come out and tell the truth (not to mention Jun Lozada weighing in, too).
The Warrior Lawyer points out that besides Bolante, former Agriculture Secretary Cito Lorenzo has some explaining to do, too.
So tomorrow, Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante’s due to arrive. It seems a caucus of senators, meant to help the Senate President decide whether to instruct the Senate sergeant-at-arms to serve a warrant of arrest on him or not, ended up cancelled.
As it is, former Senators Franklin Drilon, Sergio Osmena III, and Ramon Magsaysay Jr. are holding a press conference, tomorrow, at 2 p.m. at the Club Filipino, to point out that their report did not write finis to the Bolante investigation.
Whoops, hold the presses! Latest (6:42 p.m.) is that Senate President Villar has directed the Senate sergeant-at-arms to serve the warrant of arrest on Bolante upon his arrival. The Drilon-Osmena-Magsaysay press conference has been canceled, as a result…
The scuttlebutt has been plentiful concerning how the Palace will handle the return of the fugitive. Bolante’s lawyer, Tony Zulueta, is supposedly identified with the President’s husband. But you don’t have to believe that to see the fingerprints of the Palace all over the place: what was submitting a motion to the Supreme Court on Office of the Solicitor-General stationery all about?More interesting was scuttlebutt that retired General Palparan was going to be sent to meet and greet Bolante upon his arrival; this has been overtaken by reports that the National Bureau of Investigation will send agents to “meet” Bolante and “escort” him to the NBI or the Bureau of Immigration where he can be “debriefed.” Mixed messages here -is it to help him or keep him on good behavior?- made all the more complicated because Federal officials in the USA won’t just escort Bolante to his Manila-bound flight, but, it seems, accompany him to his destination to make sure he won’t sneak back into America.This means not only will Bolante have to come home, but that the public will know when and where he’s arriving -which makes whisking him away a ticklish thing to accomplish. He just represents an inconvenient truth at this point, much as the Palace thinks it has all its ducks in a row and that it has the political momentum to finally achieve the constitutional amendments it wants.
Blogger Barangay Kidlatan is of the opinion that Bolante and impeachment are related, something others seem to think, too. Of course they are related, but whether the former will actually breathe life into the latter is what seems to me a bit of a stretch.
So I don’t know if I agree with Mon Casiple when he says,
Now, throw Jocjoc Bolante into the brew and a possible insider impeachment witness has appeared on the horizon, in addition to all the others. The impeachment—a quixotic proposition before—suddenly now seems plausible.
It’s like pinning any hopes at all on former Speaker de Venecia’s posturing concerning the impeachment complaint. It’s posturing, calculated on the premise that he’ll never really get called upon to deliver testimony against the President (and knowing too that the Palace won’t be as bold as to actually call his bluff).
The dilemma, it seems to me, for much of officialdom is whether they should make hay while the sun’s still shining, or bite the hand that feeds them in the hope of juicier tidbits from a new dispensation. Those interested in the presidency are more interested in coalition-building and part of their coalitions-to-be would include the dregs of the present dispensation. So they will sniff around for maximum barking time but refrain from any real biting.Yet there are officials aplenty, to my mind, who’ve never had it so good, and so, why not keep the party going?
There are many, many, more in the ranks of officialdom who know they will never be senators, much less presidents, whose ambitions only extend to their little fiefdoms, and if there’s a lightning rod in the presidential palace to distract public attention, so much the better, and why curry favor with a new regime if the old one can be given a new lease on life?But that may be getting too far ahead of the story, unfolding as it is. Bolante’s coming home.Might he not sneak off, if his flight has a stopover somewhere? Who knows.
Senate President Villar is agonizing, apparently, over whether he wants a showdown with the Palace on one hand, or to let sleeping dogs lie and arm his opponents in the upper house with another issue on which to base a plot to unseat him.
The Senate President seems to have realized public interest’s been piqued on this one, and the Senate has to continue what it began.
Everyone in the political class is waiting to see whether the public, once more, growls disapproval or shrugs the whole thing off.
And of course, the best laid plans of mice and men … well, whatever plans have been hatched, there’s always the possibility an underling botches the job, and creates a new P.R. problem.
Meanwhile… For the first time ever, trading was temporarily suspended in the Philippine stock market.Overseas, as the American presidential race enters the home stretch, see the electoral math over at RealClearPolitics and Electoral-vote.com. Democrats agonize over their success, the Republicans form a circular firing squad amidst news of an electoral bloodbath. And, Benjamin Pimentel’s convincing argument of The Philippines as a Red State. Egads.
Expect Gloria to exercise again her prerogative of executive privilege to hide a wrongdoing!
I agree with Benjamin Pimentel which is why i suggested that the Philippines could be the Republicans’ ‘Canada’.
obama fanatics, hold your smiles. it’s not over ’til it’s over…a wise man said.
“Seal up your lips and give no words but mum.”
bolante a problem for gma? ow, come on, she’s immune already, worse things have been exposed before, no effect; hide too thick, is all.
Hairy Roque has a chance to redeem himself. We await the presscon.
would have been nice if there was a bounty for Bolante’s head (being a fugitive), a fair game for bounty hunters, just thingking aloud.
cjv, thousands of them move north to avoid the “draft” during the Vietnam war and moved back in droves when Jimmy Carter declared amnesty, some stayed, so my guess is if that happens, good until the admins changes, the weather here is just too much for the southerners.
Don’t count McCain out! Remember he and Sarah Palin are God’s favoured candidates.
I’m sure those prayers by the evangelical christians for McCain-Palin will work miracles.
A new media celebrity will be born, maybe?
If he plays his cards right he might be able to run for the Senate.
The name Joc Joc has a good ring to it for marketing jingles.
I hope he has good PR group behind him already. Just make sure you get to ANC as I am sure everyone over there are salivating over this new media happening which they can keep going for at a minimum a month.
Mc Cain is favored over Obama outside Metro Manila? T
o me its simple. its prejudice. Marami pa ring pilipino ang ayaw sa itim., lalo na kung palipilin sila between a white man ( Mc Cain ) and a black man ( Obama).
I ve seen a lot of that prejudice here in New York among filipino gatherings at sa mga inuman. I know of a Filipino couple both sucessful doctors in Staten Island whi thrown their daughter out of their for havinga boyfreind na mulato… My cousin was alarmed over his 10 year old daughter making freind with a black boy in their class. sa mga inuman apag nakikiwkento ako ng bagong client, unang tanong kaagad, puti o itim? It like pinoys are more proud to be associated with whites than blacks. No matter if their real color is more closer to the blacks
But Im happy to know that in metro Manila , Obama is more favored than Mc Cain, ibig sabihin lang education and urban living can change teh midn set of a person.
Notice to all members of the Brown Aryan Nation. Members of a White Aryan Nation group has just been arrested for a plot to assassinate Obama
May suicide warriors rin pala kayo…
Kagaya ni Bin Laden… I know there are Pinoy street gangs in California that are more likely to be anti-black.
The Filipino Spanish colonial was anti-black and anti-Chinese. The Filipino American colonial was simply anti-anything that was not white.
interesting. leytenian seemed to be having some success with her campaign in pinas. 🙂
OFW money not for national development.
http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20081028-168877/OFW-remittances-only-for-OFWs–advocate
At last someone with clout actually said it.
“Mc Cain is favored over Obama outside Metro Manila?”
Guys, racism is the biggest moral problem of this country. I’m only repeating myself, of course. Stop labelling it colonial mentality; it’s racism.
it’s the question of what happens when a domestic social contract now has an international dimension. trickle down, ideally, in that government benefits from the regular injection of foreign exchange into the domestic economy. government then should, ideally, use whatever trickle down it gains by means of direct and indirect taxes to building a homeland worth retiring in for ofws. not to mention the fees and other income (passports, among others) government extracts from ofws.
if the ofw labors abroad to build up their families, government ought to labor to build a positive environment from the doorstep of the ofw family onwards. but also, then the obligation is for government to labor to extend protection to ofws abroad, something the bureaucracy has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do.
The social contract, unfortunately, is biased against the locally-based salaryman (or salarywoman) , mostly from the middle class, who are subject to high rates of income tax up to one-third of their income. Here in Singapore, income tax is very much less (typically not more than one month’s salary). Unfortunately, the trend with the recent laws is for the income tax-base to become much narrower owing to exemptions of low income earners.
Manolo, I think point is this country has become too dependent on OFW and government instead of competing with entities abroad trying culling our labor force is doing more than just encourage mothers and fathers to leave their family for money and is actually institutionalizing this source of money.
Going abroad for your family (i.e. leaving them) cannot be downplayed and the sacrifice underestimated. Government is doing the exact opposite of its side of the social contract. Instead of minimizing the pai of family members leaving it is seen as promoting it. In other words, they should be ashamed but instead we see the grin on their faces widen as more Filipinos go abroad and bring back more money.
mlq3 you are back in fiery form with that inquirer column!
now that the administration’s behavior for dealing with senate inquiry fugitives has all been reduced to a science, im wondering how they will get out of this one.
joc-joc is back! abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
If the senators especially Miriam’s cohorts do their jobs the same ferocity as they did in the “one session-question-answer-conviction” of the EURO GENERALS, the NBN, the Hello Garci, Comelec computer fiasco and others are gone as of this writing. Note the scathing questions of Santiago to Puno and others which should have been asked to those under scrutiny in other Senate hearings. Well, she is really a fan of Puno.
Bakit kapag ang mga Filipino o mga puti umayon sa mga kalahi o di kaya’y puti at sumalungat sa mga may kulay, tawag kaagad ng iba prejudice? Hindi ba’t almost 90% ng mga may kulay boto kay BHO? Ano ngayon ang tawag nila sa ‘di bumoto sa mga puti at 90% na bumoto kay BHO?
I think Filipinos are almost equally divided on this, maybe more inclined to vote Democrats (for BHO) as shown in the demographics in east and west coasts and whites as of now are in favor of BHO. So, this argument of prejudice based on votes I think is only in your dreams. I think, race is not a factor, voters nowadays have enough education and dignity not to make it so.
“The World Citizens Prefer Obama to McCain by Nearly 4-to-1.â€Â
It is very simple, they are not the one getting taxed.
Obama said he will tax the rich – those that earn $250k or more. That is not the complete picture.
He will tax the middle class by lifting the cap on social security tax currently at $102,500. Meaning, all my earnings beyond $102,500 will be taxed at 6% and matched by another 6% by my employer. That is 12% tax on earnings beginning at $102,500.
Joe the plumber made sense. It is not only the rich but Middle class Americans will be tax more to give freebies to those who were not paying tax at all.
joc joc is playing the best delaying tactic in the book…
sakit-sakitan kunwari…..
ganyan rin tactic ni Mr 20% Zardari. When he was asked to appear in court to face charges, his laywer said he was may sakit and had depression and dementia….now look at him, he is Pakistan’s president…
Joc joc Bolante for 2010!
kulang pa ba ang $102K a year? how much more do you need before you live a comfy life?
be christian, give to tax so that healthcare and university education will be free. spread the wealth ika nga…
😀
Brian, I agree.They’re milking cows. Government should view every OFW as an economic refugee, an indictment of our society and government. Every OFW success is a triumph for the OFW and their family but not the state or the country or society at large.
“kulang pa ba ang $102K a year? how much more do you need before you live a comfy life?”
Nash – it is a question of entitlement. I pay my taxes so it can put into good use. Obama tax plan is entitlement by giving my taxes to people who did not even pay tax. I have seen able bodied more capable Americans who are healthier than me, not working but paid liquour with welfare money in the grocery store.
“be christian, give to tax so that healthcare and university education will be free. spread the wealth ika nga…”
Nash – I participated in the church program for the needy and rehabilitation. I donated to charities. I paid tax property funding university education and various state, local and community services.
What the heck is giving my tax to Obama so he can give freebies to those not contributing to the government? I can do it better by sending to people in the Philippines.
One woman with eight children on welfare in Columbia SC asked the governor..why can’t you increase my monthly welfare check?
That was a long time ago, same thing is happening now, and more of them are lining up and not seeking jobs! The mantra “distribute the wealth”, never mind the effect on initiative and free enterprise.
He needs the tax to stem your budget deficit and pay for the wars in iraq and afghanistan…
The next president could however ignore this and just let the future generation shoulder the cost.
Besides, you are not in the Philippines anymore. Relatively, taxes do work for you in the USA.
Anyways, methinks the main problem really is ensuring that the tax is not siphoned off by the cheaters, not the taxation itself…
And yes, everyone hates those who are able bodied and don’t make their welfare cheques work for them by getting qualifications.
The EITC (earned income tax credit) is the largest poverty reduction program in the United States. Almost 21 million American families received more than $36 billion in refunds through the EITC in 2004. These EITC dollars had a significant impact on the lives and communities of the nation’s lowest paid working people, lifting more than 5 million of these families above the federal poverty line. The EITC is redistribution — EITC uses tax revenues to provide additional income to people below certain income levels (the lower the income, the larger the EITC amount).
This redistribution-of-wealth tax-code item was enacted by Gerald Ford and then re-enacted and expanded in 1986 by Ronald Reagan (a good pal of Gorbachev).
“Anyways, methinks the main problem really is ensuring that the tax is not siphoned off by the cheaters, not the taxation itself…”
That is the irony, nobody is plugging the holes but willing to kill the chickens that lay the golden eggs.
Solly – on the basis of your statement that at least 5 of 21 million were impacted, that is not significant. The other 76% which is really significant is not impacted, a huge waste.
However, EITC program maybe needed more by Barack when he will figure later of increasing unemployment due to job flights as a result of higher taxes and everpowerful union.
As usual, many don’t expect much from Bolante’s return. Will it change things? For me, it’s business as usual – this govt will do everything possible to cover up its dirty tracks.
“Obama said he will tax the rich – those that earn $250k or more. That is not the complete picture.”
I dont think this fear of Obama raising taxing will hold. You can gauge this by the contirbution being poured to Obama campaigns they are the same businesmen men and middle class who are being drawn into fear by the Mc campaign.
This is actually one of the thing that I admired from Obama. It woudl be so easy for Obama to say that he will not raise taxes just for the sake of being eleced . (Just like what Mc Cain is promising.) But then here is a leader who is asking the citizen to do some sacrifice for teh sake of moving on the economy and the country. He effectively communicated how he is going to execute it and the plan on what going to do with the money. ( even during his conversation with joe the plumber, he just simply answered the question by saying Yes, Im going to raise taxes and it could affect peopel like you but woudl help help peopel on the lower income bracket to The people listened and was willing to do the sacrifice so they are still voting for him.
Obama has just a very good ability to inspire people compared to Mc Cain. And that to me is a very good quality or character of a leader.
Im am also thinking that there some political genius on this plan of raising taxes. Obama can still opt not toraise taxes if its not really needed and if there are other sources for money than taxes. And that will get him even more closer to people.
Compared that to Mc Cains campaign promise not to raise taxes . Then later on because of really bad economy or other reasons, you really really need to raise the tax. That woudl have a very negative impact on Mc Cain when he got elected
“However, EITC program maybe needed more by Barack when he will figure later of increasing unemployment due to job flights as a result of higher taxes and everpowerful union.”
But it could happen the other way too. By raising the taxes and strengthening those on the lower income bracket, small businesses will have more more customers thus propping up the business.
Not doing anything for the lower income bracket or not raising taxes the Mc Cain way will just leave the small businesses they way they are now, less and less people coming to their establishment that may eventually lead to closure of the business and a complete loss of all jobs in that establishment.
Actually, Mc Cains campign has been distorting the Obama tax plan where Joe the plumber will end up in better situation than with Mc Cains.
http://www.webfilehost.com/images/tax-plan.php
http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1031268,CST-NWS-tax30.article
http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2008/db20080611_220050.htm
http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/11/news/economy/candidates_taxproposals_tpc/?postversion=2008061113
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/06/mccain_vs_obama_on_taxes.html
http://www.wlwt.com/money/17781452/detail.html
http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/obama-vs-mccain-tax-plans-obama-saves-you-more.html
That cnn-article dated June 11/2008 is very detailed in computing the tax-payment changes based on the 2 plans:.
Yrly AGI McCain Obama
$603K and up -$45,361 +$115,974
$227K-$603K -$7,871 +$12
$161K-$227K -$4,380 -$2,789
$112K-$161K -$2,614 -$2,204
$66K-$112K -$1,009 -$1,290
$38K-$66K -$319 -$1,042
It is not that Obama is raising taxes… it is more that McCain is giving away money to those earning more than $600-K a year.
To remember… all it takes is for the spouse to lose her job and the AGI-base drops big-time; then the Obama numbers really hit home.
The main purpose of cutting taxes is to generate employment and to stimulate the economy thru increasing disposable income. When dodong takes home more money, he will have extra cash to buy goods from small to large businesses in his neighborhood. Those businesses will slowly grow because their service and products are being utilized and bought by dodong. ( example)
The reason why I don’t like to be taxed heavily because I am an employer. I have a duty to keep my employees who rely on my expertise to maintain their jobs to feed their families. Tax me higher, I can guarantee you , i will cut labor costs first and may probably lower budgets on advertising and marketing. You see, even the marketing and advertising firms who also hires employee can get hurt. Multiply the effect of unemployment due to higher taxation.
If I have extra cash, I will finish the school in my hometown ( Philippines) My vision and my life goal. I am not giving my extra money to lazy people in america. They have no excuse because the silver platter is right in front of them. The opposite is true for Philippine economy. My extra money and dodong’s extra money are only to help the lives of my own people, Philippines. I have no rooms for sympathy to the lazy here in the US. Been there done that. It’s not the government fault’s but an individual’s fault.
In the Philippines, it is the government’s fault but not the people.
That’s difference between US and Philippines. One cannot compare. Welfare is needed in Philippines, therefore Obama’s skill is good for third world country. 🙂
Yes vote Obama because he will move to Philippines. 🙂 he will distribute wealth and penalize the elites . He is also perfect for Kenya.
Obama is now a Fugitive 🙂
“It is not that Obama is raising taxes… ”
Solly – it is easy to say that if you are paying less or no tax at all. Currently, 40% of my earnings went straight to taxes. Under Obama, I could be paying up to 55% without increase in benefits. Worst, I could be jobless if the Company decided to relocate to Canada – then I can take Obama’s entitlement for its moneys worth and not work anymore.
“all it takes is for the spouse to lose her job and the AGI-base drops big-time; then the Obama numbers really hit home”
Yes without job, one can get welfare check plus eic money, best incentive for freeloading. Thanks for converting free enterprise into welfare economy.
“I dont think this fear of Obama raising taxing will hold. You can gauge this by the contirbution being poured to Obama campaigns they are the same businesmen men and middle class who are being drawn into fear by the Mc campaign.”
True. Barack campaign contributions is amazing and unmatched in history because it is coming from the masses in small amounts and not big money from special interest group. That is why it can spend the money without restriction and not subject to spending limit. This also tell that working population under 100k income are behind him and not the business owners.
“By raising the taxes and strengthening those on the lower income bracket, small businesses will have more more customers thus propping up the business.”
For us who made business decisions like Leytenian, our first response during tax increase will be cutting costs. Labor cost is on the line and we will consolidate jobs to fewer people and send more workers to the unemployment line and take Obama’s entitlement.
Higher taxation will result to further unemployment. It is the small businesses, medium businesses and larger businesses who can employ the people not US government.
The result: the US government will pay unemployment benefits for six months, plus housing subsidies, welfare and healthcare for all mentally sick and entitled 🙂 vote NOBAMA
leytenian and d0d0ng: I sense that you are both in pain. The thought that Obama will soon be elected president of US-of-A must be giving you nightmares. I have this thought that Obama will carry Florida, too, leytenian’s race-baiting has not worked!!
Now, don’t forget you still have to pay your taxes even if it is Barack Hussein Obama who is president. Unless you want to move to Canada. See, even nash understands that you need to pay taxes to pay for the damn Iraqi war 👿 that Republicans Cheney and Bush got the country into because they were too lazy.
“don’t forget you still have to pay your taxes even if it is Barack”
True, we just send somebody to the unemployment line and use aggressively few tax avoidance measures.
“I sense that you are both in pain.”
If you mean of the American dream to get rich through hardwork and be heavily taxed than the slackers, then my answer is yes.
@leytenian
titah, hindi ka naman apektado dahil you earn more than $250K a year like joe da tubero.
sobra na iyon to live on.
i have childhood friends serving in both iraq and afghanistan, wala na sila boots tsaka bala tsaka cruise missile tsaka kevlar vests. i want to be able to see them for our next re-union. they need to be funded.
ambag ambag naman in tax.
d00d0ng: worst, though, are those who when unable to negotiate the political processes, then do what your friends in the MILF do —- burn villages. Someone did ask “sleeper” about you. I actually don’t think that Mccain likes your support.