Civil society’s rite of passage

I listened carefully to the interviews of Finance Secretary Lito Camacho and his sister on two ANC programs, read most of the articles on the Code NGO controversy and talked to people knowledgeable on bond issues. But the best I can give the Camacho siblings is the benefit of the doubt. And that’s because their mother is Narda Camacho who must have inculcated good values in them.

The Camachos are extremely lucky that the ones questioning the Peace Bonds deal are the "balato twins". Believe it or not, that’s heaven sent. It is easy to accuse the Senate’s gruesome twosome of partisan motives, sourgraping and plain vindictiveness. And you’d be right, too.

As it turns out, the objections the duo raised so far and even the so-called "smoking gun" letter were easily explained by Lito and his sister. The issues raised by the "balato twins" have even made them appear ignorant of the technical aspects of this National Treasury activity.

But I am glad this controversy broke out. What followed became the rite of passage, so to speak for that pompous segment of EDSA 2 known as civil society. At the very least, it brought them down to earth. Their holier-than-thou attitude over everyone not from Ayala Ave. was mercilessly shot down. It is amusing to see them shocked that they are being judged against the high standards they themselves set with all their posturing.

Forget the loud protestations of working for the poor. Even Erap made that claim. Perception is almost everything. Like the perception created by such things like a proponent being related to the Finance Secretary and the large amount of money involved. It also does not help that Code NGO’s didn’t invest a centavo to gain the billion peso plus bonanza. Offhand, this smells and sounds like rent-seeking to me, something Jaime Dichaves would have done.

I am not an expert in the procedures of the National Treasury to assure fair auctions of bonds and other instruments. Only the other participants in the auction won by RCBC for Code NGO can say if everything was fair and square. But it is doubtful anyone of them will complain too, knowing that they could be thrown out of future auctions.

It also does not help that some of the faces now defending the deal from Code NGO were once upon a time the noisy and self-righteous so-called civil society hotheads who made us feel that they were the only repository of virtue in the public arena. Yet, these same faces now hold directorships in DBP and other government agencies. The purity of their motives as activists is now questionable with their acceptance of government perks.

Given the Filipinos’ suspicious nature, could it be that the BIR and the National Treasurer looked favorably at the Code NGO proposal for the Peace Bonds because they knew the civil society firebrands were behind it? They of course knew these civil society figures are close to Malacañang, are themselves in positions of power and can make life miserable for a bureaucrat. I think that even without the Camachos, they could have received this special favor as a form of gratitude from Malacañang.

My only regret in this crazy episode is that the personal integrity of the Camachos has been raked over the hot coals of controversy and doubt, something they don’t deserve. The confirmation of Lito’s appointment as Finance Secretary has also been held hostage.

But the controversy is not without its good side. I am hoping that the experience will make our uncivil civil society less arrogant, less holier than thou and make an effort to practice what they preach. Or at least, seem like. You know, like the means are as important as the ends.

And please, in the future, spare the poor. Too many rascals have justified so many scandalous deeds in the name of helping the poor. That is the least effective way for Code NGO to defend this deal.

One last thing. It does not help that one of the first grantees of the Code NGO billion peso fund is the Ayala Foundation. The project was supposed to help provide water connection to poor families in the Mangahan floodway area. Laudable as it is, that sounds to me like a Bayan Tubig project that Ayala’s water subsidiary should finance on its own. It will benefit from it in terms of reduced non-revenue water and increased sales.

Polio

Last Friday, I suggested that President GMA consider former Marikina Mayor Bayani Fernando as a more appropriate consultant on urban matters than former New York City Mayor Rudy Guiliani. I cited how he has cleaned Marikina and established a high level of public service.

Well, a reader called me up to report that city health people have been busy putting up stickers on houses in Provident Village in Marikina indicating that children in the houses have been given the polio vaccine. That is simply not true, I was told. In fact, they had to bring their children to the health center to be vaccinated.

I am not sure if this is a health department concern or that of the local government. But something is definitely wrong here. Maybe the health workers are diverting the vaccines to the black market. This is something ex-Mayor Bayani’s wife, who is now the mayor, should look into.

LTO drug test

I got this e-mail all the way from a reader in Sydney, Australia about the LTO drug test. This is what Lito Diwa had to say.

I agree with your readers that drug testing should not be done as a prerequisite of getting a drivers license. Drug testing must be part of the routine police work when investigating an accident involving a motor vehicle to determine whether the driver is in the influence of drug or alcohol at the time of the accident.

From the US, here is what reader Manuel C. Diaz, an AOL subscriber, wrote:

Do you think that the "New" LTO Commissioner will stop the mandatory drug test? Can you stop one of the money making gimmicks of this office? Not in our lifetime. I suggest that those noisy lawyers instead of questioning the constitutionality of GMA’s military exercise with the Americans should start questioning the legality of this oppressive requirement.

Lawyers as lovers

Can’t get a date this Valentine’s Day? Take a hint from this one sent in by reader Chito Santos.

There was a loser who couldn’t get a date. He went to a bar and asked this one guy how to get a date. The guy said, "It’s simple. I just say, I’m a lawyer."

So the guy went up to a pretty woman and asked her out. After she said "No," he told her that it was probably a good thing because he had a case early in the morning.

She said, "Oh!!!! You’re a lawyer?"

He said, "Why,... Yes I am!"

So they went to his place and when they were in bed, he started to laugh to himself. When she asked what was so funny, he answered, "Well, I’ve only been a lawyer for 15 minutes, and I’m already screwing someone!"

(Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected])