Abusive G-men

A couple residing in New Manila had filed a case of abuse of authority, coercion, slight physical injuries, robbery and related charges against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) special investigators. According to the complaint, the NBI agents were looking for a certain female in-law of the couple who was allegedly charged with estafa. These ‘G-men’ reportedly refused to properly show their identification papers and the warrant, intimidating the residents and hurling invectives in the process. The men numbering about 20 were all armed, some climbing over the roof while others were trying to get over the wall of the compound, while the others threatened to break the gate if they were refused entry. Faced with such obvious intimidation, the woman relented, asking that only one man conduct the search in their residence. To the woman’s surprise, the big burly agent who was allowed to go in roughed up and threatened the maids. The ensuing commotion woke up the resident of the adjacent house in the compound, the woman’s brother who was sick at the time. A member of the raiding team reportedly lied to the judge just to get a search warrant, obviously not knowing that there were two houses in the compound. Failing to find the subject in the first house, they then proceeded to turn the other house upside down, conducting the search without the presence of any barangay official or police officer. After an eight-hour operation, during which the residents were almost reduced to nervous wrecks, the agents failed to find the female in-law named in the warrant. They did not go empty handed however, as they allegedly carted off P225,000 in cash and P783,000 worth of jewelry, along with a properly registered Glock pistol owned by the husband. Perhaps Director Nestor Mantaring would like to take a look into the matter, and exile these G-men to Timbuktu and rid the NBI of abusers and scalawags.

Getting on with her life

News of former Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin’s appointment as independent director of oil firm Petron drew mixed reactions. It will be recalled that Boncodin was one of the so-called "Hyatt 10" who resigned from their positions and demanded the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Those in the know said that there is no quid pro quo in her appointment. Rather, she was invited because of her solid credentials and her track record. Insiders, however, said she has only one regret: that of resigning from the Cabinet and then demanding the resignation of GMA in the manner that the "Hyatt 10" did. Boncodin admitted it was unethical, but she felt that at the time, reforms were not being done. Now a professor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Public Administration and Governance, Emy Boncodin only wants to go on with her life, believing that she can best serve the country by teaching young minds and drawing on lessons from her experiences.

Callous driver

Witnesses reported that a black Nissan X-Trail with plate number XPP-505 bumped a man along E. Rodriguez near the corner of Gilmore St. in Quezon City last Aug. 10 at around 1:30 p.m. The Nissan SUV was headed for Cubao, and there was a traffic buildup so witnesses are wondering how the driver could not have avoided hitting the pedestrian. While the victim was not hit seriously, those who saw the incident are incensed at the callousness of the driver, who did not even bother to find out if the person he hit was in need of medical attention.

Spy tidbiz: Pinoys’ sachet mentality

News that Filipinos are being forced to ‘sachet-fy’ — that is, buying all sorts of products in sachets or smaller handy packs is not really new. Filipinos have long resorted to this ‘tingi’ mentality to adjust to a hand-to-mouth existence, buying cooking oil, vinegar, patis in smaller quantities. In fact, a visiting creative director from one of the oldest PR agencies found the ‘sachet’ phenomenon intriguing, as the cheaper prices that go with smaller packs enables people to buy what they normally could not afford. Even ‘tanggeros’ and ‘tomadors’ have learned to adjust their drinking habits to their budgets, content with a jigger (or a ‘shot’ as they call it) of gin if they don’t have enough money to buy a whole lapad or bilog.

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