Here's legislation in aid of hearing

MANILA, Philippines - A hearing in aid of legislation during the Senate’s inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) yesterday turned into a need for hearing aids.

One of the resource persons, former PCSO general manager Fernando Carrascoso Jr., testified on his experience at the helm of the agency during the administration of the late former President Corazon Aquino.

Carrascoso, an octogenarian, wanted to tell the Senate that the decision of the pre-Benigno Aquino III administration board of PCSO to enter into a lease agreement for the equipment and software for the online lottery or lotto was disadvantageous to the government.

While Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who is also in his 80s, was engaging Carrascoso in a discussion, the latter repeatedly had to seek clarification about questions being asked.

Enrile himself is no stranger to a hearing problem because he relies on a hearing aid in his everyday activities.

In interviews by the Senate media, Enrile usually asks reporters to speak louder so he can hear their questions.

Yesterday, the same was true for Carrascoso, who had to admit that he could not hear Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asking him about the PCSO.

“I beg your pardon, please speak louder because I cannot hear very well,” Carrascoso said in Filipino, drawing laughter from senators and the gallery.

Enrile was quick to comment that they were in the same boat.

Carrascoso told Estrada that he and the senator’s father, former President Joseph Estrada, are good friends, dating back to his term as officer-in-charge of PCSO.

“I call your father Joseph. We frequent the San Juan market and so we have no problems with each other,” he said.

“So does this mean that I can’t question you anymore?” the younger Estrada said in jest.

When it was time for Sen. Panfilo Lacson to question Carrascoso, the former PCSO official again asked the senator to speak louder.

To ensure that Carrascoso got every word that he said, Lacson spoke directly into the microphone with one of his hands cupped near his mouth, drawing more laughter.

Lacson asked Carrascoso why the lease for the lotto equipment was taken out of the gross receipts of the lotto when previous experience was that the gross receipts were tapped only for the printing of sweepstakes tickets.

“That was when all this mess started,” Carrascoso said, fumbling with the Filipino word for mess.

Lacson then asked Carrascoso if he meant kaguluhan (mess) or kalokohan (foolishness).

“Hindi ho kalokohan, kaguluhan (Not foolishness but mess),” Carrascoso answered.