Carping about a mock veto - Gotcha

Joseph Estrada must thank his lucky stars for having a flatterer like Lito Banayo around. For he needed political ego boosting from LAMP's secretary-general that 400 LAKAS governors, mayors and other local execs are defecting. Coming as it does after three surveys showing his performance rating near zero and a mock poll that had him losing two-to-one to Vice President Gloria Macapagal and Sen. Raul Roco, Banayo's report was a timely shot in the arm for the dispirited President.

Then again, who was it who said that politics is 50 percent baloney and 50 percent hot air? So it's probably hard even for Estrada to believe Banayo's boast. Who would want to be associated with an early lameduck President in a mid-term election?

The only thing going for Estrada in the 2001 mid-term election is campaign funding. And that could be the reason why Banayo is hinting at defections from the opposition. LAKAS stalwarts are amazedly chattering about unspent money left over from LAMP's 1998 presidential election war chest. Their local leaders are wishing they had that fabled roomful of cash, since not only is it harder for the minority to raise campaign money, but also that their highest leader, Macapagal, is not yet moving.

Even if LAMP leaders have used up the excess 1998 money buying mansions these past 20 months, LAKAS Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri says Estrada can easily raise a P16.2-billion war chest by yearend. He laments that one of the 18 items that Estrada vetoed in the 2000 budget is a ban on 10-percent savings from allocations for education, public works, health, social welfare, and agriculture and fisheries modernization. The five programs have a combined budget of P162 billion, and Zubiri suspects that Estrada might impose savings of P16.2 billion, then release it as pork barrel of LAMP senators and congressmen. The LAMP legislators will in turn use the pork to mobilize local officials for the 2001 campaign.

Zubiri adds that Estrada could even impose 10-percent savings on the budgets for trade and industry, transportation and communications, agrarian reform, defense and foreign affairs for the same election purpose. Past presidents had done it.

Estrada's own partymate Rep. Joker Arroyo saw another election kitty while Congress was still studying the 2000 budget. He had asked why the President has an unprecedented P99.5 billion in pork -- but got no answer from the budget office. Bulk of the amount is not subject to audit and can be disbursed at the President's discretion. He had suspected at first that it would be used to push Estrada's Charter-change initiative. But with Cha-cha dead though unburied, the presidential pork can be rechanneled into the 2001 fight.

If not for amor propio, LAMP legislators have no reason to crab about Estrada's veto of their pork. He vetoed it only on paper, not in practice. They retained their pork of P175 million for each senator and P50 million for each congressman. What Estrada scrapped was a rider that would subject release of lump sum district allocations for education, public works and health to concurrence -- read approval -- of the congressman concerned. It would have tied the President's hands at a time when he would need flexibility the most -- in preparing for a mid-term election that is virtually a referendum on his administration.

Sigma Kappa Pi widens its drive to end campus fraternity violence with a Master Open Chess Tournament on April 14-16. Games to be held at the Clark Field Officers Club are open to all Filipino players of whatever age or gender. Approved by the Philippine Chess Federation, it will follow the nine-round Swiss system, with a P15,000-prize for the winner, and P7,500 and P5,000 for the first and second runners-up. Registration is now going on at the Angeles City Chess Club. For details, contact _K_ organizers Jess Toldoya, (045) 963-5259, Rod Deang (045) 599-2264 loc. 542, or Ding Baluyot (045) 599-3523.

INTERACTION. Anton Tan, Kidapawan: Imagine Sen. Tessie Oreta chasing after Erap in all his travels just to bag a P757-million public contract (Gotcha, 26 Feb. 2000). Is she really the sister of our hero. Ninoy?

King John, whom aristocrats forced to sign the Magna Carta, was the brother of Richard the Lion-Hearted, Anton.

Ben Artiaga, BF-Paranaque: Meralco is seeking ERB approval to raise rates, yet the Sol-Gen is asking the Supreme Court to enforce ERB's earlier order to refund customers (Gotcha, 26 Feb. 2000). Will Erap come forward to support the Sol-Gen's position? Let's see if "walang kamag-anak" is true.

What if he says he'll leave it to the courts, Ben?

Dante de Ramos, UP-Diliman: Guess who: This Cabinet man lets family members use official cars assigned to his agency, including a Volvo that became a hot issue a few months back. They order the agency drivers around, and curse those who happen to arrive late at their house.

Is he the one who never worries about fuel price increases, Dante?

Kenneth Y. Haguisan, weblinq.net: If Erap strikes a compromise with the Marcoses on wealth and torture cases, of what significance was EDSA Revolt?

Nilo Orocio, aol.com: Erap is asking Cardinal Sin to stop criticizing him and instead tell people to fight corruption. Isn't that what the Cardinal is doing?

Dr. Zen Udani, San Juan, Metro Mla.: Local and foreign investors will closely monitor the "war against corruption and poverty" that President Estrada declared on EDSA's 14th anniversary. But in the end, the poor and usual victims of corruption will judge whether or not he delivers.

Joey Tandoc, hotmail.com: It's not enough for critics to ask that Erap sack his in-fighting aides. Somebody higher has to go.

Roger Baltazar, aramco.com.sa: Any new hire has to undergo probation of at least three months. We've given Erap 20 months, yet we see no improvement in his performance. If he was a job applicant, he'd be hopping from one company to another every three months.

Thank you, Rodel Ocampo, Julian Aguila, Malcolm Hiponia, Jesus Adevoso, Erlinda V. Ileto, Mar Lee.

YOUR BODY. Australian scientists have discovered how parasites that cause malaria become resistant to drugs. The study raises hope of developing new treatments to tackle the deadly disease.

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