GMA manicurist now in Pag-IBIG board?

I have to ask these questions in public because no one at the Pag-IBIG Fund cares to answer quiet inquiries:

Who’s Anita Carpon? Is it true that she’s Gloria Arroyo’s manicurist? Are murmurs correct that Arroyo has appointed her to the board of trustees of Pag-IBIG Fund, which all of us employees own?

While we’re at it, these queries too:

Was Carpon with the President in America and Spain, and so was unable to join last week’s oath taking of new trustees? What are her “other” credentials to deserve monthly per diem of P130,000? Will she have a two-year term like other trustees?

And now that this is out:

Will spokesmen obfuscate the same way they tried hiding Arroyo’s cosmetic procedures with a “post-travel self-quarantine against bird flu”? Will Arroyo take back the appointment and hope that possible public furor dies down fast? Or will she defend it and deplorable acts since she has her stay in power all planned out?

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It has been a year and one month since 91-year-old widow Eufemia Almeda requested transfer of conjugal share in a Makati condo edifice. The estate court had affirmed in Dec. 2008 her and offspring’s right to 24 units that the late Ponciano Almeda left behind. Land rich but cash poor Eufemia had sold off other inherited property to pay P256 million in taxes. She now needs the transfer in order to sell the condos for frequent medical-hospital expenses. To this day, however, she has not received the document from Makati Register of Deeds Dorylene SB. Yara.

At first Yara delayed issuance by stating inconsistent requirements. When the Almedas sued her for giving them the runaround, she tossed the matter to the BIR. Whereupon Makati-West district head Florante de Castro handed out a Certificate Authorizing Registration. But blatant errors, like the inclusion of names not listed by the court and typos, made the CAR worthless. Yara could not be compelled to transfer the units.

Yara also claimed that Eufemia owed deficiency taxes, something de Castro never mentioned. The CAR, though full of errors, was a virtual tax clearance. But when asked to make the corrections, de Castro referred the issue to the BIR-Makati legal section. There it languishes, although all that’s needed is for de Castro to right his obvious wrongs.

The Almedas have complained to Land Registration Administrator Benedicto Ulep and BIR chief Joel Tan-Torres about their subs’ collusion. No action. Eufemia’s son Edwin writes that Yara’s husband, a BIR officer, is “using influence” to delay the CAR correction. That husband is assigned to presidential adviser on revenue enhancement Narciso Santiago Jr., spouse of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago.

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Still on the BIR, in 2006 the justice department charged three-dozen revenue officers with graft. Allegedly they criminally lowered realty tax assessments of land transferees. Among those charged were Clavelina Nacar, Jonas Amora and Romeo Naranjo of BIR-Quezon City, and Gerardo Florendo of BIR-Laguna.

In 2009 then-BIR chief Sixto Esquivias shipped out Nacar to Bulacan, Amora to Pangasinan, Naranjo to Bohol, and Florendo to Baguio.

New BIR boss Tan-Torres has his own ideas. He returned Nacar to lucrative Cubao, QC. Amora was promoted to QC assistant regional director, and Florendo as head of the large taxpayers office. Naranjo was awarded 2010 most outstanding district officer.

The Journal’s Alfred Dalizon recently reported: “Are juicy posts being offered for sale at the BIR, where even outsiders and non-performers with influential backers can occupy sensitive posts?”

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Campaigners should discern black propaganda. Take, for instance, what happened to transport businessman Archie Po. Last week a candidate for mayor of Davao City asked him to lend a helicopter. Not having any left un-leased, Archie declined. Slighted, the candidate viciously spread texts with the message: “Greetings! Lion Air offers helicopter rental: P25,000 per hour + VAT. Noted clients: Mayor Duterte, Councilor Acosta. Contact Archy Po at 0917xxxxxxx.”

The intention was clearly to spite Archie and at the same time picture election rival Duterte as free spender. Duterte has apologized to Archie for being dragged into the partisan feud. But his undiscerning followers have been calling the number to cuss Archie. What they should do instead is trace the text sender’s number.

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The Comelec must scuttle the ultraviolet lamps for 77,000 precinct clusters. Not only will it save P30 million, but also avoid a new poll fraud.

The plan is for precinct inspectors to use the lamps on Election Day to read secret U/V marks on ballots to determine genuineness. This became necessary because of automation supplier Smartmatic’s fault. It couldn’t get the right ink mix for the secret ballot marks, and so scrapped the U/V reader of 82,200 precinct count optical scanners.

But the Comelec solution of buying U/V lamps constitutes a risky human intervention in the already flawed automation. Bribed or coerced inspectors can declare ballots fake even if genuine, and thus disenfranchise known voters for the other side. Artificial shortage can work for cheaters because there’s only one ballot alloted per voter.

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“You cannot be genuinely serious about life if you cannot see its light side.” Shafts of Light, Fr. Guido Arguelles, SJ

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