Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr. has won in his fight to keep defeated vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas out of his turf in Malacanang, avoiding a potential factional war. President Aquino’s decision to appoint Mar Roxas to the just vacated DOTC job is a move in the right direction as that department is a center of corruption needing a clean up.
Executive Secretary Ochoa now tops the list of the most influential persons in the Aquino administration. Here’s a good list of powerful persons: 1) ES Jojo Ochoa, 2) Pagcor Chairman Bong Naguiat, 3) Energy Sec. Jose Rene Almendras, 4) incoming DOTC Sec. Mar Roxas, 5) Vice President Jojo Binay, 6) DSWD Sec. Dinky Soliman, 7) Speaker Sonny Belmonte, 8) Finance Sec. Cesar Purisima, 9) Presidential cousin Tony Boy Cojuangco, 10) real estate developer and big campaign contributor Gerry Acuzar.
* * *
VICTORY FOR MALACAÑANG. . . The Senate approval of the bill postponing the ARMM elections by a 13-7 vote is a major victory for President Aquino. On the other hand, it is a setback for the independence of the Senate. It is also a big setback for the Committee system as the approval of the House bill overturned an unfavorable report of the Senate Committee on Local Govenments headed by Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Sen. Marcos and all the Senators who signed the committee report should resign from the committee.
This is the 2nd victory for President Aquino in the Senate. The first was the fast approval of the 2011 budget with the P21.2 billion Conditional Cash Transfer fund intact.
* * *
DENTISTS BEWARE. . . Dr. Robert Tajonera, president and Dr. Arleen Reyes, executive vice president of the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) confirmed five robberies of dental clinics in Manila, Bulacan, Marikina, Laguna and Camarines Sur the last month. Three of the dentists were raped while a 22-year-old dentist was stabbed to death inside her clinic in Camarines Sur.
QCPD CIDU Director Chief Inspector Rodolfo Marcelo reported three more cases of dentists robbed in Quezon City the past two months with one dentist raped.
Earlier, there has been a robbery with rape of a dentist inside her clinic in Valenzuela and two robberies of the dental clinics in Sampaloc, Manila.
The two top PDA officers said that there were other cases that the victims did not report to authorities for fear of retaliation by the criminals besides being ashamed to admit being raped.
The rape of the dentist in Paco, Manila was reported in the newspapers but there was no immediate reaction by the DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo, Usec. Rico Puno or PNP top officers. One year in office, the Aquino administration has failed miserably to curb crimes.
Kidnapping in Mindanao is continuing weekly with the latest incident in Marawi City involving 25-year-old businessman Alexander Lim.
Killings are continously happening all over the country. The LTO chief of Ozamiz City was shot dead. A newly retired policeman, SPO3 Henriquito Vergara, 57, was shot dead by two armed men as he was walking home in Barangay San Agustin, Malabon.
Richard Entoy, 26, was shot dead in Payatas QC Luis Catunao, 28, a Toyota dealership security guard in Jose Abad Santos St., Tondo was shot dead by two motorcycle riding gunmen. Three dead bodies of tricycle drivers were found dead in a vacant lot in Bacoor, Cavite.
Carjacking and truckjacking is rampant. The latest: another Toyota Fortuner belonging to trader Paul Lim was carjacked in Barangay Siena, QC. A gas tanker carrying 21,000 liters of unleaded gasoline bound for Manila was hijacked in Lubao, Pampanga.
* * *
GOOD MOVE. . . After breaking up the syndicate that made tens of millions on PCSO advertising placements, Chairperson Margarita P. Juico and the PCSO Board discovered a disadvantageous P42 billion joint ventures deal with an Australian company TMA to establish a Thermal Coating Plant to produce Thermal paper. Reports alleged a P12 billlion overprice. Those who approved the deal under the previous administration should be charged before the Ombudsman for entering into a contract void from the beginning.
PCSO reported a 12.2% increase in sales for the 1st quarter of 2011.
Many Pagcor contracts should also be reviewed and scrapped.
* * *
STILL NOT FULLY WORKING. . . We arrived at NAIA 3 Wednesday night and it’s a pity it is still not fully operational. Even the escalators are not working. Considering the overcrowded and outmoded NAIA 1, Sec. Roxas should now give priority attention to make NAIA Terminal 3 fully operational.
The frequent deadly occurrence of bus and public utility vehicle accidents must be prevented with stricter enforcement of the laws by the LTO and LTFRB. Ongoing corruption in those agencies must be stopped. There’s corruption too, in MARINA, Philippine Ports Authority, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, the LRT and MRT.
Sec, Roxas must work triple time to straighten out his department. This is the challenge he must face.
* * *
TIDBITS. . . The Bicol Express of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) will resume service from Manila to Legaspi on June 29. It will, however, be far from being an express as the test run took almost ten hours.
Dr. Charlie Tan, a fishpen owner in Laguna de Bay has charged LLDA General Manager Rodrigo Cabrera and 2 LLDA officials with soliciting bribes in exchange for relocating his fish pens.
The recount of the votes in Marikina in the protest filed by Dr. Alfredo “Boy” Cheng against Mayor Del de Guzman is showing proof that there was PCOS cheating. In several precincts where PCOS reported zero votes for Dr. Cheng, the manual recount showed him getting 500 to 700 votes. A similar result is expected in the recount in Compostela, Cebu.