President Noynoy in Boston

President Aquino, after completing a four-nation European tour, arrived in Boston from Berlin to begin a five-day working visit to the United States (US). Also, to visit old friends and the old Aquino house at 175 Commonwealth Avenue in Newton, Massachusetts.

He spoke at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University to promote the country’s manufacturing sector and met the Filipino-American community at Boston College after a special mass.

President Aquino was left behind when Ninoy and Cory and the sisters left for Texas for open heart surgery.

Noynoy stayed behind to finish his BS Economics degree at the Ateneo where he was then only 21 years old. He graduated in March 1981.

His father Ninoy asked me to go to Manila to ask President Marcos to allow him to leave to join his family in Boston.

President Marcos graciously gave permission for him to go and so together with his uncle, Len Oreta, I escorted Noynoy to San Francisco and on to Boston. I recall then Undersecretary Carmelo Barbero saw us off at the airport.

During his two and half years at Chestnut Hill, Newton, Noynoy rarely left his second floor room to join the family for lunch or dinner. He slept the whole day and was awake at night, reading books and listening to music.

While in Boston, President Noynoy Aquino met with Representative Joseph Kennedy III.

Family friends hosted a private lunch at the house of Dr. Mario Bucal.

From Boston, he flew to New York to deliver a speech at the United Nations (UN) Global Climate Change Summit at the UN Headquarters.

Postponed again

Senator T.G. Guingona, chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, has cancelled a hearing set on September 25 to investigate the Malampaya Fund scam.

It is clear that Senator Guingona is reluctant to investigate the releases of the Malampaya Fund. Previous reports said that P900 million was released to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for assistance to typhoon victims, but ended up with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) nominated by Janet Lim-Napoles.

Ruby Tuason was allegedly the agent who dealt with the alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and the 97 mayors who received a 5-percent kickback from the Malampaya Fund.

The total Malampaya Fund amounts to P160 billion. Up to now, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) or Malacañang has not released the list of projects funded by the Malampaya Fund and the officials who were recipients of the same.

Commission on Audit (COA) sources quoted Chairman Grace Pulido-Tan as saying the misuse of the Malampaya Fund is much bigger than the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Binay to reply

Vice President Jejomar Binay said Sunday he will formally reply to the Senate’s invitation to appear at the hearing on the overpriced Makati City Hall Parking Building II to defend himself.

But it is clear that he will not accept the invitation as he stated that “the Senate inquiry is premised on a prejudgment that he committed an irregularity, and the main purpose of which was to declare their decision that he is guilty.”

Legal experts have expressed the view that the Vice President just like the President cannot be compelled to attend a Senate hearing.

Binay, in his Thursday televised speech, said that the parking building was constructed in five phases over seven years, and was subject to audit after every phase for a total of ten audits.

No hero’s burial

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda told Malacañang reporters that President Aquino has not changed his mind on President Marcos’ burial request at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said that as a soldier and bemedalled officer and President, it is his right to be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Marcos died in Hawaii at the age of 72. President Ramos allowed his body to return to Ilocos Norte.

Pimentel leaves UMak

Former Senator Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel has resigned as head of the Center for Local Government at the University of Makati (UMak).

Pimentel said he did not consult Vice President Binay or his son “Koko” on his decision to leave UMak.

Pimentel said the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee investigation of the Makati City Hall Parking Building II has put him in a complicated spot.

“If Vice President Binay is cleared, by the Senate, people might say it is because Koko Pimentel’s father is connected with UMak,” Nene Pimentel said.

“If he is not cleared, people will say what is he doing at UMak when he was unable to help Vice President Binay,” he added.

“So I decided to leave,” he concluded.

Tidbits

Eleven people died due to Typhoon Mario.

In the list submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the House of Representatives, P156 million of DAP funds was released to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano while P153 million of Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) funds was released to Senator Antonio Trillanes in 2011-2013.

 Eighty-two congressmen also received P10 million each from DAP to sign the impeachment complaint against Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona.