AT THE RATE cases of plunder of government funds are being uncovered allegedly involving former President Gloria and her cohorts, she might spend most of her time attending court sessions if plunder cases are filed in court.
* * *
Let’s go easy on GMA because she’s allegedly quite ill, although she’s putting up a brave front.
I got that from a very reliable source who said she could have a serious liver problem.
* * *
Even if President Noy has already divested himself of his shares in Hacienda Luisita, that is no excuse for him not to talk to his relatives to divide up the sugar estate among its tillers and farm workers.
The Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL), his mother’s (former President Cory) centerpiece accomplishment, provides for the distribution of big landholdings among tenant-farmers.
The Cojuangcos, P-Noy’s relatives on his mother side, should be ashamed of themselves retaining their hold on Hacienda Luisita while all the other landholdings have been parceled out to farmers.
The President should tell them because they’re putting him in a bad light.
* * *
Former Philippine National Police (PNP) comptroller Eliseo de la Paz and his wife Maria have been charged in the Sandiganbayan for allegedly smuggling euros to Russia.
The media now refer to the incident as the “Euro Generals” scandal.
But the Office of the Ombudsman, which filed the case against the couple for violation of central bank regulations, was barking up the wrong tree.
Mr. and Ms De la Paz were not the sole owners of the 105,000 euros (P6.9 million) that was confiscated from a delegation of PNP officials to the Interpol conference in Russia.
Most of the money allegedly belonged to Cynthia Verzosa, wife of Director General Jess Verzosa, then the PNP chief.
Why wasn’t Cynthia Verzosa not charged as well?
* * *
I was told this inside story of how De la Paz saved Cynthia Verzosa from being held by Russian customs officials.
De la Paz had already been cleared by customs when he saw that Verzosa’s luggage was about to be inspected by Russian customs agents.
He allegedly knew that all the euros, which would probably be spent by the PNP generals and their wives for shopping in Europe, was in that luggage.
De la Paz, who is Jess Verzosa’s “mistah” (classmate) at the Philippine Military Academy, allegedly went back to claim the luggage as his own.
By doing so, De la Paz saved his wife’s classmate from being held by Russian customs.