Embarrassment to their professions

Whistle-blower Rhodora Alvarez is happy that she was given ample time to expound on her accusation that the P1.26-billion deal to buy 21 refurbished combat helicopters was a “rotten” transaction.

Alvarez testified for the second time on Monday before the Senate blue ribbon committee.

She said she was dismayed during the first Senate hearing because she was given little time to ventilate her allegations that some officials of the Department of National Defense personally benefited from the deal.

But in Monday’s blue ribbon hearing, the committee members were all ears, Alvarez said.

The deal involved buying helicopter scraps from Germany, shipping them to the United States for reconstruction and refurbishing, then shipping the rebuilt helicopters to Manila for use by the Philippine Air Force (PAF).

This columnist went over Alvarez’s affidavit, if this alone would be the basis, my opinion is Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin and Undersecretary Fernando Manalo could probably go to prison for plunder.

Alvarez’s affidavit is detailed, complete with attachments or proofs.

To avoid a possible investigation of bribery by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, the code names used for Gazmin and Manalo were “Warehouse” and “Equipment,” respectively.

Gazmin would allegedly get a 7-percent commission and Manalo, 5-percent for the deal, she said.

Translated into cash, that’s P88.2 million for Gazmin and P63 million for Manalo.

Alvarez said she would have gotten a 3-percent commission—or P37.8 million— but she said she turned it down because she didn’t want to feel responsible for the deaths of PAF pilots.

Alvarez said that of the 21 helicopters, seven have been delivered but only one is flying because of major defects.

She said that if all the seven “new” helicopters were flying, the Mamasapano incident, where 44 police commandos were slaughtered by Moro rebels, would not have taken place.

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In his 2014 State of the Nation Address, President Noynoy boasted that 21 “state-of-the-art” helicopters were about to be delivered to boost the military’s combat capability.

Apparently, the President is now red in the face, especially since his favorite Cabinet member, Gazmin, has placed him in an embarrassing situation.

Why is it that most of the men closest to the President are the ones who give lie to his slogan of “daang matuwid” (straight-and-narrow path)?

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Dr. Elizel Claveria of the Ospital ng Maynila is an embarrassment to the medical profession, if we are to believe the story of a motorcyclist.

Eduardo Quimbo, 27, supervisor of a fast-food chain was on his way to work when he was reportedly sideswiped by a car driven by Claveria.

The doctor tried to get away but was chased and overtaken by other motorcyclists and turned over to traffic personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Guess what. Claveria has charged Quimbo with reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property!

She said Quimbo’s motorcycle scraped her car and was demanding P9,000 for “damage” to her vehicle.

In her complaint-affidavit, Claveria said: “Since I am a medical doctor, I decided to have him checked at Ospital ng Maynila.”

Quimbo said he went to the hospital all by himself.

It takes all kinds.