Interesting tidbits at the customs bureau

The raids by the New People’s Army (NPA) on the mining facilities in Claver, Surigao del Norte, showed that the communist guerrilla group has the upper hand in its fight against the government.

Government soldiers are demoralized because they don’t see support from leaders in Manila.

They don’t go out on patrols because they have no gasoline for their trucks or wagons.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has been very slow in releasing funds for the operational expenses of soldiers in the field.

The DBM is concerned with building up a clean image for itself, so it scrimps in releasing funds for vital government machinery.

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President Noy is hard put listening to conflicting advice from his Cabinet members who have formed cliques among themselves. These cliques fight one another over turf.

There is the father-daughter clique, another is the Ateneo clique, the Liberal Party clique, the shooting-buddies group clique, etc.

Infighting in the Palace is such that the President doesn’t know who to listen to and which side to favor.

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For example, one clique wants the President to show more concern for the military by giving it what it needs.

But the father-daughter clique withholds the funds for the operating expenses of the military and other offices in the bureaucracy, telling the President he should not be like his predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, who was careless with the people’s money.

So what do you have but a Chief Executive who is indecisive and seems not in control?

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The only thing P-Noy seems to be in control of is his campaign against corruption.

But then he’s selective and hasn’t touched some holy cows at the Bureau of Customs.

Although the President has replaced Lito Alvarez, a guy who became notorious for allegedly cheating in a golf game, he has left untouched a customs collector who has a P300-million mansion and a fleet of luxury cars.

He also hasn’t ordered the new bosses at customs, Ruffy Biazon and Danny Lim, to place on the sidelines two subordinates—a man and a woman—who have an illicit relationship, and who made hundreds of millions of pesos during the previous  administration.

The man is married; the woman is very much single although she reportedly has children from different men.

She was said to have enriched herself that she was able  to finance the election campaign of her other lover from Mindanao, without the first  knowing about it.

The other lover boy is now a congressman.

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Who is this national official who has amassed a substantial amount from his campaign fund but has not declared it?

Under the law, unspent campaign contributions should be made public.

A source told me the money is with the official’s trusted friend who deposited it in a rural bank in Pampanga.

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The scandalous Jose Pidal bank deposits, which exposed then First Gentleman Mike Arroyo’s rapaciousness for the first time, were leftovers from his wife’s campaign fund.

Arroyo didn’t declare the excess fund and so got into trouble with the public, courtesy of Sen. Ping Lacson.

However, his brother Iggy Arroyo came to his rescue by claiming the money was his even if at that time he didn’t have the means to acquire such a fortune.