A Big Disappointment

I thought that the Magdalo had a principled vision. After hearing them support Manny Villar, all respect I had with them vanished. I thought they embodied change and an end to corruption. Obviously, they have less wisdom than I thought they had. They had me all along. My newspaper boy is more discerning than them. Despite the voluminous issues raised against Villar, the Magdalo claims that one of the basis they used is character. Unless you could turn a blind eye and condone corruption, you would really support Villar.

So it seems that change and an end to corruption was never in the Magdalo's agenda. It was more of how much power and influence they could wield. Of course with the likes of Villar who we all know commands a mastery of transactional politics, corruption is bound to grow even bigger. So what about the farmers whose lands were stolen by Villar? Does this mean that the Magdalo supports the practice of stealing from the poor? Villar has continuously ducked the issues thrown at him in the proper forums, is this Magdalo's concept of transparency? What about abusing one's position? Is this acceptable to the Magdalo as well? What kind of advocacy do they espouse?

They wanted to kick Gloria out because they said that she stole, lied and cheated. Yet here is a Manny Villar whose wealth rose drastically during his entire political career. Is the Magdalo selective in their principled stand? At least now they have shown their true colors. They are not what they say they are. They do not want reforms. They do not want change. They want someone who will cuddle them. What a waste of time and effort I devoted to campaigning for their leaders. They are no different from the generals whose integrity they questioned. Is this the vision of a principled gentleman?

I will drop them from my list. Sad to say, they had me fooled. They are no better than those they criticize. The way I see it, they would rather keep the status quo. With them, change is not forthcoming. Want the culture of corruption and impunity to continue, vote for Villar and his cabal. They'll give you change alright, change for the worst.

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Nabawi Na kasi

I heard Gilbert Remulla say "na walang babawiin si Manny Villar" when asked about Villar's enormous campaign spending. I first asked myself if this can be true and not another empty statement. After giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that this maybe true. With the investments Villar's listed company got, I'm sure it is more than enough to run his campaign and those he included in his slate. After all, the SEC gave him full rein by exempting Vista Land from SEC's holding period.

Of course he has also amassed great wealth through his years in politics. Just imagine how like a phoenix, he was able to rise from the ashes of bankruptcy when he became house speaker and then senate president. He even brags that he has no liabilities. With his influence and PDAF, he was able to legally rob the country's coffers. His stint with the LRC has much to do with his success. I wonder how many people lost their lands to Villar?

Road projects that ran through his estates also contributed to his wealth. Not only did these increase his properties' values, the government had to pay him right-of-way fees. Add of course the parties with vested interests that contributed to his campaign kitty throughout his political career, he definitely does not need to recover his spending. He has enough saved for his very comfortable retirement.

So Remulla's claims maybe true. Wala na ngang babawiin si Villar. Should he lose the presidential race, his properties' increased value would be enough to give him a fresh start. The government also has yet to pay for some of the right=of-way fees due him. Wala na nga siyang babawiin, nabawi na niya. But then again, if he wins, that's when the real party would begins. His companies will have a field day. I'm sure his wealth will surge. No need to steal, he can do it legally just like how he amassed his riches. Better check your land titles, you may lose them faster than a blink of an eye. As for the poor, he can always feed them with empty promises.

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Villar's Love For The Poor

With lands running out, only agriculture lands are left for the taking. But in the Philippines, agricultural lands cannot be converted for other use without the government approval. Lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) cannot be converted nor can lands distributed through the CARP cannot be sold by its beneficiaries within a certain period of time. But it seems that Manny Villar's companies seems to be able to go around these prohibitions with impunity.

Faced with these issues, Villar's reply is that everything was done in accordance with the law. From the looks of it, he has very strong connections with every government agency that deals with lands. So even if we check these out, it will all appear to be above board. See how the DPWH and even the BIR covered Villar's rear with regards to the C-5 controversy? What may appear legal at first glance may have very sinister and criminal roots.

Let's take the case of his Iloilo development which was recently unearthed. Because irrigation canals were rendered inoperable, farmer-beneficiaries of CARP were forced to sell their lands to Villar. Without irrigation, these lands would no longer be considered agricultural lands and can therefore be converted. In collusion with the DAR, Villar was able to convert these lands into subdivisions. And just like his C-5 and Daang-hari, Villar also allocated portion of his pork for the construction of an access road for his subdivision.

The case of the San Nicolas beneficiaries in Cavite are somewhat similar. The lands under the Asset privatization trust handled by the Home Insurance Guarantee Corporation. The farmers group (FIDASGRO) contested the ownership of the land. Villar's executives helped the farmers win the case. What was first considered as a blessing by the farmers, took a bad turn. Villar then forced the farmers to sell their properties. All in all, 63 farmers lost their lands to Villar. Villar bought the lots for a mere P150/sq.m. This property is located on the other side of the Zapote River. This is the reason why Villar is planning to construct a bridge through BF Resort. It is to connect and give an access point to his San Nicolas property. I'm sure he'll be allocating a part of his pork for this project.

Villar claims to come from the ranks of the poor yet continue to inflict injury and insult to the little folks. Another case is the plight of the displaced residents of Paradise Park. Families there survived by planting vegetables. The land was sequestered by the PCGG from a former mayor of Muntinlupa. Villar's Crown Asia evicted the residents which forced them to resettle to a nearby 2-hectare area after their leader, Ka Felix while resisting the eviction. Fenced off by Crown Asia, the 100 families had no way out of their small enclave. It was only through the kindness of a neighboring subdivision that they were able to have access to an exit point.

A self-made billionaire, Villar sure knows where he came from. His love for the poor is as sincere as his greed for amassing wealth. Thses are the very same people whom he promises to lift out of the gutters of despair. With his numerous acquisitions, how many of these are drenched in injustice? Is this the man who promises a home for every Filipino? I'm sure if he gave away his P543 ads spending to the poor, he wouldn't need to undertake a campaign for his presidential bid. It is now clear, he will recoup his expenses should he win. Would you like the Philippines to become one big subdivision? What would it take to for Villar to have his fill? I don't think he'll ever be content until he literally owns the country.

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He Was Too Busy With His C-5

Located in Pamplona, The Las Piñas High School is in need of a new building that would accommodate its growing population. Las Piñas has the same problem that plagues the entire nation, it lacks classrooms. While NGOs have taken up some of the slack, their limited funding simply cannot address the shortage. This also the reason why some children have given up their education. There are simply no facilities to accommodate them. Sure there is a shortage of teachers but the fact of the matter is that with no facilities, the education system wouldn't work. Kids will simply lose interest and would rather seek ways to help their parents to survive the daily grind.

Three years ago, construction of a new high school building in Pamplona was undertaken. Today, the shell of the new building stands unfinished. Students had to be content with pursuing their education in makeshift classrooms which are poorly ventilated and cramp as well. With the Villars sitting in congress and the senate, why does this building remain unfinished? I'm sure their PDAFs can easily fund this project. How can Manny Villar's ad say that he will bring education ro rhose who want it? Totoo bang mapag-aaral ka niya? I suppose that his C-5 was more important than the education of his constituents. Here are the pictures, I'll let it speak for itself.

The photos will show the unfinished building in the background and the makeshift classroom in the foreground.

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Nothing In This World Is Free

I'm curious how Manny Villar came to the conclusion that that his C-5 Ext. is free and gives road users an option of whether to to pay toll fees or to use a road for free. Villar's C-5 is not free. The national government will be the one to maintain this road. Where will the government get the Funds? It will get the funds from the taxpayers from Aparri to Jolo. It will not get the funds from the residents of Las Piñas or Cavite. To get to Villar's C-5, you will either pass through a narrow two lane street which is the Naga Rd. or pass through Zapote to Quirino Ave. if you're coming from Cavite.

Manny Villar is again lying. His C-5 is not free. At the end of the day, he is the biggest beneficiary here. His properties will increase their values. His profits from any sale in the area will definitely be bigger. While his wealth increases, we the taxpaying public will be sharing in the maintenance of his supposed to be excellent project. Villar always uses the people to mask the truth that all his road projects were designed to benefit him.

I'd like to ask him why he chose to propose the C-5 project instead of developing the EVACOM-CAA Rd. Instead? For decades, this stretch of road which links Parañaque and Las Piñas has been used by residents of both cities. All this road needs is a little widening and concreting. The CAA Rd. exits the Alabang-Zapote Rd. whic has several access points to Muntinlupa and Cavite. Wouldn't it be a move viable option than constructing a new road which has very congested entry and Exit points? Wouldn't it be less expensive to develop because there is already an existing road? I'm very sure that it wouldn't cost P6 billion to upgrade this area. Why didn't he push for this instead? The answer of course is that he will not benefit from it. His properties will remain cheap and undeveloped.

Just like the case of his another beneficial project, Daang-hari, the C-5 is a good of example of how to make money off the government and the taxpayer. There are no freebies in any government infrastructure. We all fund these projects. Our taxes pay for their construction and upkeep. As a congressman and senator, Villar had abused his position for his personal gain. As president, I shudder at what he is capable of doing. If you ask me, I wouldn't give him the chance.

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The Real Villars

I have been hearing stories from people how the Villars got rich. I simply dismissed these as hearsay. But last December, a concerned citizen sent me some documents to prove that these stories were true. In fact, as early as July last year, the issue about the case had been circulating. The case is about a land dispute wherein the Villar's Optimum Development bank, the Bangko Sentral and private entities were involved.

This anonymous tipster sent me documents about the case. What I thought was a simple land dispute was even more complicated. It included fraud and what I think is a collusion between Optimum and some Bangko Sentral officials. I still have yet to find the people behind this case. What I know is that the person involved in this case is now in hiding. I wa also told that CB officials are mum on the case.

I'm publishing these documents for your appreciation. I leave it to you if you find it credible or not. You may just be as shocked as I was.

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Hindi Kami Tanga

The minority in the senate decided to BOYCOTT the session yesterday. This did not only anger their colleagues but the public as well. As damage control, Villar's spin doctor, Alan Peter Cayetano came out to clarify or justify their action. First he said that they did not boycott the session but just wanted to prevent the Pagcor and Telcos resolutions from being railroaded. Nobody bought his story. So this afternoon, he added more to his statements last night. He said it was not a boycott but a strategy of the minority to as fiscalizers of the senate. Still nobody took the bait.

He then threw a monkey wrench into the fray. He insinuated that the Liberal Party is colluding with Gloria. Duh? I cannot imagine the likes of Mar Roxas, Noynoy Aquino or even Pong Biazon to make a deal with GMA. If memory serves me right, Alan and Pia Cayetano were part of Gloria's K-4. Pimentel even held the mic for Gloria during her inauguration in 2001. He can't admit that their ploy backfired. It was all about the Villar Ethics case and nothing else. They were the ones politicking and not the majority. They did this all for Villar's glory.

The people saw through the real issue. Villar is trying to hide the truth from the Filipino people. They are being paid by our taxes to work and not to protect a crook. Several important bills will now have to wait until the new congress is formed. Cayetano can say whatever he wants but the people will never accept any of his alibis. His loyalty is not with the people whom he is supposed to serve but to a corrupt colleague who wants to own the Philippines.

Cayetano and his kind should never be elected again. They are the kind of politicians who ride on issues to get elected and then foget their covenant with the people. These are the traditional politicians that we should kick out of office. Their only concern is their personal interests and nothing else. To hell with the RH bill or the Freedom of Information bill. Villar's neck was more important to them. The majority did not have the numbers to seal Villar's fate. They knew that and still they did not show up. They did not want to committee report to be discussed.

Manny Villar and his cohorts made a tactical blunder. They have stoked the fire instead of extinguishing it. He will now have to face the public. This will really cost him. He'll have to spend more to undo the damage their miscalculation caused. Maybe this time someone will question his spending with the Comelec. Poor Manny, this could be the beginning of the end for him. You see Mr. Villar, HINDI KAMI MGA TANGA!

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