GLORIAGATE roundup: Arroyo's Jeckyl-and-Hyde Campaign

- PCIJ has a huge report on GLORIAGATE entitled "Jeckyl-and-Hyde campaign." There's lots of new stuff, lalo na on Mike Arroyo and Ronnie Puno's role in GLORIAGATE, na ngayon ko lang nabasa. Go read the whole thing.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL ARROYO CAMPAIGN CHART

Guide to the Names in the Campaign Chart:

Silvestre Afable: then Arroyo's communications director;
Al Agra: elections and local governance law expert
Amable Aguiluz: founder and chairman of the AMA Education System; special envoy to the Gulf Cooperation Council
Tomas Alcantara: businessman, former trade undersecretary; now presidential chief of staff
Paul Aquino: Philippine National Oil Co. president and CEO
Hernani Braganza: mayor of Alaminos, Pangasinan; a Lakas stalwart
Gabriel Claudio: political adviser
Avelino Cruz: then presidential legal counsel, now defense secretary
Angelo Tim de Rivera: commissioner, Commission on Information and Communications Technology
Michael Defensor: then housing chief; now environment secretary
Rodolfo del Rosario: Davao del Norte governor; also presidential adviser for New Government Centers
Agnes Devanadera: former local government undersecretary, now government corporate counsel
Marita “Mai Mai” Jimenez: former presidential assistant on appointments and former secretary for special projects and overseas development assistance; now Philippine representative to the Asian Development Bank
Pedro “Junie” Laylo: formerly with Social Weather Stations; now Palace pollster
Conrado Limcaoco: then presidential adviser on media and ecclesiastical affairs; now Cabinet Officer for Provincial Events
Edgardo “Ed” Pamintuan: presidential adviser on external affairs
Abraham Purugganan: former deputy presidential adviser for special concerns; now Philippine National Construction Corp. director
Jose Ma. “Joey” Rufino: then presidential liaison officer for political affairs
Corazon “Dinky” Soliman: then social welfare secretary
Patricia “Pat” Sto. Tomas: labor secretary
Nena Valdez: former classmate of Arroyo at Assumption College; former presidential assistant on internal household affairs in charge of the president’s personal finances
Pearl Viernes: professional events organizer in charge of recruiting showbiz personalities for the campaign

- I guess the Arroyo admin is back to playing the "China card" again, hmmm?

- Why is there lukewarm support for the anti-terrorism bill from the citizenry?

Lack of trust in Gloria Arroyo and the intelligence community is the reason why. Take the case of the "Hello Garci" tapes. The wiretapping was evidently done by the Intelligence Service of the AFP. What the extent of eavesdropping was and who gave the orders remain unanswered to this day. The Senate decided to conduct an inquiry. The AFP leadership, including ISAFP chief Brig. Gen. Marlu Quevedo, was barred by Gloria from testifying during the opening hearing. Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan, who did appear before the Senate, were relieved of their posts and are now facing court martial.

And who can easily forget the bumbling national security adviser, Norberto Gonzales, who is on top of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, which as its name implies is the coordinator of intelligence gathering, analysis and distribution?

With these characters at the helm, it is understandable why the people are fearful of giving the state expanded powers to pry into their lives.

- GMA did the right thing for the wrong reason on Hacienda Luisita.

More HERE from PCIJ.

- Ellen Tordesillas: Beijing yanks out ambassador in midst of North Rail controversy

CHINESE Ambassador Wu Hongbo is leaving Manila after serving one year and six months in the midst of a controversy over the North Rail project between the government and the China National Machinery and Equipment Corp.

The usual tour of duty of an ambassador is three years.

Chinese Embassy spokesman Niu Jitao said Wu’s early departure is not in anyway related to the North Rail controversy. "We think the project is not controversial," he said.

Niu said Wu "is needed in Beijing."

Sources, however, said Beijing government feels it needs someone who could "defend more aggressively the North Rail project."
.....

Last week, the Senate started hearings on the project.

The UP Law Center presented its study which enumerated a number of violations of the two contracts covering the 32-kilometer first section of the railway project that would run from Caloocan to Malolos, Bulacan.

Among the flaws cited in the study are the contracts’ questionable legality, lack of competitive bidding, and overpricing.