Manong Ernie is on a roll

Ernesto Maceda's column is becoming one of the must-reads columns for me. Here's another superb article:

It is not surprising that Gen. Carlos Garcia got “sick” on the day he was due to testify at a hearing in the House of Representatives. But this is temporary because the nature of the alleged sickness is not going to keep him in the hospital long enough to evade the many hearings of the House and the Senate on this explosive issue.



The more surprising statement is Gen. Garcia's claim that the $100,000 seized at a US port of entry from one of his sons are proceeds of personal loans from friends. That will not wash. To begin with, the US Customs has unearthed records of previous entry of more than $400,000 brought by the Garcias to the US. They also found $1.4 million in real estate assets owned by the Garcias. These cannot be explained as “personal loans” from friends and relatives.

In my more than 10 years of experience in the Commission on Appointments, many Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as well as Philippine National Police (PNP) senior officers tried to balance their huge assets with the same claim of loans from friends and relatives. One general claimed he borrowed P2 million from a sister married to an Englishman in London. Intense questioning revealed the British couple were ordinary office workers who didn't have the income to lend the alleged amount.

This is probably the reason the AFP through its official spokesman, Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, now refuses to allow access to the SAL of AFP officers. Adan can score pogi points by releasing his own SAL. Or is he also afraid the “conversion” practiced at the Philippine Military Academy will come out too? It's time for PMA cadets to speak up

Here's more.

President Arroyo has approved the six-year medium term Philippine Development Plan submitted by National Economic and Development Authority chief Romulo Neri. The plan targets the reduction of poverty to below 20 percent by 2009. Before then, shall we issue food coupons for the next five years?

But wait, we heard Neri say on TV: “But if Congress fails to pass the tax bills and we get a credit rating downgrade, then we cannot reach our target.”

Secretary Neri is daydreaming too. In the meantime, Malacañang has backtracked on the food coupon program by saying it will be given out for six months after which the poor recipients will be given jobs. Wow, that means Malacañang will create five million jobs in six months. Ang galing! In the meantime, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Emilia Boncodin will have to produce P36 billion for six months of food coupons.

LMAO!

And like what Prof. Glenn Reynolds like to say, READ IT ALL!