Arroyo and her "palakpak boys" wasting taxpayers money again

Read this first on the "palakpak boys".

From Ninez Cacho Olivarez:

Fever has so much public money been wasted as it is being wasted today under the regime of Gloria Arroyo.

For even as she asks the Filipino people to sacrifice even more than they are already sacrificing, there went Gloria, bribing congressmen left and right, to get them to kill the impeachment complaint.

And the people expected these congressmen to do the honorable thing by, at the very least, finding probable cause based on the charges leveled against her in the amended impeachment complaint, where she stood accused of, among others, using public funds for her campaign and fraudulent victory?

They knew she used public funds for such purpose and other things besides, such as cheating her way to Malacañang, and were even willing to make her use more public funds, and to benefit them personally, this time. Why then should these congressional allies of Gloria have been expected by anyone to do what was right by the Filipino people — at least 80 percent of whom already stated they wanted her impeached?

But the monetary rewards did not end with the killing of the impeachment complaints. There was still the all-expenses paid trip to New York for the allies who worked to ensure the death of the impeachment complaint and the governors and local executives who pledged loyalty and support for a fraudulent President.

Money appeared to be no object, since these Gloria delegates, numbering well over 70 officials, stayed at a $450 a night posh hotel, plus, plus. No wonder they were more than ready to breach protocol at the UN before Gloria started her address and applauded lustily while she spoke on the debt for equity swap. And this, after already being warned by the UN security not to applaud as this was against the rules. But she had to have her flown-in rent a Filipino crowd, for her to claim that she is today politically stronger, even as later, business executives made it known that they are still mainly in a wait-and-see attitude, unsure that Gloria can put in the reforms they want while the political noise goes on.

Just think how much the airfare for these officials cost, add in the food and drinks and the shopping they and their wives always make a priority event while in the US and there goes the precious dollars and money in the national coffers.

Yet here, there is hardly any money left for Filipinos to even have regular meals in their homes, or even money to pay the matriculation fees for the education of their children. Or even pay for the medicines they need. And Gloria and her congressional allies and local executives lap it up in the US with the Filipino people's hard-earned money. Yet they dare speak of austerity measures?

But that's not all — as far as wasting precious dollars goes. Underhandedly, Gloria, through her National Security Adviser, Norberto Gonzales, inked a contract with a Baltimore-based lobby firm, Venable, to get grants and loans for “restructuring” the Constitution. On paper, it's $1 million for the firm's services, plus, plus. But there's always commissions to be had, left and right, and quid pro quo from the Americans in the event the lobby group succeeds in getting the grants and loans.

But when the public started to scream at Gloria's sell-out of the country's sovereignty, there went Gonzales, lying through his teeth, claiming at first that the deal was not really about Charter changes but about funding for the military and police, then when he got into more trouble, he suddenly claimed it was not public money that was used to pay Venable, as the funds, he said, came from donations from the private sector, whose donors, he moreover claimed were unknown to him.

And now that there are more criticisms, there went Gonzales, claiming that the contract can be rescinded anytime. How many more underhanded multi-million contracts have been forged by Gloria and her other Cabinet members, not to mention her local executives who have taken out loans?

How much more lying can the Filipino people take, under the Gloria regime? Tax money, squeezed out of the people, is being wasted, and all for her political survival. Worse, more public funds will continue to be wasted because the political noise is hardly going to cease, and the economy will continue to deteriorate.

Already, we have a problem with dollars, since the oil bills cost a mint these days, and there is little left in the national budget, after interest and principal payments for our humongous debts are deducted.

Times will be harder for the Filipino people, especially with the 12-percent value-added-tax in effect soon.

But none of these appear to be of concern to Gloria, as long as there is still money to pay off her allies, including the corrupt generals, who will continue to support her and her lying, stealing and cheating ways, as long as they their share of the filthy lucre. And the Filipino people can go hang.

UPDATE: More here:

That she has to ensure keeping them “happy” and “content,” through more largesse has become only too evident. She had to bring them along with her on an expensive junket to New York for her scheduled speaking engagement at the United Nations. This costs money and in precious dollars too.

There really was no need for Gloria to take them with her on this junket. She didn't do so before. Besides, her executives formed a big enough delegation and she certainly didn't need to bring along with her over 50 congressmen and local executives just for that UN event which her propagandists crowed was a success. By what measure, they didn't say. But surely, with all the countries' leaders speaking, what was one more speech from Gloria? Or was it a success because the Philippine President presided over the UN security council at that time? But heck, every month, a change of leadership in the council occurs. So what's the big deal? Her speech on the need for the concerted fight against terrorism? That's an old, old issue. Then too, coming from one who has been tagged as the weakest link in the fight against terror, she can't be expected to have that kind of credibility when she speaks on the war against terror.