Everybody thought this was a tough question by a media man to stars of ABS-CBN’s noon time TV show “Happy Yipee Yehey!” in a press conference in Lingayen recently.
Beauteous Mariel Rodriguez begged: “To be honest I am not comfortable answering that question”.
Wacky Randy Santiago declared: “To be honest, I am dishonest thus I don’t want to answer that question honestly.”
“Idiotic” Bentong did not answer because he is, well, the show’s idiot.
For me, to be honest these actors preferred to be dishonest by withholding their three-cent worth of reactions to avoid a verbal backlash from beleaguered but cocky TV-5 main host Willie Revillame when he returns anytime from now to his famous show.
Enough said! Let’s buckle-up to politics.
***
Before the press conference called by the personalities above for their show in the provincial government’s Pistay Dayat 2011, Governor Amado T. Espino invited us media folks to ascend to the veranda located at the second floor of the Capitol- run Resort Hotel to interview fiesta guest Senator Migz Zubiri.
Zubiri divulged in the middle of the interview that Ombudsperson Merceditas Gutierrez has resigned.
That was a noontime of April 29. News reports said later that Gutierrez went to Malacanang at 11:20 Am by tending to President Noynoy Aquino her resignation.
“Ha! Ala Nixon ah?” I surprisingly quipped to Zubiri.
“Who is Nixon?” A surprised and an “unschooled” media man whispered at my back.
“Nixon was the African main star of the comedy flick “Gods Must be Crazy,” another unschooled radio commentator chided his companion.
To peasants out there, Richard Nixon was the U.S President who was not impeached despite his involvement in the Water Gate scandal because he beat the U.S senators cum jury by resigning and chalking-up a pardon from his predecessor President Gerald Ford.
But these U.S Senators did not feel bad about Nixon’s resignation. Unlike their Filipino counterpart Senator Lito Lapid, a college drop-out, who felt bad that his chance to wear a toga for the first time bogged down.
“So, former President Gloria Arroyo is vulnerable to non-bailable heinous crime of plunder that somebody will file against her at the new Ombudsman?” I posed to my fellow Visayan Senator,
Zubiri advised not only Arroyo but other government bigwigs to expect an avalanche of charges at the Ombudsman.
“My advice for them is to get a good lawyer,” he said.
***
Migz also took a swipe at former government officials who would be appointed to government position.
He cited former congressman and failed senatorial bet Neric Acosta who has a corruption case at the Sandiganbayan (Court for government officials).
Acosta is groomed by President Aquino to be the secretary of the Department of Environment &Natural Resources in lieu of Secretary Ramon Paje – a hold-over for Acosta.
Acosta was accused of misappropriation his P70 million a year Priority Development Assistance Fund or infamously known Pork Barrel by siphoning them to the cooperative, a private enterprise, of his mother where salaries of her workers were taken from that government fund.
“Mapapahiya lang si presidente dito (appointment of Acosta),” he said.
“I think the COA (Commission on Audit) should get involved. There are congressmen who are already indicted in the Sandiganbayan. They are awaiting verdicts on their misappropriation of the funds. For example, senatorial candidate ng first (congressional) district ng Bukidnon, si Neric Acosta. He gave his pork barrel to the foundation ran by his mother. Doon sila kumukuha ng sueldo nila. – which I think is wrong kasi government fund iyon – which I think should not be given to a private institution,” he told the press in Pangasinan when he visited last year.
Migz said that there should be a law that candidates for government appointment should be cleared first of complaints at either the Ombudsman or the Prosecutor Office before they are appointed. (You can read my selected intriguing but thought-provoking columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)
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