Snippets

In a time when savages and pagans no longer thrive, there are still people who try  to be as disrespectful and lawless as can be. The incident of destroying a swing beam in a farm road of Tadeco which is used to inform people that 'hey, there's a foot bath in here and we have to follow simple protocol to guard  farms from an infectious disease' comes  as a surprise. Surprising, not because it happened once in a lifetime but what  was  surprising are the circumstances that came out  in the open: a misinformation from some radio station citing a closed road from Sto Tomas to Panabo; an  order by the Congress to the police to survey the area for public roads but was carried out by DPWH; a  DPWH District Engineer acting without an order from his superior; a DPWH crew dismantling the lowly swing beam with small mallets and had bonnets and covers in their faces, not wanting to be identified and riding a private vehicle;...

His latest pronouncement that Tadeco should not hire inmates to work in the plantation is a statement taking aim at everything just to bring Tadeco down. When he can't pin the Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between BuCor and Tadeco as disadvantageous to the gov't, he employs tactics questioning the ownership of the roads inside the plantation as well as election issues - all out of context of his case on Allegation that the JVA is disadvantageous to the Government. Although, it augurs well with his purpose of getting media mileage. But alas!, as fate would have it, his plan was overtaken by events. His rampage of ego-tripping is now checked when he choose to say words that caught the ear of Mayor Sara Duterte. So now, as ill-advised, he is using the JVA issue to cover his spat with Mayor Sara. But his recent pronouncement to file raps against custodials/escort guards who are just escorting the inmates working as trainees in the plantation, is as rotten as he is. His insinuati...

The 5th Congressional hearing on "Resolution Calling for Inquiry, In Aid of Legislation, on the Allegedly Grossly Disadvantageous Contract Entered into by the Bureau of Corrections (BUCOR) and the Tagum Agricultural Development Company, Inc. (TADECO)" orchestrated by Speaker Alvarez, was out of order. Tackled were public roads and structures which are not related to the JVA, which, if indeed true that everybody is not allowed to pass through and need to be resolved, can be solved by the DILG thru the Panabo City government. Additional issue thrown into the JVA equation is the alleged election manipulation which can be properly addressed by protest in the Comelec of which nobody has done - Alvarez should start going to the Comelec to really press this issue. The work of the congress is to investigate in aid of legislation but apparently, they are now acting as the executive branch, directing the DOJ, bypassing the DILG and directing the PNP. They do as they want, even if ...

The 2nd hearing on the Tadeco-Bucor Joint Venture Agreement last May 30, 2017 was nothing but grandstanding, with no new issues to boot, just the bully Alvarez and bobo Aguirre. Alvarez, in his porma - rocking his chair, forgot that he is part of the legislative body and not the executive. His commands to the DOJ presumed that he is in the executive part of our government. Aguirre, on his part being with the executive department, felt helpless with the commands of a person not his superior because of fear on the issues hounding him which can cost him his post. It is, therefore, a show of their weaknesses. One, assuming to be an executive and the other succumbing to an assuming congressman, all in the guise of righting a wrong. Is it right for a congressman, being a member of the legislative body, to command a member of the executive department? Is it ok for a member of the executive department to just say yes to the whims of somebody in the legislative department? And can the two of th...

The original complaints of Alvarez, as stipulated in House Resolution 867, are that the rent/lease/share or whatever of Dapecol/BuCor is so small that the JVA is disadvantageous to the gov't; a 25 year lease instead of the prevailing 10 years plus an issue on ill-treatment of workers. The DOJ was asked to review and junk the JVA on those grounds. CoA also entered the issue by commenting on it with a recommendation that the agreement be fixed. The Solocitor General also made its unsolicited remarks. Heck, even some journalists who do not know the real score joined the fray with flying bullets. And since the allegations, hence the review, have been proven to be of no truth when all laws and provisions of the constitution are laid out and all financials are in, Alvarez and cohorts are throwing issues after issues to find flaws in the agreement to take down Tadeco but to no avail. They even resorted to bullying and intimidating the resource persons just to point out their flawed argume...

Tadeco Bucor Joint Venture Agreement - Further  Presidential Decree 1585 (a) that when the national interest so requires, the President of the Philippines may review, amend, modify, revise, rescind or revoke any such contract, concession, license, permit lease or similar privilege or any condition or provision therein; (b) that, upon the recommendation of the government agency or instrumentality concerned with the administration of any such contract, concession, license, permit, lease or similar privilege, the President may, pending the conduct of appropriate hearing, summarily suspend and order the cessation of all activities and operations under the contract, concession, license, permit, lease or similar privilege for violation of any condition prescribed in duly issued rules and regulations of the administering government agency or instrumentality. DOJ Secretary Aguirre wants the president to invoke the above PD for the cessation of the Tadeco-Bucor JVA. Well, his...

Congressional Inquiry Was the investigation fair? Was it really in aid of legislation? Alvarez was talking about a business agreement where an entity may be created which will take care of the business when in fact it is a rehabilitation agreement where the common interest is the rehabilitation of inmates. Tadeco, while engaging in the banana business, trains the inmates on the banana plantation in the land provided by BuCor. It is such a unique agreement that is so effective in weeding out corruption (stipends to inmates are directly given to them and not thru any other method which can be corrupted) while effectively restoring the lives of inmates back into law-abiding citizens. Questions such as what's the difference between a partnership and agreement are very lousy, tasteless even. Another lawmaker asking about net income and a line of thinking that any accountant will cringe. Whew! A Secretary of Justice sensing that the case cannot be won by the proponents...