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| They don't see eye to eye? (The octogenarian Gov. Carmencita O. Reyes and the youthful Cong. Lord Allan Jay Q. Velasco) |
What again is the P300M loan for?
Reyes: “Third, that’s for a Sports Complex. Many
LGUs have obtained bank loans to promote tourism in their area..(blah-blah-blah).”
The
trouble with her perceived enemy (Cong. Velasco, who else?), is that the latter
had actually provided PDAF funding and tapped other fund sources, for the
construction of a Sports Complex in Sta. Cruz; by all means a similar
construction must be undertaken for another such complex to drive home the idea
that “I have something like that complex, too”.
Reyes: “Fourth, that’s for Education. Pareng
Edmund’s scholarship program must be revived…” (“Tulad ng palaging sinasabi ni
Edmund, kaya marami siyang scholarship, ang karunungan ang siyang susi ng
kaunlaran”).
The
script dictates that the people of Marinduque must never be given the
impression that the scholarship program of their perceived political enemy (Cong.
Velasco, who else?), is working, and working well, openly admitted by a high
ranking school official of the state college, for one, as the ‘biggest number
of scholars granted to their students in the school’s history’.
Reviving
a son’s previous scholarship program at the approach of elections to the extent
that a provincial loan must be obtained simply sounds outrageous. Nonetheless, such Reyes scholarships are now being distributed out of capitol funds at the Reyes residence in the Boac Poblacion to college recipients who must be accompanied by immediate family members (who must be political supporters), in receiving the cash as shown in this photo taken Aug. 29, 2012:
What about the Php 300-million Term Loan with
PNB?
Reyes said: “That’s just a Credit Line for P300M, we will only borrow what we need (sang-ayon
sa kakailanganin lamang); the rest of the amount will be used only as
“paghahanda, contingency, kung sakaling hindi makapaglabas ng pananalapi ang
DOTC (for airport runway); “Opisyal na ipinahatid ng pamunuan ng PNB ang
kanilang kahandaan na pagkalooban ang Lalawigan ng Marinduque ng Credit Line…”
But, in
the first place, was the Governor of Marinduque authorized to negotiate for the
amount (P300M), she proudly
confirmed over the radio, when in fact the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Marinduque in its
original resolution specified the amount of P250-M, later amending it to P150-M
as broadcast over the radio and confirmed by the Bokales, with a sudden shift
in purpose when a public outcry got louder?
Remember
that the SP initially specified that the loan is for ‘road network infrastructure
development project’, then altered
the words through a new resolution to ‘road network infrastructure projects and
for other priority socio-economic development programs’, then deciding to alter it again to just ‘P100M for
Marinduque Airport Runway and P50M for farm-to-market roads.’ Topsy-turvy
flip-flops, and there’s more!
Are these
tell-tale signs of an abnormal and nervous rush to just produce crispy moolah
for campaign purposes? Re-elections must be guaranteed with money changing
hands as early as now; the filing of
certificates of candidacy comes in just a month from now, as we know. It’s probably
really difficult to turn down an alleged P1-M
(in CDF?) for each Bokal once the loan is consummated?
The PNB deal.
Meanwhile,
she, the Governor immediately went to work and, guess what? She actually
negotiated with PNB for a clear-cut P300-M Term Loan! And contrary to what
we’ve been told about the bank’s mere conveyance of its “kahandaan”, readiness
vis-a-vis the Marinduque application, the PNB letter dated July 26, 2012, that
she, Gov. Reyes, talked about was to convey to the Capitol “that PNB Executive Committee has approved a P300 Million Term loan in
your favor to finance the Construction of the Legislative Building, Convention
Center, Sports Complex and Various infrastructure/development projects,
available until Dec. 31, 2012…” with terms and conditions specified, such
as the Term Loan of P300M, payable in 10
years at 6.75% interest per annum and “any
amount in excess of the P300M Term Loan facilities shall be for the account of
the LGU”, among nine other specific conditions.
But wait! Legislative
Building? Convention Center? Sports Complex and various
infrastructure/development projects? Available until Dec. 31, 2012?
So you get the impression that the plot is to dispose of or stack up money for
all these ever-changing project proposals in just a couple of months or so, say
October, November, December 2012? As election ban is in the offing?
It turns out that after four decades of
almost complete political control of a small island province with only six
municipalities, the incumbent Marinduque Governor appears to now profess to have found
enlightenment: “Maikli na ang panahon mga anak,
hindi natin maisusulong ang proyektong pangkaunlaran na tanging minimithi ng
ating kalalawigan ng sabay-sabay kung tayo ay hindi uutang sa bangko…. Ako po
ay isang ina, hindi ko po isusubo ang aking mga anak…”, she said.
Award.
“Magtiwala kayo sa inyong
Nanay”, she says again, then proceeds to brag about having received an award
from DILG, “Seal of Good Housekeeping”. “Bukod pa dito, ang inyong Nanay ay
tumanggap kay President Pnoy Aquino noong Oktubre 2011 ng Award for Good Governance”,
stressing every word with such aplomb.
Incidentally, the
assessment period as basis for that award was the immediately preceding year
(i.e. 2010 for the 2011 award). The criteria included innovations introduced by
the LGU within the last 3 years (2008-2010
in this case). But she took her oath as governor only in July 2010, and may
lay claim to the last six-month
portion of the assessment period. The previous administration that she
vigorously attacked (nilimas, isinangla, ginahasa), is therefore intrinsic part of that
award, which incidentally is in the name of the LGU and not in the name of any ‘Nanay’,
repeated ad nauseam.
Back to Credit Line.
Credit Line? Come on. What credit line,
repeated in the staged show at least seven times, is she talking about? Let’s
check for definitions, then:
What is a Credit Line?
“A credit line is money available for you to borrow. Instead of
borrowing a specific amount of money and paying it back over time, the bank
allows you to borrow any amount you need (up to your credit limit), whenever
you need it.
“Contrast the credit line to a loan, where you borrow a fixed
amount of money and start paying back the loan (or 'amortizing') with each
payment.”
And what is 'Term Loan'?
“A loan from a bank for a specific amount that
has a specified repayment schedule and a floating interest rate. Term
loans almost always mature between one and 10 years.”
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| Without a shadow of doubt it is a P300 Million Term Loan! |
Misrepresentation? Abuse of authority? Wholesale
lies? Blatant attempt at potential technical malversation? Again?
Have the
Honorable SP Members been had? (“Maraming maraming salamat sa aking mga anak na
nasa ating Sangguniang Panlalawigan, mga bokal natin….tunay nga kayo, Nanay nga
ang tingin ninyo sa akin”). Di na rin
natuto?
But are
they engaged now in a race at troubleshooting of some sort to legalize their
blunders? Of course, there’d be arguments that no official agreement has been
signed yet, nothing’s been ratified yet by the SP. But shall we just throw up
our hands in frustration, or just simply throw up, and there… they go?
And what
about the untruths conveyed by the parties concerned to We, The People? Just
let it go and pretend we never heard of them, only to be repeated over and over
again since we are perceived by her and by them to be ignorant, fearful constituents?
So they now in fact, and very soon for the rest, go the rounds of the campaign trail, while we watch them laugh, tickled to the bone for getting away with their deeds. Just like a walk in the park, it is, plotting to conduct and promote baluktot na daan, in direct defiance to Pnoy’s ‘tuwid na daan’, towards what is now seen as potentially the craziest, most expensive Marinduque election campaign of all time?
She’ll most
likely go to great lengths without relent to still pull this one off? Shall we
just watch, or speak out as one - for
once - against it, against this negative nonsense, this pack of lies, or what now?
