Dear Editor,

Thank you also for featuring my side on this matter in your front page issue of Nov. 14, 2008 printed in blazing yellow color.

I have not received any P5 million in cash or fertilizer. I have not requested for any fertilizer allocation from the Department of Agriculture, nor have I received any Saro from the Department of Budget Management.

What's your take on the Mindanao crisis? Discuss views with other readers

If need be, I have no qualms and will appear before the Upper and Lower Houses of Congress or any other bodies investigating this issue.

You reckon that I have been "throwing the book" towards the suspended priest -- Governor Among Ed Panlilio. If it is through open criticism that Among Ed will finally become truthful and walk his talk about genuine goodness and transparency in his governance, then I would not mind being called a book-thrower anytime of the day.

To this day, Among Ed has failed to give clear cut answers on mounting issues, first and perhaps most glaring is the issue of campaign contributions.

Simple ya mu pu. I contributed, my mother contributed, my friends from Makati contributed for his campaign and we all received receipts for these contributions. Our names were not in the list that the priest-governor reported to Comelec with his signature. Pota akalingwan ne mu pu.

On the P500,000 he supposedly received inside Malacañang, Among Ed had two versions: the first, it was given to him by a man in white barong long sleeves within the palace compound, and the second version was that it was handed to his Chief of Staff, Archie Reyes, by a governor. Baka nalito lang naman?

On whether that P500,000 was used and how it was used, there were 4 versions:

Version 1. Among Ed said not a single bill was removed from the paper bag. Sen. Cayetano (during Senate hearing Nov 14, 2007) asked him whether the money was not touched and said, "...between Thursday and Sunday. You did not decide to keep the money or whatever". Among Ed's answer was a simple "Yeah."

Version 2. Resigned Chief of Staff Archie Reyes, when asked in a media forum in Quezon City (Oct 18, 2008) if the P500,000 was not used said that: "the money shown to media was already polluted, it was not the same money distributed in Malacañang." "Polluted", meaning part of the original bills were used and replaced.

Version 3. Among Ed was interviewed by Phil Star Ding Cervantes that same day about the "polluted" money and he admitted that he authorized Provincial Administrator Vivian Dabu to get P20,000 for a staff retreat in Tagaytay.

Version 4. Atty Dabu was interviewed by telephone the following day by Inquirer's star reporter Tonette Orejas and Dabu confirmed taking out P10,000 (not P20,000) from the stash of cash and handed this to Rommel De Jesus.

Malilio la pu ata !!!

Last month, I read about the victorious legal case of Atty. Regina Guarin against Gov Among Ed's refusal to pay for her benefits.

Among Ed said in a Capitol press statement that it is for "humanitarian considerations" that no Motion for Reconsideration was filed to contest the said case.

However, I heard that on Sept. 20, 2008 Among Ed through his lawyer, Atty. Catherine Mesuelo, filed a motion for reconsideration but was received by the court 48 hours after the deadline, naturally, it was denied. So, it is not true then that no MR was filed.

Mr. Editor, I worked hard, like all the others in the crusade, for the victory of Among Ed. I will not dare claim the title of being a spotless shiny kettle but I am also not as black as a sooty pot. Perhaps gray would suffice, until such time that you get to know me better.

Yours truly,
Willie Buyson Villarama
November 20, 2008

For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila.

(November 24, 2008 issue)
Write letter to the editor. Click here.