Wednesday, October 17, 2007 Nalzaro: Controversial dole-outs By Bobby Nalzaro Saksi
THE cat is out of the bag. Whether it was a “Christmas gift,” “cash gift,” “token,” “allowance” or “for projects,” the fact remains that dole-outs were given to House members, governors and mayors during a meeting with President Arroyo in Malacañang last week.
Oly three congressmen have so far admitted receiving the money. They are Mauricio Domogan of Baguio, Rachel Arenas of Pangasinan and our very own Tony Cuenco (although he later claimed he was just joking).
Arenas and Domogan said they got their share, which they termed “allowance,” from the Office of the Speaker.
Of the 48 governors who attended a separate meeting in Malacañang, only three admitted receiving money: Pampanga’s Ed Panlilio, Bulacan’s Joselito Mendoza and Negros Oriental’s Emilio Macias III. But Macias said the money was for the launching of his Integrated Tax Collection System (I-Tax).
No mayor has so far admitted getting the dole-out, although reports say some of them did attend the turn over of the chairmanship of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines in Malacañang. After the affair, Palace staffers reportedly distributed brown paper bags to the mayors.
I am still waiting for Cebu mayors to publicly give their accounts on the matter. Acting Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama called me up yesterday and said he was not able to attend the gathering because Malacanang's invitation for Mayor Tommy Osmeña, who is still out of the country, was received by City Hall only the following day.
But what about Mandaue Mayor Jonas Cortes, Lapu-Lapu Mayor Arturo Radaza, Talisay Mayor Soc Fernandez, Danao Mayor Ramonito Durano III, Toledo Mayor Deedee Zambo and the municipal mayors?
Malacañang generosity can be interpreted in two ways. One, the dole-outs for congressmen were meant to bribe them considering the pending impeachment complaint against President Arroyo in the House. Two, for local officials who do not have anything to do with the impeachment complaint, the dole-outs were plain gifts or were meant to buy their loyalty.
The reason why the recipients are denying receiving the dole-out is probably because they considered it as personal gift and used the money for their personal needs. They don't want to be made to account for it.
But where did the money come from? Were the funds public or private?
