COLUMNIST Ramon Tulfo claims to be a teller of truths, but all he did was tell lies when he wrote at least two of those July columns published in The Manila Times.
In his July 20 column "There goes Cayetano as House Speaker, also Medialdea" published on July 20, Tulfo accused Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea of issuing a memorandum circular "apparently, without the President's knowledge" ordering all government agencies and government-owned and -controlled corporations to support the controversial Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee Foundation.
In a July 25 column, Tulfo again accused Medialdea, who, might I add is one of the most trustworthy members of the Duterte Cabinet if not the most trustworthy, of sitting for an entire year on an appeal made by one Felicito Mejorada for the claim of 272.07 million in government reward money.
Mejorada had claimed he was the one who gave the government the crucial tip on a smuggling operation in Mariveles, Bataan in 1997.
Tulfo also accused Medialdea of being behind a Vianney D. Garol, who claimed to be a presidential consultant, when she supposedly asked for P72 million for the release of the reward.
Clearly, the facts do not bear Tulfo out.
A credible source in Malacañang vehemently denied Medialdea had issued the memorandum favoring Phisgoc without the President knowing about it, saying the good executive secretary, like the good soldier that he is, never acts without the consent, yes, consent, of no less than the chief executive.
"He knows he works at the pleasure of the President, so every step of the way, he really asks for the President's approval," the source said.
The same credible source in Malacañang also denied Medialdea ever sat on Mejorada's appeal for 12 months saying the document, which was received in April, had been acted upon in only three months.
The source added Medialdea himself asked the Department of Finance, which had denied Mejorada's initial claim to the reward money, to forward all the records pertaining to the case, and even asked the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the involvement of Garol and other personalities.
Medialdea has already denied ever knowing Garol who, it turns out, based on Palace records, was a project development officer II under the Office of External Affairs-Davao on August 1, 2005 but stopped operations on December 31, 2005.
My conclusion then?
The columns are but malicious articles directed against the person of the good executive secretary.
As to why they were written, well, perhaps only Tulfo can answer that.
What is clear is that such devious schemes have no place in this administration.
Tulfo, also the special envoy to China, has said self-purgation should start in the Cabinet.
Might I add, it should start in government in general.
So, Tulfo, resign.