In a speech during his Middle East trip, President Rodrigo Duterte again blasted former Marcos trade minister Roberto “Bobby” Ongpin.
Recall that sometime last year, Mr. Duterte also singled out Ongpin as an oligarch that must be destroyed.
The President said that Ongpin obtained business concessions from President Corazon Aquino.
I could not believe this. I know for a fact that President Cory hated Ongpin because he was an official of Marcos. In fact she hated anybody associated with the late dictator.
I also know for a fact that Ongpin, who was my student at Ateneo High School, went on exile after the 1986 People Power Revolution. He only came back to the Philippines during the Arroyo administration.
In fact, during the presidency of Cory’s son, BS Aquino III, Ongpin experienced harassment and persecution. Cases were filed against him for a loan of P556 million from the Development Bank of the Philippines. The reason? He was a friend of the former First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
I called up Bobby to find out how he was after Duterte mentioned his name again. He said it was absolutely false.
I have known Bobby for many years. I know he is a businessman of the highest integrity. He is neither an oligarch nor an influence peddler.
I hope the President ensures all he receives are right facts.
Mr. Duterte’s attack on any businessman, especially for baseless reasons, can do serious damage to one’s reputation. In the case of Philweb, which used to be controlled by Ongpin, the latter had to sell his majority stake—at a loss of some P18 billion. The President’s accusations against Ongpin are unfair.
This loss, however, has not stopped Ongpin from undertaking more projects here. For example, the high-end Baguio Mountain Lodges—called the Forbes Park of the summer capital—is well under way. So is Patnanugan island, which Ongpin calls the Balesin Gateway (only 22 nautical miles from his signature development). And of course, his Aegle Wellness Center both in Makati and in Balesin just does not compare to anything.
He is 80 years old and so I asked him, why still do all these when the President seems to be persecuting him? Bobby says he still believes in the economic future of the Philippines.
Bobby is a Filipino and a businessman you cannot put down.
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Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol warned rice cartels against hoarding rice at this time when the harvest season is ongoing. A glut will adversely affect farmers.
Obviously, Piñol is unaware of the existence of a rice cartel at the National Food Authority itself.
Santa Banana, NFA Administrator Jason Laureano y Aquino has authorized private rice imports, reportedly bypassing the NFA council headed by Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco. The council is, by law, the only authority that can authorize rice importation.
Note that the President has fired an undersecretary of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary for overreaching her authority to allow private rice imports whose permits have expired.
What happened was something else.
Lo and behold, administrator Aquino himself signed the permits to import for three private importers way past the Feb. 28 deadline.
Was not the President informed of these irregularities? He must not have been, else he would have acted already. He did say that he would not hesitate to fire officials for so much as a whiff of corruption in their offices.
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President Duterte must revamp his Cabinet now after sacking Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno over those allegedly overpriced fire trucks. Those at the NFA must also go. Mr. Duterte has a strong message to deliver—that he does not tolerate corruption.
But then, he has reappointed Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez despite the fact that she has a pending case before the Office of the Ombudsman for interceding for a French company and accepting an all-expense paid trip in return.
I am confused, Mr. President. As many people are.
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Santa Banana, what did the President really mean when he said during his Middle East trip that if Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar needed help from the Philippines to fight terrorism, he would readily send Filipino soldiers.
He must have been overwhelmed by the courtesies extended to him by his hosts and by the pledges of investment.
True enough, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon had to say that there would be no operational deployment in the Middle East because the Philippines is a member of the Coalition of Military Forces. This means we can only send observers. The CMF is focused on disrupting terrorism preventing piracy, preventing illegal activities and promoting a safe maritime environment.
Instead of offering help, the President should focus on addressing terrorism here.