"A scandal, a fight, and a man in a box"
"A scandal, a fight, and a man in a box"
The recent demise of my good friend in the diplomatic corps, Ambassador Ralph Gonzales, reminds me of an untold story in the aftermath of the Dovie Beams scandal involving the strongman Ferdinand Marcos.
So here is what I heard. Beams was a Las Vegas stripper recruited by some cronies for Marcos. After the scandal broke, the labor leader Delfin Cueto accosted a Central Intelligence Agent at a bar at Hotel Filipinas, and blamed the CIA for bringing Beams to Manila. Reports had it that a quarrel ensued, leading Cueto and his bodyguards to beat up the CIA agent.
When Cueto went to Hong Kong after this, he booked himself at Ambassador Hotel along Nathan Road. Gonzales was then the consul general of the Philippine diplomatic mission. He learned that CIA agents knew about Cueto being there and that they were ready to terminate him. Gonzales then placed Cueto inside a big box, and shipped him to Tokyo on the next possible flight out of Hong Kong.
When the CIA agents went to the hotel, they discovered that Cueto had checked out.
There was a Manila journalist there at that time—Louie Beltran. But Gonzales asked him not to report the incident.
Much later on during martial law, Cueto died on the creek separating the Development Bank of the Philippines and Mandarin Hotel. This was after an altercation with the late Mayor Nemesio Yabut. The rest is history, as they say.
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The race for Speaker of the House is getting muddled with the entry of presidential son Paolo, a neophyte who wants to unite the lower chamber in the wake of aspirants belonging to different regions and parties.
Duterte is proposing a sharing of the Speakership among representatives from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as well as the party-list groups.
Santa Banana, that would mean more disunity in the House!
An earlier proposal of time-sharing between Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano was bad enough. Now a plan to “unite” the House will in fact worsen the situation.
I have always believed it is time to amend the Constitution to restructure the political system instead of borrowing from the United States’ bicameral system. Other countries’ parliamentary system have also been working well for them.
Santa Banana, now comes an unknown lawmaker from Mindanao already proposing committee chairmanships with himself as Speaker? My gulay, what’s next?
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I have always admired the best Chief Justice we never had—Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.
Carpio is a staunch critic of President Duterte’s policy in the West Philippine Sea. He had the opportunity to become Chief Justice, but he would not sacrifice his convictions just for that.
When former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno was ousted by her colleagues from her post, Carpio did not want to benefit from it, and turned down the post. And he continues to criticize Duterte’s policies on China. Indeed, conviction should come before anything else.
With the Supreme Court discussion on the writ of kalikasan against the government’s policies on three shoals that the Chinese have occupied, Carpio inhibited himself to give Solicitor General Jose Calida some peace of mind. Calida had been moving for Carpio’s inhibition.
That’s Carpio for you. It’s too bad he is retiring this October.
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My friends have been asking we when my memoirs would come out. I told them the manuscript is ready to be printed. I have been assured of this by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez. I will work in collaboration with Manila Standard opinion editor Adelle Chua and columnist Jenny Ortuoste. I cannot ask for more—I respect both these ladies.
My book is entitled “The Road Never Ends.” Watch out for it.
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I wrote about SharePHIL’s opinion on the SEC circular requiring existing corporations and new registrants to publicly disclose their beneficial owners. I have been getting comments agreeing with me.
I said that the SEC had virtually enacted a law here—something only Congress can do.
SharePHIL is headed by respected business personalities Evelyn Singson and Francis Ed. Lim. Their arguments are irrefutable and well-researched.
Thus, those businessmen who talked to me should now rest assured that what the SEC is doing is illegal and unconstitutional, and also prejudicial to the investing public.
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I am glad that the Commission on Audit has given its unqualified opinion on the financial statements of Makati City. An unmodified or unqualified opinion is the highest rating that can be attained. It means the audited financial statements were presented fairly and in conformity to general accounting principles.
Congratulations to Mayor Abby Binay!
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