On Target
Suspicious side trips
By Ramon Tulfo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 23:58:00 07/01/2009
Filed Under: Travel & Commuting, Politics, Illegal drugs
WHAT was the purpose of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s recent side trip to Colombia, a Latin American country known for notorious drug syndicates?
And why did the country suddenly set up diplomatic ties with a tiny island nation in the Caribbean called Barbados?
And why did La Gloria also make another side trip to Barbados, the home base of Smartmatic, the foreign supplier of the Comelec’s poll automation project?
What economic benefits could be gained from GMA’s side trip to Colombia and the sudden diplomatic ties with Barbados?
These questions beg answers from Palace spin doctors who have defended the numerous presidential trips abroad.
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Opposition leader and Makati Mayor Jojo Binay is very suspicious of the Barbados trip, comparing it to GMA’s sudden side trip to Hainan, China, in 2007.
In Hainan, the President witnessed the signing of the contract with ZTE Corp., which would have connected all government offices with a broadband network.
The ZTE contract was scrapped after the President’s husband, Mike, and former Comelec Chair Ben Abalos were alleged to have been bribed by the Chinese firm.
So, what’s wrong if the President watched the signing of a contract with Smartmatic officials?
So, what’s wrong if our President met with drug lords in Colombia since she could have asked them for tips on how to catch their counterparts in the Philippines?
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Who said the Supreme Court was not an Old Boys Club?
A recently retired justice of the high court reportedly continues to pull his weight with his former colleagues.
More than six months before bowing out, he reportedly convinced fellow justices to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the electoral protest of Jett Reyes, 2nd congressional district candidate in Taguig City in the 2007 elections.
And while the TRO was finally lifted on June 16, there was talk that the high court would take back the lifting because the retired justice wanted to prevent a recount.
When the recount was stopped by the high court, Reyes was fast catching up on the declared winner.
If the retired justice would have his way, people’s trust in the Supreme Court would be eroded further.
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Nomad Sports Club, an athletic association in Parañaque City, abused Filipino hospitality when it built a bridge over an accretion which nearby residents say has blocked the flow of water under it.
The club is headed by Jonathan Thorp, a British national.
During a heavy downpour, the access road that is connected to the bridge is flooded.
The bridge serves as the entry and egress of club members.
Nomad is the same club which this space denounced some months ago for reportedly forming itself into a real estate firm.
The immigration commission should look into the activities of Thorp, who owns L.A. Café on M. H. del Pilar Street, Ermita, Manila.
The place has reportedly been raided by the police allegedly for some illegal activities.
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