Who Copied Whom: Front covers of two glossy magazines

Anne Curtis on Rogue magazine october issue
Nora Aunor on Yes magazine october issue

A Princess among Manny’s many women

By JULIO CINCO N.

Princess Snell               and             Manny Pacquiao

IN showbiz and in the so-called civil society, hot rumors fly fast and thick before they turn into cold facts. These days the loudest whisper in town concerns what many consider is an illicit affair between a homegrown world famous celebrity and a starlet upstart. “Hindi pa man sumisikat, laos na,” the rumormongers would say.

         But her 15 minutes of shared fame or infamy, as usual, is treated with a double standard in a country known for major double talk, major double faces and major double cross. The young woman in question, a putative victim, is allegedly pregnant and is identified both in print and in cyber space gossip. But, as of this writing, the celebrated moneyed man, is almost always written blind, so to speak, and remains a big question.

          Until now. Billionaire and boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, if rumors are to be believed, is once again proving to all and sundry that he is the pound-for-pound womanizer to reckon with, with or without he wife Jinkee watching  over him. People in the know say that’s what the former poor boy from GenSan gets from fraternizing with the likes of Gov. Chavit Singson and company, It’s a vile world of vices and, as the latest installment of the film “Wall Street”’s blurb say,”money never sleeps.” But Manny does sleep with strange bedfellows many of them women.

           His current conquest, or so various sources say, is 19-year-old (born on April 14, 1992) Princess Snell of GMA-7’s stable of little known talents. Princess entered showbiz in 1988 as part of ABS-CBN’s Star Magic. After portraying bit roles in “I Love Betty La Fea” and “Kambal sa Uma,” she transferred to GMA-7 and joined the fifth season of StarStruck, making it to the final 14. She did more bit roles and became one of the Castaways contenders in the 2010 Survivors Philippines: Celebrity Showdown, but quit on the second day. At present, she continues to do some bit parts on TV until the wild rumors about her supposed relationship with Pacquiao have put her on the spot.

         Of course, Princess denies the rumors about her purported interesting stage, as they always do and then deliver a different story after more or less nine months. Or else you know what they say about the abortive Reproductive Bill--born or bust!

         The semi-retired starlet even dares and challenges others: “Gusto niyong makita ang sexy body ko?” But, as we go to press, she’s not quoted yet denying her relationship with the man of many vices. And what about the reported car and condo gifts?

         So far, we also haven’t heard from the fishwife who practically went berserk at the height of the Manny Pacquiao-Krista Ranillo romantic escapade. Back then, feeling wronged and wasted, she really went to town spewing strong and scathing words in print (and otherwise)—if memory serves, even on the cover of Pete Lacaba and Joan Maglipon’s Yes Magazine—and called Krista a “golddigger”.

         Indeed, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Remember what the notorious groupie Bernard used to tell people about the private bout between the erring husband and wife within the confines of their conjugal home then? “Lumayas ka! Kung gusto mo, dalhin mo na ang pera, at lumayas ka na!” But how true…?

        Just how much gold Krista has dug in Pacman’s Land remains the subject of much speculation up to this very day. The often-touted hundreds of thousands of dollars allowances and business grants from La Vista to Las Vegas still ring in many people’s ears.

        And now this.

        Money Manny is not only a very generous gift giver but he’s also so discreet that people in his inner circle call him a “silent smooth operator”. An SSO to his damsels’ SOS.

        Let’s rewind to the guarded and secretive days of the more creative fortune hunters. The movie press is littered with insiders who claim that they know about the Ara Mina-Manny Pacquiao involvement during a certain time when Jomari Yllana was dancing in the dark.

        At that time, the rumor mill was rife with talks about a “house-and-lot gift” and a “gifted” business establishment somewhere in Quezon City. Somehow, somewhere along the way, the actor-boyfriend got wind of the rumored secret liaison, courtesy of Glorietta’s eyes and ears. Or was it Shangri-La’s night of a thousand eyes, as the old Bobby Vee’s (with a more popular cover by Gary Lewis and the Playboys) song goes.    Other tongues wagged and pointed to a certain Man “of the angels” (“de los angeles”).Or were they such a simultaneous catch of an affair, one on top of the other?

         At any rate, the next time we knew Jomari was crying a river on national television, and most people were clueless where the wailing waterfall was coming from.He kept mum and didn’t mention about any third or fourth party, but it was a quite obvious he was hurting because he lost to a triangle or to a square, as the case might have been

        Or else, why would some movie people insist that should Manny Paquiao have his biography written a certain portion—nay, a chapter—should be devoted to Ara Mina. But then again, Jinkee has been quoted by some quarters as saying she wasn’t as sore she was as in the more controversial Krista-Manny episode. Apparently, Ara didn’t get her GenSan goat in the same manner that the sly and stealthy operator that was Rufa Mae Quinto didn’t seem to bother her either. As a matter of of fact the Manny-Rufa Mae Quinto thing remains a curious guessing game up to now.

         The main bone of contention in Rufa Mae’s case is the much vaunted one- or two-carat diamond ring that she allegedly got from a certain Mr. M. When the scheming comedienne was asked to give a clue by naming Mr. M’s most beautiful facial feature that endeared him to her, she quipped: “His eyes!”

         Oh, the eyes of a woman in love with Manny or his money. Whichever way the whirl wind blows one thing is clear: Money is power and power corrupts!

         Now back to Princess (Snell), is she corrupt or is she corrupted? Whichever comes first, the Manny of many prizes can always come forward and hopefully be man enough not only to face the music but to dance to its tune as well. Meaning to say, he must admit whatever it is that there is to admit and assume full responsibility toward his family and flings.

        How he will handle them requires not only the talent and resources at his disposal but also the experience and advice of the older Don Juans in our midst. From the senior Ramon Revilla to Erap to Bong Revilla, Jr. is a long line of womanizing and family/fund raising that stretches the imagination from the early Customs to the Mayor’s  office to the Senate to Malacanang.

       From smuggling to landgrabbing to jueteng to other nefariors activities the road to perdition is now well laid and clear. All Manny Paquiao has to do is follow it, and everything else will fall into place.

The Worst Actors in Philippine Showbiz

By MARK BENIGNO


AYOKO nang magpasakalye dahil baka kung anu-ano pa ang masabi ko. Diretsahan na tayo, kumbaga. Itigil na ang mga tambol!

1) Diether Ocampo

2) Vic Sotto

3) Edu Manzano

4) Vic Sotto

5) Diether Ocampo

Nais ipaalala ng ating natatanging kritiko sa mundo at iba pang dimension na hindi kasali sa anumang listahan ng mga actor at actress ang nasa kategorya ng mga starlet na gaya nina German Moreno, Tito Sotto, Jimmy Santos, E.R Ejercito, Vhong Navarro, John Lapus, Eula Valdez, Jean Garcia, Jolina Magdangal, Nova Villa at iba pa.

 

Corruption in the Philippines: From Macapagal to Macapagal

By JULIO CINCO NIGADO

 

“The Republic Of The Philippines is a weak post-colonial state. The public sector is basically subservient to the dominant social classes and deeply entrenched special interests. The reasons can be traced back to the historical evolution of the political system and modes of governance.”
                                                                       --From cyber space

Diosdado Macapagal       Ferdinand Marcos       Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo

 

CORRUPTION in the Philippines, whether in public office or in the  private sector is deeply rooted from the time the natives and the islands were collectively called “Islas de los Ladrones” (“Islands of the Thieves,” no thanks to Ferdinand Magellan) by the thieving Conquistadores themselves. But who stole from whom first? The encroaching colonizers who grabbed lands and appropriated long-inhabited ancient properties for their own, or the “poaching” original inhabitants who were curious about the trespassing invaders?

 

       Viewed from this context, it’s easy to see the endemic and pervasive corruption in our society from the historical and cultural perspective. From Spanish times (1521-1898) to Emilio Aguinaldo’s Biac-na Bato Pact (1897) to the American Colonization (1898-1946) to the Japanese Occupation  (1942-1845) to the present, the never-ending dispensation of favors and largesse in various forms continuous unabated. And given our long history of patron-client relationships, the modern-day caciques continue to rule in our “colonial democracy.”

 

       As a matter of fact, the so-called First Philippine Republic was a sham, a shameless result  of betrayal, corruption and crimes unsolved, perpetrated by an infamous collaborator. From the Spaniards to the Americans to the Japanese to the native tyrants, he negotiated the waters of collaboration and corruption on different levels until his dying day.

 

       On May 10, 1897, Katipunan leader Andress Bonifacio and his brother Procopio were murdered by his rivals masquerading as revolutionaries. In the still unnamed (because unknown to this very day) hills of Laguna (or Cavite?), the Bonifacio brothers were executed by the very same pretenders who hungered for power and devoured Katipunan in the end.

 

      And it’s not a coincidence in history that the Bonifacios’ executioner was named Commandant Lazaro Macapagal from whose lineage descended Diosdado Macapagal. According to the commandant’s account, “Andres Bonifacio died a coward, begging for his life as he realized that his near was near.” Indeed, the stories surrounding the Katipunan founder’s murder were as diverse as they were blurred, according to the mode of corruption in those days. (The Macapilis, somehow, figure in many periods of our history as a nation.)

 

      Some say the Bonifacios were supposedly shot and quickly buried on the same spot. Others claim that they were hacked to death by bolos, in the still of the night. Until now their skeletal remains have yet to be found.

 

      As one writer asked, “How could the man, who founded the revolution, be called a coward? How could the man who fought the hardest battles in Manila, to draw attention away from the provinces, be so disgraced by his own sons? How could the Father of the Revolution fall prey to his own sons? Could this betrayal and other resounding events in history be noted as fundamental in the creation of corruption?”

 

     Massive and modern-day corruption, that is. 

     This is not to imply that there was no corruption during the time of Manuel L. Quezon (1953-44) and the subsequent administrations of Sergio S. Osmena (1944-46), Manuel A. Roxas (1946-48), Elpidio R. Quirino (1948-53), Ramon F. Magsaysay (1953-57), and Carlos P. Garcia (1957-61).

 

     In fact, every candidate for president—from Manuel Quezon to Noynoy Aquino—has always campaigned to fight against graft and corruption in government. “Throughout our colonial history, the colonial powers utilized the local elite in exploiting and oppressing the people. In turn, the latter colluded with the colonial oppressors and exploiters so as to ingratiate themselves to the rulers and to maintain and expand their wealth and political influence in society,” said another source.

 

     Both the Spaniards and the Americans (and the Japanese during World War II) “used the illustrados and have gifted them in return with power, education and wealth.” Unfortunately, many of them, when times got rough, were the very same people who jumped ship and joined the revolution. Again, from the Spaniards to the Americans to the Japanese to EDSA… Truly, history repeats itself.

 

     In the process, however, the same illustrados were able to amass great wealth and political power, which they currently use to dominate the neocolonial society we have today. A puppet people make a puppet government that is subservient to the bigger powers. From Malacanang to Congress to the Judiciary to the smallest barangay to the church to the media to the Filipino family and to any other group in between, corruption permeates the whole of Philippine society.

 

     How did this happen and when did it start to get out of hand?

 

      The 1949 presidential elections is still considered to be the one of the most dishonest electoral exercises in the country’s history , and the Quirino  administration (1948-1953; Vice president Quirino  served the last part of President Manuel Roxas’s term when the latter died due to heart attack)  was tainted by widespread  graft and corruption. Still, nothing could compare with the brazen and institutionalized corruption that characterized the Marcos regime and Gloria- Macapagal Arroyo’s extended term.

 

     But did Marcos, the “world -class thief” that he was, really lay the blueprint for the institutionalization of across-the- board corruption in the government?

      

     Think and look again?

 

     Before 1961, when Diosdado P. Macapagal was elected as president, the Philippines ranked as one of the most prosperous and advanced countries in Asia. The state even “played a key role in economic development following the dictates of import substitution and economic nationalism,” according to a certain report.

 

     Back then, our film industry was way ahead in the region and cinema veterans say Hong Kong and others in the area learned film-making techniques from us. In the 1940s and 1950s, films of Manuel Conde and his peers competed for honors in Europe and Asia, (among the notables are Conde’s “Genghis Khan” and Lamberto Avellana’s “Anak Dalita”).In manufacturing, we even made some products better than Japan, at a time when the label “Made in Japan” was derided by many as inferior, just like many of China’s consumer products now.

 

     And the rate of exchange was two pesos to the US dollar.

 

     As a young child in Kindergarten, we bought our candies at two for one centavo, a highly respected coin then. That meant enjoying 10 “balikutsa,”(a native candy made of “kalamay”--caked muscovado or rough brown sugar, coconut milk and peanuts in Leyte) for five centavos.

 

     All that changed, however, when Cong Dadong sat in Malacanang.Initially, like all other previous presidents, he vowed to work against graft and corruption in government and to stimulate the Philippine economy. (Before him, President Carlos P. Garcia, a true-blue Boholano, had drum beaten his well-known “Austerity Program” and the “Filipino First Policy” of governance, a move that displeased the US.)

 

     Then, Macapagal placed the peso in the free-currency exchange market, which cost the treasury millions of pesos annually. And that started the ball rolling, in a manner of speaking. From that time on, the peso floated freely as the currency’s rate had soared to crisis level during the Marcos years. The so-called “Champion of the Common Man” balked and blinked in various important issues of the day—from the ceding of the British North Borneo (Sabah) and our frustrated claim to the deceptive Maphilindo (Malaysia-Philippines-Indonesia club) to the sending of troops to Vietnam, among others.

 

      His call for reforms were mostly lip service and by the time he ran for re-election against Ferdinand E. Marcos in 1965, among the issues raised against the incumbent administration of Macapagal were graft and corruption (again!), rising prices of commodities and the worsening peace-and-order situation

 

       In the heat of the 1965 election fever, children were chanting, “Macapagal, makamahal!, Macapagal, makamahal!, Macapagal, makamahal!”, alongside the naughty and ribald street jingle, “Divina Valencia, Stella Suarez (mother of Richard Gomez), nagbuburles…”

 

      And then, of course, who would forget about Harry Stonehill, the Herminio Disini of Marcos and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s Joc-Joc Bolante?

 

      The former Mr. Steinberg (Stonehill changed his German name in 1942 for practical reasons) from Chicago started his career in the Philippines during his US Army service in World War II, until he built up a $50-million business empire in Macapagal country. He said, “Every man has his price,” and in the Philippines after World War II, he found out that the going rate was fairly cheap.

 

       At one time, Stonehill even boasted: “I am the government.”

 

       Macapagal was identified with Stonehill, and vice versa. It is quite ironic that Cong Dadong’s autobiography was entitled “A Stone for the Edifice.” Was his subconscious still rooting for Stonehill in his later years as he put down his memoirs on paper? Or was it a cosmic atonement of some sort?

 

       But, first, people nowadays should know who Harry Stonehill was and how he was intricately connected to Macapagal and his company of wolves. The following is an entry from cyber space and since it is written without a byline, I will quote it en toto, and “as alleged”:  

   

“HARRY Stonehill was just about the most successful American businessman in the Philippines when Diosdado Macapagal ran for the presidency of the country. Coming out of World War II as an American soldier, Harry built a business empire and owned, among other things, the US Tobacco Corporation. He also owned most of the politicians as evidenced by his ‘blue book’ that had names, dates and amounts listed neatly.

 

       “With Macapagal as president, Harry got into trouble because, before a congressional committee, he kept mum, refused to say anything, whether to explain or defend him. Thus, he was held in custody. 

       “In 1962, when Harry Stonehill refused to answer questions in the House Committee on Good Government headed by Uncle Jovy (Jovito) Salonga, he was promptly declared in contempt and detained in the chamber. But President Diosdado Macapagal connived with Speaker Kune (Cornelio) Villareal and Speaker Pro Tempore Salipada Pendatun to release him without Uncle’s knowledge. DM then quickly deported Harry. Uncle was aghast and said: 'Harry Stonehill was deported but who can deport the truth?'

 

       “Supposedly, among the items in the blue book was the name of presidential candidate Macapagal and the amount of three (3) million pesos when, as the old folk say, “money was money.” As the story goes, Harry was told by CIA operative Edward Lansdale to help out since America was keeping a low profile in the election between President Carlos P. Garcia and Vice President Macapagal.

 

       “Macapagal’s problem was his former brother-in-law, actor Rogelio de la Rosa, who was a third candidate in the election. The American problem was Garcia because of his “Filipino First Policy.” (A similar policy with a bias towards the bumiputra [supremacy of the Malay race] obviously worked for Malaysia, since they are now so far ahead of us.)

 

       “Harry supposedly gave Macapagal the money, of which a million bought off Senator Rogelio de la Rosa, who, because of the buy-out, lost the next time he ran for the Senate. (Rogelio later was a standout Philippine ambassador in Cambodia and The Hague.)

 

       “Among the sidelights of the Harry Stonehill case was Meinhart Spielman, an American executive of the US Tobacco Corp.Meinhart was a government witness against Harry Stonehill in a tax evasion case, who suddenly disappeared.

 

       “The report was that Spielman was killed in Siasi, Sulu. As the story went, a Badjao boatman was hired to spirit Spielman away in his kumpit. As proof of the story, Spielman’s Rolex watch, his shoes and clothes were still in the kumpit many days after he disappeared.

 

       “Then Secretary of Justice Jose Diokno, who was eventually axed by Macapagal probably for his part in the Stonehill affair, saw the kumpit story as a setup. Diokno dismissed the evidence and the story.

 

       “Eventually, a charge of murder was filed against a real estate businessman who was, of course, acquitted because there was no corpus delictus and no witnesses to any murder.

 

       “I bring this up simply because, to me, the present times (GMA’s administration) have the same feel to it as those times in 1961, when the Stonehill story hogged the headlines. By the way, the Harry Stonehill affair also led to the filing of an impeachment charge against Cong Dadong.

 

       “What happened to Harry? Cong Dadong’s pals in Congress snuck (sic) through a resolution pushed by Speaker Kune Villareal, releasing Stonehill from the House Committee’s custody. Upon his release, Stonehill was then immediately deported, citing national security as the reason. He died some years ago at the age of 84 in Bangkok. His wife was a Filipina.”

 

       In addition to this, JB Baylon in his Malaya column in September 2006 wrote: “…Harry Stonehill was one big American businessman who in the 1960s was said to have most Filipino politicians in his pocket. Most, including, we are told, the President of the Philippines, Diosdado Macapagal.

 

      “…The investigation unearthed a ‘black book’ in which Stonehill is supposed to have listed names and codes for politicos and the corresponding monies he was giving them.

 

       “Reading history books that account for those times, one is made to understand that the list spanned both the ruling Liberal Party and the opposition Nacionalista Party, and included, other than the incumbent president, the names of his predecessor and his wife, former President Carlos and Mrs. Leonila Garcia.”

 

       A certain account traces the degeneration of public or civil service in the Philippines after the country became independent in 1946. (During the American colonial period, the same source said “the civil service, staffed predominantly by Filipinos, was relatively efficient.”)

 

       “The combination of low prestige, incompetence, lousy pay and inadequate resources was demoralizing and opportunities for graft were many. The resulting corruption should not be surprising.

 

       “…The government’s intermittent efforts to promote democracy and development in the countryside, encouraged by donor agencies and the American government, were sabotaged by conflict with the elite classes. Efforts at land reform, for example, never had much chance of success given the entrenched power of the land-owning classes.

 

      “During the same period, the state began to lose its monopoly on armed forces. The Americans had relied on the Philippine Constabulary (PC), a legacy of the Spanish era (the Guardia Civil), to enforce their will. But as local elites gained power after the war, their private armies became a de-facto source of power and the Constabulary was undermined. The provincial bosses settled into a comfortable role in which they exchanged the large blocks of votes they controlled for economic booty and special considerations. One of the main consequences was endemic political violence.”

 

       This socio-economic political situation has continued to the present, with the Ampatuan Massacre in Mindanao on Nov. 23, 2009 at its most violent peak. The Maguindanao warlords, like their counterparts elsewhere in the archipelago, were already well-entrenched in power and pelf through the years, and were largely abetted by the military and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration 

 

       Ferdinand E. Marcos, like almost all politicians in the Philippines, was a typical product of the same socio-political and economic machinery. The same report continued: “Marcos himself emerged from this corrupt environment. He learned the political trade from his father’s pre-war political campaigns for the National Assembly.”

 

       In 1933, the 16-year-old Marcos was accused and tried for the murder of Don Mariano’s political rival, Julio Nalundasan, who was assassinated under cover of darkness in his own house. In 1939, after topping the bar, Marcos argued his case on appeal to the Supreme Court, and was acquitted a year later. (A curious footnote: Marcos’s first political presence as a defendant charged with murdering his father’s political opponent in 1933 coincided with the same year Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino, the president immediately following him, was born. On the other hand, Marcos’s death in Hawaii on Sept. 28, 1989 fell on the same day and month Diosdado Macapagal, the president immediately preceding him, was born on Sept. 28, 1910. Talk about some “cosmic links.”)

 

       Marcos’s subsequent claims as a be-medaled war hero in World War II (exposed as a big fraud by Jose Burgos, Jr.’s We Forum that led to the paper’s raid and closure by the military in 1982) and his putative “important role in the Filipino guerilla resistance movement greatly helped his political success later, but U.S. government archives revealed that he actually played little or no part in anti-Japanese activities during 1942-45.”   

   

        Instead, it was found out that Marcos’s “wartime experience included significant black marketing and fraud. It’s not surprising that he brought the violence-oriented philosophy of the provincial politician to the national level.”

 

       One of the justifications why he declared Martial Law on Sept. 21, 1972 was Marcos’s supposed hatred and war with the country’s old oligarchs, e.g.the Lopezes, Ayalas, Aranetas, Elizaldes, Ortigases, Moratos and their ilk. But he was a congenital liar and his oppressive regime continued to patronize the “friendly” old oligarchs, and created new ones, including those from his family and friends.

 

       To be sure, “Marcos took corruption to unprecedented heights through systemic plundering of the Philippine economy. Members of the Marcos family and key associate accrued tremendous wealth from bribe-taking and kickbacks from crony monopolies. They also diverted government loans and contracts into their own pockets, made fortunes from profits from over-priced goods and construction projects and directly skimmed from the public trough.”

 

       In short, Marcos’s Martial Law regime has completely institutionalized corruption in all government agencies the levels of which had permeated through the heart and soul of the Filipinos. More than anything else, it’s the one monumental legacy of Marcos that was immortalized in McDonald’s shirts after the EDSA Revolt in 1986: “5 BILLION DOLLARS STOLEN!” it screamed.

 

       Marcos’s legacy of institutionalized corruption was fine-tuned during the succeeding administrations despite Cory Aquino’s initial efforts at “housecleaning,” in the hope of creating a good government. The roots of corruption had been deeply ingrained in our psyche though that the Cory administration did not survive from allegations of the same web of corruption, favoritism and incompetence.

 

       To continue from the same report: “President Ramos also took on the anti-corruption mantle and made some apparent progress. The achievements of his administration were substantial, particularly in such reforms as liberalizing the telecommunications industry and welcoming foreign investments.

 

       “However, the Ramos administration was not above reproach, as evidenced by various scandals and allegations of corruption, including the Philippine Estate Authority/Amari mess and kickbacks associated with the Centennial Expo at Clark.” That is, to name but a few.

 

       One of the Ramos administration’s most favored real estate companies from the private sector then was the San Jose Builders (owner of Real Bank and a close friend of media man Neal Cruz of the Philippine Daily Inquirer) that almost monopolized many of their infrastructure projects in the 1990s.

 

       “If we think of the transition from the Marcos dictatorship (dark ages) to Aquino (transitional administration) to Ramos (breakthrough administration) as three steps up the progressive ladder, then the election of Estrada in 1998 represented a throwback to a crony-dominated system that should never have happened.”

 

       Of course, Estrada has been a dyed-in-the-wool Marcos Boy for a very long time that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to shake off and get rid of old habits. One only has to remember the fabled Boracay Mansion, the alleged centralized jueteng operations in Malacanang and Jingle Bell’s (code name for Jinggoy Estrada during the turbulent Erap administration) and his brother’s (Jude) reported monopoly on the drugs, gambling and smuggling triad.

 

       To paraphrase from the same report, Estrada’s election was clearly understandable given the dynamics of the Philippine democratic system. His disgrace and eventual fall from power demonstrated just how flawed our system is."While corruption and a crony-dominated system may not prevent a country from growing during boom times, such a system can create major problems during bad economic times.”

 

       To quote more from the same report: “The Philippine state remains weak, and the continued power of entrenched elites makes it difficult for the central government to provide cohesive and non-corrupt leadership.Insider factions still maneuver for their pieces of the government pie, tax collections and customs collections are highly centralized, and the Philippine bureaucracy’s long tradition of corruption remains intact. Further, the President and other national officials remain dependent on local politicians to deliver the votes on demand. All in all, a recipe for continued corruption.

 

       “In short, the problems are structural and institutionalized.”

 

       It is with this knowledge and background that the economist in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has perfected the culture of corruption during her nine-year administration from 2001 to 2010. From making commissions to cutting and wheeling dubious deals to juggling and stealing government funds to massive cheating in elections  to faking anything (e.g. names, bank accounts, reports and what-have-you) GMA and her caboodle of shameless “slaves” have done their thing amidst a prevailing culture of impunity.

 

       It seems useless recounting the misdeeds of her administration and the pervasive corruption practices now under investigation without expecting justice being served in the end. Like her father Diosdado, Gloria almost walked the tight rope of impeachment, so to speak, but never did. “That’s part and parcel of the syndrome… and the continuing debacle reflects a major crisis in the entire system,” said the same report.

 

       “Corruption occurs all over the globe and in all historical eras. Just think of 18^th century England, the urban political machines of 19^th century America (Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall), the caciques of Spain and Latin America, or the chaopao (godfathers) in Thailand. However, especially given the Asian economic crisis and increasing and apparently irreversible globalization, crony capitalism must somehow give way to more enlightened forms of governance if developing economies are to move forward.”

 

        But the big question still is: How is our economy developing, and for whom?    

Gabby's new gal, Manny's new man

By V. K.AGUSTIN and Co.

Gabby Lopez  &  Maricar Reyes

THE buzz is still current and nobody seems to be picking it up in showbiz and society media. ABS-CBN top honcho Gabby Lopez has been exclusively dating Maricar Reyes for quite sometime now. You got it right:The Maricar Reyes, the doctor-actress-model who figured in the infamous Hayden Kho sex-video scandal that shook Bong Revilla’s world.

In the September issue of the Makati-based New You magazine with Reyes on the cover, the good doctor from UST talks about her “new life” and the “new man” she now calls “special”. The little tales she tells, according to the magazine’s editor, reveal a certain intimacy that is to be expected of people who have something going for them.

Small wonder then that in the aftermath of the Hayden sex-video controversy, ABS-CBN really took pains in controlling the damage wrought by that “indiscretion”. Ever noticed how Maricar was featured in many Kapamilya shows, one after the other, until now? And her exposures are quite enviable to others in the Dos stable of talents.

Tongues may be wagging, but who would dare complain about the Big Brother’s favorites? There’s always a kind of hush, as the old Herman’s Hermits’ song goes, all over the world, in matters such as this. Even as the long lines of commercials, billboards, more magazine covers, TV shows and movies keep coming Maricar’s way.

By the way, does anybody know where Panjee Gonzalez-Tapales, Gabby’s former wife, has gone and what’s she up to these days? Of course, she could always go back to singing any old time, just as she did during her Manila InterCon days way back then the singer and the song remain the same, if you know what I mean.

***

Manny’s new man

G.B. Sampedro  &  Manny Pangilinan

THE other society whisper from another prominent multimedia magnate maybe careless, but there’s actually nothing new to such kind of loose talk proliferating the airwaves nowadays. So who’s Manny V. Pangilinan’s new man of the moment? An Eskinol Master?

Everybody’s talkin’ about a certain G.B. Sampedro, formerly of ABS-CBN (he directed Ruffa and Ai for Channel 2) and is now with MVP’s TV5, megging Paparazzi.

Never mind if the former Candy Pangilinan’s ex is rumored to have been engaged to the Brazilian Eat Bulaga import, Daiana Menezes. And soon to be married, as some say? Pray tell, Patrick G. and Gary E. (Ask Boy V.)

So what does Albert Martinez, he of the MMFF’s Rosario’s fame and infamy, say to all this? What, by the way, is the male counterpart of “mistress”? Shall we say “mistertress”? Or, or to be blunt about it, the gay counterpart of “mistress”? “Gaytress”, you say? Or “missedtress”?

At any rate, where’s Victor Neri, and whatever happened to his much-vaunted sex appeal that first caught the attention of a Quezon City Council Zombading in the early 1990s? The long line of many pre-Smart and PLDT men seems endless and always available. It’s an open secret—from San Beda to Singapore, from the PBA to Pennsylvania.

And nobody talks about “so little time” here since many are able like cable. In these parts, MVP indeed, has revolutionized not only the usual business as we do it but also the more personal business as he does it. Somehow, somewhere down the road, people would always know. Like we do.

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Shalani’s dating a Roman?

Shalani Soledad & Roman Romulo

SO co-host Willie Revillame didn’t pass muster, despite the hawing and hewing in and out of the public eye? Which simply means Councilor Soledad Shalani is dating another guy, after the “Big Break” from the Perennial Bachelor from Times Street.

And now Madame Shalani is reportedly seeing a Roman, not the Italian type though, but the local variety from the city by the Pasig—Rep. Roman Romulo of the pedigreed clan from Valle Verde to the UN and other foreign affairs.

The Councilwoman meets the Congressman, and romance is ablooming in the air. Or so say some wags, including Dudot Jaworski (the guy RR defeated in the last Pasig contest for Congress), who must be shouting, “Shoot the ball!” from his side of the court.

But is the “Old Maid” from Malacanang keeping tabs of such happenings in his former turf? Go figure, Dingdong Dantes, and defeated councilman and Golden Gay user, Justo C. Justo of Pasay City must be screaming mad:“Echos lang, ‘Uday!”

Some comfort, gay Markova, right?

5th Star Magic Ball (with more photos)

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On a Claire Day You Can See Gerrick

By  JULIO CINCO N.

 

Claire de la Fuente               Gerrick de la Fuente

IT'S hard to believe that a celebrity entrepreneur like Claire de la Fuente would be embroiled in a controversy that some people would like us to believe. How could that be, and just how could they?

      I mean those little known suppliers of some fresh seafoods and other goods from somewhere down the market road. Ano ba talagang "agenda" nila? O may iba pa ba?

      Very earnest ang panganay ni Claire sa pagbibigay liwanag tungkol sa mga pangyayari nang minsan madalaw kami sa native restaurant nila sa Roxas Boulevard, lampas nang konti sa CCP Complex sa Pasay City.

      Habang nakikinig kami kay Gerrick de la Fuente ay lumilipad ang isipan namin sa dako pa roon kung nasaan si Kuya Gil Villasana (SLN), isa sa media people na noon ay malapit kay Claire. Siguro, kung nabubuhay lang si Kuya Gil, sabi namin sa sarili, ay hindi rin niya palalampasin ang nasabing issue. Si Kuya Gil pa, at tungkol pa kay Clara!

      Si Clara. Iyon ang may lambing na tawag ni Kuya Gil kay Claire na, ayon mismo sa kanya noong gumagala pa siya sa mundo, ay siyang nagsisilbi niyang "SSS" sa mga oras at araw ng kanyang pangangailangan.

       Tulad din ng yumaong Jojo Acuin, si Claire de la Fuente ang isa sa mga kind and kindred souls na nagsilbi at patuloy na nagsisilbi sa maraming nangangailangan. Yumao kinalaunan si Kuya Gil sa edad na 58 at hindi siya sumampa sa boundary ng mga senior citizen. Kaya hindi niya napakinabangan ang dapat sana'y pension niya sa Social Security System.

      Pero laking pasasalamat ni Kuya Gil noon na may mga taong tulad nina Jojo Acuin at Claire de la Fuente na nagsilbing SSS niya. At higit pa sa tunay na SSS kung tutuusin. Ang pension sa SSS ay buwanan pero kina Jojo at Claire ay lingguhan kung minsan at madalas sa bawat kinsena.

      Marahil ay hindi ito batid ni Claire, pero may mga silent soul na nagpapasalamat nang taus-puso dahil sa pagiging Good Samaritan niya. Katulad din nina Boy Abunda, Cristy Fermin, Susan Roces, Sharon Cuneta, Robin Padilla at Kris Aquino. The world is better off because of them.

       Ngayong pumapalaot na rin Gerrick  sa mundo ng showbiz, it's good to hear na nakahanda siyang ipagtanggol ang celebrity mother niya anytime. Nang araw na iyon na nakadaupang-palad namin siya, this 23-year-old AB English Literature from Ateneo was about to sign his management contract with Viva and Joji Dingcong.

       The five-foot-ten Gregorio Angelo de la Fuente is in good hands, I would say. Pero bakit di na lang si Claire ang nag-manage sa kanya? It seems like Claire only manages female talents like Sam Pinto and Bela Padilla.

       Gerrick is a multi-faceted talent: actor, singer, tv host, songwriter, director and businessman. He went to Southridge in Alabang, just like his brother--from Kindergarten to High School. According to him, talagang sinadya ng parents nila na sila'y tumira sa neighboring Hillsborough Subdivision para malapit sila sa Southridge School.

       Tapos, masasangkot lang ang nanay niyang si Claire sa isang walang kawawaang controversy ng mga palengkera? Next issue please, ang sabi ko naman kay Gerrick na siyang nag-compose ng kantang "If I Dreamed Without You" sa album ni Claire na "Something in Your Eyes." With this mother-and-son tandem, may lalaban pa ba?