inside Philippine politics and beyond
My Exclusive By Raïssa Robles ONE OF THE THINGS Chief Justice Renato Corona has to prove to the impeachment court is that he correctly filled up his SALNs (Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth) and whatever errors or omissions they contain are minor and not enough to get him kicked out of office. One section of his SALN has [...]
Overseas properties & foreign currency should all be disclosed A Plaza Miranda Exclusive By Raïssa Robles Justices of the Supreme Court as well as police and military generals should disclose their assets to the public, said the head of the independent agency overseeing such disclosures. Civil Service Commission Chairman Francisco Duque told me in an exclusive interview: The Supreme Court [...]
Think about it By Raïssa Robles On the anniversary of Edsa people power, one commenter using the handle karaniwang tao wrote on my blog this sad lament on our nation: kudos to your well researched and deep opinionated reports… but im confused…… from time of prez aguinaldo to present day P-noy….. they “look like” the same….. so who will lead [...]
My exclusive By Raïssa Robles Chief Justice Renato Corona was required by the SALN law to disclose starting 2003 that his wife sat on the board of a state-owned corporation, former Civil Service Commission chair Karina David told me in an interview. David was chair of the Civil Service Commission when Cristina Corona first joined the board of John [...]
By Raïssa E. Robles Congressman Tedoro Casiño personally released this morning his own Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) without waiting for anyone to ask him. I’m glad he did. I hope he starts the ball rolling with the rest of the congressmen and senators. And those in the Executive Department. The Judiciary. The police and military [...]
By Raïssa Robles This interview with Customs Deputy Commissioner Danilo Lim and the accompanying sidebar on smuggling were recently published in Asian Dragon magazine. I am posting these with the magazine’s permission. If the former jailed rebel general Danilo Lim continues to look grim these days, he has good reason to be. Lim, 56, has been handed the chance [...]
By Raïssa Robles Today we commemorate the birth of Andres Bonifacio, father of the native revolt against Spain. There were sporadic revolts under the Spanish yoke but it was Bonifacio who brought the resistance close to the seat of Spanish power. Bonifacio’s life and death made me wonder what kind of living – not dead – heroes do we [...]
By Raïssa Robles Below is one of the most unusual letters from a government official which I’ve come across in my years of reporting. It’s a memo dated today from the former detained rebel general Danny Lim whom President Benigno Aquino III recently appointed Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Operations. Its message is simple and to the point: Those doing [...]
A Wikileaks US Embassy cable from Manila shows By Raïssa Robles The Filipino people, whose taxes were allegedly stolen by Major General Carlos Garcia – we were the last to know. According to the Wikileaks document dated Dec. 2, 2005 and written by Paul Jones, the deputy chief of mission (DCM, now the US Ambassador to Malaysia): On [...]
By Raïssa Robles Just minutes ago, Wikileaks flooded the Internet through Twitter with a HUGE release of cables from various US Embassies. One of them entitled – Law enforcement corruption in the Philippines – was allegedly written by senior US embassy diplomat Joseph Mussomeli. The cable caught my attention because it mentioned a familiar name – Mike Arroyo, the [...]
By Raïssa Robles In his political commentary-novel “Blighted”, lawyer Frank Chavez describes a very interesting character whom I suspect was based on a real personality. Chavez calls this character ‘Jabba the Hut’ – a frequent party guest in wealthy businessmen’s mansions like that of one of the main characters, the road contractor Johnny Garcia. Here’s Chavez’ description of Jabba, [...]
By Raïssa Robles On the eve of the May 2010 elections, the Maximilian Diamond of Imelda Marcos was put up for auction by Christie’s of London. It expected to sell this for up to US$1.5 million. I once covered the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) extensively. I am wondering now if that famous diamond which Imelda had bought [...]
By Raïssa Robles A tourist official said today that the mothballed nuclear power plant will be turned into a tourist attraction, to teach tour groups about nuclear power. C’mon, don’t be shy. Turn the power plant into the most unique tourist spot in the world – a theme park complete with a hotel, a restaurant, disco casino and rides galore. [...]
My Exclusive By Raïssa Robles To look for the new Ombudsman, why has the Judicial and Bar Council set a 10-day “non-extendible” deadline and imposed a stupendous amount of paperwork for all the applicants? Why is it doing this when the Constitution specifies such a vacancy can be filled in 90 days’ time? And why can’t the JBC use a [...]
By Raissa Robles Broadcasters Ted Failon, Ces Drilon, Mike Enriquez, Jessica Soho and Luchi Cruz-Valdez should subject all those interested in becoming Ombudsman to a grilling of their lives, in the same way that major news networks grilled the presidential candidates last year. Filipinos need not leave it to the Judicial Bar Council to shortlist the new Ombudsman. Here’s why. [...]
By Raïssa Robles What’s happening now with Philippine Airlines (PAL) is not mere labor trouble. It is actually part of a political power struggle between the Aquino presidency and an entrenched kingmaker, whom the former economic planning agency chief once named as a key player in the Philippines’ corrupt ecosystem. The nation’s other power players are closely watching [...]