Why does it have to come this far?!
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The controversial $329-million national broadband network (NBN) deal with the Chinese company, ZTE Corp., has been “indefinitely†suspended“.  The suspension was on the instructions of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The deal that has been marked by scandals of bribes and kickbacks. Ibabalik din yan Matilda. Pag kumalma na yong mga chuvalais dyan, resurrection ever na naman. Nakikita ko sa dalwang bolang kristal ko o! Yun o! Kita mo?
I’m telling you! This whole ZTE/NBN deal is really one big sungkaan ever! But one fair question! Why does it have to come this far? Why Matilda? Why oh why oh why? Whatever happened to all the supposed controls and balances? Who’s in charge of what? Who’s supposed to do what? Suffice it to say, would it be fair to assume that we just have one big dsyfunctional system here? Forget about who bribed who, who got what, who hid what, hula-hula chorva nunca ever ever chuvalais! I am now completely confused as to what the Senate is really charged to do!
Where I work, before we close on a deal, we do a lot of due diligence. We look at the audited financial statements. We do a lot of tests. We look at all the relevant ratios. We investigate the market and look into the available market studies. We look at some ratings if necessary. We even look at the CV of the big names in the company. Gwuapo ba? (hehehe Oo kasali yun! hehehe)  Should they follow what we do? I don’t know. I’m sure there must be an equivalent term for “due diligence” in government, is there? O baka naman “diligently looking for a loophole so i could get a kickback”? I don’t know. Flashlight please!!!
We’re also guided by FAR, which is why Federal Contracts Administation is a must for us. Our procurement system goes through a whole gamut of paperwork process that starts from what we call “Pre-Kway” (Pre-qualification) to sending out RFP’s (Request for Proposal) or Solicitations to Bid. The whole bidding process in itself takes on a whole new set of rules, standards and compliance, and finally, to awarding of the contracts. Kumplay! kumplay! kumplay! Investor compliance! Banking compliance! At kung ano anon pang ka-churvahang kumplay ever sa gobyerno. (Teka… baka kami ang dysfunctional?! hahahaha!)
We’re the 4th largest of our kind in the United States which is why we have to be careful as ever because of our status, although we’re peanuts compared to the size nang mga engkantong kontrata dyan na nag-aapear at nag-di-dis-appear. But all I know is that, as big as the size of the contract whatever happened to the process flow?
What happened with the ZTE/NBN deal? How come this whole ZTE/NBN deal has to even reach the Senate floors? Although the Senate did a pretty good job in it’s inquiry, isn’t this representative of the fact that whatever is the system in place on awarding contracts like this one, is not really working right? After all, if the systems were working right, it would not have reached the Senate in the first place, korak? Oxymoron na tooo Matildaaaaa!!! But then again, that should be relative, korak? I mean, the system must be working to some people. Hak! Hak! Hak! Kaya? Just look at what they’re talking about!
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Loan agreement muna bago executive agreement
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Therefore, because there was no loan agreement, there could be no executive agreement
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Therefore, the supply contract should have been covered by the mandatory bidding
They could not even agree on what it is. Is it a bird? NO! Is it a plane! NO! It’s super-duper-ever ever (fill in da blanks!).
Masarap sundan ang dramang to. Ipalabas kaya to sa Broadway? In the meantime sabi nga nit LatTex - “penge pa ngang popcorn!”
Related Stories:
- There’s a very nice write-up/research of the cast of characters of the ZTE/NBN deal that KAREN TIONGSON-MAYRINA put together. It’s The ZTE cast of characters: Loser, husband, political foes and deputies.
- Arroyo’s suspension of ZTE deal baffles Senate president
Popularity: 7% [?]
September 23rd, 2007 at 4:43 pm
Sinuspend lang inang,pabababain muna tensyon then pag di na napapagusapan, ayun ang go signal ni madame para mangupit uli. tsk tsktsk.
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September 23rd, 2007 at 4:46 pm
yeap, i know! hehehe! pakakalmahin muna publiko, eh mukhang napasubo na kasi sa mga chinese!
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September 23rd, 2007 at 4:48 pm
hadang hada (tirang-tira) kasi si madame usngal eh, yan napasubo ng di oras. in born kaya ang pangangati ng kamay nyang si Madame?
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September 23rd, 2007 at 5:00 pm
Parehas yatang me alipungas ang dalwa: Look!
The NBN deal is at least the ninth major controversy to hound the First Gentleman, over the last six years of the Arroyo presidency.
He had also been implicated in the following transactions:
1. He allegedly received a P50-million bribe for the President to recall her veto of the franchise bills of the Philippine Communication Clearinghouse and APC Wireless Interface Network in 2001.
2. He allegedly used PCSO funds to bankroll the campaign of certain senatorial candidates in the 2001 elections and to bribe the media.
3. In 2003, his name surfaced when one of his friends, Kishore Hemlani figured in the contract involving the importation of P9.5 billion worth of rotten rice from India.
4. In 2003, Sen. Panfilo Lacson accused him of maintaining the secret “Jose Pidal” bank account to launder money.
5. He stayed in a $20,000-a-night MGM Grand Villa in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the Pacquiao-Morales fight in March 2005. Arroyo’s camp said the accommodation was complimentary and not paid for by public funds.
6. In April 2005, a police official accused him, his brother Rep. Ignacio “Iggy”Arroyo and son Rep. Jose Miguel Arroyo of receiving jueteng bribes. The First Gentleman denied this.
7. His close friend and fellow Makati Rotarian Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante was accused of diverting agricultural funds to the 2004 electoral campaign of President Arroyo.
8. Then opposition Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano exposed in August 2006 that a member of the Arroyo family maintained banks accounts in Germany amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr Arroyo flew to Germany later to secure a certification from the bank to disprove Cayetano’s claims.
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September 23rd, 2007 at 10:30 pm
hahaha so hindi lang si madame ang makati ang kamay, si sir din my pruritus LOL
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September 24th, 2007 at 7:46 am
hay naku reyna, madumi talaga ang bidding process d2 sa pinas, mas inuuna kun pano kikita!
meron dinang govt ng mga PQ, RFP, pero based on my experience, kelangan me lagay ka para manalo ang bid nyo at mas maganda kung me kapit sa itaas!!! sad to say ganito kabulok ang sistema!
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September 24th, 2007 at 7:47 am
hala ang higpit nga ng gwardya sibil mo hehe
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September 24th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Ayun, pinagbakasyon ko ang gwardya sibil! Why? Me gwardya sibil na, me askismet pa, tonetonelada pa ring spam ang nasa box ko. Siguro kagagawan na to nang bluehost!
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