Bribing Beltran

"Anybody who goes around trying to bribe Crispin Beltran should have his head examined. I mean, that's like bribing the Pope, it's the height of absurdity."

Thus said Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Ronaldo Puno.

True, kahit kami nagtataka -- why the heck bribe Ka Bel? It's an exercise in futility to even try. Huh?! It would've been easier and more productive to try giving a crocodile a mani-pedi.

In any case, Ka Bel is outraged and disgusted. Mostly because he's insulted (and no, not because he was offered only P2M and not more) because gad, after more than five decades as a militant labor leader and six years as a progressive people's lawmaker, may nagtangka pa ring suhulan siya.What the hell were they thinking?!

Or maybe, it's better to ask - were they thinking at all? I mean, seriously?

In truth, this isn't the first time that Ka Bel was approached for a 'favor' in exchange for money or, when he was still incarcerated, for his freedom. He was asked by Malacanang emissary Luis Villafuerte to write a letter to President Arroyo to ask that he be immediately released. Earlier on, a pro-cha cha lawmaker told him that if he (Ka Bel) signed the charter change resolution, he would be sprung from the hospital and the rebellion charges would be dismissed.

Tumaas ang blood pressure niya on those two occasions.

It's pretty fishy how this Francis Ver person of the president's KAMPI party just came out of the blue and offered moolah to congressmen. Hindi niya kaya kilala si Ka Bel? Maybe he mistook Ka Bel for somebody else?

Now the guy is denying that he ever approached Ka Bel and asked him to support Atty. Pulido's impeachment complaint. Is he wacko? Is he fresh from outer space and the rush of oxygen has gone straight to is brain rendering him wonky? What gives?

Now KAMPI stalwarts are falling all over themselves trying to put as much distance between KAMPI and Ver. First thing they did is to practically disown the guy and try to make him out as some Joe Shmoe from Kokomo who was appointed some ho-hum position as DEPUTY SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE PRESIDENT's POLITICAL PARTY and just likes to hang around the House of Representatives. Why- for the free aircon and Wi-Fi?!

Through all this, House Speaker Jose de Venecia should assert leadership and decry the insult against members of Congress (kunwari honorable pa rin sila....). He should tell Pres. Arroyo that he will not take the bribery attempts against solons without raising bloody hell about it.

E tuloy hindi naman sila cool ni GMA ngayon. Malacanang and the Arroyo boys are out to get JDV and JDV3 for the ZTE contract fall-out which also, surprise surprise!, involves First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.

JDV can make his mark and stand up to the President and KAMPI. And then, of course, throw out the impeachment complaint and say that the 14th Congress will only support the strongest, most well-written impeachment complaint against Pres. Arroyo and it will do so at the soonest opportunity (meaning, as soon as may dumating na magandang  impeachment complaint. Larangan pa rin ng debate at digmaan ang impeachment process kahit sa tutoo lang, imposibleng asahan yan without the support of the House Majority).

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Am so looking forward to this!

From the Amado V. Hernandez Resource Center  

 On November 30, 2007, we look forward to seeing you at the Main Theater of the   Cultural Center of the Philippines for an exciting evening with our National Artists and their works of artistic excellence on Ka Amado V. Hernandez, National Artist for Literature.

 Join us as Ka Amado pays tribute to Andres Bonifacio while National Artists Napoleon Abueva, Salvador Bernal, Benedicto Cabrera, and Bienvenido Lumbera work together as they pay tribute to their fellow National Artist in a night of remembrance entitled Amado, Minamahal..A compendium of Ka Amado's powerful poems on Freedom, Justice, and Human Rights shall be set by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballet Philippines, and grassroots cultural organizations into symphony, modern dance, and acoustic versions featuring an array of sounds from indigenous to contemporary tempo performed in a hundred-voice choir set-up. Special feature for the night are pieces on Ka Amado composed by Lucio San Pedro which shall be launched for the first time.

for inquiries pls contact avhrc tel no. 4120909 or 09167900671

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Update as of 4:10pm: KAMPI has relieved Francis Ver for the bribery attempt. Yun lang? A slap on the wrist? Isn't attempting to bribe a public official a criminal act?

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Just found this out: Last year, Anita Roddick,founder of the Body Shop sold the Shop to L'Oreal, and L'Oreal is a subsidiary of Nestle. Bugger - yun na nga lang ang mga pinaka-luxury ko, ang shampoo at moisturizer ng L'Oreal , Nestle din pala! May dugo ang buhok at mukha ko!!! Okay, boycott na rin ang L'Oreal (as if naman madalas ako bumili nun e super mahal. My supplies are from  my short stint as an independently earning person in Hong Kong where L'Oreal is actually cheap. Mas mahal dun ang Ponds).