EDGEDAVAO
VOL.5 ISSUE 5 • MARCH 9-10, 2012
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S Rep. Manny Pacquiao being sued by the government for his wellchronicled association with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo? On Wednesday, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed a criminal case against Pacquiao for reportedly failing to answer summons which is a violation of Article 266 of the New Internal Revenue Code. The BIR said it is trying to determine if there are deficiencies in the congressman’s tax payments. It has ordered Pacquiao to produce books account and copies of his advertising and endorsement contracts for 2010 (underscored). The BIR claimed Pacquiao has not complied with the order. Pacquiao had earlier declared his net worth as well over P1 billion with no liabilities, making him the richest member of the House of Representatives. Pacquiao won in the 2010 election for the lone congressional seat of Sarangani. He ran under his own People’s Camp Movement party with coalesced with defeated presidential candidate Manny Villar. His aide Bren Evangelio said that Pacquiao just recently changed the venue where to file his income tax following the congressman’s election. The congressman used to file his income taxes in Quezon City. He is now a registered taxpayer of Region 12. Evangelio said they will comply with the BIR order upon orders from Pacquiao, who is the region’s biggest taxpayer.
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ETIRED J e s u i t priest Fr. Catalino Arevalo, spiritual adviser of the late Cory Aquino last week chided Sen. Miriam Santiago over the solon’s verbal massacre of the prosecutors in the Corona impeachment trial. Arevalo said in a homily, that the lady solon from Iloilo is “worthy of the fires of hell.” “If you call a brother or sister “gago” or fool, you are bound to be thrown to hell, Arevalo said quoting the Gospel of St. Matthew. Miriam countered: “Under the Vatican II, there is no hell, but even if there is, there is nobody there.” I have always held the view that clerics and other religious persons should be mature enough and leave politics to politicians. We should not preach religion to politicians because they are a special breed of mammals. They have their own unique religion, and it’s not about heaven and hell. It’s all about power and money. oooOooo Cristy Ramos, match commissioner of the Asian Football Confederation
Monkey Business
Political fallout
tive voted to impeach now-resigned Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, also a known Arroyo ally. OPINION Pacquiao is now having a hard time securing the P200 million earBy Edwin Espejo lier pledged by Malacañang for his While the government is well within pet hospital project for Sarangani. its rights to make sure that every tax- Despite his popularity, Pacquiao payer pays the right taxes, recent devel- seems out of the radar screen as far opments are giving impression that it is as the good graces of Malacañang. going after individuals and personalities Now this criminal case. who are closely identified with the forMalacañang or the BIR could mer president. have just issued Arroyo herself is ‘Arroyo herself is facing a host of a press statement facing a host of crimithat it was still nal charges and is criminal charges and is the poster waiting for Pacthe poster girl of the quiao to produce Aquino government’s girl of the Aquino government’s the summoned subject for his antidocuments but it corruption drive. subject for his anti-corruption drive. chose instead to Arroyo’s son Mikey, announce that it also a member of the Arroyo’s son Mikey, also a member of is suing Pacquiao House of Representafor doing so. tive, is facing tax eva-the House of Representative, is facing Pacquiao sion charges, in fact. is a member of Supreme Court tax evasion charges, in fact.’ Congress and Chief Justice Renato thus deserves Corona, whose “midrespectful treatment from members night appointment” by Arroyo was of a co-equal branch of government. questioned, is now facing impeach- As such one cannot be forgiven if he ment trial. adduces malice behind the “persecuPacquiao is no longer a favorite tion” and strengthens perception of guest of Malacañang that he used to vindictiveness of the Aquino governnbe under the Arroyo administration. ment. Pacquiao now surely knows He may have incurred the ire of how it is when political climate President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino shifts and is no longer in his favor. III when the former twitted his “No” (Edwin G. Espejo writes for www.asianvote when the House of Representa- correspondent.com.)
Is there hell? last week filed a sexual harassment P-Noy, according to Antonio Trillanes. complaint with the AFC disciplinary Former military officers are behind it, committee against two Filipino mem- Trillanes said in a telephone interview. bers of the Philippine men’s foot ball I think we better believe him. He team popularly known as Azkals. certainly knows that he is talking Ms. Ramos, about considering daughter of former ‘Trillanes has not made his mark as that he is an expert President Fidel Racoup plotter. The mos, alleged that a lawmaker. Maybe he is eyeing a only sour note is two Azkals committhat he failed in all ted acts of disre- comeback as a trouble maker, or his coup attempts spect when she visagainst PGMA. ited the Philippine being a political John the Baptist, Trillanes has team in the dugout not made his mark at the Rizal Memo- crying in the wilderness about the as a lawmaker. rial Stadium hours Maybe he is eyebefore the exhibiing a comeback as coming of a messiah.’ tion game against a trouble maker, or the Malaysian national squad. being a political John the Baptist, cryAccording to Ms. Ramos, one play- ing in the wilderness about the coming er faced her wearing only an under- of a messiah. wear, while the other player inquired ooOoo playfully, about the size of her bra. The Senate cited in contempt Atty. If Cristy’s allegations are found Vitaliano Aguirre, but decided against to be true after an investigation, I detaining him at the Senate building. think it stands to reason that the two It merely admonished him to watch his guilty players should be removed from tongue when he appears in court. the team. They certainly acted like Aguirre was profuse with thanks, “askals” or asong kalye. but it seemed that he has the last word Let’s stop calling the players Az- about the incident. He said that even if kals. Rascals is more apt. one is magaling (bright), if he doesn’t ooOoo respect others, he is nothing. (Was he There’s a real coup plot to topple referring to himself, too?).
VANTAGE POINTS
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Prosperity, autocracy and democracy COMMENTARY By Chrystia Freeland
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(Conclusion)
N the early Putin era, the Acemoglu and Robinson approach was very much a minority view. As recently as 2008, an essay in Foreign Affairs by another pair of influential Western scholars laid out the ‘‘conventional explanation for Vladimir Putin’s popularity’’ thus: ‘‘Since 2000, under Putin, order has returned, the economy has flourished, and the average Russian is living better than ever before. As political freedom has decreased, economic growth has increased. Putin may have rolled back democratic gains, the story goes, but these were necessary sacrifices on the altar of stability and growth.’’ But in their Foreign Affairs essay those scholars strongly disagreed: ‘‘This conventional narrative is wrong, based almost entirely on a spurious correlation between autocracy and growth. The emergence of Russian democracy in the 1990s did indeed coincide with state breakdown and economic decline, but it did not cause either. The reemergence of Russian autocracy under Putin, conversely, has coincided with economic growth but not caused it (high oil prices and recovery from the transition away from communism deserve most of the credit).’’ The essay’s authors concluded with a prediction about Russia’s future that fits neatly within the framework of extractive versus inclusive institutions and labels Putin’s Russia the former: ‘‘The Kremlin talks about creating the next China, but Russia’s path is more likely to be something like that of Angola — an oil-dependent state that is growing now because of high oil prices but has floundered in the past when oil prices were low and whose leaders seem more intent on maintaining themselves in office to control oil revenues and other rents than on providing public goods and services to a beleaguered population.’’ Acemoglu and Robinson are pretty tough on Western experts, officials and business people who, they believe, are too easily seduced by the leaders of extractive regimes, particularly ones enjoying temporary bursts of prosperity. But the 2008 Foreign Affairs essay highlights a very important exception. One of the authors of that devastating critique of Putinism was Michael A. McFaul, the new U.S. ambassador to Moscow. That appointment, lauded by many inside and outside Russia for utilizing the skills of an acknowledged Russia expert, may be one reason to be hopeful about Russia today.
Quips
‘THE continued strengthening of our macroeconomic fundamentals, positive outlook on the growth of our listed companies and confidence in your administration’s good governance drive, among others, have been catching the attention of investors local and globally.’ --Phil. Stock Exchange chair Jose Pardo speaking before President Aquino.