Friday, July 16, 2010

Cynthia Carrion is wang-wang personified

(Reposted from Lamang Lupa)

Cynthia Carrion – the most kapalmuks of them all!

Yes, we’ve heard of all those midnight appointments Gloria Makapalmukha Arroyo granted to her friends to offices with fixed terms and how these jerks are hanging on to dear life to keep their jobs. These as so many that P-Noy has made it a key act of his administration to review each and every one of them, especially since they are in very sensitive areas in government that they could do actual damage to the nation’s future.

One of the worse examples of this is none other that Cynthia Carrion – Gloria’s Assumption classmate and personal aerobics trainer.

Carrion was appointed Chief Operating Officer (basically General Manager) of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), which, under the new law (called the Tourism Act 2009 or RA 9593) is the most key agency in implementing in promoting, marketing and providing all PR support to Philippine tourism. In money terms this agency gets the most of the tourism budget – think advertising, junkets, promotions money, PR budgets… you get my drift.

Okay, Carrion insists that she was appointed by a 10-man board. But consider the events leading up to this:

1. After much deliberating, Senator Richard Gordon was able to craft and pass the Tourism Act of 2009.
2. Then Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, in the dying days of the regime, hurriedly drafted the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the new law – but in their mad rush they made one that merely cut and pasted what the law contained. No real value added and detailed implementing guidelines.
3. Then Ace hurriedly called for the Tourism congress where the industry stakeholders were supposed to ratify the IRR. They did, but not without opposition from the true industry players, some of whom even sued Durano as a result.
4. With the sham IRR in place, GMA and Durano hurriedly put the TBP board in place where they voted for a COO, not Carrion, but was rejected from up high. It took three board elections until Carrion was finally elected!

So there. But who is this Cynthia Carrion?

Well, she was GMA’s Assumption classmate – the tisay gal who used to hang around the president’s daughter. They probably were similar to what Tina Fey now calls “The Plastics” in her Lindsay Lohan movie “Mean Girls.”

As GMA moved up, Carrion, being the aerobics instructor and dive buddy, was placed in a sports portfolio – similar to what she tried with her Palace manicurist in housing and gardener in national parks.

GMA first appointed Carrion as commissioner (literally) in the Philippine Sports Commission. But she ended up with so many shenanigans especially in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games that the PSC looked for ways and means to get her out rather than have them face the embarrassment of criminal prosecution.

PSC insiders say that Carrion pocketed so much SEAG money including cash refunds from unused hotel rooms.

Carrion was transferred to the DOT as Assistant secretary for Sports and Wellness Tourism where she supposedly organized (and spent for) exhibitions and conferences for medical and wellness tourism and sports events. In her years in the department there were many such events supported by the DOT. But their funding was greatly from other sources such as Congress or the private sector, leading many to wonder where the DOT budget actually went.

Then came the TPB.

First order of business of Carrion: she wrote the newly appointed Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim that she intends to STAY and will fight tooth and nail to do so. She believes she earned her six-year term. And this despite appeals from her own family (siblings) and class mates from Assumption.

Well, the Tiyanak has news for Carrion: the TPB board is made up of members from the various government agencies (ex-officio) and private sector with the Tourism Secretary as Chair. Since she was elected by the board she can be removed by it.

Add to this, the wrath of God… well, uh, maybe not. But the wrath of P-Noy, at least. You see, nobody in the current crop of the GMA kapalmuks midnight appointees represents this most despicable act than Carrion – because of her unique in indisputable stature as THE Gloria gal.

Cynthia Carrion is the embodiment of everything P-Noy is against.

Cynthia Carrion is wang-wang personified

9 comments:

Unknown said...

hi buzz, i dont care who the hell is carrion...but before you ask to be polite my dear buzz... please be polite as well. no usage of kabadingan words like "kapalmuks" please in this very decent P-Noy society!

Bloggers like this/you should not be taken seriously. It doesnt bite!

Thanks. Make your articles more decent .... avoid personality attacks. It seems your post is not wholesome.



dexter/virginia/usa
and friends of P-Noy in this part of the world

Anonymous said...

She should just have given her courtesy resignation to PNOY! Does she know wHAt "COURTESY" means?

Anonymous said...

I'm one of the private sectors associated with DOT and I can say that Cynthia Carrion is doing well.

Cynthia Carrion is way better than THAT evil monster with a name similar to that of a "flower" who's been dying to have Carrion's postion since God knows when.

Ignore the critics Cynthia, you're doing just fine!

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I am disappointed to read this post..., it is specifically because Cynthia Carrion is a personal friend of GMA that she has had to work extra hard to produce results and provide credibility in the global health travel program in the Philippines. Is anyone aware that less than 2 years ago the Philippines was not even on the radar as a solution provider in 'medical tourism'?

These things take time, it is a process. Awareness, continuous reorganization and consistency are key to the long term branding of a health travel program for RP.

Understanding there are challenges in the transition from the previous to the new administration, please show respect and regard for Cynthia's accomplishments. Perhaps people should ask the international medical travel community their opinion regarding her international efforts and professional representation of the Department of Tourism - not to mention her unbridled passion for her Republic; a true Pinay!

In response to your ignorant comment referring to Cynthia Carrion as GMA's 'Gal'..., should you not have respect for her loyalty and conviction? How many people have this conviction for their colleagues and peers? When GMA was taking a lot of heat last year there were not many in defense of her, certainly not as many who stood with their hands out all the time. OR is it simply whatever suits people best to be wishy-washy and line up with whomever benefits them most in the short term? Polyticks is the worst part of RP and keeps it third from last in Asean indicators.

It is refreshing to know some people still have faith in their friends and will stick by them unconditionally, even if they may be wrong. That is what love is about.

I sincerely hope you publish this, just to be fair.

Moving forward, may God bless this great country and hope the health travel program continues to move forward robustly. The brand framework internationally has been rooted and hopefully the new administration doesn't reinvent the progress, as this will only confuse the international medical, travel, and insurance community and hence be a great determent to the Philippines.

Please note as well that Cynthia carrion has never used 'wang-wang'. Never. It is very important to have the facts straight before publishing.

In good health,
A Friend.

PRF said...

Anonymous,

It's rather funny that you've signed off your comment as "A FRIEND".

Perhaps it would have warmed the cockles of Cynthia Carrion's heart to know who you are.

Before you go yapping about how much work Cynthia Carrion put in to put Philippine Health tourism on the radar, let me bring you back to reality by saying that health and medical tourism didn't come about as a result of her efforts ALONE.

For DECADES, the Philippines has been known to be the best place where you can have medical procedures done on you at a fraction of the cost by some of the world's best doctors. THAT and NOT CYNTHIA CARRION put the Philippines on the WORLD MAP.

Moreover, part of your comment seems quite disturbing:

"It is refreshing to know some people still have faith in their friends and will stick by them unconditionally, even if they may be wrong. That is what love is about."

Perhaps only a desperate sycophant will define friendship and love this way.

It inappropriately glosses over the fact that Cynthia Carrion, as a public official, is ACCOUNTABLE FOR HER ACTIONS. She can and must be made to account for her deeds or misdeeds.

That being said, I guess you're going to be even more disappointed to learn that Cynthia Carrion has resigned her position.

Anonymous said...

Held Accountable?

Let's see about that.

As the news leaks out of the fabricated marriage to Michael Jeremy Rollin the "love" may be tested.

Then there is the 13A visa that was fraudulently obtained for him on the basis of that fabricated marriage. That will test the "love"within the BID.

Can we really expect to see that "love" tested in the coming days.

Unfortunately accountability is likely to be forgotten.

Carrion will disappear, most likely to the US, for a few weeks or months.

In the mean time her British boy friend will continue to enjoy his 13A visa because that's how it is.

Expect to see her back by the end of the year acting as if nothing happened.

Anonymous said...

Her love will be tested. hmmm. Here are some interesting things being spread around that should be investigated. Her first government appointment was given as an american citizen? That to this day, she is still an american claiming to be filipina so her fake husband can enjoy his 13A visa? That a case has been filed in immigration but that OIC Ledesma has made it a low priority case upon her request?

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh. You guys don’t even know the half of this

You guys all know she's American, what you maybe don't know is she's also our very own ‘Caloocan Gal’ Cynthia.

She’s hooked up with her sweetheart and kindred spirit, the cross eyed con man Jerry Rollins – the guy they booted out of the posh Manila Yacht Club.

Fact is ‘Caloocan Gal’ is really married to this guy, well, according to the cert she gave to the folks at Immigration. Shows the happy couple tied the knot in Meycauayan, no kidding!

Hey c’mon guys, stop laughing. Yeah yeah, we all know she’s still married to Warren Norton, but you gotta understand, Caloocan Gals ain’t known for their attention to da rules.

Latest word from Intramuros is Ole Cross Eyes is about to get booted out of the country, seems those wicked guys at Immigration have finally seen through the fake marriage and visa shenanigans.

Gb2diamond said...

Whoever took time writing this,,thumbs up! It's about time to put out truth of kapalmuks,,,

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