Launch of "Pilipinas kay ganda" tourism slogan wastes P3.7 Million

Why hide the fact that P3.7 Million was wasted on the launching of the now scrapped embarrassment that was the "Pilipinas kay ganda" tourism slogan?  Is it because Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim and Usec. Vicente Romano III want to hide their accountability?

This is from Ira V. Panganiban's note on Facebook:

It all began as a very simple event. A launch invitation was sent, people went and the media did their job covering. But what began as a simple launch of a government project turned out to be another scratch in a the foible that seems to be the Aquino administration.

The Pilipinas Kay Ganda program is now officially on the backburner. What with all the criticism and foolishness attached to a project that seemed so innocent at first. Accusations have flown, apologies have been made, what can go further wrong one may ask?

Well this photo capture may say it all. After all, they did say they almost spent nothing on the foolish project. But here, we see a receipt that says P3.775,355 pesos and only for the launch itself. The other costs have not yet been computed by us or them.

So tell me Noy, is this you "Matuwid na Daan?" And where is the "daan" headed? Sa malalim na bangin?

What follows is my take:

The thing is, early on in the administration, the recently appointed NFA Chief Lito Banayo made a grand show of hundreds or thousands of sacks of rice wasting away in its warehouses and pinned the blame on former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.  Then he declared that there was a huge surplus in rice, only to back pedal months later and say that there was a shortage of rice, then calling traders to apply for importation permits.

Then, just recently, the Department of Tourism declares that the tourism slogan "Wow Philippines" is no longer effective, hence the need for a new one.  Then, even before it can be vetted or validated by the Tourism Congress (the private sector counterpart of the Tourism Department organized under the Tourism Act of 2009), the Tourism Department asks the advertising agency which supported Noynoy Aquino to come up with a new slogan.  The slogan, they claim, was a result of a four month study -- which must have started a couple of weeks before Noynoy Aquino took his oath of office and before he officially appointed Secretary Lim to his post.

Even more curious is the fact that the creation and launch of the slogan comes before the crafting of a 5 year  National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) which is mandated under the Tourism Act of 2009.  The NTDP will be the basis for all actions relating to the development of tourism for the next five years and because of this, the NTDP is the more substantial component of any tourism effort.

It is substantial because, for one, it will tell the entire tourism industry what the priorities are in terms of tourism.  Is it building up more air, sea, and land routes to various destinations?  Is it building more hotels? Is it building more man-made attractions? Is it training more tourist guides and tourism workers?  Is it developing a handful of new destinations?  Is it forging relationships that will benefit Philippine tourism?

The NTDP, more than a slogan, would be the better tool in defining the character of Philippine tourism in terms of actual, physical projects that will mold the foreign tourist's experience from the time they touchdown to the time they depart for home.

This is why promotions and advertising is SUBSUMED or MERELY A PART of the NTDP.  It is the NTDP that will dictate the parameters for any slogan or promotional effort.

At this point, the NTDP is still being bidded out and only after it has been awarded will the crafting of the NTDP begin.

In short, the creation of the new slogan was not only premature, IT WAS NOT EVEN MANDATED or REQUIRED at this point.

However, the creation of a slogan does not require any bidding at all -- apparently, if done pro-bono.  And by putting out the slogan first, it would then perhaps condition the field for whatever else is being bidded out to favor the bidder who NTDP bid fits the slogan -- AFTER THE BIDS HAD BEEN SUBMITTED.

Just imagine the DoT saying later that the winner of the NTDP won because their bid conformed most closely to their slogan, "Pilipinas, kay ganda".

Joey De Venecia III and Jun Lozada are not victims

Joey De Venecia III and Jun Lozada have been cast in newspapers, TV, and radio as victims of a corrupt administration.

Touting themselves as being critical observers and purveyors of truth, the Philippine news media spewed out Lozada and De Venecia's cries of "Where is the justice? Where is the justice?"

The slant of the news items on the NBN ZTE deal hearing at the senate favored De Venecia and Lozada, giving greater importance to their histrionics while burying the more sober discussion of facts. It isn't hard to read the signs and figure out that the media has its agenda, politics, and own stories of corruption.

If you are at all interested in the truth, here it is: Joey De Venecia III and Jun Lozada were very much a part of the corruption that reaches all the way to the highest office of the land.

Yes they squealed about the corruption of the NBN ZTE deal and there is no denying that if they didn't squeal about the deal, no one would be the wiser about it. But should we as a people turn a blind eye on their role in the in a heinous and despicable crime just because they acted as reluctant stool pigeons and begrudgingly dealt out the facts as it suited them?

Where is the justice in that? Where is the justice?

If you want to know the facts, go through the slide show presentation here as it narrates exactly how the NBN ZTE deal came about. You will see that De Venecia and Lozada played a pivotal role in the NBN ZTE deal.

N B N Broadband Deal Timeline

View more presentations from bagumbayan

They hatched the plan, they looked for Padrinos, made deals with the Padrinos, and when they found out that they were not going to get what they wanted out of the deal, they decided to scuttle the deal.

The very picture of greed is of a thief, being caught in the act, sets about to destroy what he was trying to steal -- thinking that if he can't keep it, no one else should.

Considering this, do you think they ought to have our sympathies? Should we even consider them heroes? Should we even think of considering them as Senatorial candidates?

I've seen posts all over the blogosphere branding Senator Dick Gordon as an administration lackey for bucking the popular sentiment that favors the hysterical duo -- Lozada and De Venecia.

One blogger even ranted that Gordon was letting Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and First Gentleman Mike Arroyo free, as if Gordon were a judge presiding over a court -- not a committee of the Senate.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are of this opinion, then you ought to read up some more about what the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's powers really are.

It is this and you don't believe me, look it up at the Senate website:

Committee on Accountability of Public Officers and Investigations (Blue Ribbon)

Jurisdiction:

All matters relating to, including investigation of, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance in office by officers and employees of the government, its branches, agencies, subdivisions and instrumentalities; implementation of the provision of the Constitution on nepotism; and investigation of any matter of public interest on its own initiative or brought to its attention by any member of the Senate. Rule X, Section 13 (36)

Moreover, the charge that Gordon is not recommending charges against the First Couple is absolutely false.

In making President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo accountable for her involvement in the NBN ZTE Deal, you would have to consider that the President is immune from all manner of suit. The only thing that can be done is to file an impeachment case against the President and this is something that the Senate or any senator, cannot do.

If an impeachement case must be filed, it should emanate from a complaint filed by anybody at the Lower House.

Senator Gordon cannot file an impeachment complaint against Gloria because in an impeachment proceeding, the senate will have to act as members of a "JURY". To say anything and act in any manner that would show partiality in the case would impair the Senate in rendering a fair and impartial decision on the case of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Anyone can file an impeachment complaint. So, in my view, if Joey de Venecia III and Jun Lozada or anyone else wishes to do so, they ought to file the impeachment complaint.

As far as recommending that the OMBUDSMAN files charges against the First Gentleman, we have to consider how the OMBUDSMAN has acted in the past. Being the CLASSMATE of the First Gentleman, the OMBUDSMAN has been very shy in leveling charges against him or any of his cronies.

As for charging Joey de Venecia III is concerned, you have to consider the following also:

Mr. Jose De Venecia III can’t declare himself to be a whistleblower and claim certain immunities and privileges.

First, the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has findings that he seemed to have also violated the law, particularly Sec. 5 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

Second, there is currently no law that defines whistleblowing and grants immunities and privileges to whistleblowers.

While there are existing laws that provide protection and reward to witnesses of crimes, such as Presidential Decree No. 749 and Republic Act No. 6981 , these do not fully cover whistleblowing as intended. There are proposed bills, however.

Perhaps it is about time to pass a whistleblower law that would establish a clear state policy on the matter, assure action on the relevant information disclosed, afford legal protection on the whistleblower, and define the parameters and procedures for disclosure that guarantee due process. This would likewise prohibit certain apparently righteous people like Mr. Jose de Venecia III from unduly calling themselves whistleblowers.

Vice President Noli de Castro admits government housing program failed

The hourly TV ads telling everyone to avail of housing loans from Pag-IBIG Fund have another purpose apart from displaying the mug of Vice President Noli De Castro. That is to hide the massive failure of the government's housing program, a task given to De Castro who sits as the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

If you didn't know, the HUDCC is comprised of the heads of Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs), namely: the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (HGC), and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB); The Heads of three (3) funding agencies, namely: the Social Security System (SSS), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF); The Heads of seven (7) government support agencies, which include the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); and Two (2) private sector representatives from Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and private developers.

As HUDCC Chairman, Vice President Noli De Castro has the complete run of everything that has to do with providing homes for the poor as well as providing low income families with a means to avail home loans. He has the financing agencies to fund the housing projects and he has the implementing arms of housing programs as well. With massive powers at his disposal, one wonders why a large number of working people still do not own their own homes.

Today, Senator Richard J. Gordon (Ind.) was led to conclude that the government has terribly failed to implement an effective housing policy. This, apparently, resulted in alleged housing-loan auction anomaly currently being investigated in the Senate.

Vice President Noli de Castro himself admitted that the housing program is a failure under the unified housing loan program.

Gordon laid bare the state of the government's housing program, saying that “The record is very clear. You lend money and people do not pay under a unified housing scheme. If it is not a success, if it is not paying then you are depriving the government. Pinapabayaan natin na hindi makabayad ang mga taong ito. Hindi nababawi ang capital, hindi napapaikot para makapagpautang pa sa mas maraming tao. Ilan lang ang nagpapasasa dun sa pinahihiram ninyong bahay. Iyan ang nakikita kong sitwasyon dito.

“That is why I consider the housing policy of the government an abysmal failure. Mabuti nakita ngayon na malaki pala ang bukol (housing loan problem) na ito, lalaki pa ang bukol na ito, magiging cancer, eventually malulugi tayo. That is why walang nangyayari sa pabahay natin.”

Gordon also cited that the housing programs of by-gone years had proven to be more successful.

“In the 1950’s, in the 1930’s, gumawa ang gobyerno ng mga Roxas District, Quezon City, Quirino District, Pandacan, Project 1 to 8. Mukhang nakabayad lahat iyan. That is a successful housing program.

“Ngayon, nagpapautang tayo, meron pa tayong socialized housing, merong low-cost housing pero hindi tayo makasingil. Something is wrong with the housing policy. We have to have a better policy and you in the executive should give us better policies here.”

The blue ribbon panel and the committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement are jointly conducting a further review of a joint-venture deal between the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporations (NHMFC) and Deutsche Bank Real Estate Global Opportunities (Global) amid concerns over violations in the auction of delinquent loans affecting 53,000 families listed as beneficiaries of a government-backed housing program.

But, why am I picking on this bit of news? Ask me where the Blue Ribbon investigation will lead to? Ask me, which real estate corporation earns BILLIONS from government housing loans and home loans from Pag-IBIG Fund? Ask me about the Wednesday Club!

Free Jun Lozada? Jail Arroyo and Arroyo, Abalos and Neri!

NBN ZTE whistleblower Jun Lozada is in jail for perjury charges filed by former Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor.

And perversely enough, those implicated in what amounts to economic plunder in the senate Blue Ribbon investigation on the NBN ZTE deal remain at-large. They probably watched the whole drama of the Lozada arrest unfold in their comfortable houses or offices or wherever they may have been. Then again, perhaps they completely ignored it.

I have no idea where resigned Comelec Chairman Benjamin Abalos and Former NEDA Chief Romulo Neri were when the Lozada arrest was taking place.

Then again, I knew where Michael Defensor was at around 2:00 PM yesterday. He was at Annabel's giving a press conference to explain why Lozada had to be arrested. Of course, the law is on his side on this one as Lozada's arrest was ordered by a Manila Court. It wasn't as if Defensor himself drove to Lozada's hiding place in La Salle Greenhills campus in Mandaluyong City, armed with his 9 MM, and escorted by his loyal bodyguards. (Which I think he actually did once, but that's another case and it happened in Tagaytay.)

At the press conference, Defensor said that all that Lozada needed to do to regain his freedom is to retract his statement that Defensor forced him to lie that he was kidnapped when he arrived from Hong Kong in February 2008.

There is a bit of ad miserecordiam, an appeal to the heart, as Defensor further explains that he was doing this for his children.

I remember one early evening after Defensor appeared at the NBN ZTE hearing at the Senate, Julie Tactacan-Defensor began shouting at Leah Navarro at the Senate building's entrance. Julie was quite livid, telling Leah "Why are you lying? Pati mga anak ko dinamay niyo." Or something to that effect.

I have a wife who is just as fierce, if not fiercer than Julie. And, believe me, I understand that an angry wife is more than enough reason to go to start a war. Their fury will negate all commands and appeals coming from bosses and friends.

Fearing repercussions of the case on the administration, two Cabinet officials called him up to convince him to drop the case against Lozada, Defensor said.

“Cerge Remonde called me up last Saturday, and Gabby Claudio called me up on Sunday. Cerge again called on Monday evening. They asked me to withdraw the case, because the Lozada issue was dead but is being revived,” Defensor told reporters

But, perhaps, Defensor's struggle to clear his name is insignificant when compared to the still unresolved question of whether or not there was any truth behind Lozada's more damning statements of massive corruption that reaches all the way to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Lozada's more damning statement is the allegation that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo together with First Gentleman Mike Arroyo conspired with high ranking officials of the government to enter into an allegedly overpriced NBN-ZTE deal worth $329 Million. Lozada said that bribe money for signing the deal reaching billions of pesos already changed hands.

Defensor is, perhaps, just a bit player in the whole mess and what he is doing is motivated by self-interest -- but, really, who can blame him.

Ever and Echeverri, friends again?

Have you ever stepped out of the house then hear the fierce, crackle of thunder? You rush back in to get an umbrella and your rain gear. After rummaging through your closet and finding out that the only good umbrella left is a pink, foldable pocket umbrella, you step out again.

You don your rain gear and begin to unfold the pink umbrella, anticipating a downpour.

Ten minutes pass. You're standing just outside the door of your house. People stare at you and walk to the other side of the street. You look up and there're nothing but clouds the color of heavy, swirly inkwash. You sniff and smell the smell of water when it hits dry earth.

The first drops of rain fall with sudden ferocity and then just as suddenly, stop.

You begin to wonder what all the sudden commotion was about as you stand and stare in the warm, humid silence. Pretty much like a ball of dough still waiting to rise.

This is the Ever and Echeverri debacle told through a metaphor.

It is funny how some of us find a sense of morality (or even some semblance of it) in adverse situations. Suddenly, we're a victim of some evil and we're wailing to all to come to our aid. The thing is, some people are happy living with evil as long as they can get their way.

It's a dirty world my friend, especially after a five minute downpour. The filth that was homogenous dust have now turned into sticky, muddy pools that tend to cling to the soles of your feet.

When is the Philippines going to change?

It won't. Money changes hands, three weeks pass, and all is forgotten.

Or will it?

Dark days for business in Caloocan

Better Philippines made a great post in reaction to Cito Beltran's column on Corrupt Taxmen.

The thing is, if this happens with the BIR, businessmen face a similar (if not worse) headaches with local government taxes -- particularly, real estate taxes.

Take the case of the Ever Gotesco Grand Central Mall and its current problems with the Caloocan City Government.

For the past 23 years, Ever Gotesco has been leasing the land where its mall stands from the Caloocan City government. Then, just last year, Gotesco managed to buy the land where its mall stands. After accepting a downpayment of P30,000,000.00 and issuing monthly post dated checks for P152,000,000, Caloocan City Mayor Recom Echiverri comes back and says that Gotesco still owes the city government P722 Million in back real estate taxes for the past 23 years.

First of all, as a lawyer, Mayor Recom Echiverri should have been aware of the fact that as a lessee of the land, Gotesco did not have any obligation to pay real estate taxes for the Grand Central property. The obligation to pay real estate taxes belongs to the owner of the land, which in this case is Caloocan City.

So, if Recom were to look for someone to go after, it should be the previous administrations of the Caloocan City government. Infact, Recom Echiverri was a former City Administrator and so the question he really should answer is where did the lease paid by Every Gotesco go? And why didn't the City Government pay its own real estate taxes? Kanino napunta ang upang ibinabayad ng Gotesco para sa lupa ng Caloocan?

Second, if there were in fact real estate tax arrears, the sale of the Grand Central property to Gotesco wouldn't have been possible. First on the account that doing so is against the law and second, the assessment is so ridiculously steep that only a fool would buy the property.

Was Recom high on something when he started going after Ever? And why would he need to force Ever to pay such a large amount? Is it to cover his losses at Casino Filipino at the Heritage Hotel?

Finally, if you were a businessman interested in setting up legitimate business operations, why would you choose Caloocan City? I get depressed just going through it on my way to Malabon!

DOJ Usec. Blancaflor succeeds in keeping Alabang boys in jail!

I was playing a little game with myself yesterday and betting on which story would place higher up in the print and broadcast news.

Would it be the story of Dela Paz filing his case against the Pangandamans or would it be Justice Undersecretary Blancaflor's boo-boo of calling up PDEA to ask about the release of the Alabang boys?

Would it be a golf brawl imbued with questionable national significance? Or would it be the highly irregular action of a Justice Usec asking about the release of the Alabang boys, at a time when controversy surrounded the clearing of the suspects because of a reported P50 million bribe.

I wasn't able to flip through the all early evening news last night and haven't looked at all of the newspapers yet, so I can't really say which of the two stories really got the top tank.

Nevertheless, it seems Justice Undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor must have been a good boy for most of 2008 because he finally got one of his most fondest wishes -- that of gaining a lot of media exposure.

He has been known to ask why his press releases weren't getting in the newspapers and had even requested that his press releases be put on the crawl in TV news.

Well, fret no more Usec, you've ARRIVED!

Since Arlyn Dela Cruz's article in the Inquirer over the weekend, his name has been on the frontpages of several newspapers for several days.

The story was that Blancaflor called Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency officer Ferdinand Marcelino to ask why the drug suspects remained under detention despite a DOJ resolution finding no probable cause to charge them. Marcelino said that he felt he was being pressured at a time when his agency had decided not to release the three drug suspects unless DOJ Secretary Raul Gonzalez signed the release order himself.

Blancaflor in his defense has, of course, said that there was nothing illegal in calling the PDEA and he seems to be right.

However, the thing is, the Usec did not just call PDEA. As soon as he found out that all that was keeping the Alabang boys from being released was a signature from Justice Secretary Gonzalez, a draft release order MAGICALLY appeared at his office and was trasmitted to Justice Secretary Gonzalez.

However, Norman Bordadora of Inquirer reports that :

Justice undersecretary Ricardo Blancaflor Monday admitted that the draft order for the release of the so-called “Alabang Boys” passed his office before it was sent to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez for his approval and signature before the Christmas break.

The paper is what Gonzalez was referring to when he said somebody in the Department of Justice (DOJ) had tried to make him sign a draft order to release drug suspects Richard Brodett, Jorge Joseph and Joseph Tecson in time for the holidays.

Sources at the justice department point to one of Blancaflor’s secretaries—Janet Payoyo—as the one who brought the draft release order to Gonzalez’s office just before the lengthy Christmas break.

Blancaflor saw nothing wrong with his office transmitting the draft release order for Gonzalez’s signature.

“Because I was not around, I always instruct my staff that whatever document passes through here to give it to the Office of the Secretary or the staff in charge,” he said at a news conference.

Blancaflor said he didn’t even see the paper. “Inasmuch as that paper was not within our office, I had someone check with the prosecutor involved and I sent it to the Office of the Secretary,” he said.

The undersecretary said he didn’t even know where the draft order came from or how it came to his office. He said it arrived in his office either on Dec. 22 or Dec. 23. He said he was already in Iloilo at that time.

Blancaflor, in essense, denies having had the draft of the release order written.

The report further says:

Gonzalez said drafting a release order for drug suspects was not one of Blancaflor’s functions in the DOJ.

“It is not illegal per se when you speak of illegality but it is irregular. In other words, you prepared a resolution for me to sign and I have not ordered you to prepare it. Maybe if I ordered that such an order be prepared, I could not complain,” Gonzalez said.

The justice secretary said there was a possibility that Blancaflor might be found administratively liable for the draft release order.

“He can be,” the justice secretary said when asked if Blancaflor may he administratively liable.

Further on:

The justice secretary, nonetheless, found Blancaflor’s seeming interest in the suspects’ case “a bit unusual.”

“It is not basically within the ambit of his assigned responsibilities. But any undersecretary can inquire,” Gonzalez said.

He said the “Alabang Boys” had yet to be cleared. The resolution finding no case against the suspects that Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño signed has yet to be approved by justice secretary.

“The normal procedure, under the manual for prosecutors, if the case is decided there, the final say belongs to the chief prosecutor of the city or the province,” Gonzalez said.

“But… if it is a drug or smuggling case if the punishment is more than five years, and you dismiss a case of that nature, you must get my imprimatur. As far as I’m concerned, something that didn’t pass through me, technically is not yet a valid resolution,” he said.

As a result, Justice Secretary Gonzalez says that it would now be impossible for him to sign an order releasing the Alabang boys.

That's good news, isn't it?

Actually, if you were trying to do a PR job for Usec. Blancaflor, perhaps you can sput a positive spin on all of this.

You could say that contrary to suspicions that Blancaflor was trying to FACILITATE the release of the Alabang boys, his gameplan all along was really to keep them in jail longer.

Could the Usec. be telling his fraternity brothers, "Oks ba mga brad? Galing ko ano?!" (Translation: Hey brothers, I did some amazing shit didn't I?)

Score one for the BLANK! er Blancaflor!

ZTE warns Philippines of foreign investment slowdown due to NBN cancellation

It seems that ZTE is now speaking for the Chinese government and other foreign governments as it issues a warning that the cancellation of the National Broadband Network could lead to a slowdown in foreign investments in the Philippines.

Kabayan! Tinatakot tayo nitong mga dayuhang ito! Ano ba ang masasabi ninyo? Kapag hindi daw natuloy ang NBN deal, matitigil ang foreign investments sa Pilipinas. Anak ng tokwa! Eto na nga at nagkakagulo na ang bansa natin dahil sa korupsyon, nangungulit pa ang mga hinayupak na ito at gustong ituloy ang overpriced na deal nila kay Abalos at Big Boy! Puro pera lang ang nakikita.

Philippine ZTE Scandal to Affect Foreign Investment
The cancellation of a national broadband network threatens the confidence of investors from China and other countries, says Chinese gearmaker ZTE

by Melvin G. Calimag

China's network equipment maker ZTE, last week issued a strongly worded statement noting that the cancellation of the national broadband network (NBN) contact "will not only play down the confidence of companies from China, but also from other countries to invest in the Philippines".

The Philippine government in April 2007 awarded CTE a US$300 million-contract to build a broadband network to connect all government agencies and offices across the country. The project was later scrapped after allegations emerged that the deal had benefited high-ranking officials through commissions and kickbacks.

"This episode certainly brings unforeseeable negative influence on bilateral economic co-operations between China and Philippines," ZTE said. "So far, almost every project undertaken by Chinese companies has been put into inequitable suspicion, including agricultural project, tele-education project, railway projects, power plant project and elevated highway project in Manila."

Someone ought to haul these ZTE officials over to the Philippine Senate and get them to explain why it was necessary for them to bribe Filipino government officials into signing a deal which would force 80 million Filipinos to pay over $300 Million.

If these ZTE SOBs weren't so pre-occupied with money and only money, perhaps they would see the social irresponsibility -- not to mention the immorality -- of pressuring the Philippine government to push through with the NBN deal given the fact that a number of its high ranking officials are facing allegations of corruption in connection with the deal.

Maybe, if they were truly keen on having the NBN deal push through, they should:

1. Help the Philippine government fight corruption by naming the Filipino officials who had received bribes from them.
2. Reduce the total project cost of the NBN deal by half or to $130 Million, since this -- according to NBN whistleblower Jun Lozada -- is the approximate real market value of the project.

And as for other foreign investors, the NBN deal is a signal for them not to deal with Filipino officials who ask for bribes or kickbacks or any form of payment, other than what is required by Philippine law.

The scuttling of the NBN deal is actually a positive sign that foreign companies who are pursuing business in the Philippines using unethical and immoral means are not WELCOME.