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!

Number 1 si Villar sa SWS dahil sa 7,000 na tanga

Ipinagmamayabang ni Senator Manny Villar na number one siya sa SWS survey kung saan pitong libo ang sumagot sa naturang survey at pinili siya bilang kanilang choice sa pagka-Pangulo.

Wala akong duda na tutoo ang survey na ito. Tunay na tunay na si Villar nga ang number one choice sa pagka-Pangulo at siguro, kung gagawin ang halalan bukas, tiyak mananalo ito.

Kahit na sabihing ginamit niya ang kanyang posisyon at impluwensya bilang mambabatas upang maibenta sa pamahalaan ang lupain niya sa Las Pinas na dadaanan ng C-5.

Kahit na sabihing corrupt ito at kumurakot ito ng P 1 Billion sa pagpapagawa ng C-5. Kahit na sabihing balimbing ito o kakampi ng dalawang nagbabanggang Presidente na parehong corrupt.

Kahit na sabihing wala itong nalalaman sa pagpapatakbo ng pamahalaan bilang ehekutibo.

Kahit na sabihin na huwad ang pagpapakita nito ng sipag at tiyaga, na peke ang kanyang pakikitungo sa mahirap na mamamayan, at kaplastikan ang pinapakita nitong pakikidalamhati sa mga OFW.

Sa kabila ng walang saysay nitong lideratura sa Kongreso at Senado, ihahalal pa rin si Villar bilang pangulo ng bansa.

Pinapatunayan ng SWS survey na wala nang gagaling pa kay Villar sa pambibilog ng ulo ng tao. Wala nang gagaling pa kay Villar sa panloloko at pang-gugulang sa kapwa. Wala nang dadaig sa kanya sa pagsisinulanging at pang-oonse.

Number 1 nga eh. NUMBER ONE!

Pinapatunayan din ng SWS survey na 1,540 sa 7,000 na sumagot sa SWS survey ay pawang mga tanga at gungong, madaling maloko at nagpapaloko, at hindi marunong mag-isip ng tama.

Bakit nga ba nila pinili si Villar bilang Pangulo? Maniwala kayo o sa hindi, pinili nila si Villar kasi araw-araw nilang nakikita sa TV, nadidinig sa radyo, at nababasa sa diyaryo. Nung tinanong sila kung sino ang dapat maging Pangulo, hindi na sila nag-isip at nilagay na lang ang pangalan ni Villar kasi iyon lang ang natatandaan nila. Ganun lang kasimple.

Kaya, tiyak! Pagdating ng Mayo 2010, si Villar ang pipiliin ng karamihan ng mga Pilipino.

Tapos niyan, ang tangang mga Pilipino eh magtataka kung bakit pangit pa rin ang takbo ng buhay nila.

Magtataka sila kung bakit kahit anong sipag at tiyaga nila, hindi pa rin sila umaasenso.

Magtataka sila kung bakit ang laki sa mahirap na si Villar ay napakayaman pero sila nanatiling mahirap pa sa dagang kumakain ng basura sa kanal.

Magtataka sila kung bakit pangit pa rin ang edukasyon, hindi sila makabili ng sapat na pagkain, nakatira pa rin sa barong-barong, biktima lagi ng taunang sakunang dulot ng bagyo, biktima ng karahasan ng giyera at krimen sa langsangan.

Magtataka sila... Hanggang ganun na lang... Titingala sa langit o di kaya mag-aaklas, pero, sorry na lang sila at wala na silang magagawa.

Katrina Halili and the Double Insertion scandal

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Senator Villar closer to senate trial for double entry, but may just get slap on the wrist

Despite the filibustering of Senators Aquilino Pimentel and Alan Peter Cayetano, the Senate committe of the whole presided by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile succeeded in pushing through with the preliminary inquiry into the complaint filed by Senator Jamby Madrigal.

I heard the whole thing on DZMM and I was electrified by the way Senator Enrile forcefully rebutted all the points raised by Pimentel and Cayetano.

Lawyer Ernesto Francisco, counsel of Madrigal, was eventually able to present the complaint before the body. After answering questions from the members, committee chairman Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile declared the completion of the initial inquiry.

According to Francisco, the whole C-5 project was diverted to go through properties of Villar and had even been extended by around 3 or 4 kilometers. This added several billions of pesos, Villar's companies were paid for the property acquisition needed for the project, and all the while, Villar was orchestrating the whole thing.

The charge is that by use of his influence as a Senator he was able to corner a land deal with the government.

Enrile then directed the committee general counsel and special counsel prepare and submit a report on the result of the preliminary inquiry on Saturday. Another hearing on the double insertion charges against Villar is scheduled on Monday next week.

The report may contain a recommendation on whether or not the committee should go into an adjudicatory hearing or a trial hearing.

The next hearing, if I am not mistaken, members of the committee of the whole will vote to accept or reject the report submitted by the committee general counsel and special counsel. If the report recommends an adjudicatory hearing and the members of the committee of the whole vote to accept the recommendations of the report submitted, the committee of the whole will go into trial.

No matter what will happen during the trial, it will eventually terminate in voting for whatever motion is submitted for approval to the body. It will be a numbers game.

The motions may include declaring Villar either innocent or guilty of the charges.

In case Villar is found guilty, a two thirds vote will be needed to either suspend him or expell him. This means 15 out of 23 senators have to agree to either suspend or expel Villar.

Early guesses right now indicate that a two thirds vote may not be reached.

Definitely, the six minority members of the upper chamber will not vote for a motion to suspend or expel villar. These are Senator Aquilino Pimentel, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Senator Pia Cayetano, Senator Kiko Pangilinan, Senator Joke Arroyo, Senator Manny Villar.

This leaves 17 senators but among these senators, you have to account for Senator Antonio Trillanes (who cannot vote because he is in jail), Senator Jamby Madrial (who has inhibited herself because she is the accuser in this case), and Senator Ping Lacson (who like Jamby, has accused Villar).

This leaves 14 senators, already less than the number needed to suspend or expel Villar.

Possible swing votes among the remaining senators who could possible still vote for suspension or expulsion might be whittled down even further. Swing votes might come from Senator Edgardo Angara, Senator Loren Legarda, and Senator Noynoy Aquino.

This leaves jus 11 Senators and of the 11 remaining, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago may not even vote. So, in reality, only 10 senators could possibly vote for Villar's suspension or expulsion.

After all the sound and fury about money lost and corruption perpetrated, Villar may just receive a severe reprimand and perhaps more embarasment.

But as it is, Villar has already been thoroughly shamed. The question is, will this have any effect at all on his plans to run for President in 2010?