GET SHORTY

Buencamino does political affairs analysis for the NGO Action for Economic Reforms. This piece was pulished in the newspaper Today, page 9, 22 April 2004 edition.

In political terms it could be said that she was out to be elected by a landslide. But Ravelstein did not agree. “Once you begin to suspect her the whole production falls apart,” he said.” – “Ravelstein” by SaulBellow

I have always suspected her of lying but I was too lazy to look for proof.

Recently, while surfing the Internet, I found that somebody had performed a valuable public service by exposing one of the little woman’s lies. Her name is Michelle Alba Lim and, just in case anybody found her report incredible, she directed her readers to check out www.i-site.ph/databases.

What did Ms. Michelle Alba Lim have to report about the little woman’s campaign kitty?

“Campaign Contributions, 1998 elections (in pesos):50,211,432.00 Campaign Expenses, 1998 elections (in pesos): 50,211,432.00 ”

In other words, the little presidential aspirant did not have a single unspent centavo in political contributions from her 1998 Vice Presidential campaign to deposit to the fictitious Jose Pidal account.

So, where did the deposits to the Jose Pidal account come from?

If Max Soliven really wanted to get to the bottom of the Jose Pidal mystery, he could have whipped out her 1998 campaign contributions and expenses report right after she said that the money in that account came from unspent 1998 political contributions and asked her, “Which story do you want the public to believe, Madame President?” Soliven’s TV show would have lived up to its name, Impact.

I have always wondered why she needed to hide that enormous amount ofmoney even if it was perfectly legal to keep it in the first place. Why did she need to use her brother-in-law as a shell? Why did the brother-in-law hide it further by placing it under the shell of a dead relative? What was the reason for her “now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t” shell game?

In the same show, she related to Max Soliven that God “told” her to enter politics, “If I’m in politics at all now, it’s because I believe that we have to seek what God wants you to do. And in discerning what God wants you to do, the turn of events is what leads you to what God wants you to do,” she said.

Did God also tell her to hide her mega-millions in a fictitious account? One wonders what signs God would give anyone to discern His desire for a fictitious account where she can hide her millions in savings.

If the multimillion Jose Pidal account did come from the savings of hercampaign, did she declare it in her statement of assets and liabilities(SAL)?

I still remember those undeclared properties in America that were inher name but actually owned by her brother-in-law. Yup, she has fiddledwith her SAL before. So, does anybody know how and where we can checkif she included her “savings” in the SAL she filed after the 1998elections?

All this placing of real property and money in each other’s name makes me wonder whether someday the heirs of the little woman and Jose Pidal will be asking the same question many of us are asking today, “Who owns what ?” I can imagine estate lawyers salivating at the prospect ofclearing up such a mess someday. But I amnot an estate lawyer and I don’t want to wait for someday.

I want to know “who owns what” right now. I want to know who got how much and for what.

Then I want them held legally accountable at the soonest. I do not wantto wait another six years to find out how Shorty will look in an orangejumpsuit. Get Shorty now.