Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow by Linggoy Alcuaz
Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

Continuing the First Quarter: PCSO Exposé, etc

Feb 1, 2021, 10:00 PM
Linggoy Alcuaz

Linggoy Alcuaz

Columnist

Before the onset of the DU30 Administration in 2018, New Year’s Eve came with a Big Bang.

For activists and amateur media practitioners and politicians like me, the first quarter of the year, in particular the first two months, are more adventurous, exciting and important than the average quarter or month of the year.

Before the onset of the DU30 Administration in 2018, New Year’s Eve came with a Big Bang.

Three Anomalies

On Thursday, January 2, 2003, I held a press conference at my home at #13 Campanilla St., corner Balete Dr., New Manila, QC, in order to expose anomalies at the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO). I was, then, a member of the Board of Directors (I used to add to my title – "for the Visayas and Mindanao" since all five of us hailed from Luzon, namely: Chairman Honeygirl Singson de Leon of Ilocos Sur; Atty. Art Borjal of Ilocos; Margie Penson Juico from Del Monte Ave., QC; Resty de Quiros of Sorsogon, and myself from Intramuros and Quiapo.). Atty. Riley Avila of Tanauan, Leyte, was our Board Secretary.

If my memory is still good, my initial exposé covered three anomalies: illegal Christmas Bonuses in the form of SM Gift Certificates; the purchase of overpriced imported KIA ambulances, and the purchase of medical equipment for the PNP’s station hospital at Camp Crame.

I filed two graft cases before the Ombudsman against the chairman, the members of the Board and several high ranking PCSO officials.

Retaliation

In retaliation the PCSO filed two cases before the Quezon City Fiscal and Regional Trial Court and two more before the Ombudsman against me.

Chairman de Leon filed a libel case against me and Board Secretary Avila.

I was never arrested nor arraigned for the latter. Avila was arrested, bailed, arraigned and tried but he died in mid-2011.

All my pending cases were dismissed in the summer of 2016.

Before President DU30 could appoint a new Board of Directors, the holdover Aquino Board refiled two of my dismissed cases before the Ombudsman. These were again dismissed within a few years.

Corruption and Inefficiency

From beginning to end, my seven cases have lasted almost 18 years costing me a modest amount in legal fees. Along the way, I was helped by my nephew, Atty. Robin Lim y Alcuaz, his friends in a law office the name of which I cannot now recall, Atty./Pastor Art Cana, Atty./Pangasinan Vice Gov. Vic Millora, and then Solicitor General, later on Retired Supreme Court Justice Francis Jardeleza.

My experiences in my two stints as a National Government Official and Presidential Appointee revealed to me the worst of corruption and inefficiency in both the Executive and Judicial Branches of the Government.

I enjoyed my relations with the Legislative Branch as well as my official travels all over the country, specially in the neglected South.

The most painful thing about the two cases at the QC RTC, was that most of the hearings fell on a Monday.

My youngest son’s car was MMDA coded on Mondays and so, my daughter, Cuchie, had to take a taxi to work. Since she started working after graduating from the Ateneo de Manila University in March 1993, I have been doing most of her "hatid" and "sundo" for the past 28 years.

 

Protest Movements

EDSA II occurred on Tuesday night to Saturday noon, January 16 to 20, 2001. We had been gearing up for it, for almost a year.

In March and April of 2000, we had the Slanted Exclamation Point/Silent Protest Movement.

From May to August, we were drowned out by the "All Out War in Mindanao" against the MILF. When the last MILF forts and strongholds had fallen, we resumed our anti–Erap movement.

I belonged to three groups then. After the Slanted Exclamation Point/Silent Protest Movement collapsed after a series of failed and premature noise barrages, we evolved into the Budget Secretary Salvador "Jun" Enriquez/former RVM sister Linda "Inday" Olaguer Montayre group.

Pre-Impeachment vs Erap

In late September, I heard about the impending Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson Expose against President Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada from Jun.

Starting in August, I was invited to a series of pre-Impeachment meetings at the Ateneo de Manila Social Development Complex, convened by future Secretaries Teresita "Ging" Quintos Deles (Peace Process) and Dinky Juliano Soliman (DSWD).

Later on, future Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Secretary Vicky Galang Garchitorena joined us.

My third core group was Cong. Jose "Peping" Cojuangco y Sumulong/Pastor ‘Boy’ Saycon/William "Billy" Esposo’s COPA.

In late October, the KOMPIL II was organized at the Ateneo High School Covered Courts under former Senator/Laguna Governor/future DILG Secretary Joey Lina. Then, we got together with both the Left and the Right.

Dawn of EDSA Protests

When the Impeachment failed on the night of Tuesday, January 16, 2001, we went to EDSA.

This time, unlike during EDSA I, when we went to the stretch of EDSA between the two military camps, Camps Aguinaldo and Crame and overflowed to Cubao and Mandaluyong, San Juan and Santolan, we occupied the corner of EDSA and Ortigas Ave. and had the EDSA Shrine as our stage and headquarters.

The crowd at EDSA II was much smaller than EDSA I. There was more Conspiracy than Spontaneity in EDSA II than at EDSA I.

Twenty years after EDSA II as compared to 35 years after EDSA I, it is obvious that EDSA I is better remembered and revered while EDSA II is better forgotten and treated as some sort of national embarrassment.

(To Be Continued)


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