FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio


“PRESIDENT JUAN POLICARPIO”


Any country whose armed forces leadership can be bought is up for grabs to international “adventurers” with millions and millions of dollars. I am referring to the Philippines that may soon be an “outer province of China” as predicted by Jose Rizal, the Philippines’ National Hero, in his essay “The Philippines A Century Hence.”

The ten richest Filipinos in Asia, according to FORBES MAGAZINE for 2011 except for Jaime Zobel de Ayala are Filipino-Chinese: Henry Sy of SM Enterprises, Lucio Tan who owns Philippine Airlines, George Ty of METROBANK, Eduardo Cojuangco of San Miguel Corporation, Tony Tan Caktiong of Jollibee, Andrew Tan of MEGAWORLD Intenational, and John Gokongwei of Cebu Pacific Airways and Robinsons, Emilio Yap of the Manila Daily Bulletin, and Oscar Lopez of ABS-CBS television network. They can buy the whole Philippines and deliver it to the People’s Republic of China. Then we can say that Rizal is a prophet. Not yet, because I don’t believe that these Filipino Chinese billionaires will play the China card. And I don’t blame them for being billionaires in the Philippines. They know how to get rich. I just hope that they pool their resources to open up more enterprises to create enough jobs for the Filipino masses whom they call in secret as the "natives."

Once upon a time in Manila circa 1970s, I received a tip from an informant(he is now deceased) that there existed a syndicate involving officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Bureau of Immigration under the Department of Justice issuing Philippine passports and Identification Certificates to Chinese illegal entrants in exchange for large sums of money. Thirty thousand pesos per head was then a treasure during those times. I am now presuming some of these illegal aliens now belong to the millionaire class in the Philippines. Again I don’t blame these fake Filipinos for becoming millionaires as long as they create more jobs for the “natives” and save them from being drug couriers and exploited caregivers abroad.

What I am trying to say simply is that the Philippine government was corrupt then, corrupt now, and will stay corrupt in the future. The only thing we can hope for is reduce the magnitude and intensity a la earthquake in Japan of the effect of corruption on the Filipino people. To do that is to prosecute and punish the corrupt Philippine government officials, both civilian and military, in order to save the people’s money from being stolen further.

After the media publication of my intelligence report on the Fake Filipino syndicate in 1971, Marcos declared Martial Law. None of the officials involved in my solo investigation was punished. The Department of Foreign Affairs terminated my services. The United States Embassy issued me a professional immigrant visa to migrate to the United States. And finally I became an American and resident of New York.

I chose the United States, the greatest country in the world, to be my adopted country and I am committed to help to the best of my ability to keep the United States as the strongest leader of world despite the Obamamania.

With the reported filing of criminal charges against certain “big fish” in the Philippine government such as Congressman Mikey Arroyo for tax evasion, former Congressman Prospero Pichay Jr,, special prosecutors of the Office of the Ombudsman, the forfeiture and freeze order of General Ligot’s stolen wealth, and the impending Senate trial of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez for impeachable offenses, I think the current Aquino Administration is no longer talking but doing it. That is, combat corruption in government and safeguard the people’s money.

Let the real Philippine drama continue and may President Noynoy Aquino emulate the incorruptible television character of a make-believe Philippine President Juan Policarpio in the drama series, “Tanging Yaman.”


End