Collateral damage

BABE'S EYE VIEW
By Babe Romualdez

One of the hazards of successful people in the private sector who join government is the possibility that no matter how hard they try to keep their noses clean, they could wake up one day with their reputations almost completely damaged simply by being accused of corruption and then pilloried in media. Such is most likely the case of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chairman Serge Valencia who is being implicated in the P366 million PCSO intelligence fund mess. 

Serge — whom many of us know personally being a year behind me at the Ateneo — comes from a well known family, being the son of former Health Secretary Elpidio Valencia and Rosie Osmeña, the youngest daughter of President Sergio Osmeña. Many know him to be successful in business and held in high esteem by the Jaycees international community. He was national president of the Philippine JCI Senate and was chairman of organizations like The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) and the Ten Outstanding Filipinos (TOFIL). In fact, those close to him say he is really not the type to get involved in any kind of shenanigan knowing fully well the consequences. The news of his arrest over the PCSO was unimaginable to many of his associates.

It is clear that the main target in the plunder case is former president Gloria Arroyo who is being accused of all kinds of corruption, with allegations that a large chunk of the PCSO intelligence funds were used for “fictitious” expenses. Last year, former PCSO vice chairman and general manager Rosario Uriarte was grilled before the Senate Blue Ribbon committee over suspicions that she connived with GMA to divert portions of the PCSO “intelligence funds” — a phrase associated with expenses that everyone knows will not be subjected to auditing. 

Shortly before Serge turned himself in to the authorities, I had lunch with him arranged by our friend Ramon Jacinto, where he showed me Xerox copies of papers clearly showing the ministerial approval of the board on intelligence funds as requested by the General Manager of the PCSO for the Office of the President. According to Serge, he was approached by some people in government urging him to be a state witness against former President Arroyo, but he says he cannot lie and can only say what he knows — which is confined to what the board approved. He really does not know where or how the funds were used after that. Uriarte, the PCSO General Manager, was designated as the special disbursing officer by the Office of the President.

Documents would show that all intel fund requests were made for the use of the vice chairman and GM’s office. A cursory inspection of Uriarte’s memo requests from 2008 to 2010 shows that except for the dates and amount, the wording was “copy pasted.” It also seems that whoever drafted the requests did not double check if the “actual sales” PCSO claims to have generated for a certain year matched the amounts in subsequent requests. Those familiar with the PCSO mandate affirm it’s really the GM who virtually controls all aspects of operations while the power of the chairman and the board are focused on policy determination/rule promulgation.

PCSO longtime employees say that Serge Valencia believed in the charity work provided by the agency, going to work as early as 7 a.m. to make sure that people lining up to get vouchers for dialysis, chemotherapy or medicines will be served. One even recalled that when the current PCSO leadership junked the P42-billion thermal paper deal with an Australian company because it was reportedly disadvantageous to government, PCSO director and lawyer Aleta Tolentino said in fact that Valencia had questioned the deal from the start and was adamant in not giving his approval when it was submitted to the board.

“The truth will come out,” Serge told me as he prepared himself that afternoon to face the charges and whatever consequences that may happen. It is quite clear that Serge is simply “collateral damage.”

It is really difficult to join government. Such was the case with my brother, Dr. Quasi Romualdez, when he was Secretary of Health during Erap Estrada’s time. Erap wanted to make the price of medicines more affordable to the masses, an advocacy that my brother also shared which is why he worked for a cheaper medicines act. Of course, that did not endear him to big pharmaceutical companies. And before he knew it, administrative cases were being filed against him. My brother, who had modest means, had to spend his own money to defend himself.

A major reason why it is getting harder to convince qualified people to contribute their expertise to the public sector is the law that allows anyone to file all kinds of frivolous lawsuits. In fact, even the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo got sued by disqualified bidders when he ordered a rebidding for a fire truck procurement project. President Noynoy Aquino himself stepped in and instructed the DOJ to study the possibility of suing back those people who waste government time and resources in responding to these frivolous cases.

With the Aquino family having been a victim of injustice in the past, President Noynoy Aquino would be the last person to wish the same experience on anyone, whether friend or foe. This is precisely what Serge Valencia is hoping to see — that justice will prevail and that all those implicated in allegations of corruption — even Gloria Arroyo who is confirmed to be ill — will be given a dignified, just and fair treatment. It’s good to remember what Martin Luther King once said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

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E-mail: babeseyeview@yahoo.com