‘Dinky’s bonds’: The inconvenient truth

by Dennis Fetalino
Tuesday, 26 October 2010 19:27

That’s just the problem when your mouth issues checks your mind can’t cash.Especially when you are talking about concepts outside the ambit of your core competency.Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda and his lady deputy, Abigail Valte, should be more careful with the statements they have been dishing out in connection with the Peace Bonds. You see, with the way they have been speaking about it in public, their boss, President Aquino, could be headed for a major, major embarrassment -- and more. Already, the Lacierda-Valte tandem is confusing people instead of enlightening them. Some talking heads, indeed. One said the Palace does not care about the Peace Bonds issue, an irresponsible statement which has gotten Social Welfare and Development Secretary Dinky Soliman mired in her second major, major controversy in just one month. Then, the other says Soliman is blameless as even the Senate had already exonerated her. Then again, the other says if anyone has evidence against Dinky, he or she should submit it to the Truth Commission. Would somebody please stand up and tell us what’s the real score here? Ano ba talaga, Kuya Edwin at Ate Abby?The “he-said, she-said” routine betrayed their exasperation, and this is understandable considering the questions thrown their way regarding the Soliman-Peace Bonds controversy. And it seems the longer they engage media, the more they don’t understand why the press — representing public sentiment — wants answers on how the Palace views and intends to handle this mess. Ped Xing strongly suggests that Lacierda and Valte exercise more patience and transparency in handling media’s incessant hounding. They should realize that the public has a genuine stake in this issue. They want to know the truth. They are interested to find out how P-Noy would address the problem because, as Jack Nicholson said in A Few Brave Men, some guys “can’t handle the truth”. The duo should also remember that P-Noy vowed to render justice to every man/woman and made us believe that we could get at the truth under his watch. Well, Al Pacino defined justice in And justice for all as “the finding of the truth”. And so, now that the P-Noy is at the helm, it is time to know the truth behind the controversy. The people expect him to be truthful. So, tell it like it is, Mr. President. This is fair, this is just. The allegation is that Soliman’s non-government organization profited immensely from a P10-billion bond flotation. CODE-NGO, a group allegedly led by Dinky along with others, reportedly made some P1.4 billion in commissions from the state IOU issuance, the proceeds of which are not subject to government accounting and audit. Ped Xing hopes Lacierda and Valte would realize that people want the truth because they are the ones paying some P35 billion for the P10 billion in liabilities created by that gargantuan promissory note. And if it is true that Soliman was part of a group that made P1.4 billion in commissions, then that would surely hurt her and us big time. Indeed, “the truth shall set you free,” but first, it shall make you miserable. The search for the truth becomes even more compelling in light of P-Noy’s dogged insistence that Dinky be handed over a P21-billion slush fund couched in such an exotic accounting entry as Conditional Cash Transfer. Surely, no loose change, mere pocket money or snack allowance this entry reflects. And the authority to spend it has been given to Soliman despite questions as to whose “poverty” this money would really, really alleviate? You can’t blame the public for being uncomfortable with Dinky doling out billions to her Chosen Poor without first being in the clear regarding suspicions and fears -- hopefully unfounded -- that she benefited from billions in commissions from long-term IOUs that tied us to a P35-billion tab. From now on, Lacierda should take the advice for him to stop the serial reference to a Truth Commission investigation into the Soliman-CODE-NGO-Peace Bonds issue as this could be really, really injurious to his boss. If the commission does its job well, an unbiased and thorough probe of Dinky’s alleged involvement in the mess could potentially push the President into making a decision about his DSWD chief that he may not want to make.