GMA upstages the media

I hope Malacañang reporters as well as sportswriters do not file a formal complaint against President Gloria Arroyo for upstaging them. During the welcome set for the Pacman yesterday, she was the one posing the questions to the newly-renewed national boxing icon. And Manny Pacquiao seemed to enjoy doing the usual question and answer session, this time, not with any reporter, or even sports editor, but with the President herself.

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It was GMA who elicited such information from Pacquiao as to who will be his most likely opponent in his next engagement. She also made him disclose that he would rather not have any of his children go into boxing. "Mahirap…(it's difficult)", said the champion. "I want them to study first," he said, just like any protective father. He did not say, though, that no matter how much they study, they may never find any job or business that could pay them at least two million dollars for about two hours of slugging in the ring.

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The "interview" with the President must have inspired Pacquiao so much that he became very articulate when he was asked to speak. He thanked God for making him win, the Filipino people for their support, and for praying for him, and for being united in backing him. He also recited his usual spiel about how he would be willing to fight everyday, if that would guarantee the unity of his fellow Filipinos. So what more could a President add? She told him, "Thank you for being an inspiration to the country."

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Oh, she was truly fulsome in her praises for Pacquiao, calling him "Maki-Diyos, maki-tao, maki pag-iisa (for God, for his people, for unity)". How could Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim complain about having been snubbed by the returning conqueror? On one hand he was offering a riotous welcome, but on the other he carried a bill for some P120,000. Furthermore, he couldn't hope to replace former Mayor Lito Atienza - still there with his ubiquitous son - in the Pacman's heart. Pacquiao's loyalty to his friends is still of the old-fashioned kind, showing that politics has not really affected him much.

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Why did they ever give it the name of Presidential Commission on Good Government? Many of the things that have been happening there are certainly no examples of good governance. Only yesterday, it was reported that the chairman of the agency himself had about P10.35 million in unliquidated cash advances. And the Commission on Good Government, and even the Office of the Ombudsman give any lowly government functionary a very difficult time when he or she is found out to have taken cash advances from the office without immediately accounting for it!

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When the recent reports about cash advances locally came out, I discovered that many civilians, even those pretending to be knowledgeable in government affairs, do not really have an idea of what a cash advance, a.k.a. as "CA" among the bureaucracy, really means. Actually, it is an amount released to an official or employee to be used for a specific purpose, like for travel, or purchase of something necessary for the office. As soon as the travel, or the purchase is accomplished, however, the one who received it has the obligation to present all the receipts for the amounts spent. The process is called "liquidation", and after it is done, the amount is removed from the responsibility of the one who got it.

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In several local government units, however, those who get the cash advances either fail to "liquidate" them at once, or are not prepared with the documents to back them, and delay the action of liquidation until they retire, in which case, alert financial officers can deduct it from their benefits. The worst, however, is when the recipient dies, or runs away, and cannot be made accountable. So the list and the amount of the "cash advances" remain, to be reported by the COA year after year. To think that the head of such an agency as the PCGG himself does not comply with such regulations is almost impossible to believe. By the way, the official was identified as Camilo Sabio, and he is probably familiar to most Filipinos especially during his defiant appearances before the Senate committee.*

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