By Robert B. Roque, Jr.
I want to begin this column by announcing that – after verification with my A-1 sources in the PNP and the NBI – there is no truth to the suggestion shown in pictures circulating on social media that Jose Mari Chan has been gagged and strapped to a chair.
In fact, the beloved singer is very busy these days because he is deluged by show and guesting requests.
Suppose I could ask him if such memes go overboard as a joke. Perhaps he’d say it does not bother him, but he just fears it may perpetuate the criminal idea of kidnapping… “whenever I see girls and boys selling lanterns on the streets.”
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In more serious matters, top Chinese minister Liu Jianchao – a former ambassador to Manila – visited the Philippines over the weekend to peddle two ideas: to settle its South China Sea disputes peacefully with individual claimants; and to revive joint oil and gas explorations in the SCS with the Philippines.
Naturally, Liu also pushed the intention of aiding the country in so many ways to bring forth a “golden era” in Philippines-China relations. But, of course, President Marcos should know better than his predecessor that it’s all just a ploy.
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White onions are making restaurant owners cry boatloads. What used to be a kitchen staple at P40 per kilo is now P400 at Divisoria price.
Insiders say the Department of Agriculture cannot develop a credible importation policy. While it wants to satisfy the consumer’s demands, it does not want to drive down farmgate prices to the detriment of local farmers in case the actual problem is hoarding by middlemen.
And since the DA Secretary is the very busy President – enter Sen. Imee Marcos, who’s now calling for a complete inventory of traders’ stock of white onions in cold storage. “Thank you, Ate.”
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Hard as I try to find some saving grace for the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM), state auditors beat me to the draw in finding a new reason to bury this agency to the ground.
The latest red flag hoisted by the Commission on Audit (COA) is the PS-DBM’s “unauthorized investment of funds, amounting to P3 billion, in a high-yield savings account. And when quizzed which funds it tapped to make such an investment, the PS-DBM’s Administrative and Finance Group (AFG) claimed it “could not be specifically identified.”
Wow! Senator Francis Tolentino and Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian – you’ve got another target here!
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SHORT BURSTS: Congratulations to Monsi Serrano and the Philippine Business and News for coming up with the first-ever Embassy and Captains of the Industry event, dubbed by the sponsor hotel as “Okada Night” yesterday. More power to the TPBN for supporting the diplomatic missions and local businesses through its brand of business journalism!… For comments or reactions, email firingline@ymail.com or tweet @Side_View. Read current and past issues of this column at https://www.thephilbiznews.com