Typhoon Ondoy Wreaks Havoc: Victorina not spared

By: Amiel Aguilar Cabanlig

Heavy rains brought on by Typhoon “Ondoy” flooded Metro Manila. Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro was quoted: “These kinds of flash floods in Metro Manila took us all by surprise.” The amount of rain which poured for 12 hours Saturday was equal to that of a month’s of rainfall. 13.4 inches of rain fell on metropolitan Manila alone in just six hours, close to the 15.4-inch average for the entire month of September. The previous record was 13.2 inches recorded during a 24-hour period in June 1967.

Ondoy’s torrential downpour resulted in the swelling of rivers and creeks to dangerous levels, damaging property, cutting off infrastructure and leaving many Filipinos homeless and killing many others.

Even the Victorina Council was not spared from the fury of the typhoon fury. DJ Mojo Jojo and Grace Lee were on their way to host the Korean-Philippine Friendship Day celebration in Manila when Typhoon Ondoy struck. The two were stranded at the Guadalupe Bridge for more than four hours when the Pasig River rose above its banks causing water levels to rise to shoulder level in certain parts around the bridge. The pair managed to inch their way to the Rockwell Power Plant Mall for sanctuary but were stranded in that area until the next day.

Up to now, most of the districts in the Manila remain flooded with waters in some areas reaching as high as the rooftops of one-storey buildings. As many as 1,800 people were forced to flee their homes and take refuge in evacuation centers. The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and all assets of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have been deployed.

My good ol' dad took it upon himself to help out friends and relatives trapped by the vicious floods that debilitated most of the greater Metro Manila region. He was able to deploy his military assets where they were most necessary. However, due to the tumult, he was injured and tore his leg and was left bloody, then had to be rushed to the hospital. Despite his condition, my dad called me up the following day to make sure that Atty. Trixie Angles and her family was doing ok.

Not knowing what was happening to Trixie Angeles, I sent her an SMS to see if she was doing fine. After an hour she replied; “Nakuha ko na ang anak ko at 7am. Had to go to Provident and snag a Navy boat. But we got him na!” Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, Doy Roque told me that Paul Farol’s relatives were also stuck in the floods of Providence Village. Then news flashed that a wall, weakened by floodwater's, collapsed in a suburb of Metro Manila, killing a father and his child. It was just too much… Even though Typhoon Ondoy has left the Philippines, its deadly aftermath continues to ravage the country.

The stories of death and destruction continue to be broadcasted on the news and now more than ever is the time for each and every one of us to join together to help those in need. Wherever you may be, the Victorina Council urges you to help the victims of Typhoon Ondoy in anyway possible, whether in cash or in kind.

“A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's.” ~Richard Whately

Red Cross: 143, 527-0000. Centers for relief: Red Cross chapters in Rizal, QC, Valenzuela, Bulacan. Phil. Nat’l. Red Cross Rizal Chapter operations center hotline: 635-0922, 634-7824.

Send full address of stranded friends/family to Sen. Dick Gordon 09178997898/0938444BOYS

The past decade was marked by the rise of an innovative form of sybaritic narcissism and covetousness brazenly propagated by no less than traditional media. “It replaced the ethic of quiet modesty and self-deprecation that citizens in the past looked for in their leader,” says Prof. Randy David. He adds “we might say it is also normal to find it among politicians during an electoral campaign. But, when self-promotion becomes a standard feature of a society’s public life, one must ask if it has not become a social disorder.

In a bold yet “not-very-smart” move Nokia chose cyberspace’s self-proclaimed queen of debauchery and materialism Bryanboy as the N97 endorser! Just this week, Bryanboy’s gaunt and overly made-up mug has appeared in broadsheets and the net brandishing the Nokia device. Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phonemaker which claims to be the boss in the “smartphone” wars, rolls out its newest of mobile devices - the N97.

Does Nokia want to jump into this social disorder- this SOCIAL CANCER slowly inching its way into the marrow of Philippine society?

Nokia’s latest gadget is supposed to be designed for the active social networker who values style and looks. Nokia says “the growth of social networking sites Facebook and Twitter decidedly plays a huge part in fueling the “smartphone” wars, the blurring of the lines between mobile phones and computers. Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia EVP for markets, noted that Twitter alone grew 1,182 percent via mobile phones.”

“Being [wired] is integral to daily life, not just for the elite,” says Anssi Vanjoki, Nokia EVP.

While the N97 is pegged as the “slimmest travel companion” and having a scrawny blogger might seem like a perfect match to endorse the Nokia gizmo, in all honesty I have to beg the question – “What were they thinking?!”

In an age where “the brand” is king and associating it with a particular “celebrity” speaks heaps about a brand’s values and personality, what exactly is Nokia trying to convey by having Bryanboy associated with their brand? If shallowness, a materialistic lifestyle, and shameless self-promotion is really what Nokia wants to communicate then they are on the right track. This industry seems to be rife with poor choices when it comes to image models… does “Smart Addict” ring a bell. Now the PDEA [ the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency] has tagged some of SMART-addict endorsers as DRUG suspects. Leo Rosten hit the nail when he said words must surely be counted among the most powerful drugs man ever invented!

A few years back, Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Jenny Epperson witlessly penned: Just like his exuberant personality, the Theme: Yap limited-edition graphic shirts are bold, surreal and stylish, loudly and unapologetically proclaiming messages such as “Filthy Rich,” “Big Spender” and “Don’ t Hate Me, Envy Me. (I can already hear the keyboard sounds from bloggers everywhere… whatever!)”

Professor Randy David couldn’t have said it much better; “what is interesting about advertising is that, unlike the news, it does not hide its interest in promoting something or somebody. People know that what they are seeing or hearing is advertising, and so they are aware that they are being persuaded or even manipulated. What they are unconscious of, however, is how they are being influenced. And here lies precisely the power of modern advertising. Its target audiences are made to believe they are in full control of their decision-making, when in fact they are being subtly moved to want something they may not really want.”

Let me end this article with a quote from the late Chito Madrigal-Collantes: "I regret the ostentation and pushiness that today go with being “in society,” the quasi-vulgarity of taste, the maneuvering to get your photo in the papers, the bribery and cultivation of society reporters and columnists."

My co-alumnus of the University of the Philippines Integrated School (UPIS), Edgar Bentain, was abducted and brutally murdered more than a decade ago. This crime took place after the time when then Vice President Joseph Estrada and his thug-celebre gambling cohort Atong Ang (Atong Ang returned P25 million in corruption money to government as part of a plea bargain offer) were photographed and videotaped gaming in the Heritage Hotel Casino. The controversial surveillance photographs and video which were taken by the casino security cameras ended up in the hands of Manoling Morato who hurriedly released it to media. . Since it is illegal for a Philippine government official to gamble in a casino, this expose summarily caused uproar.

Bentain was abducted outside the hotel on Roxas Boulevard on Jan. 16, 1999, nearly a year after photos of Joseph Estrada playing baccarat in the casino surfaced in the media. “Sometime in the middle of January 1999, one day after Edgar Bentain was abducted and killed somewhere in Laguna, a police officer, still active at that time, went to Polk Street in Greenhills and reported compliance with a ‘mission accomplished,’” Lacson said. “The house occupant simply said, ‘Sige, sabihin mo sa mga bata, maraming salamat (Tell our subordinates, thank you),’” the senator said lowering his voice as if to approximate that of Joseph Estrada.

In a SENATE HEARING on 17 August 2001, Ador Mawanay related how the PAOCTF men abducted Pagcor employee Edgar Bentain who was then immersed ALIVE in cement within a steel drum. The leader, Supt. Michael Ray Aquino, ordered to cover the drum then buried it near a bridge in Pampanga. Mawanay also identified Joseph Estrada’s son, Jude Estrada [Senator Ping Lacson also noted that there was a squabble for illegal gambling money between Sen. Jinggoy and Jude Estrada (who was implied to be a drug-user in Lacson's speech ], as having given a black bag to Aquino which contained money as purported payment for the killing of Bentain.

Edgar’s brother Eddie Bentain said that they have long suspected the former president of being behind his brother’s disappearance, and that Lacson should have known about it because the senator was the national-police chief when Estrada was president.

Our dear readers who lived through the miserable yet epigrammatic hoodlum state of the Estrada presidency will agree with me when I say that it is logical to presume that then President Estrada had the motive to exact vengeance on Bentain (unless you are in another state of mind)… let alone the obvious supposition that someone from Estrada’s posse, acting on his direct orders, was indeed responsible for Bentain’s murder.

Motive is always the key to solving a murder case... so they say!

Just today, Senator Panfilo Lacson pointed in the Senate hearing to Joseph Estrada’s likely involvement in Bentain’s murder. Given the information and the current evidence surrounding the case and the exposes that Lacson is bound to divulge in the days to come, it is increasingly clear that there is only one mastermind behind the untimely and unjust fate of Bentain.

Human life is not something that can be extinguished on a whim, at the command of another, regardless of his station in life. Whether an ordinary yet brave citizen trying to expose the truth… or a president of a nation struggling with a gambling habit and the temptation of wine, women and corrupt governance, the life of every person should be deemed valuable. While the former’s flame has already been snubbed out, let us pray that the latter can still find true repentance and reform in his remaining years.

Philosopher Albert Schweitzer once said that ethics, too, are nothing but reverence for life. This is what gives me the fundamental principle of morality, namely, that good consists in maintaining, promoting, and enhancing life, and that destroying, injuring, and limiting life are evil. Lacson ended his privellege speech saying "May God save the Philippines from Joseph Estrada."

Presidential candidate Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said he would order an investigation into a Navy surveillance of National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera's (a senior citizen of the Republic of the Philippines) home. "Paiimbestigahan ko na at padidisiplinahin ko. Di lang ang nahuli, kung sino man ang responsable diyan. “Teodoro said in an ambush interview on the sidelines of the Defense department's budget hearing in the House.

The Philippine Navy should indeed reevaluate its position on human rights. The institution’s recent history would point out that the advocacy of human rights is FAR FROM from the top of the Navy’s priority list.

In 2006, more than a thousand troops from the Philippine Navy under "Task Force Bawi" launched the major operation to evict dozens of retired officers. The area to which NOVAI applied for and legally got a Transfer Certificate of Title from Rizal Province in 1992 is where the homes of the 58 evicted senior naval officers once stood. NOVAI and the 17 would-be evictees filed a petition in a Makati court to stop the eviction. The court recognized the complaint but denied the petition. On October 26 the petitioners took a petition for certiorari to the Court of Appeals.

As of today, the Philippine Navy is inhumanly depriving several retired flag officers living in the Bonifacio Naval Station of WATER and ELECTRICITY to pressure them to give up their homes. They are reportedly being treated like animals!


The Manila Naval Station on Roxas Boulevard was transferred to Fort Bonifacio in 1969. The vacated site is now occupied by Bangko Sentral ng Philipinas. Earlier, the government closed Plaza Militar, the housing area of PN at Malate, and the occupants transferred to temporally living quarters built at Lot 3of Presidential Proclamation 461.This was signed by President Diosdado Macapagal. Philippines Navy occupied Station part of AFPOVIA area was named Bonifacio Naval Station. It also continues to build housing units at Lot 3 supposedly guided by Presidential verbal instruction that the structure must be non-permanent.

“The respondents are hereby enjoined from evicting the petitioners . . . until the case before the said court is terminated,” the Court of Appeals ruled. Despite the ruling, then Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga (ret) decided to take the “law” into his own hands and evict the retirees. Whether the intentions of Mayuga may have been “honorable” in some point of view when did it become honorable to supersede the justice system and take the law into their own hands? Instead of letting the power of the courts resolve the issue of to whom the lands of the NOVAI area should belong to, “rule of law” was utterly disregarded when Mayuga used military might to forcibly evict their senior officers. In this case, democratic process was brutally dispensed of in favor of despotic might…

Nevertheless, Mr. Mateo Mayuga will have his day in court!

Navy retirees are subject of court proceeding and the case is still on appeal by government at the Court of Appeal. Other cases are also being heard. The Supreme Court has ruled that “status quo ante litem” must be restored in its decicion affirming the certiorari for court injunction in the case of previous eviction by the PN.


The “retired officers na mga makakapal” are not at odds with the PN or with the junior officers. They only fought and are still fighting, for what is legal, fair and just. Were it not for them and those founding members, perhaps, the PN is already out of the area and the place taken over by some government agencies or by private entities .

Lest we leave the issue of morality, hiya and delicadeza, we must not overlook the biblical admonition on judging others, thus… “Why do we look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but pay not attention to the log in your own eye?” How can the PN accuse NOVAI members/residents of being “makapal” when it has continuously deprived for more than 25 years now 728 members and titled lot owners of AFPOVAI (Phases 6, 7 and 8) coming from PN, PA, PAF and even PNP, of their land because PN (Philippine Nay) is illegally occupying and using the land as a golf course without regard for the rights and just compensation of the lot owners?

In both instances the NAVY is an illegal settler in AFPOVAI and NOVAI areas.

I am are sure that you are all erudite, taught, level-headed and responsible NAVAL officers who understand and respect the “rule of law and due process”.

LET THE LAW TAKE ITS COURSE AND LET JUSTICE BE SERVED.

The retired Naval Officers are as deserving as any HUMAN BEING because of PP461 issued by President Diosdao Macapagal in 1965. They are also in need of the support, care and concern of their naval service. I speak in behalf of my former neighbors who are DEPRIVED of their intrinsic HUMAN RIGHTS...

Wake-up Philippine Navy!

AFP should investigate BRYANBOY

By DJ Mojo Jojo

Working in the industries of media and advertising, I’ve come to discover first hand how down right despicable the “worshiping of brands” can be. Preying on the superficial, pretentious and other dimwitted consumers, certain advertisers and media practioners have managed to bewitch a sorry multitude into believing that “you are what you wear.”

Flaunting Prada shoes, LV bags, Gucci sunglasses and other high-end garments and accessories has become the culture of hordes of shallow individuals that worship these brands as if they were pagan gods! (Now, I have nothing against owning a nice pair of shoes or what not, but there is more to existence than making the world your personal catwalk.)

This brings me to a recent story I read about self proclaimed online fashion “sensation” Bryan Boy. (http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-09-11/fashions-night-on-probation/full/).

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CORRUPTION TIMELINE

December 19, 2003: Tim Garcia, son of former AFP comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos F. Garcia is arrested by US Customs at the San Francisco airport for failing to declare US$ 100,000.

Sources said that Timothy Mark was arrested on a provisional warrant for extradition last March 4 in New York City, where he and his mother Clarita Garcia bought an apartment for $765,000 (P36.7 million) and he is the “sole resident."It was reported that “the source of the funds that were transferred to the United States by General Garcia and his family, and that were used to purchase the above-described property, is believed to be General Garcia’s acceptance of bribes and his misappropriation, theft or embezzlement of public funds from the Philippines," the complaint added.

Despite the house arrest, Tim Garcia, the son of detained former Armed Forces of the Philippines comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, is still living it up in New York.

In a September 11 blog entry on the US tabloid The Daily Beast, Peter Davis said Tim Garcia (along with BRYANBOY) was clad in designer clothes "head-to-toe" during the interview. The items Garcia wore include: a supple caramel leather Alessandro dell’Acqua jacket, Alexander McQueen jeans, a thin white LnA tee shirt and YSL boots. His wrists are adorned with a big Cartier gold and silver Tank watch, a Cartier Love bracelet, a white enamel Hermes bangle and a $1000 dollar large gold plated spiked Hermes cuff called the Collier de Chien.

January 12, 2004: Gen. Carlos Garcia (ret) explains to the Fines, Penalties and Forfeiture Office that the amount came from "savings, honoraria, and dividends from savings" made through the years. He said the money was intended as initial downpayment for a condo unit of his son (Tim Garcia) in New York.

March 2004: Gen. Carlos Garcia (ret) is transferred to J5 as deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.

September 14, 2004: Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo gets transmittal from US Customs about Garcia's dollars.

September 2004: Ombudsman finds prima facie case against Garcia, orders AFP to suspend him for six months without pay.

October 18, 2004: Garcia repeatedly answers "I invoke my right against self incrimination" during a House hearing.

October 27, 2004: The Ombudsman files before the Sandiganbayan a petition for forfeiture of unlawfully acquired properties under R.A. No. 1379 against Garcia. The petition contained an application for a writ of preliminary attachment.

November 18, 2004: Garcia retires from service.

May 2005: Garcia appears before the Sandiganbayan after a warrant of arrest was issued against him. He was later transferred to Camp Crame.

June 22, 2005: The SC dismisses Garcia's November 17, 2004 petition, and in the process upholding the Sandiganbayan's jurisdiction over the petition for forfeiture of unlawfully acquired properties under R.A. No. 1379.

December 2, 2005: The general court martial convicted Gen. Carlos Garcia (ret) of undeclared wealth, dishonorably dismissed him from the military and sentenced him to 2 years of hard labor.

March 16, 2009- Timothy Garcia, the third child of former Armed Forces of the Philippines’ comptroller Carlos F. Garcia, was the last to turn up under detention in New York. His mother and two elder brothers had earlier been arrested and locked up in separate detention centers pending resolution of extradition cases filed against them by the Philippine government. According to a four-page complaint unsealed Monday (March 16) by Magistrate Judge Theodore H. Katz of the US Court of the Southern District of New York: "Timothy Mark Garcia, along with his brothers Ian Carl Garcia, Juan Paulo Garcia, and their mother, Clarita Garcia, acted in concert with their father, Major General Carlos F. Garcia, and others, to willfully, unlawfully, and CRIMINALLY AMASS, accumulate, and acquire ill-gotten wealth in the form of funds, landholdings, and other real and personal properties in the aggregate amount of not less than 303-million pesos."

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Personally, I have nothing against Bryan Boy… I’ve never even met this eccentric blog personality, but he is the embodiment of everything I abhor about “brand worshipping.” Now I won’t elaborate much on who Bryan Boy is (you can do you own research and check out his trifling blog to see for yourself… until know I find it dumbfounding how Bryan Boy has risen to pseudo-celebrity status), but the way he perpetuates materialism, debauchery and garish fashion choices is deplorable at best.

Author Tim Davis wrote: “His good friend, the outrageously outré Manila based fashion blogger Bryan Boy is STAYING with him. Near the kitchen in the cozy, all-white one-bedroom apartment, Bryan Boy’s massive Louis Vuitton steamer trunk explodes open with designer duds…” Bryanboy knows quite clearly that he is wining, dining and living with a person who is facing PLUNDER charges in the Philippines- a penalty that used to carry the penalty of DEATH by musketry. The worst part of it is that the money allegedly stolen could have gone to the lowly soldiers dying in the fields of Mindanao. General Garcia’s wife and their three children (all American citizens), Timothy Mark, Ian Karl, 30, and Juan Paulo, 27 are all facing PLUNDER CHARGES in the Philippines, which carries a PENALTY of 30 years to life. They are all also subjects to extradition.

According to Davis, the government contends that some of that “stolen” $6.2 million dollars went into purchasing the Trump Plaza apartment. The government also says the Garcias transferred $2 million from the Philippines to the United States. Tim Garcia remained in lock-up for 95 days. “It was the doorway to hell,” recounted Tim Garcia. On June 8, he was released from prison on a million-dollar bail.

Aside from the aforementioned Garcia family controversy mentioned in Davis’ story, what really disturbs me in the chronicle is how decadently Tim Garcia and his friend Bryan Boy wish to be portrayed.

“Near the kitchen in the cozy, all-white one-bedroom apartment, Bryan Boy’s massive Louis Vuitton steamer trunk explodes open with designer duds. A white mohair Gucci dog bed, for Garcia’s five-year-old Yorkshire Terrier “Cartier,” rests under a an enormous flat-screen TV. On the kitchen table, two laptops are open and towers of fashion magazines, costume jewelry and beauty products are everywhere.”

(I’m sure that the cost of Garcia’s dog bed or Bryan Boy’s steamer trunk could buy a heap load of more important things – like a year’s supply of food which could feed a malnourished family in the Philippines, medicines for poverty stricken children or even much-needed equipment for AFP soldiers that serve our country)

Now, I’ve personally known this controversial fashionista named Tim Garcia. We were schoolmates at the University of Asia & the Pacific several years ago. I must admit, given my green age back then, I found myself enthralled by Tim and his uber “branded” lifestyle. His hair was oh so silky smooth and always seemed to fall perfectly into place despite the Manila breeze (this was thanks to the luxurious treatments he would enjoy at an upscale parlor). He was always dressed in the latest designer duds that I could never fathom of buying as my monthly allowance was way too paltry. His androgynous look gave him an elf-like quality as he would saunter down the halls of our university.

Tim Garcia seemed so friendly, albeit with a certain aloof or even snobbish quality about him. I would often chit chat with him between classes, amazed how he seemed to never wear the same outfit twice. From head to toe… starting with his perfectly coifed hairdo down to his expensively chic footwear, it was obvious that he worshipped fashion and high-priced things that showed off his wealth.

One time, Tim told me that his father was a military man so I was excited to introduce him to my boyfriend who was also a military brat. I clearly recall that when they met, Tim was wearing a flashy pair of white Prada shoes.

“Ah, so your father is comptroller of the AFP,” my boyfriend said to Tim.

Not knowing what a “comptroller” was at the time, I asked them what kind of job his father did.

“We control the money,” Tim proudly answered.

Davis’ article continues and interviews Tim: “My father is a government official in the Philippines,” Garcia explains carefully, his small voice growing deeper. “Basically they are accusing my father of stealing millions and misuse of public funds and me being his son, they locked up his entire family. The picture the Philippines press paints of my family is that we were dirt poor and with my father in this position for two years, we rose to astronomical riches. We are third generation despots in the Philippines.”

I just don’t understand how people like Bryan Boy and Tim Garcia could possibly live in such a fantasy world and want to project such materialistic and self-centered personas? Sure you can afford Prada, Gucci and Marc Jacobs… but what about your personal character or accomplishments to help your fellow men? Even worse, I cannot fathom why the press would even give people like this space in their magazines, lifestyle columns and “praise-release” blogs?

According to Davis: “On June 8, (Tim) Garcia was released from prison on a million-dollar bail. He was despondent and in shock. Then, in a strange twist of fate, he was offered the coveted job as a publicist for Marc Jacobs. He didn’t dare tell the fashion house about his court ordeal, but then Page Six broke the news for him. His bosses at Marc Jacobs didn’t blink. “I didn’t tell them about my situation. I don’t have a criminal record. They arrested me to put pressure on my family. I’m just fortunate that no one [at Marc Jacobs] cares and if anything, they are very, very compassionate to my situation.”

For the love of God! People from Marc Jacobs, our lowly soldiers are dying in the fields without proper uniforms and medicines…The AFP's rank and file have been deprived by crooks.

These “brand worshippers” who revel in this debauchery just do not understand how sickening they are – they are the true “Fashion Victims!” Victims of succumbing to greed, vanity and the corrupting power of these high end brands and the empty repugnance they can come to represent. Victims of perpetuating this shallow way of life with every sashay and wardrobe change when there really is little or no societal value in what they do.

As Bryan Gorrell would always say “give back what you stole”- then maybe the Filipinos can forgive you... Tim Davis adds that the forfeiture case against Garcia and his mother was stayed on March 10 to allow the Philippine prosecution and investigation to proceed – and possibly seize the Park Avenue pied-a-terre. While Garcia waits to see whether he will lose his apartment, his bank accounts and be extradited back to the Philippines, he continues to work hard at Marc by Marc Jacobs.

I know I’ve touched on so many topics in writing this blog post but I just can’t help but vent! From the matters of corruption, stealing from one’s country, flaunting “illgotten” wealth when those around you live in poverty, and idolizing brand name clothing like the Israelites once did with their golden calf… why can’t such victims of moral indecency see the errors of their ways and the emptiness of their existence?

There’s more to life than fashion and getting rich at any cost!