Justice Del Castillo’s white knight BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 08/15/2010

Justice Del Castillo’s white knight

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 08/15/2010 The Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (Ceza) has been omitted by the Commission on Audit (CoA), for reasons only it can fathom, from its list of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) that was released recently to the public. The Ceza, which supervises the operations of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone located in Port Irene, Santa Ana, Cagayan, functions in the exact same manner as, let’s say, the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which oversees activities in the Clark Special Economic Zone inside the old Clark Air Base in Pampanga or the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in the former Subic Naval Base in Olongapo, Zambales. Of late, nationwide attention has been focused on the SBMA and CDC after it was revealed (again based on CoA data) that officials working for them were among the highest paid in government with fantabulous salaries in 2009. SBMA Chairman Armand Arreza is supposed to have netted P26.8 million, while CDC president Benny Ricafort came away with P14.6 million. Several questionable omissions in the CoA’s list of highest-paid government officials in 2009 included those of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) Chairman Efraim Genuino who is alleged to have had at his disposal intelligence funds, that aren’t subjected to normal audit strictures, amounting to around P500 million, as well as some subordinates like former Pagcor president Butch Francisco and members of the Pagcor board..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100815com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Thrown to Basilan FRONTLINE Willing to throw out all focus China mudslides highlight cost of rapid economic growth BLURBAL THRUSTS Justice Del Castillo’s white knight C.R.O.S.S.R.O.A.D.S Let go VIEWPOINTS Mother Earth TABLETS OF STONE ‘Let’s move on'