PAANO NAGNAKAW ANG MGA MARCOS?

ANG SABI NGA NG ISANG POET, LET ME COUNT THE WAYS or ISA-ISAHIN NATIN.

By Maria Lourdes Sereno

November 17, 2021

Mag-start po tayo ng series natin with Baltazar Aquino, dating Secretary of Public Works and Highways ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos from 1974-79.

Kahapon po ay naipost natin ang 1988 video documentary na ginawa ng ABS-CBN at narrated ni Angelo Castro, Jr. Nasabi ko po, na iisa-isahin natin ang mga paraan ng pagnanakaw na ginawa ni Ginoong Marcos na naikwento sa video na ito. Isa na dito ang ikinumpisal ni Secretary Baltazar Aquino sa PCGG at sa Sandiganbayan. Iyung sa Sandiganbayan po, ay tinatawag na deposition, kasi po may terminal illnes na si Secretary Aquino at gusto niyang ilabas sa taumbayan ang katotohanan bago siya bawian ng buhay.

Nai-suggest ko po na gawin natin itong video plus additional research bilang platform for history lessons. Ang HISTORY LESSON NATIN FOR THIS POST will FOCUS SA JAPANESE WAR REPARATION AND AID MONEY, ANG REQUIRED MARCOS COMMISSIONS SA MGA JAPANESE CORPORATIONS, AT ANG PAG-TESTIFY NI DATING SECRETARY BALTAZAR AQUINO SA SANDIGANBAYAN KUNG PAANO NIYA SINUNOD ANG UTOS NI MARCOS NA MANG-KOTONG SA JAPANESE BUSINESSES AT PAANO NIYA IDINEPOSITO ANG MGA ITO SA HONGKONG BRANCHES NG SWISS BANKS NI MARCOS.

Bukod sa video ay ipo-post natin dito ang blog ni Political Science Professor Bong Mendoza, na nagre-report tungkol sa kwento ni Secretary Aquino sa kaniyang deposition sa Sandiganbayan, at ang kaniyang analysis sa pag-abuso ni Marcos ng Japanese reparation and aid program para sa Pilipinas.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

1. Bukod po sa national budget na galing sa buwis, mayroon po bang malaking pondo o mga programa na maaaring pagnakawan ang mga public officilas noon gaya ni Pangulong Marcos?

2. Para saan po kaya ang Japanese War Reparations Funds?

3. Sino ang nagbantay dito at sino dapat ang mananagot kung kinurakot ito?

4. Paano po kayang nakawin ng Pangulo at Secretary of Public Works and Highways ang pondo at mga kontribusyon gaya ng Japanese War Reparation Funds?

5. Paano na-implement ni Secretary Baltazar Aquino ang commission system na na-set up ni Pangulong Marcos? Tama po ba na ang nag-susupervise ng program sa infrastructure ay siya ring naniningil ng ilegal na komisyon para sa Pangulo at nagdedeposito ng pera sa foreign bank accounts ng Pangulo?

6. Paano naitatago ang stolen money from the Filipino people sa secret bank accounts?

7. Paano napapadali ng diktadurya ang pagnanakaw sa bayan?

8. Ano ang dapat nating gawin bilang mga kabataan, mag-aaral at ordinaryong taumbayan para hindi na maulit ang mga ito?

9. Ano ang response ng Japanese government dahil sa naging iskandalo ng pagnanakaw o pang-aabuso ng Pangulong Marcos sa Japanese War Reparations program? (Para sa college, pag-aralan kung paano kinailangang baguhin ng mga Hapon ang kanilang policies sa Japanese Official Development Aid; tip: gawin po itong research assignment.)

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONS TO YOUR STUDENTS:

Please watch the video with special attention to time codes on Japanese War Reparations Program and Secretary Baltazar Aquino:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=116654731019503&id=100080249305154

Read the blog of Professor Bong Mendoza in the link below. Pinahintulutan po tayo ni Professor Mendoza na gamitin ang post niyang ito. Mahaba po, pero tiyagain po nating pag-aralan. Magandang mahasa ang ating taumbayan sa malalim na pag-uusap, paninindigan at paghahanap ng solusyon upang pigilan ang pagnanakaw sa pamahalaan:
https://bongmendoza.wordpress.com/…/the-baltazar…/

Para lang ma-emphasize ang halaga ng post ni Professor Mendoza, iha-highlight ko lang po iyung ibang statements dito:

A general picture of Marcos’ irregular relationships with Japanese firms and suppliers vying for Japanese government-funded projects in the Philippines emerges from the Aquino testimony, the papers supplied by Oscar Rodriguez, and documents pertaining to the Angenit Investment Corporation headed by Marcos crony and former parliamentarian Andres Genito Jr. The Marcos-Japanese relationship started with the Japanese Reparations Program, administered by the Reparations Commission headed by Marcos war buddy Gen. Eulogio Balao. It continued up to the last years of the Marcos presidency when the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF) became the main conduit of Japanese public funds into the country following the end of the Reparations Program to specific Japanese suppliers.

1. On several occasions from July 1975 to July 1976, Secretary Aquino travelled to Hongkong to receive monies from Japanese firm representatives, particularly Susumu Makino of Sakai Heavy Industries. Aquino would then deposit the money to a numbered account (No. 51960) with the Hongkong office of the Swiss Bank Corporation. A Swiss Bank Corporation official in Hongkong, a Mr. Barasoni issued deposit receipts which Aquino will turn over to Marcos upon his return to Manila.

2. Baltazar Aquino testified that Marcos instructed him to keep his Hongkong activities secret and unknown even to Aquino’s wife. Aquino wrote Marcos a letter dated 25 May 1977 promising to keep his mouth shut.

3. After Gen. Balao’s death, Marcos expressed some worry that Genito was not giving a proper accounting of ‘commissions’ received through Angenit Investment Corporation. Rodriguez was asked to perform an audit and he was able to prepare a schedule of collections made by Balao and Genito. Genito was found, in one instance, to be short of a hundred thousand dollars (US$100,000.00). For his part, Genito tried to persuade Rodriguez to withhold his deficiency from Marcos.

4. Yoshiko Kotake of Toyo Corporation wrote Genito to advise President Marcos not to use Baltazar Aquino to collect ‘commissions’ from Japanese firms. Kotake warned of a possible scandal (similar to the Lockheed affair which led to the imprisonment of former Japanese prime minister Kakuei Tanaka) since Aquino was a high government official. Aquino was himself in charge of Japanese government-funded projects in the Philippines.