Every now and then, Fe Zamora of the Inquirer and Gay Jarque, widow of the late Rene Jarque (a truly admirable officer), would get together for dinner. Last Friday,it was Fe who chose the place. She said Mikey’s Bar and Grill along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue.

Mikey is a common name and I didn’t attach it to one of Malaca?ang’s illegal occupants until I entered the restaurant and saw Mikey Arroyo holding court in one of th]]> Let me tell you a learning experience I had last night:

Every now and then, Fe Zamora of the Inquirer and Gay Jarque, widow of the late Rene Jarque (a truly admirable officer), would get together for dinner. Last Friday,it was Fe who chose the place. She said Mikey’s Bar and Grill along Diosdado Macapagal Avenue.

Mikey is a common name and I didn’t attach it to one of Malaca?ang’s illegal occupants until I entered the restaurant and saw Mikey Arroyo holding court in one of the tables.

I was the first to arrive and was there alone for more than half an hour until Fe and Gay came.

I took the seat facing the sidewalk and I saw through the glass wall two military-looking guys. His PSG escorts probably.

Since I was already there,fashion handbags, I thought there was no use fretting over Fe’s choice of restaurant (she said later she wants to write about the place. click here for Fe’,replica hermes;s story.) and decided to make it a learning experience.

The restaurant is in the “Hobbies of Asia Mall”.We surmised many of the tenants there cater to “hobbies” or offer computer games or whatever. In Mikey’s Grill, it’s horseracing.

In between loud banter with friends, Mikey would shift TV channel to the live telecast of horseracing. It was so noisy.

Distracted by their noise, I glanced at their table and I saw Mikey being massaged. He was a picture of a junior godfather.

Mikey’s bar and grill’s menu is mostly Filipino dishes. They accept “paluto” (you buy seafoods in the nearby wet market and have it cooked by the restaurant of your choice in the area.) I ordered panga ng tuna (P250.00),replica wallets, Gay ordered salpicao and Fe got chopsuey. All in all, our bill was P1,030.00. Not cheap.

On our way out, Mikey was near the doorway acting the gracious restaurant owner. “Thank you for coming,” he said.

A staff in a coffee shop in the area, said some nights, a lot of self-important looking men enter Mikey’s . They ride in vehicles with No. 8 car plates.

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Photo below was taken during yesterday’s press conference. Beside her is Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro who saw “no iota of evidence to show” that Comelec’s decision to award the contract to Mega ]]> Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is back from her Swiss sojourn and wasted no time defending her decision to absolve Comelec officials led by Chairman Benjamin Abalos from responsibility in the anomalous P1.3 billion poll automation contract with Mega Pacific.

Photo below was taken during yesterday’s press conference. Beside her is Overall Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro who saw “no iota of evidence to show” that Comelec’s decision to award the contract to Mega Pacific “constitute manifest (sic) of partiality, evident bad faith or gross inexcusable negligence.”

BY PETER TABINGO

OMBUDSMAN Merceditas Gutierrez yesterday broke her silence on her office’s decision to clear officials involved in the P1.3 billion Mega Pacific election automation project by chiding complainants for ignoring invitations to its public hearings.

“Kami po ay nagkaroon ng 12 pampublikong pagdinig sa kaso ng Comelec. Inimbitahan po namin ang mga complainants, mga testigo at ang lahat ng may interes sa kaso. Marami pong nakinig sa civil society groups, NGOs (non-government organizations) at iba pa. Subalit hindi po dumalo, aktibong nakilahok at nagsumite ng ebidensiya ang complainants sa 12 araw ng pagdinig,” she said in a press conference.

Among the complainants were Kilosbayan, Bantay Katarungan and Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Gutierrez said she is ready to face any challenge to the Ombudsman resolution before the Supreme Court.

“Mayroon bang sinabi ang Korte Suprema na may krimen na nagawa hinggil sa Mega Pacific contract? Wala po. Kung may krimen, sana ay pinakumpiska ng Korte Suprema ang counting machines bilang bunga ng krimen o proceeds of the crime,”,Replica Wallets; she said.

Reacting to calls for her impeachment, the Ombudsman said she will deal with the issue when it gets to her doorstep.

“Hindi ko yan masasagot (impeachment). But hindi ko rin mapipigilan ang mga critics ko na gumawa ng hakbang laban sa akin,” she said.

Gutierrez shrugged off allegations that the questioned resolution was a favor extended to Malaca?ang and Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo,Mulberry Handbags, her Ateneo Law School classmate.

Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano (Pateros-Taguig) has said that Gutierrez should resign.

“Kami po ay nakikiusap na sana ay huwag bahiran ng kulay pulitika ang aming desisyon. Ang Office of the Ombudsman ay isang independent institution. Walang kinalaman ang Malaca?ang sa amin. Matagal na ako sa gobyerno. Nagkaroon ba ng kaso na naimpluensiyahan ako ng isang kaklase? I have never been influenced,” Gutierrez said.

In a 52-page resolution on Monday last week, the anti-graft body reversed the June 23, 2005 resolution of graft investigators that recommended the filing of impeachment complaints against Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Commissioners Resurreccion Borra, Mehol Sadain and Florentino Tuason on the grounds of graft and corruption and betrayal of public trust. Commissioners Luzviminda Tancangco and Ralph Lantion were held liable for two counts of graft each.
The Supreme Court in January 2004 voided the contract for the supply of 1,991 counting machines,Replica Burberry, citing irregularities in the composition of the consortium and violations of the bidding rules.

It said that in the automation contract, the government earmarked P1.3 billion, of which P850 million has been “irregularly” paid.

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