SAVE PHILIPPINE PATRIMONIES IN JAPAN FROM ARROYO'S GREED AND CORRUPTION

An Open Letter to the Senate of the Philippines

Protect the Philippine Patrimony in Japan, Save the Philippine Properties from Arroyo's Greed and Corruption: Petition and Unity Statement of Concerned Filipinos in Japan

Honorable Manuel Villar

President, Senate of the Philippines

Rm. 606 6th Flr., GSIS Bldg.,

Financial Center, Roxas Blvd.,

Pasay City

Dear Sir:

We, the members of the Filipino community and our Japanese supporters, are outraged by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s renewed bidding call for the “development” of the Fujimi property, which is one of the five (5) properties acquired by the Philippines in Japan through World War II reparations of Japan to the Philippines. The others are located in other posh districts in Tokyo and Kobe.

The Fujimi is a 5,219 square-meter prime real-state located in a mixed residential and commercial district in Tokyo right next to the Imperial Palace and the famous Yasukuni Shrine, where coincidentally those who sacrificed their lives for their country in WWII are enshrined.

We understand that the move to subject the said Philippine property and patrimony in Japan for built-operate-transfer schemes come after the revelation by Engineer Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr. at the Philippine Senate Blue Ribbon hearing last 8 February 2008 on the overpriced Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company-National Broadband Network (ZTE-NBN) project, for which we understand that former Commission on Election Chairman Benjamin Abalos, Sr., allegedly hoped to gain a large amount of kickbacks amounting to 130 million US dollars in connivance with Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of Gloria M. Arroyo, who should be held responsible for all these scams.

We, therefore, view both the biddings for ZTE-NBN and the Fujimi property projects as having no clear public rationale, and like the former, the bidding for the Fujimi property has to be stopped.

In August 2003, the Arroyo administration discretely published an ad in the newspapers soliciting bids for the development of the remaining Philippine properties in Japan. This "stealth attack" was almost successful as it was not until October that the Filipino community got word of the new attempt.

The bidding schedule was particularly disturbing since it was timed so that awards could be made on the day prior to the moratorium on property dealings, six months before the elections - a blatant attempt that the Filipino community in Japan saw as a desperate effort to quickly raise funds for Arroyo’s election campaign. Towards the end of November, we were informed that you, Senator Manuel Villar, issued a statement that the Senate should be informed that the bidding was stopped and not pushed through.

However, in February 2004, to the great surprise of the Filipino community in Tokyo, articles suddenly appeared in the Philippine newspapers that the Arroyo government was already prepared to award 50-year leases for the Shibuya and two Kobe properties, in exchange for 948 million pesos (1.78 billion yen) under a "hybrid build-operate-transfer" scheme.

The Kudanshita, Fujimi property was excluded from the award that we surmise, in part, to pacify the ambassador who lives there, and who has been against the disposal of the properties.

The awards were to be given to two companies: Urban Corporation, a relatively young property developer based in Hiroshima; and a certain Berg Corporation, which is not listed anywhere in Japan. Thus, the granting such award to a non-Japanese or Filipino company has by virtue of the provisions of the Japan-Philippine Reparations Treaty a breach of the treaty and a violation of the terms and conditions of the said treaty that has restricted the granting of such award to any non-Filipino or non-Japanese individual, company and otherwise.

Moreover, there had been no announcement as required by the law regarding such information as to the names of the other bidders, prices submitted, and the details of the schemes to be undertaken. Even now, such information has not been disclosed to the public that the Filipino community in Japan cannot understand other than an aversion to transparency. Even senior level embassy officers in Tokyo have not informed of the details throughout the bidding process then and now.

Once again, in February 25, 2008, at the height of the nation-wide mass actions calling for Arroyo’s resignation due to corruption charges and the People Power anniversary, the news reported the call for the Fujimi property bidding. This time, the Philippine Ambassador, Domingo L. Siazon is even implicated in what the Filipino community deem to be another scam despite the fact that he has openly spoken against the disposal of the Fujimi property.

The news stated the Philippine ambassador might be “bent on favoring a close relative or friends of his wife’s clan in Japan.” This statement made by an official of the Department of Finance is posted at http://www.journal.com.ph/index.php?issue=2008-02-25&sec=4&aid=50609.

Accordingly, we, the Filipinos in Japan and our Japanese supporters, oppose all forms of trampling on our own patrimonial rights. If the removal of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is necessarily for these patrimonies to remain in Philippine hands, so be it. Sobra na, tama na, kumilos na (Enough is enough, stop the immoral undertaking, let’s act now)!

We, therefore, are affixing our signatures to show our unity on the issue and solidarity with the millions of Filipinos calling for the preservation of the historical Fujimi property, and other Philippine patrimonies in Japan, especially the property at Nampeidai, Shibuya Ward in Tokyo that is now being contested in a Philippine court by a Japanese who claims he bought the said property from the Arroyo government sans a national referendum and therefore has the right to register the said property and dispose of it as his own. For this, we demand very strongly the resignation or ousting of Arroyo.

We are counting on the Senate President to help and act on the petition of the Filipino people to stop the bidding and all transactions of the Arroyo administration to dispose the Philippine properties in Japan.

Protect the Philippine Patrimony in Japan!

Save the Philippine Fujimi Property Away from Greed and Corruption!

Oust Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo NOW!

Cc: Members of the Philippine Senate

Philippine Embassy, Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo, Japan

March 30, 2008

Yuko Takei

Spokesperson

Crusade for the Protection of Philippine Patrimonies in Japan

Agalyn Nagase

National Chairperson

Kalipunan ng mga Filipino na Nagkakaisa (KAFIN)

Cesar V. Santoyo

Mission Director

Center for Japanese-Filipino Families (CJFF)

Cora Kasuga

National Chairperson

Filipina Circle for Advancement and Progress (FICAP)

Roland Tolentino

Professor, University of the Philippines Film Institute

Visiting Researcher, Center for Southeast Asian Studies,

Kyoto University

Jocelyn Hasumi

Leader, Saitama Chapter

The Philippine Women’s League of Japan

Virgie Ishihara

Executive Director

Filipino Migrants Center (FMC)

Epifania M. Kyo

Association of Filipino Wives of Japanese

Chiba, Japan

Margie Ieda

Chairperson

Filipina Circle for Advancement and Progress (FICAP-Nagoya)

Francis YU

Architect

Tokyo, Japan

TULOY ANG LABAN, WALANG URUNGAN!

For Gloria the Evil Bitch, "RESIGNATION" is not the right word to use. Lozada says she should be "OUSTED" by force even if it means sacrificing some lives, hers, her husband and their minions maybe. TAMA NA! SOBRA NA! PATALSIKIN NA! OUST GLORIA NOW!

I wish to thank Kabayan for the image above. It's swell. It's the ugliest picture so far of the Midget yet. TY muna!

JOIN NOW! OUST GLORIA M. ARROYO!

This midget should be jailed in fact for various crimes committed against the people of the Republic of the Philippines. Everybody knows she did not win the election in 2004.

There are evidences to prove this, but unfortunately, the criminal has managed to put people of her caliber to head agencies most responsible for putting criminals like her to jail like the inutile Raul Gonzales, the unconfirmed Secretary of InJustice, Mercedes Gutierrez, the girlfriend of the husband, who throws his weight around culling officials to peddle his bogus projects for ODA from China, Japan, and all those countries willing to help Filipinos get on their feet, and the generals, who connived with the Comelec junkies in the 2004 and 2007 vote-rigging and handpicked by the crook to lead the police and the military.

Now is the time for Filipinos to demand putting this criminal and her accomplices, especially the conniving husband, to prison. When they are able to do so, then, they can definitely start anew!

Tama Na! Sobra Na! Patalsikin Na, Now Na!

STOP COVETING PHILIPPINE PATRIMONIES IN JAPAN

Statement of Unity of Concerned Filipinos in Japan

Protect the Philippine Patrimony in Japan!

Save the Philippine Fujimi Property from Greed and Corruption:

We are outraged by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration attempt for a renewed bidding call for the so-called “development” of the Fujimi property, a part of the World War II reparations that Japan paid the Philippines for war damages. The Fujimi is a 5,219 square meters prime property located in a mixed residential and commercial district in Tokyo.

The unwanted call to subject the Philippine treasure and patrimony in the country for built-operate-transfer scheme comes in a time after the revelation by Engineer Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr. at the Philippine Senate Blue Ribbon hearings last 8 February 2008 on the overpriced Zhong Xing Telecommunication Equipment Company-National Broadband Network (ZTE-NBN) project. We are dismayed by the revelations that former Commission on Election Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., with the alleged involvement of First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, ordered the inclusion in the proposed project a large amount of kickbacks, amounting to as much as 130 million US dollars (or more than 5.2 billion pesos).

In the same vein, both the ZTE-NBN project bidding and the Fujimi property bidding have no clear public rationale in the first place and like the former have to be stopped. All are part of so many public properties, natural resources, government agencies, overseas Filipino workers and others being sacrificed for the greed of the few.

In August 2003, the Arroyo government discretely published an ad in the newspapers soliciting bids for the development of the remaining properties. This "stealth attack" was hugely successful as it was not until October that the Filipino community here got word of the new attempt. The bidding schedule was particularly disturbing since it was timed so that awards could be made by the day prior to the moratorium on property dealings which kicks in 6 months before the elections - a blatant attempt that we in Japan see as a desperate effort to quickly raise funds for the election campaign. Towards the end of November, no less than Sen. Manuel Villar issued a statement that he had been informed that the bidding was not pushing through.

In February 2004, to the great surprise of people in Tokyo, articles suddenly start appearing in the Philippine newspapers that the Arroyo government was prepared to award 50-year leases for the Shibuya and two Kobe properties in exchange for 948 million pesos (1.78 billion yen) under a "hybrid build-operate-transfer" scheme.

The Kudanshita, Fujimi property was excluded from the award - we surmise in part to pacify the ambassador, who lives there, who had been against the disposal of the properties. The awards are to be given to two companies: Urban Corporation, a relatively young property developer based in Hiroshima; and a certain Berg Corporation, which is not listed anywhere in Japan. Information on the other bidders, prices submitted, and the details of the schemes to be undertaken were not announced, for reasons we cannot understand other than an aversion to transparency. Even senior level embassy officers in Tokyo were ignorant of the details throughout the bidding process.

Once again, in February 25, 2008, in the height of the nationwide action calling for Arroyo’s resignation due to corruption charges and Peoples Power anniversary, the news reports the resumption of Fujimi property bidding. This time, the Philippine Ambassador, Domingo L. Siazon who openly speaks against Fujimi property disposal is painted in the dark. As the news says, the Philippine ambassador might be “bent on favoring a close relative or friends of his wife’s clan in Japan.” A statement made by an official of the Department of Finance.

Sobra na, tama na, kumilos na (Enough, stop this, let’s act now)! We the Filipinos in Japan stands to oppose all the forms of removing away from us our own patrimonial rights. Therefore, we are affixing our signatures to show our unity and in joining the millions of Filipinos calling for the resignation or ousting of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It is only through her removal in the office that the Philippine patrimony in Japan and the Fujimi property will rest securely.

Protect the Philippine Patrimony in Japan!

Save the Philippine Fujimi Property Away from Greed and Corruption!

Oust Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo NOW!

GLORIA RESIGN!

WE JOIN ALL FILIPINOS AT HOME AND ABROAD IN DEMANDING FOR THE RESIGNATION OF GLORIA M. ARROYO RIGHT NOW!

FILIPINOS ARE FED UP OF HER LIES AND DECEIT. SHE HAS TO STEP DOWN AND ACCEPT ALL LEGAL RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ALL THE CRIMES COMMITTED BY HER, HER HUSBAND AND THEIR ASSOCIATES AGAINST THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES.

WE ALSO REFUSE THE SERVICES OF HER PARTNER IN CRIME, NOLI DE CASTRO, HER VICE PRESIDENT AS WE BELIEVE THAT HE IS A BENEFICIARY OF THE RAMPANT CHEATING DONE DURING THE ELECTION IN 2004 THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WON BY HER OPPONENT, THE MORE POPULAR RONALD ALLAN POE, A.K.A. FERNANDO POE JR., IF NOT FOR THE 1 MILLION VOTES REPORTEDLY STOLEN BY THE INFAMOUS VOTE-RIGGER, VIRGILIO GARCILLANO, ON HER ORDER AND INSTRUCTION.

FILIPINOS DEMAND THAT GLORIA M. ARROYO BE ARRESTED, PROSECUTED AND JAILED FOR HER CRIMES TOGETHER WITH ALL HER ACCOMPLICES!

WE REQUEST FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS TO REFUSE PROVIDING HELP AND ASSISTANCE TO THIS CRIMINAL AND HER MINIONS.

CONCERNED FILIPINOS AND THEIR SUPPORTERS IN JAPAN

Call for the Resignation of Gloria M. Arroyo

TAMA NA! SOBRA NA! KILOS NA! GLORIA M. ARROYO RESIGN!

WE CALL ON ALL FILIPINOS TO JOIN THE RALLY TODAY TO DEMAND FOR THE RESIGNATION OF GLORIA M. ARROYO AND COMPANY. WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO JOIN THE NUMEROUS GROUPS NOW FILING LEGAL CASES AGAINST THIS OPPRESSIVE GOVERNMENT THAT MEMBERS OF VARIOUS BAR ASSOCIATIONS IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE WILLING TO PURSUE IN COURT VERSUS GLORIA M. ARROYO, MIKE PIDAL ARROYO, ET AL!

HUWAG MATAKOT SA MGA KURAKOT! TIME TO DEMAND FOR THEIR RESIGNATION, ARREST AND CONVICTION!

FROM THE CONCERNED FILIPINOS OF JAPAN