Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Five of Diamonds


Honesty is the best policy. That's true. There are numerous accounts that tells how a crooked fellow got his huge payback. I would like to set an example courtesy of the following links. It would be best to use political examples. Since the May 2010 election is fast approaching, the number one presidential candidate feels that the number two is now cutting his lead and will most likely over take him. Here is what has propagated for the candidate one's benefit : (from http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/view+topic/id/30063/m/1158965/bookmark/441407/Is+This+Lavish+Mansion+Owned+By+Sen.+Manny+Villar%3F#m1158965) )

Totoo kaya ito? Ano sa palagay nyo mga Kasulit..........


Now there’s a circulating e-mail that contains intriguing pictures of an unknown mansion.

The e-mail starts with the question: “Who owns a house like this?” and then showed various pictures of the purported mansion, which had opulent Victorian-style interiors.

Then the email asks the following intriguing query: “Imagine who would have such taste and live in such opulence?”

  • An American Billionaire?
  • A Saudi Prince?
  • Louis XIV of France ?

Savour the pictures then scroll to the bottom of the page to see who owns this Work of Art.

The e-mail-sender ends his/her message with the following: “While Filipinos starve, and die because of abject poverty and while Sen. Villar brags that he had poor beginnings and he had helped his poor countrymen over and over again… but look now.. he and his family live like this, his GREED kills his poverty stricken fellow Filipinos.”

The circulating chain e-mail claims that this great wealth is owned by none other than Filipino billionaire and presidential candidate Senator Manny Villar. The Mansion is said to be located in Salt Lake City, Utah in the United States. However, Villar allies claimed that the pictures of so-called Villar’s Mansion to be a “hoax.”

According to an ABS-CBN report, the intriguing e-mail has been circulating as early as 2008 and that the mansion was first linked to Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe.

The reports states:

A copy of the e-mail about Mugabe’s mansion also had the same wording as the recent e-mail about Villar, with minor changes to make it appear that it was written for a Filipino audience.

The Snopes website said that the mansion is not in Salt Lake City but in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. It also noted that the mansion has been extensively photographed because it is sometimes used as a site for TV shows and films.

Snopes also revealed that the mansion has been linked to various personalities such as former Nigerian military ruler Ibrahim Babangida, Indian film star Shahrukh Khan, and Edir Macedo, founder of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.

In a phone interview, Nacionalista Party spokesman Gilbert Remulla downplayed the latest attempt to besmirch the reputation of Villar.

“Who would want to buy a mansion in Salt Lake City? Are there papers to support it?” he said, adding that there was absolutely no truth to the rumor.

He added: “The campaign being waged by Villar’s opponents reaches record lows everyday, starting with the false associations of ‘Villaroyo.’ It only shows that his opponents are insecure and desperate. We pray that they campaign on platforms and capabilities rather than mudslinging.”

At least one of those who forwarded the e-mail about Villar has apologized. Domingo Guevara Jr. of the Guevara Group of Companies apologized to the Villar camp for forwarding the bogus e-mail to his contacts. He said he issued his apology “not because I support Villar but I wish to be fair to all concerned.”

The Nacionalista Party claimed this e-mail hoax is the latest in a series of attempts to disseminate black propaganda against Villar, who is being linked to the C-5 Road extension scandal. The Senator allegedly used his political position and influence to cause the C-5 public road project to be constructed.

Villar allegedly made the insertion by virtue of his position as Finance chairman and as Senate president to ensure that his property would be paid right away. Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Villar went to the Senate on February 2 to deny the charges against him. He delivered a privilege speech, refused to entertain questions from his colleagues and left the session hall after his hour-long rhetoric. (Read part of his speech here.)

Whether presidentiable Manny Villar is a filthy rich or not, he reminds me of the following line from my favorite book Atlas Shrugged:

When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed. Money is so noble a medium that is does not compete with guns and it does not make terms with brutality. It will not permit a country to survive as half-property, half-loot.


The propaganda above was answered with this well researched site (from http://politicalamateur.wordpress.com/2010/02/22/and-the-black-propaganda-backfires-palpak-to-the-max/)

The author sent emails to many Ateneo alumni organizations and furiously fanned out ——– that even Manny Villar supporters started asking if there is any truth to this claim.

But someone at the receiving end of this vicious attack on Villar made sure the assholes were put in place. God bless him for exposing this as a hoax. And he wrote:

for info on this email. The mansion does not belong to Manny Villarand it is not in Salt Lake City, Utah. “It is in the Tony Bel Air section of Los Angeles; it has been extensively photographed inside and out because it is sometimes used as the site of location shooting for TV and films.” This forwarded email started circulating in the internet in July 2008 and the mansion was said to be in Harare owned by Pres. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.
Please be careful in forwarding such FW emails especially if it is critical to anyone, especially the presidential candidates. Let us be fair, no matter what candidate or party we support.
I think we should all be shooting out emails esp to Ateneans so they may now realize the kind of black propaganda many Ateneans peddle just to discredit Manny Villar. If they think this is their way to win votes for their candidate Noynoy, they better think again.

In the email sent to several atenean groups, this fellow even cited it is “no wonder Villar’s endorser is Wowowee —same feathers”. I am no big fan of Willie Revillame but I certainly think he earned the money he now enjoys the honest way. It may seem “baduy” to these elitists, but hey, this Wowowee host is undeniably a successful artist who excelled in his craft. Don’t you just find it condescending the way these elitists put down people like Manny and Willie, who succeeded in struggling out of poverty as if it is a sin that these guys did not remain poor?

Our friends in Ateneo, many of whom I find decent , would earn more respect from people like me if they admonish the group or the individuals who peddled this lie. I do not think the priests there taught them a lesson in black propaganda. But they may certainly teach them a lesson now about decency.

The result? When a dishonest deed was answered by a truthful act, it backfires more than two times to the one who did such a disgraceful act. The above happenings resulted to a number of party members of the dishonorable presidential candidate jumped towards the wagon of the one being assaulted by the propagandas. Not only that, the candidate who was attacked gains so much supporters and strengthen his credibility. So much dirt in politics... the point is, everyone should "WORK HONESTLY."

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