Exploiting the Exploited

Never has the country seen this much interest in the so-called "sex industry" since Tetchie Agbayani shocked the public when she posed nude in the German edition of Playboy magazine in 1982. The sex videos of cosmetic surgeon Dr. Hayden Kho and actress-model Katrina Halili have been widely searched on the Google and Yahoo along with the nude photos and sultry scenes of Dr. Kho and two other women, reportedly top commercial models.

Even porn film vendors in Quiapo have started to cash in on the growing demand for the "Hayden Cam" video. The name was coined after it was alleged that it was the good doctor who installed the hidden camera in the room. Some vendors were brazen enough to feature the images of Dr. Kho and Halili on the cover just to lure people to buy their products.

The Gadian Saga Continues

Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gadian tries to answer the accusations hurled against her by the camp of Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo and denied vehemently denied the grave misconduct charges filed against her. She said those charges were based on an "adverse report" claiming that she used portions of the Balikatan 2007 fund to satisfy her 'extravagant living and lavish spending.'

"Bakit ako? Magnanakaw ba ako? [Why me? Am I a thief?] Even their own witnesses sided with me and cleared my name," Gadian told GMANews.TV in an interview on 13 May 2009, a day before she was restrained by the Philippine Navy from airing grievances in connection with the alleged misuse of funds for the Balikatan exercises.

Can the Botante Deal With Bolante?

Former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn "Joc-joc" Bolante was forced to come back to the country last October 2008 in connection with the multimillion fertilizer fund scam that he allegedly masterminded in 2004. He tried but failed to seek asylum in the United States in a bid to evade a Senate investigation on the alleged diversion of funds into the campaign kitty of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

After months of speculation on how the lawmakers will deal with him, the Senate blue ribbon committee recommended to the Ombudsman that Bolante, along with several others, be charged with plunder for the fertilizer fund anomaly. Even the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) joined the fray by asking the Supreme Court to set aside last months ruling of the Court of Appeals denying its urgent motion to extend its 4 February 2009 freeze order on Bolante’s accounts and other related web accounts.