CHISMES: Tongues Are Wagging
It seems any more that gossip has become central to the enactment of politics on Guam. Without it, our elected officials would barely respond to allegations of corruption, laziness, sloth and slop.
Even then, they have shown us how much they refuse to be held accountable - this has been made clear to us, over and over again, by governor Eddie Calvo and Ray Tenorio's conduct, as well as actions by the Legislature that show their disregard for what voters think. But this year is different.
The dynamics of politics and gossip is our power to bring down arrogant leaders and government officials. It's a way for our community to become animated and motivated - to vote! Check out a few of the things that have tongues wagging on Guam today. And take note...it's our turn in only 7 months.
TAX SCANDAL - AGAIN
Of course, the big wag since yesterday has Sen. Brant McCreadie’s name on everyone’s lips...since few people take the time to actually read the news stories and learn his wife’s name. It’s Dina.
The Republican senator’s wife is the reason he finds himself fending off the scathing perception of corruption and double standards reserved for Calvo boboys and trolls.
PDN reported that his wife’s company, MTO (Maids To Order Cleaning services) - which has a contract with the Guam international airport - hasn’t coughed up taxes owed to GovGuam on more than a half million dollars earned at the airport over the past two years.
Seems like airport head Chuck Ada and Rev & Tax honchos have a steady habit of not following the rules, and by rules I mean LAWS...at least when it comes to certain Calvo and Tenorio family and pals.
Sen. McCreadie pushed back on the news report though - even if not very convincingly. The senator claims the tax lien could simply be an “error.” But, PDN checked court docs...and doubts that. Wifey remains silent...(odd for a wife, nai?)
One of only three working senators in the Legislature - and the only Republican, along with Democrats Sen. Michael San Nicolas and vice speaker BJ Cruz - Sen. Brant McCreadie’s political capital took a precipitous plunge following his decision to toe the frayed line for Adelup over illegal pay raises.
McCreadie surprised many early critics by concluding a very decent first term; and he was off to a solid start this legislative term. Sadly, however, public trust in McCreadie is spent with this latest news about his wife’s company reminding voters Calvo cronies have a different law than us.
Who knows...if McCreadie is lucky enough to survive the November Purge this year, he might have a chance to see that tax money and any penalties waived. Calvo owes him for spending all that political capital anyway - he could hope the island’s crooked governor makes his wife the same kind of get-away-scot-free sweetheart deal that was exchanged with Democrat senator Dennis Rodriguez Jr.
I hear a little legislative dirty work for Calvo is worth millions these days. Speaking of Rodriguez....
PLACEBO POLITICS AT GMH
The cherubic senator routinely notes on his political panhandling materials that he ran his family business years ago - at The Plaza, in Tumon. A business that failed to not only pay Rev & Tax millions in taxes and penalties, but also had a major problem, seldom discussed, involving withholding taxes.
Seems like someone decided not to pay the FICA - until the Feds became interested in the matter.
As part of a plot to create a veritable gambling monopoly for the guys who run him, Rodriguez “partnered with Gov. Calvo to do his bidding in the legislature, and get a sweetheart deal that allowed his family to skip on millions of dollars in taxes - money desperately needed by the government.
In exchange for ramrodding the legalization of the most addictive form of gambling for his handlers, Pedro “Dongo” Pangelinan and convicted fraudster Gil Shinohara, Rodriguez set up for Calvo a mechanism that opened the door for the privatization of the most profitable portions of Guam Memorial Hospital.
Rodriguez had unsuccessfully attempted to force his Bill 20 through the legislature. But a couple of senators caught wind of the phuckery hiding in the bill’s language and forestalled the measure.
When that effort flatlined, the chubby cheeked senator then hijacked a Republican bill and contorted it to get the deed done for Calvo - and his puppetmasters who’s lucrative gambling dreams depended on his success.
The men who “run” Democrat Dennis Rodriguez Jr are shadowy gambling empresario Pedro “Dongo” Pangelinan and partner, convicted felon Gil Shinohara. Shinohara is considered by insiders to be Guam’s 16th senator and also a shadow, of sorts - a shadow senator, that is. He “handles” Rodriguez and his office and sets the agenda, according to reliable sources. The infamous fraudster is also widely believed to be responsible for orchestrating the legalization of a poorly regulated and nearly unsupervised electronic gambling monopoly worth tens of millions of dollars annually.
As Guamblog predicted two years ago, Part II of the Calvo/Rodriguez privatization plot for GMH was set in motion this past week. Now, with the aid of his backpocket boy’s latest trick - called a Request for Information, Calvo eagerly awaits forward movement on making GMH a part of the Calvo empire.
With the first part of the legislative maneuvering passed into law two years ago, it is possible for the Calvo-stacked GMH board to turn over control of the hospital to a private entity of their choosing. Language in the law - passed by sleeping senators - and signed by Adelup, allows for outsourcing with no oversight or review by the legislature or anyone else really.
In my opinion, the likely corporate beneficiary of such a scenario - and the reason for all the chicanery - will be Calvo’s SelectCare. I say, just give it to them already and stop the political bullshit show.
Management of Calvo’s SelectCare is worldclass. Despite the opinions of haters and critics of all-things-Calvo, SelectCare executives Paul Calvo Jr. and Frank Campillo have proven competency and commitment to delivery of services, utilization control, and profit-driven excellence in management.
Enough with placebo politics from Adelup and Rodriguez. Instead of wasting any further time playing stupid games. They need to quit with pretending to fix a problem, at the expense of patient healthcare and taxpayer pockets. Calvo and Rodriguez should stop pretending this is not about taking control of GMH and get on with it - hand over control of GMH, NOW...to real leaders, the RIGHT Calvo and Campillo, men who actually understand healthcare management.
WICKED ARCHIE
Money. The bible teaches that the love of it is the root of all evil. Not some - all. And I’m a bible believer so I take a critical, but I think clear stance on issues like this.
Guamblog has not really waded into this cesspool because I am not Catholic. This is, as it should be, a fight for the remaining good Catholic faithful. Though, I fear their numbers are small and dwindling, true and honest worshipers are out there on the frontlines. They battle a demonic possession, and struggle to reclaim from evil the very heart and soul of their island Church.
One such righteous warrior valiantly opposing the cancerous apostasy perverting the island’s traditional faith, is Tim Rohr. He’s joined in this fight against treachery by the Concerned Catholics of Guam. Together they struggle hard - and openly - against Archbishop Anthony Apuron’s wicked tumult and the wicked pall he casts over the Diocese.
“Clearing up” this matter, as an anonymous Guamblog reader asks, is really not so easy, if you want to understand what is going on beneath the surface. That’s the whole point of deception...to hide and make unclear what the true intentions are.
There is but one thing that is clear - and I fall back on the solid teachings of the Bible for this simple truth: The Devil, Lucifer, Satan....he is the father of lies. His own we can know; his children will be known by their works and their words.
When you have a church leader - regardless of denomination or faith - that practices, as routine, the degree of  deceit, prevarication and misdirection, that Apuron does...if you have a church leader who regales himself in the luxuries and effete affectations of opulence and wealth even as countless parishioners go hungry and have no shelter and suffer untold abuses, physically and emotionally...when you have all this, you have to know then that there is a child of Ha-Satan at the head of your church. That much is simple.
But, if you really want to know the TRUTH, the whole and faithful truth, and understand in the unique manner that only another Catholic can explain it, then you MUST read the blog Jungle Watch.
BALETO: CALVO’S BAIT
Christine Baleto is the owner of Froots, a juice joint at local malls. But, she is more notoriously known for her time as one of the Port of Guam board henchmen that executed a political plot of revenge for Calvo/Tenorio during their first term. That resulted in numerous alleged illegal firings, which all started when Calvo targeted former Port marketing admin Bernadette Meno.
Meno, former staff with the previous governor, Felix Camacho’s was not a Calvo/Tenorio supporter. Instead, she campaigned vigorously for Calvo’s opposition in the 2010 Republican Primary, then-lt. governor Dr. Mike Cruz and senator Jim Espaldon.
When that team failed to ticket, Meno, like a number of other Republicans, threw support behind the Democrat challengers former governor Carl Gutierrez and Sen. Frank Aguon.
Calvo’s political retribution was as sloppy as it was swift. It resulted in a political bloodbath at the Port with the primary aim to ruin the lives, malign characters, and destroy the reputations of any employee who would not participate in his vendetta. This included slandering and publicly smearing then-general manager Mary Torres, sister of Camacho; as well as impugning the integrity of the highly regarded “Go-To” tour de force at PAG, Vivian Castro Leon.
Christine Baleto, who worked for a Calvo-owned company during her tenure on the Port Authority of Guam board of directors, played a definite, though not conspicuous role in Calvo/Tenorio’s political vendettas at the Port, according to executive session recordings and board minutes.
To give her a boost ahead of a planned run for legislative office later this year, Calvo had nominated Baleto to return to the board of directors at the Port.
However, with the demise of DOA director Tony Blaz, Calvo rescinded Baleto’s nomination. He stashed her at DOA - where she can be, no doubt, much more useful a tool for him during the ongoing criminal and financial meltdown of his adminstration.
Gb sources confirm Baleto will run as a Democrat - and beholding to Calvo and Tenorio for subsidizing and supporting her for office. She is just one of several Calvo/Tenorio bait-n-switch candidates they intend to get behind in senatorial races this year.
Calvo and Tenorio have as their goal, to take advantage of public anger and sneak by voters a slate of puppets with which they hope to stack the next legislature. People that will be indebted to them.
Baleto is related to, and received early support for her candidacy, from Judi Won Pat - (you guys might remember her....she’s actually the Speaker of the Legislature; that is, when she’s not pulling that whole Casper thing in between popping up to declare lame justifications for why she deserves a monstercock pay raise while Guam burns.)
FINALLY...
Well...this has been a long post. So, I’ll end it here with just two more items from the Gb Inbox. Until next time...keep those tongues wagging and fingers typing....send your questions, tips, leaks or comments to Guamblog at: [email protected] or send me private message on Facebook.
Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “dirty cops”
