“Give Love on Christmas Day”

 

Edvard Munch. “Vampire”. 1895-1902. Combined woodcut and lithograph. 38.5 x 55.3 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway. Right-clicked from abcgallery.com

Like developing a photo manually, the picture is getting clearer and the evidence more compelling: Baguio Rep. Mauricio Domogan, Manila’s 6^th District Bienvenido Abante Jr., and Antique Governor Sally Perez (from reports of Inquirer.net, gmanews.tv, and ANC News, respectively) all confirm that the President, or her representative, or the House , casually hands out “cash gifts” in bags in amounts ranging from P200,000.oo to P500,000.ooo. Those who received them said it was in appreciation of their work, or for projects, or as allowance.

 

Could it be that those were given to them by reason of their office?

 

Or could it be that if they were ordinary folks, they would still be very loved dearly by the by the President, or her representative, or the House in amounts of P200,000.oo to P500,000.oo?

 

(the talkies of DILG Secretary Puno and some congressmen implicating the House or the Speaker is some sort of a veiled threat that the Speaker better “be careful” because it is insinuated that he is part of the happy tradition of “gift-giving”.

 

My Dear Abby advice: The following are the instances in which you can legally receive money from the President:

 

If it is non-public funds and together with any of the following instances:

 

1) For services rendered. You are her dentist, manicurist, speechwriter, her publicist/ PR person, her golf instructor, her private lawyer, her therapist, her chef, etc. (pay the income taxes on it)

 

2)It is for a piece of work (contract for a piece of work, there’s an output expected, like she asked you to paint her portrait or photograph her or write her biography)

 

3) She bought property from you; (pay the taxes on it)

 

4)You are her child/ dependent and it is your allowance;

 

5) She owed you money;

 

6) You are an heir and it is an advance of your legitime/ inheritance; (pay the taxes on it)

 

7) She lost in a legal form of gambling to you;

 

8) She became a Muslim boy and you are a Muslim girl and it is a dowry;

 

9) It is your birthday and you are really close;

 

10)It’s Christmas or somebody died or it’s you wedding or your child is her godchild and it’s your child’s birthday and he/she is really spoiled;

 

11) it is a straight donation, which is defined as an act of pure liberality and generosity (and not by reason of your office as legislator or local executive), she just loves you.

 

What about if the “cash gifts” were given as party funds distributed to partymates or to coalition allies or to possible recruits to the party?

 

I don’t know if you can use your office to do that, i.e., I don’t know if you are allowed to distribute funds on the pretext that they are party funds and at the same time use Palace functions, Palace activities, and your function as public official. It’s probably called corrupt practice.

 

Those are some of the instances that you can legally receive money from her: they’re non-public funds and any of the above (you are her child, etc. or her dependent, etc. or for services rendered, etc.)