Here we go again.

Opposition Senator Ping Lacson wants the Senate to investigate the alleged rigging of public works contracts after the World Bank, which finances many of the government?s infrastructure projects, blacklisted some of the Filipino contractors.

But, what is Lacson really after? He wants to find out the linkage of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo to the blacklisted contractors. Santa Banana, Lacson is on a fishing expedition, and there are always those so-called witness that will accommodate him!

Well, this year being an election year preparatory to the May 2010 polls, anything goes, where the name of the game on the part of opposition presidential hopefuls is to lay the blame on the administration. And if they can?t get anything to blame President Arroyo for, unfortunately, there?s always the First Gentleman who gets the brunt. Mike is their whipping boy!

If politicians say that they only want to investigate government scams and anomalies ?in aid of legislation? as an oversight function of Congress, don?t ever believe them.

The truth of the matter is that these investigations, never-ending as they are, achieve nothing and are only there ?in aid of political agenda.?

If Ping Lacson hopes that targeting the President and the First Gentleman with the intention of linking them to anomalies, hoping obviously that it will increase his popularity ratings in surveys, he better prepare to be disappointed. The people know him only too well.

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It is one thing to have money. It is another to recognize a great business opportunity, and to have the sheer business acumen to distinguish junk from the jackpot.

This does not seem to be a problem for businessman and former investment banker Noel O?ate. The man has the proverbial Midas touch, turning what would at first seem doubtful endeavors to gold. Not to say that he does these with the mere flick of a finger.

Of course, the man has what it takes to broker profitable multi-billion peso or dollar deals?raw ambition, financial know-how, and equally important, connections.

As the finance chief of Lakas-CMD in 1992, Noel was instrumental in propelling former President Fidel Ramos to power in a tightly contested race for the presidency. He brokered many deals for the Ramos administration, most notable of which was the US$2 billion syndicated lending to the government. This was the first time that a Philippine financial instrument was rated ?Investment Grade? by credit-rating agencies worldwide.

These political victories, however, are eclipsed by the success story of O?ate?s small, but, oh so profitable Asian Spirit, which he started with his two friends?Archie Po and Tony Turalba?in 1997.

The three invested roughly US$1 million each in the airline. After only a little over a decade of O?ate?s committed and aggressive leadership, Asian Spirit was sold for around P1.4 billion to Zest-O owner Alfredo Yao in 2008. Not bad for an initial investment of US$1 million over a period of 11 years. Then again, not everyone has O?ate?s guts and daring to go into what were initially considered ?unprofitable? routes for domestic airlines, but which are now among the most popular in Asia.

How O?ate will turn around his new acquisition?the former Yuchengco-owned Pacific Plans Inc. certainly bears watching. It appears that Pacific?s former owners chose to deal with O?ate instead of other suitors for his track record and plans for the company. Noel?s saga is what success books are made of.

Santa Banana, if I were a Pacific plan holder, I would certainly want to see what this business maverick can do.

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With O?ate?s latest acquisition in his string of business successes, I cannot understand why some plan holders are now complaining. They are with that coalition that sued the Yuchengco Group for going belly-up because of open-ended pre-need plans as a result of the total deregulation of tuition fees by the government. The Yuchengco Group cannot be faulted for that.

Instead of hailing O?ate?s takeover of the company, this coalition now wants to block the sale which is clearly beneficial to plan holders nationwide.

Certainly, the takeover promises new beginnings for the pre-need entity and possibly the infusion of funds needed not only revive PPI?s top-ranked hold in the industry, but to give it a fresh beginning.

As I said, if I were a plan holder, I would certainly want to see what this maverick of a businessman and former investment banker Noel O?ate can do. With his background and continuing success story, the future of PPI, now called O?ate?s Abundance Providers Investments Corp., certainly has a bright future.

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I still cannot understand why we should welcome a movement calling itself ?Bantay Korte Suprema? composed of do-gooders who think that they have a monopoly of good and noble intentions, and who are being supported by two of the giant television networks and leading newspapers.

This group is supposed to monitor and watch out for seven new appointees by President Arroyo to the Supreme Court, supposedly to see whether or not they are competent, have probity and integrity and last but not least, are independent.

They say appointees to the High Court should not be loyal to the appointing power but to the Constitution. That?s well and good.

But, what disturbs me as a lawyer is that this group?s interpretation of ?independence? is that as a justice of the Supreme Court, one must always rule against the administration. My gulay, thus when the ruling of the Supreme Court favors the administration, they call that being loyal to the appointing power. And to rule against the President and the administration, ergo, that?s independence.

My gulay, what a screwed-up sense of values and priorities this ?Bantay Korte Suprema? has!

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A judge or justice should always decide a case based on facts and the law.

Now, if a justice believes that his decision, concurrence or dissent in a case, is favorable to the appointing power, then let that be, and only his conscience will be his final judge.

If a justice believes that in his assessment of the facts of a case and in law, he must rule and concur against the appointing power, that?s also his choice exercising his free will. But, Santa Banana, that?s not independence.

Independence doesn?t mean always ruling against Malaca?ang.

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For the past 15 years, because of hearing deficiencies, which doctors claim to be hereditary and as a result of old age, I have been going to Dr. Eduardo D. Go, M.D., BC-HIS who put up the Hi-Tech Hearing Center with offices both in Makati at the Medical Plaza and at St. Luke?s Hospital in Quezon City. I?ve never regretted doing so.

Dr. Go, who is now ably assisted by his wife, also a doctor, and his daughter (another younger daughter is also a medical student) promised me a better lifestyle through better hearing, and I swear he has succeeded.

If you think this is an endorsement of Dr. Go and his Hi-Tech Hearing Center, it is. And a lot of others, from all walks of life, the rich and famous, the affluent and the poor, will testify to it.

If you think that the Hi-Tech Hearing Center is a bit pricey, well that?s how it is with the use of digital and technology to help you in your hearing deficiency. But Dr. Go is not all for the rich and famous. On occasions, he provides free services to indigents and the poor. That?s payback for his successes in his life.