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Month: March 2019

Duterte wants Bong Go, not Sara to succeed him

Published by Ellen on March 27, 2019
Who of the two -Bong Go and Sara- would the President want to succeed and protect him? Malacanang photo during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping Nov. 20, 2018.

A political analyst-friend has an interesting observation about how Pres. Duterte is preparing for post- 2022.
He said contrary to what many assume that Duterte is grooming his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, to succeed him in 2022, it’s actually his most reliable, ever loyal aide, Bong Go, that he wants to install in Malacañang after his term.

“No, no, it’s not Sara, without an “H,” he said. He explained father and daughter don’t see eye to eye on many issues and choice of people. ‘He can’t control Sara. He does not want that,” the analyst said.
He makes sense.

With Bong Go, it will truly be an extension of the Duterte presidency. Unlike Sara, Bong Go will do what Duterte says. He knows his role in this world: a Duterte gofer.

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ICC’s Bensouda: ICC probe on PH situation continues

Published by Ellen on March 20, 2019

“My office ‘s independent and impartial preliminary examination into the situation in the Philippines continues.”
That statement by International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda issued Monday should put a stop to the misleading statements of Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo about the ICC process.

Last Monday, Panelo said in his press briefing, “… ICC cannot proceed with any proceeding that it has started specifically because it said that they conducted a preliminary examination and not a preliminary investigation. And under the Rome Statute clearly says that any preliminary investigation or any proceeding relative there to it commenced prior to the withdrawal of state party, can’t continue and will continue. Therefore, if it does continue, it violates its own provision because there has been no preliminary investigation.”

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Duterte barks at a drug lord far away

Published by Ellen on March 10, 2019
Pres. Duterte receives suspected drug lord Peter Lim in his homw in Davao City in July 2016.

Pres. Duterte was into his “I will kill you” element again during the PDP-Laban campaign rally at Negros Occidental last Friday. He was talking, as usual, about his campaign against illegal drugs.

He said every day, there’s news about shabu. “P***** i** talagang papatayin ko kayo because drugs will destroy my country. Nagkalat — hindi na halos ma-control eh. “

Apparently, he has not thought of assessing the efficacy of his “kill, kill” strategy as he himself admits the proliferation of illegal drugs remains unabated.

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Duterte echoes Imee Marcos’ line

Published by Ellen on March 3, 2019
Pres. Duterte and senatorial candidate Imee Marcos. Malacañang photo by Toto Lozano.

In front of an impressionable audience, Pres. Duterte usually gets carried away with his story-telling and says things that are false and vulgar.

Spewing out false claims has become a standard practice for Duterte. I think it has come to a point when he believes his own lies.

That is dangerous because he is president and many of his statements are basis of government policies. The most glaring example is his figures on the number of drug addicts in the country, which is his justification for his brutal anti-drug war which has killed more than 27,000. At the start of his presidency, he said there are three million drug addicts in the country. Then it became four million. Yet, the Dangerous Drug Board reported in 2016 only 1.8 million drug addicts in the country.

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SolGen actions giving ICC reason to exercise jurisdiction on PH EJKs

Published by Ellen on February 28, 2019
A scene after a police operation in one of the depressed areas in Metro Manila. VERA Files photo by Luis Liwanag.

One of the reasons that will make the International Criminal Court decide to exercise jurisdiction over alleged extra-judicial killings committed under the Duterte administration is when they see that the government is “unable or unwilling” to prosecute the crimes. It is called the principle of complementarity.

The communications filed at the ICC against Duterte and police officials alleged to be responsible for the over 5,000 killed during anti-drug operations is in the Examination stage. In her annual report last December, ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said her office has received a total of 52 communications related to extrajudicial killings in the Philippines since she started the preliminary examination on Feb. 8, 2018.

She said her office will “ continue to engage with a variety of reliable sources and relevant stakeholders on all matters relevant to the preliminary examination of the situation in the Philippines.”

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