Category: Governance

Duterte sidesteps health query, focuses on Trillanes

Published by Ellen on September 11, 2018

Pres. Duterte and Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo in a tête-à-tête , Sept. 11, 2018

There were two things that stood out in President Duterte’s one-hour-and-a-half hour tête-à-tête with Presidential Legal Counsel Sal Panelo: he didn’t want to talk about his health and he is obsessed with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

After about ten minutes of monologue defending his attempt to nullify the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV by then President Benigno Aquino III Panelo wanted to talk about his health: “Puntahan naman natin ang mga agam-a gam ng taumbayan kasama na ang critics nyo na si Joma Sison. Sinasabi na kayo ay may sakit. Ano po ang masasabi nyo tungkol sa inyong kalusugan para marnig ng taumbayan?”

Duterte’s answer was about the alleged conspiracy of the Community Party of the Philippines and the Magdalo to topple him: “Alam nyo itong si Sison, pati itong Magdalo, pati itong ayaw sa akin, yung talagang hindi tumanggap sa akin ever since noong election, they have combined and we have the evidence and we have the conversation provided by a foreign country sympathetic to us. We don’t have the sophistication but the connections will be shown maybe any day now. I asked that it be declassified at ipakita nila sa lahat. Nahihigop lahat . They were in constant communication.

Panelo tried to stir back the conversation to the President’s health: “Sa punto po ng kalusugan, talagang malusog na malusog kayo, nakikita ng mga tao.”

Duterte didn’t comment.

Duterte loses to Trillanes

Published by Ellen on September 9, 2018

Duterte’s plan to have Trillanes put back in jail has backfired.

By Segundo Eclar Romero

Duterte has set the stage for sacrificing Jose Calida. He has said he issued Presidential Proclamation 572 on the say so or Calida as Solicitor-General. Duterte, of course, knows that targeting Trillanes was a joint project between him and Calida. They both hated the Senator, and would take the first opportunity, no matter how clumsy, to neutralize him. Calida has in a sense borrowed Presidential Powers with the President’s complicity to try to extricate himself from the charge of conflict of interest in the way his security agency business cornered government contracts. It was a long shot, but Duterte has a way out — he could always put the entire blame on Calida, if the plan backfires.

Of course the plan has backfired. It has been so indefensible at its face value that no one was willing to lay his reputation on the line for the revocation of the amnesty. Calida clumsily tried to distance himself from the amnesty revocation action, saying with a straight face before media that he had nothing to do with it. But the DND and AFP who did not want to be left holding the bag pointed to Calida as the prime mover. He had tried to get the AFP and DND unnecessarily compromised in the caper, trying to dupe the AFP into arresting Trillanes without a proper warrant.

So now Duterte is poised to cut Calida loose, unless either of the two RTCs and the Supreme Court sustain Calida and Duterte and issue a warrant, or, in the case of the Supreme Court, refuse to issue a TRO against the arrest.

With Duterte, the Filipino people are also in perpetual pain

Published by Ellen on August 24, 2018

Pres. Duterte arrives in Cebu Aug. 21 the conference of League of Municipalities of the Philippines Visayas cluster a few days after rumors circulated that he was in coma. Malacanang photo by Richard Madelo.

President Duterte showed up in Cebu last Tuesday at the conference of the League of municipalities Visayas island cluster walking and as usual, blustering, effectively squelching rumors that he was gravely ill and in coma, as shared by Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison.

Duterte was in his element blasting at Sison: “Comatose-comatose ka diyan. “

He said he is pushing his trip to Israel next month and threatened to slap Sison if he saw the CPP leader.
He said: “Ah sige, tingnan natin. Pag magpunta ako diyan, turista lang. Galing ako Israel. Tignan natin kung sinong — comatose. Hindi ka naman lalaki. You are not a man. Wala ka na. You are spent, you cannot… You are talking nonsense. “

He also said: “Pag nakita kita sa impyerno, p***** i** mo, sampalin kita. Really. Don’t expect to go to heaven. Pero pag nagkita tayo isang kanto sa impyerno… Totoo ‘yan ‘no, pag hindi kita sinampal… “

Bong Go video raises more questions re Duterte health

Published by Ellen on August 21, 2018

Bong Go goes live on Facebook with Duterte amid 'coma' rumors

WATCH: In a Facebook Live, Special Assistant to the President Bong Go shows President Rody Duterte having a dinner with a "beautiful lady from Davao" to debunk Joma Sison's claim that the President is in coma.

Posted by Philippine Star on Monday, August 20, 2018

So, okay, the President is not in coma as spread by Communist Party of the Philippines founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison in social media Aug. 19.

From Netherlands, Sison said his source who was at the national convention of the San Beda Law fraternity Lex Talionis Fraternitas on Saturday said “the darkness of his (Duterte) face had become aggravated from its appearance the other day and that his walk and handshake had become more unstable.”

In the latest still-to-be-verified update from his source, Sison said, “Duterte has gone into coma since the afternoon or evening of today, Sunday, August 19. “

Duterte wants a successor to protect him once out of Malacañang

Published by Ellen on August 16, 2018

Then President-elect Rody Duterte met with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., who lost in the vice-presidential race, in Davao City June 11, 2016.. Photo by Kiwi Bulaclac of Davao City Mayor’s Office.

It’s easy to believe that President Duterte is tired and weary.He is 73 years old and not the healthiest person on earth. The two years as chief executive of the country showed that he does not have what it takes to be a national leader.

But he will not resign. For the simple reason that he has to make sure that he doesn’t end up in jail for all the crimes that he would be charged with once he is out of power.

That’s why he wants to make sure that his successor is someone who will protect him. And that’s former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos or Sen. Francis Escudero for him.

Carpio warns of 4 ideas that will cause lasting harm on the Filipino nation

Published by Ellen on June 24, 2018

Anyone who decides to decline a nomination to be the Supreme Court Chief Justice, the fifth highest government position in the country, is worthy of our highest respect and admiration.

When he speaks, we listen.

Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, who said last week that he would decline a nomination to be the Chief Justice to replace the ousted Maria Lourdes Sereno because he voted against the quo warranto petition that was used to remove her, spoke before the graduates of the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance last Friday.

Carpio warned about four ideas being pushed and spread to the Filipino people that are” radical and divisive” which “could Divide the Nation and even lead to the dismemberment of the Philippine state.”

Good intention does not justify violating the law

Published by Ellen on June 21, 2018

Aquino announced the abolition of “pork barrel” but didn’t say anything about DAP in August 2013.

The indictment by the Ombudsman of former President Aquino over the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program which has been declared by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional is a warning to those in power that good intentions do not justify shortcutting the law.

In the first place, no one has a monopoly of good intentions. Adolf Hitler’s concept of a Master race was seen by many Germans as a noble intention for his countrymen. If you listened to Imelda Marcos talk about her lavish projects, they are all in her desire to bring out the “good and the beautiful” in the Filipino. President Duterte justifies his bloody war on drugs as his love for the country.

As one of her last acts before retiring next month, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved the resolution of the special panel granting the motion for reconsideration of complainants led by Isagani Zarate, Renato Reyes, Benjamin Valbuena, Mae Paner and others holding accountable Aquino for Usurpation of Legislative Powers under Article 239 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) in connection with the DAP.

There was one who didn’t cheer

Published by Ellen on June 8, 2018

Not all those who were in the meeting of the Filipino community with President Duterte in Seoul cheered when he did his DOM act on a Filipina married to a Korean on stage last Sunday.

Cil Borlaza, a Filipina studying in South Korea, was in that gathering and this is her post in Facebook:

Cil Borlaza at the Filipino Community meeting with President Duterte in Seoul.Photo from her FB page.

Lost not ‘a single island’ but the whole of Spratlys

Published by Ellen on May 29, 2018

Mischief Reef – lost under Ramos presidency
Scarborough Shoal – lost under Benigno Aquino III presidency
Spratlys including Sandy Cay- surrendered to China under Duterte presidency

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was being smart the other day when he challenged critics of the Duterte’s complacent attitude in the face of China aggressive moves in South China Sea.

At the flag-raising ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs, he said: “I challenge anyone of them, whatever their profession – justice, politician, newsman, journalist – if we lost a single island during Duterte’s time, I will pack my bags, go home.”

It is a smart strategy because if we go deep into the history of the South China Sea conflict, we will be reminded that it was during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos that we lost Mischief Reef (Philippine name: Panganiban Reef) in 1995 and Scarborough Shoal under President Benigno Aquino’s watch in 2012.

Others may argue that we have not lost Scarborough Shoal. But the fact that Filipinos, government personnel and fishermen can only go there with the permission of Chinese Coast Guard whose ships (at least two) are permanently guarding the shoal means that we have lost control over that feature 124 nautical miles from the shores of Zambales.

In the July 2016 decision of the Arbitral Tribunal in the case filed by the Philippines against China, it was noted that the shoal also known by its Philippine name as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese fishermen and it should remain so.

Wasted first two years

Published by Ellen on May 26, 2018

In recent days, President Duterte has been announcing proudly his firing of officials which were rumored to be involved in graft and corruption.

Last Sunday, in his speech during the groundbreaking of Vista Alegre homes for soldiers and policemen in Talisay City, Negros Occidental , he talked about an official who talked with his relative about a government contract:” Humabol sa akin sa Cebu. You go. Both of you, you go. Wala akong, wala kong… I don’t want to work with you. At may isa dito, sinabi ko na. Mabuti kasi may TV. Do not entertain requests or give favors to any of my family. Huwag sa asawa ko, huwag sa akin, huwag sa mga anak ko, huwag sa mga pinsan ko. Now, if you try to say that I asked the help of the first family because you cannot decide on a certain thing, which you think would need, why do you have to consult my sister? Sinabi ko sa inyo — p***** i** ‘wag kayong — if it is a relative of mine, consider it denied”

The next day, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the President fired Assistant Transportation Secretary Mark Tolentino for violating his order against talking with his relatives on state contracts or appointments.