Part 33 of Retards in the Government. In this edition find out that not even the library is safe from government corruption!
“Relying on accused Relampagos’ good faith in alleging his grounds to travel to the United States, this Court granted his motion to travel. Needless to say, accused Relampagos, in failing to return to the country... acted contrary to his representations to, and in blatant contempt of, this Court,” the Seventh Division said.
Relampagos is facing a total of 313 criminal cases before six out of the seven divisions of the Sandiganbayan in connection with the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund scam and the P900-million Malampaya Fund scam.
The man is accused of massive graft and fraud. 313 counts! But the court still allowed him to be not only out on bail but also to leave the country! He is not the first. Plenty of stories about criminals out on bail who plead for the court to leave the country to go visit family. And the court often allows it!!
In separate resolutions issued by the anti-graft court's First, Second, Third and Fifth Divisions, the Syjuco couple were granted permission to travel to Singapore from January 22 to February 2.
In their motion, the couple said Augusto was advised by his physician to undergo a series of chemotherapy sessions at Haematology and Stem Cell Transplant Centre of the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, in connection with his “advanced myelodysplastic syndrome.”
The couple said Augusto's physician Patrick Tan explained that the medical condition has a “high chance to progress to leukemia if untreated.”
The couple originally asked the court divisions to also allow them to go to Singapore on February 22, March 22, April 22, May 22, June 22 and July 22 to complete the sessions.
Does no one in the Philippines offer chemotherapy? The court is simply mad to approve anyone out on bail to leave the country.
We all know there was a conspiracy to import P6.4 billion of shabu but the problem is the DOJ keeps exonerating everyone involved.
Geting a simple ID card is a hassle in the Philippines let alone jumping through all the hoops to get a passport. Streamlining the system so that it can all be done via mail as in other countries would be best.
Will justice be served the second time around?
An explanation? How is this for an explanation:
Republic Act No. 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN), which lowers income taxes while adjusting excise taxes on oil, coal and automobiles, and imposes new taxes on cosmetic procedures and sugary drinks, among others, took effect this month.
“It depends on the definition of prevention. If it can be stopped, we cannot because it is a deregulated industry. We do not have the mechanism to physically prevent them from raising their prices,” Pulido said.
A tax law that raises excise taxes and deregulation of the industry under Ramos in 1998. That's the explanation.
More proof that Filipinos are the losers in this push to change the constitution.
“From the Halls of the Senate and Congress, to the Courts of Justice and even basketball courts, I will cooperate and face the false and malicious accusations against me,” he added.
Pretty facetious of him to say. Basketball makes no sense in this context whatsoever and doesn't even really work as a joke. Can we expect more of this silliness as this scandal continues to unfold? You betcha!
“We’re putting up bail fund for them. So that’s our moral responsibility because those cops are our men,” Dela Rosa told CNN Philippines.
“They were performing their duties during the time although they made a mistake. But still deep inside them there was no ill motive in that operation,” he added.
Really makes you think doesn't it? Will the PNP be raising bail money for the two cops charged with murder? Does the PNP post bail for every cop charged with a crime? What kind of message does this send to corrupt cops or cops who are simply negligent in their duties?
The Office of the Ombudsman has upheld its September 2017 ruling finding probable cause to file a graft case against Davao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. for allegedly having unlawful business interests in a banana plantation doing business with the government.
This guy owns stock in a banana plantation which does business with the Bureau of Corrections. Interestingly he was also "the biggest financier of President Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential bid."
In the Philippines it is always campaign season. Always. (This post brought to you by the Mayor of Philippine Fails.)
The political pendulum swings both ways. Right, Centre, Left, Centre, Right, Centre, Left and so on and so forth.
Asked whether the Department of National Defense was aware of the USS Hopper’s presence in the region, he said: “They do not inform us beforehand of their activities there.”
A critic of the Duterte administration’s policy in the West Philippine Sea, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, said the US warship was likely on routine “freedom of navigation” exercise in the region.
The Philippine government, he said, is no longer interested in patrolling the waters around Panatag Shoal. “We only patrol that area once a month,” he said.
The
DND is unaware of what a foreign
naval vessel is doing in its territory? If that infographic does not highlight the absurdity of China's claims I don't know what will.
We have reached a point where we have independent foreign relations, and a problem of America is no longer a problem of the Philippines.
A foreign warship in Philippine territory and China claiming said territory as their own is not the Philippines problem.
The recently enacted law, he said, would ensure quality in education and training systems, make qualifications earned here in the country recognizable in other countries and enable employers to respect and value these qualifications.
What a great new law. Now foreign employers will be able to more confidently siphon off the best talent the Philippines has to offer since education and training will be standardised to meet global standards. This will surely cause a boom in the economy.
Historically the Jesuits are a nasty group. Formed in 1534 by Ignatius Loyola for the purpose of combating the Protestant Reformation and bringing the world under the dominion of the Pope, this group has been at the centre of many political intrigues and after being expelled from several countries was finally suppressed by a decree of the Pope in 1773. In 1814 they were revived and allowed to continue their nefarious activities. To this day the Jesuits do not answer to the Pope but rather to the Black Pope, the head of the Jesuit order. (Interestingly the current Pope is a Jesuit!) It is very fitting that Duterte would encourage others to remain loyal to Jesuit principles which include deceit, deception, and even murder and treason.
I hope to see a kind, upright and efficient Philippine National Police. That is really my dream because our salary has increased, right? We should raise our standards as well.
Bato honestly thinks the reason cops are corrupt is because of their salary. Maybe Congress should raise the salaries of ALL government employees. That will be sure to end corruption once and for all.
“Human Rights Watch has been deliberately misrepresenting the figures to make it appear that there exists a culture of impunity in the Philippines and that the country’s democratic institutions are at risk... These assertions are unfair to the Philippines and to the Filipino people," he said.
Whether or not the recent report on the human rights situation in the Philippines is misleading, Cayetano's insistence that there is no culture of impunity and that the country's democratic institutions are not at risk is a total lie. Government officials and other crooks in this country routinely get away with crime because of the slow and awful justice system and Duterte has made many threats to the nation's democratic institutions. How many times has Duterte indicated he does not need Congress, the Supreme Court, or the Constitution?
Good to know that there are no official physical fitness standards for the PNP. Of course the fat cop is a staple of police departments worldwide.
Join the ruling party and get your name cleared. How convenient is that?
More scandal, more corruption, more plunder, more pork barrel funds, more allegations, more investigations, more fun in the Philippines.
Duterte also said to kill him if he did not end crime and drugs within six months of taking office. He has yet to fulfil that promise.
Now for some good news:
Actually this is great news. The economy is growing despite the growth being lesser than last year's and despite a slowdown in one of the nation's most important industries which employs millions. Wait, that doesn't make any sense. How is this great news?
“For IBON, it is still a jobs-destroying and shallow growth where growth is concentrated in sectors directly benefited by OFW (overseas Filipino workers) remittances and BPOs (business process outsourcing),” Audrey de Jesus of IBON research group told GMA News Online.
In its paper BirdTalk 2017, the research group cited “re-estimated” government data to pinpoint what it claimed was the “exclusionary nature” of Philippine growth. It said the unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent, compared with the official estimate of 5.7 percent.
This means that as many as 4.1 million Filipinos are unemployed—higher than state figures of 2.4 million—and one to two million others who have dropped out of the labor force due to “discouragement” because of lack of job prospects, the report said.
Very
interesting
. This is what I pointed out last
week just
by looking
at headlines
and putting the pieces together. GDP growth does not equal jobs and many jobs available are for OFWs with overseas remittances remaining a cornerstone of the economy. Filipinos have a tendency to look at numbers without understanding what they mean or how they fit into the larger picture. After all bigger is better and growth is growth even if said growth benefits practically no one except those at top.
The DFA's Facebook page has been flooded with complaints from people unable to get appointments earlier than March, with some accusing it of conniving with travel agencies to sell slots for P5,000 and above.
Both the DFA and the travel agencies have denied this, although Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said they suspect of syndicates that use "bots" to "grab" slots and sell them.
There are ways to combat this fraud. Like not giving travel agencies any slots and having the DFA alone handle all matters related to passport applications. Also reducing paperwork requirements and enabling the whole process to be done via mail. How about making slots reserved online untransferable? Where did these 100,000 slots come from anyway? Just a week ago they were booked for months now out of blue they have 100,000 openings? Sounds pretty fishy. It's funny that so many Filipinos are trying to get passports. They really do want to leave this place. In what other countries have you heard about the mad rush to get a passport?
The European Commission announced on Monday that Philippine shipments worth an estimated P120 billion ($2.35 billion), about 66 percent of annual exports to its number-two trading partner, would carry no duties.
Fuck you, EU! We will no longer be taking your grants or loans. WE DON'T NEED YOU! But please let us have duty free privileges on our exports.
Vernon Totanes, a licensed and registered librarian, has accused President Rodrigo Duterte of violating Republic Act 9246 — The Philippine Librarianship Act of 2003 — when he appointed Ceasar Gilbert Adriano to the post of Director IV of the National Library of the Philippines.
Totanes told Philstar.com that his complaint has larger implications. He cited how Duterte vowed to fill the Cabinet with the best and the brightest, and that it would be patterned after the Cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“Some of those who have been appointed by the President do seem to be among 'the best and the brightest,' but there are some who are far from the best and some do not even seem to be bright at all. Oftentimes, we have come to accept this as just part of the President's prerogative,” Totanes said in a letter to Philstar.com.
“We shrug our shoulders, even when the President says that it's payment for 'utang na loob'," he added.
Totanes cited that "there are instances when the law defines limitations by prescribing qualifications for prospective appointees."
"In this particular case, the law is clear: only librarians may serve as such in government libraries. Thus, the National Library must be headed by the National Librarian, not the National Non-Librarian," he said.
The complainant is hopeful that more Filipinos will become aware that there are government officials who have been appointed to positions where they are unqualified.
The Philippine government is so corrupt that not even libraries are safe!
Philippine National Police Director General Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa on Wednesday unveiled a sign warning government employees against arrest for gambling.
Dela Rosa kicked off the campaign after President Rodrigo Duterte announced stricter implementation of the ban, which, he stressed has never been repealed.
Duterte said he told Dela Rosa to put "government employees" instead of "government officials" on the signs to stress that everyone in public service is an employee.
The signs, which warn that government employees found in casinos will be arrested and charged, do not explain what the charges will be nor the basis for arrest.
The Philippine government is so corrupt and government employees are so stupid that they cannot even have a fun night out at the casino and have to be reminded that everyone employed in public service is a government employee.
Under new guidelines, officers from the Philippine National Police will drop in on drug users and suspected dealers in broad daylight — anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. — and only on weekdays.
And the visits can be watched live online — if things go as planned.
So now these bumbling Barney Fifes are only going to knock on doors between 8 and 5 and they hope to have the whole thing livestreamed? This technology, livestreaming police body cameras for the public to view, does not exist and if it did would not be legally tenable. Livestreaming police body cameras back to headquarters might be possible but are we really going to believe that the PNP, which can't even properly equip its officers (I had one PNP officer ask to borrow a flashlight when they were in the neighbourhood looking for a criminal) is going to suddenly get more high tech that anyone else in the world?
In his complaint, La Viña questioned various media contracts with television, radio and print companies “without undergoing the prescribed procurement process.”
It's the same old kind of scam really. Procuring contracts without going through the proper process.
Publicly Duterte is very serious about his turn from the West and from the USA specifcially while privately he has allowed American military assistance to not only continue but actually to
increase.
