The death of a UST law student.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/182790-senate-probe-horacio-castillo-iii-hazing-ust |
The death of Kian Delos Santos.
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| http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/philippine-senate-probes-police-killing-delos-santos-170824051424939.html |
Even fake news!
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/10/04/1745456/live-senate-probe-fake-news |
These are the issues which the Philippines Senate has wasted time investigating. Two death cases which should be handled by the PNP and the NBI and fake news which is a huge problem amongst the easily credulous Filipinos but has remained largely undiscussed until seven Senators were called out on social media for not signing a document denouncing the deadly drug war killings. They claimed it was all fake news and a lie and were so stung by online criticism that they convened a hearing on the matter!!
What gall these people have. All of them. Not just the "Seven Deadly Sens." Each and every Senator who went along with these farces they call investigations should step down in shame. Here are the names of every current member of Senate.
Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" M. AngaraSen. Paolo Benigno "Bam" A. Aquino IVSen. Maria Lourdes Nancy S. BinaySen. Allan Peter S. CayetanoSen. Joseph Victor "JV" G. EjercitoSen. Francis "Chiz" G. EscuderoSen. Gregorio "Gringo" B. Honasan IISen. Loren B. LegardaSen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel IIISen. Grace L. PoeSen. Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IVSen. Cynthia A. VillarSen. Leila M. de LimaSen. Franklin "Frank" M. DrilonSen. Sherwin "Win" T. GatchalianSen. Richard "Dick" J. GordonSen. Ana Theresia "Risa" N. HontiverosSen. Panfilo "Ping" M. LacsonSen. Emmanuel "Manny" D. PacquiaoSen. Francis Pancratius "Kiko" N. PangilinanSen. Ralph G. RectoSen. Vicente "Tito" C. Sotto IIISen. Emmanuel Joel VillanuevaSen. Juan Miguel "Migz" F. Zubiri
Not a single one of these people have called for an investigation into the prior knowledge the government had of the Marawi attack. NOT. ONE.
The Senate has created a special committee to study the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Marawi but not a single Senator has called for the investigation into causes of Marawi.
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| http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/08/09/17/senate-forms-special-committee-to-study-marawi-rehab |
Here are the facts of the matter for all those Senators who seem to not know the facts of the matter surrounding Marawi.
- The government knew about these attacks in April and knew as early as 2014 that ISIS was establishing itself in the country.
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| https://www.rappler.com/nation/172777-isis-military-marawi-crisis-martial-law-calida |
In the comment, Calida said the government had known as early as 2014 that there were links to ISIS being established by local groups in Mindanao. This is contrary to the stance taken by government at the time, under former president Benigno Aquino III: there is no ISIS in the Philippines.
"AFP intelligence reports disclose that as early as April 18, 2017, Abdullah Maute had dispatched his followers to the cities of Marawi, Iligan, and Cagayan de Oro to conduct bombing operations, carnapping, and 'liquidation' of AFP and PNP personnel in the said areas."
2. There was no failure of intelligence since the AFP and DND knew weapons were moving into the area.
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/06/18/1711130/no-failure-intelligence-marawi |
Duterte said the government was aware that firearms were being stockpiled in Mindanao but took it for granted because of the peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).
“We have adopted a very soft policy towards the rebels and this came about because they were bringing firearms. Since we are thinking of getting peace with the MNLF and MILF. The game there involves firearms. We took it for granted. We just allowed it to happen because we never knew until that time who was really the enemy,” Duterte told the troops in Butuan City.
“When they see firearms and they were told that it’s for MILF or MNLF, the standing order was maybe we can talk to our brothers so there will be no trouble (but) it turned out that the Maute were bringing the firearms surreptitiously and we did not know how much ammunition and firearms were stockpiled, and besides it was not a failure of intelligence,” he added.
3. Despite knowing all this Duterte and his top men took a trip to Russia just a few hours before the attack was launched.
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| http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/612764/palace-defends-huge-delegation-to-russia-everybody-was-necessary/story/ |
The list of Duterte’s official delegation to Russia sent to the media had 19 names, including Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, and Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunano dela Peña, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go, and Senator Sherwin Gatchalian were also part of the official delegation.
But police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año, and Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson also joined the President’s official visit.
4. Duterte changed the narrative regarding how the Marawi siege happened. First it was a botched raid againstAbu Sayyaf leader Hapilon.
Now the reason is that a warrant was being served against a powerful and unnamed drug lord.
5. The DND was given foreign intelligence reports which they failed to verify despite having their own intelligence that ISIS was building up since 2014 and that Marawi was a known target since a month before the actual attack.
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that there was a lack of validation on the government side regarding intelligence reports on the siege in Marawi City.
Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore have earlier warned the Philippines of the possible presence of ISIS-inspired local terror groups in the country, according to a report from UNTV.
Lorenzana said that the incident in Marawi City would serve as a lesson for the Department of National Defense and the military to validate intelligence reports.
"Maybe what we can do in the future is restudy what we are doing [in the] intelligence sector... so that we can be better prepared if something like this happens again," Lorenzana said.
It is in this same news article where Lorenzana is quoted as saying:
"The time of blaming somebody or pointing somebody is past that, ito na nga nangyari. We can no longer bring back the lives of those 110 people killed, 900 wounded," Lorenzana said.
Lorenzana could not be more wrong.
There must be an investigation into the prior knowledge of the Marawi attack. Can you imagine if there was no investigation into the attacks of September 11, 2001? Can you imagine if Defense Secretary Rumsfeld said the time of blaming somebody is past and hinted that an investigation into the largest terror attack in United States was unnecessary? That is exactly what is happening now.
Senator Poe thinks there is a cover-up in the hazing death of UST student Horacio Castillo Jr.
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| http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/09/26/1742882/poe-there-cover-attempt-hazing-victim-case |
There is an even bigger cover-up occurring in this matter of the government's prior knowledge of the Marawi attack. No one, no Senator, no Congressman, no journalist, no blogger, NO ONE has called for an investigation into this matter despite so much damning information being a part of the public record.
The time for an investigation is now. Duterte recognises the danger terrorism poses to the country. He has even warned that more cities will be consumed with the fury of war. Is the Senate prepared to allow that to happen? Is the Senate prepared to ignore the failures which led to Marawi and allow them to perpetuate? Is the Senate prepared to let those responsible for allowing the Marawi attacks to happen to not be held accountable? Is the Senate prepared to have the blood of hundreds, thousands, millions, on their hands because they failed to investigate this matter?
Why is there silence on this matter? What is the Senate afraid of?
Investigate the prior knowledge of the Marawi attack now!
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