In part 40 of Retards in the Government I have included a few lengthy stories so as to show the context of how they have played out over time. This week there has been a lot of drama coming out of Malacañang but that's ok because now we know who we are messing with.
Mahabol nila, eh, pero pagka ngayon magkasalubong kami, ah lalo ‘yung mga abogado nila, ‘yung itim pati ‘yung isa ’yung payat, si Callamard, undernourished, walang kain (They can pursue it, but if we meet along the way now, especially their lawyers, the black one and the other one who is skinny, does not eat)…,” he said.
On the eve of International Women’s Day, Duterte asked the two ladies not to mess with him.
“Don’t f*** with me, girls. Kaya ako nasasaktan ho (That’s why I am hurt),” Duterte said.
Obviously he was just joking. It would have been more hilarious if he had called "the black one" a nigger.
“The rich, be on guard. Cocaine is coming in very fast. The cartels of Mexico and South America have come in,” Mr. Duterte said at an event in Tarlac City on Wednesday.
He also warned that candidates backed by illegal drug traders could win in the coming barangay elections.
The cartels of Mexico and South America are coming into the country? How's that for foreign investment!
“‘Di ako, sinong maasahan ko (For me, who can I rely on)? Si Inday, ‘yung anak ko na (my daughter the) mayor, buti’t na lang nakalusot,” Duterte said in a speech before local officials in Pampanga the other day.
“O ‘yung anak kong si (my son) Pulong, isa rin ‘yung (he is a) gangster, ‘yun mabubuhay ‘yun (he could survive). O ‘yung si Baste? Pero si Baste naman, babae ang inaatupag (his concern is women), si Adarna,” Duterte said, referring to Sebastian’s former girlfriend, actress Ellen Adarna, who is now involved with actor John Lloyd Cruz.
“Who will now buy my medicine? Who will pay for my oxygen? Sinong magbayad ng kabaong ko (who will pay for my coffin)? And who will pay for my burial? Son of… ‘Yan ang problema diyan (that’s the problem there),” he said, before complaining of his low salary as a government worker.
Who will now buy for my medicines? Who will pay for my oxygen? Sinong magbayad ng kabaong ko? And
who will pay for my burial? Son of... ‘Yan ang problema diyan. Maliit na nga ang kinikita, hindi pa makabili
ng p***** i***** medisina lang para...
Which (badly) translates as:
Who will now buy for my medicines? Who will pay for my oxygen? Who pay my coffin? And who will pay for my burial? Son of ... 'That's the problem there. It's a small income, it's not worth buying anymore p ***** i ***** medisina lang ...
Very nice for the President to complain about his salary in a nation where some people live in a literal burning garbage dump. A few weeks ago he said he needs a raise because he has two wives he needs to maintain. Is he giving a backhand admission that his son Paolo is indeed a rice smuggler and a drug lord?
Fired for corruption, allegedly taking too many trips abroad, this lady, a cousin of Duterte's mistress, has now been given a new position in the government. So much for not tolerating even "a whiff of corruption."
The Binays are facing four counts of graft and three counts of falsification of public documents each for allegedly conspiring with other Makati City officials and private individuals to rig the procurement for a 10-story building of the Makati Science High School in 2007.
The Ombudsman also alleged that the contract, which involved six phases during the time of the Binays as city mayors, supposedly included the construction of a four-story dormitory. The structure was never built, prosecutors said.
Rumour has it that the Binay family is a corrupt political powerhouse. Actually that's basically the facts.
At a tourism expo in Germany, sentiment on Boracay is “mixed” due to reported pollution problems in the Philippines’ main draw for travelers, a European business executive attending the conference said Friday.
Some Filipino tour operators are having a “tough” time selling Boracay to tourists, who fear that their bookings might be cancelled, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Guenter Taus said via Skype from Berlin.
Dept of Tourism Sec Wanda Teo should take notice. Nobody wants to visit an open sewer. This is the result of the government not enforcing laws.
A POLICE official and seven other cops in Northern Mindanao were booted out from service for beating up two minor suspects after an operation in Opol, Misamis Oriental, sometime in October 2013.
In a decision dated August 25, 2017, the eight were found liable for violation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 (Republic Act 9344) and culpable for grave misconduct.
Four years to get a decision. Were they allowed to work while the case was sneaking its way through the courts?
The three were in a drug session when operatives barged into the apartment after receiving text messages from an asset.
Seems to have been a warrantless no-knock raid based solely on a text message. Funny how they describe it as a "drug session." It's like they made an appointment to get high.
"China has never asked and will never ask relevant countries to use natural resources as collateral in loan agreements," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a press conference in Beijing.
"In this vein, our assistance and support to the Philippines are provided with no strings attached," he said.
Geng gave the statement days after a Chinese scholar Zhuang Guotu told China's Global Times that “[Chinese] loans are usually accompanied by repayment agreements, which use certain natural resources as collateral."
Geng said Zhuang's statement "only represents himself, not the official stance of the Chinese government."
Last week I included an article where it was said that natural resources could be used as collateral for Philippines loans. The source was a scholar who is apparently not very scholarly. He should just shut his mouth and after this official statement from the Chinese government who wants to bet his mouth will be shut forever?
And now for the beginning of this week's real drama.
The United Nations' human rights chief has suggested that President Rodrigo Duterte "needs to submit himself to some sort of psychiatric evaluation" over his "unacceptable" remarks about some top human rights defenders.
"There is no reason whatsoever for such an unmeasured outburst directed against President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and it should not be repeated," Cayetano said.
"The Philippines takes grave exception to the irresponsible and disrespectful comments of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that cast untoward aspersions regarding the President of the Republic of the Philippines."
"This action of High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein is completely uncalled for and demeans not only the Head of State of a Member-State, but tarnishes the reputation of the Office of the High Commissioner," he added.
Cayetano also said that Duterte is even worth emulating.
"The world actually needs more Dutertes – leaders with empathy; leaders who listen to their people; and leaders who are ready to sacrifice their lives to protect their people," he said.
"The High Commissioner may not be aware of it but he is being used in a well-orchestrated effort to destabilize a legitimate government that is being undertaken by parties with self-serving agendas and who stand to benefit the most by unseating President Duterte," he said.
Duterte routinely tells the UN to f-off, disparages the Human Rights Council, verbally abuses UN rapporteur Agnes Callamard, and now has included another UN rapporteur in his hit list of alleged terrorists. This prompts the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights to say the following:
"This is absolutely disgraceful that the president of a country could speak in this way using the foulest of language against a rapporteur that's highly respected. And really it makes one believe that the president of the Philippines needs to submit himself to some kind of psychiatric evaluation."
Note he does not say that Duterte NEEDS an exam but that, regarding his behaviour, IT MAKES ONE BELIEVE he needs an exam. Here is the video and audio:
What's more stupid here? The hypocrisy of taking grave offence at these remarks when Duterte repeatedly uses the foulest and most threatening language against the Human Rights Council or Cayetano's insinuation that the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights is an unwitting pawn in a game to destabilise the government of Philippines? The Commissioner should brush Cayetano off by saying he was just joking or speaking in hyperbole.
Roque, who once described Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as may tama(not right in the head) and told Callamard she's welcome to swim in the polluted Pasig river, slammed Zeid's use of "harsh language."
"I reiterate that the language used by the High Commissioner is uncalled for. I'm very tempted to respond in similar language, but I have opted to restrain myself, opting not to respond in the same abominate used by the UN High Commissioner," Roque said.
"I would hope that although you do not have the same democratic system in your home country of Jordan, you will respect the kind of democracy that we have in the Philippines," Roque said.
He added: "Your language was not just an insult to the Philippines and the Filipino people, it is an insult to all countries who have democratically elected their heads of state."
Not only is Harry Roque a hypocrite but he apparently did not hear what the Commissioner actually said. His remarks were in response to Duterte's verbal abuses towards the UN rapporteurs and had nothing to do with his legitimacy as President or democracy. There was absolutely no abuse or insult in his remarks contrary to what this administration would have everyone believe. Scroll back up and reread them and if there is any abuse or insulting language in them please make a note in the comments.
Binay said that a group of experts presented to her last year documents about the irregularities in the election.
She admitted that she did not fully understand the presentation because she was not an expert in information technology.
"There was also me but they did not want to name the source of their documents. I'm not techie person so I do not know the truth. They are showing surge of votes, print outs but I do not know if their source is reliable, "Binay said.
She said she was told that the supposed irregularities occurred during the regular transmission of votes and not on the initial transmission as earlier divulged by Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III in a privilege speech.
Binay later said that the source of documents was somebody from the Commission on Elections.
I ran this through Google translate so everyone can understand what Binay is saying. She is saying, "I don't know." She is making a damning charge against Roxas, that he benefited from poll irregularities, and then she says she really does not know if that is true! Then she says someone from the Comelec gave her the info last year! Why didn't they just go public with it? If this is how the investigation into alleged irregularities in the 2016 election is going to go, baseless allegations and admissions of ignorance and all based on anonymous sources, then this will be another politically motivated circus at the expense of the entire country.
The anti-graft court Sandiganbayan has granted the request of Sen. Gregorio Honasan to leave the country for four days amid his pending cases in connection with the alleged misuse of P30 million of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel in 2012.
In his motion filed last month, Honasan said he was invited by the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc. to be the main speaker in two seminars for the Overseas Filipino Workers regarding Charter change and federalism.
Honasan assured the court that he has no intention of absconding or evading the prosecution of his cases.
The graft cases against Honasan stemmed from the release of P30 million of his PDAF in April 2012 to National Council on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) for supposed implementation of his programs and projects for the Muslim Filipinos in Metro Manila and Zambales.
Sen. Honasan is charged with the misuse of 30 million pesos in connection with the pork barrel scam of 2012. I am not clear on the rules of the Sandiganbayan but it seems that those with cases pending are not allowed to leave the country without permission. Presumably it would need to be a life and death situation. And what is the pressing need for this man to travel to Hong Kong? For politicking! Completely unnecessary.
"Do not answer. You're investigating us? Fact-finding? Sorry, do not f*** with me. Do not talk to people who will produce lies out of your statement and who can twist it to the angle that they would like it to," he added.
"We tell the truth here. And if we deny, it's really because that's part of our duty, it is not time to talk about it, and as of this time, we'd just like to investigate the whole case until there is a conclusion," the President added
“I deplore the President Duterte’s statement last week to élite police units that they should not cooperate “when it comes to human rights, or whoever rapporteur it is” and the continued vilification of this Council’s Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial killings by the authorities,” he said.
"This son of a b****, stupid chief of (UN Human Rights Council)..., they were irked because (my advice to the police is), 'Do not answer question[s] from them. And that is for a reason (that is) legal. That is provided for in the Constitution itself, our Constitution," Duterte said during his camp visit to Zamboanga City.
"So these stupid (members of the UN) will go here. Are there crocodiles here that eat people? Throw those b****** [there]," he added.
Former Commission on Elections (Comelec) chair Andres Bautista is suffering from “secondary pulmonary hypertension” possibly due to obstructive sleep apnea.
This was revealed by Bautista’s elder brother, Dr. Martin D. Bautista, a US-based gastroenterologist, to philamessenger.com.
According to Dr. Bautista, the former Comelec chief, who is currently in the United States, has been complaining of dyspnea, fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness.
Excessive daytime sleepiness! I feel his pain. I am forced to take a nap every afternoon. At least we now know for sure he is out of the country.
In a radio interview, Drilon said he learned about the plot from sources in the House and at least two had spoken to him about a plan to move the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, set for May this year, to October or November, during which a plebiscite on a new Constitution would also be held.
“My information is clear. Two sources have told me that the barangay [and SK] elections will be postponed. The mayors will be the ones to seek postponement. That’s not right,” he added.
It's not official yet but this move to postpone the elections one more shows Drilon was right all along and certainly weakens any confidence in the administration that they have been truthful about this matter.
China needs to build defensive structures on islands in the South China Sea to display its claim to sovereignty over virtually the entire crucial waterway, a leading Chinese general said Thursday.
China needs to arm these islands to defend their sovereignty in Philippine territory! A direct result of weak Philippine foreign policy.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) apparently does not need internal rules in issuing subpoenas.
"Konsensya lang 'ninyo. Hindi na kailangan pa ng rules diyan, dahil nasabi na sa batas: either or sa amin ang batas. Konsensyahan naman iyan eh. Kung kinakailangan, gamitin, kung hindi, 'wag," Dela Rosa said in a Camp Crame news briefing on Monday, March 12.
(It depends on your conscience. Rules are not needed there, because the law already said it's either or for us. It's a matter of conscience, really. If you need it, use it, if not, don't.)
Bato is doing everything he can to reassure the people that the PNP really won't abuse this power to subpoena.
Last October Senate leader Koko Pimentel had some choice words for the PNP.
The thing is, the PNP does receive foreign aid in training from the USA. And it's still not good enough. You can train a dog to sit but he will always be a dog.
The resolution, which was approved by Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan, was issued by a panel of DOJ prosecutors on Dec. 20, 2017, but was apparently kept from the members of the media.
An admitted drug lord, Espinosa, and men whom witnesses testified as being drug lords, one of whom, Peter Lim, was even on Duterte's notorious list, have been set free by the DOJ for lack of evidence. This means those who filed the case did not provide enough evidence. They left out crucial bits like Espinosa's Senate testimony and they based the whole case on the testimony of one witness. And the DOJ kept this decision secret for 3 months!! There is no way Duterte or Aguirre did not know about this until recently but they are posturing as if they didn't and they are both calling for an investigation into the ruling. But hold the phone look at this:
In summary, Duterte named Reyes RTC judge a month after he started handling the probe into drug trade and conspiracy charges against Espinosa, Lim, and accomplices. However, he was administered his oath only more than a month after he had cleared the suspects.
Aristotle Reyes was promoted by Duterte to the position of RTC on September 21, 2017 but he did not take the oath of office until February 2, 2018. In between those dates he quashed the DOJ's complaint against customs officials in the shabu smuggling case and he dismissed the charges against Espinosa and the rest. But Duterte did not rescind his promotion despite these two questionable rulings which he surely knew about and which raised the entire nation's eyebrows.
It's stuff like this that should be opening people's eyes and lead them to question the legitimacy and goals of the drug war.
Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon was all praises for Special Assistant to the President Bong Go for being a “very good” player during the championship game between Malacañang PSC-Kamao and Senate Defender teams for the UNTV Cup.
Malacañang and the Senate each have their own basketball teams!??
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Order and Safety has begun tackling a bill seeking to limit the use of sing-along and other sound amplifying equipment between 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. in residential areas.
But Tan acknowledged in her bill these existing anti-noise pollution laws – such as the Philippine Environmental Code (Presidential Decree No. 1152) and the National Pollution Control Decree (PD No. 984).
My first thought was, "Now that's a law I can get behind." But then I read the article and well....why don't they just enforce existing noise laws?
The Chinese government has urged the United Nations (UN) to respect the sovereignty of the Philippines amid the Department of Justice’s terrorist tag against a UN special rapporteur.
“Relevant sides of the international community, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, shall respect the sovereignty of the Philippines and the will of its people, view the outcomes of the Philippines’ fight against drug and terrorism in a comprehensive, unbiased and objective way, and support its efforts to move forward its human rights cause in light of its national conditions,” Lu said in a transcript forwarded by the Chinese embassy on Tuesday.
Oh the irony! China demanding the UN respect the Philippines sovereignty!!
“I’ve been pleading to authorities to investigate me. How can I clear my name [if there’s no probe]? That is the sixty-four-dollar question,” he said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
“Before somebody will murder me, the President should take action because if it’s not for his unfair and irresponsible pronouncement, things like these will not come up,” said Rama in reference to a tarpaulin sign that presented him as the next target of an assassination plot.
Both of these men have been accused by Duterte and Espinosa as being drug dealers but have yet to be investigated leaving not only their names muddied but two alleged drug dealers scot free.
What an about-face from last month. This is probably the most extreme thing Duterte has done yet. He did it on his own and with no advice from the Senate. But that raises a lot of questions.
Can Duterte unilaterally withdraw the Philippines from a treaty without the Senate's approval? It seems so. Last year a resolution was introduced in the Senate which required Senate concurrence to withdraw from treaties but legal scholar and bar topnotcher Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao gave that resolution an uppercut which put it out of commission. I think we will see this action make its way to the Supreme Court. But who knows. One thing's for sure the Philippine's participation in the ICC was crucial to its existence and now the future for this court is not so bright.
"The Philippine withdrawal, I am sure, will start an avalanche of other states leaving the court... Secondly, no other Asians would join the ICC now. Only the Philippines has taken the role of advocating that other countries in the region should become a member. This the beginning of the end of the court," he said.
Who knew the Philippines played such a central role in holding the ICC together? That must be why they did not officially become members until 2011.
In a privilege speech in October last year, Trillanes said that soldiers should shoot the Philippine leader using an M-60 machine gun for his alleged hidden wealth.
Is this the beginning of the beginning of the end for Trillanes? Likely not.
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