It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.
What is the point of releasing a list of celebrities who are suspected of being involved with drugs? With the political narco-list the government could hide behind "informing the voters" but with this celebrity list there is no benefit. It's disgusting that the PDEA chief has even resorted to blind item gossip. How about charge these people with a crime and arrest them?
At a press briefing, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of Cybersecurity Policy, said a total of 67 pages, 68 accounts, 40 groups and 25 Instagram accounts were taken down due to "misleading behavior."
"The people behind the activity attempt to conceal their identities and make them look like their independent but in fact our investigation could confirm that this was a cluster of coordinated behavior that has links to a network organized by Nic Gabunada," Gleicher said, noting that the accounts usually post local and political news about the upcoming elections.
"What we saw is this cluster of these pages, groups and accounts, a combination of authentic and fake accounts that were basically being used to drive messaging on behalf and related to political candidates," Gleicher added.
He also said these fake accounts usually post candidate updates and views, alleged misconduct of political opponents as well as controversial events that were purported to occur during previous administrations.
Earlier reports said Gabunada had directed Duterte's social media campaign team for the May 2016 presidential elections.
According to Gleicher, about 3.6 million accounts followed one or more of these Pages, about 1.8 million accounts joined at least one of these groups, and around 5,300 accounts followed one or more of these Instagram accounts
He added that around $59,000 was spent for the advertising.
$59,000 is a lot of money to advertise your independent pro-Duterte accounts which means of course these accounts were likely being financed by the PDP-Laban. Don't worry though the troll army will continue to march on.
Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Thursday said that he was aware that China was monitoring phone calls and emails.
According to a report in GMA News TV's State of the Nation with Jessica Soho, Carpio made the remark after the power went off at a convention of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Iloilo City.
He was giving a lecture and presenting a video on China's claims in the South China Sea and the arbitral tribunal's 2016 ruling which favored the Philippines when the power outage occurred.
"I knew that my email and my phone conversations are being monitored by China but I didn't know they have the capability to tinker with our video now," Carpio said.
"[It is] not surprising, Globe and Smart use Huawei network services since before," Sotto said in a text message to GMA News Online without elaborating.
Huawei, a Chinese tech firm, has been accused of allowing its devices to be used for exfiltration of data and espionage in the United States.
It could be that Carpio is making a joke but that does not excuse Sotto's ho-hum reaction.
A graft complaint has been filed against Sto. Tomas, Batangas, Mayor Edna Sanchez for allegedly demanding kickbacks from an information technology contractor in a case that the mayor decried as “purely political harassment” because the allegations were nine years old already.
Gerry Laresma, spokesperson of the mayor, said in a phone interview that the timing of the case was suspect and “malicious as they claim it happened in 2010.”
“Why file it just now?” Laresma said.
The complaint alleged that on Sept. 1, 2010, Sanchez sent her police bodyguard to WeDo to receive a Bank of the Philippine Islands check for P1,211,592.82 and P1 million in cash. The bodyguard allegedly presented an authorization letter from Sanchez along with her postal ID.
Interesting. Even if it is politics perhaps she will pay for her crime if a crime was committed. The chickens always come home to roost.
A municipal councilor in Negros Occidental who was running for a third term was shot dead while sleeping inside his house in Moises Padilla town, about 49 km south of here.
Councilor Jolomar Bañares Hilario, 51, was sleeping when armed men barged into his house in Barangay Inolingan and shot him around 6 a.m. on Saturday.
According to the police report, the armed men arrived on board a truck and identified themselves as members of the New People’s Army.
This incident is interesting in light of the accusations against the Vice Mayor of Moises Padilla who has been charged with murder and, as a member of the NPA's kangaroo court, added names to the NPA's hit list.
Osmeña’s open support for Go fueled speculation that it was meant to appease the President.
Sources told the Inquirer that Osmeña met with the President after the latter’s public rant against Osmeña in speeches last year.
The same source said the only condition allegedly asked by the President to restore broken relations was for Osmeña to include Go on the mayor’s list of senatorial candidates.
The mayor of Cebu is being blackmailed by Duterte into supporting his candidates or continue risk facing his wrath.
The police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) announced on Monday the arrest of 23 local government officials in a series of operations against organized crime and loose firearms across the country.
In a press briefing at Camp Crame, PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde identified Mayor Romeo Vargas of Tubajon, Dinagat Island, and Vice Mayor Antonio Adlao of Tagbina, Surigao del Sur, as among those arrested for alleged violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Aside from Vargas and Adlao, the CIDG also arrested a member of the sangguniang barangay, nine village chairmen, 10 village councilmen, and a general service officer in operations conducted from March 22 to 28.
During that period, the CIDG seized 137 firearms, 34 explosives and arrested 168 people, including the local officials.
That's a fair amount of weapons and explosives.
A village chairperson of Cotabato City survived an ambush Saturday night in Makilala, North Cotabato, authorities said.
Citing report from local police of Makilala, Provincial Police Director Colonel Maximo Layugan identified the victim as Datu Bimbo Ayunan, chief of Barangay Mother Kalanangan in Cotabato City.
The 37-year-old village official was driving his pick-up truck with his wife, heading to Davao City, when unidentified gunmen on board a motorbike opened fire at them.
He survived this attack but will they try again?
A police officer assigned at the Northern Police District-Traffic Enforcement Unit was arrested on Tuesday for alleged extortion and illegal possession of firearms.
Police Chief Master Sergeant Kaiser Mijares, investigator on the case, identified the suspect as Patrolman Arnel Agustin.
Mijares said the suspect has been complained of extorting money from truck drivers at the Manila North Harbor since 2016, but was only arrested this morning at Road 10, Manila North Harbor Southbound.
Three years of extorting truck drivers and now he is finally apprehended.
The Philippines has no history of defaulting on its loans. So why are people saying now that we will default? They have no faith in the Philippines? I don't know why people are saying 'There might be a default.' That means to say those people have no faith in their own country," Dominguez was quoted saying in a statement released Sunday.
But Carpio said the Philippines "declared a moratorium on its foreign debt repayments" in 1983 "because the Central Bank did not have sufficient foreign exchange to service its foreign debts."
"So, it is not correct to say that the Philippines never defaulted on its debt because the mere suspension of repayment, like declaring a debt moratorium, is already an 'event of default,'" he said.
Is Dominguez lying or forgetful or does he think the debt moratorium is not technically a default?
“There’s no problem, you have no problem up here. There’s no corruption,” the President said.
“Ask anyone. I am strict when it comes to corruption. But the Cabinet members, the executive department, Congress, Supreme Court, I can handle them,” the President said at a campaign rally of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan in Malabon City on Tuesday night.
I suppose the reason why he continues to fire allegedly corrupt officials is because there is no corruption in his cabinet.
Police Capt. Neil Mark Quipanes, deputy chief of the Iligan city police station 1, said Al Daud Cali, a businessman selling construction materials, was arrested after three medium-sized sachets believed to contain shabu (crystal meth) worth about P105,000 was recovered inside his house during the search operation.
“He was included in the narcolist that PRRD (President Rodrigo Roa Duterte) previously released,” Quipanes noted.
It begs the question why he was not arrested and charged earlier if his name is on that list.
Armed with a search warrant, operatives from the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) of Cebu raided the house of siblings Aly Arquillano and Al Arquillano on Thursday morning, April 4, 2019.
Weapons seized included an explosive hand grenade, a caliber .22 rifle – with license Aly claims to have been reported as missing, a caliber 45 pistol, an AR15 rifle, 68 empty shells of a caliber 45, 50 empty shells of 9mm, three units of cellular phones, and several live ammunition.
How does one obtain a hand grenade and why would you want it? Where would you ever use a hand grenade except in a war zone?
Ombudsman Samuel Martires has ordered the dismissal of Manila Police District (MPD) Station 7 Police Officer 3 Gerry G. Geñalope from service due to the killing of 23-year-old Djastin B. Lopez on May 18, 2017.
In a 10-page joint resolution, Martires found Geñalope guilty of grave misconduct for which the penalty is dismissal from the service, including cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification to hold public office, is imposed.
Djastin’s family filed the complaint against the policemen on Sept. 28, 2017. According to the complaint, the boy was just sitting on the railroad tracks with his friends when the police swooped in and accosted everybody on their way.
Records said that Djastin bumped a police officer, who then shot him. Djastin then appeared to have an epileptic seizure, but the police reportedly shot and slapped him. When the police reports came, the cops alleged that it was a buy-bust and a follow-up operation for the murder of a tricycle driver a week earlier.
In the joint resolution, Martires said that there is probable cause that Geñalope is probably guilty, particularly of murder. He invoked self-defense, and he admitted inflicting fatal injuries that caused the death of Djastin.
“This Office is left with no sufficient lead to determine whether the May 18, 2017 incident was a legitimate police operation and who may be held accountable thereof,” the resolution read. “As such, there is a need to conduct a fact-finding investigation to ascertain what truly transpired and whom to hold accountable.”
This might look like some kind of victory but this ruling is actual unjust and awful. Has he actually been found guilty or is there only probable cause that he is probably guilty? He should get the benefit of a trial before he is sentenced. That the family had to file a case is also awful. That should be the discretion of the local DA but there are not any so families have to navigate the justice system all on their own.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday threatened to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus and have critics arrested over a senator's comment on his order to review state contracts.
"I have enough problems with criminality, drugs, rebellion and all.. Pero pag ako ang pinaabot ninyo nang sagad [But if you push me to limit., I will declare the suspensioin of writ of habeas corpus and I will arrest all of you. Kasama kayo sa mga rebelde, mga kriminal pati mga durugista [You are part of the rebels, the criminals and the drug addicts]," Duterte said in a speech in Palawan on Thursday.
Known for issuing exaggerated statements, the President also threatened to declare a "revolutionary war" if push comes to shove on his policies.
"Then pahirapan mo ako [if you make it difficult for me], I will declare a revolutionary war until the end of my term. Then pasesnsyahan tayo [you'll have to excuse me]," he said.
Duterte responded to Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon's statement Wednesday where he urged the government to exercise caution in the review of government contracts and loan agreements as ordered by the President.
Wow. He must really be deep in China's pockets to issue this kind of response.
The mayor of Daraga town in Albay is facing murder and attempted murder charges over the killing of AKO BICOL party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday confirmed that Mayor Carlwyn Baldo and five others were charged with two counts of murder as well as six counts of attempted murder in a court in Albay.
It took them long enough! After public outing him as the mastermind it took 4 months to charge him with the crime!
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