It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption and murder in Philippine politics.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1192750/govt-sets-one-time-big-time-ops-vs-overloading-over-speeding-vehicles |
Transportation and law enforcement agencies will conduct its “one-time big-time” nationwide crackdown against traffic violators, especially overloading and over-speeding vehicles, on Friday, November 22.
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) said this activity is meant to “prevent more road crash incidents in the future” as well as comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to strictly enforce the country’s traffic laws.
According to an LTO letter to the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), the President’s “instruction” during a November 4 Cabinet meeting “as relayed by (LTO) Usec. Mark Richmund De Leon” was for the agency and the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) to “not to go into corruption” and “strictly enforce the law.”
This is ridiculous and all the comments on this article are spot on. The PNP is mandated to enforce traffic laws and they should be doing that 24/7 not just for one day! Then there is the problem of no speed limit signs so there can be no enforceable speed limit. And what is overspeeding!? You are either speeding or not. Just more nonsense from the PNP to make it appear they are doing their jobs when they are doing nothing of the sort.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1193444/duterte-says-he-believes-quiboloy-stopped-mindanao-quake |
Duterte, who has publicly admitted his close ties with Quiboloy, said that he believes the Pastor’s claim and see nothing wrong about it.
“I believed in Pastor Quiboloy,” Duterte said in the launching of a hotel in Davao City.
“When he said stop eh kung nagstop eh di what’s the trouble?” he added.
The President even claimed that he is hoping he could also possess Quiboloy’s “power” so he could order corrupt government officials to stop.
Is Duterte a true believer or just joking? Maybe both?
President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday apologized to Vice President Leni Robredo for assuming that she had invited United Nations probers to look into his drug war as co-chair of the administration's anti-narcotics body.
"And I am sorry because I said you only realize that it is false news when the news comes out. And you hear it and you talk about it, you react to it, that is the problem," Duterte told ABS-CBN News.
The President earlier threatened to slap a human rights advocate in front of the vice president if she brought him over to the Philippines.
Duterte, meantime, said Robredo can "never" earn his trust.
"There can never be a trust that can be nurtured between the two of us for the simple reason that Leni Robredo is with the opposition, ako andito sa kabila," he said.
Rather than figure out if something is true or not Duterte reacted very publicly saying he would slap a man that Robredo did not even invite to the country. Meanwhile he says Robredo will never earn his trust. So why keep her on his team?
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/271805/bong-go-challenges-robredo-kill-the-drug-lords-if-you-can |
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go urged Vice President Leni Robredo to work hard as the anti-illegal drugs czar so that no new drug lords can take root in the country under her leadership.
The senator even challenged Robredo to “kill” the drug lords, if necessary, and inform the administration if she can’t do so.
“Kung kaya mong patayin ang mga drug lord, patayin mo. Kung hindi, sabihin mo sa amin. (If you can kill the drug lords, kill them. If you can’t, tell us),” said Go.
This was the senator’s challenge to Robredo 16 days after the Vice President accepted the appointment of President Rodrigo Duterte to make her the co-chairman of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-illegal Drugs on November 7, 2019.
In a press conference, Go said that Robredo should aim to improve the campaign against illegal drugs that “82 percent of Filipinos approved of.”
(Maybe she can increase to 90 percent the approval rating of the Filipinos on the campaign against illegal drugs, why not? As for me, I only hope she won’t let the drug lords proliferate. Don’t let their number grow, and don’t let the number of victims of illegal drugs grow.)
It's a stupid challenge from Go. Killing people is not part of Robredo's job description. But then he shows his cards by mocking her saying maybe she can increase the approval rating from 82% to 90% meaning 82% is so high already that Robredo should quit with her criticisms of how the drug war is being waged.
A leader of the House of Representatives on Friday commended President Rodrigo Duterte’s unprecedented success of the administration’s war against illegal drugs.
Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said that as compared to his predecessors, President Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs is more successful that his predecessors.
“The records of all the previous presidents in solving the drug problem in the country pale by comparison with the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte is much more successful.”
Barzaga, president of the National Unity Party, said Duterte is the first Chief Executive to expose a list of narco-politicians ranging from congressmen to mayors; and even naming some members of the judiciary, as well as the so-called ninja generals and cops.
“That is a bold and brave move of the President to make such public declaration considering that drug problem is a complicated social problem involving powerful syndicates.”
The third quarter 2019 survey of the Social Weather Stations showed that the President maintained his “very good” satisfaction rating. In this survey, 78 percent said they were satisfied, while 13 percent told SWS that they were dissatisfied with Duterte,
The rest or 9 percent were undecided.
“This rating is exceptional considering that performance ratings of former presidents typically decline after the first half of their term. The good rating of the President largely reflects the accomplishment of his war on drugs which is the centerpiece of his administration,” Barzaga said.
Despite Duterte himself calling the drug a failure and despite narcopoliticians and drug dealing cops being called out many times over the years this Congressman still calls Duterte's drug war a major success. He also is using the SWS survey as proof as if public opinion is the true test of any program's worth.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1195043/fwd-dela-rosa-stop-fooling-filipinos-that-drug-war-is-a-failure |
“As far as Filipino standard is concerned, 82 percent are satisfied with the war on drugs as reported by a survey of the Social Weather Stations for the second quarter of 2019,” said Dela Rosa.
“Let us stop fooling the people. ‘Yung iba gustong lokohin ang tao [na] failure daw ang war on drugs. Anong standard ninyo ng failure [Others want to fool the people that the drug war is a failure. What is your standard of failure]?” he said during the program of the Dangerous Drugs Board for the Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Week 2019 held in Quezon City on Monday.
“Bakit 82 percent ang approval rating ng mga tao [Why is that the people gave an approval rating of 82 percent (in the war on drugs)]? So huwag nating lokohin ang taumbayan [So let us not fool the people]. Let us give them the real numbers,” the former PNP chief said.
Bato is also using the SWS results to say the drug war is a success. Does he not know that Duterte said unequivocally that the drug war is a failure? That there are now 7-8 million drug users nationwide? Is Duterte fooling the people?
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| https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/25/1971638/duterte-sacks-robredo-drug-czar |
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Robredo’s services were “terminated” after both she and Sen. Francis Pangilinan, head of the opposition Liberal Party, “taunted” Duterte to fire her.
Panelo said all that Robredo had done as ICAD chief was to “embarrass the country.”
“The Palace is announcing the termination of the services of Vice President Ma. Leonor Robredo as co-chairperson of the (ICAD),” Panelo said.
“This is also in response to the taunt and dare of VP Robredo for the President to just tell her that he wants her out.”
Panelo lamented that Robredo blew an “offer to make the campaign against illegal drugs better,” wherein the opposition and administration could have united in fighting a common scourge.
“Unfortunately, she wasted such opportunity and used the same as a platform to attack the methods undertaken by the administration,” Panelo said.Last week I wrote, "Could it be that Duterte will dismiss her from the post as drug czar on a pretext?" Now it appears the is just what has happened since Panelo admits Robredo was fired in response to a dare. However her statement was far from a dare.
“He should tell me directly. I’m easy to talk to. If he doesn’t want me here (ICAD) in the first place, why did he appoint me? If he thinks he committed a mistake in appointing me and wants to revoke it, he should just say so,” the Vice President told reporters after a meeting with officials of the Dangerous Drugs Board in Quezon City.
“But as long as work is expected of me, I’ll do it,” she added.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/11/21/1970624/robredo-duterte-just-tell-me-leave
If Dutere really fired her for that "dare" then why did he wait 3 days before doing so and why did he do it just before he left for South Korea? Pundits and politicians will be flocking to this circus and we all know what each side will say but the only response needful to hear is that of Robredo's.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1194289/breaking-a-day-after-being-fired-robredo-asks-ano-bang-kinatatakutan-ninyong-malaman-ko |
(What are you afraid of? What are you afraid that I might discover?)
This was the question posed by Vice President Leni Robredo a day after President Rodrigo Duterte sacked from her post as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD).
(What are you afraid that the people might find out?)
(Mr. President, I did not ask for this position. But I took the job you passed on to me seriously. What the people wished for is a government that truly champions the fight against illegal drugs.)
She further said she would soon report to the public what she has discovered during her 18-day stint as co-chair of the government’s anti-drug body.
(In the coming days, I will report to the public. I will reveal what I discovered and my recommendations. I can assure you: even if I was stripped of the position, my determination will never waver).
Robredo also reminded the Duterte administration that she is not the enemy in the campaign against illegal drugs.
(Let’s remember that illegal drugs and drug lords are the enemy—not me, and most especially not the Filipino people.)
(If we have the same objective, why can’t we just help each other? Are they really serious in this fight? Or have we tromped on somebody’s interest?)
What will she reveal? And will Duterte attempt to accuse her of revealing state secrets if she does in fact reveal anything?
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1194022/duterte-says-politics-dirty-ok-with-opening-everybodys-account |
President Rodrigo Duterte has floated the idea of lifting bank secrecy and order the opening of “everybody’s accounts” as he lamented how politics in the country has become a dirty game, especially during the election period.
“Public office is a very honorable thing but politics, well, everywhere is always dirty,” Duterte said in an interview on Saturday in Davao City.
“If you want — anybody who is interested could always go to me and tell me — tell me publicly and I will ask the Central Bank governor to open everybody’s account, my account, your account, lahat ng Pilipino na may bangkong — pera sa bangko, (every Filipino who has a bank account)” he said.The President even recounted how he has been accused of having amassed billions during the 2016 presidential elections, which he claimed was baseless but was still carried by some networks.
This is very insincere. The legislature would never repel the Bank Secrecy law. Why would they? Does he really want people looking in his accounts?
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1194485/local-execs-charged-over-open-dumps |
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Monday filed complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman against the mayor of Tabaco City, Albay province, and a former mayor of Limay town, Bataan province, as well as four others for allegedly violating the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, or Republic Act No. 9003.
Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Unit Concerns Benny Antiporda, who led the filing, said that while “the penalty is light” for violation of the Solid Waste Management Act, he expressed the hope that preventive suspension may be applied as penalty to serve as a deterrent to future offenders.
“What is important is that local government unit heads are aware that if they have a hand in destroying our environment, we will really go after them, no matter how heavy or light the sentence,” Antiporda said in an interview after the filing.
“The fact remains, during his tenure as mayor, Limay used its purported transfer station as an open dump site,” the four-page complaint read in part.
“Worse, after the closure of the open dump site at Sitio Mamala, Barangay St. Francis I, Limay, Bataan, the municipality opened another dumpsite at Barangay Alangan, Limay, Bataan,” the complaint added.
The DENR had charged the Mayor of Tabaco City for running an illegal dumping site and they hope that the charges will be a deterrent to other potential offenders. As if!!
A Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officer was gunned down in broad daylight by motorcycle-riding gunmen just near the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on Wednesday morning.
Initial information reaching BuCor spokesperson Maj. Albert Tapiru identified the victim as CO1 Porferio Bergula.
Police investigation showed that the incident happened just about 400 meters away from the national penitentiary’s main building at around 10:30 a.m.
Police said that Bergula was in front of the Poblacion Market when two motorcycle-riding assailants approached and shot him.
Another Bureau of Corrections officer shot dead near New Bilibid. Nothing new here!
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has indefinitely suspended one of its personnel here who was arrested for illegal drugs.
LTO-9 director Aminola Abaton said effective Monday, Abdulrauf Mutin has been placed under indefinite suspension “prior to the filing of an administrative proceeding for his eventual dismissal” from the government service.
“There is a process we need to observe. But in so far as LTO is concerned, it is clear that under the leadership of Asec. (Assistant Secretary Edgar) Galvante, in no way that we will tolerate at any given time any of our personnel to be involved in any irregularity,” Abaton said Tuesday.
Police arrested Mutin together with Saudie Hairul, 42; and Gairel Tacurian, 38, in an anti-drug operation on November 22 in one of the hotels here.
Mutin is the LTO operations officer assigned at the agency's Zamboanga Economic Zone and Freeport (Zamboecozone) office.
Another government employee suspended for drug use. Nothing new here.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1195518/cayetano-to-unmask-people-behind-smear-campaign-vs-him-sea-games |
House Speaker Alan Cayetano on Thursday said he would “unmask” the individuals who were allegedly behind a smear campaign against him and the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.
“Basta’t handa ako sa imbestigasyon after the SEA Games, humanda rin kayo sa imbestigasyon kasi i-unmask ko rin kayo (I am ready for any investigation but those behind the smear campaign should also be ready because I will unmask you, too),” the chair of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) Foundation Inc. said in an interview in San Juan.
“I will also unmask those people who shameless[ly] o mga walang hiya na gusto talagang sirain ang ating bansa (wants to divide our nation),” he added.
Cayetano claimed some members of the opposition are trying to pin him and the Duterte administration down for the controversies hounding the country’s hosting of the biennial regional sports meet. If backed by other members of Phisgoc, the head of the SEA Games organizing body said he may also file libel and cyber libel cases against those who are peddling “fake news” against him and the competition’s hosting.There has been a lot of controversy over the SEA Games. Allegations of wasted money and athletes waiting for hours to be picked up at the airport and dropped off at the wrong hotel. This story about Cayetano is representative of the situation. Instead of dealing with the snafus he has blamed other people, is claiming he will unmask those who are accusing him, and that he might file a bible case. To top it off he equates criticism over the handling of the SEA Games with dividing the nation. It's the typical way Filipino politicians deal with controversy. Deny, deflect, accuse the opposition, and threaten to sue all the while the original problem, in this case the handling of the SEA Games, remains in the same messy state.
