A Chinese telecom, Bato the not-so-secret agent, and frivolous lawsuits are just a few of the stories and players in this week's edition of Retards in the Government.
Former Education and Skills Development chief Augusto Syjuco Jr. filed the complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman Friday.
Syjuco called the mass vaccination, which began during Aquino’s administration, “illegal, unjust, improper, inefficient, life-threatening and outright unconscionable.”
“Its life-threatening effects supposedly transpire 30 months after inoculation which is now fast approaching since Aquino [who is] irresponsible, demented started its dreaded and reckless usage on 733,000 nine-year-olds and older as human ‘guinea pigs,’” Syjuco said.
Mass murder? Plunder? These
are serious charges. Extraordinary charges in fact. And we all know extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
The complainant, however, admitted he has no evidence to back his charges against Aquino except for news articles.
Syjuco is facing one count each for violations of Sections 3 (e) and 3 (h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds.
Not only is this another spurious, frivolous, and unfounded complaint to waste the court's time but the complainant is also under investigation for corruption!
Nothing says legitimate lawsuit like clip art! Why the lighting bolt? Because he's gonna zap Noynoy!
Four years ago the mayor hired former candidates who had lost elections without waiting the required one year period before doing so. The charge is simple misconduct. Imagine if the very complex array of misconduct happening this very moment were snuffed out today instead of years from now.
“There is also the proposal that Congress be abolished in 2019 and allow President Duterte to exercise legislative power much like what the late president Ferdinand Marcos did until a new legislature is elected under a federal Constitution,” Zarate said.
He said Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado admitted such scenario when he asked him about the variations Wednesday night, when the chamber opened floor debates on a resolution asking Congress to convene as a constituent assembly (con-ass) to work on a new Constitution.
These kind of rumours should never be tossed around lightly or even at all especially by Congressmen. More importantly there's that Filipino shorthand again transforming "constituent assembly" into "con-ass." The "con-ass" will be working on a new Consitution. Just lovely.
“What ails my presidency is that until now mayor ako magsalita [I still talk like a mayor] and my responses [to problems like crime] are basic and elementary,” Mr. Duterte said during Friday’s Christmas party here for the Davao media and Duterte supporters.
A rare admission, probably the first, that his presidency is ailing. Ailing means "in poor health." His presidency is not healthy. Quite a confession. Alas it is these little things that the media does not pick up on. Where is the headline: "Duterte Admits His Presidency is in Poor Health?" It will never be printed because the media is not any sort of real opposition to Duterte no matter how often that dichotomy is paraded to the public.
"I don't know kung kakayanin sa 3 months. Baka another 3 months na naman, then another 3 months (I don't know if it can be done in 3 months. Maybe [my term will be extended for] 3 months more, then another 3 months)," he said.
Aside from the confidential order, Dela Rosa mentioned that his last lap in the PNP was further stretched because Mindanao needs a Mindanaoan PNP chief in its recovery from the Marawi siege.
Whatever this secret mission is likely has to do with martial law in Mindanao. Also, you are no longer on a secret mission if you tell everyone you are on a secret mission.
Duterte loves his country so much he wants a man with zero qualifications who has been getting punched in the head all his life as a career to run the country. I say run Mocha for Senate in 2019 and then run Sen. Pacquiao and Sen. Mocha on one ticket for 2022.
"Suddenly, he was for gay marriage?" An indication that this is a political ploy and no more. And why not? He he will need support from all sectors of society if he wants to continue taking the country in the direction he is going.
How much longer will he and Bato keep discussing corrupt PNP officers? How long will it take to make the PNP honest? With all this endemic corruption why is the PNP being trusted to get back into the drug war and enforcing martial law in Mindanao? Can we say the Philippines is a failed state now?
Dela Rosa, a native of Davao, said skeptics should go to Mindanao or ask Mindanaoans themselves how they feel about the imposition of martial rule.
It is absolutely sickening that the highest officials in the land do to understand how the government works. The Philippines is a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC. This means that representatives of the people are elected to govern the nation within the framework of a constitution. The constitution gives three criteria for imposing martial law: invasion, rebellion, and if the public safety requires it. The will and opinion and feelings of the people are not deciding factors. How is this so hard to understand?
First the PNP says they don't need body cameras because God is watching them. Now Bato is trying to solicit funds from private donors to buy body cameras. If the government does not have the money to pay for this program how can Bato say he will triple the pay of current and retired PNP employees? There is more to the body camera program then just wearing body cameras. There is also storing and securing data. If the PNP start wearing body cameras and the footage goes missing then the program will be worthless.
Dela Rosa, who is set to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on January 21, 2018, sadmitted it was "very lonely" to be at the helm of the PNP.
Why do Bato and Duterte feel the need to constantly remind the public that the PNP is less corrupt now that it's ever been? It's an admission that the PNP is still corrupt. And check out that Filipino shorthand, sadmitted. Is that a typo or intentional?
Now, time for another story.
From May 2017:
A third player would face massive financial losses and huge infrastructure problems should it decide to enter the Philippine telecoms market currently dominated by rivals Philippine Long Distance Telephone (PLDT) and Globe, according to Patalinghug.
Once again we got a guy who is not thinking like Duterte. This guy is thinking about private domestically owned telecoms unlike Duterte who is thinking much bigger.
The Chinese telco, however, would only own 40 percent while a consortium of Filipino companies would own the remaining 60 percent, Roque said.
Article 12, sec 11 of the 1987 Constitution says all public utilites must be 60% Filipino owned. It's perfectly legal for China to have a 40% share of such a utility but Duterte is actually attempting to legally circumvent the law in this case. He wants an already established Chinese company to set up shop in the Philippines rather than said company invest in an already established and wholly Filipino owned company. Who is this consortium of Filipino companies? A telecom is a usually a singular entity and not a consortium though it may have several financial backers. And Duterte wants this deal done NOW!
“I do not want Courts to interfere and prolong this process. Do not issue any TROs (temporary restraining orders) or injunctions,” Duterte was quoted as saying by Roque.
“This is a matter of national interest for the benefit of the public,” he added.
The Palace earlier revealed that China Telecom would become the third player in the country's telecom industry, backed by a consortium of Filipino businesses.
The firebrand leader had previously said he was ready to defy the judiciary, a co-equal branch of the executive, if it delays the implementation of government projects.
He had also warned that a constitutional crisis would ensue if he no longer recognizes the decisions of the courts.
In a press conference, Roque said Duterte had directed the Department of Information and Communications Technology and National Telecommunications Commission to approve all applications and licenses within seven days upon submission.
"If it is not approved within seven days, it is deemed approved. That’s how serious the president is on the entry of a third telecoms player," Roque said.
China is building islands and bases in the SCS directly threatening Philippine sovereignty and Duterte says nothing. Yet he wants to rush through the courts an approval of this deal to let a Chinese telecom firm operate in the country. With the debacle over the Aquino administration's rushed dengue vaccine this is beyond hypocritical. "If it's not deemed approved with in seven days, it is deemed approved." Truly this administration has no respect for the law. But they do have a lot of love for China.
"Cruz acts arbitrarily and whimsically, totally disregarding logic and reason at times and, more importantly, completely ignoring long-existing civil service rules in blatant violation of existing government rules and regulations," the group said.
"She has used the threat [of mass termination] to silence anyone who dares to question her policies and action," it added.
Sounds like Duterte!
Almost 18 months into the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, the nation has seen administrative, criminal and impeachment complaints filed against public officials who have been labeled the president's enemies.
I still fail to understand how private citizens like Gadon or the VACC have any standing to file impeachment complaints or suits of any kind against elected officials.
An unapologetic Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez confirmed on Wednesday that 24 “undesirable” lawmakers lost infrastructure funding for their constituents in the 2018 budget due to politics, saying they ought to understand the name of the game in the 17th Congress.
The name of the game is absolute loyalty to Duterte. The loser in this game is the Filipino people.
The decision also pointed out that the prosecution “failed to positively show that Arevalo traded shots with the policemen who had killed his friends in a buybust operation.”
Reacting to the court decision, Dela Rosa, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, said: “We respect the decision of the court.”
“We have to stick with the version of the police,” he added.
Bato is a special kind of guy who can believe two contradicting things at the same time.
These people are suspended because they kept postponing "the completive selection process rule" which was supposed to help lower the cost of energy.
Final story for this edition.
Reuters publishes a story about a PNP squad which racked up a lot of kills in the drug war last year.
Of course this angers Malacañang and the PNP. Bato denies any kill order was given.
He said Patay had been "given a free hand" at station 6 and had command responsibility over his operations.
"It is his own call whatever he does there, he has to solve the drug problem," dela Rosa said.
But then Bato defends the work of the "Davao Boys" and admits that their leader had been given free reign to do whatever needed to be done to solve the problem. While that is not an order to kill it is certainly not a discouragement to kill.
Despite Bato, a government employee appointed by Duterte, affirming the details of this story, Roque says the government does not condone the "Davao Boys." Meanwhile the PNP is hot on the case looking for the motive for Reuters' report on this group.
We will see more of this posturing from the PNP and Malcañang as long as the bloody drug war continues and is reported on by investigative journalists. Hot news sells and nothing is hotter than the blood, sweat, and bullets of Duterte's war on drugs.
