Governance – Page 7 – ellen tordesillas

The curse of the mistresses

Published by Ellen on April 5, 2017

House Speaker Pantalon Alvarez brings with him Jennifer Vicencio in an official trip - President Duterte's state visit to Laos. Instagram photo by Rep. Rodolfo Farinas (front). — House Speaker Pantalon Alvarez brings with him Jennifer Vicencio in an official trip – President Duterte’s state visit to Laos. Instagram photo by Rep. Rodolfo Farinas (front).

When news reports about the feud between House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr. was brought into open and was traced to the quarrel of the Davao lawmakers’ mistresses, my initial reaction was to suggest that they be given a copy of Jullie Yap’s book, “Etiquette for Mistresses.”

But I realized that Jullie’s pieces of advice are not applicable because the scandal is not a feud between the wife and the mistress. It’s a squabble between mistresses.

Jennifer Vicencio (Alvarez’ mistress) and Cathy Binag (Floirendo’s mistress) are a different breed of mistresses. They quarrel over privileges they feel they are entitled to because of their partners’ government position.

Lascañas says Duterte paid him using Davao City’s ‘ghost” employees

Published by Ellen on April 2, 2017

Lascañas on ghost employees from VERA Files on Vimeo.

By Ellen T. Tordesillas
VERA Files

In the business of death, self-confessed hitman Arturo Lascañas had reaped a ghastly reward: He became a “ghost” employee of the Davao City Hall, whose paycheck got a boost from the salaries of other “ghost” employees.

Lascañas, who retired in December with the rank of senior police officer 3, said in an interview with VERA Files that he received P68,000 every month from the Davao City government as a member of the Davao Death Squad (DDS). The amount, he said, was pooled from 10 to 12 ghost employees whose salaries ranged from P5,000 to P7,000 a month.

Alejano to Duterte: ‘May I borrow your jetski?’

Published by Ellen on March 21, 2017

Pres. Duterte takes a swipe at critics before Filipino community in Myanmar, March 19, 2017. Malacanang photo by Marcelino Pascua.

Not surprisingly, President Duterte resorted to incoherent rant when asked about the plan of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano to file a supplemental impeachment complaint to include developments in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.
This happened in a press conference in Myanmar Monday where Duterte was on a state visit.

Duterte said, “Well for what? If he (Alejano) wants to fight with China, he can lead. I would be glad to send him as the first batch of delegation of Filipinos who want to take the Spratly Islands and all of those they occupied now. Sige. Siya ang mauna.(Go ahead. He should go first). It would be a slaughter for the Filipinos to do that.
‘Yung kanyang tapang-tapangan, huwag munang. (His acting brave, don’t) Do not compare me with you. You are all cowards. Alam ninyo nakita ‘yung kagitingan ninyo noong nag-mutiny kaya mga walang hiya kayo. (You know we have seen your “bravery” when you staged a mutiny. You are shameless.)”

He continued fulminating more about the protest actions that Alejano together with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the Magdalo group did against Gloria Arroyo when they were young military officers in July 2003 (Oakwood mutiny) and in November 2007 (Manila Pen siege) which were irrelevant to the question about China’s activities in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.

Carpio tells Duterte what to do re China in Scarborough Shoal

Published by Ellen on March 19, 2017

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio reminded Sunday President Duterte of his “constitutional duty” to the Filipino people to defend the country’s national territory and suggested to him four ways he can do it as regards the reported China’s plans to set up an environmental monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal.

This is after the President said he cannot stop China from what it is doing unless he declared war against the behemoth neighbour which he is not willing to do.

In a press conference at the Davao City International Airport, Duterte was asked about a news report that China is planning to build a radar station in Scarborough shoal, 124 nautical miles from Zambales in Luzon.

Impeachment vs Duterte ‘in the larger scheme of things’

Published by Ellen on March 17, 2017

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano files the first impeachment complaint against Pres. Rodrigo Duterte.

There are things that you do knowing that its chance of success is not high but you do it because you know it’s the right thing.

Magdalo Representative Gary Alejano filed Thursday an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte. It’s the first against the President who was elected with 16 million votes and enjoys high trust and satisfaction rating nine months into his presidency.

The complaint alleged committed culpable violation of the Constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

The hazard of watching legislative hearings

Published by Ellen on March 8, 2017

Watching legislative hearings is bad for the health.

No, it’s not the stress or migraine that you get listening to the inane questions. It’s the feeling of superiority that you develop listening to the likes of Tito Sotto, Joel Villanueva and Manny Pacquiao. Especially Manny Pacquaio.

It’s not healthy.

I felt that last Monday watching senators interrogate SPO3 Arturo Lascañas on his new affidavit about the Davao Death Squad.

The sanctimonious Manny Pacquiao lectures SPO3 Arturo Lascañas on spiritual renewal.

Culture of death under Duterte presidency

Published by Ellen on March 3, 2017

“There was death on Ash Wednesday”

I like this lead by RG Cruz of ABS-CBN in his report about the approval of the death penalty bill by the House of Representatives.

RG wrote that “The House of Representatives has approved House Bill 4727, or the proposed Death Penalty Law, on 2nd reading in a viva voce vote.

Who’s the murderer? Who’s the coddler?

Published by Ellen on March 1, 2017

The ‘perya barker”act, in the words of Sen. Grace Poe, of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre at the government-organized Luneta rally last Saturday triggered responses from different personalities which make for amusing exchanges.

Afternoon of Feb. 25 at Luneta , Aguirre, feeling triumphant with the arrest and incarceration of Sen. Leila de Lima on illegal drug charges, he agitated the crowd , “Sino ang gusto n’yo isunod? (Who do you want next?)”
The crowd shouted back, “Trillanes! “Trillanes!”

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre

Lascañas: ‘Superman’ ordered death of political enemies, innocents

Published by Ellen on February 26, 2017

(Read the whole affidavit in VERA Files website. Click here.)

SPO3 Arthur Lascanas at his press conference in the Senate. Photo by Senate media.

By Charmaine Deogracias
VERA Files

They called him Superman.

That was the code the Davao Death Squad allegedly gave former Davao City mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte while they were killing criminals on his orders, according to police officer and the DDS’ self-confessed team leader Arthur Lascañas.

In his 12-page affidavit signed and notarized on Feb. 19, 2017, Lascañas said the squad initially targeted “drug addicts, drug pushers, snatchers, hold-uppers and other criminals.”

“Later on, however, we were ordered by Mayor Duterte to go after and kill his personal and political enemies,” he continued. “We became like hired killers who killed not only criminals but innocent people.”

No such thing as ‘limpio’in a dirty job

Published by Ellen on February 23, 2017

Five days after the explosive revelations of SPO3 Arthur Lascanas of the murders he committed upon orders of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, President Duterte has not responded.

In the narration of SP03 Arthur Lascañas of the “jobs” he had done as member of the Davao Death Squad, he recalled the instruction of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a murder operation against the financier of a kidnapping: “Sige, limpio lang.”

Lascañas explained.” Bisaya parlance po ito. Ang ibig pong sabihin “Sige malinis lang.”

Another term that Lascañas said Duterte used complementary to the “limpio lang” instruction was “erase lahat.”

Category: Governance