Category: Illegal Drugs

Michael Yang is presidential economic adviser

Published by Ellen on October 7, 2018

Pres. Duterte receives Michael and his associates in Malacañang. Photo from Yang’s company website.

Things will never be the same between China and President Duterte after the latter’s unprovoked comment about businessman Michael Yang and Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua at the dinner with officers and members Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. last Oct. 4 in Malacañang.

Duterte is now regarded by Chinese officials as a loose lip and untrustworthy.

They will use him to further China’s interest for the remaining time of the Duterte presidency, which is now uncertain in the light of his revelation that he had to go through tissue tests following an endoscopy and colonoscopy three weeks ago, but they see him now as “somewhat crazy”, someone they should be nice with but wary about, according to a source in the Chinese community.

Fresh from his “day-off” to undergo laboratory tests at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan, Duterte was his usual talkative self. His started with his maraming- beses- ng- bumenta line of setting aside his prepared two-page speech and rambled. He talked of the same things he had been talking even before Day One of his presidency- about his reluctance to run for president in 2016 because he had no money, his son Sebastian’s predilection for women, his wise daughter Inday Sara, his fight against corruption, etc. etc. . And of course his disdain for drugs.

Then, he mentioned Michael Yang: “Ito daw si isang Michael Yang na drug addict daw (This Michael Yang, they say he is a drug addict.)

Duterte tells the truth

Published by Ellen on September 30, 2018

This time, President Duterte is telling the truth: he has killed people without the victim or victims going through due process.

Malacañang was extremely bothered by the President’s admission of guilt that aside from statements by Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque and Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo downplaying it, they issued a separate statement.

President Duterte admitting before civil service career officers that he has committed extra judicial killings. Screengrab from RTVM video.

This is amidst opinions by international legal experts that Duterte’s statement is an admission of guilt and will weigh heavily against him in the cases filed before the International Criminal Court.

Families of drug war victims bring plea for justice at the ICC

Published by Ellen on August 30, 2018

Irma J. Locasia, mother of Salvador J. Locasia, Jr. killed in a police operation on August 31, 2016;
Dennise B. David, father of John Jezreel T. David killed in a police operation on January 20, 2017; Maria C. B. Lozano, sister of Crisanto and Juan Carlos B. Lozano both killed in a police operation on May 12, 2017; Mariel F. Sabangan, sister of Bernabe F. Sabangan killed alongside Arnold S. Vitales in a police operation on May 15, 2017; Normita B. Lopez, mother of Djastin B. Lopez killed in a police operation on May, 18, 2017; Purisima B. Dacumos, wife of Danilo G. Dacumos killed in a police operation on August 3, 2017.

Last Tuesday, as the Supreme Court started hearing oral arguments on the legality of the withdrawal by the Duterte government from the International Criminal Court, the names mentioned in the first paragraph, held a press conference announcing their decision to go to the ICC in The Hague because they do not expect to get justice for their kin killed in Duterte’s bloody and indiscriminating war against drugs.

Families of victims of Duterte’s war on drugs go to the International Court of Justice.

Why Duterte coddles Faeldon

Published by Ellen on May 20, 2018

President Duterte’s undiminished confidence on former Customs Chief Nicanor Faeldon even after 604 kilos of shabu worth P6.4 billion got passed his bureau’s watch and ended up in a Bulacan warehouse has been puzzle to many.

Duterte’s lack of outrage over the incompetence of Faeldon and his men rendered his war against drugs which has claimed the lives of some 20,000 suspected drug addicts and pushers a farce.

Not only did he not sanction Faeldon and his associates, he appointed them to other important government positions.

Pres. Duterte at the christeninng of the child of OCD Deputy Administrator Nicanor
Faeldon in April 2018.Photo from DuterteToday

Mother of tokhang victim petitions Netflix not to show ‘Amo’

Published by Ellen on April 8, 2018

There’s a petition going around online addressed to Netflix to stop the April 9 showing of the TV series “Amo” about the brutal war against illegal drugs being waged by President Rodrigo Duterte.

The Netflix TV series is directed by the multi-awarded Brillante Mendoza and stars Derek Ramsay.

OFW Luzviminda Siapno,mother of Tokhang victim, petitions Netflix not o show Amo. Photo from change.org

The petition is by Luzviminda Siapo, mother of 19-year old Raymart, a person with disability, who was killed by policemen April last year in its indiscrimate operation against illegal drugs.

Here’s Siapo’s letter in Filipino. There’s an English version in the Change.org website: https://www.change.org/p/netflix-netflix-don-t-air-pro-duterte-drugwar-series

Dumbfounded

Published by Ellen on March 14, 2018

Pres. Duterte receives Cebu businessman Peter Lim whom he tagged as a drug lord in Malacanang in 2016. Malacañang photo.

The Department of Justice panel has junked drug trafficking charges against suspected drug lords Peter Lim, Kerwin Espinosa and several others.

I’m dumbfounded.

I share Sen. Grace Poe’s feeling of distress. In a statement, Poe said: “I am disturbed by the basis upon which the DOJ panel made its recommendation to dismiss the drug charges against Mr. Espinosa and others. For one, Kerwin Espinosa, himself admitted before a Senate inquiry that he was indeed involved in the drug trade.

Duterte revises his number of drug addicts in the Philippines

Published by Ellen on March 12, 2018

Pres. Duterte shares a light moment with former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo on the sidelines of the meeting with local chief executives from Luzon at in Clark, Pampanga. Malacanang photo by Robinson Ninal.

At the start of his administration, President Duterte said there were three million drug addicts in the Philippines which was the reason why he launched a brutal campaign against illegal drugs which has now claimed over 4,000 as of March 2017 per data from the Philippine National Police.

From three million drug addicts, which number he attributed to former head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Dionisio Santiago, he increased it to four million in less than a year.

He even fired then Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Benjamin Reyes for saying there were only 1.8 million drug addicts in the country. Reyes was replaced by Santiago whom Duterte fired after just a few months at the DDB for saying the 10,000-bed capacity mega drug rehabilitation facility in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija built by a Chinese official was a “mistake” and an “impractical solution” to the drug menace.

Duterte’s new one year deadline for war on drugs unbelievable

Published by Ellen on December 11, 2017

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President Duterte administers the oath of office of the newly-appointed government officials during a ceremony in Malacañan Palace, December 6. Malacanang photo by King Rodriguez.

President Duterte doesn’t have to give himself another deadline in his war against illegal drugs.

He has flip-flopped so many times on his war on drugs that nobody takes his public declarations seriously anymore.

In a speech Dec. 6 during the oath taking of his latest batch of appointees in Malacañang, Duterte again talked about his obsession – illegal drugs – saying that he doesn’t care about criticisms from human rights advocates on extra-juidical killings.

Don’t forget the unresolved 604 kilos of shabu

Published by Ellen on October 22, 2017

With so many issues cropping up every day, a controversy is usually good only for a week. Unresolved, it is set aside to make way for another controversy. Nobody gets punished, the culprit gets away with the crime. The problem stays and goes on.

The Gordon-led Blue Ribbon Committee, in its report more than a week ago on the 604 kilos of shabu that passed through the Bureau of Customs under the leadership of Nicanor Faeldon has found Davao City Councilor Small Abellera Jr. liable of direct bribery for allegedly accepting a P5-million bribe from customs broker Mark Taguba as enrollment fee with the Davao Group, which reportedly facilitates the release of shipments at the BOC.

Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on the 604 kilos of shabu smuggling. Photo by Alexis Nuevaespaña

Yet, it cleared presidential son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and his brother-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio of complicity with the Davao Group.

Something’s wrong here.

Founded on false hopes, sustained by more falsehood

Published by Ellen on October 16, 2017

Fake news. We have that in abundance direct from the President himself.

Now we have Fake Charge.

Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio minced no words in his 39-page dissenting opinion to the majority decision (9-6) upholding the warrant of arrest on Sen. Leila de Lima issued by the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court early this year on the charge that she engaged in illegal drug trading while she was secretary of justice.

“Based on the Information itself, the accusation of illegal trade of drugs against petitioner is blatantly a pure invention. This Court, the last bulwark of democracy and liberty in the land, should never countenance such a fake charge. To allow the continued detention of petitioner under this Information is one of the grossest injustices ever perpetrated in recent memory in full view of the Filipino nation and the entire world,” Carpio said.