In all government offices, the week starts with a Monday morning assembly of employees in front of their respective offices for the flag raising ritual. Everybody stands still, puts the right hand over his or her heart while singing the Philippine National Anthem. The highest official of the office usually gives a short message and then everybody is off to work.
The shot that rang out at the Tanauan City Hall immediately reverberated in the country through radio, TV and the internet. In an hour, the assassination of Mayor Antonio Halili was the talk of the town. Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili. Photo from Tanauan City Facebook page.
Once again, we are seeing proof of the saying that truth will find its way out, however one tries to block it.
We are referring to the Paolo Duterte- Charlie Tan drug connection.
Paolo is the son of President Duterte and is the vice mayor of Davao City. Charlie Tan, according to news reports, is a Taiwanese businessman who does a lot of business in Davao.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s privilege speech last Wednesday on the corruption at the Bureau of Customs was indeed explosive. As Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said, Lacson’s speech “has exposed more actionable information regarding corruption in BOC compared to Sen. Richard Gordon’s endless hours of monologue and one-man show hearings.” Sen. Ping Lacson delivering his expose of corruption in the Bureau of Customs. Photo from pinglacson.net
Naala-ala nyo ang litrato na ito na siyang nagpasikat kay Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre? Kuha noon impeachment trial ni noon ay Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona noong Pebrero. 2012.
Tanong ni Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II sa hearing ng Senado noong Huwebes tungkol sa pagpatay sa 17-taong gulang na si Kian Delos Santos sa Caloocan noong Agosto 17:“Anong difference ng mga batang pinatay ng adik sa pinatay na bata ng mga pulis?”
Kung yung hindi malalim ang pag-intindi ng batas ang nagtanong niyan, mapagpasensyahan natin. Ngunit si Aguirre ay hindi basta-basta abogado lang. Justice Secretary siya. Siya ang adviser ng Pangulo para mapatupad ang hustisya sa bansa.
Sa salaysay ng mga nakakita ng pangyayari noong gabi ng Agosto 17 at sa resulta ng autopsy, kinaladkad ng tatlong pulis si Kian, grade 11 sa Our Lady of Lourdes Senior Highschool sa Valenzuela, mga pasado alas-otso ng gabi pagkatapos niya magsara ng tindahan.
By Arianne Christian Tapao and Ellen T. Tordesillas, VERA Files
Photos by Arianne Christian Tapao A neighbor of the de los Santos family lights a candle as the protest march passes by.
Usually on opposing sides, supporters and critics of President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs have joined the chorus of condemnation over the killing of 17-year-old Kian Loyd Delos Santos and called for an investigation of police abuse that has resulted in “unnecessary deaths” in the anti-narcotics campaign.
As rain poured on Barangay 160, Caloocan City on Aug. 21, groups led by ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio and BAYAN Secretary General Renato Reyes condemned during a candle-lighting ceremony the killing by police of the Grade 11 student.
Screen grab of CCTV image. From ABS-CBN.
Anong klaseng tao itong mga pulis na walang habag na pinagbabaril ang 17-taong gulang na si Kian de los Santos habang nagmamakaawa, “Tama na po! May test pa ako bukas!”
Ito ba talaga ang sinasabing kailangan maka-quota and mga pulis kaya kahit sino na lang bibitbitin nila at pagpapatayin at sabihing drug pusher?
Gustong kung magmura ng “Putang Ina mo Duterte” ngunit hindi ko gagawin yun dahil ayaw kung maging katulad niya na wala nang lumalabas sa bunganga niya kungdi mura. Ibig sabihin noon ganun din lang ang laman ng utak niya at puro lason ang nasa puso niya.
Ayaw ko rin na idamay pa ang nanay niya sa kahindik-hindik na pinag-gagawa niya sa bansa. Hindi naman tama yun.
Senator Grace Poe at the hearing of LTFRB’s suspension of UBER operations.
I seriously doubt if this bill by Angat Tayo Party List Rep. Neil Abayon will prosper into law and if it could be implemented. But it’s good enough because it is a recognition of government officials’ incompetence and ignorance of the situation on the ground.
House Bill 6195 authored by Abayon requires elected and appointed public officials with the rank or equivalent of division chief to department secretary to ride public land transport to and from work and for official business at least once every calendar month during weekday rush hours.
The purpose of the bill is in order for government officials to gain “personal, first-hand experience “and “real world perspective” about riding in public transport in this country.
The President’s favorite cop: Police Supt Marvin Marcos.
Upon orders of President Duterte, Police Chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa said the murderer-cops, led by Police Supt. Marvin Marcos will be re-instated to the positions they held before they were suspended for the killing of former Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. and his fellow inmate, Raul Yap, in Baybay provincial jail in Leyte on November 5 last year.
The reaction of Sen. Panfilo Lacson sent to the media by text expresses the feeling of many upon hearing the reinstatement of Marcos: “There is a phrase to describe this whole damn thing: P… Ina.”
Lacson’s committee investigated the incident and found that the killing of Espinosa and Yap was premeditated
Lugmok na nga ang Marawi ngunit sa halip na tulungan palakasin ang kalooban, ini-insulto pa.
Ito ang tingin ng marami sa ginawa ni Police Chief Ronald Dela Rosa sa pagpadala ng dalawang tiwali nag a pulis sa Marawi. PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa. Photo from UNTV
Tama lang na pinuna ito ni Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana at nagreklamo si Zia Along Adiong, ang tagapagsalita ng Marawi Crisis Management Committee.
Kumalat sa social media noong isang linggo ang video nina PO1s Jose Julius Tandog at Chito Enriquez ng Mandaluyong police na sinasaktan ng yantok ang dalawang lasing na nahuli at dinala sa pulis station. Hindi nila alam ng mga pulis na habang sinasaktan nila ang isa, kinukuhaan pala sila ng video ng kasama.
Bilang parusa, sabi ni de la Rosa bilang parusa, maliban sa kasong administratibo na isasampa laban sa dalawa, ipadala sila sa Marawi para “doon nila ipakita ang kanilang tapang.”
Of the four members of the Supreme Court who dissented from the majority decision upholding President Duterte’s declaration of Martial Law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the whole of Mindanao, three ( Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio, and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin S. Caguioa) supported him as far as Marawi City was concerned.
Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. CarpioIn his dissenting opinion, Carpio said, “Without question, the widespread killing of both government forces and innocent civilians, coupled with the destruction of government and private facilities, thereby depriving the whole population in Marawi City of basic necessities and services, endangered the public safety in the whole of Marawi City. Hence, with the concurrence of an actual rebellion and requirement of public safety, the President lawfully exercised his Commander-in-Chief powers to declare martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ in Marawi City.
“However, the same does not apply to the rest of Mindanao. Proclamation No. 216 and the President’s Report to Congress do not contain any evidence whatsoever of actual rebellion outside of Marawi.
“In fact, the Proclamation itself states that the Maute-Hapilon armed fighters in Marawi City intended to remove “this part of Mindanao,” referring to Marawi City, from Philippine sovereignty. The Proclamation itself admits that only ‘this part of Mindanao’ is the subject of separation from Philippine sovereignty by the rebels. The President’s Report did not mention any other city, province or territory in Mindanao, other than Marawi City, that had a similar public uprising by a rebel group, an element of actual rebellion. Thus, the President’s Report concludes that ‘based on various verified intelligence reports from the AFP and the PNP, there exists a strategic mass action of lawless armed groups in Marawi City.’ The President’s Report expressly states that the Maute-Hapilon armed fighters were waging rebellion first in Marawi City as a prelude or “precedent” to waging rebellion in the rest of Mindanao. This is a clear admission that the rebellion was only in Marawi City and had yet to spread to the rest of Mindanao. “
