The 2019 midterm elections will surely be fun.
We have our usual clowns: Daniel Magtira, who claims to be the husband of Kris Aquino; Anson Tuana, who said he is an ex-boyfriend of Mocha Uson and Emilio Delfin Tagean, ‘King Salam of Maharlika Kingdom.’
They are welcome distractions to this serious exercise of electing our leaders.
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.)
A face mask-wearing Pres. Duterte was seen at the Uniqlo store in Causeway Bay in Hongkong today , Oct. 6, at about 7:30 p.m with companion Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Kitty accompanied by about 20 Filipino and Hongkong security escorts.
We texted and called up Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque for confirmation of the President’s trip to Hongkong but he didn’t reply. Malacañang reporters said he told them earlier at about 5 p.m that “the President is in Davao.”
The source said four of the security escorts walked closely with Bong Go, special assistant to the President. One of the Filipino bodyguards “carrying a bundle of cash” paid for the purchases of the presidential party.
The source also said she did not recognize Duterte right away because of the face mask he was wearing but her curiosity was aroused by the presence of many security escorts in the Men’s clothing section where she was looking for an item. She realized immediately after that the masked person a few feet away from her was Duterte.
She said the presidential group went next to the Ladies section on the second floor
This Hongkong trip comes three days after the President admitted he had undergone endoscopy and colonoscopy three weeks ago. Last Wednesday he said he was back at Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan for tissue sample test.
He said, “If it’s cancer, it’s cancer. And if it’s third stage, no more treatment. I will not prolong my agony in this office or anywhere.”
Here are the photos:
Solicitor General Jose Calida had sought the help of a prominent businessman to talk with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to go easy on him in the investigation of the multi-million contracts that his family-owned security agency got with the government, a violation of Republic Act 6173, the code of conduct and ethical standards for public officials and employees.
This was in July this year, a few weeks after six opposition senators filed a resolution for the investigation of the government contracts obtained by Vigilant Investigative and Security Agency, Inc. where Calida sits as president.
Calida, a source said, wanted Trillanes “to do a Gordon.” Those who have watched Gordon, chair of the Blue Ribbon committee, treat resource persons close to President Duterte during hearings understand Calida’s request.
The shaming of Party List ( ACTS OFW) Rep. Aniceto Bertiz, III (which he fully deserves) caught on quickly because of the closed-circuit television video which was circulated in Social Media.
One of media’s public service roles is to hold those in power accountable. In this case Social Media, was a useful tool.
I’m at a loss for words to best describe Bertiz.
I find “bastos,” “trarantado,” “gago,” “walang hiya,” “manloloko” too mild for what he did to the airport personnel last Saturday at the NAIA.
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.
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.
This is your President speaking.
This happened last Friday, Sept. 21, at the third Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Forum of Asia Pacific Association of Sastroenterology held at [Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, LapuLapu City, Cebu |
“Now back to medicine. You know, I’ll just end my talk by just.. allow me to give you a vignette of life.
“Historically, I took after my mother who was always constipated. That was her complaint. And but she lived to be 96 years old. So if you want to live forever, pray for constipation.
“Well, I’m telling you the truth. And that was also genetically maybe. And I have a son, Sebastian. He got it also and as a matter of fact, he started to have a leak because of…
Former Scout Ranger Abe Purugganan, co-founder of the Young Officers Union,
a group of rebel military officers in the late 80s, who is now a diehard Duterte supporter posted in his Facebook wall his assessment of the national situation.
Titled “People’s Intelligence Assessment,” it ends with “For the information of the sovereign Filipino people. For widest dissemination. Please share it.”
The assessment of Purugganan, who served as undersecretary for special concerns under Gloria Arroyo’s presidency, is intriguing. If this is the kind of reports the President gets, no wonder, he is paranoid.
The harassment that journalist Julie Alipala of the Philippine Daily Inquirer is being subjected to because her story of the killing of seven persons in Patikul Sulu contradicts the military version underscores once again the higher risks that reporters in the provinces face compared to those in Metro Manila.
A post in the Facebook wall of Phil Leaks dubs Julie as a certified paid hack who defends the terrorist group, the Abu Sayyaf. The comments are irresponsible and vicious. Examples: Bong Media said, “Dapat ito ang na-ambush.” Ricardo Macapagal said, “Tokhang yan.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines issued a statement condemning “the dubious Facebook group Phil Leaks” and demanded that “Facebook take down the page Phil Leaks for endangering Alipala and other known critics of this Rodrigo Duterte government.”
There were two things that stood out in President Duterte’s one-hour-and-a-half hour tête-à-tête with Presidential Legal Counsel Sal Panelo: he didn’t want to talk about his health and he is obsessed with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
After about ten minutes of monologue defending his attempt to nullify the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV by then President Benigno Aquino III Panelo wanted to talk about his health: “Puntahan naman natin ang mga agam-a gam ng taumbayan kasama na ang critics nyo na si Joma Sison. Sinasabi na kayo ay may sakit. Ano po ang masasabi nyo tungkol sa inyong kalusugan para marnig ng taumbayan?”
Duterte’s answer was about the alleged conspiracy of the Community Party of the Philippines and the Magdalo to topple him: “Alam nyo itong si Sison, pati itong Magdalo, pati itong ayaw sa akin, yung talagang hindi tumanggap sa akin ever since noong election, they have combined and we have the evidence and we have the conversation provided by a foreign country sympathetic to us. We don’t have the sophistication but the connections will be shown maybe any day now. I asked that it be declassified at ipakita nila sa lahat. Nahihigop lahat . They were in constant communication.
Panelo tried to stir back the conversation to the President’s health: “Sa punto po ng kalusugan, talagang malusog na malusog kayo, nakikita ng mga tao.”
Duterte didn’t comment.