In his one hour and 20-minute speech at the oath-taking of the newly-elected barangay captains of Region VII in Cebu last June 7, President Duterte mentioned “kill” and “killing” and its equivalent Visayan word 30 times.
That is not unusual for a Duterte speech.
Three days after, a 44-year old priest lay dead beside the church altar killed by an unidentified gunman while preparing to say the 6 p.m. Mass at Barangay Mayamot in Nueva Ecija.
The third phase of the Road Safety Fellowship being conducted by VERA Files in cooperation with the World Health Organization is now open for application.
Just like in the first and second phases, we are inviting members of print, broadcast and online media including freelance writers based in Metro Manila and Luzon to participate in this project which aims to improve quality of life by producing stories that would make the public be conscious of making our roads safe.
Rich or poor, we are all road users. Road safety should be everybody’s concern.
Not all those who were in the meeting of the Filipino community with President Duterte in Seoul cheered when he did his DOM act on a Filipina married to a Korean on stage last Sunday.
Cil Borlaza, a Filipina studying in South Korea, was in that gathering and this is her post in Facebook:
I have a question to those who think that there was nothing wrong in President Duterte kissing Bea Kim, a Filipina married to a Korean during his meeting with the Filipino community in South Korea in Seoul last Sunday: Is it still okay with you if Duterte would do the same to your wife or daughter?
I was scandalized by what Duterte did. I felt sad listening to Kim saying, “Iyung kiss, parang twist lang iyun, pampakilig sa mga audience.(That kiss, that was just to tease the audience.) “
I found offensive Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque justification: “That is very accepted in the culture of Filipinos.”
Actress Mae Paner pointed out, “In the Filipino culture, women are held with respect. What he did to Kim showed his low regard of women, even the way he gestured her to kiss him.”
I said what Paras did was Kadiri which means disgusting, despicable, contemptible, detestable, abominable.
Paras wrote to explain his side. I’m publishing the full letter:
Hi Ellen,
We’ve known each other way way back, and since then, I have always cherished your gallantry in writing against any government shenanigans. I have very high respect to your person as a writer.
Be that as it may, may I just correct on the facts of the article you wrote:
Kadiri means disgusting, despicable, contemptible, detestable, abominable.
That describes what former congressman and now undersecretary of labor Jacinto “Jing” Paras did to Rep. Tom Villarin (Akbayan partylist).
In a press interview about the complaint for theft he filed against Paras last Monday at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, Villarin related:
Mischief Reef – lost under Ramos presidency
Scarborough Shoal – lost under Benigno Aquino III presidency
Spratlys including Sandy Cay- surrendered to China under Duterte presidency
Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was being smart the other day when he challenged critics of the Duterte’s complacent attitude in the face of China aggressive moves in South China Sea.
At the flag-raising ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs, he said: “I challenge anyone of them, whatever their profession – justice, politician, newsman, journalist – if we lost a single island during Duterte’s time, I will pack my bags, go home.”
It is a smart strategy because if we go deep into the history of the South China Sea conflict, we will be reminded that it was during the term of President Fidel V. Ramos that we lost Mischief Reef (Philippine name: Panganiban Reef) in 1995 and Scarborough Shoal under President Benigno Aquino’s watch in 2012.
Others may argue that we have not lost Scarborough Shoal. But the fact that Filipinos, government personnel and fishermen can only go there with the permission of Chinese Coast Guard whose ships (at least two) are permanently guarding the shoal means that we have lost control over that feature 124 nautical miles from the shores of Zambales.
In the July 2016 decision of the Arbitral Tribunal in the case filed by the Philippines against China, it was noted that the shoal also known by its Philippine name as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc is a traditional fishing ground of Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese fishermen and it should remain so.
Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales will not see the conclusion of the plunder case against President Duterte, his daughter Sara and son, Paolo before she steps down in July from the investigative body that she has presided with professionalism and integrity the past seven years.
But the fact that she has taken up the case and pursued the probe despite heavy pressure from Malacanang is her legacy to the Filipino people.
Morales has stood up to Duterte, whom she is related by affinity (her brother is the father-in-law of Duterte’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio) in the plunder case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV in May 2016 citing the 2015 report of the Commission on Audit of questionable disbursement of some P708 million to contractual employees, many of whom were not identified.
In recent days, President Duterte has been announcing proudly his firing of officials which were rumored to be involved in graft and corruption.
Last Sunday, in his speech during the groundbreaking of Vista Alegre homes for soldiers and policemen in Talisay City, Negros Occidental , he talked about an official who talked with his relative about a government contract:” Humabol sa akin sa Cebu. You go. Both of you, you go. Wala akong, wala kong… I don’t want to work with you. At may isa dito, sinabi ko na. Mabuti kasi may TV. Do not entertain requests or give favors to any of my family. Huwag sa asawa ko, huwag sa akin, huwag sa mga anak ko, huwag sa mga pinsan ko. Now, if you try to say that I asked the help of the first family because you cannot decide on a certain thing, which you think would need, why do you have to consult my sister? Sinabi ko sa inyo — p***** i** ‘wag kayong — if it is a relative of mine, consider it denied”
The next day, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that the President fired Assistant Transportation Secretary Mark Tolentino for violating his order against talking with his relatives on state contracts or appointments.
Last Sunday, former Solicitor General Florin T. Hilbay tweeted, “12 July 2016 was an interesting day. I, with Justices Carpio & Jardeleza, went to Malacanang to explain to the President the decision in Phils. v. China. I received the decision by email from the tribunal. The President that we briefed was Rodrigo Duterte and his full cabinet.”
July 12, 2016 was the day the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague released the decision on the case the Philippine government filed against China on Jan. 22, 2013, when the president was Benigno Aquino III.
The Philippines asked the Tribunal to rule on three basic issues: the validity of China’s nine-dash line map; low tide elevations (rocks or reefs that can be seen only during low tide and disappear during high tide) where China has built permanent structures should be declared as forming part of the Philippine Continental shelf (200 nautical mile); and the waters outside the 12 nautical miles surrounding the Panatag Island (Scarbourough shoal) should be declared as part of the Philippines 200 nautical mile economic exclusive zone.