Duterte – ellen tordesillas

Duterte’s rant against health workers confirms he just can’t hack it

Published by Ellen on August 4, 2020

President Duterte was a pathetic figure last Sunday during his televised response to the appeal of health workers for a “time out” to assess the government’s strategy in dealing with the Covid-19 crisis which they said was “failing miserably.”

Past midnight,he sounded like a broken record as he again professed for more than an hour his love for China and the vaccine that he said President Xi Jinping promised the Philippines will be given priority to buy, his faith on the uniformed personnel, his trust on Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, and a few more topics that he has narrated ad nauseam in the past.

It was painful listening to him because it was clear he didn’t get what the health workers were saying in a clearly worded appeal read by Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Dr. Jose Santiago during an online press conference headed by the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) on Saturday.

The public awaits Duterte’s response to health workers’ plea

Published by Ellen on August 2, 2020

The health workers’ appeal for a “time out” to assess the government’s response to the Covid-19 crisis was a stinging indictment of its failure to competently address the problem even with a severe four -month lockdown.

Words such as “waging a losing battle” and “failing miserably” contradict Malacañang’s claim of improvements in the fight to to stop the spread of COVID-19.

More than 24 hours had passed and there has been no response from President Duterte to the health workers’ “distress signal” which was an appeal for a return of Mega Manila to the more rigid Enhanced Community Quarantine for two weeks from Aug. 1 to 15 “to reline our pandemic control strategies.”

‘Inutil’

Published by Ellen on July 28, 2020

President Duterte said he is “inutil” when it comes to dealing with China.

“Inutil” in English is “inutile.”

The Latin root word is “utilis” which means useful. Putting “in” before “utilis” conveys rhe opposite which means “useless”, “unusable” according to Merriam-Webster dictionary.

When the President himself describes himself as “inutil,” who are we to disagree?

The anomaly that is Senator Bong Go

Published by Ellen on September 3, 2019

Bong Go announcing that Malacañang is going to investigate the aborted release of convicted rapist, former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez, Sept 2, 2019.

The government of the Philippine is structured in such a way that the three branches of government –, the Legislative, the Executive, and the Judicial – are co-equal and independent from each other.

The independence of the three branches of government from each other is vital under the principle of check and balance in a democracy.

The system of check and balance is instituted to prevent any branch of government or any person in the government from becoming too powerful leading to dictatorship and the destruction of democracy.

Composition of joint exploration working group expected during Xi-Duterte meeting

Published by Ellen on August 28, 2019

President Duterte welcomes China’s President Xi Jinping in Malacanang in November 2018.

The PH-China Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation on Oil and Gas Development, considered a breakthrough in the jagged relationship of the Philippines and China, is expected to move forward when the two governments submit the names who will compose the Working Group during the bilateral meeting of President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping in China on Thursday.

The exchange of names of members of the Working Group is provided for in the Terms of Reference (TOR) on Inter-Governmental Joint Steering Committee and Inter-Entrepreneurial Working Group between the Philippines and China which was signed by Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi three weeks ago.

The Working group will negotiate and agree on” inter-entrepreneurial commercial and technical arrangements” that will be conducted in the area of the joint exploration that will be undertaken jointly by the Philippines and China in Philippine waters.

Duterte gets gifts in multi-million pesos

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2019

When President Duterte told members of the police force that it’s okay to accept gifts, he was just preaching what he has been doing. And his harvest has been bountiful, by his own account.

On his 69th birthday, on March 28, 2014, seven deposits totaling P193,705,615.88 were credited to the joint account of then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte and his daughter Sara Z. Duterte in BPI, Julia Vargas branch in Ortigas Center. The first was in the amount of P55,131,747.32, followed by P41,721,035.62. Then four deposits in the amount of P20,000,000.00 each came in. The last deposit for the day was in the amount of P16,852,832.94.

VERA Files obtained the bank records from the Senate Record where former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV submitted the documents. These are the same documents that were submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman when Trillanes filed a plunder case against Duterte.

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.

Duterte does not understand media’s role in a democracy

Published by Ellen on February 24, 2018

Pres. Duterte rants about Rappler while Pia Ranada asks questions in a press conference. Video grab from RTVM.

Of the many things that Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said to justify the banning of Rappler and its reporter Pia Ranada in Malacañang premises, one thing stood out that reflected President Duterte ’s misunderstanding of the role of media in a democracy.

Roque said: “Nag-isyu na ang Presidente ng order na hindi pupuwede si Pia [sa Malacañang] (The President has issued the order that Pia is not allowed in Malacanang.),”

The reason?

Nami-miss ko ang yumaong Sen. Miriam Santiago

Published by Ellen on August 26, 2017

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.

Vera Files fact checks Duterte’s SONA

Published by Ellen on July 27, 2017

What’s Duterte’s speech without his trademark slogan, “Putang Ina?”

I’m bit disappointed that he spewed out only nine putang ina in his State-of-the Nation address Monday. That’s way below his usual 20 or so Putang Ina in one speech. And he spoke for two hours!

Pres. Duterte applauded by Senate President Koko Pimentel and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

In his 2017 SONA, regaled the Filipino people with his own imagined “truths”, telling people of praises that were never uttered and ordering or taking credit for what are already long in place.

During the SONA, VERA Files did a live Fact Check of some of what Duterte said.

Here are some of the items VERA Files came up with:

Tag: Duterte