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Tag: Florin Hilbay

Hilbay: Beware of Duterte’s strategy of distraction

Published by Ellen on December 11, 2018
Florin Hilbay. Photo from Hilbay’s Facebook page.

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, who is running for senator in the May 2019 elections, showed his keen observation of the desperation of President Duterte about things getting out of control and his resorting to a “policy of distraction.”

Knowing that media are always on the lookout for something out of the ordinary, Duterte has been feeding us with outrageous things – from one fake news to another. From saying that he should have been the first to rape the Australian missionary to cursing the Pope, U.S President Barack Obama and ordering European Union diplomats to leave the country in 24 hours. He keeps media pre-occupied with the avalanche of fake news that he unleashes every time he makes a speech.

In one speech last month, he spewed out nine falsehoods. Not surprising considering that he admitted having made up the fake bank accounts of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV which he showed in a televised interview.

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Hilbay warns of the danger of Duterte’s ConCom

Published by Ellen on July 5, 2018
Con-Com Chair Reynato Puno with former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. at the start of the Concom deliberations Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Feb. 27, 2018. PNA photo by Joey Razon.

We have yet to see the official copy of the new Constitution drafted by the Consultative Committee formed by President Duterte last December so we are relying on the Notes released to media which states about the formation of a Federal Republic of the Philippines.

The approved draft, which states that the Philippines would have 18 federated regions which would get a share of not less than 50 percent of all the collected taxes on income, excise, value-added tax and customs duties, is undergoing polishing in grammar and spelling before it is submitted to the President on or before July 9, in time for his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, ConCom spokesman Conrado Generoso said.

Generoso denied that the draft Federal Constitution being circulated online dated June 27 and June 30 is official as it does not contain corrections and changes made as late as morning of July 3.

Continue readingHilbay warns of the danger of Duterte’s ConCom

Duterte’s ‘garbage’ continues to stink

Published by Ellen on February 6, 2018

Pres. Duterte, speaks at the 2017 Anti-Corruption Summit 2017. Malacañang photo by Ruji Abat.
When then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte dismissed as “garbage” the exposé of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV during last two weeks of the election campaign about his bank deposits with the Bank of Philippine Islands, Julia Vargas branch, he thought probably that was the end of it.

Duterte was leading the surveys in the contest that he eventually won convincingly.

With the powers of the presidency, Duterte has been effective in crushing most of political his enemies. His devoted mob has been successful in spreading chaos in cyberspace.

But as one sage said, “Truth is always like oil in water; no matter how much of water you add, it always floats on top.”

Continue readingDuterte’s ‘garbage’ continues to stink