Tag: rodrigo duterte

Michael Yang is presidential economic adviser

Published by Ellen on October 7, 2018

Pres. Duterte receives Michael and his associates in Malacañang. Photo from Yang’s company website.

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.)

Duterte in Hongkong with Honeylet and daughter Kitty

Published by Ellen on October 6, 2018

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:

Pres. Duterte wearing face mask while shopping in Uniqlo in Causeway Bay, Hongkong.

Duterte talks about his asshole

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2018

Pres. Duterte talks about asshole trouble in his speech during the 3rd Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinical Forum of the Asia Pacific Association of Gastroenterology at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu, Sept. 21. Malacanang photo by Robinson Niñal.

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…

Continue readingDuterte talks about his asshole

Duterte sidesteps health query, focuses on Trillanes

Published by Ellen on September 11, 2018

Pres. Duterte and Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo in a tête-à-tête , Sept. 11, 2018

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.

Duterte blinked

Published by Ellen on September 9, 2018

Pres. Duterte upon arrival from Jordan says Solicitor General Calida was source of info on Sen. Trillanes alleged missing amnesty papers.

Three days after Pres. Duterte attempted to nullify the amnesty granted to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV by his predecessor Pres. Benigno Aquino III, the institutions that he expected to execute his order and support him blindly did not deliver forcing him to backtrack.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in his media briefing in Amman, Jordan last Friday before the presidential party returned to Manila after official visits to Israel and Jordan, announced that the President has decided to abide with the rule of law.

Roque said Pres. Duterte had convened a cabinet meeting while he was in Jordan about his order to arrest Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV as contained in his Proclamation 572 : “Kahapon po, binigyan ko ng kumpirmasyon na nagkaroon po ng pagpupulong si Presidente sa lahat po ng Gabinete na sumama sa biyaheng ito. Pinag-usapan po nila kung ano ang magiging posisyon ng administrasyon tungkol po dito sa pag-revoke ng amnesty kay Senator Trillanes. At matapos po ang mahabang talakayan, nagdesisyon ang Presidente that he will abide with the rule of law; aantayin po niya ang desisyon ng hukuman, ng Regional Trial Court kung sila ay mag-i-issue ng warrant of arrest. So uulitin ko po, desisyon ng Presidente is he will allow the judicial process to proceed, and he will await the issuance of the appropriate warrant of arrest if there is indeed one to be issued ‘no before Senator Trillanes is arrested and apprehended.”

Duterte loses to Trillanes

Published by Ellen on September 9, 2018

Duterte’s plan to have Trillanes put back in jail has backfired.

By Segundo Eclar Romero

Duterte has set the stage for sacrificing Jose Calida. He has said he issued Presidential Proclamation 572 on the say so or Calida as Solicitor-General. Duterte, of course, knows that targeting Trillanes was a joint project between him and Calida. They both hated the Senator, and would take the first opportunity, no matter how clumsy, to neutralize him. Calida has in a sense borrowed Presidential Powers with the President’s complicity to try to extricate himself from the charge of conflict of interest in the way his security agency business cornered government contracts. It was a long shot, but Duterte has a way out — he could always put the entire blame on Calida, if the plan backfires.

Of course the plan has backfired. It has been so indefensible at its face value that no one was willing to lay his reputation on the line for the revocation of the amnesty. Calida clumsily tried to distance himself from the amnesty revocation action, saying with a straight face before media that he had nothing to do with it. But the DND and AFP who did not want to be left holding the bag pointed to Calida as the prime mover. He had tried to get the AFP and DND unnecessarily compromised in the caper, trying to dupe the AFP into arresting Trillanes without a proper warrant.

So now Duterte is poised to cut Calida loose, unless either of the two RTCs and the Supreme Court sustain Calida and Duterte and issue a warrant, or, in the case of the Supreme Court, refuse to issue a TRO against the arrest.

Duterte’s amnesty revocation betrays desperation

Published by Ellen on September 4, 2018

Sen. Antonio Trillanes delivering his privilege speech on the revocation of his amnesty.

If Pres. Duterte thought that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV would cower in fear and hide when he ordered the revocation of the amnesty granted to him and other officials who took a stand against the presidency of Gloria Arroyo on July 27, 2003 at then Oakwood Hotel (now Ascott) at the Makati Commercial Center and on November 29, 2007 at The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati.

No, the 47-year old senator, who was imprisoned for more than seven years (he won his senatorial seat in 2007 while he was in detention) called Duterte a coward.

“Mr. Duterte, duwag ka. Inantay mo pang makaalis ka bago mo nilabas itong proclamation mo. (Mr. Duterte, you are a coward. You waited until you have left before your released this proclamation.)

Sick

Published by Ellen on September 2, 2018

President Duterte was in his elements again – spewing expletives, spreading lies, concocting fake news -when he was in Cebu Thursday last week for Mandaue city’s 49th Charter Day celebration.

And as usual, the audience lapped up everything : his cursing of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, his Leni Robredo bashing, his lack of respect for the Constitution, his preference for dictatorship and worse, his joke about rape.
Duterte seems to have an obsession about rape. He relishes relating incidents of rape to justify his sweeping, bloody war on drugs.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explains Pres. Duterte rape jokes.

Families of drug war victims bring plea for justice at the ICC

Published by Ellen on August 30, 2018

Irma J. Locasia, mother of Salvador J. Locasia, Jr. killed in a police operation on August 31, 2016;
Dennise B. David, father of John Jezreel T. David killed in a police operation on January 20, 2017; Maria C. B. Lozano, sister of Crisanto and Juan Carlos B. Lozano both killed in a police operation on May 12, 2017; Mariel F. Sabangan, sister of Bernabe F. Sabangan killed alongside Arnold S. Vitales in a police operation on May 15, 2017; Normita B. Lopez, mother of Djastin B. Lopez killed in a police operation on May, 18, 2017; Purisima B. Dacumos, wife of Danilo G. Dacumos killed in a police operation on August 3, 2017.

Last Tuesday, as the Supreme Court started hearing oral arguments on the legality of the withdrawal by the Duterte government from the International Criminal Court, the names mentioned in the first paragraph, held a press conference announcing their decision to go to the ICC in The Hague because they do not expect to get justice for their kin killed in Duterte’s bloody and indiscriminating war against drugs.

Families of victims of Duterte’s war on drugs go to the International Court of Justice.

With Duterte, the Filipino people are also in perpetual pain

Published by Ellen on August 24, 2018

Pres. Duterte arrives in Cebu Aug. 21 the conference of League of Municipalities of the Philippines Visayas cluster a few days after rumors circulated that he was in coma. Malacanang photo by Richard Madelo.

President Duterte showed up in Cebu last Tuesday at the conference of the League of municipalities Visayas island cluster walking and as usual, blustering, effectively squelching rumors that he was gravely ill and in coma, as shared by Netherlands-based Communist Party of the Philippines founding Chairman Jose Maria Sison.

Duterte was in his element blasting at Sison: “Comatose-comatose ka diyan. “

He said he is pushing his trip to Israel next month and threatened to slap Sison if he saw the CPP leader.
He said: “Ah sige, tingnan natin. Pag magpunta ako diyan, turista lang. Galing ako Israel. Tignan natin kung sinong — comatose. Hindi ka naman lalaki. You are not a man. Wala ka na. You are spent, you cannot… You are talking nonsense. “

He also said: “Pag nakita kita sa impyerno, p***** i** mo, sampalin kita. Really. Don’t expect to go to heaven. Pero pag nagkita tayo isang kanto sa impyerno… Totoo ‘yan ‘no, pag hindi kita sinampal… “