Archive - Commentary

Grant Sara Duterte the understanding of her insecurity that her score sheet as education secretary was abysmally dismal. The very low numbers come from the Commission on Audit for 2023 – unassailable. Of the 6,379 classrooms on target, she completed only a microscopic 192 (3.01%); for the repair of 7,550 classrooms, she completed only 208 (2.75%); for building 88 last mile schools, she completed only an infinitesimal 3 (3.41%). And so when she appeared at Kamuning Bakery forum, she had to window-dress her do-nothing performance in the Department of Education – of course of all things – by lying.

Over the years, lawmakers have mastered the art of bastardizing the budget, the most important piece of legislation that Congress passes every year. Based on how they mangled the 2023 to 2025 budgets, it would appear that the present crop of legislators has outdone all past congresses in terms of the enormity of the amount and degree of shamelessness in abusing their power of the purse.

Bong Go on his former undersecretary Lloyd Christopher Lao of the Pharmally scandal: He was never under me or was my aide. If he has done something wrong, then hold him accountable for it. On the Discayas and connection of his father’s CLTG construction form: ““Hindi ko kilala ang mga Discaya Kung may anomalya, kasuhan nyo ang pamilya ko. Ako pa ang complainant .

What we need are crime busters. Magalong is not. No unapologetic Duterte protector can be a crime buster.

The first time I heard of the term budget insertions was about 30 years ago, during the Ramos administration. It referred to funding provisions for projects or programs identified by congressmen in the General Appropriations Bill. The insertions were over and above what was then called the Countrywide Development Fund.

The public is getting swamped with false, misleading, or completely fabricated information that creates confusion, anxiety, fear and distrust, aggravating the anger and stress over the rising cost of living and our daily struggles with congested traffic and inefficient government services.

Social media is vibrant with people voicing their outrage. (Although, malevolent forces are actively at work sowing confusion.) The public demands accountability. That’s democracy functioning! The Trillion Peso protest rallies last Sept. 21, and another one being organized on Nov. 30, are vivid demonstrations of people participating in governance.It is lamentable that the senators are taking it negatively.

Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV disclosed in our meeting in Brussels this last weekend that even as the ICC,based in The Hague, has accepted Royina Garma as witness against former president Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity, The Netherlands has denied her request for asylum. The reason: The Netherlands’ policy of denying asylum for seekers who have committed documented crimes, especially those related to violations of human rights.

The former president is indeed in "troubling conditions," not because of what his children are protesting about, but because of the special treatment accorded him, such as the frequent visits by family members, the comforts at the Scheveningen penitentiary and the legal processes on the charges against him, things the thousands of suspected drug users killed under his brutal drug war never had.

The message that day outside the Peace Palace, The Hague was crystal clear and there was no mincing of it – Duterte must rot in jail. One placard summarized it all – No pardon for a butcher

Mr. president, the people are watching with eagle eyes and eagerly waiting for more decisive actions from your end.

“Let’s collaborate on a jailbreak,” Sara Duterte preached to her audience of her family’s Duterte Diehard Supporters in an interview she gave outside Scheveningen Prison in The Hague to the DDS vlogger Alvin Dave Sarzate. I saw the interview. Unfortunately, the Sara jailbreak statement will be one consideration the judges will rule on.