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MABUHAY PRRD!

Saturday, December 31, 2016

US embassy denies ouster plot vs Rody
The United States embassy denied yesterday that there is a US plot to oust President Duterte.
The embassy, through an email sent by press attaché Molly Koscina to The STAR, categorically denied the existence of a “blueprint” to oust Duterte.
This developed as lawmakers from the administration-dominated House of Representatives, led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, threw their support behind Duterte, who former US ambassador Philip Goldberg reportedly wants ousted before 2018.
“We are throwing our full support towards the move by the Speaker to look into the matter. A House inquiry will definitely iron out some things that need to be fleshed out based on such alarming reports,” Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said.
“That being said, let me emphasize that President Duterte’s support is rock solid, and all attempts to unseat the President will be defied,” the chairman of the House committee on appropriations added.
Nograles said they were “alarmed over reports of an alleged coup plot,” adding “any sovereign state should respect the independence of other states regarding matters that pertain to its domestic concerns.”
“I don’t think any plans to destabilize the government will succeed, especially with the overwhelming mandate this administration received. Instead of being distracted by such plots, we must focus on the work that needs to be done,” Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, another administration lawmaker, said.
For his part, Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas said it would be foolhardy for any group or individual to attempt to unseat an overwhelmingly popular Chief Executive. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude

Latest news December 30 2016 - President Duterte interviewed One one One by Pinky Webb

MAPAPABILIB KA SA DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION! Tinalo Ang Administration Ni Aquino at Mar Roxas

Watching A Gameplan Unfold Within The Philippine Political Arena

“Everyone has a plan. Until they get punched in the face.” ~ Mike Tyson
After the May elections I wrote about the gameplan of the Opposition, the LP, to discredit and oust President Duterte. Its objective, I said, was to have Leni Robredo replace him since it viewed Duterte’s program of change as a threat to the established order. The Opposition means to retain the status quo and Leni is malleable enough to be manipulated by them.
We now see the gameplan unfolding. The pattern is clear. It began with attempts to discredit Duterte by Leila de Lima’s Senate committee exaggerating EJKs and violation of human rights to attract the attention of the foreign media, the Obama administration, the UN and human rights organizations abroad in order to bring down a swell of protest aimed at depicting Duterte as a mass murderer. The idea was not only to discredit Duterte but also to reduce his popularity.
Their efforts failed. Duterte continued to produce achievements. I had written much earlier that achievements would be the only way to maintain and raise his popularity. I was right. Latest survey polls show his trust rating at 80 and 90 percent. The House hearings also helped to blunt the Opposition’s plan. They backfired on De Lima who was shown to be a protector of druglords. In the social media she lost her credibility.
Loida Lewis, the Fil-American multimillionaire, showed her hand. She openly called for Duterte’s resignation and his replacement by Leni, her protege. She had been behind the De Lima caper, even arranging for the latter to receive an award to prop up her international image. She had been behind efforts to stir up the Obama State Department and UN human rights advocates. She had been behind the Fil-American invitations for Leni to visit the US. She was known to be their financier.
Loida’s plan was blunted by the Trump victory. She had backed Hillary Clinton knowing that another Democrat in the White House would safeguard her influence as the Philippine king maker. Trump respects Duterte and is not likely to favor regime change. He has a low opinion of the UN which can well break up due to non-funding by the US Congress and an Israeli pullout. As I had written earlier when the UN rapporteur on human rights wanted to visit Manila to just ignore her. If Trump does not think much of the UN, why should Duterte give it more attention than Trump?
The Goldberg plot fits the pattern of regime change by the Opposition. It was blunted by a new US ambassador being appointed to Manila. Sung Kim is more likely to follow Trump’s policy of non-interference.
The Opposition game plan is moving to its final stage. Destabilization through terrorism and bombings as we have seen lately in North Cotabato, Leyte and Palawan. Again, I had anticipated this in previous postings. I do not even discount an assassination attempt against the president. As I had written, desperate people do desperate things. Their idea is to force Duterte to declare martial law to accuse him of being another Marcos. It is a ploy and I would not advise the president to fall into their trap. As I keep repeating, there is a better way to beat the Opposition at its game. It is for the people to grant the president revolutionary powers without him asking for them.
By: Jose Alejandrino

WHY CNN FINALLY LOST ALL CREDIBILITY


There is a conspiracy to destabilize the Philippines and CNN's Will Ripley allowed himself to be used as a tool for this.

The lousy reporter didn't do any basic research. Someone clearly ordered him to REVIVE the Edgar Matobato story (for a fee, most likely) even if the entire Philippines - even the anti-Duterte people - all know that Matobato is a FRAUD, a Walter Mitty type of character who is essentially a boring loser whom hardly anyone respects who then bragged to his neighbors that he was a hired killer in order to cause people to fear and respect him. (Similar to Bill Paxton's character in True Lies where this loser-type used car salesman poses as an International Spy in order to get girls. That's exactly what Matobato was exposed to be: he's a low-income real estate agent and fish vendor who repeatedly bragged to the people in his neighborhood that he was a hired killer so that they'd respect him.)

Any decent reporter would have checked out the facts about Matobato and would have decided that there is absolutely no story. And if he really wanted to feature him, would have had to mention the fact that Matobato had been cross examined during the Senate hearings where he was first brought to deliver his testimony and it turns out that the cross examinations exposed him as a fraud.

When cross examined, Matobato kept changing his testimony. Almost all of his "facts" were wrong. He even got dates off by 5 to 10 years. (It is relatively ok to get dates wrong by a year or two if it's too far in the past)

Anyway, it became clear to the entire Philippines - including the anti-Duterte people - that Matobato was a dud. When cross examined about the "feeding the crocodile" incident, he was unable to give clear and consistent testimony when asked details. "Were you one of those who pushed the victim to the crocodile?" Matobato changed his original yes to "I was not with the group when they threw the victim." "Was the victim still alive or was he already dead when fed to the crocodile?" Matobato says he wasn't able to notice because he was no longer with the group. But prior to the cross examinations, he said he was among those who pushed the victim into the crocodile pond. The other detail is that the area where Matobato claims the crocodile farm is does not have crocodile farms at all --- instead it is a high altitude area with a zip line and trekking trails.

The entire Philippines knows that Matobato is a fake, but this INCOMPETENT CNN REPORTER Will Ripley ran the story anyway.

How can this incompetent fool be allowed to continue on reporting for CNN when that story already came out back in September and Matobato has been thoroughly discredited and Ripley's story is meant to give a really bad impression on the Philippines in order to dissuade foreign tourists and would-be investors from visiting the Philippines?

Will Ripley didn't run that story to get to the Truth. We already know that Matobato is a freak in' FRAUD.

He ran it because he is part of a conspiracy to malign the Philippines and its well-respected and well-loved President.

Most foreigners can't easily fact-check on Matobato because most of the footage of the Senate Cross Examinatioms are in Cebuano, Tagalog, or in a mixture that may sometimes have some English. There's no way non-Filipinos will have the means to go into the details because of the language barrier.

Just the same, because it came out on CNN, many foreigners might just likely believe it anyway and avoid coming to the Philippines.

The plan is clear: the anti-Duterte Opposition is working with some groups (including the lameduck/outgoing US Administration with Goldberg) to try to sabotage Duterte's international reputation to prevent investments and tourist dollars from coming in.

The plan is to adversely affect the economy so that people will get angry and blame Duterte. They know they cannot oust Duterte because most Filipinos love him.

Will Ripley either maliciously or idiotically turned himself into a useful tool of the anti-Duterte Opposition by agreeing to revive the already-discredited story on Matobato on CNN International. Why would anyone revisit and revive the story of an already totally discredited "witness?"

Something is terribly wrong with this Will Ripley guy.

NUJP to Duterte: It is your duty to speak clearly

By:  - @KSabilloINQ    / 02:45 PM December 30, 2016

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines on Friday criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for saying that he likes joking around or playing pranks on media.

NUJP, in a  statement written in Filipino, cited Duterte’s recent interview where he said, “Nilalaro ko kayo. Mahilig talaga ako sa ganoon. Alam ng team ninyo. Mahilig talaga ako magbitaw ng kalokohan.”

(I am playing with you. I enjoy doing that. Your team knows that. I enjoy joking around.)

NUJP said it is opposing such comments because as president of the Philippines, it is Duterte’s responsibility and duty to be clear in his public statements to the Filipino people and the rest of the world.

Duterte’s supporters have criticized media for reporting on the president’s words, which sometimes includes profanities and curses directed toward foreign leaders and groups.

Some claim that the President is misunderstood or that his words are not clearly translated.

“May mga pagkakataon naman po para sa biro o sa kalokohan. Subalit dahil kayo ang Pangulo, ang inyong mga pahayag sa publiko ay aming itinuturing—at dapat lamang ituring—na patakaran ng inyong pamahalaan,” NUJP said.

(There is a time for jokes or foolishness. But because you are the President, your public statements are considered — and should be considered — government policy.)

“Dagdag pa, marami rin sa inyong masusugid na tagasuporta ang nagtuturing ding atas at utos maging ang inyong mga biro at gamitin ang mga ito bilang dahilan para sa mga karumaldumal na hangarin ng mga kriminal at tiwali sa loob at labas ng gobyerno,” the group said.

(In addition to that, many of your ardent supporters also consider your jokes as a command and can be used to justify nefarious intentions of criminals and corrupt people inside and outside government.)

In the past, Duterte talked about killing thousands of people to stop the illegal drug trade in the Philippines. His critics claim that such pronouncements have inspired extrajudicial killings. The so-called vigilante killings have not only resulted in the deaths of drug suspects who were not given due process but also innocent bystanders.

“Sa ganitong kalagayan, aming kagalang-galang na ginoo, hindi kaya mainam na huwag mo na kaming laruin at bawasan na ang hilig ninyong magbitiw ng kalokohan?” NUJP said.

(In this situation, most respected gentleman, isn’t it better for you to stop playing with us and reduce your tendency for fooling around.)

The group said that Duterte’s unclear statements is his problem and not that of the Filipino people.

“Seryoso po kami sa aming gawain at tungkulin naming ituring na seryoso at iulat [nang] tapat ang anumang namumutawi sa bibig ng Pangulo,” it said. “Huwag po ninyong baliktarin ang kaayusan ng pananagutang maging malinaw, Mr. President.”

(We are serious in our work and it is our duty to consider as serious and to faithfully report the words coming from the mouth of the president. Do not reverse our roles in ensuring clarity, Mr. President.) CDG

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/857981/nujp-to-duterte-it-is-your-duty-to-speak-clearly#ixzz4UMbe9k6H 
Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook

Mr. Riyoh Napamura sa Bwesit kay De Lima;Perang Nasabat sa Raid sa bilibid, Tinago ni De Lima

ADVICE NI ENRILE SA NAPIPINTONG PAGKAKULONG NI DE LIMA

GOOD JOB DOJ! BANK ACCOUNT AT STATEMENT NI DE LIMA NA KOMPISKA ANG DAMING PERA

The Harsh Reality Of The Philippine Drug War


“Because I’ve been losing sleep over friends who are possibly in danger of being killed in this war against drugs, I decided to write this post.
I’m disappointed in so many people who simply see the issue just as one where human rights are endangered (read: summary executions). More worrisome are those who use the issue to lambast Duterte for this “culture of killing”. It’s not a simple issue. And certainly not one we can see in black and white. I deplore the situation but I see it more as a historical inevitability. Everything has led to this: a bloody war.
I grew up with shabu (meth for my non-Filipino friends) available all around. Many of my friends and loved ones became addicted to it. Because of them, I got to take it on more than a few occasions. I understand the lure. You feel invincible. You forget your worries and pains. You don’t get hungry. At least until the “tugpa”, when the drug wears off. Fearing the despair, hunger, and total exhaustion it brings, many take it again before the tugpa, thus starting them on the road to addiction.
The addict becomes a problem when he or she is driven to crime to pay for his drug dependence. It pushes them to steal their mothers’ wedding rings. It pushes them to snatch bags on the street. Relationships are wrecked. Families are devastated.
Further on, the user is enticed to sell shabu. I know of friends and neighbors who were attracted to the promise of riches. My own uncle, at 70 years old, was even approached by a pusher to resell. His age was the perfect foil. He refused. But there are many who grabbed the opportunity. A friend said that corrupt policemen sell them bags of confiscated drugs. 50,000 for a loot that you can sell for 200,000? Why not?
But the business comes with a price. You shut your mouth and stay to perpetuate the system. Or die. This “culture of killing” that is on the mouths of new human rights defenders (unfortunately coming from the erstwhile anti-Digong LP supporters) has been going on for years. The drug cartels own the communities. Long before Digong came to Malacanang, those who had dealings in this underworld feared the druglords. In Surigao, those who try to get out and reform are gunned down in broad daylight. The druglords are the top politicians and generals. We have known it for years. But no one challenged them. Of course. Do you want to die the next day? Found floating off the coast of Ozamis?
I have been an activist since 1998. If I hadn’t been recruited, I would be an addict today. No doubt about it. Our communities are dens of drug dependents. I understand the issue from the inside and outside. If you lived in your little urbanite middle-class world without seeing the reality of Mafia-style murders, of course you’d be screaming now to the high heavens: Duterte is encouraging summary killings! I can’t blame you. That’s all you see from the outside. Also, moralist posturing aside, it is admirable that you care about the drug pushers who are now being silenced by the cartels. But I must say, some posts do come off as propaganda against our new president. Oh really, come now, you say there’s no such motive?
The world is not as simple as “innocent until proven guilty” or fighting against “barbaric” methods of crime-busting. You claim, innocent people are being killed by Duterte’s vigilantism. Where is the proof? Well, I have it from the horses’ mouth: the druglords are desperately covering up their tracks. It doesn’t matter how high up or low in the ranks you are, what matters is that you might squeal.
The shabu underworld is an open secret in poor communities. Before Duterte named the generals, I could rattle off the names on our local PDEA list of drug pushers. Everyone knew the bosses and where they were (usually in the hallowed halls of the city hall, capitol or congress). And we see them leading merry lives, building their big houses and stacking up piles of weapons to kill off “traitors” and rival gangs.
The enemies have guns and are ready to kill. Some of my friends and family who got involved one way or another in the underworld have flown or disappeared off the grid. They are more afraid of the druglords than Duterte. The latter doesn’t know them, but the former does. Who is more likely to silence them?
The shabu problem is so deep and wide. We have arrived at a historical inevitability. There is no way to fight this war without using guns. When the enemy is that powerful and has enjoyed impunity for so long, do you think putting cardboard signs around your neck protesting the possibilities of killing the innocent will help? No. You’re just giving the druglords the perfect cover for their execution of possible witnesses. And yes! It puts the blame on the President to boot.
I work in a humanitarian aid NGO. I work with human rights in mind. And yet, I can’t help my own friends who have been mired in this nightmare. My own life has been impacted by drugs so much. I have shed so many tears over it. I lost a man I loved deeply to it. Until you know what it feels like to see a loved one turning into a drug dependent, you will not fully understand the issue. Until you know how it feels like to be hopeless and helpless against the powerful shabu mafia, you will just be making shallow, generalizing protests. Perhaps a little nuance other than the usual, “this is the president you voted, the savagery you installed” or “everyone can be drug pushers”? Why not ask about how the drug cartels work? Why not ask us who have known violence and crime done by the cartels?
Or… ask me how, in the wee hours, I get panicked calls from a beloved, fearing that he’s being watched? Ask me about the heartbreak of finding out that your own boyfriend has stolen from you. Tell me, who is to blame for it? Is it me for trusting and loving unconditionally? Is it him for lacking the resolve to quit? Or is there a bigger social ill that has thrust us all into this cycle of violence?
Damn. My heart is tired.”
[*Due to the writers need for privacy, her identity shall remain anonymous. This is due to the vindictive nature of the drug cartels, users, and pushers in the Philippines. All of which is based upon her firsthand knowledge and experience.
http://thestagnantfilipino.com/2016/12/the-harsh-reality-of-the-philippine-drug-war/

By the numbers: Duterte's awesome War on Drugs in the Philippines

THE BIGGER FISH

Recently, the big news was the admin's latest illegal drug campaign score wherein a staggering P6B in street value, high grade Shabu were seized by the NBI in San Juan.

Again, P6 BILLION worth of illegal drugs that were supposed to be circulated nationwide!

It was the BIGGEST drug bust in the history of this country.

If not caught, and the syndicate assigns P10,000 worth of the drug to one pusher, there would be 600,000 pushers plying the trade across the archipelago!

Allow me now to raise an issue.

Somehow, somebody seem to be flying under the radar in our current scrutiny of who in government perpetuated the rise of the narco trade in our country.

It seems we are missing out on one big fish, who actually was the one who was in full control of the law enforcement agencies and local government units when this destructive trade was prospering.

It seems that we have been too obsessed with a frail woman but we are conveniently ignoring a most heinous man who even had the temerity to run for president.

Riddle me this -- who was the most powerful man from 2011 to 2015 after Pnoy? He was practically given all the high profile assignments in local governance, peace and order, disaster management and other plum missions primarily to prop him up for the presidential race.

Of all people, this is the man who should be made answerable to this monster of a problem called narcotics.

This is the man whose track record of incompetence in disaster management and infrastructure would pale in comparison if we are now to bring to fore his most dastardly and despicable crime of complicity with drug syndicates and protectors.

People of the Philippines, our country almost veered into being a full blown narco state!

All under the deceptive cover of decency and supposedly straight path.

And I want you all to realize this ---

"Malaki ang atraso ng gagong ito sa inang bayan!"

Isampal nyo yan sa kanya at sa kapwa nyang gagong asawa!

Alam na this!

#ForTheMotherland

-----------------------
Mark Lopez as posted on Facebook.

Here's why Leni Robredo deserves all the vitriol the public has been throwing at her...


The disclaimer and the defense. What has she done? Nothing to begin with. She lobbied for a Cabinet post, got it and did nothing. She vowed to cooperate with the President but didn't.

Attendant to the responsibility of being a Cabinet member is to stick to the policies laid down by the President. Yet she disagreed with the President in the manner in which the drug war is being conducted and the Marcos burial. As the President stated last night, the final straw came when she attended a anti-Marcos burial rally where calls for the ouster of Duterte were made. In her mind, she thought of herself as co-equal to the President. She's not. As a lawyer, she should be very familiar with the constitutional provisions on the duties and responsibilities of the Vice-President.

There is no stipulation that she is entitled to a Cabinet post. She serves at the pleasure of the President and is bound to toe the administration line. Why does she deserve the vilification and pillory? Because she also employs the same tactics against the President. She has sold herself short to the public using the death of her husband and his track record as her track record as well. If she won the Vice-Presidency without any fraud being committed, do you think Marcos would've been idiotic enough to file an electoral protest like Mar Roxas did against Binay?

Make no mistake about it Robredo is not a political virgin. Her face is thick enough to criticize the President in public and still sit in at Cabinet meetings as if she didn't do anything wrong. This is why she deserves the vitriol the public has been throwing at her.

---------------------
RG San Luis as posted on Facebook.

http://grpshorts.blogspot.be/2016/12/heres-why-leni-robredo-deserves-all.html

Mr. Riyoh Napamura sa Bwesit kay De Lima;Perang Nasabat sa Raid sa bilibid, Tinago ni De Lima

Friday, December 30, 2016

PDU30 SINAGOT ANG PINUPUTAK NI ROBREDO INAMIN SA HARAP NI JESSICA NA GUSTO SIYANG PATALSIKIN NI LENI

Duterte signs off on his first 'populist' budget

Record spending on infrastructure, college tuition, irrigation, and war on drugs
CLIFF VENZON, Nikkei staff writer
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the 3.35-trillion-peso ($67 billion) 2017 Philippine budget at Malacanang, the presidential palace in Manila, on Dec. 22. © Reuters
MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte signed his first annual budget on Thursday, stepping up social services and infrastructure spending next year.
Duterte became Philippine president on June 30, and plans a record budget of 3.35 trillion pesos ($67.5 billion) in 2017, up 11.6% from this year.
"[The budget] includes the sizeable increase in allocation of infrastructure project, free education for state universities and colleges, universal healthcare, rice allowance for the poor, free irrigation subsistence, allowance for prisoners, pension for war veterans, and centenarians," he said in a speech at the presidential palace in Manila.
Tuition in state colleges and irrigation for farmers were not free previously. Next year, the education department's budget will rise over 32% percent to 544 billion pesos, making it the biggest allocation. The social welfare department's budget will rise 15.8% to 128.3 billion pesos.
Duterte is the first president from the southern island of Mindanao, and pledged to help the marginalized and develop rural areas during his campaign. He hopes ramped-up infrastructure development will help sustain economic growth of 6.5% to 7.5%.
The public works department's allocation will increase 18.3% to 454.7 billion pesos while the transportation department's will grow 25% to 53.3 billion pesos.
Budget for the interior and local government department is set to jump 19.4% to 148 billion pesos, partly as "support for the country's serious efforts against drugs, which will also help augment the allowances of prisoners and will be allotted for the construction of jail facilities," Duterte said.
Salary increases for police personnel will account for part of the interior department's increased allocation. The police have been pivotal to Duterte's controversial crackdown on illegal drugs during his first six months in office.
Some 6,000 people allegedly involved in drugs have been killed in that period. Over 2,000 died during police operations, and the rest were slain by unidentified vigilantes.
The government needs 2.48 trillion pesos to pay for all this, which is 9.7% above this year's target. The shortfall is to be funded from a mix of foreign and domestic borrowings. The president hopes to have to borrow less next year with improved tax collections.
http://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Duterte-s-Philippines/Duterte-signs-off-on-his-first-populist-budget

ABS-CBN Chairman, CEO Gabby Lopez, GUSTONG SUHULAN SI PRES. DUTERTE, INI-INSULTO PA ANG PANGULO

Duterte Commemoration of the 120th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Dr Jose Rizal 11 30 2016

BIASED MEDIA AYAW IPALABAS ITO SA TV! DUTERTE KITCHEN NAMIGAY ng PAGKAIN sa BATA at MATANDA!

Duterte reveals how Abs-Cbn twists stories in order to destroy him

Sandra Cam inilabas ang Totoong Video Sex Scandal ni Leila De Lima Hidden Secrets TRUTH REVEALS !

Bagong Sex Video Scandal at mga Sekreto ni De Lima By WhistleBlower Sandra Cam

VIDEO SCANDAL NI DE LIMA! HINDI LANG KAY DAYAN MERON DIN KAY CESAR MANCAO!

Leni Robredo: the agony of waiting for the president to die


UNHEALTHY VICE

Warning: this post would be oxymoronic

This buzz about Her Excellency Leni Robredo should stop.

I mean, let her have her undeservedly stupid vacation in whatever goddamn hell she has chosen for herself and her kin. After all, being VP is really hard. Imagine the agony of waiting for the president to die. Put yourself in her place and surely you would also fret and fiddle on a daily basis. Your first question as soon as you wake up - how's the president? - is so jarring to the senses, to say the least.

2nd, why would we even demand her to help her fellow Bicolanos if she believes she has more important things to do than that? Why force something that is not innate in her being, and why should we insist on her contrived portrayal as a "tsinelas garbed public servant fighting for the laylayan ng lipunan?!!!"

This is the problem when we are smitten by image and form rather than substance. When we are bombarded with images of bus rides while cradling an LV bag or getting down and dirty wading Ferragamo shoes in mud in a far flung baranggay, we should already be questioning why do we sadistically torture ourselves by patronizing a self absorbed "widow" who shrewdly portrays herself as a caring government official?

I have been saying that we should already ignore Leni even as I myself am being oxymoronic about it now.

The Vice President is just another trapo not worth our collective attention, anger and disgust. In six months since assuming her post (and a shortlived cabinet portfolio) she has done nothing to the Filipino people for us to be even highlighting her every move every day.

In six months, Ms Robredo is more about cultivating an image rather than extending a work hand, or getting down to her knees to provide true public service.

Ms Robredo is ambition and shrewdness personified. She is the proverbial "nasa loob ang kulo" and she is in the game because she has already been given a bird's eye view of what it would be like to be in the throne.

The problem is no longer Leni Robredo. Damn her and her scheming!

It is now incumbent upon us Filipinos to recognize and be made aware of the devil who wears tsinelas.

If there is one nasty, good-for-nothing and excessive vice that we should rid ourselves this coming new year, it should be this fraud of a vice president.

We deserve better.

#TsinelasinKoMukhaMo

--------------------------
Mark Lopez as posted on Facebook.

http://grpshorts.blogspot.be/2016/12/leni-robredo-agony-of-waiting-for.html

Napoles Isiniwalat na kung sino ang protektor niya! Panoorin nyo!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Questions that must be asked before any talk of federalism in the Philippines starts


December 29, 2016
by FallenAngel
One of the main campaign promises of then-presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte was to push for federalism in the Philippines. He claims that it will make the delivery of basic services faster, and it is the only solution to the secessionist problem in the southern Philippines.
The word “federalism” traces its root to the Latin foedus, which means pact or covenant. Apparently so does the word, “confederalism”. Another root word found in dictionaries is the Latin fidelis, loyalty.
From the point of view of another language, the German word Eidgenossenschaft – which is the word used to describe the Swiss Confederation – literally translates to oath fellowship.
With these key words in mind, we ask: Where in our history does it show, that the Philippines is an entity formed by a pact, or oath fellowship?
As it stands, it is generally accepted that the Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos came up with the name Las Islas Filipinas in honor of the man who would eventually become King Philip II. Before the Philippines existed, you had several tribes who tolerated each other, occasionally tried to wipe each other out, most likely didn’t have a common language, and seemingly were content with minding their own businesses and fiefdoms.
The Philippines, as an entity is best described as…
…no more than an artificial state originally created by the Spanish crown mainly for the purpose of consolidating and streamlining colonial administration of its assets in the region. The former countries of Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia, and now internally-unstable Rwanda, come to mind when one thinks of what the Philippines is all about — an agglomeration of fiefdoms that remain stuck together for the purpose of keeping alive nostalgic relics of 19th Century “nationalist” thinking and not for any real practical or measurable ends befitting a modern 21st Century society.
My impression of federal states, at this point, is that the bigger union, the bigger entity, has been well-defined, before the component entities go their own separate ways. In other words, the component entities have already come together to form a whole that is bigger than themselves. They see something in the federation/union worth becoming part of it for.
Do Filipinos have a history, a reputation for coming together, to make a bigger whole?
Unfortunately, the answer is no. Whenever Filipinos come together in contemporary society, they define themselves by their region first before anything else. They prioritize their own egos over the greater good, and are predisposed to think in terms of “me-first”. They tear each other down, and the resulting collective is smaller than any of the parts.
So, it seems that any history of coming together, forming a covenant, and establishing a bigger whole by themselves is virtually unknown in the Philippines.
Why then, are we federalizing under these conditions?
A phrase that seems to come up in the local discussions is, “break up into independent entities”. It seems to me then, that the move for federalism, despite having an ultimate intention of “empowering the regions”, is also pushing for the “kanya-kanya (to each his own)” framework that accompanies it.
But the prevailing framework is already kanya-kanya. The provinces are generally left to fend for themselves now (Visayas and Mindanao can more strongly attest to this), and are only called to attention when something is needed from them. Or when a celebrity hails from a particular locale.
What makes that framework any different from the already prevailing mentality? Why are we going to undertake a costly change in system, if the mentality remains relatively unchanged?
Breaking up one big nothing, results in, well…nothing! Zero divided by x is still zero!
In my opinion, the advocates for federalism are pushing a solution, and expect it to be successful in a top-down fashion. But real and lasting solutions to a society’s problems are directed at the root. And the root here goes deeper than the awful setup found in the country’s body of laws; it goes straight to the dysfunctional culture of Filipinos, a society of people that, quite simply, never could come together on their own.
The push for federalism is aimed at solving political and economic imbalances found in the current system. But the cultural component needed to make federalism work, at least the way it has worked in other countries, is seemingly not present here.
I guess, a question that really must be asked, and evaluated thoroughly, is:
Can a socio-cultural problem be solved by political means?
Filipinos need to plan their next steps carefully. The environment for change is already there; it is up to them whether this change will be ultimately beneficial or not to them.
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2016/12/questions-must-asked-talk-federalism-philippines-starts/

Who’s afraid of Leni Robredo?

December 28, 2016
by FallenAngel
Is there something to fear, when it comes to “Vice-president” Leni Robredo? The widow of Jesse, who can easily give off an impression na di makabasag pinggan? Veteran insufferable gossip, sorry, “investigative journalist”, Raissa Robles raises the question…
Who’s afraid of Leni Robredo? The Ka-DDS are out in full force bashing her for being in NY.
Have they forgotten that she holds NO POSITION in the Duterte government right now? That she’s just a spare tire?
Is she using government money to be in New York?
The Ka-DDS seem to be quite all shook up that she might meet with Loida Nicolas Lewis.
If she were not that important or influential, who would care whether or not she’s in New York?
Do you recall that Pres. Duterte himself and the Marcoses were all together in China when typhoon struck Ilocos Norte?
Did the Ka-DDS bash Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, and former Senator (i like the sound of that) Bongbong Marcos for not being in Ilocos before and during the typhoon?
Naaah.
Special venom is reserved only for VP Leni Robredo?
Seems they are afraid of her.
NB: If I remember correctly, Ka-DDS refers to the Die-hard Duterte Supporters
Why be afraid of the VP, who is every bit concerned about “the threat of a return to Martial Law”…
The threat of a return to Martial Law and one-man-rule is the worst Christmas gift to the Filipino people.
To refer to specific provisions in the 1987 Constitution prohibiting such as a “reckless reaction” to the Marcos regime is an insult to the experience of the Filipino nation that endured great suffering and hardship under the Martial Law regime.
Moreover, for President Duterte to challenge the democratic safeguards of the very constitution he swore to uphold on June 30, 2016 is appalling.
Let us remain vigilant against the threat of Martial Law, and fight against any move that will curtail our freedoms.
This is not a battle we will take sitting down. As Filipinos, we have demonstrated our courage to stand up and make our voices heard for the sake of protecting our freedom and fighting for the truth.
The anti-Duterte, the Liberal Party (LP) supporters and Yellowtards (any remaining ones), were extra critical of non-allied officials “not being present, or caught flat-footed, during crisis situations in their bailiwicks” (e.g., Martin Romualdez during Yolanda, or Rodrigo Duterte in the aftermath of the Davao bombings), and yet their representatives are exempt from the very same criticism?
I call bullshit, of course.
At the very least, Robles is admitting that Leni “is just a spare tire.” The more accurate term for Robredo, however, to borrow a Chinese term, is aflower vase – decorative but essentially useless.
One can readily observe, from the way these two responded, that they apparently still don’t get what the hungry-for-change Filipinos are trying to convey.
It’s not Leni Robredo personally, that people are afraid of, it’s what she represents, all the extra baggage that comes with her.
For better or for worse, Filipinos have decided not to cast their lot anymore with an LP leader. It seems that if LP were the only alternative now to a potential abuse of power, Filipinos find the LP option less attractive.
Filipinos have decided that they no longer want the old ways – a return to the exclusive, ineffectual, old ways of running government like crap, exemplified by the Liberal Party.
They no longer want to go back to a time where they are resigned to facing a government that cares for them only during election time, a group of people that shows concern for them only when it is not in power.
Filipinos no longer want the sort of directionless, headless chicken leadership shown in the last thirty years. They no longer want to go back to a worthless type of government that makes them feel worthless.
In other words, Filipinos want things to be different. While “Not LP” is pretty much as bare as “NeverAgain”, it is the leadership taking charge that will make or break it. The LP has pretty much set an abysmal standard for that one.
Oh, and for the record, Raissa, you and many others overestimate the importance, and fear factor, of Leni Robredo. Dummies are good, after all, only when someone else is pulling the strings.

http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2016/12/whos-afraid-leni-robredo/