By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
On the fourth anniversary of the promulgation of the Hague arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines in its dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, Palace Spokesman Harry Roque said that the country will go ahead with friendly relations with China and set aside issues the two countries do not see eye to eye on.
Is it Hague Ruling or Hug Ruling?
Meantime, Indonesia has invoked the ruling in its own territorial conflict with China. If the Philippines has no plans to assert the ruling, at least a neighbor sees its value.
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“Run for president if you are patriotic,” that’s what the President told his daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
It appears that the President is not contented with the patriotism Senator Christopher Go is exhibiting.
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In the wake of the vote in Congress which sealed the doom of ABS-CBN, President Duterte said that he could already die since he has dismantled oligarchy even without declaring Martial Law.
The Lopezes are not among the top 20 richest people in the country. Duterte dismantled a small oligarch.
The richest – the Villar family of Manny and Cynthia – are not exempted from the crusade of the President against oligarchy but from the looks of it, he may only go after them during his second term.
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Vietnam is the envy of the world for not losing even just one life to the Covid-19 and is now on the road to normalization.
Vietnam is known for its prowess in war. Were its battle-scarred and brilliant generals responsible for their sterling victory against the invading virus?
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While other countries are already waving goodbye to the pandemic, our Health Secretary Francisco Duque is still learning how to count waves.
The President should send Duque and some of the generals who are on top of our duel with the Covid-19 to Vietnam to see for instance if aerial surveys are recommended activities in fighting the virus.
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Four more anti-Covid-19 czars including Mayor Benjamin Magalong of Baguio City were named recently.
I still believe the first move in fighting the pandemic is to set up a department of health.
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Why is controversial businessman Leo Francis Marcos in jail when he is a Marcos?
He is not a former First Lady.
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A day before the committee vote on the bill seeking renewal of the franchise of ABS-CBN, Congressman Eric Yap bared someone who introduced himself as emissary of the network tried to buy his vote at P200M but which he refused because his principle and vote are not for sale.
I am very happy and relieved we have 70 congressmen who chose conscience and principle over P200M — and that’s just in the Committee on Legislative Franchises mind you. There is flickering hope for the country.
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With the President repeating his threat last year that he will see to it that ABS-CBN will not get a franchise and knowing the overwhelmingly pro-Duterte composition of the House, I knew all along that the ABS-CBN cause was doomed. The odds were similar to that of the government winning against the Covid-19.
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One of the people who came out publicly to rub in the closure of ABS-CBN was Pastor Apollo Quiboloy who calls himself the “Appointed Son of God.”
There’s infinity between the legitimate Son of God and the self-appointed one. Imagine a 70-year old man let alone a church leader gloating over the closure of a pillar in mainstream media and where 11,000 employees lost their jobs.
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The closure of ABS-CBN is one of the very few promises of the President that has been fulfilled four years into his term.
But if the information is correct, another of his promises may soon be realized. The CNN reported the government just bought a P2B-worth jet meaning the only thing missing now is the ski.
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The President recently claimed that the timely efforts of the government “stop(ped) the rampaging Covid on its tracks” while Spokesperson Roque, the other half of the Palace cheering squad, proclaimed against overwhelming evidence to the contrary that the country is winning against the menace.
Malacanang is like a boxer who raises his hands in victory at final bell of a bout where there was no doubt he was clearly clobbered.
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After signing the Anti-Terror Law, the President advised Filipinos not to be afraid of the law.
Hearing that, I got even more scared because he also said we should not be afraid of the Corona virus some months ago and now the government is unjustly blaming the people for its failure to contain it. **
