By Estanislao Albano, Jr.
Speaking about the person who will replace resigned Philhealth President Ricardo Morales, Sen. Christopher Lawrence Go said that his mission “was to eradicate systemic corruption in the agency once and for all” and therefore should “have courage, integrity, political will and a zero-tolerance policy for corruption.”
I know of someone who was advertised to be oozing with all those qualities specially zero-tolerance for corruption but never really made any dent on corruption.
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Senator Risa Hontiveros said that newly appointed Philhealth president and chief executive officer Dante Gierran, a former National Bureau of Investigation director, should go after the “big fish” involved in corrupt practices in the agency.
That there are now “big fish” in the Philhealth is indicative of the ineffectivity or complicity of the previous leaderships of state insurer. They did nothing to the “small fish” so naturally, they grew into “big fish.”
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After a retired AFP general failed to clean up the Philhealth, the President gives the job to a former NBI director.
If Gierran also fails, I suggest a Boy Scout next.
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Although the President earlier rejected the proposal to set up a revolutionary government (RevGov), he later declared that the move initiated by members of the so-called Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte-National Executive Coordinating Committee, should be discussed publicly and not in secret. He said that the AFP should take part in the discussion.
If he is truly against RevGov, why the encouragement to discuss the matter publicly?
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At any rate, AFP chief of staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay told the Commission on Appointments establishing a revolutionary government “will cost more harm than good at this point in time in our country.”
“We are entitled individually but as Armed Forces of the Philippines, we will not allow anybody to be part of this movement and to actively participate in the furtherance of the goals and objectives of the group pushing for the establishment of a revolutionary government,” Gapay said.
I like public discussion on RevGov when it is of this tune and more importantly, those talking have one word.
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In connection with the RevGov move of his supporters, the President said he has no plans of becoming a dictator and will step down when his term ends in 2020.
This does not reassure me one bit because the President is known to have done some unplanned things before — running for president for one.
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The United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese firms involved in island-building in the South China Sea.
Looks like President Donald Trump is not like our President. He is not also afraid to displease China.
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After the announcement of the US action, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. also declared he will strongly recommend the cutting of ties with the Chinese firms taking part in the militarization of the South China Sea. But as expected, Malacanang said that the projects of the firms in the country will go ahead.
This is not the first time it happened that the tough talk of the Foreign Affairs Secretary was set aside by Malacanang such that one good way of predicting what the President would eventually decide, you just listen to Locsin.
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With overwhelming majority, the House approved House Bill No. 7137 declaring September 11 as “President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day” in Ilocos Norte.
Not that I agree with the legislation but for sure, there are millions of other Filipinos elsewhere wishing their provinces were covered by the proposed holiday honoring the memory of Marcos.
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Newly appointed Philippine National Police PNP chief Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan vowed to hunt down big-time drug personalities in an intensified anti-drugs campaign. “Ating pai-igtingin ang anti-drug campaign po natin, atin pong titignan ang mga high value individuals na sila ay makukuha mismo at sila ay maaaresto,” the general said.
It’s about time the four year-old drug netted its first drug lord, sir.
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Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is confident the Covid-19 curve will be flattened this September as a result of a new government campaign plan against the pandemic.
Sir, if there is anything being flattened, it’s the puny response of the government to the health menace.**
