Department of Interior Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño warned the barangay officials who are trying to corrupt the funds being used for the social amelioration program (SAP) of the government.

In a Facebook video, Diño said that he’s already talking with the Commission on Audit (COA) to assure that all Barangay captains would show transparency on how they distributed the financial aid to their constituents, or else they might face charges before the Office of the Ombudsman.

“Mga magnanakaw na kapitan at mga barangay officials, this time kamukha dito kausap ko ang COA , pinag-aaral nila ngayon na pag hindi nakapag-liqudate ang kapitan, within 3 months, diretso sa ombudsman. Lahat! Buong Pilipinas,” Diño stated.

According to him, all barangay officials who were proven to commit graft and corruption would face not only suspension from their current public position but also detention.

“Wina-warningan ko na ang lahat ng barangay captain at mga tresurero, umayos kayo. Labas kayo ng labas kayo ng pera ng barangay tapos (walang) liquidation. Ngayon, bubusisiin namin lahat iyan at sisiguraduhin na makukulong kayo ‘pag magnanakaw kayo, hindi lang kayo matatanggal sa pwesto,” he said.

“Pera ng barangay iyan, kaban ng bayan iyan, pinagkatiwalaan kayo, tapos nanakawin niyo ang kaban ng bayan? Dapat maraming development projects na nagagawa sa barangay. pero dahil sa inyong pagkatulisan, harapin niyo ang bagsik ng batas,” he added.

Diño revealed that they received over 2,000 complaints against barangay officials who received the funds from the SAP.

Under the SAP, 18-M poorest of the poor families should receive P5,000 to P8,000 from the government amid the enhanced community quarantine being implemented in different parts of the country.

Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada was brought to the police station by the members of San Juan PNP for allegedly violating the enhanced community quarantine rules being implemented in the city.

According to the camp of Estrada, they’re just distributing relief goods to the residents of San Juan when police arrived and invited them to the police station.

The politician was informed that they violated the social distancing measure during the distribution of the relief goods.

However, Estrada said that his team assured that they told the beneficiaries to observe social distancing while lining up for the food aid.

“I was pretty sure… ‘yung mga tao ko, inutusan nila ‘yung mga tao to observe social distancing.” Estrada said.

Jinggoy’s father Former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Ejercito Estrada also rushed to the police station to defend his son.

Estrada also posted a message to his supporters on Facebook, assuring that the distribution of relief goods would be undisturbed despite what happened.

“Sa aking mga kababayan sa San Juan, Umasa po kayo kahit ako ay ikulong nila dahil sa pagtulong sa inyo, hindi pa rin po ako titigil sa pagtulong sa inyo lalong-lalo na sa mga nangangailangan!” Estrada said.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora who’s also a political enemy of the Estradas said that the former Senator distributed relief goods without proper permit from the LGU.

“Sapagkat itong si dating Senador Jinggoy Estrada ay ilang araw na pong nag-iikot dito sa lungsod ng San Juan na walang authority,” Zamora told TV Patrol.

“Kung gusto niyang tumulong sa ating mga mamamayan, ayon sa DILG [Departmenf of Interior and Local Government], kailangang kumuha ng certification sa local government,” he added.

This is not the first time that the members of the Estrada clan and the Mayor of San Juan clashed amid the ECQ.

Last week, the “rolling stores” launched by Jinggoy’s daughter, Janella Estrada was blocked by Zamora.

“Ihinto mo. Sige mayor ihinto mo. Tingan natin. Pagkatapos ‘yung mga tindera ng palengke pinagsabihan mo na ‘wag sumama rito sa rolling store ni Janella,” the former Senator stated.

“Talagang pinahihirapan mo eh no. Wala kang puso talaga eh no,” he added.

TV host Boy Abunda opposed the plan of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) to disallow senior citizens to go out of their houses amid the general community quarantine (GCQ) being enforced in some provinces in the country.

In an interview with Pep.ph, Abunda said that IATF should study the said proposal carefully as many senior citizens are still working like him.

According to him, the said proposal is discriminatory because it forced the senior citizens who wanted to be productive to stay at home.

“They’re marginalizing a big part of the population, lalo na yung 60 to 65 years old,” sabi niya. Maganda yung intent ng panukala, pero ang pananaw ko, there’s a big chunk of healthy seniors. And nalaman natin in the past months that COVID-19 just doesn’t attack seniors, although vulnerable sila. Pero kung titingnan mo ang data ay walang piniling edad,” Abunda said.

Abunda pointed out that most of the high-ranking officials in the government are senior citizens and even the President of the country, Rodrigo Roa Duterte is already 75-years-old.

The TV host also called the proposal ‘discriminatory’.

“A lot of the first and second layers of offices or government agencies are seniors. And these are people who have to move around to be able to implement programs and policies. Sa mga industriya rin, private industries, marami rin. To me, it’s discriminatory to a certain point.” he said.

Abunda also said that while the real intention of the IATF is s to protect the senior citizens in the country, the host said that the government possibly hasten the creation of the proposal.

“You have to also remember na most of these decisions are made really quickly. It is our responsibility to react, to respond, and to engage people in healthy conversations,” the TV host stated.

“This is not the time also to be divided. This is not also a time to quarrel. I don’t think we should get there. Yung may disagreement tayo, pag-usapan nating mabuti. Pero ako, halimbawa, in normal times, it’s really discriminatory. It’s marginalizing healthy seniors,” he added.

Meanwhile, IATF clarified that working senior citizens are allowed to go out.

“The operating guidelines are to be issued. Of course, the seniors who are actively working or running businesses will be allowed. We will use ID system,” Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said in a statement

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon wanted to probe the labor attaché to Taichung, Taiwan for planning to deport an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who has gone viral on the internet because of criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte.

Drilon was referring to the case of Elanel Egot Ordidor also known as Linn Silawan on social media who faced possible deportation because of her posts against Duterte.

In a statement on April 29, Drilon urged the Department of Labor and Employment Secretary Silvestre Bello III to recall labor attaché Fidel Macauyag, calling him “unfit, incompetent and unqualified” to promote and protect the welfare of thousands of overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan like Ordidor.

“Mr. Macauyag’s irresponsible act toward a helpless overseas Filipino worker is clearly an abandonment of his sworn duties to protect the welfare of OFWs,” said Drilon.

Drilon also described Macauyag’s action as “stupidity at the highest level” saying that posting on social media against the President should not be a reason for an OFW to get deported.

“His mandate is to promote the welfare of our OFWs. He has shown the highest level of ignorance. Worse, his action embarrassed the Philippine government,” he said.

“I am saddened by what is happening with the officials tasked to protect our people. How come that they have gone astray this far?” he added.

Macauyag is the one who confirmed the cyber libel charges filed by DOLE against Ordidor for posting “nasty and malevolent materials against President Duterte on Facebook intended to cause hatred amidst the global health crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic,”

“It has come to our knowledge that Ms. Ordidor is using several social media accounts, among which are Lenale Elanel Egot, Mha Lan Dee, Linn Silawan and Hampas Lupa and has a group organized to discredit and malign the President and destabilize the government,” Macauyag said on a statement released on April 25.

“Due to her acts, POLO coordinated with her broker and employer on her deportation on the basis of the gravity of Ordidor’s offense under Philippine Law. The sharing and posting of such videos are punishable under Cyber libel under Republic Act No. 10175,” he added.

Taiwan already rejected the request of DOLE, saying that Ordidor was only exercising her freedom to speech.

Ordidor also said that she’s not going to be frightened by the case filed against her.

“Dito natin papatunayan sa laban nating ito na hindi tayo basta basta magpasindak… kung sino ako, kung ano ako, buhay ko ang kapalit ng prinsipyo, walang sinuman magdikta sa akin, walang sinuman ang pwedeng mag dikta o magpabago sa paniniwala, laban ko ay laban ng bawat Pilipino,” the Filipina caregiver stated in her latest Facebook live video.

The Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) who wanted to be deported by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that she’s not afraid of the charges filed against her for being critical to President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a Facebook live video, Elanel Egot Ordidor also known as Linn Silawan on social media told her families and friends that she’s going to fight for what is right.

Ordidor also insisted that she didn’t say anything wrong on her past videos, saying that she’s only expressing her opinions about the government.

“Sa mga kamag anak ko, eto ang sasabihin ko, ilaban ko hanggang sa dulo ito, manalo man o matalo, lalaban ako, tumatayo ako sa sarili kong paa, tumatayo ako sa sarili kong prinsipyo, hindi ko kailangan hingin ang suporta niyo,” Ordidor said.

She denied that some big personalities are trying to control or fund her to criticize President Duterte.

“Patunayan muna nila ang kanilang sinasabi, bago sila magsasalita, sa mga taong nagsasabi na ako ay may sakit, dito natin patunayan, dito natin umpisahan ang pag sugpo ng kasinungaling, ngayon palang hihimukin ang mga taong nagsasabi ng malisyoso laban sa aking pagkatao, patunayan niyo ang sinasabi niyo,” she said.

The Filipina caregiver assured her fans that she’s not going to be pressured by the people against her.

“Dito natin papatunayan sa laban nating ito na hindi tayo basta basta magpasindak… kung sino ako, kung ano ako, buhay ko ang kapalit ng prinsipyo, walang sinuman magdikta sa akin, walang sinuman ang pwedeng mag dikta o magpabago sa paniniwala, laban ko ay laban ng bawat Pilipino,” the Filipina caregiver stated before ending her Facebook live.

Ordidor has gone viral on the internet because of her statements against President Duterte, calling the government ‘inutile’ and criticizing the people supporting the chief executive.

“Napaka iresponsable ng gobyerno meron tayo, napaka inutil sa totoo lang…” she said.

On April 25, DOLE asked Taiwan to deport Ordidor for her viral videos against President Duterte.

However, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on April 27 rejected the request of the Philippines, saying that overseas workers like Ordidor has their right protected.

On April 29, Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) chairman and resident representative Angelito Banayo issued the apology before Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) after Taiwan rejected the request of the Philippines to deport Ordidor.

“When I learned about the press statement issued in Manila, I immediately got in touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to apologize for the wording of whatever statement it was that talks about deportation,” Banayo said in an interview.

“Deportation is the sovereign privilege of the host country. nothing we can do about their decisions on deportation,” he added.