Senator and Liberal Party President Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan suggested that the people from Mainland China who were allowed to visit the Philippines should head straight to Malacanang Palace instead of letting them travel in the different parts of the country.

Pangilinan made the said statements amid the first confirmed case of a novel coronavirus in the Philippines.

The opposition senator is one of the politicians who urged the government to disallow all people from Mainland China to visit the Philippines.

“Kung sa tingin ng gobyerno na ligtas ang ating mga kababayan at hindi kailangan ng travel ban sa mga galing ng China dapat mula airport derecho silang lahat sa Malakanyan,” said Pangilinan.

Pangilinan, like other Filipinos, wanted the Chinese to be temporarily banned from visiting the country as they being seen as the source of the coronavirus.

He also suggested several things like spreading information to the people about the said virus and setting up “hotlines” for people who wanted to seek help from the government.

“Unahin ang kapakanan at kaligtasan ng mamamayang Pilipino. Magsagawa na ng massive information drive kung paano ito maiiwasan at paano magpapagaling ang nahawahan. Mag setup ng mga hotline at emergency unit na magsasagawa ng mga quarantine at iba pang mga aksyon para maiwasan ang pagkalat ng sakit,” he said.

According to him, the virus which originated from Wuhan, China is serious and the government should do their best to prevent it from spreading around the Philippines.

“Kailangan nating pangalagaan ang mga kapwa Pilipino. Hindi biro ang sakit na ito. At hindi rin biro ang magkasakit sa Pilipinas,” Pangilinan said.

After the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed the first case of coronavirus, President Rodrigo Duterte followed the suggestion of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and ordered to disallow any tourist from some provinces in China to visit the Philippines.

A netizen explained why President Duterte made another move against the U.S after the said country decided to cancel Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s visa without any explanation.

On a Facebook post, netizen Noel Landero Sarifa said that he believes that the plan of President Rodrigo Duterte to terminate the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between the Philippines and the United States of America is because the chief executive wanted to show the world that no other countries could control the Filipino government.

According to him, the American government tried to interfere with the Philippine Government several times and as an example to this, he mentioned Senator De Lima’s case.

“Pinakita ulit ni President Duterte na hindi sya papayag na mangialam ang Amerika sa internal affairs ng bansa. Do we need the Americans or the Americans needs us Why is it that Amerika is so eager for De Lima’s release?” said Sarifa.

“Will the United States proved her innocence? Or, are there cans of worms waiting to be opened and this is just there preventive measure. We can only speculate. But then, why would the US of A spend so much effort for De Lima? She is not an American citizen. What is more important for Americans? Our relationship with them or De Lima?” he added.

Sarifa then said that the recent action of the President is a message to everyone not to interfere with the Philippine internal affairs.

“President Duterte’s strong stand against this issue is sending a strong message to the world, we are nobody’s slave and will never make this country bow to anyone, not even the United States of America,” he said.

Duterte gave one month to the US to fix the visa issue of Dela Rosa or else he’s going to cancel the visiting forces agreement between the Philippines and America.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

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Senator Panfilo Lacson expressed concern on the recent plans of President Rodrigo Duterte to cancel the Visiting Forces Agreement if ever that the United States of America is not going to “correct” the visa of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

According to Lacson, he sees no connection why Duterte was ready to cancel the VFA for the sake of Dela Rosa’s visa.

“A US visa is a conditional authorization granted to a foreigner. It may be canceled without explanation or justification. The VFA is a bilateral agreement between the Ph and the US that went through some careful and diplomatic discussion. Pray tell, where is the connection?” said Lacson on his Twitter post.

In another interview, Lacson said that the move of the President is “unfortunate and unnecessary”.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr, a friend of Lacson described the President’s action as a “good move”.

“Good move. Visas fall under US Justice Department in the Executive Branch. Either they’re serious about US-PH military alliance or not. They can have de Lima after her trial. In fact, they can pass a law making her a US citizen and part of the US military so she is covered by VFA,” Locsin said.

Lacson then responded to Locsin’s tweet “You’re obviously joking, as I am now obviously stating the obvious,”

You’re obviously joking, as I am now obviously stating the obvious.

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) January 24, 2020

Yesterday, President Rodrigo Duterte gave one month to the US to correct the visa issue of Senator Dela Rosa who’s a close ally of the chief executive.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

VFA is an agreement signed between the Philippines and the U.S in 1998.

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) Secretary-General Renato Reyes criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for his plan to junk the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) because of the cancellation of Senator Ronald Dela Rosa’s US visa.

On his Twitter post, Reyes said that the government should junk VFA a long time ago, explaining that the said agreement is against the sovereignty of the Philippines and because of many other reasons.

However, Reyes who’s also a critic of VFA expressed disappointment after knowing that the reason why Duterte wanted to terminate the agreement is that his political ally, Dela Rosa’s visa got canceled by US government.

According to Reyes, the termination of VFA is not a “bargaining chip” to fix the US Visa of Senator Dela Rosa.

“MATAGAL nang dapat ibinasura ang VFA dahil labag ito sa soberanya natin. MATAGAL na rin itong nilalabanan ng Bayan, mula pa 1999. Pero bakit ngayon lang ito ibabasura ni Digong, dahil sa kanseladong US Visa ni Bato? Magtataka ka kung seryoso ba talaga siya o postura lang,” said Reyes.

MATAGAL nang dapat ibinasura ang VFA dahil labag ito sa soberanya natin. MATAGAL na rin itong nilalabanan ng Bayan, mula pa 1999. Pero bakit ngayon lang ito ibabasura ni Digong, dahil sa kanseladong US Visa ni Bato? Magtataka ka kung seryoso ba talaga siya o postura lang.

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020

“The VFA is an affront to our sovereignty. It allows an unlimited number of US troops to stay in the PH for an unlimited time, doing unspecified activities. It was ratified as a treaty in the PH but not under US laws. Matagal na dapat itong ibinasura, may visa man o wala si Bato,” he added.

The VFA is an affront to our sovereignty. It allows an unlimited number of US troops to stay in the PH for an unlimited time, doing unspecified activities. It was ratified as a treaty in the PH but not under US laws. Matagal na dapat itong ibinasura, may visa man o wala si Bato.

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020

“Kung ibinalik ng US ang visa ni Bato, at pumayag si Digong, valid at makatarungan pa rin ba ang VFA? Kung hindi ibinasura ni Digong ang VFA dahil ibinalik na ang visa ni Bato, valid na uli ang VFA?,” he also said.

Tanong sa mga DDS: Kung ibinalik ng US ang visa ni Bato, at pumayag si Digong, valid at makatarungan pa rin ba ang VFA?
Kung hindi ibinasura ni Digong ang VFA dahil ibinalik na ang visa ni Bato, valid na uli ang VFA?

— Renato Reyes, Jr. (@natoreyes) January 23, 2020

Reyes is a long-time critic of VFA and even mentioned the case of Jennifer Laude as an example of why the agreement should be canceled.

President Rodrigo Duterte has a serious warning to the United States of America after it was reportedly canceled the visa of one of his closest allies, Senator Ronald Dela Rosa.

During a speech in Leyte, Duterte expressed his disappointment with the action of the US against Dela Rosa.

Duterte gave one month to the US to fix the visa issue of Dela Rosa or else he’s going to cancel the visiting forces agreement between the Philippines and America.

“I warning you this is the first time, pag hindi ninyo ginawa ang correction diyan, one, I will terminate the bases visiting forces agreement. Tapusin ko yang p*tang i*na. I am giving notice and they begin to count. I am giving government and the American government one month from now,” said Duterte.

“Kahiyaan ‘yan sa militar. Biro mo, isang sundalo nagtatrabaho lang tapos ganunin nila. I am putting them to humiliation itong mga pulis, mga sundalo.” he added.

VFA is an agreement signed between the Philippines and the U.S in 1998.

Under the agreement, the American troops are not required to have a passport and visa when entering and leaving the Philippines.

The US also has the right to handle its military personnel if they break the law while in the Philippines except if the charges are only punishable in the Philippines but not in the US.

Senator Dela Rosa responded to the President’s statement saying that he doesn’t “want his people treated unfairly”.

“I don’t deserve this bargain but it is not all about me. It is about one-sided foreign relations. Okay lang mga sundalo nila labas pasok sa ating teritoryo while a senator of this republic is barred from entering their territory due to their intentions of tinkering with our domestic affairs,” said Dela Rosa.

Aside from his warning against the U.S, President Duterte also said that he rejected the invitation of American President Donald Trump to attend a summit in Las Vegas in March.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s partner, Honeylet Avanceña visited Batangas to visit the affected families of Taal Volcano and she couldn’t stop her tears after seeing the condition of the people there.

Avanceña who led the distribution of relief goods to the evacuees with the help of Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) at Batangas Provincial Sports Complex.

The President’s partner expressed concern after seeing the still active Taal Volcano.

According to her, no one could stop the activity of the volcano, that’s why she urged everyone to pray.

Nung nasa chopper po kami, nakita po namin yung pag-usok ng [Taal Volcano]. Ang sabi ko ‘Panginoon, sana ihinto niyo na po ang pagputok, wag niyo na po ituloy,” said Avanceña.

“Marami akong pwedeng isumbong sa Pangulo na kaya niyang ihinto, pero ito talaga hindi niya kayang ihinto. Kahit anong gawin niya, Panginoon lang talaga ang makakasagot sa atin,” she added.

She started to become emotional as she started to talk about the condition of the children in evacuation centers.

Avanceña also mentioned that Filipinos should not celebrate the unfortunate events happening in the country, instead they should pray for their countrymen.

“Pagpasok ko sa loob [ng complex], maraming mga bata. Magi-isip ka yung problema, yung pagkain saan kayo magluluto? Di ba ilang pamilya yung [nasa] tent na ganyan, ilan yung liguan dito? Alam ko hindi niyo ‘yan problema dati, pero ngayon magiging problema,” she narrated.

“Gusto ko lang maparating sa inyo, na maski tiga-Mindanao, mapa-Bisaya man dialect mo o Tagalog, Ilonggo, Ilocano, hindi natin kailangan i-wish yung ‘Ah, buti nga dun sa Mindanao kasi umuga lupa niyo, ganyan ganyan. Pare-pareho tayong Pilipino, dasal lang po ang pwede nating [sandigan],” she added.

Avanceña said that she really wants to talk with all the families there, but she couldn’t handle the emotional stress after hearing the stories of some affected people there.

“Katuwang ninyo po kami sa dasal, yung mga relief goods at mga pagkain madali lang po, pero yung dasal, alam ko po yung bigat, dasal lang po talaga sa Panginoon,” she said.

“Lalo na po yung mga nanay, mabigat po yan, napakabigat niyan, alam ko yung mga nanay diyan sa harapan ay nagdurugo ang puso,” she added.

The President’s partner then asked the government officials to ensure that all relief goods are going to be distributed to all evacuees.

As of writing the video already reached 350,000 views on social media.

Amid the franchise renewal issue being faced by ABS-CBN, another member of Congress criticized the said television network for portraying a city located in Mindanao in one of their show as a dangerous place.

In a statement, Agusan del Norte 1st District Rep. Lawrence Fortun criticized the video of ABS-CBN’s show ‘Soldier’s Heart’ that allegedly depicted Butuan City as a ‘hub of extremism’.

According to him, the said portrayal of the show in Butuan City could waste the effort of its residents to promote their hometown to the tourists.

“I am dismayed by the portrayal of Butuan as a hotbed of chaos. The depiction is not only unrealistic,” Fortun said.

“It is destroying the collective efforts of the people of Butuan to promote the Home of the Blangays as a tourist destination for history and culture and a hub of opportunities,” he added.

Fortun then urged ABS-CBN to reverse their actions and clarify to their audience that they wrongly depicted Butuan City.

“I urge ABS-CBN to immediately air an appropriate disclaimer, review and reconsider the content and story elements of the teleserye in order not to further besmirch the reputation of our historic country,” he said.

“Better still, as partial recompense for the damage this imprudence may have caused Butuan and its people, we implore upon them to do depict the real Butuan and feature stories about it in their news and public affairs programs,” he added.

Soldier’s heart was premiered on Monday and it showed the leading actor Gerald Anderson helped the military to track a rebel group in Butuan City.

It also showed Butuan in chaos because of the battle between the military and rebels.

It can also be noticed a disclaimer saying that all names, places, and incidents showed in the program are all based on imagination.

“Anumang pagkakahalintulad sa totong buhay ay hindi sinasadya at nagkataon lamang,” the disclaimer of the show reads.