Even during the time of calamities, the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte have time to make fun or blame the chief executive on what’s happening in the country right now.

On Twitter, several netizens blamed President Duterte on what’s happening with the Taal volcano.

“Maybe Taal is asking for Duterte and d DDS to be fed to its crater so that the disastrous future to be faced by PHL could be averted,” netizen @yusufledesma said when he answered a tweet from a blogger asking about the reason of the heightened activity of the volcano.

“Taal’s last eruption was under the Marcos administration. Parallel another for the Duterte administration, will he play the same tricks again? Ghad.” netizen @josiahvantonio tweeted.

“Taal Volcano erpted under Duterte Admin. Coincidence? I think not,” @annyourprecious posted.

Netizen @memedelo723 also mentioned Duterte’s friend, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy in his tweet about Taal volcano.

Some Twitter users also asked why President Duterte is not appearing in public to address them about the heightened activity of the Taal volcano.

“It’s been hours since the Taal eruption—still no statement from Duterte and Malacañang. This is an EMERGENCY for the urban poor & the homeless, who have no choice but to spend tonight breathing volcanic ashfall. We need to demand immediate action from the government!” @rosereyde said.

It’s been hours since the Taal eruption—still no statement from Duterte and Malacañang.

This is an EMERGENCY for the urban poor & the homeless, who have no choice but to spend tonight breathing volcanic ash fall.

We need to demand immediate action from the government!

— Rey Valmores Salinas ? (@rosereyde) January 12, 2020

“Where is President Duterte when Filipinos need him the most. People are suffering the volcanic ashes and Taal Volcano erpting soon yet no televised warning or even advice of encouragement,” @dcdjan said.

A netizen then posted that President Duterte doesn’t need to appear in television as he already ordered his officials to help the people affected by Taal.

“People of the Republic of the Philippines; President Duterte no needs to set up press conference to address the nation with the ongoing magmatic unrest of Taal. The president have sent out his orders through his officials for evacuation and precautionary measures we can utilize,” @MSecretaire tweeted.

People of the Republic of the Philippines; President Duterte no needs to set up press conference to address the nation with the ongoing magmatic unrest of Taal.

The president have sent out his orders through his officials for evacuation and precautionary measures we can utilize

— Madame la secrétaire (@MSecretaire) January 12, 2020

As of writing, President Duterte is not yet appearing in public and speaking about the Taal volcano.

However, he already has given instructions to his officials to undertake measures necessary to put the residents living near the perimeter of Taal to leave the danger zone.

He also ordered the suspension of classes and government work in Metro Manila, CALABARZON and Central Luzon.

The members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) helped the victims of the ashfall caused by the Taal Volcano eruption and brought them to the safest area possible.

In the photo posted by Philippine Information Agency Calabarzon, it showed the cops assisting residents of Talisay, Batangas.

Despite covered in dangerous ashes from Taal volcano, the cops continued their job and ensured that all the affected residents of Talisay are going to get evacuated.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), Talisay Batangas is one of the hazard-prone areas that could be significantly affected by the Taal volcano.

Residents in Talisay are warned as they could be reached by rocks from the Taal volcano.

PHIVOLCS also urged the people living within the 14 km radius of Taal Volcano to evacuate as lava fountain already present.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered already the suspension of classes in Metro Manila, CALABARZON and Central Luzon today because of the heightened activity of the Taal volcano.

They also suspended all work in government offices in the three regions.

The government also urged the private sector to do the same as the ashes are dangerous to get inhaled.

A netizen urged the people on social media to be sensitive on discussing the Taal volcano eruption for the sake of the victims.

On a Facebook post, netizen Prince Babar shared the photos of some victims covered with ashes from the ashfall of Taal volcano while riding a jeepney.

The victims are not wearing masks which made them unprotected from breathing the ashes from the volcano.

According to his source, the victims are being brought to the nearest evacuation centers in Batangas.

“Grabe naiiyak ako.. nakasabay ko mga nag evacuate sa Jip galing Talisay,Batangas may baby pa puro sila putik. 12pm daw pagsabog nagpanic na sila dami pa daw naiwan dun nagiiyakan na lang kasi wala na maskyan.. gusto ko tumulong kaso di ko alam na shock ako.. Lord kayo na po bahala sa kanila at sa buong Batangas..” Babar wrote in his post.

The post already reached 30,000 shares on social media as of writing and the netizens are hoping that all Batanguenos near the Taal volcano are safe already.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised to level 4 over the Taal volcano and urged the netizens to be ready for its “hazªrdous expl0sive erupti0n”.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines also deployed eight military trucks and other units in areas affected by Taal Volcano.

“We are in constant coordination with the local government units and the Office of Civil Defense and ready to provide available equipment and manpower to assist in disaster response operations,” the military said.

The Bayanihan spirit of the Filipinos is alive again as some citizens volunteered to clean the cars covered with ashes because of the Taal volcano.

Ashfall is extremely dangerous, especially to the car owners because the ashes could block their vehicle’s windshield that would cause an unfortunate incident.

Fortunately, several citizens offered free car wash to vehicle owners so they could drive safely to their destination.

Netizen Roger Villa from Tanauan City, Batangas was spotted cleaning cars passing by.

“Flex ko lang ang asawa ko na naglilinis ng mga dumadaang sasakyan,” said Marj Jorie.

Another netizen, Aren Ambaijia from Silang, Cavite helped the vehicle owners to clean their car covered with ashes from Taal volcano.

“Tulong muna tayo guys, from Tagaytay po karamihan sa mga sasakyan,” Aren Ambojia said.

Netizen Chris Onate also shared his story on how a man helped them to clean their windshield.

“This man stood out on the street with his pressure washer and washed down people’s windshields as visibility was horrible,” Chris Onate said, “All of us frantically driving away from Taal trying to get our families to safety, salute you,”

“Good Samaritans amidst this catastrophe. Sir, I don’t know who you are but thank you. Not all heroes wear capes,”

All the said posts have gone viral on Facebook and received praise from the netizens.

It also inspired other netizens to do the same and help other people in different ways.

A British citizen wrote an open letter addressed to U.S Senator Richard Durbin, who urged the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte to release Senator Leila De Lima from detention.

In the open letter, Malcolm Conlan, who’s a known supporter of President Duterte, asked Durbin why the American politician is interfering with the justice system in the Philippines and insisting that De Lima should be released just because he believes she’s innocent.

“I am really surprised that you today called for the release of Sen Leila De Lima without even understanding the facts of the case?” Conlan said.

“How would you like it, if President Duterte called publicly for the release of an American Citizen, awaiting trial in the U.S,” 

“Are you actually involved in the case of De Lima, have you suddenly become her legal defense or are you in any way involved in the Philippine Judiciary?”

“What right has an American politician got to interfere in the Philippine Justice system?”

Conlan explained to Durbin that De Lima was not detained because of being a critic of the administration because President Duterte has many political enemies who are still walking freely like Vice President Leni Robredo.

“She (Robredo) is one of the harshest critics of the President, yet she is free to speak publicly and hold as many press conferences as she likes without any hindrance,” 

“Before being critical of the Philippine President and Philippine justice, I humbly suggest that you get your own house in order,” 

The British supporter of the President then reminded Durbin that the Philippines is not a territory of America anymore.

“No longer is the Philippines a slave to America, the Philippines is now an independent sovereign nation, with her own laws, processes and Justice system.”

“With the greatest respect, Sen De Lima is not locked away in some darkened room with only bread and water, in fact she still has the freedom to speak to the outside world and if she wanted to explain her situation herself, she doesn’t need some Senator thousands of miles away to jump on the bandwagon and defend her, when in fact you don’t know the details of the pending case,”

A few days ago, Durbin in a speech on the US Senate floor urged the Philippines to give De Lima a “fair and credible” trial.

“There is an easy and honorable way forward. The Duterte regime should […] instead assure a quick and credible trial for Senator De Lima, or simply do the right thing and release her,” Durbin said.

DMCI Homes Chairman and President Isidro Consunji said that they’re going to pay back the Ecoland unit owners who lost their homes after a quake damaged their building in Davao City.

Consunji made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte accused him of being arrogant towards the unit owners who are asking for compensation for losing their units because of the quake.

Photo courtesy of Cardio Ped Don

According to the businessman, they’re going to pay back the unit owners of Ecoland 4000 condominium building 150 percent of what they paid for their units.

“We accepted the offer to settle the claims of the homeowners at 150 percent of acquisition cost. They have a general assembly on January 20,” Consunji told CNN Philippines on Saturday.

On January 10, Duterte told Consunji that he’s not going to give a permit for DMCI to build projects in the Philippines if he’s not going to address to problems of Ecoland 4000 unit owners.

“The Consunjis, one of their four condos collapsed. Nagsalita sa concession sa water, ikaw me problema, Consunji, builder ka, if naasar ako sa iyo, I will not grant you any permit,” Duterte said.

“Tayong mahihirap, wala tayong problema. Ang may mga problema dito, ‘yung mga mayaman. Gaya nito ni Consunji, lahat ng condo niya — apat, ‘yung isa bumagsak. Sa karaming building sa Davao, kanya lang ang (bumagsak),” he also said.

In another interview, this time with ABS-CBN’s Ted Failon, Duterte called Consunji ‘arrogant’.

“You were most arrogant do not do that. You will not only lose your funds but also your business, believe me. I have ordered an audit of all your buildings and violations you have committed,” said Duterte.

“You know, if you do not come to terms with the people that you have prejudiced, will not allow you to even construct a building, not even a post,” he added.

Mayor Isko Moreno criticized the people who violated the ordinance against alcohol in Manila City during the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

On his Facebook live video, Moreno showed the people caught drinking during the Traslación.

They’re identified to be devotees as they were spotted wearing a Black Nazarene t-shirt while enjoying a beer.

Unfortunately, their fun cut short when the authorities arrived and invited them to the police station for violating the ordinance against drinking in public places.

Moreno after showing the violators appealed to the public not to drink before participating in the Traslación because it’s a bad example for the younger generation and they might imitate it in the future.

“Ang importante ang tao ay may Diyos, pero hindi sinabi ng Diyos na uminom ka muna bago ka sumama sa Traslación,” Moreno said.

“Wag niyo ho kaming hanapan ng mga excuse, mali po yun, wag po nating ituturo iyon sa mga anak natin, wag po nating ipapakita ‘yon sa mga bata kasi gagayahin nila tayo,” he added.

The Mayor said that the incident should set an example for other devotees not to violate the city ordinance.

He then pointed out that one bottle of beer could already buy rice to feed their families.

In this year’s Traslación, Moreno set new rules to make the feast more secure by increasing the police visibility around the route of the procession.

However, the new rules made by Moreno raised the eyebrows of some devotees, who complained about the stricter policies being implemented by the cops.

Despite the tension between the cops and devotees, the Traslación was considered a success and became the fastest procession of the Black Nazarene in recent memory, finishing within 16 hours.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III couldn’t hide his anger after he suspected that the autopsy performed by Kuwait authorities to the body of OFW Jeanelyn Villanvende was forged.

According to Bello, the Kuwaiti forensic doctors who examined Villavende’s body found that the OFW faced her demise because of “physical injuries”.

He then called the autopsy report dishonest and useless.

“I wrote to NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) to conduct our own autopsy, and I found out na ‘yong autopsy report ng Kuwaiti government ay palpak, sinungaling at walang kwenta,” Bello said.

Bello said that he wanted to push for a permanent employment ban in Kuwait and criticized the Kuwaitis for their treatment to the Filipino workers.

“Wala na tayong ipadadala doon. Mga walang kuwenta ‘yang mga Kuwaiti na ‘yan. Biro mo ‘yong ginawa nila sa ating kababayan. ‘Pag ikuwento ko sa inyo, baka pati [kayo] magwewelga na. Masyado nilang inapi ang ating kababayan,” said Bello.

Bello said that he would recommend to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to impose a total deployment ban of Filipinos in Kuwait once he received the autopsy report performed by NBI.

“That will not be lifted until we get proper justice (for Villavende),” he said.

NBI medical officer Dr. Ricardo Rodaje believes that Villavende was also violated by the suspect which cannot be found on the autopsy report sent by Kuwait.

Yesterday, President Duterte praised Kuwait for their fast response on the case of Villavende.

“Maganda ang response ng Kuwaiti authorities,” Duterte said.

It’s not yet known if Duterte is already aware of the autopsy report released by Kuwait which made Bello upset.

Former Senator Bongbong Marcos wanted the textbooks being used by students to be “fixed” to clean the image of his father, late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

In a forum hosted by the National Press Club, Marcos said that they were accused of changing the history in their favor, but it seems that the textbook shows that they’re not the ones doing revisionism.

According to him, the court already cleared his father from accusations like

“Pinapalitan daw namin ang kwento ng kasaysayan. Who is doing revisionism? Nilagay nila sa libro ng textbook ng mga bata na ganito, ‘ang mga Marcos ganito ang ninakaw, ganito ang ginawa’,” said Marcos.

“Ngayon lumalabas sa Korte hindi totoo lahat ng sinabi ninyo dahil hindi niyo naipakita,” he added.

Marcos said that they’re asking the government for correcting some of the details about his father in textbooks, however, the people in power during those times are their critics.

“What has been proven wrong is essentially what they continue to contend in the textbooks of our children. Essentially you are teaching the children lies,” said Marcos.

“‘Yung kanilang sinasabi na ninakaw namin, na ginawa namin, hindi lahat totoo. Pa’no ko nasasabi ‘yun? ‘Yan ang desisyon ng korte. There was no evidence,” he added.

He then called the cases filed against his family as “political propaganda”.

In November 2019, Sandiganbayan junked a P1-B civil-ill gotten wealth cases against the Marcoses and their alleged dummies.

They also dismissed the P200-B civil suit filed by the government against the Marcoses.

The former Senator suggested that instead of political appointees, history professors should be given the task in checking the textbooks being distributed to the country.