The Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is planning to summon Vice President Leni Robredo after they discovered an alleged anomalous project involving the opposition leader.
“PACC Chairman Dante Jimenez has already given the green light to summon VP Robredo in January next year,” PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna told The Manila Times on Tuesday.
According to the report, the said project is the Calabanga Fish Port and Terminal Shed built-in Camarines Sur using the Development Assistance Program (DAP) during the Aquino administration.
The said project was cost P46.3-M which aimed to benefit 1,000 fishermen in Calabanga and help fish traders and the local community.
Vice President Leni Robredo was the Congressman of the first district of Camarines Sur when the fish port was built.
Luna said that Robredo was the proponent of the said alleged anomalous project.
The camp of the Vice President is not yet releasing a statement over the plan of PACC.
Singer Yeng Costantino has a message to President Rodrigo Duterte amid the possible franchise expiration of her home network ABS-CBN next year.
At first, Constantino who said that she “admires” Duterte was hesitant to make an appeal to the President.
But later on, the singer pleaded to the President not to pursue the closure of ABS-CBN.
According to her, the closure of the television network giant might also result in the loss of her job.
“Sir, saludo po ako sa marami niyong ginagawa. Katulad ng paglilikom ng mga pondo para sa bansa natin para sa investment. Syempre nakikita namin yun and we admire you,” Constantino said in an interview with Pep.ph
“Maybe there are things that hindi agree about, (but that) does not mean lahat ng flaws po nyo nakikita namin. I don’t know what’s right and wrong for you at ano ang pinakaugat at puno nito bakit humantong sa ganito.” she added.
“Pero sir, sana po ma-consider po ninyo ang ibang artists na nagtatrabaho sa industriyang ito na tulad namin. Baka lang po, kumakatok lamang kami sa puso ninyo na baka maaari naman na hindi maputol yung source of living namin,” she also said.
When asked about her future plans, Constantino said that she’s going to pursue her other dream and study psychology if ever that ABS-CBN’s franchise expires instead of working for another TV network.
“Showbiz is not really forever, hindi mo alam kung kailan mawawala eh… para atleast preparado ka lang,” she said.
“Kasi kung ako ang papipiliin, bakit naman ako lilipat sa ibang network?” she added.
The franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire in March 2020 and until now President Duterte is still showing his opposition to the renewal of the television network.
“Ang iyong franchise mag-end next year. If you expect ma-renew ‘yan, I’m sorry. I will see to it that you’re out,” said Duterte.
Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy made another claim that he stopped the magnitude 6.9 quake happened three days ago, but only in the exact place where he’s staying during that time.
On December 16, Quiboloy answered a question from a netizen on her television show ‘Spotlight’.
According to the pastor that he stopped the quake in the building where he’s staying because of his concern to the children.
But he said that he didn’t tell that he would stop the quake in other places also.
“Kailan ba ako nagsabi na Papatigilin ko ang lindol? sa Lahat? Yung lindol noong october 16, pinatigil ko doon sa aking lugar.. Pero, sa lahat ng lindol.. hindi ko sinabing, lindol, STOP kayong lahat. Pina-stop ko dun sa aking lugar, Dahil, gumagalaw na ang building..may mga bata…aking sinabihan…(STOP) o tumigil,” Quiboloy said in Cebuano, which translated to tagalog by Filipino Channel.
“Kahapon naman, Dun sa Tamayong ko.. kasama ko ang mga bata..Pina-stop ko..Hindi ko naman alam na naglindol ba sa ibang lugar.. Eh di nag stop.. Hindi kayo kasali sa pagpapatigil ko (ng lindol) “Pakialam ko sa inyo?” he added.
Last month, Pastor Quiboloy also claimed that he stopped a quake in Mindanao and asked his critics to be thankful of him.
“Noong lumindol ng 6.6 ay naroroon ako sa kuwarto ko. Ang sabi ko ‘lindol stop’, umi-stop! Tapos pangalawa, mga eleven siguro ‘yun. Nandiyan si Ingrid, nagsusulat ako, lumindol, sabi ko, ‘Stop’. Eh di umi-stop… “Pasalamat kayo sa akin kasi kung hindi ko pina-stop ‘yun, maraming kayong magigiba,” Quibloy said.
While his followers believe the claims of the Pastor, several personalities like television host Vice Ganda made fun of Quiboloy claims and asked if the religious leader could also stop the traffic in EDSA.
Business tycoon and Maynilad chairperson Manny V. Pangilinan vows not to sell the water company to anyone.
During the Christmas party of the water concessionaire which attended by its top officials, Pangilinan said that they would remain strong despite the issues being faced by the company.
“We will not sell our company, we will not stand down,” Pangilinan said amid the rumors that the Villar-owned Prime Water is planning to expand in Metro Manila.
Pangilinan also said that they’re just going to focus on giving “best service” to their customers.
“It’s best that we just focus on our customers and deliver them the best service that we have been doing for the past 12 to 13 years,” he said.
Maynilad and Manila Water are being criticized by President Rodrigo Duterte for their alleged “onerous” contract with the government.
Duterte even mentioned why the two companies are filing complaints in an international tribunal to make the government pay if they didn’t reach their target profit.
The President even said that it’s possible that the military would take over the two water companies.
“Last night I was talking to the PSG, sinabi ko sa kanila huwag mo akong laruan na takot takutin ninyo ako, sige magsibat kami, bahala wala kayong tubig,” Duterte said
“I will order the Armed Forces to operate. Sige sundalo, take over kayo.” he added.
A veteran journalist couldn’t stop himself from criticizing former President Fidel V. Ramos after the latter defended the 1997 water concession agreement signed under his administration.
On a Facebook post, Sonza shared the statement of Ramos in 2015 who reacted during that time on the rivalry between President Rodrigo Duterte and his rival former DILG Sec. Mar Roxas.
He called the Ramos a traitor, saying that the former President deserved more than being slapped.
“Traitors like you deserved not to be slapped. You deserved to be lined up at the break of dawn and be shot by a firing squad before the eyes of the Filipino people,” Sonza said.
“You are the living example of a corrupt leader willing to sell your soul to the Oligarch,” he added.
Sonza added that President Duterte has a good reputation from other world leaders.
“Our president today is respected by world leaders because he remains steadfast in his love of country,” he said.
A few weeks ago, Ramos wrote a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte defending the privatization of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS)
“The success of this agreement has brought about an infusion of capital to upgrade the infrastructure necessary to improve the efficiency and service coverage to the end-users. In Metro Manila alone, more than 18 million Filipinos (from only 10 million in 1997) now have access to sustainable water supply,” Ramos said.
The former President also said that the privatization of MWSS and the concession agreement is being followed by other countries because of its effectiveness.
“To achieve all this, the private sector mobilized funding from both foreign and local sources depending on the word of the Philippine government that the essential conditions of adherence to the sanctity of contracts and rule of law must be observed,” Ramos said.
“These are the pillars that hold together any agreement, be it between governments and/or the government and the private sector. Our word must be our bond,” he added.
While the 2022 election is still two years away, Publicus Asia Inc. (PAI) already conducted a survey in Visayas and Mindanao to know the preferences of the voters there.
In the survey called PAHAYAG 2019, it showed that VisMin voters wanted Davao City mayor Inday Sara Duterte to become the next President of the Philippines with 35.1%.
Following Duterte-Carpio were Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares (11%), Manila City Mayor Francis “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (7.8%), Senator Manny Pacquiao (5.5%), House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano (4.6%), and Senator Christopher “Bong” Go (4.5%).
The poll has a margin of error of +/- 2.19 percent across the entire survey population and +/- 3.1% within the respective Visayas and Mindanao clusters.
According to Mr. Aureli Sinsuat, PAI Executive Director and firm spokesperson, it showed that the Dutertes still captured the hearts of the Mindanaoan as the latest survey shows.
“Mindanao only has a 2-percent advantage over Visayas in terms of overall voting population, with 23 percent of total voters nationally registered in Mindanao versus 21 percent registered in Visayas. Despite this, however, the overwhelming preference for Mayor Duterte-Carpio among Mindanaoan respondents essentially nullified the tight results in Visayas,” Sinsuat said.
“Mindanaoan voters catapulted President Duterte to the presidency in 2016. This goes to show that a united Mindanao voting bloc is a force to be reckoned with in the 2022 elections,” he added.
Meanwhile, PAI also released the result of their survey in the Vice Presidential race and surprisingly, President Rodrigo Duterte, the father of Inday Sara was included in the list.
It showed that President Duterte garnered 11.6% while Inday Sara received 11.5% which is almost a tie.
Meanwhile, Moreno is in third place who garnered 9.85% of votes.
The top three were followed by Poe (9.05%), Cayetano (8.85%), and Pacquiao (7.25%).
However, Sinsuat doubts that President Duterte and Inday Sara are going to run in a same position.
“I doubt the President and Mayor Duterte-Carpio would run against each other for Vice President. One would undoubtedly give way to the other, and it is safe to presume that a large number of the supporters of one would end up flocking to the other. Thus, whichever Duterte would run for Vice President would win by a comfortable margin in Visayas and Mindanao.”
He also said that there’s only a little chance for the President to join politics after his term.
“The President has been vocal about his intention to retire from national politics and get some rest after his term ends in 2022. I doubt he would actively pursue six more years of stress as the second-highest official in the land,” he said.
OPM artist Jim Paredes defended economist and broadcaster Winnie Monsod over the cursing she received from President Rodrigo Duterte after she praised the Duterte government in her column.
On a Twitter post, Paredes said that Duterte already “lost it” and always being in “anger mode.”
“The man has lost it completely. His only mode of existence is anger mode. That is it,” said Paredes.
Duterte’s reaction to Monsod’s praise: ‘F*** you!’ https://t.co/8PxwOd75Yg via @inquirerdotnet The man has lost it completely. His only mode of existence is anger mode. That is it.
Yesterday, Panelo said that the President didn’t like what Monsod wrote in her Inquirer column, saying that he doesn’t like being “patronized.”
“Aren’t you surprised with that column? Aren’t you surprised this columnist is heaping praise on the President? From the time this President assumed office, she has not said any good word, and then suddenly there is praising. There must be some reason. Is she laying a predicate?” said Panelo.
“Anyway, the President asked me to give his response to this columnist. He said, ‘Tell her, I hate being patronized. FU’,” Panelo added.
Monsod is a known critic of the Duterte administration, but she praised and congratulated the President for his successful anti-poverty drive.
“Not since the Ramos administration has the war on poverty been so effectively pursued; it managed to reduce family and population poverty incidence by 8.8 and 8.3 percentage points respectively between 1994 and 1997,” she said.
She also has reminded the President that he also needs to reduce rural poverty.
“Anyway, congratulations again, Mr. President. May I just remind you that in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, you target the decrease of rural poverty, not just total poverty. May we know how rural poverty fared? And since poverty is a mostly agricultural/rural phenomenon, as shown among others by the very low poverty incidence in the highly urbanized cities, tell us how the war on poverty has also fared in the agriculture sector. Hopefully, then, we can rejoice even more.” she said.
Actress Agot Isidro was disappointed after reading a report from Inquirer about President Rodrigo Duterte’s action after a magnitude 6.9 quake affected the Davao region.
On a Twitter post, Isidro criticized the President who’s reportedly in Davao City during that time for choosing to sleep.
Isidro said that the recent actions of the President show how much he really cares for the people.
“Natulog uli after the quake? Seriously??? Goes to show how much he cares for his people,” Isidro said.
According to Presidential Security Group (PSG) Commander Brig. General Jose Niembra, President Duterte decided to sleep again after he felt the strong quake.
“Ok lang naman wala naman damage house pero pa check pa rin sructural integrity. PRRD ok lang natulog uli after the quake,” Niembra said.
Several netizens also criticized the President after the revelation of Niembra, one even saying that PSG commander should look for a new job for telling the truth.
“My prayers are with you, PSG Commander Brig. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra. Sana makahanap po kayo ng bagong work agad,” @miaMagdalena said.
My prayers are with you, PSG Commander Brig. Gen. Jose Eriel Niembra. Sana makahanap po kayo ng bagong work agad.#bistado ? ?
Despite sleeping after the quake, President Duterte then ordered a 24/7 assistance to the quake victims.
Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles also said that the President is monitoring the situation of the affected areas.
“President Duterte is closely monitoring the progress of ongoing operations to thoroughly evaluate the damage of the quake and all ground units are ordered to work round-the-clock to make sure that everyone is safe and are ready for possible aftershocks,” Nograles said.
Vice President Leni Robredo believes that the American politicians have the right to criticize the Philippine government after the US Senate panel asked for the release of Senator Leila De Lima.
“Iyon, karapatan nilang gumawa ng suhestiyon; karapatan din natin na magdesisyon. Pero para pigilan natin sila sa pagpasa nito, wala din iyon sa ating kapangyarihan,” she said on her radio show, “BISErbisyong Leni.”
“Kasi nasa kanila naman iyon kung anong gusto nila…‘di ba… kung anong polisiya iyong gusto nilang itulak,” she added.
Several American senators said that Senator Leila De Lima was only detained because of her “political views” and exercising “her freedom of expression”.
Senator Ed Markey on a twitter post believes that De Lima was only detained because of “standing for human rights and good governance in the Philippines”.
Meanwhile, the Palace criticized the actions of American politicians.
“It is a brazen and heedless affront against the dignity not only of the Philippine Government but of our country’s sovereignty as well. It is an undisguised and outrageous intrusion to a sovereign state. There can be no excuse for the US Senate Committee not to know that the Philippines has long ceased to be a colony of the United States,” presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
The Palace is skeptical that Vice President Leni Robredo is going to reveal something significant to the public after she postponed the disclosure of her findings government’s anti-drug campaign.
According to Presidential Salvador Panelo, there’s a possibility that Robredo is not yet done with her revelation; that’s why she postponed it.
“What’s taking her so long? As the President said, ‘Bring it on, whatever you want to come out with,’” Panelo said.
“Mahirap kasi pag wala ka naman talagang ilalabas at nag-iisip ka pa kung ano ang ilalabas mo.” he added.
“Earlier, sinasabi niya na, ‘Natatakot ba kayo kung ano iyong mga matutuklasan ko?’ And then sabi niya, ‘Ilalabas ko kung ano ang mga natuklasan ko.’ Ang gulo niya,” he also said.
On Monday, Robredo was supposed to reveal her findings to the press, however, she decided to cancel the press conference because of the quake that affected Davao del Sur on Sunday.
“Minabuti namin na ipagpaliban muna…Panahon na ito na magkaisa tayo,” she said.
Last month Robredo became the co-chair of ICAD for a short time but was removed by President Rodrigo Duterte after he announced that he don’t trust the Vice President.
