Incoming Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa defended Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rolando Bautista after journalist Erwin Tulfo made harsh criticism against the latter.

In a Facebook post, Dela Rosa who’s also a product of the Philippine Military Academy like Bautista, made a post dedicated to his upperclassmen, saying that people should face him first before berating the DSWD Secretary.

“Kung sino man ang gustong mambastos at manakit sa napakabait at napakamaginoong upperclassman ko na ito dumaan muna kayo sa akin para matikman ninyo ang brotherhood ng PMAyers.” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa is part of the PMA 1986 “Sinagtala” class while Bautista is part of “1985” Sandiwa class.

Bato is not the only PMA alumni who expressed their disappointment over Tulfo’s statement against Bautista.

On May 31, the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Alumni Association released a statement condemning Tulfo’s statement, they also offered Bautista legal service if ever the retired General wanted to file charges against the journalist.

Most of Bautista’s supporter praised him for being one of the “Heroes of Marawi” leading the frontlines during the height of the Marawi Siege.

Tulfo made a statement against Bautista several days ago after the latter informed his radio show that they need to write a request to the DSWD Sec. before interviewing him.

“Sampalin kita pag nakita kitang buang ka eh, wala akong pakialam ke retired General ka, mudmurin ko yung mukha mo sa inidoro,”  Tulfo told Bautista.

Coincidentally, AFP and PNP removed the security detail for Tulfo brothers, several days after Erwin made a statement against Bautista.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) recalled their security detail for Erwin, Raffy, and Ben Tulfo.

The decision of AFP came several days after Erwin Tulfo made harsh criticisms against Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rolando Bautista.

However, the PNP denied that the recall was a response against Tulfo’s statement against Bautista, saying that the security details were only going to a regular “review” which is normal.

“Based on standard protocols, the two PNP security personnel assigned to Erwin Tulfo will undergo the regular inspection, interview and debriefing this week following an assigned schedule among all PSPG [Police Security and Protection Group] personnel,” said Police Colonel Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson.

“All authorization of Tulfo siblings will undergo same review process as ordered by [Department of Interior and Local Government] Secretary [Eduardo] Ano,” Banac added.

Armed Forces of the Philippines also recalled two Marines assigned to secure Philippine Special Envoy for Public Diplomacy to China Ramon Tulfo.

They also denied that the statement of Erwin Tulfo against Bautista is the reason for the recall.

According to them, there’s only a shortage of personnel that made them call the security detail for Mon Tulfo.

Several days ago Tulfo made remarks against Bautista after the latter refused to an interview request for “Tutok Tulfo” radio show.

“Secretary Bautista, ha, ng DSWD, listen up and listen good. Tinatawagan ka namin para marinig ng mga kababayan nating mahihirap ang stand ng mga mahihirap, ha. Hindi yung sasabihan mo kami na sumulat muna kayo, 5 days, 5 days before. Eh sino ka bang p*nyeta ka na kailangan ko pang sumulat-sulat sayo?” Tulfo told Bautista.

“Sampalin kita pag nakita kitang buang ka eh, wala akong pakialam ke retired General ka, mudmurin ko yung mukha mo sa inidoro,” he added.

A netizen shared a story on how he met a defeated senatorial candidate several days ago, showing how the politician came back from his humble life after months of intense campaigning.

Eric Oebanda, claimed that he met Chel Diokno who’s according to him, chasing a taxi.

Diokno even offered the taxi to him, however, he let the politician ride the vehicle first.

“That man chasing the Taxi is Chel Diokno. The man I voted as a Senator. Makikipag-agawan pa sana ako, pero medyo may edad na siya. Bitbit niya ang kanyang trademark na bag at mga envelope, he even signaled na kunin ko na ang taxi. Sabi ko ok lang po, he then smiled at tumakbo na papunta sa loob,” Oebanda said.

According to Oebanda, he was saddened that the people didn’t vote for smart people like Diokno, but he’s still hoping that the latter would enter politics again.

The netizen also vowed to campaign for Diokno in the next election because he believed in his ability to serve the people.

He even said that Diokno is not really meant to be a Senator, but to be the next President of the Philippines.

“Kung gustuhin mang tumakbo ng mamang to sa susunod na eleksiyon ikakampanya ko siya. Dahil ang mga katulad niya na napanatili ang paa sa lupa kahit siya ay mayaman, kilala at matalino ay hindi sinasayang. If we want him, we have to fight for him.” Oebanda said.

“Baka ang kapalaran ni Mang Chel ay hindi maging Senador, baka ang kapalaran ng mamang ito ay maging Pangulo. Ipagkakatiwala ko ba ang kinabukasan ng mga anak ko sa kanya? Oo naman!” he added.

Oebanda ended his post with a hashtag Diokno2022.

This is not the first time that someone used #Diokno2022 in their post, many netizens on Twitter also pushed the defeated senatorial candidate to become the standard bearer of the opposition in the next Presidential election.

The story is also almost the same with the story about Vice President Leni Robredo “waiting for a bus” that went viral during the 2016 presidential elections.

As of writing, the post which reached 100,000 likes 27,000 shares on social media has been deleted because of unknown reasons.

Source:

President Rodrigo Duterte made a sweet message to his partner Honeylet Avacena after the latter became emotional after she made a speech dedicated to the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) during their visit in Tokyo to meet the Filipino community there on Thursday.

Honeylet is known for always narrating his journey as an OFW during her speeches and labeling the Filipinos abroad as “heroes”.

During his speech, the President narrated to the OFWs how he met Avacena during the Mutwa ng Dabaw in 1988. Avacena is one of the runner-ups of the said beauty pageant.

Honeylet Avacena second from the left after the coronation night of Mutya ng Dabaw in 1988.

According to him, he realized that he really loves Avacena when the latter left him so she can work as a Nurse in the United States.

“Iniwan din nya ako. My God, ang babaeng ito, mahal ko talaga,” he said.

He even insisted on Avacena to return to the Philippines after he discovered that his partner was already pregnant with their one and only daughter Veronica “Kitty” Duterte.

The President said that Honeylet was really destined to become the First Lady of the Philippines.

“No guarantees kung ano titulo mo, but it’s really a destiny na maging First Lady ka pero kung mayroon gusto sumunod, OK lang naman,” Duterte said.

He also labeled Avacena as his “one and only”.

Duterte was previously married to Elizabeth Zimmerman, the mother of Davao City Inday Sara Duterte, Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte, and Davao City Vice Mayor Sebastian Duterte.

President Rodrigo Duterte during his speech in Tokyo on Thursday gave advice to the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) to stop getting the service of Technology company Smartmatic in the next election.

According to Duterte, COMELEC should dispose of Smartmatic because of alleged election cheating and fraud happening every election.

“I would like to advise COMELEC, now, hindi ko na lang hintayin [I wouldn’t wait], dispose of Smartmatic, I am now asking you as a co-equal… please do not use it,” he said.

Duterte made a statement after COMELEC received many complaints of malfunctioned Voting Counting Machines (VCMs), several politicians also accused their enemies of cheating the automated elections.

The President expressed opposition against COMELEC decision to partner with Smartmatic despite the result of the elections favored him after 9 out of 12 politicians he endorsed won.

Even presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte warned Smartmatic to avoid interfering with the election,

“That’s why we remind COMELEC and Smartmatic to be faithful sa mga choices ng mga tao, wag na nilang pakialaman ang results ng botohan,” she said during a chance interview on May 13.

Smartmatic machines were first used during the 2008 regional elections, while they received a positive reaction during their first operation, people and some politicians slowly lost their trust to the said company because of many cases of so-called errors and bugs.

On 2016, former Senator Bongbong Marcos accused Smartmatic of tampering with the votes which resulted to his loss during the Vice Presidential race against Leni Robredo.

Even in the 2019 senatorial election, former Vice President Jejomar Binay experienced problems while voting after a VCM rejected his ballot several times.

The people also complained after the election results were delayed by 7 hours.

A netizen wrote a lengthy open letter addressed to the critics of The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) pointing out the things he learned after completing the said program many years ago.

Noel Sarifa, author of some of the viral pro-government posts told the critics that they should know the objectives of the ROTC before complaining on the recent plans of the government to make it mandatory again for Senior High School students.

Sarifa, who’s a product of Citizen Army Training (CAT) during his high school days and an ROTC finisher during college said that it’s already the right time to bring the program back because he believed that it will teach the youth several valuable lessons.

According to him, ROTC teaches him how to respect other people, survival skills, first aid, and other military-related skills.

He learned how to become selfless when it comes to saving or defending other people and the country.

Sarifa pointed out that if the critics are afraid that there would be corruption if the ROTC became mandatory again, they should also push for the removal of the government and party-list system because he believed that irregularities are also rampant there.

He also told the critics that they should not let the majority of the people suffer because of some isolated incidents happened during the past implementation of ROTC.

Instead of stopping ROTC, Sarifa suggested that the critics should condemn the alleged recruiting of students committed by New People’s Army.

You can read his post below:

“Lahat ng nagrereklamo about ROTC halos hindi naman nakaranas, sana bago kayo magreklamo alamin nyo muna dun sa naka-experience kung ano ba naidudulot nito sa kanila bago kayo magsilabasan sa kalye para magrally. They are crying that ROTC will not teach them patriotism. Will not teach them how to use guns. Well, to tell you the truth you are very wrong.

Produkto ako ng CAT (Citizen Army Training) noong highschool at isa ako sa last Batch ng ROTC noong college. Adjutant/S1 ako noong Highschool and Member ako ng Special Force noong college. Gusto nyong ipaglaban ang WPS pero ayaw nyo maging handa sa bakbakan?

Ano-ano ba ang natutunan ko?

– Rumespeto sa mga officials, maging punctual. Maging leader, Maging responsableng mamamayan, survival skills, first aid, I learned how to respect and put importance to my uniform, my combat boots, my sword, my handkerchief a simple gesture that makes you value the symbolism of each. Eto rin ang daan para rumespeto ka sa gamit ng iba, hindi ito maaintindihan ng kabataan ngayon pero kapag ikaw ang binigyan ng sword ng senior mo, it means responsibility and an honor.

– Dito ko natutunan paano isalba ang mga tauhan ko kesa sa sarili, na unahin ang bayan kesa sa sarili, natutunan kung hindi maging makasarili kasi you don’t walk and talk as an individual but as a troop, as a leader as a Team.

– I learned how to use a rifle, M16 and Calibre 45. Not Just able to Disassemble and assemble a caliber .45 but learn how to use it. Yes, we are taught how to use real guns and did some firing session.

– You will learn to feel the real survival skills in case of war, how to defend yourself. You learn how to be tough with their spy war.

Overall experience? It is fun, worth remembering and life-changing. Was I abused? No! Mas minahal ko ba ang bayan? Yes! Was I ready to be in battlefield after that? Yes. Naapektuhan ba pag aaral ko? Sa awa ng Diyos honor student naman ako.

Kung ang reason nyo bakit nyo tinututulan ay gagamitin sa corruption, aba e di tanggalin na rin natin ang gobyerno ng Pilipinas kasi talamak dito ang kurapsyon, tanggalin na natin ang partylist di ba?

Kung nagagamit to ng ibang bansa para sa kanilang bayan at magiging problema sa atin, hindi ang programa ang problema kundi ang mga taong may masasamang loob. Imbes na pigilan nyo, magmungkahi kayo ng provision sa bill para maiwasan ang mga kinakatakutan nyo. If we are meant to stop for every mistake then we do not have the room to pursue our objective and move as a nation.

Bakit hindi nyo tutulan ang mga rebelde na manguha at mang recruit ng kabataan natin na binibrainwash sa maling idelohiya kung talagang yan ang hangarin nyo? Yun hindi yun isolated incident, norm nila yun.

ROTC, COCC/CAT is not just about physical training, hindi lang yan puro martsa at painit sa araw. We also have a classroom session, midterm, and final exam, practicum and community service.

Andami nyong hinihingi sa Gobyerno pero hindi nyo kayang magsilbi para sa bayan.

The proposed bill wanted to push for Civic training for Health Education, Environmental Protection, Disaster Risk Education and Management, human and civil rights awareness and law enforcement. E sasabihin nyo pwede naman e discuss yan sa classrooms kasama ng saklaw na subject. ROTC will be more on practical application which is more essential than just acquiring theoretical awareness. ROTC will instill discipline, respect, teamwork, and skills. Mga bagay na kapakipakinabang kapag sumabak ka na sa buhay out of school.

We need it more today kasi nawawalan na ng respeto ang mga kabataan sa kapwa at sa bayan. Nakatutok na lang sa mga gadgets, they need more physical activities. Kaming mga nakaranas ng ROTC ang magpapatunay na ginawa kaming mas makabayan at mas responsibleng mamayan ng programang ito. Natatakot lang kayo magkaroon ng sapat na lakas ng sandatahan ang bansa para mapuksa ang mga rebelde at mabawasan ang mga taong tulad nyo na wala naman talagang pagmamahal sa bayan kundi sa perang nakukuha nyo sa paglabas sa lansangan.”

Several days ago, the lower house approved the revival of the mandatory ROTC and it would be a requirement for Senior High School students to finish it before graduating.

While many criticized the said proposal, the bill also gained supporters from the netizens and some politicians.

Source

The netizens praised the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the Duterte administration for showcasing their new assets as preparation for the upcoming rainy season this year.

In a post, Noel Landero Sarifa posted some of the new assets of PCG, showing brand-new boats, vehicle, jetski and other equipment needed by the Coast Guard for their operation.

According to the reports, the 20 aluminum hull boat which has a speed of 20 knots costs P16-M. The boats were made by Pacificfortia Marine Technologies (800,000 pesos each).

20 personal watercraft with a maximum speed of 40 knots, were also brought by the government from Scan Marine Incorporated, it costs 15.5-M pesos (775,000 pesos each).

The government also bought 180 pick-up vans which cost the government 200-M pesos (1,111,111 pesos each).

Aside from that, PCG also got new diving equipment.

According to the Philippine Coast Guard, they’re still waiting for the arrival of 73 rubber boats worth P86-M and 12 seven-meter rigid hull inflatable boats worth P142-M.

The post of Sarifa already reached more than 20,000 shares on social media platform Facebook.

It also received a tremendous amount of positive reaction from the netizens who were amazed by the preparation of the government.

“Grabe ka naman President Duterte. Masyado mo kaming spoiled. Pwede naman pala.” Sarifa said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary and current officer-in-charge of the executive department Menardo Guevarra confirmed that the garbage shipped by Canada to the Philippines between 2013-2014 would be brought back to its origin tomorrow.

According to Guevarra, the shipment would be shouldered by the Canadian government and it would cost them P10-M.

Three shipping companies were hired by the Canadian government to more than 100 containers of garbage back to Canada.

The discussion about the Canadian trash has been revived by President Rodrigo Duterte itself and even said that he’s ready to go war with Canada if they insisted to keep their garbage in the Philippines.

“Your garbage is on its way, prepare a grand reception, eat it if you want to,” President Duterte said.

The government gave a deadline to Canada to ship back their trash on May 15, 2019, however, it was not fulfilled, so the current administration ordered to recall their envoys in Ottawa.

On May 22, Duterte made a move by ordering the government to ship back the Canadian Trash to its origin even if his government need to pay for it.

Senator-elect Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa challenged his critics to prove that they’re smarter than him after he received some mockery on social media, some netizens also questioned his intellectual capacity.

Dela Rosa, who’s a Ph.D. holder said that his critics might only be having some hard time to accept the defeat of their candidates.

He asked if the people think that he’s not smart just because he’s not so familiar with speaking English or Tagalog.

He also dared his critics to take an IQ test.

“Ito bang hindi ako magaling mag-ingles, hindi gaano magtagalog, yan ba ay kabobohan?,” Dela Rosa said.

“Pustahan tayo. Kung sino ‘yung nagcha-challenge sa ‘kin, sabay tayo magtake ng IQ exam. Ang measurement ng katalinuhan is IQ diba? Tingnan natin kung sino sa atin ang mas mataas ang IQ,” he added.

According to him, he only admitted that he’s not knowledgeable in crafting laws because he wanted the people to know his current limitations,”

“Bakit ka magmayabang porke’t senador ka na, ayaw mong aminin na kulang ka sa alam, hindi mo tanggapin limitasyon mo. You should be true to yourself,” he said.

Dela Rosa said that he would only focus on working as a Senator and craft laws that would make the Filipino lives better.

“Magtrabaho nang magtrabaho, hindi matutulog, pagsikapan ng husto na ‘yung mga batas na magagawa natin ay pawang magaganda at kapaki-pakinabang sa sambayanang Pilipino,” he said.

Dela Rosa admitted several weeks ago that he’s not yet knowledgable of crafting laws, he also asked if there’s a seminar available to teach neophyte senators on the basis of lawmaking.

Later on, he learned that he doesn’t need a seminar anymore after some of his friends and future colleagues expressed their willingness to guide him in his new government position.

Kabataan party-list Representative Sarah Elago is still not convinced that the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program will teach the Filipino youth of nationalism.

In a press conference held on Tuesday, Elago believed that ROTC would only make the youth to follow commands blindly and it would remove their ability to think freely.

“Ang natuturo po on the ground sa eskwelahan, imbes na disiplina, yung pagsunod na hindi ka nagtatanong. Hindi disiplina, kundi blind obedience lang,” Elago said.

She also pointed out that ROTC had a history of corruption and irregularities when it was implemented many years ago.

According to her, the government should solve those cases first before implementing ROTC back for senior high schools.

Another activist also said that ROTC would only teach the youth how to use weapons, however, he doubts that students would learn nationalism in the said program.

He suggested an alternative solution, saying that implementing Filipino and Panitikan in college subjects might teach nationalism to students.

ROTC was approved by the House of Representatives on Monday, getting a 167 support from lawmakers, only four opposed it during the voting.

According to the bill, students of Senior High School are required to undergo basic ROTC program.

But it also included that students who are physically or psychologically unfit can be exempted in the program.