Despite the warnings of the government against people who are gonna attempt to buy the votes of the people, two Lay Leaders of the Catholic Church in North Cotabato was caught being involved in vote buying Yesterday.

The suspects were identified as Sonny Dafielmoto Pasquin, 55, and Joel Forden Bolero, 54, both of Barangay New Rizal, Mlang town.

The two others, a man and a woman, were identified as residents of Carmen, the hometown of incumbent North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Talino Mendoza, who is running for Vice Governor, where her father, who is running for Governor, is the incumbent Mayor.

They were identified as Mateo Cabrillos Cuateros, 52, and Christine Punzalan Esparagoza, 33, both of Barangay Poblacion, Carmen town.

According to the police report, the alleged vote-buying happened in Barangay New Kalibo.

The suspects were also uncooperative with the authorities during the first two hours of the confrontation, insisting that they’re not going to open the white pick-up truck that they’re using.

They only opened the pick-up truck when a lawyer representing Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza and a personal staff of Governor Jessie Enid arrived from the scene.

After opening the truck, the authorities discovered 206,600 pesos in cash with a list of names of the voters who received the money.

Also seized by the police was a white Strada pick-up truck with plate number LGM 741.

Lawyers from PDP Laban Party are now preparing charges against those believed involved in the vote-buying operations.

Former Actress Cynthia Patag like her colleague Agot Isidro showed her own version of ‘kodigo’ to her followers on Facebook.

Several weeks before the election period, Patag who’s known to be a critic of President Rodrigo Duterte expressed her support to the members of Otso Diretso who’s the bet of the opposition.

Patag published her photo, holding a white paper showing the names of the candidate she chose to be the next senators, they’re Romulo Macalintal, Gary Alejano, Erin Tanada, Florin Hilbay, Samira Gutoc, Mar Roxas, Bam Aquino, and Chel Diokno.

She even made her own abbreviation consisted of the names of the Otso Diretso candidates.

“2 DAYS TO GO! VOTE STRAIGHT OTSO DIRETSO (MATHGRAD), PALANGGANAS! LABAN!” Patag said in her post.

This is one of the rare times that Patag published a photo of herself on social media account which she mostly used in showing her support to the opposition.

Patag is known for her comedic roles on television such as ‘Palibhasa Lalake’.

President Rodrigo Duterte during the Miting De Avance of PDP-Laban on Saturday criticized Senator Leila De Lima for investigating him since he was still the Mayor of Davao City.

Duterte, who’s speaking to the supporters of PDP-Laban in Pasig City narrated how De Lima tried to pin him in human rights violations several times.

According to the President, De Lima started scrutinizing him when she was still the chairperson of the Commission of Human Rights (CHR) during the Arroyo administration, then continued pinning him during her term as the Secretary of Justice during the Aquino administration.

He said that De Lima didn’t stop even they both reached the national government position and pointed out that the lady Senator didn’t prove anything against him.

The President also mentioned Bikoy who’s being accused as being commanded by the opposition to taint the reputation of the chief executive and his family.

“Inimbistagahan niya ako [ng] apat [na beses] walang masabi ngayon doon sa presohan ako ang isinusulat, Duterte, Duterte, Duterte..” the President said.

“Apat na beses mo ko inimbistiga pati yung rapporteur, hanggang ngayon walang tapos sige tapon dito.. tapos niyo diyan yung’Bikoy niyo.. bulate yan sa utak niyo,” Duterte said.

Duterte raised his finger for a moment while he continued discussing his case in the International Criminal Court, and how De Lima kept trying to prosecute him which made the audience laugh, saying that the lady Senator forgot that his trying to pin a prosecutor who’s knowledgable with law.

“Kasi ganito yan, noong may subpoena na so nag aral na ako.. nakalimutan ng gaga na ito na prosecutor ako, I was doing trial work every day for eight years, so what about… I studied my case,” Duterte said.

He narrated that he kept studying the Rome statute where the Philippines was one of its signatories, saying that it was invalid because it didn’t publish in the Official Gazette of the country.

Duterte and De Lima are known for already exchanging criticisms for years.

Actress and TV Host Mariel Rodriguez-Padilla expressed her support to President Rodrigo Duterte on her Instagram post.

In a social media post, Mariel who’s the wife of Robin Padilla, a staunch Duterte supporter narrated what happened during the party organized by President’s partner Honeylet Avacena to express their gratitude to the celebrities who supported the administration.

“My favorite moment of the evening that made me admire our President even more… the filet mignon was wrapped in bacon so in advanced the kitchen staff prepared fish for Robin and I. When our fish arrived Senatorial candidate Freddie Aguilar and his wife, Jovie, wanted fish as well because they are Muslims too,” Rodriguez-Padilla said in her post.

“Robin being the gentleman that he is giving his fish to Jovie so she could eat ahead. The whole table was prompted to eat all except for Robin, Ka Freddie, and PRRD. He said “sige kumain na kayo hintayin ko si Robin” and he really waited for Robin’s food to arrive. I know maliit na bagay but diba it’s the little things that matter. Super nakakatuwa at nakaka touched talaga. Yung loyalty ni Robin kay President ay hindi sayang because it is reciprocated with kindness. Truly a memorable evening!!!” she added.

In her comment, the TV host also believed that the President is still performing his job as the Chief Executive very well despite the criticisms he received from the opposition.

“Our President gets the job done! They can say whatever they want… that’s just noise. At the end of the day, he gets the job done!” Rodriguez told @mjesamen who said that she was saddened by reading the criticisms received by the President.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A memorable evening for me courtesy of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and First Lady Honeylet. PRRD is not the first President that I campaigned for but he is the first President to invite me to the palace. The room was filled with celebrities who supported him both silently and openly. When the President arrived he sat down and immediately said “mag tatlong taon na akong presidente ngayon lang ako makapagpasalamat sa inyo.” Madam Honeylet flew in from Davao just to be at the thanksgiving dinner and she flies back to Davao the next day, during her introduction speech she mentioned that they are not really fond of hosting parties… so i knew it was a special night! On the menu was salad, mushroom soup, fillet mignon and strawberry cheesecake. The menu was a special request made by the President himself “sabi ko ibahin naman ang pagkain. Kasi ang pagkain talaga dito isang ulam, kanin at sabaw. Sabi ko gawin espesyal.” My favorite moment of the evening that made me admire our President even more… the fillet mignon was wrapped in bacon so in advanced the kitchen staff prepared fish for Robin and I. When our fish arrived Senatorial candidate Freddie aguilar and his wife, jovie, wanted fish as well because they are muslims too. Robin being the gentleman that he is gave his fish to Jovie so she could eat ahead. The whole table was prompted to eat all except for Robin, Ka Freddie and PRRD. He said “sige kumain na kayo hintayin ko si Robin” and he really waited for Robin’s food to arrive. I know maliit na bagay but diba it’s the little things that matter. Super nakakatuwa at nakaka touched talaga. Yung loyalty ni Robin kay President ay hindi sayang because it is reciprocated with kindness. Truly a memorable evening!!! Big big thanks to Senatorial Candidate Bong Go for making the evening possible. ?? (side kwento I didn’t know hindi pala pwede naka sleeveless… i had to cover my beautiful Carolina Herrera dress hehe ? buti na lang may blazer sa car)

A post shared by mariel padilla (@marieltpadilla) on May 7, 2019 at 7:45pm PDT

Senator Bam Aquino said that the black propaganda against him might be the reason why his popularity is lowering.

In a statement, Aquino blamed the fake news spreading about him for having difficulties in campaigning for the 2019 senatorial elections.

“Naging mahirap po itong ating kampanya dahil sa matinding paninira sa amin at walang tigil na fake news, sa totoo lang po, kami dito habang sinisiraan ay tumatapang.” Aquino said in a statement.

He also prayed for a peaceful and successful election on Monday.

“Ipagdasal po natin na maging mapayapa, malinis at maayos ang eleksyon sa Lunes para manaig ang tunay na boses ng mamamayan,” he said.

Aquino is one of the Senators who first opened the topic of fake news in the Philippines.

One of the notable fake news about him is the claims of some netizens that he’s pushing for a law that would give leftovers of restaurants for the poor people.

However, Aquino said that his proposed bill was only misunderstood by the people and it got worst by the spreading of misinformation about it.

Aquino proposed Senate Bill No. 357 or the Zero Waste Food Bill, which required restaurants and supermarkets to give unserved food and not leftovers to food banks and distribute it to Filipino families.

A netizen narrated her meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte two months ago during the wake of her father.

In a lengthy post, Dr. Sharon Mae Atienza told her friends and the other social media users how tight is the security in their chapel during President Duterte’s visit that the Presidential Security Group (PSG) asked them to go outside first so they can check if the place is safe for the President.

President Duterte arrived at the chapel after the PSG checked the area, and the chief executive was welcomed by Atienza and her family, including her daughter Sofi who didn’t hesitate to ask a simple but striking question to the former Davao City Mayor.

“Are you the king?” Sofi asked the President.

As a response, the President told Sofi that he’s not a King and just working for the government like her late grandfather.

“No… I am just a government worker. Just like your Lolo.” Duterte told Sofi.

The conversation between Sofi and the President touched Dr. Atienza, saying that despite the imperfections of the President, he didn’t think that he’s a big person and just doing his job as a government official.

“Yes, just a government worker. A government worker who tells bad jokes, a government worker who, since the day he sat on that damned presidential seat, was belittled by the elitists and hypocrites because he is probinsyano, a government worker who was heavily criticized for his fight against drugs, a government worker that they would fight tooth and nail to unseat.  But he gets the job done. He delivers. Enough said. This is not a political post. He is, after all, not gunning for one.” Atienza said in her post.

As of writing, the post already reached 12,000 reactions and 3,270 shares on Facebook.

A netizen explained to Otso Diretso senatorial candidates Atty. Chel Diokno and Samira Gutoc why Marawi rehabilitation process took so long.

On Thursday, Diokno together with Gutoc in a press conference questioned why the government is slow in rehabilitating Marawi City which damaged by siege in 2017.

Diokno claimed that he saw nothing when he visited the ground zero of the City.

“I visited Marawi about two weeks ago and got to see Ground Zero myself. And I was perhaps, we could say, shocked that nothing has yet been done,” Diokno said.

As a response to Diokno’s question, netizen Rolaiza Singayao pointed out that the government cannot rebuild Marawi easily saying that the military took a year to remove the remaining IEDs left by the defeated Maute group.

He also asked Diokno if he’s aware that the LGU did consultations in the residents of Marawi City and the issues of land titles.

According to her, several difficulties need to be addressed by the government before starting building houses in the war-torn Marawi City or else it might endanger more lives in the future.

She also asked Diokno if he can suggest something different to help the government to hasten the rehabilitation process.

You can read her post below:

“IF ONLY CHEL DIOKNO CARED TO CHECK & GET FACTS FIRST

“…shocked that nothing has been done,” says senatoriable Chel Diokno.

Alam nyo ba na it took almost a year for the military and its engineering division to clear the main battle area covering 24 barangays of IEDs left & planted by the ISIS-Maute?

Are you aware of the difficulties in clearing every inch of the heavily damaged area with bombs? Yong mga structures na nag mistulang Graham crackers na durog-durog? Do you care to see how the issues involved available military technology, logistics and the safety of each uniformed men and women?

Are you aware of the consultations that had been conducted by the military and Task Force Bangon Marawi with the LGUs, traditional leaders, religious leaders and affected clans & families of the city? Abogado yong mayor namin, ano akala mo, papayag ba iyon na “nothing was done” sa siyudad nya?

Are you aware of the challenges sa pag map ng areas na eto? Dahil sa issues ng ancestral o clan land/lots vis-a-vis sa pag-kakaintindi legally natin sa ‘titulo?’ Ang hirap nun. Paano i-re-resolve yang land titles?

Are you aware of the difficulties in handling the resistance to the plans of NEDA? Hihimayin iyon, the people will insist to be involved. Lugar nila, buhay at kinabukasan nila.

Are you aware, that the visitations into the main battle areas comprising 24 barangays were only allowed in the early part of 2019 & that it has to be arranged per batch of residents to ensure safety and order?

Gusto mo bara-bara na magpatayo ang gobyerno na hindi naaayos ang pag ayon ng mga residente sa city planning at rehabilitasyon?

Heavily damaged. Total make over mula sewerage, drainage, power and water supply ang babakahin ng LGUs with govt agencies. Palagay mo ganun -ganun lang iyon?

Sige nga, what do you propose to fast track the rebuilding of Marawi City? Talino mo, e.”

Source: [1]

A high ranking stalwart of the Liberal Party of the Philippines couldn’t hide her anger towards Iglesia Ni Cristo after the religious group endorsed politicians again for the 2019 senatorial elections.

In a tweet, Vicky Garchitorena criticized Iglesia Ni Cristo and shared a post which calling the religious group a “cult” and “business enterprise” that only sell their votes to the “highest bidder.”

“Considering that most of their members are loyal fanatics, they follow Manalo’s order without question,” @serrano_rene said in his tweet, which also shared by Garchitorena.

The said tweet was also showing an article about Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos as one of the chosen senatorial candidates in Iglesia Ni Cristo’s endorsement list.

It was shared by Garchitorena and included a message which raised the eyebrows of the followers of Iglesia ni Cristo.

Iglesia ni Cristo AY Hindi Maka-Diyos! https://t.co/IeNFUma3m4

— Vicky Garchitorena (@vickygarch) May 7, 2019

Before tweeting about Iglesia ni Cristo, Garchitorena shared a music video with the title “One Good Vote” urging to Catholics to choose the people focused in upholding the sovereignty of the Philippines, press freedom and human rights.

https://t.co/UUY7CPqK47

— Vicky Garchitorena (@vickygarch) May 7, 2019

Opposition senatorial bets Otso Diretso are seeking a “One Catholic Vote” in the upcoming election.

Iglesia ni Cristo on May 7 reportedly endorsed pro-Duterte administration bets and no Otso Diretso candidates were included in the list.

The senatorial candidates are:

• Grace Poe
• Cynthia Villar
• Sonny Angara
• Nancy Binay
• Bong Go
• Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa
• Francis Tolentino
• Jinggoy Estrada
• Lito Lapid
• Bong Revilla
• Pia Cayetano
• Imee Marcos.

Malacañang announced on May 7 that Canada decided to shoulder all the expenses to bring back the trash they sent to the Philippines to their country.

According to Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo, President Rodrigo Duterte insisted that Canada should carry their trash back to their country because Filipinos are not garbage collectors.

“On the issue of garbage from Canada, the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources noted that the Canadian government is committed to shouldering all the expenses to ship out all the 69 waste containers,” Panelo said in a statement.

“The president is firm that we are not garbage collectors, thus he ordered that the Philippines will no longer accept any waste from any country,” he added.

The recent statement is one of the updates on the order of President Duterte to bring back the trash sent by Canada in 2013, saying that he’s even ready to go to war if Ottawa insists to keep their garbage in the Philippines.

“I will really return (the garbage)… Load the containers to a ship, and I will advise Canada that your garbage is on the way. Prepare a grand reception. Eat it if you want to,” Duterte said.

Since 2013, 69 garbage containers were shipped to the Philippines and despite several calls, Canada didn’t ship back their trash back.

While Canada said that they’re working towards a ‘timely resolution’ on shipping the waste back to them, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodory Locsin insisted that Ottawa should transfer the waste to their country before May 15.

“The President expects the garbage to be seaborne by May 15. That expectation will be met or else…” Locsin said in his tweet.

The President expects the garbage to be seaborne by May 15. That expectation will be met or else… https://t.co/9ZueAXIW1E

— Teddy Locsin Jr. (@teddyboylocsin) May 7, 2019