Amid the possible closure of television network giant ABS-CBN, a netizen said that there’s still a possibility for them to have a franchise extension despite the disapproval from President Rodrigo Duterte.

On a lengthy Facebook post, Noel Landero Sarifa believes that the management of ABS-CBN should be blamed for what happens to their company right now and not the President.

He believes that the artists and employees of ABS-CBN should not defend the network and ask the management of the company to fix their issues with the government if they really wanted to extend their franchise.

Sarifa said that he doesn’t hate the ABS-CBN, admitting that he’s one of the subscribers of the channel, however, he disliked how the management of the television network allegedly tried to discredit the President several times.

At the end of his post, he suggested that ABS-CBN should stop trying to gain the sympathy of the public and tried to fix the real issues being faced by their company.

Takot ba talaga ang ABS CBN na mawalan ng trabaho ang kanilang empleyado o takot silang mawalan ng bilyong bilyong peso?

This is what he said:

“Ang paglapastangan at pag-abuso ng kanilang kapangyarihan ng ABS-CBN Management ang naglagay sa kanilang Company sa panganib and now they are using their employees/artist to rally against Duterte o gamitin ang kanilang mga artista para makakuha ng sympathy sa taong bayan. Kung matatalino tong mga artista at empleyado ng ABS CBN they should plea with the management to set things right with the government and not to use them to gain public sympathy. Kaso sino nga ba namang empleyado ang kakalaban sa management kahit mali pa ito syempre dahil ABS CBN nagpapasahod sa kanila dun sila kakampi.

We dont hate the artist and the employees, we love abs-cbn shows, we hate the management for using their influence in spreading black propaganda against the Duterte Admistration, even before Duterte become president, highlighting the bad, mum with the accomplishments and the truth. Triggering public outrage and spreading fake news. ABS-CBN should stop using their artist na sila ung magmakaawa sa taumbayan. Harapin ng management si Duterte, settle their financial obligation with the government, di pa huli ang lahat. If they will do what is right there is no reason for the President not to grant their franchise but until then #NotoABSCBNFranchise
#YESTOABSCBNShutdown”

The franchise of ABS-CBN is set to expire in March 2020 and several employees and artists working for the said company are already asking the President to change his mind.

However, last week, President Duterte renewed his criticisms against ABS-CBN and told its management not to expect any franchise renewal.

Maguindanao 2nd District Representative Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu is forever thankful to President Rodrigo Duterte who helped him to find the victims of the Ampatuans in 2009.

It can be remembered that family members of Mangudadatu were included to the 58 victims of the Ampatuan clan after he decided to run against former Datu Unsay mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. in the gubernatorial elections.

In an interview with DZMM, Mangudadatu narrated how President Duterte, who was the Mayor of Davao City during that time, offered his assistance to him to find his family who buried by the Ampatuans in a remote area in Maguindanao.

According to him, Duterte helped him to borrow a chopper to conduct aerial reconnaissance which resulted in the discovery of the mass grave where the his family members, supporters and 32 media practitioners were buried as an attempt of the Ampatuans to hide the incident.

“Kung hindi nagpahiram si Mayor Duterte noon, si Presidente, halos walang traces na makita,” said Mangudadatu.

In another interview, Mangudadato revealed that President Duterte promised to him that he would end the Ampatuan case before his term ends.

PANOORIN: Maguindanao Rep. "Toto" Mangudadatu sa pahayag umano ni Pangulong Duterte na tuldukan na ang #MaguindanaoMassacre case sa kanyang termino | via @jaymarkdagala pic.twitter.com/ELxltjgLhB

— DWIZ Newscenter (@dwiz882) December 19, 2019

Yesterday, after one decade, eight members of the Ampatuan clan were found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of 40 years of detention.

It includes Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr., Zaldy Ampatuan, and Datu Anwar, Sr. who were brought to the national penitentiary after the promulgation of judgment.

Liberal Party President and Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan reminded that the people behind EJKs could also face the same punishment imposed on the family members of the Ampatuan on Thursday.

On a Twitter post, Pangilinan who accused the government of launching EJKs said that they could be punished also soon as what happened to Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan, Jr., Zaldy Ampatuan, and Datu Anwar, Sr.

Photo: @kikopangilinan

Some netizens tried to defend the administration from Pangilinan, saying that the people behind the demise of the 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Forces in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015 should also be punished.

“The enablers of SAF 44 should also be punished,” Emil Cabrera told Pangilinan.

However, Jim Paredes responded to Cabrera’s post, saying that the Mamasapano clash is not a human rights issue.

“That was not a human rights issue. That was a military tactical blunder,” Paredes said.

That was not a human rights issue. That was a military tactical blunder.

— Jim (@Jimparedes) December 19, 2019

Yesterday, the eight members of the Ampatuan clan were found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of 40 years of detention.

The verdict was only announced ten years after the incident which loss the lives of 57 people.

They were also ordered to pay millions of pesos to the victims’ families.

Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes ordered the transfer of the Ampatuans and other people sentenced to the national penitentiary.

Vice President Leni Robredo visited one of the most famous Mayors in Metro Manila on Wednesday as part of her ‘Laylayan Program’.

Robredo was spotted together with Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto and the millennial politician didn’t forget to tour the Vice President in their City hall.

Sotto also introduced the City hall employees to Robredo.

Metro Laylayan is an advocacy program of Robredo which aims to help poor communities in the National Capital Region.

After winning the Mayoral race in Pasig City and ended the political domination of the Eusebio clan, Sotto revealed that one of his idols in politics is former Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, the late husband of the Vice President.

“The Transparency Ordinance I filed in Pasig is, in part, inspired by Jesse Robredo,” Sotto said in his past interview.

Several days ago, Sotto received praise from the netizens for saving P150-M in his first five months as city Mayor of Pasig.

“We saved over P150 million because of our open and honest-to-goodness public bidding for the city’s goods and services,” he wrote.

Sotto made some ways to make the bidding open in public and following the correct procedures.

“The bidding process is now truly open, rigidly following the correct procedures. As a result, competition is high and prices go down. Previously, almost all winning bids were within 1 percent of the ABC, which is red-flagged by some auditors. Now, it is common to see winning bids that are 10 percent to 50 percent lower,”  he said.

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.

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.

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