Senatorial candidate and former DILG Secretary Mar Roxas visited one of the memorable places in his career as a public official.

Roxas who’s one of the officials who handled the Yolanda rescue operations in 2013 visited the Tacloban City market and talked to the people there.

In the photos showed by Roxas campaign team and some netizens, it seems that the senatorial candidate kept his profile low while visiting the market.

In his post, Roxas said that he was glad seeing Tacloban already recovered from Yolanda which destroyed their City six years ago.

” It’s good to be back in Tacloban Public Market where I was met with warm smiles, hugs, and greetings from the ever resilient Leyteños. Kahit papano magandang makita na tuloy-tuloy ang recovery at progreso ng Leyte.” Roxas said.

Roxas became controversial, especially to some people of Tacloban and blamed him for the alleged slow response of the government after Yolanda struck their province.

Meanwhile, several netizens expressed their support to Roxas in a Facebook page based in Tacloban City, saying that the senatorial candidate was warmly welcomed in the said place.

“Roxas parin talaga mga taclobanons. Mahal nila at patuloy nilang mamahalim ang isang mar roxas. Gaya ko na supportado ko siya noon hangang ngayon. Dito na tayo sa marmi ng naambag sa Pilipinas kay sa mga magnanakaw na pinalaya. Tpos naging kaalyado ng presidente. Tsk! Very wrong” Katherine Pamaran said.

“Kita naman na tanggap at warm ang welcome sa knya ng mga tga taclobanons. We love our number 1 senator. Patuloy lang tayo sir. Ibabalik at mababalik ka namin sa senado.” Mike Bato remarked.

At the same day, Tacloban felt the intensity 5 of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake in the said city and other provinces in the Visayas.

It’s not yet known if Roxas already left Tacloban after the earthquake as of writing.

Singer Leah Navarro criticized President Rodrigo Duterte who’s missing in action after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit NCR and several provinces in Luzon yesterday.

In a series of Tweet, Navarro said that while many problems are happening in the country, the President chose to sleep than to show his presence to the people.

“Earthquake in Luzon, water shortage and rotating brownouts in Manila, TRAIN Law troubles, Chinese incursions into our homeland. So many crises and problems requiring govt. attention and solutions. But Duterte is too tired to even attend a conference! #NasaanAngPangulo? Asleep!” Navarro said.

A netizen tried to defend Duterte, saying that the government agencies are working even without the Chief Executive’s presence, however, Navarro insisted that the government still needed the directive of the President.

According to her, if Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III is still the President, he would act quickly and order the government agencies to act fast.

“Sure, but they get their directives from the President. That’s not what you guys said when PNoy was around. You hounded him at every turn, complained and whined. PNoy and his Cabinet would’ve been in NDRRMC HQ hours ago. Meanwhile, your Duterte is fast asleep.” she said.

Sure, but they get their directives from the President. That’s not what you guys said when PNoy was around. You hounded him at every turn, complained and whined. PNoy and his Cabinet would’ve been in NDRRMC HQ hours ago. Meanwhile, your Duterte is fast asleep. pic.twitter.com/KyQ5Z6jb4x

— Leah Navarro (@leahnavarro) April 22, 2019

She also tweeted that during PNoy’s time, the former cabinet members like Mar Roxas and Dinky Soliman are ready to travel even to the epicenter of the earthquake and serve the people.

“During PNoy’s term, you wouldn’t have had to ask. Aside from sending @MARoxas @dinkysunflower @dawende Babes Singson, Volts Gazmin to the earthquake epicenter, he would’ve made sure @MMDA and AFP, PNP got moving with their free ride programs,” she remarked.

During PNoy’s term, you wouldn’t have had to ask. Aside from sending @MARoxas @dinkysunflower @dawende Babes Singson, Volts Gazmin to the earthquake epicenter, he would’ve made sure @MMDA and AFP, PNP got moving with their free ride programs. https://t.co/yij5IB28I3

— Leah Navarro (@leahnavarro) April 22, 2019

According to the Palace, the President is in Davao City during the time of the earthquake and didn’t attend the Boao forum in Manila.

The palace said that Duterte was overworked and chose to rest in his hometown.

Re-electionst Senator Cynthia Villar said that she would avoid criticizing the President of the Philippines if someday she’d be given a chance to get the second highest position in the government.

During an interview, Karen Davila asked Villar if she’s really planning to run for a higher position in 2022, however, she said that getting the Vice Presidential post is part of a politician’s destiny and cannot be plan ahead.

She also believed that the Vice President should not criticize its President because criticizing your leader can make you unpopular in politics.

“Maski na iyun, pareho din yun (with running for president), mahirap pa yung Vice President you make sure that you can follow your President or else you’re in a mess,” said Villar.

“Ako kasi kung ako ang Vice President if I cannot follow my President I’ll just keep quiet. You know there’s a study na pag ikaw ay Vice President palagi mong inaaway ang President nagiging unpopular ka,” she added.

Villar denied that she’s giving indirect suggestions to Vice President Leni Robredo who’s a known critic of President Rodrigo Duterte.

She also expressed her support in the proposal where the winning presidential and vice presidential candidate would win as a tandem to avoid long-time conflicts while they’re in their position.

According to Villar, her beliefs came from her experience as a local politician before.

The lady senator is one of the possible winners of the 2019 senatorial elections, getting good rankings in several surveys.

Villar is getting support from PDP-Laban and Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) which are both pro-government political parties.

President Rodrigo Duterte said that they’re still paying the damages after the Philippines lost to the cases filed against the government during the time of former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay who’s now a senatorial candidate under Otso Diretso.

In a speech in Batangas on April 17, Duterte said that Hilbay failed to defend the government from the said cases and now even the current administration is obligated to pay for it.

According to him, the Philippines is known for breaching contracts.

“Ito si Florin Hilbay, solicitor general. Wala namang naipanalo. Nanalo ba tayo sa kaso natin? Karami nating bayad, totoo lang ngayon. Hindi akin, previous administration mga damages, mga kontrata because we were known then as a country who does not honor contractual obligations,” the President said.

Duterte also convinced the people that it’s useless to vote for Hilbay in the upcoming senatorial elections because he didn’t prove anything as a Solicitor General.

In 2011 The World Bank’s International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ruled January 23, 2011, that former President Benigno Aquino III’s cancellation in 2011 of a Belgian firm’s P18-billion flood-control venture, the Laguna Lake Rehabilitation Project, was illegal and unfair.

The court ordered the Philippines to pay P800 million to the dredging firm Baagerwerken Decloedt En Zoon (BDZ).

President Rodrigo Duterte revealed why the Chinese government was very disappointed by former Chief Executive Benigno Aquino III and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

According to him, China personally told him about what happened during the Aquino administration, saying that Trillanes “tricked” the Chinese for money.

“Galit ang China sa atin di ba because if their tiff with Trillanes and Noynoy. Inotso nila yung intsik diyan eh. Pera. So hindi ko sinasabi pumunta kay Noynoy but sinabi ng Intsik,” Duterte said.

Duterte clarified that China didn’t mention if Aquino also got money from Sen. Trillanes’ alleged activities.

In 2012, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile confronted Trillanes over the “secret” trips made by the latter in China which ended to the latter’s walk out in the senate hall.

Later on, Trillanes confirmed that he’s talking to the Chinese government after former President Aquino tasked him to talk with China.

“On the day the President was about to leave for UK, he called me up and told me, ‘Sonny, pa-tulong dahil meron yung barko ng China nasa loob pa rin when the agreement is simultaneous, may Agreement daw with Washington, according to the DFA, na simultaneous na lalabas.’ I asked him ‘If it was simultaneous, bakit nauna tayo?’ Anyway, it’s there. I was given the task of mediating to have those 2 ships removed, and they did through the backchannel negotiations,” Trillanes said in an interview in 2012.

A musical artist and famous Twitter user Juan Miguel Severo amid the Holy Week posted a tweet about Jesus Christ, claiming that the religious leader was also victimized by fake news during his time.

In a tweet, Severo said that Jesus challenged the powerful people during his time in result, he was framed, detained and crucified without due process.

“He challenged existing ideas. He was a victim of fake news.” Severo said.

Severo also said that the people haven’t paid attention if Holy Week “has nothing to do with politics”.

Jesus threatened the status quo. He challenged existing ideas. He was a victim of fake news. He was framed, arrested, and tortured by the government. He was given the death penalty without due process.

This day has nothing to do with politics? You haven’t been paying attention.

— Juan Miguel Severo (@TheRainBro) April 19, 2019

While he didn’t directly mention the President, several pro-Duterte swarmed his Twitter account to defend the current administration.

Oh wow. I didn’t even mention anything about the president but you guys are so pressed. ? Isang mapayapang Semana Santa sa lahat ng nang-aaway sa akin sa thread. ? “Patawarin Mo sila, Panginoon. Hindi nila alam ang kanilang ginagawa.” Paalam! ? pic.twitter.com/26fYB72cQk

— Juan Miguel Severo (@TheRainBro) April 19, 2019

When Severo read one of the netizens commented to his post, saying that Duterte is like Jesus who raised up “against the liberal status quo,” he replied “Kilabutan ka.”

DUTERTE IS MORE LIKE JESUS???

Kilabutan ka. https://t.co/mZjUPo06jo

— Juan Miguel Severo (@TheRainBro) April 19, 2019

Jesus endorsed killings? Jesus harassed women? Jesus cursed and cussed during his speeches? Jesus jailed critics? The lengths people go to to praise and protect this president is absurd and terrifying.

— Juan Miguel Severo (@TheRainBro) April 19, 2019

Meanwhile, Sass Rogando Sasot responded to Severo, saying that what happened to Jesus Christ is part of the Divine Plan and it needs to happen.

“Gurl, Severo, according to Catholic doctrine: Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. lol It was all part of the Divine Plan. Anong fake news?!” Sasot said.

The Duterte administration is being accused by its critics of spreading fake news and also punishing lawbreakers without due process.

A former political officer of the Makabayan coalition revealed that five candidates paid the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA), the National Democratic Front (NDF), the Makabayan party-list coalition and other communist groups in exchange of endorsement in the upcoming senatorial elections.

“Ka Nonoy” Alcantara who claimed that he’s the former liaison officer for the electoral unit of NDF said that Senators Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, and Bam Aquino, former senators Serge Osmena, and former congressman Erin Canada paid the reds millions of pesos to endorse them this election.

He refused to name the other three politicians but he described them as a ‘traditional’ or trapo.

According to him, the 9th politician that the reds are gonna endorse is Otso Diretso candidate Mar Roxas.

Alcantara claimed that Poe, Binay, and Aquino gave P20-M to the reds, while Osmena P10-M. Meanwhile, Tanada received a discount from the reds because of his long partnership with the group.

The former communist officer said that he was disappointed by his former colleagues who endorsed Aquino because it’s doesn’t reflect their beliefs against the “US-AQUINO” tandem.

“Now, they have exchanged their loyalties for huge sums or simply forgotten about them,” he said.

Alcantara said that the communist groups already forgot their principles and just thinking now about money.

“It’s clear that the movement is now all about money, especially when it is tightening the collection of permit to campaign fees in the countryside,” he said.

He also claimed that the reds already accepted the fate of senatorial candidate Neri Colmenares in the upcoming elections, saying that there’s no change for him to win, because of what’s happening, the movement already preparing for their “Plan B to retain its influence in Congress.”

“This is how desperate the CPP-NDF-NPA-CTG are, they will do everything just to ally with ‘trapos’ (traditional politicians) in exchange for power,” Alcantara said.

“Do these ‘trapos’ still have hearts and consciences? Why are they helping the devilish CPP/NPA/NDF that has cruel and bloody goals? Or maybe they don’t know? Please have pity on our children and their future,” Alcantara he added.

According to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), there are 349 politicians were giving out cash to the communist groups in exchange for campaign permits.

Caloocan Bishop Virgilio David asked the Catholic voters amid the Holy Week about their plans in the upcoming senatorial elections next month.

In his post on Facebook, David told his followers about the story of Pontius Pilate who gave the people the chance to vote who’s going to receive freedom between Jesus Christ and Barabbas.

According to the New Testament, the crowd chose Barabbas to be freed instead of Jesus Christ who crucified later on.

David after telling the story about Jesus and Barabbas asked the Catholic followers if they’re still going to choose a Barabbas who’s known as a “bandit” than Jesus Christ.

“Binigyan sila ni Poncio Pilato ng pagkakataong bumoto. Ang pagpipilian ay si Hesus o si Barabbas. Ibinoto nila si Barabbas at ipinapako sa krus si Hesus. Sa darating na Mayo, para kanino ang boto mo? Kay Barabbas o kay Hesus?” David said in his post titled ‘A vote for Jesus’.

In his previous post, he again mentioned the election to his followers.

“Can we allow our moral convictions to take flesh in our pursuit of social justice and a more equitable social order?” David said.

“Even more concretely, in the coming election, can we consciously renounce evil and stand courageously for the values upheld by our Christian faith through our votes this coming May?” he added.

David is a known critic of the Duterte administration which made the President criticized him in several of his speeches.

In one of his speeches, Duterte asked David not to use the Pulpit to criticize the government saying that the latter is using his religion to gain support from his political opinions.

“Hoy David, makinig ka, lumabas ka sa pulpito mo. Huwag mong gamitin ang relihiyon,” Duterte said in his speech.

The Caloocan Bishop became known after becoming vocal over the Kian delos Santos case.