President Rodrigo Duterte got fed up with the incompetence of the two airline company based in the Philippines and made a warning to them.

During his speech at the 121st Philippine Navy Anniversary celebration, Duterte warned Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific to give a better service to the Filipinos or else their business may disappear in the future.

According to him, PAL and CebuPac should fulfill their obligations of providing comfortable travel to their customers, especially to the Filipino air travelers.

“Kawawa talaga ang riding public,” Duterte said.

“Merong isang eroplanong nag-landing and they stayed for five hours inside the plane — incoming. So merong tumawag late ng two hours, mag-book sila ng hotel,” he added.

He also lectured PAL and CebuPac, saying that they should give their passengers convenience because that is the reason why their businesses exist.

“I told PAL and the rest of the carriers — the very essence of a common carrier, whether it is a jeep, a bus, an airplane, a ship — ang common ano diyan is for public interest and public governance, and convenience,” he said.

“If you cannot provide convenience and comfort, you ought not to be there at all,” he added.

President Duterte also believed that the congestion at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) is the reason why passengers are experiencing inconvenience and delays.

To solve the issue, he suggested making Sangley point to become an alternative airport for passengers.

“I used to fly when I was young. So kilala ko ‘yang mga piloto sa Civil Aviation, almost all of them. Noong una pa tinitingnan ko talaga ‘yung clogging. I mentioned it in passing itong Sangley. But it was lost in the maze of governmental…Sabi ko, ‘Why don’t you look at the direction of Sangley? Maski na lang sa mga cargo, to ease up a bit ‘yung (congestion),” he said.

After the President suggested to make Sangley point as an alternative landing, Department of Transportation (DOTr) ordered a 24/7 construction of the airport in Cavite.

Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III questioned former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario for using a diplomatic passport during his recent trip to Hong Kong.

In an interview at the Senate, Sotto questioned how a retired government official could still use a diplomatic passport, especially if he’s traveling for private purposes.

“Kapag retired official ka ba pwedeng naka-diplomatic passport ka pa rin? Kapag ako ‘di na ako senador pwede ko pa ba gamitin ‘yung diplomatic passport ko?” Sotto said.

“Kaya ko ito nasasabi… I am not saying it is wrong; I am asking why because in my case, I am a senator [and] I have never used my diplomatic passport going abroad unless it is with the President or on official business by the inter-parliamentary union,” 

Under the law, diplomatic passports may only be used for “official missions” related to government work.

However, Del Rosario used his diplomatic passport during his travel to Hong Kong to attend the First Pacific’s board and shareholders meetings.

Meanwhile, the former DFA secretary is planning to file a complaint about what happened to him in Hong Kong which he called a “detention”.

On May 21, Former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales was also barred from entering Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China.

Del Rosario and Carpio-Morales are both critics of China.

“If you follow the trend, the honorable Ombudsman was here, she went through the same experience, And the link to that experience which turned out to be consequential to us was the communique that we sent to ICC (International Criminal Court),” Del Rosario told reporters.

Vice President Leni Robredo visited the captain of the fishing boat that rammed by a Chinese Vessel last week.

Robredo went personally to Brgy. San Roque, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on Friday to talk to Captain Junel Insigne and his wife, Lani about the recent incident that put them on the headlines.

According to the reports, aside from visiting the F/B GEM-VER, Robredo also talked to the other fishermen and gave them P50,000 under Angat Buhay Program of the Office of the Vice President (OVP).

The complete information between the discussion of Robredo and Isigne is not yet disclosed.

Robredo is one of the first government officials who criticized the crew of the Chinese Vessel which sank the boat of the fishermen.

She even wanted the Chinese fishermen to stand trial in the Philippines.

“Justice for the 22 Filipino fishermen requires that our courts assume jurisdiction,” Robredo said.

On Monday, several representatives from the OVP visited Insigne, the same day when Insigne claimed that he rejected the invitation from Malacanang.

On Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) led by Secretary Manny Pinol sent their help to Insigne and other fishermen.

Some supporters and members of the KAPA Community Ministry International are pushing Pastor Joel Apolinario, the founder of the said religious group to run for Presidency in 2022.

After President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the closure of KAPA, thousands of Apolinario supporters said that they’re going to remain loyal to the self-proclaimed pastor and even ready to support him if he wanted to lead the country.

KAPA members rallies in different parts of the country to show their force and to ask the President to let their religious group operate.

Some supporters of KAPA even claimed that their rallies could be compared to the political rallies of President Duterte during the 2016 presidential elections.

They believe that it’s possible for Apolinario to solve poverty in the Philippines because he already helped many poor people via KAPA.

Here are some of the comments of KAPA members who wanted Apolinario to enter politics:

 “DR. PASTOR JOEL APOLINARIO FOR PRESIDENT 2022 KASI SYA LANG ANG NAKA SOLVE SA PROBLEMA NG POVERTY WHICH IS THE FIRST AND BIGGEST PROBLEM OF THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES!!!!” Nelg Zepol Cas said.

“Politika ang dahilan ng lahat ng pangyayario dito. Ayaw nilang dadami ang member ng KAPA dahil pag dating ng 2022 pag tumakbo si Pastor Joel Apolinario sa pagka pangulo tiyak mananalo sya.” One KAPA supporter commented.

“Pangalawa ayaw niyong umasenso ang mahihirap dahil pag maraming ng pera ang mahihirap hindi na nila kayang bayaran para sila ay mananalo pag dating sa eleksyon kaya ang gawin nila poor the people and buy the people upang mananatiling sila ang humahawak sa kapangyarihan sa gobyerno kaya ngayon palang gawin nila lahat para mahinto ang pag dami ng member ng KAPA.” he added.

As of writing, Apolinario is not yet giving any clues if he’s going to enter politics if ever he survived the estafa charges against him.

According to reports, KAPA already made P50-B by luring people to invest in their religious group in exchange of 30% monthly interest.

Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte denied the claims of KAPA Community Ministry International founder Pastor Apolinario that she approved the said religious group to continue their operations.

In a speech, Inday Sara discussed KAPA in Visayan language, saying that the members might have a hard time to get their money because its members are using the term “donate” while in reality, they’re investing money to the said religious group.

“Ang sabi ni Pastor Apolinario, Hindi niya na maibabalik ang pera dahil pumirma raw ang mga miyembro nito bilang isang donasyon  o love gift.” Inday Sara told the audience.

She also told her audience to research about Ponzi Scheme.

The said scam promising high rates of return with little risk to investors. The Ponzi scheme generates returns for early investors by acquiring new investors.

According to Inday Sara, Apolinario is having an advantage in the issue because he believes that no members of KAPA would file charges against him.

However, she said that they might be a chance for some members to get their money if they’re going to act early.

“Kung interesado kayong mag file ng complaint, punta kayo ng NBI, i-file mo na gusto mo ng maibalik ang pera mo,” she said.

Several weeks ago, the government ordered to close down KAPA after they found that many people were lured by Apolinario’s promise that his religious group would return 30% monthly in their every investment.

Meanwhile, several KAPA members said that they’re going to avoid supporting the Duterte family in the next election and would prefer to push for Apolinario to run for the presidency.

Veteran Actor Eddie Garcia passed away two weeks after he went in an unconscious state because of an incident that happened during a taping for his upcoming television show.

According to Makati Medical Center bulletin, the 90-year-old actor passed around 4:55 P.M on Thursday.

The news was also confirmed by family friend Bibeth Orteza and spokesperson Tony Rebosa.

“We join the entire Filipino community in praying for the soul of Mr. Garcia and his dearly beloved family and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to the Garcia family.” the statement reads.

Yesterday, Garcia received the “best actor” title which is considered as the last award of his career for his role in the movie “ML”.

The veteran actor last appeared on television when he joined the cast of “Ang Probinsiyano” as an antagonist.

Garcia’s condition started to worsen on June 19 after the doctors found that the actor showed only little signs of brain activity while he’s remained dependent on a ventilator.

Garcia entered showbusiness in 1949 and since then, he never stopped making movies.

He’s known for being a versatile actor.

He has appeared in approximately 600 movies and TV Shows.

A netizen claimed that he spotted a well-known journalist while violating the Executive Number 28, also known as Nationwide smoking ban imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a post, netizen Renato S. Lugto Jr. posted the photos of journalist Doris Bigornia while allegedly having a smoking break.

Lugto expressed his disappointment that even well-known people like Bigornia doesn’t respect the order of the President.

“Para sa mga experto dyn nasa sport complex po si doris sa mga oras na yan,” Lugto said.

Meanwhile, the supporters of Doris Bigornia swarmed the profile of Lugto and said that the uploader only edited the photo to destroy the reputation of the journalist.

According to the supporters of the journalist, it seems that Bigornia got six fingers in his left hand.

However, Lugto said that the people should widen their eyes and look carefully on the second picture he posted.

“Para sa mga nagmamagaling na experto sa pagtingin sa larawan hindi po edited yan palad po un naaaninag nyo na parang daliri tignan po mabuti.” Lugto said.

Lugto also said that he would do everything to prove that the photo was legitimate and not edited as his critics claimed.

Bigornia is not yet speaking on the accusations of Lugto.

Lugto is a known supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to Executive Order No. 26, people are prohibited to smoke in the following places:

Government buildings
Schools, colleges and universities
Offices and other workplaces
Restaurants and other food and drink establishments
Hotels and other accommodation facilities
Hospitals, health centers, clinics, and nursing homes
Transportation terminals
Churches
Shopping centers, retail stores, and other merchandise establishments
Entertainment establishments
Sports venues
Other establishments that provide professional services