Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Thousands flock to pro-Duterte rally in Davao City
The stage in the freedom rally at Rizal Park, Davao City on February 25, 2017. (Cerilo Ebrano / Photoville International)
DAVAO, Philippines — Aside from gathering at the Quirino Grand Stand, thousands of President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters gathered at Rizal Park in Davao City.
Rally organizers said some 10,000 people took part in the gathering with the title “Defend Our Freedom Against Corruption, Crime and Drugs”.
Some came from Surigao, Cagayan De Oro, Lanao, Cotabato And Zamboanga.
More than 350 Policemen were deployed to guard the security in the gathering in cooperation with 300 soldiers from Task Force Davao and more than 1,000 civilian volunteers.
One of the things supported by the participants at the freedom rally is the implementation of a federal form of government in the country.
Federalism is one of the items campaigned for by President Duterte.
“We are looking for to something that can take us out of poverty and claim true change. The only way to achieve it is by changing the system of government from unitary system to federal system,” said Celso Tizon, national chairman of the Hugpong Federal Movement of the Philippines (HFMP).
The group asserts that the federal system will greatly help bring about progress to poverty-stricken areas in the country.
They explained that compared with the existing revenue sharing of 80% for national and 20% for local, under the federal system, only 30% will be given to national while 80% goes to the local government.
But the federal movement of the Philippines is hoping that the federal system will be implemented by 2020.
Otherwise, its passage would be difficult especially when presidential election draws near and politicians begin to push their own interests. — Victor Cosare | UNTV News and Rescue
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/thousands-flock-pro-duterte-rally-062551139.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/thousands-flock-pro-duterte-rally-062551139.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=fb
ENRILE ON DE LIMA ARREST: ‘THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS POLITICAL PRISONER. YOU ARE A PRISONER, PERIOD.’
Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile reacted for describing Senator Leila de Lima’s arrest as a political prisoner.’
“Anong political prisoner? There’s no such thing as political prisoner. You are a prisoner, period.” Enrile said.
Recently, according to De Lima, she described herself as political prisoner under President Duterte administration.
Senator Enrile couldn’t accept how others labeled De Lima as political prisoners.
“Kami na binilanggo nila na wala namang kamuwang-muwang, ano kami? Sila santo, santa, kami demonyo?” he said.
“Bawat isa sa atin, kung may paratang, sagutin. Wala nang reklamo. Pabayaan na lang sa husgado litisin ang problema. Kung wala kang kasalanan, bakit ka matatakot?” Enrile said.
http://www.dailytopmedia.com/2017/02/enrile-on-de-lima-arrest-theres-no-such.html
http://www.dailytopmedia.com/2017/02/enrile-on-de-lima-arrest-theres-no-such.html
I have recording of P100M bribe try, says wife of Bilibid inmate
By: Tetch Torres-Tupas - Reporter / @T2TupasINQINQUIRER.net / 11:55 AM February 28, 2017
The wife of high-profile inmate Noel Martinez is standing by her story that there was an attempt to bribe witnesses against Sen. Leila de Lima with P100-million bribe attempt in exchange for retracting their testimonies against the lawmaker.
Lalaine Madrigal Martinez said she had evidence, a recording which she already turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation.
READ: Witnesses vs De Lima offered P100M to recant testimonies–Aguirre
READ: Witnesses vs De Lima offered P100M to recant testimonies–Aguirre
“I stand by my allegation because I have evidence. I have a recording,” said Martinez, who clarified that she was not related to former senator Jamby Madrigal.
However, she refused to give details about the recording or about how it was obtained or what it contained.
NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin confirmed that the recording was already with the NBI.
Lavin said it would be authenticated as part of the probe being conducted by the NBI.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/876170/i-have-recording-of-p100m-bribe-try-says-wife-of-bilibid-inmate#ixzz4ZwxYlMtA
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/876170/i-have-recording-of-p100m-bribe-try-says-wife-of-bilibid-inmate#ixzz4ZwxYlMtA
WHY THE DEATH PENALTY IS NECESSARY?
Like other government executives before him, our President Duterte believes that the death penalty is affirmative of life. By failing to execute murderers or stop drug lords, we signal a lessened regard for the value of the lives of victims.
Society has a right to defend itself. The state has the responsibility to protect its citizens, by ensuring that the law is obeyed and violators are punished.
This is the standard “moral defense” of death as punishment. Even if executions don’t deter violent crime or the drug trade any more effectively than imprisonment, the death penalty is still required because it is the only means society has of doing justice in response to the worst of crimes.
RIGHTS OF SOCIETY ARE PARAMOUNT
“The rights of society are paramount. When we protect guilty lives, we give up innocent lives in exchange.
“When opponents of capital punishment say to the state, ‘I will not let you kill in my name’, they are also saying to murderers: ‘You can kill in your own name as long as I have an excuse for not being involved.’
“It is hard to imagine anything worse than being murdered while neighbors do nothing. But something worse exists. When those same neighbors shrink back from justly punishing the murderer, the victim dies twice.”
THIS IS POWERFUL REASONING.
President Duterte’s thinking on the trafficking of illegal drugs, drug lords and drug pushers, is roughly similar to this. He shares the frustration and anger of people who see that the Noynoy Aquino government did nothing to combat the drug menace. So what if suspects are killed during the drug war, to wipe out the menace?
~ Yen Makabenta
De Lima and the Yellows: Edsa, Narcopolitics, and a Failed Power Grab
Since early this January, the DDS has heard about the plans of a power grab by the group of Loida Nicolas Lewis which includes VP Robredo, loser Mar Roxas and LP Senators De Lima, Aquino, and Drilon and free riders like Akbayan ampaw queen Risa Hontiveros, and the one and only sundalong kanin, Trillanes.
Speculations became more real with the revival of the 2 billion bank account allegations of Trillanes; the retraction of Lascanas’ previous testimony on the alleged existence of Davao Death Squad; and the walk for life spearheaded by CBCP. So as of this moment, there is once again a call by the yellow cult together with the opportunistic Akbayan Partylist and its minions, the CBCP, and some Catholic universities for a people power in Edsa. They were hoping to gather critical mass hoping against hope to install the bogus Vice President, Leni Robredo. In your dreams, power grabbers!
Perhaps what these yellow power hungry idiots did not anticipate was the early release of the warrant of arrest of the queen of narcopolitics, Leila De Lima. In the hope of gaining critical mass in the Senate, she requested to be arrested in the morning in anticipation that her supporters will become her human shield. And rightly so, her supporters came in the morning, some 20 of them. Kaloka! Nagpaumaga pa!
We don’t know about the LP but in spite of calls of mobilization for the beleaguered narco queen, only 20 came.
If by now they can’t see the writing on the wall, we have news for them: your people power is a failure. Why? Because people know your motives already. You just want to return to power and give us a shabby, insensitive, drug ridden, and corrupt government.Our answer to your call: Never Again! Never Again to yellow rule!
And we also have another news for them: because of their greed for power, all DDS forces have united through different support rallies for the President in key parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Not to mention the parallel events of OFWs in various parts of Asia, North America, and Europe. You want people power, we will give you people power!
If until now these yellow shits do not realize how fed up with the yellow kind people are, let February 25 be the demonstration of the people’s wrath against them.
Stop arrogating unto yourselves people power and EDSA yellow shits. As Tatay Digong has already said:
“[T]he spirit of EDSA does not belong to the one sector or one group of people, but to all Filipinos who believe in freedom and a democratic way of life. No single party, ideology, religion or individual could claim credit for the bloodless revolution at EDSA, in the same way that no single party, ideology, religion or individual could claim a monopoly of patriotism.”
NYU Alumnus to fellow Filipinos: Remember what Leni Robredo stands for
Imagine a world where Robredo is the president.
Imagine a supertyphoon in the magnitude of Haiyan hitting one part of the Philippines, and she is nowhere to be found. The cabinet sectaries she entrusted us to are people like Dinky Soliman. Imagine the agony and the tragedy of Leyte, multiplied all over the Philippines, with increasing regularity as supertyphoons become the new normal. Imagine LP people in power bickering over who should be taking care of this, that. Imagine all of us scrambling to help our fellowmen.
Imagine prostituting ourselves to other countries as we continue to collect "utang na loob" because our government couldnt take care of us. Imagine her lack of political will and how baranggay kapitans will again lord it over the distribution, choosing only allies to give aid and relief goods to.
Imagine international terrorists reaching Philippine shores. Imagine the havoc they will wreak in the city. And how many foreigners and locals did Abu Sayyaf kidnap or behead in the time of Pnoy? What about Duterte? How come we dont hear from them anymore? Will we see them come back with a vengeance? How will a President Robredo deal with them? By issuing one platitude and press release one after another?
Imagine a government with no sense of accountability. You report that small school children have to swim rivers to get to school, and the appointed secretary, chosen by LP, ignoring this, choosing instead to continue "roadworks" on streets that do not need to be fixed, but because of kickbacks in construction projects, one road will be repaired again and again, causing inconvenience to motorists. You will also notice these projects increasing in frequency as elections in the local level near. Kailangan ng budget pangampanya.
Imagine when, the minute you post your complaint on the President's FACEBOOK wall, Leni Robredo's cabal of advisers will automatically delete your message and block you. You, a taxpaying, productive member of this society, does not exist as far as your President is concerned.
Imagine the loss of free healthcare for the indigent. Imagine the billion peso budget used instead for some congressman's new house and yacht and kids' tuition for schools abroad.
Imagine the rape of the Philippines' natural resources, as our congressmen and senators with mining interests continue their irresponsible practices unabated, unchecked, as they have always done. Imagine the rising number of deaths of tribes people and ethnic groups who died fighting for what is theirs, as mining companies act with impunity, free from the prying eyes of the public, encouraged by permissive and corrupt government officials.
Imagine a country where Mindanao, and our brothers and sisters who live there, is ignored yet again. And while malls continue to be built in Manila, our provinces suffer because of our unitary, centralized system. Imagine the resentment as it continues to boil, and then explode. Imagine the unrest and the civil war in forsaken lands we should have given attention to. We could have prevented this, but we did not. We allowed Mindanao to suffer, and then seethe, and then paint them as the bad guys in the story. Imagine a president with no intimate knowledge of this rich land. Imagine a puppet whose strings are pulled by people whose wet dreams are made up of owning Mindanao's riches.
Imagine the crime rate going up, when a leader has no courage to fight drug lords, ignoring them as if she could wish them away with her beautiful, softly-spoken words. Imagine how we will all, yet again, be at the mercy of drug lords, snatchers, kidnappers, car-nappers. Imagine life a year ago, when criminals feared no one, and so everybody--even the law abiding citizens, lived life in constant fear.
Imagine big businesses fearless in their continued exploitation of their workers, just cogs in the wheel, replaceable every six months, no health benefits, no nothing. All those people given regular jobs--nearly 30,000--to be told again that they must return to their unstable careers.
Imagine LP's landed overlords with an unquenchable thirst for more, more, more, shutting the gates of the Department of Agrarian Reform once again. Imagine our farmers being told that they have to pay for irrigation. That they do not have a right to the land they tilled their whole lives. That they are nothing but modern-day slaves.
Imagine our OFWs voiceless again, those heroes who have left their homes in pursuit of a good life for their families. Made to suffer the indignities of corrupt airport officials, corrupt immigration officials. Their balikbayan boxes taxed to high heavens. Not given the privilege of a streamlined system, asked to run like headless chickens from one building to the next, asked to fall in line to pay their travel tax--as if they owed their government something other than the other way around.
Imagine the Church calling the shots again. Because Leni the president bows and kisses their rings in supplication, the bishops will once again be able to tell our women that they cannot have control of their bodies, that condoms are evil. Because of their continued refusal to deal with our problem pragmatically, the country has ballooned to 105 million people. And HIV is on the rise. All over the world, HIV rates are going down--except the Philippines. Who do you think is partly to blame?
Imagine the poor and the hungry, hidden from view when the world is watching.
Imagine the implicit message that they are an embarrassment to a government that ironically put them in that situation. Imagine having a President who has forgotten these people she once promised she would protect.
Imagine Leni Robredo as president. Welcome to a crime-ridden, terrorist-infested, oligarch-ruling, selfish, myopic, full-of-excuses, devoid-of-accountability, deaf-to-its-people Philippines.
Actually, you don't really need to imagine, just remember.
Remember the mess. Remember the dead bodies shoved into one plastic bag, the government refusing to count past 6,000. Remember the crying and the pleading of typhoon victims. Remember the indignities the least of our brothers were subjected to. Remember the unfairness of it all. Remember how we watched them roll in money while we suffered. Remember that criminals partied in jail cells while we lived in fear out in the open.
Remember what Leni Robredo stands for. She stands for the rights of the partymates who put her there, not ours. She serves their interests, not ours. She serves LP, not us. She stands for everything that was wrong with this country.
My fellow Filipinos who love the Philippines, remember this when you fight for this country. Remember why you fight, and let it give you courage.
By Krizette Laureta Chu
http://www.newsgearph.com/2017/02/remember-what-leni-robredo-stands-for.html
http://www.newsgearph.com/2017/02/remember-what-leni-robredo-stands-for.html
Back in 2006, Jim Paredes supported Duterte-style tough governance!
Here is an excerpt of Jim Paredes state of mind when interviewed by PCIJ in 2006...
Like many among the disillusioned middle class who once yearned and fought for democracy, Paredes now believes that Filipinos need a strong leader. “The democracy that we experienced cannot deliver,” he says. “I don’t think the people care very much what the form is. You could put a strong leader there, who bends rules a little bit. I think you could take that as long as the outcome is good.”
He says Filipinos need leaders who can “kick a$$,” who — like Singapore’s Lee Kwan Yew, for example — can “walk the talk,” and who can truly lead by example. The future government, Paredes suggests, should be willing to do one thing that the post-Edsa government was not willing to do: “knock down some people.”
When asked if he means lining up the crooks against a wall and shooting them, he replies, “Oh, that would be nice, too. You know what? I wouldn’t cry over it if it happened."
Fast Forward to 25 Feb 2017 …. he CONTRADICTED himself when he BULLIED those pro-Duterte Youths in EDSA !
Yeah, very convincing , Jim ….
http://grpshorts.blogspot.be/2017/02/back-in-2006-jim-paredes-supported.html
http://grpshorts.blogspot.be/2017/02/back-in-2006-jim-paredes-supported.html
The Light A Fire Movement - Heroes or Terrorists?
(Undated photo. Raul Daza, 3rd from left; Heherson Alvarez, extreme right; Steven Psinakis, seated)
One almost forgotten chapter of Martial Law history was brought back to our consciousness with the recent death of Steven Psinakis, one of the leaders of a group called the "Light-A-Fire Movement". It was a group of prominent people who decided that violence was the solution against "abuses" of the Martial Law. They perpetrated many terroristic bombings in Metro Manila in the early 80's. They trained mostly in the United States, with targets here in the Philippines.
In the US, its members were Filipino exiles and Filipino-Americans, mostly unnamed but led mainly by Heherson Alvarez, Raul Daza, Bonifacio Gillego and Charles Avila, along with a naturalized American citizen, a Greek native, Steven Psinakis (husband of Precy Lopez of the Lopez clan).
Doris Nuval Baffrey, a Filipina married to an American, on October 19, 1980, detonated an explosive at the PICC while President Marcos was addressing an international conference of the American Society of Travel Agents. Doris Nuval Baffrey and 15 other people were arrested in connection with the PICC bombing. Marcos issued more arrest orders for some 30 persons allegedly indirectly tied to the bombing including Ninoy Aquino and 8 others living in the US, among them Psinakis. Baffrey's group, the "April 6 Liberation Movement", had ties to the Light-A-Fire Movement.
In Metro Manila, the core operatives of the Light-A-Fire Movement based in the Philippines, was arrested while meeting in Quezon City. Among them were businessman Eduardo Olaguer, AIM professor Gaston Ortigas and Ester Jimenez, mother of Jim Paredes (of the Apo Hiking Society fame). They were all convicted and sentenced to die by electric chair in 1984.
In the US, long before the Marcos regime collapsed, the US federal prosecutors had handwritten notes of a 1986 meeting of Federal prosecutors and an undated draft indictment that would have allowed the United States Attorney to bring criminal charges against Alvarez, Daza, Psinakis, Gillego and Avila for activities to oust President Marcos. The possible charges included violation of the Neutrality Act, which prohibits launching private armies from the United States against nations with which US is at peace. The indictment was based on wiretaps, including one or more initiated by U.S. intelligence agencies, and 1981 searches of Psinakis' home and garbage in which agents found remnants of detonation cord.
Additionally, the US federal prosecutors' notes indicated that Psinakis, Daza and Gillego were also giving weapons training in the Arizona desert to anti-Marcos exiles. The draft indictment also alleged that Avila, Daza and Alvarez practiced making bombs in Psinakis's home in San Francisco.
From the fall of 1979 through December 1981, the documents claimed, various members of an anti-Marcos group, the "Movement for a Free Philippines", practiced detonating explosive devices in Arizona and transported explosives in at least four states. They further alleged that the training was part of a plan to bomb targets in Manila in an effort to destabilize the Marcos regime.
However, US Justice Department officials astutely informed the United States Attorney, Joseph P. Russoniello, that the State Department was concerned that the fledgling Aquino government would be embarrassed if the charges were pressed against the Aquino officials. These concerns are expressed in notes from a meeting at the Justice Department on August 25, 1986, six months after Mrs. Aguino's inauguration.
Heherson Alvares became Minister of Agrarian Reform (later Senator), Raul Daza Commissioner of the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG), later became representative of Northern Samar, Bonifacio Gillego was executive director of the PCGG who also became a congressman, Charles Avila, Mayor of Tanauan, Batangas.
When the indictment was finally filed in December 1986, it named only two naturalized American citizens, Psinakis and Avila. Avila was never arrested or arraigned. It is in Psinakis case that has brought to light the allegations against the 3 government officials (Alvarez, Daza, and Gallego).
It was reported that Foreign policy concerns may have influenced the decision of Federal prosecutors not to prosecute the 3 who became members of Philippine Congress. A former associate deputy attorney general, Gregory S. Walden, testified that after the indictment was returned naming only Psinakis and Avila, "there was an expression of relief" from the State Department that the case "had narrowed considerably".
James A. Lassart, the assistant United States attorney who handled the case for 5 years, resigned the month after the August 1986 meeting.
Daza when contacted in Manila, was asked about the allegations:
"These charges never materialized. They were not even charges. They never matured into an indictment obviously because the prosecution had no evidence to sustain the indictment."
Alvarez:
"That's not true at all, I'm scared of bombs."
Gallego:
"My position on that issue is like the American position on nuclear weapons. I neither confirm nor deny."
Psinakis was arrested as he arrived at San Francisco International Airport on a business trip in July, 1987 from Manila and pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and $20,000 in fines.
He was freed on $200,000 bail but retained his passport after President Aquino's consul general was authorized to commend him to the court for "brave and untiring efforts to restore freedom" in the Philippines.
The notes of the Justice Department meeting on August 25, 1986 which was under seal, but much of their contents were revealed in the October hearing, said that the State Department had expressed "special sensitivity" about an allegation that explosives were picked up at the Manila home of Jovito R. Salonga in 1980 (at that time Salonga was president of the Philippine Senate), about the time bombings injured 70 people and killed an American tourist, and that "Salonga's involvement would come out at trial".
The Aquino government, deeply concerned in the fate of Psinakis, sent Foreign Secretary Raul Manglapus to testify, told the jury that Psinakis was a "hero".
Psinakis was acquitted in June 1989.
Six months after his arrest, Psinakis was awarded the Aquino Government's first Presidential Citation "for outstanding service to Philippine democracy". He was cited for his work "as an officer of patriotic Philippine exile organizations". In an interview while he was in San Francisco for the October hearing, Mr. Psinakis said, "Rightly or wrongly, I'm perceived as a hero in the Philippines".
And now the question. Are these people really "Heroes" or just "Terrosists"?
Source:
- Philippine Revolution Hero Acquitted in Explosives Case, Dan Morain, Los Angeles Times, January 8, 1989 (http://goo.gl/IUnkXL)
- Court Case Links Aquino Allies to Bomb-Making, Katherine Bishop, New York Times, December 15, 1988 (http://goo.gl/woBC5n)
- The 1980 ASTA bombing at the PICC, http://wiki.iraia.net/
- The Light-A-Fire Movement was not Heroic, Get Real Philippines, (http://goo.gl/dxyYo7)
- Photo credit: http://lopezlink.ph/
Well-known Magazine Editor-in-Chief to CNN: Shame on you for twisting facts and creating your own version of reality
On Monday, Christine Cunanan, publisher and editor-in-chief of a well-known travel magazine posted about 'the unforgivable bias of mainstream media'.
According to Christine, everyone should beware of the mainstream media or just boycott it.
"Folks, I hope you're aware of how biased the news you're reading in the newspapers and online are. Most mainstream media are reporting with very distinct angles to suit their own agendas," said Ms. Cunanan.
She added, "Most local media are aligned with anti-Duterte forces (aka as the previous administration) or are being pressured by the conservatives and the Church."
Read the full post below:
THE UNFORGIVABLE BIAS OF MAINSTREAM MEDIA
So I get online this morning and on CNN's news site there's an article by someone named Buena Bernal about the anti-Duterte protests with the headline "Philippine protesters condemn drug war on anniversary of uprising."
Ms. Bernal and biased CNN, whatever happened to reporting the entire picture and including what happened on the other side? Ms. Bernal, did you actually go to journalism school and were you paying attention during the lectures on ethics?
THE PUNY VS. THE POWERFUL
Sure, there was an EDSA rally over the weekend. But it was an incredibly pitiful showing of "force" considering the massive campaigns of the Church, the Yellows and academic communities like the Ateneo (my alma mater) to get people to show up at EDSA and rally against #DU30.
In contrast, the pro-#Duterte rally at Luneta was a huge outpouring of people from all walks of life -- and not one peep about this on CNN news site. At least as far as I could see. There's a column of headlines on the side that you can click, and the anti-Duterte protest article was right up there.
And this Ms. Bernal didn't even think to mention anything about the pro-Duterte rally, focusing instead on this puny rally in EDSA.
BEWARE OF MAINSTREAM OR JUST BOYCOTT IT
Folks, I hope you're aware of how biased the news you're reading in the newspapers and online are. Most mainstream media are reporting with very distinct angles to suit their own agendas.
Most local media are aligned with anti-Duterte forces (aka as the previous administration) or are being pressured by the conservatives and the Church. Perhaps the Church is threatening them with eternal damnation?
OUR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY
As for the Western media, we all know their bias. They're for headlines that sell and stories that they believe either promote liberal Western values or go against these (like Duterte stories), believing that there's only one way -- and it's the liberal Western way. They love attacking people who aren't aligned with these values.
Of course, the Western media reporters aren't the ones who have to live with the drugs, slums, crime and squalor. So it's quite easy for them to fly in, stay at a nice hotel, write a catchy story and then fly out again.
WHERE WERE YOU ALL DURING THE REAL EDSA? DIDN'T SEE YOU.
I've studiously avoided getting off the fence about the EDSA Anniversary because EDSA is nothing more than a street to me nowadays.
The pro-EDSA movements are now so heavily populated by Johnny Come Lately types who I never saw in the activist movements or on EDSA itself when I was there for its entirety. Yes, I was there from the first minute it began happening until the very last second.
YELLOW IS NOT A RELIGION
And I so dislike the fact that the Yellows have turned a color and a street into what is practically a religious cult.
I also believe that President Duterte, for all his faults (and we all have them), is still the best person for the presidency. He certainly is one of the few leaders with a real heart in a nation full of hypocritical politicians.
HEART OVER HYPOCRISY
So you should decide for yourselves: Do you want the politician who says all the right things and looks good in a suit but actually does nothing to improve conditions in our country because all he's really after are lucrative contracts for his relatives and positions of power for his cronies?
Or the lady who rode buses and wore slippers during the election campaign and then, since then, has done nothing much but pose for magazine covers, travel around the world, and criticise the government in power? Personally, I don't know what her agenda is, but I have a feeling that it's just to push herself forward to the top.
Or are you willing to try out the politician who shoots his mouth off and will never look like the presidential type you see in movies, but at least you know his heart really is for helping people and doing good? No agenda here other than #theFilipinopeople.
I know I'd like to take my chances with the person who is at least thinking a little bit about me and other ordinary citizens.
As for you, CNN and Ms. Bernal, shame on you for twisting facts so conveniently and creating your own version of reality, so that unknowing readers will think that Manila was all about anti-Duterte protests last weekend.
They completely ignored the massive outpouring of support for our President all over the country and among the Filipino communities around the world -- so many Filipinos in cities like Singapore and Tokyo held pro-Duterte rallies -- last weekend; and, yes, for his anti-drugs campaign, at Luneta.
Credits: Christine Cunanan
http://www.newsgearph.com/2017/02/well-known-magazine-editor-in-chief-to-mainstream-media.html
http://www.newsgearph.com/2017/02/well-known-magazine-editor-in-chief-to-mainstream-media.html
No Davao Death Squad, Bato dela Rosa insists
Published February 27, 2017 3:22pm
By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/601209/news/nation/no-davao-death-squad-bato-dela-rosa-insists#sthash.LqjkRuaS.dpuf
By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News
Despite the recent turnabout of retired SPO3 Arthur Lascañas, Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa insisted on Monday that the Davao Death Squad does not exist.
“As far as I know, hindi ko kino-confirm iyan,” Dela Rosa said during a press conference when asked on the claim of Lascañas on the DDS.
“Noong ako pa city director ng Davao, ilang beses ko nang hinahamon yung mga alleged na death squad na iyan na kung nandyan kayo you come out in the open magdwelo tayo kung gusto niyo pumatay ng tao ... hinahamon ko yang mga tao na yan noon pa,” he told reporters.
No one surfaced to face him, he added.
Gun-for-hire
Dela Rosa said what he knew then was there was a gun-for-hire victimizing Davao residents.
“Ang alam ko noon may namamatay na very obvious na gun-for-hire operation. E ‘yung mga ganun na patayan galit ako doon kaya hinahamon ko sila pero wala naman lumabas din,” he reiterated.
He added he does not personally know Lascañas except being a member of the Davao City Police Office.
“Nung ako nag city director nakilala ko sya (bilang) pulis (sa) Davao City Police Office. Hindi ko siya masyadong nakilala,” he said.
Lascañas, in his appearance before the Senate last year, denied the claim of Edgar Matobato that he was the team leader of DDS. He resurfaced recently and admitted the existence of DDS and President Rodrigo Duterte’s supposed involvement in the killings.
He retired from the police service on December 16, 2016.
In his 12-page affidavit he executed on February 19, Lascañas said he was forced to deny Matobato’s claim out of fear for the safety of his loved ones in Davao City.
He said most of what Matobato said in the Senate hearing were true but the latter had limited knowledge of what really happened because the operations were compartmentalized.
“I was present when then-Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte of Davao City ordered the killing of numerous men and women, and have us reward money after we executed them. I was responsible for the killing of many men and women, and at least one child, upon the instructions of Mayor Duterte,” he added. — RSJ, GMA News
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/601209/news/nation/no-davao-death-squad-bato-dela-rosa-insists#sthash.LqjkRuaS.dpuf
Monday, February 27, 2017
SolGen Calida preps charges vs. Trillanes for coddling DDS 'hitmen'
Published February 27, 2017 5:37pm
Updated February 27, 2017 6:54pm
By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
Solicitor General Jose Calida is bent on filing charges against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for allegedly coddling members of the Davao Death Squad who have linked President Rodrigo Duterte to extrajudicial killings in Davao City.
At a press conference on Monday, Calida pointed to Trillanes' legal accountability for allegedly giving protection to retired policeman Arturo Lascañas and confessed hitman Edgar Matobato.
"He's a person of interest. Why he is coddling this self-confessed criminal? Di ba as senator he should be for the administration of justice?" the solicitor general said.
"That person (Lascañas) confessed to have killed his two brothers. Even this Matobato, why is he coddling, hiding and providing security for this confessed criminal? Is this the job of the senator?"
Calida, however, said he will not be filing the charges soon. "Give me more time and I will have the proper case to be filed against him," he said.
Lascañas denied before the inquiry of the Senate justice committee last October Matobato's claims about the existence of the vigilante group and Duterte's role in its alleged killing spree when he was mayor of Davao City.
But the retired policemen made a complete turnaround last week as he admitted that the DDS existed and that Duterte ordered its members to kill certain personalities.
Lascañas said he decided to tell everything about Duterte's supposed involvement in vigilante killings because he was stricken by his conscience.
Calida played down the testimony of Lascañas, whom he described as a "perjurer."
Trillanes should see a shrink
Meanwhile, Calida also said questioned the mental fitness of Trillanes for claiming that Duterte is out to kill him.
"Sumosobra na kasi itong si Senator Trillanes. He's accusing the President of plotting to kill him. I don't know where he gets his wild ideas. Perhaps he should see a shrink," the solicitor general said in a press conference.
Trillanes has accused Duterte of several things, from amassing billions of pesos in ill-gotten wealth, abetting extrajudicial killings in the government's war on drugs to persecuting political foes.
Recently, the senator said in a television interview that no less than Duterte hatched a plan to assassinate him, citing Lascañas' statement.
Trillanes said road accident was among the methods being looked at in the kill plot. —KBK, GMA News
- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/601235/news/nation/solgen-calida-preps-charges-vs-trillanes-for-coddling-dds-hitmen#sthash.8Sg0nnCv.dpuf
Trillanes Sinampahan Na Ng Kasong Treason at Espionage
Trillanes face treason
The camp of Rodrigo Duterte has filed treason and espionage charges against President Benigno Aquino III and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV for undertaking “back-channel talks” with China that “only advanced [the] interest of our Asian neighbor.”
Martin Diño, Duterte’s national campaign manager, announced Friday’s filing of the treason and espionage charges by supporters of the Davao mayor in the Office of the Ombudsman, at a press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan City.
The filing came as Trillanes publicly accused Duterte, the front-runner in the presidential race, of having millions of pesos in undeclared bank accounts.
The complaint said “Senator Trillanes met with the Chinese 16 times, and he requested that the meeting [be] secret. In those meetings, Trillanes made mention that the Philippines cannot enforce coastal protection. And that made the Chinese take an aggressive [stance] and take over our areas like Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands. That alone constitutes treason,” former Rep. Ronald Adamat, one of the complainants, said, quoting from supposed notes made by former Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady.
Although the complaint recognized that under the law, treason requires that the Philippines be involved in a war, it said “external aggression” was committed by China when it “immediately occupied the subject areas.”
As for the charge of espionage, the complaint said China had been “emboldened” by the information “gathered from” Trillanes.
“We include the President because Trillanes could not have done this without the order of the President. They breached international policy. They did it without coursing their efforts through the foreign affairs department,” Adamat said.
http://www.netizensph.com/2017/02/trillanes-sinampahan-na-ng-kasong.html#.WLLtjLbhn-8.facebook
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Cayetano calls on the government to relaunch the war on drugs
Published February 26, 2017 7:00am
By JOHN TED CORDERO, GMA News
Before a large crowd of President Rodrigo Duterte's supporters in Rizal Park on Saturday night, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called on the chief executive and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to relaunch the campaign against illegal drugs.
"Ngayong gabi ako ay nakikiusap ako sa ating pangulo at sa PNP na i-relaunch niyo ang inyong anti-drug drive," Cayetano said during his speech at the rally.
The senator, who was Duterte's losing running mate during the May 2016 elections, made the call as he claimed that illegal drug activities had resumed since the suspension of the war on drugs late January.
The government had suspended the PNP's anti-drug operations due to the alleged kidnapping and murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo by anti-drug police operatives.
Duterte gave the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency the lead role in his war on drugs.
"Sir, simula nung sinuspinde ang [Oplan] Tokhang maraming pusher ang bumalik," Cayetano claimed. "Totoo ba? Sa inyong lugar bumalik ang mga pusher?"
"'Pag bumalik ang pusher, kasama na diyan ang patayan ng inosente, kasama na diyan ang rape, ang nakawan," he added.
Cayetano also declared that the relaunched war on drugs would no longer be known as "Duterte's war on drugs," but would instead be known as the "people's war on drugs." —DVM, GMA News
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/601068/news/nation/cayetano-calls-on-the-government-to-relaunch-the-war-on-drugs-nbsp
Sec Aguirre asks the Duterte supporters for his next target and they shouts “TRILLANES!”
Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III during the rally held at the Luneta Grandstand on Saturday asked the Pro-Duterte on his next target after Senator Leila De Lima was successfully jailed because of illegal drug charges.
“Sino ang gusto niyo isunod?” Aguirre asked the thousands of Duterte supporters who joined the rally against illegal drugs and corruption.
The supporters of Duterte answered immediately
“Trillanes!” they shouted back.
After they answered, Aguirre asked the protesters to help him if they wanted him to become successful on his next target.
The rally was attended by thousands of pro-duterte in Luneta and some estimated that it would reach the 1 Million mark until tomorrow.
Senator Antonio Trillanes is one of the fiercest critics of President Rodrigo Duterte.
He also vowed that he would put the President of the Philippines in jail after his colleague Senator Leila De Lima arrested over illegal drug charges.
http://pinoytrending.altervista.org/sec-aguirre-asks-duterte-supporters-next-target-shouts-trillanes/
http://pinoytrending.altervista.org/sec-aguirre-asks-duterte-supporters-next-target-shouts-trillanes/
BREAKING! ‘TREASON’ CASE ARE NOW FACING TRILLANES AND NOYNOY!
Martin Dino, President Duterte campaign manager, announced Friday’s filling treason and espionage charges against former President Benigno Aquino III and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for undertaking ‘back-channel talks’ with China that “only advanced the interest of our Asian neighbour.”
The filing came as Trillanes publicly accused Duterte, the front-runner in the presidential race, of having millions of pesos in undeclared bank accounts.
The complaint said “Senator Trillanes met with the Chinese 16 times, and he requested that the meeting [be] secret. In those meetings, Trillanes made mention that the Philippines cannot enforce coastal protection. And that made the Chinese take an aggressive [stance] and take over our areas like Scarborough Shoal and Spratly Islands. That alone constitutes treason,” former Rep. Ronald Adamat, one of the complainants, said, quoting from supposed notes made by former Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady.
“We include the President because Trillanes could not have done this without the order of the President. They breached international policy. They did it without coursing their efforts through the foreign affairs department,” Adamat added.
http://www.dailytopmedia.com/2017/02/breaking-treason-case-are-now-facing.html
http://www.dailytopmedia.com/2017/02/breaking-treason-case-are-now-facing.html
The Light-A-Fire Movement was not Heroic
One nearly forgotten chapter of Martial Law history was revived with the recent death of a controversial figure of the time:Steve Psinakis, one of the leaders of a terrorist group called the Light-A-Fire Movement. It was a group of upper class people who decided that violence was the solution against Martial Law abuse, and they perpetrated a lot of terrorist acts, including a bombing of the prestigious mall Rustan’s Makati, leading to around 70 people injured and one American death.
Some articles looking at the history of this group tend to lionize the members are “freedom fighters” or “heroes,” simply because they were anti-Marcos. It’s based on the logic that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” and that “the enemy of a villain is always a hero.” It’s twisted logic that leads to questionable alliances and impunity.
Simply put, the guys were terrorists. Even the articles that call them “freedom fighters” admit that that they operated in a way similar to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups: the buying of weapons and explosives, training in terrorist methods, and risking innocent people’s lives just to destabilize a regime. American investigators found evidence of these activities. To use a commenter’s words, they were fighting evil with evil.
Some people would say, Martial Law was abusive, so there is a reason for violence. Fight fire with fire (perhaps similar to the politicially correct rationale of Weather Underground in the 1960s). However, this is where the end does not justify the means. The use of bombings is terrorism, and even if not intended to kill people, what if an innocent suddenly gets caught in the blast? And indeed, one American innocent was claimed and others hurt. So Light-A-Fire has blood on its hands.
It also becomes clear why my alma mater, Ateneo, engaged in a transfixed anti-Marcos agenda. Several of the Light-A-Fire members were Jesuits, and one member is the mother of Apo Hiking Society stalwart and eminent GRP antagonist Jim Paredes. Alfonso Yuchengco, owner of the recently money laundering-embroiled RCBC, was also a member. And Psinakis was married to a Lopez. Connect the dots.
This is also another example of history being written by the victors. After Marcos was ousted in 1986, some members of the group became government officials, such as Heherson Alvarez (who I wrote about before as chasing a silly case against the Filipino chocolate product in Spain). Sadly, the charges to be pressed against the Light-A-Fire group were not pursued, despite knowledge being so openly common about their terrorist activities. Anyway, when you wonder why the Aquino regime today is so willing to cooperate with terrorists (BBL), perhaps it’s because some of them were themselves, or were associated with, terrorists.
People would complain about impunity and lack of responsibility and accountability among Filipinos, and that in Philippine society, the wrongdoers are rewarded instead of punished. The Light-A-Fire Movement seems to fit this. They apparently never paid for the American life they took or the people they injured. One hopes though that charges against them could again be pursued to set the record straight, at least for the family of the man who was killed in the Rustan’s bombing. But that would be unlikely. All we could offer is something like this write-up with the goal of informing people.
It’s also a chance where we can undo the twisting of the concept of heroes. Some would say, one person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter. But when your methodology is to put at risk uninvolved civilians, you’re just a terrorist. Just because you hate someone, doing violence against that someone is “heroic.” Perhaps that is why in the 1970s, many action movies made with criminals as the “heroes.” This could either be an influence or a sign that Filipinos were losing faith in authority and discipline, but were also making it into an excuse to become me-first assholes. If we wonder why Filipinos became so bad-habited and uncaring about public space, we could probably see the process underway at that time. This mindset in Filipinos today needs to be turned around.
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/blog/2016/03/light-fire-movement-not-heroic/
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