China backs Philippines

SOME people have asked me why I always add “aka Digong” whenever I refer to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. 
The reason is “Digong” reminds me of the person who is a humble probinsiyano and was a reluctant candidate for President nearly two years ago; who identifies with the vast majority of our people; who speaks their language and gives vent to their long-suppressed simple aspirations forever thwarted by the ruling elite and oligarchs; who wants to eliminate, if not minimize, graft and corruption; who wants to stem the raging tide of illegal drug use in the country; and, above all, who wants to pursue an independent foreign policy that kowtows to no one, thus promoting and protecting the welfare, the integrity and the dignity of the Filipino people.
Oh, I also do not fail to include his middle name “Roa,” not only to honor his late mother but also because it happens to have the same letters as my initials. The “O” stands for Ortega. Yes, also to honor my late beloved mother.
So, there.

HITTING THE ROOF

Now, before he punches a wall in Malacañang again, as PNP chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa revealed, perhaps Digong should ask the latter and/or Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II about the status of the cases, if any had been filed, against the five police generals he had named five days after he took over as President as allegedly involved in the illicit drug trade. Nothing has been heard about them since.
Surely, he would not want a repeat of the Peter Lim, Peter Co, Kerwin Espinosa, et al, fiasco. If that should happen, he might hit the roof, not just the wall, of the Palace, figuratively speaking of course.

AGUIRRE AND SERENO

Once again, we are witnessing a pathetic and typical reaction of a government official who has apparently fallen short of his duties. I refer to Aguirre who says he will not resign. Just like on-indefinite-leave-of-absence Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. And many others before them. 
Where, oh where, has delicadeza gone? Our government officials in the days of yore used to have it.
Take Sereno, for instance, several columns ago, I said her goose is cooked. Today, with all the evidently valid charges leveled against her, she is like Peking Duck ready for devouring. Yet, she stubbornly clings to her position without giving due regard to the disservice she is rendering to the judicial system and to the Filipino people.
But perhaps her insistence on going through an impeachment trial in the Senate may serve a useful, if not necessary, purpose, i.e., it will give the people a chance to see if the present composition of the Senate is any different from that which found the late Chief Justice Renato Corona guilty, not so much on the basis alone of the evidence presented against him, as in the bribe allegedly given by the Noynoy Aquino administration taken from the so-called Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) to all of the then incumbent senators, except three if memory serves.
Already, an unnamed tycoon has reportedly offered as much as P200 million to every senator who would acquit Sereno.

POLITICAL DYNASTIES

The unanimous approval last week by the Consultative Committee reviewing the 1987 Constitution of its proposed anti-political dynasty provisions was like a whiff of fresh air amidst an otherwise polluted political atmosphere in the country.
The Committee defined political dynasty as one that “exists when a family whose members are related up to the second degree of consanguinity or affinity whether such relations are legitimate, illegitimate, half or full blood, maintains or is capable of maintaining political control by succession or by simultaneously running for or holding elective positions.”
Former Chief Justice Reynato Puno, head of the Committee, could not possibly have put more succinctly the reasons for approving the anti-dynasty provisions.
He said: 
“Predatory politics of dynasties has bred corruption in the government… You cannot bleach the ugly reality that where political dynasties rule, poverty reigns… We can no longer wink away the fact that political dynasties have putrefied our politics. Dynastic politics has occluded if not closed the opportunities of greater number of Filipinos to run for public office to serve our people.” 
It would be interesting to see how the proposed Constitutional Assembly (Con-Ass) to be composed of the incumbent legislators in both houses of Congress will react to the suggested provisions. As Puno said, he did not give “a nanosecond thought to the possibility that in voting to regulate political dynasties, we shall be incurring the ire of the gods in our political firmament whose fortunes may be compromised.” 
Let’s watch what happens.

CHINA BACKS
PHILIPPINES

The UN and its Secretary General should not take lightly China’s call for the world body to respect Philippine sovereignty and the will of its people following the insolent and very rude remark of UN Human Rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein that President Duterte should undergo a psychiatric evaluation. 
China is a permanent member of the Security Council and as such, exercises great influence on the work of the organization.
Following are excerpts from the statement made by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang:
“Relevant sides of the international community, including the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, shall respect the sovereignty of the Philippines and the will of its people, view the outcomes of the Philippines’ fight against drug and terrorism in a comprehensive, unbiased and objective way, and support its efforts to move forward its human rights cause in light of its national conditions… Achievements made by the Philippine government led by President Duterte on these fronts have won great approval and extensive support among the Philippine people.
“Anyone without bias can see that President Duterte has made positive efforts since assuming office to combat drug-related crimes as well as terrorism, develop the national economy, and improve people’s livelihood, which have effectively protected and promoted the Philippine people’s fundamental rights to security and development.
“As an agency of the UN, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights is expected to fulfill its duties within the framework set out by the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.”

AUSTRALIA IN ASEAN?

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia reportedly said he wants Australia as a full Asean member.
I personally see nothing wrong with that proposition per se, provided two conditions are met by Australia: 1) She categorically asks for it which I don’t believe she will, content as she is with just being a dialogue partner of the Association, and 2) she joins the Asian regional group in the United Nations. Right now, she is with the “Others” (together with Canada and New Zealand) in the Western European and Others (WEO) regional group in the world body.
This is not the first time the idea of Australia joining Asean has been broached, nor is this the first time that I, and maybe others, have voiced the two conditions above. 
Evidently, Australia does not find the two conditions acceptable. For one thing, membership in Asean would mean nationals from the other members would be able to enter Australia without a visa. The world knows she does not relish the idea of unrestricted entry of foreign nationals, particularly from developing countries, like most Asean members, which happen to be peopled mostly by non-whites.

PUTSCHIST TRILLANES

I usually do not react to the antics of the twice-failed putschist Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. He is obviously a hatchet man of the Yellowtards with nearly all his accusations against the Duterte administration almost always bordering on the ludicrous. That’s his job for which he is allegedly well-compensated.
But when he starts lambasting and unfairly criticizing the country and its current leadership in a foreign land, that’s a different story. That’s like washing dirty linen in public, a no-no especially for a high government official like him. It shows lack of patriotism and decency.
This Trillanes did during a side session of the 61st annual meeting of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Narcotic Drugs held recently in Vienna, Austria, where he peddled virtual lies about the government’s anti-illicit drug campaign.
It was a good thing that a Filipino patriot, Ben Repol, took up the cudgels for the government and belied Trillanes’ malicious claims.
***
REMINDERS
This segment is intended to remind the Duterte administration of some of its yet unfulfilled promises and matters that need attention and/or follow-up action. More importantly, the people are entitled to know what’s being done about them.
1) Digong’s promise to rid the country of foreign troops. This, of course, necessitates re-visiting the lopsided VFA and the EDCA with the US. 
2) Reciprocal visa arrangements with the US and other countries. 
3) The retrieval of the Balangiga bells.
4) The return of the Canadian waste.
***
Today is the 314th day of the eleventh year of the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos, son of the late press icon and founder of this newspaper, Joe Burgos.
After the acquittal of Major Harry Baliaga, Jr., the only person formally charged with Jonas’ kidnapping, I guess what happens next is now up to Divine Providence.
***
From an internet friend:
One night four college students stayed out late, partying and having a great time. They paid no mind to the test that they had the next day and did not study. In the morning, they hatched a plan to get out of taking the test.
They covered themselves with dirt and grease and went to the Dean’s office. Once there, they said that they had been to a wedding the previous night and on the way back they got a flat tire and had to push the car back to campus.
The dean listened to their tale of woe and thought. He offered them a retest three days later. They thanked him and accepted his offer.
When the test day arrived, they went to the Dean. The Dean put them all in separate rooms for the test. They were fine with this since they had all studied hard. Then they saw that the test had only two questions.
1. Your name (1 point)
2. Which tire burst? (99 points)
***
20 March 2018
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