‘Today, members of the quad committee and many others in Congress are all over themselves going up against Roque, the former presidential spokesperson who not too long ago was their ally.’
IN his mind, Harry Roque probably thought that the reign of former President Rodrigo Duterte would not end someday and that he and other officials would ultimately face the music for any possible criminal or administrative wrongdoing. There was little doubt that Roque’s contemptuous and pompous manner drove the congressional quad committee to turn inquisitorial against him.
When the going got tough under the Duterte administration, the House of Representatives was the first major government institution to kowtow to Duterte’s iron-fist governance, having a big hand in the forced closure of ABS-CBN, ignoring the fact that the network had not violated any laws. It also turned its back on its constitutional duty as a separate branch of government to intervene and check Duterte’s brutal drug war.
Today, members of the quad committee and many others in Congress are all over themselves going up against Roque, the former presidential spokesperson who not too long ago was their ally.
People would probably never forget how Roque branded former Sen. Leila de Lima as “the mother of all drug lords” and greeted her “Happy anniversary in your first year of detention and may you spend the rest of your life in jail.”
Do you think Roque, who has become a fugitive from justice, would be the subject of the current high-profile probe in the House on his alleged involvement in POGO operations if Duterte had remained President?
A three-way mayoral contest in Manila is brewing among Mayor Honey Lacuna, Sen. Imee Marcos and former Manila Mayor Isko Moreno. Lacuna is still trying to convince Moreno not to run, with the latter reportedly seeking more concessions in exchange for backing out.
With her name, machinery, and resources, Marcos is certainly the most formidable candidate. The good mayor has, however, maintained her favorable relations with her and both have been meeting often socially. There is growing speculation that Marcos is eyeing the Manila mayoralty seat to prepare for her bid as a presidential candidate in 2028 possibly to succeed his brother, President Bongbong Marcos.
Lacuna has proven herself as a tireless worker and has tried to make life better for Manila’s more than 400 barangays. Her staff says she is in the office by 6 a.m. and would reprimand anyone who comes after 8 a.m. The media has regularly reported her to be among the first responders during any emergency or calamity.
But the real image of the daughter of the late former Vice Mayor Danny Lacuna is not fully captured in the secular and online media, which has been enamored with politician-celebrities whose public image is largely built on physical looks and contrived demeanor of hard work and dedication.
I suggest to the officers of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP) to help level the playing field for political candidates of little means but equipped with outstanding credentials to run in the mid-term elections next year.
More politicians have been taking advantage of the absence of any law restricting them from doing personal or commercial endorsements on TV and radio stations before the start of the election period. The KBP should extend some consideration to the least known but quite capable candidates who may yet spell a big difference in our country’s future by enjoining its member stations nationwide to adopt a socialized scheme for minimal placement costs of the candidates’ exposures.
Broadcast media will, in effect, play a major part in ensuring that democracy truly works during a political exercise — by creating such an opportunity for the least and powerless to attain local political leadership.
With exorbitant rates for political advertisements going three or four times more than the regular airtime rates during the campaign period, broadcast media has been making quite a killing during elections.
