‘The President should flex some muscle and not allow the current rift with the Dutertes to prolong …’
PRESIDENT Bongbong Marcos should be more aggressive and deliberate in dealing with former president Rodrigo Duterte to ensure that any planned obstructionist or destabilizing move is neutralized. The sooner he ensures that Duterte faces arrest and subsequently taken to face trial, the better for him and this government’s political stability. There will be some noisy unrest among Duterte’s ardent political followers especially in Mindanao, but a show of state or police and military power would be ample to halt any form of blind adventurism. President Marcos should, however, make sure that Duterte is accorded the respect and protection a former head of state deserves, at all times.
The President should flex some muscle and not allow the current rift with the Dutertes to prolong, which would otherwise become unwieldy or threatening. It seems quite probable that it is the Duterte’s camp that has unleashed the rumored destabilization moves against the Marcos administration. The President should also tighten his grip on the AFP which has experienced quite a hefty pampering during Duterte’s term, leading to possible divided loyalties among senior commanders. Majority of the junior officers, however, have despised how the AFP was regarded as almost unpatriotic and cowardly in the face of the repeated Chinese violent intrusions at the West Philippine Sea, which was shamelessly allowed by Duterte.
Meanwhile, most in the Cabinet should push for the resignation of Vice President Sarah Duterte as Education Secretary after a barrage of insults from the Duterte family led by its patriarch, the former President, had been thrown at President Marcos.
The President has suddenly found allies in Barry Gutierrez, spokesman of former Vice President Leni Robredo and former senator Antonio Trillanes who together called on Sara Duterte to step down as a Cabinet member for the sake of delicadeza. Trillanes suggested that probably “nakikinabang siya sa posisyon” as Education secretary if she refuses to resign.
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It was pathetic seeing my students in theater class at the Pamantasan Ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) struggle to put up their stage plays as their Finals requirement last semester. Despite their admirable creative efforts and zealous dedication, the facility with its very limited capacity for production and theater outputs failed to do justice to the proficient students’ scripts, and to the abundant talents and skills of the cast and crew, as well. The auditorium (Albert Hall) was simply not suited as venue for theatrical presentations, such as a stage play with three to five acts.
We sincerely hope that the new administration of PLM led by its new president, Atty. Domingo Reyes, would undertake the needed renovation to turn the auditorium into a more suitable and feasible venue for PLM’s promising theater talents who, I am sure, the university will one day be proud of.
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Many people are disappointed that the movie blockbuster “Sound of Freedom,” which has taken the US and much of Europe and South America by storm, has not been shown in theaters here.
The movie which stars Jim Caviezel of “The Pasion of the Christ” was based on real-life accounts of child trafficking in Colombia, Mexico and the United States, which is reportedly made up of the largest crime syndicates in the world.
Hollywood bigwigs and celebrities are reportedly among the clients of sex child-traffickers.
Mel Gibson has spoken openly against the pedophiles in the entertainment industry and has produced a documentary as an advocacy campaign against human and sex trafficking.
The story is about Tim Hillard (played by Caviezel), a former US Homeland Department agent who organized and, risking his life, led a series of underground operations rescuing child-victims in Colombia and Mexico. Caviezel’s powerful line in the movie: “God’s children are not for sale!”
