The United States wants to sell jet fighters to the Philippines but President Rodrigo Duterte rejected the offer. Why? If the President diversified our foreign policy and distanced the country from traditional ally the US, why not also diversify our purchase of defense equipment?
Anyone with a sense of geopolitics knows that a strong air force is the key to every nation’s defense capability. South Korea and Taiwan have the most modern fleet of aircraft in Asia supplied by the US defense department. This is why China cannot bully them into submission despite its massive People’s Liberation Army.
A strong air force with a lightning-strike capability is also the reason why Israel is able to ward off an attack by hostile neighbors in the Middle East. Egypt, Jordan and Iran learned this in the Six-Day War which they lost when they combined forces against the Jewish state.
In the Philippine, the old running joke is that what we have is not an air force but an air farce. That joke still has currency as seen in our subservient stance towards an aggressive China who wants to lord it over in the region.
There are concerns that what the US would be selling us are old fighter planes with spare parts already hard to supply. But we have a defense department which can check the equipment. The problem is that our military and police officials have a track record of buying second-hand planes and helicopters at astronomical prices.
God, what a country!
Last Monday on the occasion of National Heroes Day, President Duterte extolled the sacrifice and virtues of Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio and the Del Pilars.
Alas, in our present state of affairs, the Philippines is really a country bereft of heroes. Except for weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, boxing icon Manny Pacquiao and our overseas Filipino workers who toil in foreign lands under the worst working conditions, we cannot think of anyone as heroes under the present circumstances. Certainly not from the political sector.
There are few who manage to perform their duties as the Opposition fiscalizing flawed government policies and decisions. To them we take our hats off.
Just desserts, just rewards
The appointment of Teresita Leonardo de Castro as chief justice of the Supreme Court is drawing mixed reactions from several sectors. I am not including my own opinion as I might be cited for contempt of court by the chief magistrate.
Instead I will quote those who are more qualified and have parliamentary immunity from legal consequences to express their views. The most telling and cogent question being raised is why appoint De Castro who will only serve 42 days because she will soon retire. What can she accomplish in 42 days?
Will De Castro receive retirement pay and government benefits as Chief Justice even if she will only serve 42 days? That’s a lot of taxpayers’ money for so short a stint.
Those who oppose De Castro’s appointment claim that President Duterte knows how to dispense rewards to those who serve him well and loyally.
Foremost of those who oppose De Castro is independent legislator Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay who slammed the appointment as a reward for leading the ouster move against Maria Lourdes Sereno. De Castro gave a scathing testimony against Sereno in a House hearing.
The public vilification of Sereno was then followed by a quo warranto case filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida which sealed Sereno’s removal.
But why did the House judicial committee go along with the quo warranto case instead of forwarding an impeachment complaint to the Senate? Were the Duterte allies in the lower house not confident of their numbers in the Senate. The number of opposition senators are enough to block Sereno’s conviction.. The Senate would need at least 17 guilty votes to convict the chief magistrate.
The opposition Liberal Party includes Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Risa Hontiveros, Paulo “Bam” Aquino, Francis Pangilinan plus independent Senators Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon and Duterte arch critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. They could frustrate a guilty vote on Sereno. That’s seven out of 22 senators. Another LP senator, Leila de Lima, is in detention on because of an alleged crime of drug trafficking in the Bureau of Corrections in Muntiglupa which was then under her direct supervision as justice secretary.
In an ironic twist, Rep. Lagman has filed an impeachment case against De Castro and the two other associate justices—Diosdado Peralta and Lucas Bersamin—who also testified against were in the Judicial and Bar Council’s short list of Chief Justices nominees.