“To contain the oil spill we must seek help from international sources, like Japan, South Korea and even the United States and Australia”
Santa Banana, now we know why former President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs was a colossal failure.
And why illegal drugs continue to proliferate the market to add to the unabated entry of shabu (crystal meth) from China either through Customs or through smuggling!
In the hearings by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, it was found out, my gulay, that tipsters, who themselves were pushers of illegal drugs, were paid either by the police with illegal drugs confiscated either in buy bust operations by the police themselves, giving sometimes as much as 70 percent of the confiscated drugs.
To top it all, the proceeds earned in the market by the tipsters were given to the police . That’s what I call a smart deal, Santa Banana!
There were also reports in the Senate that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa expressed surprise at the revelation, saying, “We are going in circles.”
Really? Didn’t Bato know what was happening to Duterte’s war on illegal drugs since Bato then was chief of the Philippine National Police for more than half of the six-year term of Duterte?
Santa Banana, for a chief of police being unaware of what was going on with so many seizures of illegal drugs in buy bust operations or seizures of illegal drugs from drug pushers!
My gulay, with as much as 70 percent seized by the police getting back into the market, can you just imagine how much worth of shabu goes back to the market and peddled?
The late Jimmy Barbers and his late brother Robert Barbers, who became a senator, were both good friends of mine, with both having been Manila chief of police, used to tell me that a chief of police knows what is going on in his jurisdiction.
It’s for this reason why I say the six year war of Duterte and his chief of police was a colossal failure!
If not, then there must be something wrong.
I’m just wondering if this giving tipsters as much as 70 percent of confiscated or seized illegal drugs is still going on ? Perhaps Chief of Police Rodolfo Azurin Jr. should answer that.
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Accused Negros Oriental Rep. Arnulfo Teves was reported to have sought from Speaker Martin Romualdez another two months stay in the United States after his official leave of absence expired.
For what? Because Teves is supposed to be under threat from whom? But, after two months, how sure is the House of Representatives that Teves would come back to face the music ?
Since Speaker Romualdez has said the two months leave of Teves will not be given and that he must come back and work as a legislator, what now ?
With all the charges he is facing together with his sons and others for the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, is there an assurance that Teves will come back?
I cannot guess what the congressman will do, but from what I know about cases like these, flight is possible and likely.
While extradition is possible with the accused in the US, it’s so easy for anyone or any Filipino to hide, not necessarily in the States but elsewhere.
With all the recent developments, like illegal possession of high powered firearms allegedly used in that Degamo killing, it does seem that Teves is rightly accused.
But, I must say that’s on the realm of speculation.
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In my last column on charter change, I said the biggest challenge against the push of neophyte but election topnotcher Senator Robin Padilla is with the Senate itself.
He must show how he will be able to muster 18 votes with no less than Senate President Migz Zuburu claiming that Cha-Cha is not a Senate priority.
While Padilla appears undeterred in his push for amendments of the seven economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution, with both President Marcos Jr. and the Senate President against him, the question now is, what will Padilla do?
I believe Cha-Cha through a Con-Ass or Constituent Assembly is the best and cheapest way to amend the charter; still, Padilla’s biggest challenge is the Senate itself.
I must confess that while I respect and admire Padilla’s commitment to charter change, let us admit that without the Senate and Zubiri’s cooperation, it appears Cha-Cha, in so far as the Senate is concerned, is doomed.
Padilla’s push for Cha-Cha by going around the country to convince the people for amendment in the economic provisions of the charter is truly admirable.
But, can Padilla do it without the support of his colleagues is now the big question.
The push of Padilla to go nationwide for charter change, as far as I am concerned , could be the answer.
After all, it will still be the people who will ratify the amendments in a plebiscite.
And while BBM and the Senate President are Padilla’s biggest roadblock, he might just be able to convince the people for the charter change.
After all, the people have the final answer to charter change. The voice of the people is the supreme law. `
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It is pathetic seeing people trying to clean up the oil spill reaching as far as Antique and Palawan.
Seeing people trying their best to clean coastal areas of Oriental Mindoro, whose residents are now getting sick in the aftermath of the oil spill, it seems the oil spill may even reach Boracay.
If that happens, Santa Banana, it will be a great tragedy to tourism – costing the country billions of lost income.
The biggest tragedy, to my mind, is that it seems there is nothing we can do to stop the oil spill since all that has been done by the government is to talk about the oil tanker that sank and left port without permit from the Coast Guard.
At this point, to contain the oil spill we must seek help from international sources, like Japan, South Korea and even the United States and Australia.
It is really pitiful that all the government has done is talk and talk.
This is why I believe there is a need for a DRR or Department of Disaster Resilience that is focused on strategic risk reduction on calamities and disasters like an oil spill.
The NDRRMC might help in the other disasters like floods, super typhoons, landslides, storm surges, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, which are common in the Philippines, but containing oil spills like this one hitting Oriental Mindoro, Antique and Palawan is something different.
This kind of tragedy is not common to the Philippines, and it appears like there’s nothing we can do about it but talk and talk.
Mister President , it is only you who can seek help from the other countries, and the sooner the better.
Seeing the owners of the sunk oil tanker is right and proper, but there is a need for you, Mister President, to seek assistance from other countries. As I said, the sooner the better, Mister President.
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The purchase by PLDT of the Lopez-owned Sky Cable certainly is for the better.
I know that for sure, since I am a client of Sky Cable and my service would get disrupted every now and then and I have to wait days on end for the repairman to fix it because Sky Cable promises and promises, but they take days to be at my doorstep.
With PLDT now owning Sky Cable, I am sure its service will be a lot better. That’s all that is needed by Sky Cable.