Defensor, et al should stay away from speakership row

“When actors are vying for the same kinds of roles, there's bound to be a little rivalry. Deep friendships cannot be forged when you are competing with each other.”

—Juhi Chawla

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF asked to take sides, Ilonggo congresswomen and congressmen should shun partisanship in the House of Representatives and reject both the feuding Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, whose bickering in the last three weeks now has delayed the passage of the 2021 national budget and sullied the reputation of the Philippine legislature.  

While people around the world battle the COVID-19 pandemic, a bizarre news from the Philippines wormed its way into major news websites in the United States and other parts of the globe about two good-looking kids fighting over a piece of biscuit while an exasperated dad couldn’t decide between the spoiled brats. 

As of the moment, only AAMBIS-OWA Partylist Rep. Sharon Garin of Guimbal, Iloilo has been sideswiped in the Cayetano-Velasco tiff, losing her chairmanship in the committee on economic affairs for hugging the youthful would-be speaker, the hottest political heartthrob to emerge from the Southwestern Tagalog Region.

Because he is desperate to cling to power in whatever means and no matter who gets bamboozled, Cayetano, abetted by his “weather friends” in congress, will not hesitate to apply a Machiavellian “disciplinary action” to chop off the heads of disloyal sycophants and those who will stand his way to keep the speakership. 

 

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No one in congress should fear eccentric Cayetano or whoever political demigods and kingmakers that will tolerate his “reign of terror.”

No one should bow before Louis XIV-in-the-making Velasco.

Most of the solons from Western Visayas are in the age bracket of both Cayetano and Velasco; and they, too, can be in the best position to become speaker in the future, especially the brilliant Iloilo third district Rep. Lorenz R. Defensor (PDP-Laban), Antique Rep. Loren Legarda (PDP-Laban), and Negros Occidental third district Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez.

If they get their hands off the current speakership rumble, they will not end up beholden to whoever will emerge as winner in the game of musical chairs on October 14; they are also free to form their own silent coalition sans the influence and intervention of any political godfather.

If Velasco will be crowned as the next speaker (which he will most likely get based on the recent body language of Malacanang), erstwhile independent solons identified with either Cayetano and Velasco will be in the beck and call of the new speaker when the new emperor divides the spoils of war.

In every battle when the smoke is cleared, there’s always a retribution and “loyalty rewards”.  

“Veni, vidi, vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered.)  

If they remain independent and show displeasure to the fact that the speakership was being disputed in a repugnant manner (term-sharing was basically a “Solomonic decision” made in the presence of President Duterte before Cayetano clinched the speakership), they will earn the respect of the contending parties and the admiration of their constituents. 

 

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I AM saddened that one of my three most favorite hotels in New York City has succumbed to the struggling economy.

I’m referring to the fantabulous Roosevelt Hotel at 45 East 45th Street which is reportedly shuttering after nearly a century in operation.

Owned by Pakistan International Airlines and managed by United Hotels Company, the 1,015-key hotel is located near the heart of the midtown Manhattan, a walking distance from the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue. 

My other favorite hotels (which are not closing) are Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel in times Square and Hotel Pennsylvania in front of the Madison Square Garden also in the midtown. 

I always recommended these hotels to visiting friends from other states.

“Due to the current economic impacts, after almost 100 years of welcoming guests to The Grand Dame of New York, The Roosevelt Hotel, is regretfully closing its doors permanently,” the hotel said in a statement on its website, according to the report. Its final day of operation will be Oct. 31.

The 18-story building, which was constructed in 1924, also has 22,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, according to a loan prospectus from 2014. 

It most recently underwent an $8.2 million renovation in 2011.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two dailies in Iloilo)

 

 

 

 

It's not yet over 'til the fat lady sings

“True, it's not over till it's over. And even when it's over, it just begins again.”
― Kate McGahan

By Alex P. Vidal

THE final hymn wasn't played yet.
But it looks like MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) will close the year 2019 with a major edge over its rival, Panay Electric Company (PECO), with its recent victory in the Supreme Court that halted the implementation of the ruling of the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court (RTC) declaring two sections of MORE Power’s franchise law void and unconstitutional.
Ilonggos saw MORE Power and PECO spend the 2019 in bloody legal skirmishes.
PECO, for sure, still have several aces up its sleeves and isn't in the mood yet of throwing in the white towel.
After this latest major setback in the SC, PECO is expected to go back to the drawing board and prepare for the next showdown with the MORE Power when they start the 2020 next month.
The more PECO is wounded, the more it is emboldened to assemble a larger army for a bigger battle.
After having seized the superior position, MORE Power won't sleep on its victory; instead, it is expected to tighten up its grip in the pivotal SC en banc decision and sustain the juggernaut.
The suspense and thriller movie of the year the Ilonggo electric consumers have started watching in 2019 will have a more intense and complicated continuation in 2020.

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POLICE Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) Spokesperson, Lt. Colonel Joem Malong called as "fake news" the report that several school kids in Western Visayas were recently abducted by a group of men from Manila.
A "wrong information" is different from "fake news."
Since the abduction story was false, it's a wrong story or wrong information.
It can only be called as "fake news" if it was announced in the public in the form of a legitimate news item in the media: newspaper, TV, radio, Internet.
But if it came from unreliable and unverified sources and spread only in the coffee shops, barber shops, in casual conversations with no factual basis and not even a raw data, it's a plain and simple "wrong information."
Since the story about the abduction of school children was never processed as a news item (meaning it never met the basic news ingredients of who, what, why, when, and how) it could not be qualified to be in the category of a legitimate news; therefore it shouldn't be called as "fake news."
It maybe called only as a "kotso-kotso" (gossip) or "himu-himu estorya" (fabricated story).

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The splendid performances of our athletes in the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) being hosted by the Philippines and the pomp and glorious display of excellence by the host country during the opening ceremonies is a different story.
We should be proud of it as Filipinos; we must proclaim it all over the world. No problem with that.
But the alleged corruption in massive scale of the country's sports officials and the accountability of Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano as head of the Philippine Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) is another story.
We shouldn't be too overwhelmed by the success of our athletes and the splendor of the opening programs and parades that we will become deaf, mute, and blind to the major concern: some P6 billion of taxpayers money should be accounted for--only when all the athletes have gone home to their respective countries and the games were over.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

City Hall blackout

"In life, you can blame a lot of people and you can wallow in self-pity, or you can pick yourself up and say, 'Listen, I have to be responsible for myself.'"
--Howard Schultz

By Alex P. Vidal

ILONGGOS waited on tenterhooks whether City Hall would pin the blame of the blackout to the Panay Electric Company (PECO) noontime on Thursday (November 28) that rendered all services inutile in the seven-storey building.
'Tis the season for PECO bashing, thus even if the Christmas lights in a barangay hall will conk out, many critics will immediately cast a malicious look at the controversial power company.
The power outage, by the way, prompted Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo "Jerry" Treñas to call it a night for City Hall workers starting at 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Operations in the city government rested two hours before five o'clock in the afternoon,
In his Facebook page, the city mayor announced: “To all the employees, grab this opportunity to rest and be prepared for tomorrow. We have decided to dismiss you for today’s duty because you can’t work efficiently without electric access for your computers and air conditions."
It was the first major power interruption since Treñas regained the City Hall after the May 2019 elections.
And it jolted the city government.

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So far, PECO "wasn't the culprit" since there was no announcement or official explanation that followed when employees started to pack up and went home.
PECO's enemies are only waiting to see the power firm slip on the banana peel so it can pulverize PECO in another propaganda joust.
The blackout would have been nipped in the bud if the standby generators were in good condition.
The new City Hall, a state-of-art building, was only fully utilized during the time of former Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, but has been giving officials and employees nightmares.
If the blackout was caused by PECO, two things would have entered the people's imagination: either it was done to send a curt message to City Hall, which chided PECO for the obstructing poles and spaghetti wires in the streets and gave the power company until December 31 to remove them, or to remind City Hall of its purported unpaid bills.

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INSTEAD of blaming the media for the 30th SEA Games hosting catastrophe, the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) led by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, should be thankful that many of PHISGOC's shortcomings and apparent mismanagement have been reported so that they will be able to identify the areas where they need to work double time and fast track other minor delays before the official opening ceremony on November 30, 2019.
With or without the media, the alleged anomalies and mismanagement will not be swept under the rug.
Sooner or later, there will be questions; and from these questions will surface the itch from interested parties to call for an inquiry or investigation.
Again, this is how democracy works. We can curtail the press; we can't hide things that demand public accountability especially how the taxpayers' funds were handled and spent.
Media did not create the scandal. Media is there only to report what is going on and bring the event to the people.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Iloilo teacher loses job without Tulfo

"If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself."
--Confucius

By Alex P. Vidal

HE didn't wait for a Raffy Tulfo to make him to choose between facing a criminal rap or resign as teacher.
The controversial teacher in Pili National High School in Ajuy, Iloilo, who reportedly showed a porno video to his Grade 10 students in a Science class, has resigned, Iloilo Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Roel F. Bermejo confirmed in a report on Nov. 27.
When confronted earlier by Ajuy councilor Angel Briones, the teacher reportedly panicked and did not immediately face the Sanggunigan Bayan (SB) member, who went to the school to check the report after he had been tipped off by some parents.
Did the teacher fear a backlash and disciplinary action from school authorities, or he was intimidated by Briones' involvement in the brouhaha?
It wasn't immediately known whether he resigned for fear of being investigated by the Department of Education (DepEd-6), or someone from the school, municipal government, or DepEd forced him to give up his job.
He remained anonymous though and might no longer face any case for violation of Child Protection, or any law that protects the welfare of children.

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The Ilonggo teacher's resignation came in the heels of a controversy involving Manila-based anchorman Raffy Tulfo and a female teacher.
She was forced to give up her profession after being threatened with a criminal case by the hard-hitting broadcaster, whose help was sought by the guardians of a high school student.
Tulfo discussed the complaint of a grandmother during a TV episode of his program about a teacher who "mistreated" her grandson after the student allegedly failed to submit his report card.
A video footage shows the 55-year-old female teacher sending the student out of the classroom to sit on a chair at the corridor.
The broadcaster gave the teacher two choices: resign from her job face criminal charges.
When the teacher decided to resign, the case became a national sensation and caused an uproar. Thousands of fellow teachers threw their support behind the female teacher in a petition and denounced Tulfo.
The netizens also reacted adversely against Tulfo, who was forced to defend his action saying he only got carried by his emotion as a human being.

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AS I had warned earlier, the dirty department might retaliate against Senate minority floor leader Franklin Drilon after his series of expose on corruption and incompetence involving the minions of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
Amid Drilon's tiff against organizers of the 30th Southeast Asian Games led by Philippines Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) chief and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, a partlist representative sympathetic to Cayetano, et al, blasted the Iloilo senator in a privilege speech for allegedly cutting P2.5 million from the SEA Games budget allocated for the country's hosting, and increasing the budget of Drilon's infrastructure projects in Iloilo with P2.5 million.
Drilon described the partylist solon who attacked him as a "blabbermouth" and belied all the accuser's allegations.
So far, Drilon can handle the apparent retaliatory move from the druggles and grutnols who don't want to be interrupted while they are making a pile at the taxpayers' expense, and committing monumental blunders due to dishonesty and incompetence.
Ilonggos should brace for more attacks against their vigilant son and brother, Senator Drilon.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Proposed airport needs a godfather

"I approach each project with a new insecurity, almost like the first project I ever did, and I get the sweats, I go in and start working, I'm not sure where I'm going."
--Frank Gehry

By Alex P. Vidal

UNLESS Iloilo leaders will step on the gas and aggressively support and endorse the proposal of Passi City Mayor Stephen Palmares to build an airport in Iloilo's component city, it will remain a proposal and will just be a voice in the wilderness.
An infra project of such magnitude needs a political godfather, someone with a Stentorian voice and an earthshaking impact and influence in the national leadership.
Colossal projects are dream projects of every Tom, Dick, and Harry in public office, but the bottom line is always funds, the moolahs, where to get and how to mobilize them once their sources have been identified.
We are aware of the pesky bureaucratic red tape and maze the project will be going through once it will be taken seriously by the stakeholders and the implementing agencies.
We are also aware of the changing political climate which can serve as a game-changer and can ruin its implementation.

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We heard the mayor is mulling a private-public partnership so that a feasibility study can romp off. Nice idea and it should be pursued to the hilt.
Palmares has already reportedly forwarded the proposal to the Regional Development Council (RDC) headed by Iloilo Governor Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr., but we have yet to hear more Ilonggo leaders getting head over heels on the proposed domestic airport for it to hit the ground running.
Filipino politicians are known to be jealous and don't want to be left behind when it comes to grabbing a credit and getting a publicity over certain grandiose projects and undertakings.
Let's hope Ilonggo leaders are not among them. Let's hope they will rally behind the proposed project and ensure that it will be given due attention by the national government after the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) has done its sight inspection in Santo Thomas village, site of the proposed airport.

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ILONGGOS should rally behind Senator Franklin Drilon now that he has become a "pain in the ass", so to speak, among the minions of the Duterte administration embroiled in scandals and anomalies.
For sure, Drilon, the legislative body's lone ranger in the war against corruption and incompetence in the executive branch, is now in the radar of the dirty department owing to his high profile sparring sessions with neophyte senators Francis Tolentino, Bong Go, and Emmanuel Pacquiao.
It was fun to watch how the Iloilo senator made a mincemeat of these characters, who are among the staunch allies of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in the floor debates seen "live" by millions of people.
Drilon may have angered the demigods in the darkness furthermore when he recently blasted the administration's ambitious "build, build, build" program for its "failure" and delays.
And the latest to taste Drilon's fusillade was House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, his incredible P55 million SEA Games "kaldero" and all the fiasco related to the country's hosting of the biennial regional multi-sport event.
For the scoundrels and the mediocre, Drilon has become an obstacle and a thorn.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Obey City Hall

"In city hall and in local government, you have to get things done without drama." 

-- Jim Gray

By Alex P. Vidal

WITH barely seven weeks to go before the Dinagyang Festival 2020 will unravel in Iloilo City, City Hall executive assistant for power Randy Pastolero is hard-pressed to help clear spaghetti wires and poles that obstruct major streets where the festival parade route will pass.
Obstructing poles and spaghetti wires are perhaps some of the worst elevated eye sores in the history of Iloilo City.
Pastolero was reportedly scheduled to take to task the Iloilo Utilities Group (IUG) composed of Panay Electric Company (PECO), telecommunication, and cable companies on November 26 to prioritize the removal of poles in the City Proper and La Paz even as Mayor Geronimo "Jerry" Treñas has given the PECO only until the end of the year 2019 to remove them all.
The time table given by the city mayor apparently was to ensure that everything will be in order and normal and Iloilo City's beauty won't be disfigured by the wires' ugly sight when the week-long annual religious and cultural festival unwraps in January 2020.

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PECO and the telcos have been at loggerheads; they have been pointing an accusing finger at each other for the 254 and other poles identified by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in the city streets.
Treñas won't take sides.
All he wants is to fix the problem, to cut and cut clean.
Pastolero's job is to coax both parties and agree to show that they belong and are willing to listen, cooperate and help; and that they should be part of the solution, not the problem.
Instead of prolonging the blame game, PECO and the telcos will have to drop their guns and stop sharpening their knives; they will have to listen to the siren of cooperation.
With dispatch and alacrity, they should obey City Hall and start hitting the ground running.
If they are able to remove the obstructions together sans mudslinging, people will credit them for cooperating with the City Hall and for "showing concern" for the welfare and safety of the public.

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THERE'S nothing wrong if the press will criticize Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano for the mess in the ongoing 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) being hosted by the Philippines while the Games are in progress.
Cayetano's admirers and defenders decry that it's not good to wash our dirty linens in public while visitors, athletes, officials and other participants from other Southeast Asian nations are still here.
The visitors don't and won't give a damn how the host media make their reports.
This is how democracy works in the country. We don't curtail the press because the host country's top organizing official is the one being lambasted.
As chairman of the Philippines Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHILCOG), Cayetano, who loves to wear many hats, is accountable for all the lackluster preparations, including the alleged shenanigans in the construction of sports facilities.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Insatiable and a spoiled brat

"Man is insatiable for power; he is infantile in his desires and, always discontented with what he has, loves only what he has not. People complain of the despotism of princes; they ought to complain of the despotism of man."
--Joseph de Maistre

By Alex P. Vidal

ARE the ongoing woes being experienced by at least 12 government hospitals in Iloilo a result of the late reaction to seriously address the dengue cases?
Was the May midterm elections the culprit?
If the elections weren't held two months ago, health and local government officials probably would have given full attention to the deadly virus and ample preparations would have been sufficiently made earlier.
The reported spill over of dengue patients in these hospitals that resulted in shortages of beds means the government was caught unprepared when dengue was wreaking havoc.
As early as in September 2018, the Bacolod City Health Office already reported seven deaths mostly children aged 3 to 11; one was 23 years old.

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Also in February 2019, the Department of Health in Central Visayas reported that 28 have died of complications arising from the dengue fever virus since January 1, 2019.
The regional epidemiology and surveillance unit of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) reported that from January 1 to February 16, 2019, they have recorded 3,681 dengue cases, which represents a 233 percent increase when compared to the 1,105 cases recorded over the same period in 2018.
Meanwhile, all the 12 Iloilo government district hospitals are facing a crisis after 1,984 dengue-related patients have been admitted as of July 9, 2019.
The number swelled only about three days after Gov. Arthur "Toto" Defensor Jr. signed an executive order on July 5, 2019 declaring a dengue outbreak.

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The last time I interviewed Alan Peter Cayetano was in June 2015 at the Philippine Consulate in New York City.
He was then a senator and trying to coax would-be presidential candidate Rodrigo R. Duterte to be the former Davao City mayor's runningmate.
He got what he wanted from "Tatay Digong."
Cayetano wanted to become vice president but was badly clobbered by now Vice President Leni Robredo and second placer Bongbong Marcos.
The son of the late Sen. Rene Cayetano had also wanted to become a senate president but fellow senator Koko Pimentel dashed his dreams to pieces.
But when he wished to become the foreign affairs secretary, this time Alan Peter Cayetano got what he wanted from "Tatay Digong."

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When Alan Peter Cayetano left the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA)-with a not-so-impressive performance--he ran and won as representative in Taguig-Pateros in the recent elections.
Now an elected congressman, insatiable Alan Peter Cayetano wanted to become the House speaker.
After so much jostling and cajoling, the spoiled brat of Philippine politics again got what he wanted from "Tatay Digong"--albeit a term-sharing deal with Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco.
Alan Peter Cayetano is perhaps the only Filipino politician who thinks a public office is a Ferris wheel or a tour bus.
He is both insatiable and a spoiled brat under the Duterte administration; and this made so many people suspect that he is not really sincere in public service and only wanted to establish a record in government service for himself.
We won't be surprised if, after they have mangled the constitution and change the system of government on the behest of President Duterte, Alan Peter Cayetano will next aim to become a prime minister.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Alan loses credibility

“A constructive approach to diplomacy doesn't mean relinquishing one's rights. It means engaging with one's counterparts, on the basis of equal footing and mutual respect, to address shared concerns and achieve shared objectives.” 

--Hassan Rouhani

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- If he still has a delicadeza left in him, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano should have resigned immediately when news broke out that the Kuwaiti Government has expelled Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro Villa.
Villa has been declared as persona non grata after Kuwait learned that several distressed Filipino OFWs were rescued from their employers with the help of the Philippine Embassy.
Kuwait’s harsh decision against Villa came after Cayetano, a politician before becoming a diplomat, apologized to Kuwaiti Ambassador Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh that the Philippine government had to take action upon receiving requests for help from distressed Filipino workers.
Villa was ordered kicked out after the Kuwaiti ambassador had a meeting with President Rodrigo R. Duterte in Davao City on April 22.

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In other words, Kuwait did not accept Cayetano’s lullaby.
The tiny but oil-rich Middle East country didn’t take the Philippines’ foreign affairs boss seriously.
If a sincere apology from a foreign affairs chief of one nation over a sensitive matter has been ignored and bypassed, either that foreign affairs chief has no credibility or he is a lousy chief diplomat.
Since the issue was widely reported all over the world, it gave Cayetano a king-sized embarrassment in the diplomatic community which is a big blow to his credibility.

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As expected, no serious troublemaker made a scene when Boracay was shut down on April 26.
There was no untoward incident related to the closure order.
Which made the presence of combat-ready members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) unnecessary as we wrote earlier.
Until the 11th hour, PNP and AFP bigwigs continued to downplay criticism that the presence of soldiers and cops was tantamount to a case of “overkill.”
Since the purpose of Boracay’s temporary closure for six months was “rehabilitation” or “cleaning up operation”, there was no need to militarize the hitherto most preferred tourist destination in the Philippines.

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When time beckoned for Boracay’s sunset, there was no sighting of NPA or Muslim rebels or members of cause-oriented groups sympathetic to establishment owners and local folks using ferry or speed boats from Caticlan wharf to the main island to instigate insurrection or create mayhem.
There were no armed goons hired by disgruntled resort owners and irate residents to block government representatives from implementing the presidential closure fiat.

UN Assembly: The new Alan Peter Cayetano

"The United Nations is our one great hope for a peaceful and free world."

--Ralph Bunche

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- The last time I interviewed Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano was when he graced the Philippine Independence Day celebration in June 2015 at the Philippine Consulate on Fifth Avenue.
He was then a senator and was interested to run for vice president of the Philippines.
He did run and lost to Rep. Leni Robredo who also beat second placer, former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
Cayetano, who ran under PDP-Laban standard bearer Rodrigo Roa Duterte, spoke about the plight of overseas Filipino workers (OFW), the Philippine economy,  and against graft and corruption.
When he spoke during the United Nations General Assembly on September 23, we heard a different Alan Peter Cayetano.
He wanted to convince the 72nd Edition of UNGA's General Debate that the Philippine government "seeks to protect the human rights of peaceful law-abiding people" in the country's battle against corruption, crime and illegal drugs.

INTEGRATE

Cayetano said: “The Philippines integrates the human rights agenda in its development initiatives for the purpose of protecting everyone, especially the most vulnerable, from lawlessness, violence, and anarchy."
The very principle of "responsibility to protect" must encompass the vast majority of peaceful law-abiding people who must be protected from those who are not, Cayetano explained.
He added that as a "responsible leader", President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, launched a vigorous campaign against the illegal drug trade “to save lives, preserve families, protect communities and stop the country’s slide into a narco-state, adding that the campaign was never an instrument to violate any individual’s or group’s human rights.
As of August 2017, the drug trade had penetrated at least 24,848 barangays. This is 59 per cent of the total of 42,036 of the smallest government units spanning the country’s archipelago.
The former senator said the Philippines have also discovered the intimate and symbiotic relationship between terrorism vis-a-vis poverty and the illegal drug trade.
These terrorists, he said, were somehow able to bring together an assortment of extremists, criminals, mercenaries and foreign fighters who attempted to take control of Marawi. The national armed forces will regain full control of Marawi from Islamic State-inspired terrorists.

ASEAN

On regionalism, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, has overcome the divisions, fears, and hostilities of the past, forging regional cooperation in promoting growth, development, and peaceful settlement of disputes, Cayetano said.
Here's part of Cayetano's speech:
"Mr. President, Excellencies, The path to peace must be walked with patience. To achieve any purpose with others--be they powers or people, patience is needed. The opposite of patience is impatience--the cause and aggravation of conflict.  
"Someone said that 'Talk, talk is better than war, war.' Listening is even better than talking. We must listen to others more than we listen to ourselves. Hopefully we know what we are talking about. But others may know what we do not. We can learn only if we stop talking, and listen. 
"We may think we know how others can do things better than they’ve done it. Maybe our way is more efficient. But the time gained by that efficiency will be time lost convincing others that our way is better, rather than a compromise between our way and theirs. 
"Real change in the world order necessitates cooperation. Nothing affecting others can be undertaken without their willing involvement, without getting their agreement on the purpose and manner of it. Achieving a shared purpose beyond any single one’s ability requires cooperation. 
"But how else can we get cooperation if not with the patience to explain why it is needed--and the equal patience to listen. 

LARGEST

"This is why we have the United Nations, the largest cooperative endeavor in human history. We use the UN to speak out but equally also to listen. And somehow arrive at a consensus, or at least a modus vivendi on how to proceed--in peace and therefore with a greater prospect of progress. 
"The theme for this year’s session--“Focusing on people: striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet”--captures a promise that everyone who has stood here vowed to fulfill for his people, and the rest of the peoples of the United Nations, as the Preamble of the Charter puts it. 
"Yet, after 72 years, while much has been achieved, much more has to be done. The promise is still very much a work in progress.
"We, the peoples of the United Nations, battle new threats that undermine such success as we’ve achieved, and frustrate further progress in peace, development and human rights--the three pillars of the United Nations."