Duterte makes Bato and Go look stupid

“I have no idea why people want to watch puppets be the slightly meaner version of the weirdo holding them. It's beyond my comprehension.”

—Daniel Tosh

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF you are annoyed by the recent acrobatics and screenplays of Senators Bong Go and Bato Dela Rosa in the presidential race, it’s because their political patron, President Rodrigo Duterte, appears to be the one making them look like stupid.

We can’t blame them if apparently they’re making a fool of themselves by presenting as presidential candidates today, and withdrawing thereafter.

Their acts don’t only mock the electoral system, they also degrade the standard of leadership in the country. 

In chess, Mr. Duterte is using a two-pawn attack. They exist and are utilized only to be fed to the lions, not to be thrust into the pedestal as what many of their fanatics falsely think.

It’s their bad luck that they’ve been chosen from among Mr. Duterte’s coterie of clowns to dance naked in public with no regard to their dignities as members of the national legislature.

As we’ve been repeatedly saying here, they can’t say no to the emperor.

They just don’t have the guts, will, freedom, power, and self respect to disobey the angry man who thinks he can badmouth any living thing in this planet who disagrees with him and still earn pogi points from his 16 million fans.

 

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Mr. Duterte has been using these sitting ducks to launch a kamikaze attack against the opposition in a costly, virulent but unnecessary dogfight.  

Because the president has succeeded in bringing them to the national office from virtual obscurity in Mindanao, the president thinks he holds their balls, thus they’re now known to be his “toy soldiers” ready to do his bidding and political comedy in any sitcom.

The quality of electoral process has suffered an alarming and disquieting degradation ever since these Davao City politicians entered the country’s political scene and controlled the orchestra.

First, Senator Bato was caught with his pajama down when he was forced to terminate his presidential candidacy after proclaiming to the world he was “serious” about it when asked by reporters why he filed his Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for president in the eleventh hour.

And now it’s Go’s turn to be thrown under the bus.

Caught in the middle of a potentially catastrophic cold war between father and daughter, Go had obliged to dance like Salome thinking he would be officially considered to be a vice presidential bet if Sara Duteret-Carpio opted for the presidency on Mr. Duterte’s behest and intercession.

When the transaction nosedived and the daughter filed her COC for vice president under Bongbong Marcos, Go had to be dispatched as a “presidential candidate” to “shake and rattle” the Marcos-Sara tandem.

When everything else failed and Sara decided to stick with Marcos, Go now suddenly found himself in the pigsty.

 

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MY decision to have a COVID-19 booster shot two weeks ago and a flu shot on November 12, or two weeks later, was timely.

At that time Omicron variant wasn’t yet an international scandal. 

As soon as I emerged from the Walgreens after a flu shot on Monday morning, New York City health officials issued a new mask advisory, strongly recommending all residents—regardless of vaccination status—to wear masks in all public indoor settings ahead of expected cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19.

"Today, I am also issuing a Commissioners' advisory strongly recommending that all New Yorkers wear a mask at all times, when indoors and in a public setting, like at the grocery, in building lobbies, offices and retail stores," Health Commissioner Dr. David Chokshi said. "This includes those who are vaccinated and those who have had COVID-19. Higher quality masks can offer additional protection, and masks are still required for everyone in public transit, health care settings, schools and congregate settings."

Mayor Bill de Blasio, Mayor-elect Eric Adams, and New York Governor Kathy Hochul addressed concerns over the new variant, first discovered in southern Africa. 

City officials said scientists have yet to confirm any cases of omicron in New York City, but they anticipate cases of the newest variant to begin popping up.

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

 

A lesson to all dictators

“Withholding information is the essence of tyranny. Control of the flow of information is the tool of the dictatorship.” 

― Bruce Coville

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

NO dictator or political leader with a reputation of “strongman” in history will remain a strongman forever.

Not even Magellan, Caesar, Napoleon, Atahualpa, Franco, Mussolini, Hitler, Amin, Suharto, Peron, Marcos, Ceausescu, Kim, Saddam, bin Laden, Gaddafi, Trump.

Neither Duterte nor Bato and Isko (yes he has the tendency. Give him more power and years).

All of them have their own Waterloo and Achilles Heel.

Let me share the story of Hebrew hero, Samson, and the hero in Greek mythology, Achilles, who fought in the Trojan war. 

Achilles was invincible in battle except for one little tiny spot, way down near his foot.

His heel was the only vulnerable part of his body, and of course, that was the very spot that his enemies exploited to kill him.

Well, Samson was a hero in ancient Hebrew history, who learned too late that he has an Achilles' heel.

Samson was set apart by God at birth. His mother had been unable to conceive for many years. 

One day an angel appeared to her and told her she would have a son who would be a Nazirite, which meant taking a vow that included no wine and no haircutting, according to the Saints & Scoundrels of the Bible.

Samson would be one of a long line of handpicked deliverers known as judges who fought against Israel's enemies, it added.

 

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Like Achilles, he would be tested in battle. But he would have strength to match that of another fabled Greek hero, Hercules.

"Sadly, Samson was not strong in his convictions. Sure, he could tear apart a lion with his bare hands, but he always picked women who were wrong for him, and he attempted to play mind games with the Philistines--the enemies of Israel and the people he was charged to defeat," narrated the Saints & Scoundrels of the Bible.

Having selected a Philistine wife, against his parents' wishes, Samson reportedly decided to make sport of his wife's townspeople with a riddle related to the lion he killed.

If they could guess the riddle, he would give them 30 new outfits, including 30 items made of linen--undoubtedly a wardrobe to die for. If they couldn't guess it, they would reportedly have to give the items to Samson.

The story went on that when they couldn't guess the riddle, the Philistines threatened to kill Samson's wife and her family.

Obviously there were some sore losers in town. The woman reportedly begged Samson to tell her the riddle, which she then explained to her people.

 

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Samson reportedly lost his temper and killed 30 Philistines to gain their clothing in payment. He also gave away his wife. Samson's experience with his Philistine wife foreshadowed a relationship that  would lead to his doom--his relationship with Delilah.

The Philistine leaders reportedly approached Delilah with an offer she couldn't refuse: find out what made Samson strong. A handsome reward would be hers. Delilah agreed.

So much for standing by your man. When Samson finally gave away his secret, Delilah called in a man to give Samson his first and only haircut.

When Samson woke up, "he didn't realize that the spirit of the Lord had departed. He was quickly taken into captivity by the Philistines. They decided to make an example of him by depriving him of his eyesight and forcing him to grind grain in the prison," added the Saints & Scoundrels of the Bible.

 

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But God had mercy on his wayward deliverer. One of the most promising verses in this sad account is 16:22: "Before long, his hair began to grow back."

Obviously firm believers in the "kick a man when he's down" school of thought, the Philistines decided to have a laugh at Samson's expense, it further narrated.

Samson was taken to the temple where all could see and mock the fallen hero.

"But God had the last laugh," Saints & Scoundrels of the Bible stressed. "After Samson requested that he be placed by the pillars of the temple, God brought the house down with a display of strength--the final act of Samson's life."

This hero was no longer a zero.

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

 

The insincerity of the Dutertes

 “Insincerity is always weakness; sincerity even in error is strength.”

—George Henry Lewes

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Mayor Sara Carpio, were sincere, they would not turn the filing of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) for the May 9, 2022 election into a slapstick show.

They would have told the people right away straight in the eye that daughter Sara will be running for president.

No more melodrama, no more acts of buffoonery and political processions.

That’s how real public servants should behave; they don’t conceal their intentions when public interest is concerned. 

Statesmen and women are transparent and aren’t merchants of political voodoo.

True leaders don’t beat around the bush when it comes to telling the public how they would want to serve and in what capacity.

What is happening is no less than Mr. Duterte himself is the one setting a bad example of how a leader can misbehave.

First, Mr. Duterte said he would not run for any public office anymore when his term expires next year. 

Then he announced he was running for vice president after “accepting” the nomination from his PDP-Laban party.

 

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And, again, he is now saying he has “decided to retire” from politics. When can we expect this leader to tell us the truth and nothing but the truth in one fell swoop?

And like her father Digong, daughter Sara said repeatedly she would not seek the presidency.

She filed her COC for reelection as mayor of Davao City to prove this.

They think the Filipinos are fools and ignorants who don’t understand the Duertes’ tactics and soap opera.

If father and daughter can’t be transparent to the people about their candidacies, how can we expect them to be transparent in their dealings once they retain or reclaim the Malacanang next year?

We all know that father and daughter are only bluffing. 

We know they have been playing political footsies and masquerading since day one in as far as the question of who will run for president and vice president in their family is concerned.

They may call it “confusing the enemies” as inspired by Lao Tzu’s Art of War, but we know that President Duterte, in truth and reality, wants daughter Sara to succeed him, not his sidekick, Senator Bong Go or any of his asslickers.

 

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But while the Dutertes try to “confuse” their enemies with their games of musical chairs tactics, the people are the most confused, which affects the image of the Dutertes and how they perceive them as leaders.

When people are confused they can’t decide which candidate or political party for that matter to support. 

They become vulnerable to distortion of facts and truth; their minds can be misdirected and manipulated; and they can be brainwashed and pushed to the dungeon.

And we know that Go’s candidacy for vice president is a farce.

We know that the election law in the Philippines allows a last-minute switching or substitution of the candidates. 

Under Comelec Resolution No. 10695, promulgated Feb. 10, 2021, the ultimate deadline for substitution of candidates is not Nov. 15, but May 9, 2022.

The eight-day period from October 1-8 is also the time for filing the list of nominees, certificates of nomination and certificates of acceptance of nomination and affidavits of party-list groups, coalitions and organizations under the Comelec Resolution approved Jan. 13, 2021.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgive the ‘bastos’

  

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.”

—Thomas Szasz

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

SINCE he has already apologized, those who have been offended by Harry Roque’s rant against Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Maricar Limpin and a group of medical experts recently, should now start burying the hatchet and forgive him.

Several medical personalities have already given Roque a dose of his own medicine by calling him “bastos” (rude or uncouth) because of his unnecessary and uncalled for outbursts. 

Being called a “bastos” in a national television can be humiliating for someone in the presidential spokesperson’s stature. 

It’s probably enough to bring this angry man back to his senses.

Since they may find it hard to forget Roque and his rib-tickling blabber, they might as well forgive him. 

Forgiving but not forgetting him means they can hold Roque accountable for his slip up as President Rodrigo Duterte’s mouthpiece and the malediction will probably blow him away if he seeks an elective post in the future.

Whether Roque needs to relinquish his post because of the controversy isn’t necessary. He isn’t Japanese. 

Roque loves his job which has given him national exposure he never dreamt of getting when he was a partylist representative best remembered for having lambasted President Duterte’s “poor human rights record.”

 

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IF Iloilo’s Senator Franklin Drilon will decide to run for vice president  against President Rodrigo Duterte in the May 2022 election and defeat him, it will settle the score who between the two is credible.

But Drilon has not revealed his next political plans and is apparently supporting Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who has announced his candidacy for vice president under standard bearer Senator Panifilo “Ping” Lacson.

Mr. Duterte has been self-destructing these past months with his incredible attacks on prominent members of the opposition, especially senators handling the investigation of companies owned by Chinese characters with alleged links to illegal drugs, which had cornered billions of pesos in questionable government contracts in the fight against pandemic.

Instead of just letting the legislative body, a coequal branch in government, do its oversight job under the constitution, Mr. Duterte has engaged in shocking personal and ad hominem attacks.

After six years of being president, Mr. Duterte has continued to rely on cuss words and slander to stymie his perceived political opponents.

He also has the tendency to revive his innuendos and mind-boggling hatred against innocent characters who didn’t support him in the last presidential election like former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who has opted to live in peace and tranquillity with his family in Canada and has not even fired back from Mr. Duterte’s wild and gutter attacks.

 

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ONE thing that is good about Leylah Fernandez’s magical performances in the U.S. Open is that the Philippines has been mentioned several times in the major TV networks, newspapers, podcasts, news websites  in more than a week since the tournament blasted off in Flushing, New York City.

It’s very healthy in as far as name recall for the Philippines is concerned.

Because of Fernandez, Hidilyn Diaz, Manny Pacquiao, and other universal athletes with Filipino blood in their veins, the Philippines gets a remarkable and positive publicity internationally.

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

 

Duterte uses aide Go to confuse enemies

 “Conflict is drama, and how people deal with conflict shows you the kind of people they are.”

—Stephen Moyer

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT is now becoming obvious that President Rodrigo Duterte has been using his aide, Senator Bong Go, to confuse his political rivals and, perhaps, the Filipino people.

Mr. Duterte has been floating the idea since early this year that his most trusted sidekick, whose background remains to be a mystery to many Filipinos as of today, will run for president in the May 2022 election.

The President even hinted recently he was willing to run for vice president if his aide will run for president.

And Go appears to be enjoying and cooperating in the biggest pre-election zarzuela meant ostensibly to retain Mr. Duterte into power beyond 2022. 

Ditto with the President’s acolytes in the PDP-Laban—although he has been replaced as chairman by Senator Koko Pimentel, son of the legendary and party founder, the late and real maverick former Senator Nene Pimentel.

To compound the drama, Go was reported to have “rejected” PDP-Laban’s supposed endorsement for him to run for president.

To further put a flummox on the people’s thinking, they made it appear there’s a simmering animosity between father and daughter, Davao City mayor Sara-Carpio, who is actually the family’s best choice to succeed her father for presidency.

It will not be surprising though if the President will pick somebody who has no solid and credible background in political leadership to succeed him. 

After all, it was rumored that Emperor Caligula appointed his horse consul or senator.

 

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But even the most illiterate person in the neighborhood knows Mr. Duterte really intends to endorse his own daughter, founder and will be the official candidate for president of the Mindanao-based Hugpong Ng Pagbabago Party.

And they are using Go to divert the attention of all and sundry.

There is even more than meets the eye in Mr. Duterte’s recent “confirmation” that he would run for vice president even as it bolstered suspicions they were, in fact, endorsing former senator Bongbong Marcos as standard bearer.

To confuse an enemy is a major stratagem in any warfare so they do not know which way to turn and will not expect what you do next.

When the rivals are confused they hesitate, wondering what will happen and what they should do.

Hesitation can be fatal in political battle when it hands the enemy the initiative, giving them first strike or the choice of the next move.

Hesitation by rivals has a devastating amongst conscripts who assume that if rivals are not sure what is going on then their doom is assured.

Confusion is invoked when rivals of the Dutertes expect a particular thing to happen and then something else happens instead. 

This includes nothing happening when, for example, an attack or changing of squad was expected.

Confusion may also be invoked by acting unpredictably. 

The enemy will always be trying to second-guess, typically by studying your past moves. 

If you deliberately break past patterns then their predictions will be wrong and their counter-moves counter-productive.

 

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WE have Filipino US Open champions in chess and billiards but not yet in tennis.

But I have good reason to continue patronizing the 2021 US Open despite the pandemic: the venue is 15 minutes away by walk from where I live, and there will be a partial glimpse of what may follow this golden era will be on display at the U.S. Open, which gets underway without Roger Federer, 40, or Rafael Nadal, 35, who both announced they won’t compete again in 2021 as they address lingering injuries.

The first day at the US Open has a special aura of newness and even revival for players and fans alike like American baseball’s opening day, as reported by Richard Finn.

It is when hope springs eternal for all. On this day, everything and anything is possible. 

The past means nothing and only the present counts. 

Previous wins and losses, resumes rife with titles, none of that matters. All 128 men's and 128 women's singles competitors start the tournament at the exact same place, all with one goal and dream—to win seven matches and be crowned US Open champion.

Opening Day at the Open is likewise a bonanza for fans. It’s like lifting up the lid of a treasure chest, not knowing what delightful treasures are inside.

Walk around USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and your eyes won't know which way to look. It’s like your head is on a swivel and your mind is on overload trying to keep up with the action, as world-class players are competing on every court. 

Established stars and those trying to make a name for themselves all share the Opening Day stage.

And despite the throng of fans and the scope of the grounds, there is an intimacy between the fans and players that is truly unique. 

Everyone gets wrapped up in the thrill of getting the season’s final Slam underway. On the outside courts, fans can see the sweat on the faces of the players, hear their exhortations, and marvel at their speed, strength and skills.

Most certainly, every day at the US Open is special, but Opening Day takes “special” to another level. 

It is a celebration; a riveting block party that rolls out the welcome mat for players and fans alike. It is the first chapter of an unforgettable drama.

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

 

 

'Matrix' and 'Yellow Journalism'

“We don't go into journalism to be popular. It is our job to seek the truth and put constant pressure on our leaders until we get answers.”
--Helen Thomas

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We can compare both resigned The Manila Times associate editor Felipe “Ipe” Salvosa II to the brave American journalist Richard Harding Davis and Times publisher Dante Ang to Davis’ former boss, William Randolph Hearst, the alleged “father” of “Yellow Journalism” and publisher of the pre-World War I New York Journal.
Like Salvosa II, who resigned on April 24, 2019 two days after Ang insisted on publishing a story linking media organizations to an ouster plot against President Rodrigo Duterte, Davis, the the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish–American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War, resigned after his story about the Spanish police boarding an American ship and “stripped the three Cuban women passengers in a search for the documents” was paraded as headline story in the New York Journal dated February 12, 1897.
“I want to be able to teach and still look my students straight in the eye,” Salvosa told Rappler on April 25.

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Salvosa tendered his resignation after Ang, Times owner and chairman emeritus, fumed over his Twitter post questioning Ang’s “matrix” story that identified the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Vera Files, Rappler, and the National Union of People's Lawyers (NUPL) as being involved in a plot to oust Duterte.
Davis was 32 when Hearst sent him to Havana to cover the conflict there between Spanish authorities and Cuban insurgents in December 1896.
Already a popular culture hero through his reporting, his fiction, and his stylish manner, Davis was offered by Hearst $3,000 for a month of reporting from Cuba, according to Michael Schudson in his book, Discovering the News.
Hearst, by the way, also sent Frederic Remington, a 35-year-old artist, to accompany Davis.
Because Davis and Remington were barred from the “war zone” by Spanish military authorities along with other reporters, news was hard to get.
“Rumors and minor incidents were generally the best the correspondents had to offer,” wrote Schudson.
Discouraged, Remington wired Hearst: “Everything is quiet. There is no trouble here. There will be no war. Wish to return.”
Hearst responded, “Please remain. You furnish the pictures and I’ll furnish the war.”
Remington left Cuba after a week despite such encouragement.

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Davis stayed in Cuba and wired the controversial story on February 10, 1897 that the Spanish police, on board the US ship, claimed that the Cuban women were carrying messages to insurgents leaders in New York when stripped.
The Journal placed the story on front page under the headline: “Does Our Flag Protect Women? Indignities Practiced By Spanish Officials on Board American vessels. Richard Harding Davis Describes Some Startling Phases of Cuban Situation. Refined Young Women Stripped and Search by Brutal Spaniards While Under Our Flag on the Olivette.”
Accompanying the story on page two was a two by a half-page drawing by Remington imagining the scene from New York, showing one of the women naked and surrounded by Spanish officers going through her clothing.
Nearly a half million copies of the paper were sold and it was a good stuff for Hearst’s purpose of building a circulation.
But the story was not quite true.
The drawing, in particular, was not accurate.

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Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World, the leading paper in New York in 1897, interviewed the Cuban women when they arrived in Tampa and discovered they had been searched by matrons, not by the Spanish officers.
The New York World immediately ran a front-page story that one of the Cuban women, Clemencia Arango, denied being searched by Spanish officers.
The article “popped the (New York) Journal’s balloon of scandal and outrage,” according to Discovering the News. “Richard Harding Davis considered the revelation a reflection of his integrity, and so he wrote to the (New York) World to defend himself.”
Pulitzer’s newspaper featured on page two a story headlined, “Mr. Davis explains” on February 17, 1897 where Davis argued that not he but Remington was responsible for any misrepresentations.

-o0o-

“I never wrote that she was searched by men…Mr. Frederic Remington, who was not present, and who drew an imaginary picture of the scene, is responsible for the idea that the search was conducted by men. Had I seen the picture before it appeared, I should never have allowed it to accompany my article…”
Davis broke with Hearst over this incident and never again wrote for a Hearst paper.
“This was an important moment in journalism, but its importance needs to be carefully defined. On the surface, it appears that the significance of the incident is that a reporter, proud of his professional standing and faithful to the norms of factual reporting, stood up to the evil influences of a circulation-building editor-publisher,” Schudson wrote in Discovering the News.
“Here, fidelity to facts is identified with reporters and threats to accuracy, with publishers, their eyes on the cash box.”

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The Spanish-American War, was the first press-driven war, according to many historians.
“Although it may be an exaggeration to claim that Hearst and the other yellow journalists started the war, it is fair to say that the press fueled the public's passion for war. Without sensational headlines and stories about Cuban affairs, the mood for Cuban intervention may have been very different. At the dawn of the twentieth century, the United States emerged as a world power, and the U.S. press proved its influence,”stressed the PBS Learning Media.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

The ‘Ilonggo Bikoy’

“I wasn't aware of it at the time, but I was a big favorite with the Mafia.”
--Brenda Lee

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Some relatives and loved ones of candidates in the May 2019 elections are the ones who are more jittery and restless as the final days approach.
Some of these nervous relatives have sought the help of the social media and other public platforms to appeal and campaign for their beloved candidates especially when they weren’t doing good in the surveys.
In some cases, the worried relatives are the ones initiating the “house-to-house” campaign for their candidates.
Children, parents, cousins, uncles, aunts have joined in the frenzied efforts to woo the voters and convince the public their bets are the Real McCoys in a genuine public service.
This is normal.

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Some Filipino family members always want to share the prestige and glory--big or small- achieved by their loved ones in any field.
Even in school and community competitions, we cheer and “pray” for the victory and success of our relatives in the hustings.
When they make it, the pride, joy and satisfaction felt by our victorious relatives reverberate in our hearts; we feel like the honor and reputation of the entire family have been lifted and stimulated.
When they go down, our pride and self-esteem sink; and we also suffer from emotional and mental strains in one way or the other.

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Iloilo City has its own “Bikoy” (an anonymous self-confessed former drug syndicate member who recently accused President Duterte’s family of alleged involvement in narco business) who “survived” after he left the syndicate to live in another country.
The Iloilo Bikoy is knowledgeable of the ins and outs of the drug syndicate in Iloilo City.
He was once one of the most trusted by the syndicate’s top echelons because of his profession.
The Bikoy Ilonggo version came to me on several occasions to appeal that I bring him in some of my international trips in the 90’s “to escape the heat in Iloilo City and disappear thereafter.”
He and his family left the country after a former top-ranking official of the defunct Narcom (Narcotics Command) in the region allegedly wanted him dead for being a “rat.”

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The Ilonggo Bikoy swore he wasn’t a traitor or a “double agent.”
He surmised it was not the former Narcom big boss who wanted to silence him.
The Ilonggo Bikoy recalled that he “earned the ire of (former) Metrodistrict Command Col. Vic Neptuno after a big fish had slipped away in a dawn raid conducted in the house of a drug trafficker in Jaro district.”
The Ilonggo Bikoy and the drug trafficker who escaped Neptuno’s dragnet were classmates in high school.
Two cops working under Neptuno had pointed to the Ilonggo Bikoy as the one who allegedly tipped off the drug trafficker.
“Nakakarami na siya. Sakit na siya sa ulo (he has been a headache to our operations),” Neptuno was reportedly angrily heard complaining.
Meanwhile, the former Narcom official, who spent several months in jail for his involvement in illegal drugs, once came to our editorial office in Sun Star Iloilo dressed like a priest.
Like the Greeks in the Trojan War, he was carrying a gift for our lady reporter who had no idea about the Narcom official’s dark secrets.
(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two local dailies in Iloilo)

Duterte ‘ignores’ Dinagyang invitation

“The safety of the people shall be the highest law.”
-Marcus Tullius Cicero

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Ilonggos shouldn’t consider it as a big deal that President Rodrigo R. Duterte “ignored” Iloilo City Hall’s invitation to grace the just-concluded Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City in the Philippines.
The president can’t just say yes to all the invitations in all the festivals and other social, political, religious and even business gatherings anywhere in the Philippines.
If he accepts one invitation and rejects another, he will be accused of playing favorites.
January is the month of religious and cultural festivals.
Iloilo City was only one of the many cities and municipalities in the Philippines that celebrated the feast of Senior Santo Niño aside from the Sinulog Festival in Cebu City.
Either his schedule wouldn’t allow it, or President Duterte probably decided to skip the Dinagyang Festival on January 25-27, 2019 for security or even health reasons.
The safety of a sitting president is always a paramount concern over other considerations.
Many Ilonggos still couldn’t forget when he called Iloilo City as “the most shabulized” and when he threatened to kill the former mayor, Jed Patrick Mabilog, for being a “protector” of illegal drugs.
It would have been a security nightmare for the “overloaded” Regional Police Office 6 (RPO-6) led by Director John Bulalacao if the president came after being officially invited by Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III.

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As Iloilo aims to harvest one million metric tons of rice this year, rice traders in the Philippines are reportedly set to import about 1.2 million tonnes of the staple food, as the Southeast Asian country lifts a two-decade-old cap on purchases.
This developed as the National Food Authority (NFA) has approved initial applications from 180 rice traders for permits to import a total of 1.186 million tonnes of either 5-percent or 25-percent broken white.
It was also reported that bigger rice purchases by the Philippines, already one of the world's top importers and consumers of the grain, could underpin export prices in Vietnam and Thailand, traditionally its key suppliers.
According to Reuters, prices in Vietnam fell last week ahead of the country's largest harvest this month, while the Thai market is likely to see additional supply towards the end of January from the seasonal harvest.
Dr. Sailila E. Abdula, acting executive director of Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), has rallied workers to support the upcoming Rice Tariffication Act or currently the Senate Bill 1998, which aims to replace import restrictions on rice with tariffs.
Abdula said cost-effective technologies should be further generated for the farmers to survive the possible influx of cheap rice from the international market.
Under the Senate Bill already signed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, PhilRice will annually receive P3 billion for six years, which will be used for “developing, propagating, and promoting inbred rice seeds to rice farmers and in organizing rice farmers into seed growers associations to be engaged in seed production and trade.”

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The Family Planning Organization of Philippines (FPOP) Iloilo Chapter reportedly distributed thousands of condoms to revelers during the highlight days of the recent Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo City.
FPOP Iloilo Chapter program manager Monalisa Diones said they have chosen the festival as a perfect venue to exhort the revelers to practice safe sex and to spread public awareness against the rising cases of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Iloilo City.
We suggest that FPOP go directly to the barangays and educate the couples not only to practice safe sex, but also to minimize producing battalions of babies.
One major reason why many Filipinos are still wallowing in abject poverty is because of overpopulation.
For lack of proper education and training, many couples in slum areas continue to transform their households into bodegas of babies.
The number of mouths to be fed isn’t proportionate to their income, thus many of them continue to live below the poverty level despite working like dogs.

I hope I won’t ‘disappear’ like Jamal Khashoggi

“If we believe that murder is wrong and not admissible in our society, then it has to be wrong for everyone, not just individuals but governments as well.”
--HELEN PREJEAN, Dead Man Walking

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- I hope I won’t “disappear” if I write critical stories against the Philippine Government even if I am in the United States.
Journalists around the world are probably expressing the same concern after brave Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared and believed to have been murdered when he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey on October 2, 2018.
The journalist’s mysterious disappearance has spawned an international diplomatic crisis and is currently the “talk of the town” in the global media.
Khashoggi has written extensively for the Washington Post about Saudi Arabia, criticizing its war in Yemen, its recent diplomatic spat with Canada and its arrest of women's rights activists after the lifting of a ban on women driving.
Those policies are all seen as initiatives of the billionaire Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Like Khashoggi, we also visit our Philippine Consulate from time to time to interview Consulate officials and cover art, cultural, musical, and political events even if in the stories we write, we critically call the attention of government officials concerned over some reported malpractices and suspected acts of graft and corruption.
Turkish officials have said they fear a Saudi hit team killed and dismembered Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the crown prince.
The kingdom has called such allegations "baseless," but has not offered any evidence Khashoggi ever left the consulate.

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I have written several critical articles against the extra-judicial killings (EJK) in the Philippines, but not against the person of Philippine President Rodrigo R. Duterte, who has been known to be sensitive to media criticism especially those who broadcast and write about the EJK involving suspected drug pushers and users mostly in the slum areas.
Based on the figure released by a joint report by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) and the Philippine Press Institute (PPI), 85 cases of attacks against journalists have been recorded since Mr. Duterte assumed office in June 2016.
This includes the killing of 9 journalists, 16 libel cases, 14 cases of online harassment, 11 death threats, 6 slay attempts, 6 cases of harassment, 5 cases of intimidation, 4 cases of website attack, revoked registration or denied franchise renewal, verbal abuse, strafing, and police surveillance of journalists and media agencies.
Malous Mangahas, executive director of the PCIJ, said in a forum during the World Press Freedom Day in May early this year, the number “far exceeds those recorded under four presidents before him. Separately and together, these 85 cases have made the practice of journalism an even more dangerous endeavor under Duterte.”

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The nine media killings under Duterte's administration is higher compared to the numbers of slays during the first 22 months of other presidents: five during President Benigno “Noy-Noy”Aquino III's time, five under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, five cases under President Fidel Ramos and three cases under President Joseph Estrada.
Even if Mr. Duterte is known to be notoriously allergic to media criticism and does not mince words when issuing threats against reporters, we are confident he won’t go to the extent of violently muzzling journalists like me who want only to help the Philippine government and not to destroy the president’s reputation.
We reiterate that journalists are partners of Mr. Duterte and other officials in government in nation building, not enemies that agitate to topple the administration through subversive means.
We support the ongoing international efforts to investigate Khashoggi’s case and bring to court the perpetrators.
May his family recover his body dead or alive.

Secure Iloilo mayors Centena, Malones, Betita

“The opportunity to secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself.”
--Sun Tzu

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We join our fellow “concerned” Ilonggos in the Philippines and abroad in the call for the League of the Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Iloilo Chapter to use all its resources to secure Mayors Alex Centena of Calinog, Mariano Malones of Maasin, and Siegfredo Betita of Carles.
The three are among the local chief executives in the Philippines linked by President Rodrigo R. Duterte in illegal drugs.
As among the country’s most outstanding mayors, they don’t deserve to die violently based on wrong information and accusation.
Even if they have repeatedly and emotionally denied their involvement in narcotics, their names have remained dangling in the controversial list.
It’s better to praise 40 thieves and pagans than to condemn and put to risk the life of an innocent person.

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Some of the mayors included in the bloody list are now dead; killed violently by unidentified assailants in separate attacks even before they could clear their names.
There has been no assurance from the Philippine National Police (PNP) or even the President himself that the killings of “narco politicians’” will end soon.
In fact, the President himself has offered rewards for law enforcers who can kill drug traffickers.
President Duterte goaded and “inspired” uniformed personnel sworn to protect the civilians to commit a criminal act against both the drug addicts and drug traffickers.
He even sided with police officials and ordinary cops implicated in extra-judicial killings (EJK) involving suspected drug traffickers--civilians or government officials and rogue cops.
We are not saying that the President and the PNP are behind the murderous binge, but the words and body languages of some PNP generals, especially President Duterte himself, suggest that they don’t condemn and discourage the bloody murders.
As feared by many human rights watchdogs, “they may have even abetted it.”

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There have been no solid pieces of evidence, of course, that would link President Duterte and the PNP, but the culture of impunity in the Philippines has been overwhelmingly associated with the administration’s “all out” campaign against illegal drugs.
Now that election season is fast approaching, some politicians and disgruntled syndicate leaders might take advantage of President Duterte’s controversial “narco list” and order the assassination of their opponents in the May 2019 elections who are on the list, to make it appear they were waylaid for their “involvement” in narcotics business.
Whether they are up for reelection, Mayors Centena, Malones, and Betita undoubtedly have been exposed to danger--including members of their family just like other mayors, governors and other elected public officials maligned by the feeble “narco list.”

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We don’t point an accusing finger to the President and make conclusions with absolute certainty that he might order the murder of the three Ilonggo mayors, but according to his bombastic speeches in the past, he “will definitely kill” former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog whom he accused of being a “narco politician” and “the cousin” of murdered Western Visayas drug lord Boyet Odicta.
In linking the mayors and other local government chief executives in illegal drugs, an outraged President Duterte said he based it on “intelligence reports” which could also be false or “doctored.”

‘Right move for Mabilog’

“Can you really send back people to where they are fleeing from?”
--Peter Maurer

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Correct decision and right move.
These would have been the rapturous words of former Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog’s supporters if they got the chance to meet after the assassination most recently of two Philippine mayors which happened one day apart.
First to fall was Mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan City, Batangas, who was shot dead by a sniper while attending the flag ceremony rites in front of the City Hall on July 3.
The next was Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tenio, Nueva Ecija, who was killed by assassin’s bullets while being driven out of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) compound in Cabanatuan City on July 4.

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Halili had been included in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s “narco list” and subsequently stripped of bodyguards and power over the police like Mabilog.
Although he was not included in Mr. Duterte’s deadly list, supporters have linked Bote’s murder to that of Halili.
Halili, who insisted he was never involved in illegal drugs, had feared for his life after Mr. Duterte reportedly believed in the “wrong” intelligence report that Halili was a “narco politician.”
The president has threatened “to kill” Mabilog several times in his speeches since last year, insisting that the Ilonggo mayor “is the cousin of slain drug lord Boyet Odicta.”
Based on our own recollection, the president has issued the threats to kill Mabilog seven times in different occasions and places.
His latest tirade against Mabilog was in front of Philippine councilors in Iloilo City two weeks ago.

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Like Halili, Mabilog, a Liberal Party (LP) member, repeatedly insisted he was never engaged in illegal drugs and he isn’t related to Odicta.
Mabilog is the second cousin of opposition Senator Franklin Drilon.
The president refused to listen.
He nixed any possible meeting with Mabilog
He did not believe Mabilog and continued to tarnish the mayor’s name in various gatherings where he was invited as the speaker.
Before he was ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in October 2017 for “unexplained wealth”, Mabilog had already decided not to return in the Philippines after attending a series of conferences in Japan and Malaysia.
His wife, Marivic, and their two children, citing security concerns, left the country and joined him in an undisclosed location.
Aside from Halili and Bote, three mayors linked to illegal drugs have been killed under the Duterte administration.
They were: Samsudin Dimaukom of Datu Saudi Ampatuan in Mindanao; Rolando Espinosa of Albuera, Leyte in the Visayas; and Reynaldo Parohinog of Ozamiz City in Mindanao.
Their deaths were all links to the Duterte administration’s “all-out” war against illegal drugs.

Quo vadis, Iloilo politicians?

“Everything is changing. People are taking their comedians seriously and the politicians as a joke.”
--Will Rogers

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- If self-confessed womanizer Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez is ousted as House speaker before the 2019 congressional elections, many Ilonggo politicians who have entrusted to him their political future will be in real big trouble.
There are strong whispers spreading around that majority of the Philippine congressmen/women want either Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Jay Velasco, 40, or Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, 71, to replace the loud-mouthed Alvarez, one of the big bosses of the ruling PDP-Laban.
Things aren’t anymore normal in the House leadership ever since Alvarez engaged Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte in an ugly word war early this year, the grapevine says.
Many Ilonggo politicians who kowtow to Alvarez thought the 60-year-old Davao del Norte representative was untouchable and unshakable being one of the closest allies of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
For some of them, Alvarez is the modern Marcus Aurelius, a stoic and leading icon of Pax Romana.

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Like vermin, some of these Ilonggo politicians turned their backs from their former benefactors and political parties and embraced Alvarez like a king of Persia.
They formed a beeline and praised Alvarez to high heavens, looked up to him like a demigod and sought his blessings for anointment of their local bets for the May 14, 2019 elections.
They had no idea that Alvarez was also facing a king-sized insurrection right in his own turf.
Unknown to most of them, the playboy House boss was already a ticking bomb and could explode anytime; his invincibility will soon come to a screeching halt if he can’t dodge the deadly wallops of the Cassiuses and Brutuses in the Philippine House of Representatives.
If Alvarez capitulates, quo vadis, Iloilo politicians?

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While having my usual mid-afternoon smoothie (a thick, cold beverage made from pureed raw fruit and sometimes vegetables blended with ice cream or frozen yogurt) session inside a Colombian resto on corner 82nd Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Queens Sunday, a group of revelers wearing yellow shirts and caps exploded in the intersection.
Suddenly flag-waving fans riding in cars honking loudly joined the festivity that started past three o’clock in the afternoon and ended at around past seven o’clock in the evening.
They were Colombians living in New York City celebrating Colombia’s triple hammer blow that dumped out Poland in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
Colombia’s sensational win kept its hopes alive of barging in the Last 16.
Some of those in the crowd proudly chanting and cheering were a mixture of old, young, men and women soccer fans pouring out their joy and happiness like they won the Olympic Games.
Others brought along their dogs strapped with the Colombian national flag.
New York City cops passing the intersection just watched as they continued to patrol the predominantly Latino community.
I wished we Filipinos could also celebrate like them.

A waste of time to run after ‘playboy cops’

“I think I'm a natural-born leader. I know how to bow down to authority if it's authority that I respect.”
--Tupac Shakur

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- When President Rodrigo R. Duterte arrived at the Iloilo International Convention Center for the Philippine Councilors League (PCL) 2nd Quarterly National Executive Officers and National Board Meeting on June 20, he was met outside by Iloilo City Mayor Jose “Joe III” Espinosa III, who bowed before the Philippines’ highest official like a Japanese after holding and shaking the president’s right hand with his two hands.
Mayor Joe III’s gesture was normally a form of greeting, probably a sign of respect performed by other leaders almost everywhere in Korea, Japan, Vietnam and China.
Aside from using it to welcome VIPs (very important persons), head bowing is also done before and after martial arts practice and competition, at tea ceremonies and at religious shrines.
Bowing of the head is quite complex and may be used to express deference, sincerity, humility and remorse, although it may look simple like what Mayor Joe III did.

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Mayor Joe III’s critics, however, have their own interpretations of that extra body language.
They thought there’s more than meets the eye in the city mayor’s “over reaction.”
They theorized Mayor Joe III had been “starstrucked” or “only intimidated.” Or both.
A handshake would have been enough, they said, since lowering ourselves make us look smaller and less threatening in the concept rooted in animalistic tendencies especially when we come face-to-face with a bear.
Since head bowing is a normal practice in Asia, it’s fine for Mayor Joe III to do it in front of a visiting president, a person in authority whose reputation is worse than a bear especially when dealing with criminals.

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Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, the new Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, said the Philippine National Police (PNP) will not condone married cops maintaining illicit affairs or having mistresses.
They give the PNP a bad name, Chief Supt. Bulalacao lamented.
He pointed to the PNP’s Chiefs of Police Manual lists the ethical standards for policemen: Morality, judicious use of authority, justice, humility, orderliness, and perseverance, according to reports.
The police general bewailed that womanizers in the police organization are “answerable to God and to the laws of the land.”
Chief Supt. Bulalacao is correct.

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But the PNP will waste precious time if they will run after organic members engaging in sexual peccadilloes. In the Philippines, some of those who have more than one wives are cops and military men.
Next are politicians and media personalities.
It’s in our culture which is patriarchal by nature.
Some Filipino women are suckers to a “false sense of authority” and a “false sense of security.”
If the male perpetrator has a gun or position, he is being looked up to as a “savior” and “powerful”, thus even if he isn’t handsome-or even if he isn’t rich-a woman will easily fall for him.

Duterte isn’t LeBron James

“I never imagined myself doing a one-man show. If I'm going to do one, I'd rather do one that breaks all the rules.”
-- Steffan Rhodri

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- We don’t expect President Rodrigo Duterte to single-handedly solve the myriad of problems we are facing today in the Philippines.
He isn’t superman who can put all the bad guys inside the calaboose (although he was the one who promised to get rid of the criminals in six months) in a specific period.
He isn’t LeBron James, 33, who can carry the Cleveland Cavaliers to a scintillating victory in any NBA finals even if he will use only one arm.
When we think that our president is like LeBron James, we lose psychologically or we end up frustrated.
When we think the president can succeed if key agencies and other branches of government will chip in and function effectively and efficiently, President Duterte’s work rate produces magical results.
How the LeBron James-inspired Cavaliers turned the tide and won the Eastern Conference championship after a dismal 0-2 start in the the best of seven series, should serve as a lesson to any leadership in and outside the hard court.

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Before clinching the Eastern Conference championship in Game 7 for the Cavs’ eight straight trip to NBA finals on May 27, their Game 5 debacle against Boston Celtics was blamed heavily on their reliance on LeBron James, who played all 48 minutes, had the monster game the Cavs needed from him: 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists in Game 7 played in Boston.
Game 7 was won in the enemy court mainly because the Cavs realized the showdown against Boston Celtics shouldn’t be a one-man show.
I won’t pretend to be an expert NBA analyst, but here’s what happened, according to USA Today:
1. James had just enough help. George Hill and J.R. Smith were scoreless in the first quarter. Kyle Korver missed his first four three-pointers. Larry Nance Jr. collected three fouls and attempted an ill-advised three-pointer in his first four minutes on the court. It was an ugly start for the Cavs, who missed 13 of their first 14 three-point attempts, and trailed 35-23 with 8:52 left in the first quarter.
Cleveland looked exhausted and ill-suited to take Game 7 on the road. But the Cavs hung in there, cut Boston’s lead to 43-39 at halftime and had a 69-66 lead with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter.
Smith finished with 12 points, and Korver hit a necessary three-pointer. Tristan Thompson added 10 points and nine rebounds
2. Cavs go Green without Love. Cleveland All-Star forward-center Kevin Love missed Game 7 with concussion-like symptoms. He sustained the injury in the first quarter of Game 6 when he collided head to head with Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
His absence was felt. Though Love didn’t have a great series against the Celtics, he provided a scoring threat for which Boston had to account.
However, Jeff Green started in place of Love and delivered with 19 points and eight rebounds.
3. The old man and the rook. Rookie Jayson Tatum, who passed Elgin Baylor for third place on the rookie playoff scoring list, is a special player in the making.
He scored 13 of his team-high 24 points in the second half. Tatum had a dunk on LeBron James and followed it with a three-pointer giving Boston a 72-71 lead midway through the fourth quarter. He lived up to the moment.
Emblematic of this series, Al Horford played well at home and poorly on the road. He had 17 points.
However, Boston shot just 34.1 percent from the field and 17.9% on three-pointers.
4. Cavs three-point shooting. When Cleveland makes threes, it has a chance. When the Cavs don’t make threes, they’re in trouble, and that was the case in the first half of Game 7. Cleveland made just 2-for-17 three-pointers, including several open looks in the first two quarters.
But the Cavs made just enough threes-- two more than Boston--despite shooting 25.7 percent from that distance.