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PCG’s problematic dualism
There is a world of difference between the roles of a civilian agency and those of a military command. No civilian agency or military command should be doing the role of the other, lest they overlap, conflict, or render redundant their authority. The role of the Philippine Coast Guard is a good subject for legislative review — whether it fulfills a purely civilian function or a purely military one. The fact that it’s an attached agency of the Department of Transportation as much as an attached service of the Department of National Defense “confers” upon it a dualism that may be at cross purposes. While the PCG can fit either role, it shouldn’t. For in so doing, the line between maritime law enforcement and national defense is blurred. One may be led to think that, perforce, the PCG is unadulteratedly a military organization as it used to be part of the Philippine Navy, a major branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Something explains this duality, but it may require assessment as to whether it must continue to have this dual character. In principle, any individual or unit that performs a task or mandate that essentially belongs solely to the military must forthwith be under a military commander or military organization. Who can even begin to fathom what it means when the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard reports directly to the Transportation Secretary in the enforcement of maritime law, but also reports to the Defense Secretary if not the President in wartime? If one should take a cursory look at those who served as commandants of the PCG since its founding in 1967 under different presidents, one would find, viz.: 1) During Rodrigo Duterte’s term, only three served for over a year, while four served for less than a year, and one for only 18 days; 2) Under Benigno Aquino, four barely completed a year, one just a year, and one more than two years; 3) Under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, three served for barely a year, two served over two years or so; 4) Under Joseph Estrada, one served for two years; 5) In Fidel Ramos’ time, five served for less than a year, one for 32 days, and one for almost three years; 6) Under Corazon Aquino, two served for two years, one for three years, and two for a week or so; 7) Under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., four served for over a year, three served for 3, 4, 5 years, respectively. This tells us that commandants, as presidential appointees, must be the personal choices of the presidents they serve. With a change of the occupant in Malacañang, a change in the leadership of the PCG also takes place, good or bad. It’s said that the PCG’s “transformation into a non-military organization” and its “civilian character” allowed it “to receive offers of vessels, equipment, technology, services, cooperation and other needed assistance from other countries,” that otherwise would not have been feasible were it a military agency. President Fidel Ramos signed Executive Order 475 on 30 March 1998 to separate the PCG from the Philippine Navy, and Executive Order 477 to transfer it from the DND to the DoTC, a month thereafter. Thus, even FM Jr. has been heard saying, “Our friends from other countries will help strengthen the PCG’s capabilities.” Today, the President envisions the PCG as a “central actor” insofar as West Philippine Sea matters are concerned; thus, he ordered several 40-foot long patrol vessels to be built in Cebu to improve the PCG’s capabilities in maritime territorial disputes. In the face of China’s unprecedented coast guard expansion — the largest in the world — “civilianizing” the PCG makes little sense. It’s a Catch-22 on how to “reinvent” the PCG. Military strategists had miserably failed. The post PCG’s problematic dualism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pork’s different strokes
Efforts have begun in the House of Representatives to raise the Motor Vehicle Road Users Charge or the Road Users Tax after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. identified the levy as a main source of precious funds. The eagerness of the members of the House to comply with the proposal to hike the tax makes people wary. Proceeds from the tax are the favorite source of legislative pork. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda’s bill indicates the MVUC which ranges from P120 to P4,000 will be raised to between P2,080 and P10,400 for cars, depending on their gross weight. Under the proposal, the MVUC will be increased by a fixed rate yearly until 2025, and by 5 percent from 2026 onwards. Salceda is looking at collecting P151 billion more in revenue from 2024 to 2027 through the higher MVUC. The higher collections should be earmarked for road improvements which is under the Department of Public Works and Highways after President Rodrigo Duterte signed a law abolishing the graft-tainted Road Board. The disposition of the MVUC sparked the feud between House members and the Department of Budget and Management during the initial years of the Duterte term after then Budget Secretary Ben Diokno refused to release the MUVC proceeds until the Road Board was dissolved. Moreover, the late former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III exploited the RUT funds using them as leverage to get House members to impeach former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and to obtain the legislators’ approval for his political agenda, such as a measure seeking to postpone the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao election to allow Noynoy to place his appointees in the Muslim region. The Road Board had an unusual collection setup that practically freed its state audit, making it a perfect “cash cow” as termed by some senators. Gutierrez was impeached overwhelmingly in the House after Noynoy first dangled the pork barrel, saying through his House allies that those who would vote against the impeachment would not receive their pork barrel while those who signed the measure would get a P20-million bonus taken from the Road Board.Later, Gutierrez, knowing that she was in a losing situation, resigned from her post despite her having a guaranteed term. She was replaced by Noynoy’s favorite associate justice, Conchita Carpio-Morales, who carried out the yellow brand of selective justice. Gutierrez had displeased Noynoy when she dismissed the case against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the P729-million fertilizer fund scam. Former Chief Justice Renato Corona Jr. was also ousted through impeachment and the leverage used, in turn, were the DAP funds. It was ironic that Noynoy’s allies vowed to abolish the Road Board, which under the law that created it, had full discretion on its use. Its disposition was beyond the scope of the Commission on Audit since the RUT was not part of the budget. Former Sen. Franklin Drilon, for instance, said the body would be abolished by the Senate despite the House allies of former President Arroyo’s withdrawal and eventual rescinding of the bill that sought to terminate the anomalous 2001 creation. Congressmen turned the RUT proceeds into a source of fast money through collusion with Road Board officials. Since the DPWH is now the custodian of the funds, attention must also be directed at the agency in the proper disposition of the MUVC proceeds. Increasing the audit-free funds plus the recently discovered P215 billion in insertions in the budget through the generic flood mitigation projects exposed maneuvers to pilfer public funds. The post Pork’s different strokes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teddy Boy named special envoy to China
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin Jr. as the President’s Special Envoy to the People’s Republic of China for Special Concerns, the Presidential Communications Office announced on Wednesday in a Facebook post. Locsin’s recent appointment came amid the resurgence of tensions in the West Philippine Sea between China and the Philippines. In a Viber message to Palace reporters, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said Marcos appointed Locsin to boost the bilateral relations between the two countries. Locsin, who is the Foreign Affairs Secretary of then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte from 17 October to 30 June 2022, takes on the new task “in a concurrent position” as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The Chief Executive appointed Locsin UK ambassador with jurisdiction over Ireland, Isle of Man, Bailiwick of Jersey, and Bailiwick of Guernsey on 30 August 2022. During his tenure, he frequently lodged numerous diplomatic complaints and occasionally used the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to criticize China. The newly-appointed special envoy is the son and namesake of Teodoro Locsin Sr., a journalist who was imprisoned during the 1970s for criticizing President Ferdinand Marcos Sr., the father of now President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Following the overthrow of Marcos Sr. in 1986, the younger Locsin became the speechwriter and legal advisor to President Corazon Aquino. Subsequently, he wrote speeches for Presidents Joseph Estrada and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He was elected Makati 1st District representative in 2001, a seat he held until 2010. Holding a master’s degree in law from Harvard University, Locsin is a lawyer and a media figure. The post Teddy Boy named special envoy to China appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Michael Ted Macapagal: Making tracks in public service
If life were a train, then Michael Ted Macapagal’s has been quite a ride. Raised by a labor leader and human rights lawyer father who served the people of Olongapo, including the workers of the US American Base in Subic, Michael Ted Macapagal had always wanted to become a public servant. It took Ted, though, a long journey to reach his goal, first achieving success in the insurance field in the United States where he lived for 20 years starting in 1991. Today, he is the chairman of the Philippine National Railways, a position “that allows me to make a difference in the lives of my countrymen,” he shared during his recent visit to the Daily Tribune office in Makati. Ted, good-looking and affable, proudly spoke of a father, his namesake, Atty. Teddy C. Macapagal who, early on, exposed his son to a firsthand view of a gentleman who looked beyond himself and his personal interests, and instead dedicated his career to protecting the common man and bettering their lot. The elder Ted served as a city councilor for 10 years. In 1984, he ran for the Batasang Pambansa, and in the late 1980s, for city mayor. “In all these electoral processes, I was involved and saw for myself how my father related to the people. He was a sincere man who helped them in the best way he could. He provided free legal services to those in need,” Ted recounted. Ted grew up in Olongapo, his place of birth. It was in the neighboring province of Pampanga, though, at the Don Bosco Institute in Bacolor town, where he first studied, but he eventually returned home to Olongapo, where he finished high school at the St. Columban. Aiming to become a lawyer, he enrolled at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, where he majored in History, which he intended as his pre-law course. Not unexpectedly, he joined the Upsilon Sigma Phi, his father’s fraternity. He also joined rallies where he stood with those who wanted the retention of US bases in the Philippines, in keeping with the sentiments of his townsmen. “It was the one concern where the whole of Olongapo was united,” he recalled, “because the people’s livelihood was connected to the base and the American presence in the community.” As a lawyer who specialized in labor, his father himself handled cases for the base employees. In 1988, his father lost his mayoralty bid in Olongapo. He fought against his fraternity brother, Richard Gordon. Actually, the two had been fighting it out for decades. “Olongapo became too small for them,” shared Ted. “A vivid memory to me to this day was the night I cried after my father lost. I was heartbroken because, for the most part of my life, I saw him give his all to the people. Throughout all those years, I just loved assisting my father. I followed him whenever he visited his constituents. I was a witness to everything that happened to him, his conflict with his political adversary and the loyalty of the people who believed in him and saw in him the man who would change the face of politics in our city.” The elder Macapagal became OIC-Mayor in 1986, but only two months after he received his appointment from the new president because the incumbent mayor did not easily give up his post which he was required to vacate under the new revolutionary government. “The next local election was the most expensive political exercise that our family ever waged,” Ted recounted. “It was then that my father decided that I pursue a new life in the United States, away from politics back home. “All the while, my heart never left the Philippines. Even before I left, I promised myself I would return to continue what my father started.” First non-white president Ted stayed in San Francisco for 20 long years. He had a tough time at the beginning of his new life. “I started off doing odd jobs. I worked as a security guard, janitor and waiter in a pizza parlor. “I also guarded the heavy equipment in a construction site in San Francisco. Thievery was a problem in that kind of situation. We would sleep in a trailer. “I transferred to a construction firm because I found out it offered a bigger salary. But I didn’t know the technical aspects of construction. Once, I made a portable ladder, but it fell apart, for which I was scolded by the owner of the company. I was fired on my third day on the job. Too bad because it paid high.” Ted then decided to pursue another degree, one that would be more useful in the United States. He took up Human Resource Management, a four-year course at the University of California in Berkeley. When he finally entered the corporate world, his first job was as a clerk. It wasn’t long before he became Division President of Stewart Title Company, one of the largest underwriters in the world, with offices across the United States, and in some 80 countries around the globe. He was based in the San Francisco Bay Area. “I may have been the first non-white president,” he said. “And I was a division president for the whole of North America. I was the first Filipino to reach that level.” Of his trailblazing accomplishments, he shared, “I was able to bring cultural diversity to the company, which enhanced its value. I got the top post because I asked for a meeting with the president. I told him we were not diverse enough to appeal to the non-white clients, and there were many of them who were first-time home buyers. Then, I told him to make the rounds. He would see that none of the home buyers was white. They were of different ethnic groups. I told him that if he appointed me as vice president, I would give him multi-cultural buyers because I would appeal to them and they would be our first-time buyers. So, he appointed me, and one month later, he made me president.” As an adjunct, he lectured on the topic of title insurance and escrow procedures in several community colleges in and around the San Franciso Bay Area. Through it all, he chose to keep his Filipino citizenship. The ‘Railway President’ For all the successes he was enjoying, the Philippines beckoned. He felt he still had a mission to accomplish. “My father was surprised. He asked me why I would still want to go home when I was doing well in the States. I insisted, so I came back and I plunged into political life. I worked on difficult campaigns, like the one for Rodrigo Duterte.” Back to his first love and passion, the political arena, he was in his element and served as president of PDP LABAN in Olongapo City from 2016 to 2021. In 2022, he joined LAKAS-CMD as its local chairman. This engagement led to his original target, as his father had achieved in his lifetime — serving the people. This time, he would be appointed to key posts in the government. He became director of the Clark Board and Gulf Oil Philippines. He took his oath of office as chairman of the Philippine National Railways on 28 April 2023. It is a job in a government agency where he is confident “I could make a difference because I can see that President Bongbong Marcos is really intent on improving the railway system of the country. “On my part, I want to make a difference. I want to be able to contribute whatever I can to help the president to achieve that objective. I call him now the ‘Railway President’ because I consider him the father of the railway system in our country.” Of course, he noted that many plans have been formulated during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte. Moreover, he recognized that President Gloria Arroyo “navigated our country through the global crisis. I was in the United States when the global economic crisis happened, and the Philippines was one of the countries spared, and I give credit to her. The economic fundamentals were very strong during her time. Being an economist, she was there at the right time when the country needed her the most.” With President BBM at the helm, he is confident “we will be able to push through with our development plan and finish the projects we have started, like the North-South Commuter Railway, which is a 147-kilometer stretch from Clark to Laguna. We hope to have the dry run in 2026 and it will be fully operational in 2027.” He also looks forward to the completion of the Bicol South Long Haul project. He is equally hopeful for the North Long Haul, the Subic-Clark and the Mindanao railways. He clarified that “we are now talking with the proponents, while some negotiations are being undertaken.” Working boots and a hard hat It would seem that this successful insurance executive was out of place in the railway sector. He pointed out, though, that “coming from the outside, I have the technical advantage of being able to look outside the box. So, I’m looking at it from outside the box, looking in. I am able to see the problems that need to be fixed. Stoppage is one of the problems so we have a bus augmentation program. We will also deploy UV Express units. We are closely coordinating with the LTFRB to provide emergency alternative transportation.” On the other hand, his exposure to people of all backgrounds from his youth, being his father’s son, has given him the advantage of “knowing how it is to be one of the boys. Something that I also experienced in the United States. “When people ask me what my management style is, I tell them straight I like to go down to the ground. I like hands-on supervision. I want my hands to be dirty. If you open the trunk of my car, you will find my working boots and my hard hat. I enjoy going to the construction sites and seeing for myself the progress, the problems, whatever it is that needs to be attended to. “Finally I want those working in the field doing the most difficult tasks to be satisfied and never to be hungry. Gusto ko, busog sila lagi. I am not happy when I get invited by the constructors and I am honored with a feast-like lunch or dinner, and not knowing what the workers are eating. I am on a diet anyway, so I make sure that my hosts bring the food to where the workers are eating. I can only eat so much and I would rather that the workers and the staff are full and happy. I am vocal about my displeasure when the construction workers are not eating the same food that is served to me. I may not be able to invite them to where I am eating but I can have the food brought to them.” Smiling from heaven Without a doubt, the old man Atty. Teddy C. Macapagal is smiling happily from his heavenly perch. He had served his fellowmen well, but he had done right as well by raising a son who took after his heart, to whom service to the people and compassion for the less fortunate matter more than any personal gain. His father, according to Ted, “died a broken man at the young age of 63. But whatever he lacked in longevity and riches, he made up for it with his compassion for others, for the free legal services that he gave to the people of Olongapo. “If you didn’t have money, you went to him because he was generous with his time and expertise. He would even give you some cash to use for your transportation fare to go home. That was my father. “The people whom he helped in turn would come to our home and bring him gifts like eggs, fruits, fish, vegetables and native chickens that they raised in their backyards. My father accepted them all. When I came home and saw all this, I teased him and said that he should probably open a sari-sari store so he could resell them. “Of course, we had a good laugh. But beyond the laughter, we both knew in our hearts that doing good to one’s fellowmen is its own reward and nothing in this world can take the place of personal fulfillment for having put a smile on people’s faces because you somehow made their lives better. “I am grateful that I have been raised by such a great father.” The post Michael Ted Macapagal: Making tracks in public service appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hypocrites humbled
The Ombudsman’s decision to throw out the complaint of New York-based Filipino-Americans who keep stirring controversy in the country led by billionaire Loida Nicolas-Lewis exposes a deeper agenda in the effort. Lewis is known to be the heavy gun behind the Liberal Party who provided the bulk of the funding for the candidacy of Vice President Leni Robredo’s lost pink cause in the 2022 polls. The long-distance meddling had been repeatedly disclosed in the past with no less than former President Rodrigo Duterte pointing to a rich Filipino-American, who was obviously Nicolas-Lewis, as leading the effort to destabilize the government. In one of his abrasive speeches, Duterte foretold the international offensive against him emanating from the group of Nicolas-Lewis. “For all I care, I do not have any illusions, do not give me a reason to leave because you might get your wish,” he had said. “A certain financier, a rich woman who married a black (American) and is now a millionaire, she is planning to do protests,” he added. The plot was confirmed by then Communications Secretary Martin Andanar who recalled rumors in the Filipino-American community about plans to oust Duterte because of his alleged human rights violations and continuous attacks against the US. Duterte then mockingly told Nicolas-Lewis he’d follow her advice and even provide staff for her. “If you think that you can help, tell me because I will appoint a group of presidential advisers and (I will give you) a Cabinet position without a portfolio but with Cabinet rank. And I will follow your instructions to a tee,” he said. “I was listening to the tapes of their conversation. It was provided to me by another country but the conversation was somewhere in the Philippines and New York,” Duterte said of the plot. He said the recordings included one in which Lewis told another person, “See you in the headquarters when the case is filed.” Being referred was the International Criminal Court case that was a successful campaign considering the recent decision of the tribunal to proceed with an investigation into the war on drugs of Mr. Duterte. Nicolas-Lewis had led a 25-person delegation from the US-Philippines Society, a private group comprised of executives and diplomats, who met with Duterte a week before his inauguration on 1 June 2016. The top-notch mission included tycoons, retired American diplomats, executives of Coca-Cola, SGV, JP Morgan, and other top corporations. Nicolas-Lewis’s sister was former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Imelda Nicolas who was part of the “Hyatt 10” — members of the Cabinet who turned on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005. Imelda and most of the Hyatt 10 members were recruited to key posts in the succeeding administration of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Imelda was appointed head of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Duterte is being targeted for investigation for the complaint of crimes against humanity as a result of the methods undertaken in the anti-drug campaign. The late plaintiff Jude Sabio admitted using manufactured numbers that at one point reached 20,000 so-called extrajudicial killings, which a Senate investigation found dubious since it came from Philippine National Police figures that tallied all forms of deaths investigated, including those unrelated to police operations since Duterte assumed office. Veteran lawyer Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile said that from the start, he was against the proceedings at the ICC. “We’re an independent sovereign country and they want to unduly interfere in our internal affairs,” Enrile said. He pointed out the drug war was a policy to rid the country of its narcotics problem and involved law enforcement. “Who are they to tell us what is good for our society?” Enrile asked. “In the case of the insurgency, the government conducts operations. Are we going to answer to the ICC on the way that we defend ourselves from an internal threat?” Enrile demanded. The persistence of the ICC was discovered to have a sinister origin, based on information that Duterte had gathered. It all started with the designs of meddling Filipinos living overseas who wanted to impose their brand of hypocrisy on the hapless nation but were effectively foiled. The post Hypocrites humbled appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Graft buster clears Cusi
Citing the presumption of regularity, the Office of the Ombudsman threw out the graft complaint of a New York-based billionaire against former Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, other Department of Energy officials, Davao City-based executive Dennis Uy, and several others over the sale of 90 percent of the shares of the Malampaya natural gas consortium. On 18 October 2021, US-based geologist Balgamel Domingo and Filipino-American anti-Duterte leaders Rodel Rodis and Loida Nicolas-Lewis filed charges against Cusi, Uy, and the others involved in the sale of the Malampaya stake to the Udenna group of Uy. In a copy of the ruling obtained by the Daily Tribune, the Ombudsman said it could not delve into the complaint on the legality of the transaction since “the authority to make such a determination belongs to the court.” “Seemingly, this complaint is in actuality a collateral attack on the validity of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement,” it said. The decision declared that “matters of such tenor are not determinable in a preliminary investigation before the Ombudsman’s Office.” “Without any judicial determination decreeing the illegality of the Share Sale and Purchase Agreement, this Office is left with nothing but to acknowledge its validity,” the ruling said. The Ombudsman cited a precedent in the case of Teresita Buenaventura vs Metrobank, in a ruling that stated: “The burden of showing that a contract is simulated rests on the party impugning the contract.” “This is because of the presumed validity of the contract that has been duly executed,” the Ombudsman ruling read. “Wherefore, the criminal charges for violation of Section 3(e) and of Republic Act 3019 against the respondents are dismissed for lack of probable cause.” The ruling was signed by members of a Special Panel of Investigators composed of Ronald Allan Ramos, Josephine Mae Rosapapan, Francisco Alan Molina and Bonifacio Mandrilla. Prime takes control The operation of the Malampaya project was recently assumed by the Razon group’s Prime Energy which bought a 45-percent stake from Malampaya Energy XP, or MEXP, of the Udenna group. MEXP had bought the shares of Shell Philippines Exploration B.V., or SPEX, in the consortium. The Department of Energy had branded the complaint a political move since the two Fil-Am lawyers in the suit were prominent in the “Oust Duterte” movement in the United States. The complaint alleged that Cusi and other energy officials had granted “unwarranted benefits and advantage” to Uy’s UC Malampaya in the buyout of Chevron’s share in the consortium. Udenna, through spokesperson Raymond Zorilla, said there is “no law requiring approval of the transfer of shares of companies that have an interest in Malampaya.” Zorilla said the transfer of Chevron and Shell shares underwent strict bidding processes and due diligence by both multinational oil and gas players. “The share sales were above board and legal and had to pass scrutiny by Philippine regulators, international lenders, and the said private multinationals involved,” Zorilla added. Cusi, in an interview with Daily Tribune, had said the DoE was not involved in choosing the buyer of the shares of Shell and Chevron in the Malampaya project. “The DoE did not get involved in the sale (of shares). We don’t know that they are selling. Our question was what their standards are for choosing Udenna. Why didn’t you choose the big companies, and why Udenna?” he said. Industry experts said the sale of shares was a private transaction that the accusers, who are US lawyers, should have been very familiar with. Cusi said the DoE, during his watch, went beyond its mandate by reviewing the technical, legal, and financial aspects of the transactions, the results of which were provided to the public. Political agenda The complaint, he said, had an underlying political agenda connected to his being the head of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan or PDP Laban. “It is not only political propaganda against me, but it also has a destabilization background… because I’m the president of the PDP.” The complaints, in turn, stemmed from the unending Senate inquiries on the Malampaya deals. The DoE said the Senate probes and the controversies that resulted from them had caused costly delays in the review process that would ultimately affect the country’s energy security. To refute a recent remark by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the DoE, in a statement said: “The inquiries of Senator Gatchalian are causing undue delay to the timeline of the consortium corporations, and this may eventually take its toll and put our energy security at risk.” The DoE’s approval of the sale of shares of stock of Chevron Malampaya LLC, one of the three corporations in the Malampaya Gas Field Project Consortium, had been dubbed by Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, as “lutong Macau.” It also backed the Udenna assessment that the deals were above-board. “When the sales were made, both Chevron Philippines, which owned Chevron Malampaya, and Shell Petroleum NV, owner of SPEX, followed rigorous global standards,” the DoE said. Nicolas-Lewis was part of a 25-person delegation from the US-Philippines Society, a private group comprising business executives and diplomats, who met with Duterte a week before his inauguration as president in 2016. Nicolas-Lewis was then accompanied by former Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia, PLDT chair Manuel V. Pangilinan, retired American diplomats, and executives of Coca-Cola, SGV, JP Morgan, and other top corporations. Nicolas-Lewis is the sister of former National Anti-Poverty Commission chairperson Imelda Nicolas, who was one of the “Hyatt 10” Cabinet members who turned against then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2005. Imelda and most of the Hyatt 10 members ended up getting key posts in the administration of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. Imelda was made head of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas. Nicolas-Lewis plot bared In February 2018, former President Duterte bared intercepted conversations that indicated Nicolas-Lewis was behind efforts to push the International Criminal Court, or ICC, to probe his war on drugs. Duterte revealed a recorded conversation between Lewis and another political opponent whom he did not name. “I was listening to the tapes of their conversation. It was provided to me by another country, but the conversation was somewhere in the Philippines and New York,” Duterte said. He said that among the recordings was one in which Lewis allegedly told another person: “See you in the headquarters when the case is filed.” Duterte then said in a public address that he was aware of developments on the ICC case and that lawyer Jude Sabio, the main complainant in the case, was a paid hack of Magdalo Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and Rep. Gary Alejano, both failed putschists. Sabio withdrew his complaint before the ICC and revealed that the case was the handiwork of the dirty tricks factory of Trillanes. In 2016, Duterte pointed to Lewis as the financier of an alleged destabilization plot against his administration. Nicolas-Lewis invested heavily in the failed presidential campaigns of Liberal Party bets Mar Roxas in 2016 and Vice President Leni Robredo in 2022. The post Graft buster clears Cusi appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘SoNA all’
Hello again my dear readers. Have you ever caught yourself staring at beautiful couples holding hands, happily enjoying their lives, worry-free, as if the world was spinning round and round just for them, and you simply said to yourself: “Sana all.” Or maybe you recently saw your old friend who lost so much weight after moving on and going through so much in life and you whispered to yourself: “Sana all.” Well, you’re not alone. Oftentimes we crave something we want but which we cannot have (yet), or maybe we’re just really optimistic that someday, somehow, we will also have our time to enjoy these things that we crave, because these are things that we cannot buy and have to work hard for to get. It will require time and patience and, most of all, hard work. Things worth having are really worth waiting for. Speaking of worth having, well, I’m pretty sure you will not be deprived of our topic for today because, hey, it is Thirstday again and that means we get to talk about the latest State of the Nation Address or SoNA of PBBM. With all the updates and exciting plans this administration has in store for our beloved country, I say with all high hopes: “SoNA all” Well, that is the beauty of democracy you can express your opinions freely. But before that, did you know that the longest SoNA was delivered by former President Rodrigo Duterte which clocked two hours and 45 minutes? The shortest SoNA was delivered by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, now the Pampanga 2nd District representative, which took only 25 minutes; while former President Noynoy Aquino delivered the first SoNA in Filipino, “Kayo ang Boss ko,” if you may recall. Going back to the SoNA of President BBM, comments abound in different news outlets and on social media. Well, that is the beauty of democracy — you can express your opinions freely. Foremost in the President’s SoNA was the food security program aimed at putting food on the table of every household. This is a much-needed program if we are to protect our young population from malnutrition, as hunger threatens not only our country but is currently a worldwide problem. With no less than the President at the helm of the Department of Agriculture or DA, the public expects DA officials to fully live up to the aims set by PBBM. Education as a long-term tool and solution for almost all of the challenges we face found its way into the SoNA and was much emphasized by PBBM. With VP Sara piloting the Department of Education, all DepEd officials as co-pilots must steer the department to achieve the progressive education we all aspire for our youth. Infrastructure development, particularly focusing on the transport system with emphasis on seaports, airports, and road networks, is on the priority list of the President. This will provide easy access for every Juan as they work and travel or for every Nena and Pilar as they buy their daily needs nearby or shop elsewhere. Tourism will also get a boost as many destinations open and become accessible to local and foreign travelers and, yes, such movement of people will spur economic activity that will spell renewed income for local folk and added revenue for the government. Disaster preparedness and resilience is the cornerstone of a sound program to mitigate the effects of disasters. The President outlined fully the desire to achieve resilience and be totally prepared against disasters, whether man-made or natural. An average of twenty typhoons a year visit our country, which is in the “ring of fire,” an imaginary global ring of islands and land masses where volcanoes abound and earthquakes frequently emanate. Well, better watch National Geographic or read books! Nose bleed. Well, it is not only typhoons and the “ring of fire” that we should worry about, hence, the President underlined the plan for a new amnesty program for former rebels who returned to the fold of the law and to encourage the remnants of the armed communist group to embrace peace and be productive citizens of mainstream society. The priority legislative agenda of the President was laid out precisely. Foremost are the essential tax measures under the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework, such as: An excise tax on single-use plastics; VAT on digital services; rationalization of mining fiscal regime; motor vehicle user’s charge/road user tax, and the Military and Uniformed Personnel pension. The President enjoined Congress to act on the following: Amendment of the Fisheries Code; amendment of the Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act; Amendment of the Cooperative Code; New Government Procurement Law; New Government Auditing Code; Anti-financial accounts scamming; Tatak-Pinoy law; The Blue Economy law; Ease of paying taxes; LGU income classification; and the Philippine Immigration Act. Congress is expected to act on these and make them more responsive to the current fortunes of time, especially with the fast pace of technology. Looking back and then focusing our eyes on the immediate future, we should all be hopeful for the plans the President laid out, especially on food security, education, infrastructure development, disaster preparedness, and all others which directly affect our daily lives, and be part of it, not because we are red, green, blue, yellow or whatever color of the rainbow or even a Power Ranger. Just as Master Rapper Francis M. said in his famous song: “Every color, every hue is represented by me and you, take a slide on the slope, take a look at the kaleidoscope..,” but because the current skipper needs all hands on deck and most importantly... we are all in the same boat. The post ‘SoNA all’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bongbong’s foreign policy: More like ‘Macoy’ than ‘Digong’
Despite being dismissed as a spoiled brat and a weakling by both his father and the man he succeeded, Rodrigo Duterte, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his first year in office, stood up to China and showed he is more like the older Marcos than Duterte. Always underestimated, Marcos Jr., observers noted, spent much of his political career surrounded by powerful women, including former First Lady Imelda Marcos and his sister, Senator Imee Marcos. But this shouldn’t fool one into thinking that he is not his own man. Only days after winning last year’s presidential elections, he asserted his independence by denying top allies, including running mate Sara Duterte, key cabinet positions. He also showed his own distinct approach on the foreign policy front by holding cordial meetings with diplomats from both traditional and regional partners. While emphasizing his preference for a diplomatic engagement with China, Marcos Jr., notes the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, reiterated the finality of the arbitral tribunal ruling in the South China Sea, and made clear he “will not compromise it in any way,” calling the country’s sovereignty “sacred.” “Taking into consideration the widespread skepticism towards Beijing among Filipinos and within the country’s defense establishment, Marcos Jr. adopted a calibrated assertiveness towards China while welcoming pragmatic cooperation on the economic front,” AMTI said. The perceived wisdom on the younger Marcos’s foreign policy, according to AMTI, is that he is nothing but a mild-mannered version of Duterte. In fact, he was the only candidate during the elections who publicly backed full continuity in the country’s Beijing-friendly policies. He barely mentioned the treaty alliance with the United States, emphasizing his preference for a diplomatic engagement. “Whatever we do, we can’t go to war… we don’t want to go to war with China,” he was quoted to have said. A year into office, however, it is obvious the younger Marcos was advocating a centrist position in the territorial dispute. It was, according to one analyst, a middle-of-the-road decision aimed at appeasing both superpowers, China and the United States. Indeed, it was a balancing act complicated by both internal and external factors. While Duterte was reluctant to confront China over the South China Sea, Marcos Jr. has adopted tougher rhetoric, showing a better appreciation of how the Philippines should position itself given the very uncertain strategic environment it is facing. He is said to have been able to forge closer relations with Washington because his family already has long-standing ties with Beijing which affords him a degree of capital. A year into office, however, it was obvious the younger Marcos was advocating a centrist position in the territorial dispute As AMTI related, the Marcos connection to Beijing goes deep, stretching back to the height of the Cold War period when his father formalized bilateral relations with Maoist China. As the then-announced successor, Bongbong even personally met Chairman Mao, who warmly welcomed the princeling and his family to Zhongnanhai. The Marcoses maintained those linkages even after their ouster from power in Malacañang, albeit on a sub-national level. As overlords of the northern province of Ilocos Norte, the Marcos dynasty continued to welcome trade and diplomatic relations with their Chinese counterparts under the emerging Maritime Silk Road Initiative. Despite the growing Chinese coercive actions against the Philippine Coast Guard and Filipino fishermen in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos Jr. welcomed continued economic engagement with China under his “Friend to all, enemy to none” policy first espoused by Duterte during his pivot to Beijing. Balancing act Compared to former presidents before him, Marcos Jr.’s foreign policy is truly a balancing act not much different from his father’s. Ferdinand Marcos Sr. (1965-1986), during his presidency, pursued a foreign policy that sought to balance relations with both the United States and other countries, including those in the Soviet Bloc. He declared martial law in 1972, and this had implications for the country’s foreign relations. The Philippines’ relationship with the US was close, but during his time, Marcos also sought to strengthen ties with our Asian neighbors. Corazon Aquino (1986-1992) focused on restoring democracy and human rights in the Philippines after the end of the Marcos dictatorship. She sought to rebuild relations with other countries that had been strained during Marcos’s rule. Her administration also emphasized diplomatic engagement with ASEAN countries and the international community. Fidel V. Ramos (1992-1998) prioritized economic diplomacy and focused on attracting foreign investment to boost the Philippine economy. He worked to strengthen relationships with ASEAN and APEC countries and fostered ties with the US, Japan, and other regional partners. Joseph Estrada (1998-2001) emphasized national sovereignty and non-interference in domestic affairs. He pursued good relations with ASEAN nations but was criticized for a more inward-looking approach to foreign affairs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (2001-2010) focused on economic diplomacy and sought to improve the Philippines’ standing in the international community. She maintained strong ties with the US and also expanded engagement with China. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III (2010-2016) emphasized upholding the rule of law in the region and advocating for the Philippines’ territorial claims in the South China Sea. He strengthened relations with traditional allies like the US and worked to foster closer ties with other Asian countries. While Bongbong Marcos is not his father, the legacy of the former Filipino strongman hangs over his administration. This legacy of pragmatism is also reinforced in the sentiments of the defense establishment and the broader Filipino public who want the government to take a tougher stance against China. Unlike Duterte, the younger Marcos has shown in his first year in office that he is adopting a more calibrated foreign policy combining elements of pragmatism and assertiveness towards a major power like China while seeking to leverage Philippine ties with the United States. The post Bongbong’s foreign policy: More like ‘Macoy’ than ‘Digong’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Jewels in the Palace kitchen
Power and food. These are not usually spoken in the same sentence, but hey, they go hand in hand. Last September, First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos posted on her official Facebook page a photo showing her at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new catering area in Malacañang. No other details of the project were released. The post got mixed reactions from netizens. However, despite the praise and criticisms of said post, it somehow got us into thinking — who are the people behind the important functions of each and every chief executive living in the Palace? Hands down, Glenda Rosales Barretto comes to mind. The one and only doyenne of Philippine cuisine. She of the Via Mare fame. From Ferdinand Marcos Sr. down to Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Barretto presided over numerous state dinners in Malacañang. The most recent was the inaugural ball of the 17th president of the Philippines, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Barretto is caterer extraordinaire well-known for reinventing and refining Filipino dishes fit to be served at the highest tables in the land. During PBBM’s inauguration, she served savory chicken soup with ginger, lemongrass and green papaya (more like a deboned chicken tinola), prawn in roasted coconut cream, seared prime beef tenderloin with kaldereta sauce and guava-basil sorbet. Barretto is also popular for her humba (a Visayan braised pork similar to the classic adobo), crispy adobo flakes (ultra crunchy and extra flaky dish using chicken, beef or pork), pancit luglog, puto bumbong and bibingka. Via Mare, founded in 1975, has a well-established and long-standing reputation of being the choice concessionaire to do banquets for heads of state and international guests in the Palace serving traditional flavors. It can be recalled that Barretto rose to prominence when she catered the silver wedding anniversary of President Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, and soon after became the official caterer of the Palace. [caption id="attachment_161357" align="aligncenter" width="1137"] MARGARITA Fores | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESYOF www.theworlds50best.com/[/caption] Margarita “Gaita” Fores Gaita Fores has also been trusted in handling the country’s most delicious affairs, hosted by the Palace for visiting chiefs of state. “I started catering only during Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino’s time,” said Fores in a text message to Daily Tribune. Fores recently catered the state dinner for Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala, the first European prime minister to visit the country under the new administration to discuss trade relations and mutual cooperation. The Asia’s Best Female Chef also served a delectable Filipino spread before the men and women of the diplomatic corps during the last vin d’honneur in Malacañang to celebrate the 12 June Independence Day. In 2016’s vin d’honneur, the last major function of the Aquino administration, Fores’ Cibo presented a Filipino buffet of three kinds of longganisa, toasted adobo flakes and corned beef flakes. Fores, who’s been in the food business for more than 30 years, has also prepared presidential dinners for King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, US Presidents George Bush and Barack Obama and Prince Albert of Monaco in Malacañang state dining room. Fores is the first cousin of former senator and interior secretary Mar Roxas, who is the second cousin of First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. Chef Jessie Sincioco Jessie Sincioco, dubbed the “Papal Chef,” is still the most in demand chef for fine dining and fine catering today. She has served the dining pleasure of Presidents Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Noynoy Aquino and Rodrigo Duterte. She catered the inauguration lunch of PBBM for the diplomatic corps at the National Museum, serving smoked milkfish on toast with bihod, mini croissant sandwiches of smoked salmon or chicken salad, mini pandesal stuffed with chicken adobo or grilled kesong puti, lemongrass chicken, brochette of beef lamb ball with potato and ensaimada balls with ube halaya, to name some. A frequent caterer to Malacañang, Sincioco shares with us some of the favorite food of each president that she has served through the years. “Tita Cory loved spinach mushroom soufflé,” said Sincioco in a text message to this writer. “FVR, pan-fried Chilean seabass. Estrada, roast beef. GMA, chocolate durian souffle. PNoy, US black angus bistek. Digong, pan-fried Chilean seabass. BBM, brochette of lamb and beef ball with potato (pica-pica).” [caption id="attachment_161361" align="aligncenter" width="730"] millie and Karla Reyes. |PHOTOGRAPH COURTESYOF www.flavorsoflife.com[/caption] The Plaza The Plaza Catering, another reputable food and catering service run by the mother-and-daughter team of Millie and Karla Reyes, also has the privilege of serving the head of state and official banquets. “We have catered all presidents from Marcos Sr. to Duterte,” said Karla. “Not yet with PBBM.” The Plaza has been in the business since 1965 and is well-known for its piece de resistance — The Plaza premium baked ham and corned beef which Millie and Karla include in the menu whenever they cater to the Palace banquets. The Plaza has played host to foreign heads of state, such as Pope Paul VI, US Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George H.W. Bush, Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Premier Li Hsien Yen of the People’s Republic of China. They also shared their version of the presidents’ favorites. “Marcos Sr., fish and Ilocano food. He had his own cook preparing his meals,” said Karla. “Imelda, steaks and she’s a very good cook. Erap, lechon and our boiled Angus corned beef and baked ham. GMA and husband Mike, The Plaza ham. PNoy, barbecue and angus tapa.” She added: “For Duterte, we didn’t get to serve him up close and personal. We catered an event at Malacañang but he came like five hours late to his own event so he didn’t eat anymore.” [caption id="attachment_161358" align="aligncenter" width="900"] Bulak Bustaliño at the Arlegui Guest House in 1996. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF kusina ni maria[/caption] Kusina ni Maria During the time of Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Kusina ni Maria would also cater to Malacañang events, including special occasions at the Arlegui Guest House, where Cory and FVR lived during their time while holding government affairs in the Executive Building. Among their favorites were lengua con setas, chicken relleno, callos a la Madrileña, zarzuela de mariscos, grilled blue marlin, sarsiadong bias, paksiw na bihud, asadong curacha, tostadong alimango, kare-kare oxtail with bagoong, lao-ya, minaisang kabute and pancit buko. “Same dishes as what we have now,” said Ding Bustaliño, who now runs Kusina ni Maria founded by her late mom Bulak Bustaliño in 1984. “I used to join my mom in Arlegui when she would check the table setting, flowers and those were the food she would serve.” The real jewels in the Palace — made up of the virtual who’s who in Philippine cuisine — are in the kitchen. The post Jewels in the Palace kitchen appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DoE ‘slow walking’ on cheaper energy
The Department of Energy has been slow in making energy production sustainable and reducing the cost of electricity, which can be achieved by adopting nuclear energy, Rep. Mark Cojuangco told the Daily Tribune on Wednesday. Cojuangco, of the 2nd District of Pangasinan, said the country spends around $800 million on coal imports each year to generate most of its energy supply. On the other hand, he said, nuclear energy production costs only around $20 million which would result in 50 percent or more savings to consumers. “We should think of our balance of payments first. Nuclear energy has long been used by France since they decided to address the oil crisis in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, their energy has been cleaner and their country independent from the OPEC or Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries,” Cojuangco said. Despite this, he said, the DoE has been “slow walking” in adopting nuclear energy. It should aggressively advocate lawmakers for the construction and operation of nuclear plants in the country, starting with the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, he stressed. “They are saying 2,500 megawatts of power by 2032 in the country, but they are not saying how they’re going to get there. There should be a firm vision in place that the Congress should make an official energy policy,” Cojuangco said. He noted that the DoE had commissioned a survey that revealed that 79 percent of Filipinos were being hurt by the high energy prices and believed the government should resolve this. “DoE has been exploring alternative energy sources for 37 years, yet energy prices are still expensive. It’s time to adopt nuclear energy which can be produced through the BNPP. As consumers, we have the social license to alert the government and demand affordable energy,” he said. The BNPP had not been activated since former president Corazon Aquino ordered further studies on the safety of nuclear power plants in 1986, following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Cojuangco, however, said nuclear power plants are safe as they are inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency. To ensure enough energy supply, he said the country should be producing 1,000 megawatts through nuclear energy each year to achieve an additional 16,000 megawatts by 2045. Currently, he said, the country gets 75 percent of its energy from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil to generate 16,000 megawatts. He cautioned, however, that reserves from these traditional sources are thinning, including the Malampaya natural gas field in Palawan, amid projections of a fast-growing population. “Twenty percent of the energy from fossil fuels comes from Malampaya, and the National Economic and Development Authority said we need to double our 22,000-megawatt capacity by 2040,” he added. The post DoE ‘slow walking’ on cheaper energy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (17)
“Without fear or favor,” was how former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. chose the Daily Tribune motto in justifying his vote for the acquittal of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the 2012 impeachment trial. Marcos was one of three senators, the others being Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo, who voted to acquit, against 20 who voted to convict Corona. The senator-judges voted only on article 2 of the original eight charges in the impeachment complaint, which was Corona’s “failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth as required under the Constitution.” When Corona passed away in 29 April 2016, Marcos said that he had been a victim of a “great injustice.” “It is unfortunate that at the time of his death, he was still under this cloud that had remained above him since the impeachment trial,” Marcos lamented. He stressed that Corona was clearly a casualty of “selective justice.” History validated the points Marcos made as it was revealed that money was passed around, straight from a Palace slush fund, to influence the vote to oust Corona. In defense of his vote in the impeachment court, Marcos cited Lady Justice who “wears a blindfold for a reason.” “She is to render judgment based on law and evidence without regard to the circumstances and personalities of the parties involved,” he noted. He said that like Lady Justice, the senator-judges were bound to dispense justice “without fear or favor.” “An impeachment trial is sui generis. But, be that as it may, the Bill of Rights stands supreme over all the powers of government, including the power to impeach, and nowhere is this precept more opposite than in this case, where the government has mustered all the resources at its disposal not only to secure evidence against the chief justice but further to ensure his conviction,” Marcos had noted. He indicated that the crucial issues that had piqued the interest of the senator-judges, as well as of the public, “were outside the original ambit of the impeachment complaint” and were raised only after the filing of the complaint. “Evidence in some of these issues came from questionable sources, beginning with the unidentified ‘little lady’ who supplied documents anonymously, leaving them on gates and in mailboxes.” The “little lady” was later identified as a journalist who was doing errands for the Liberal Party to pin Corona and fulfill the wish of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to have the chief justice removed. Marcos said that “at the expense of the sub judice rule, evidence was presented to the public on several occasions even before they were formally offered before this court.” “Worse, information was grossly exaggerated with the apparent intention to predispose the public mind against the chief justice,” Marcos pointed out. He cited as an example the Land Registration Authority report with the “discredited” list of 45 properties and the unauthenticated Anti-Money Laundering Council report claiming that the chief justice had $10 million. Fair, impartial and just Still, Marcos said the chief justice sufficiently addressed the accusations against him with regard to the filing of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and the disclosure of his real properties and peso deposits. Relative to his dollar deposits, the chief justice believed that he was under no legal duty to declare them pursuant to Republic Act 6426 which affords absolute confidentiality to all foreign currency depositors, Marcos indicated. “In view of the ambiguous situation created by the concurrent application of the 1987 Constitution, the SALN law and the FCDU law, and absent a determinative judicial pronouncement that resolves the contrary positions in this legal issue, the chief justice must be presumed to have acted in good faith,” Marcos said. He pointed out that “it has been held that not all omissions and misdeclarations in the SALN amount to dishonesty.” “When the furor has died down and this political storm has subsided, I know that like Lady Justice we shall find solace in the fact that this decision, though it may be not popular, was fair, impartial and just,” Marcos declared. The post Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (17) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Moment of legacy’:Pinoy producers making B’way history with ‘Here Lies Love’
[caption id="attachment_157582" align="aligncenter" width="546"] Don Michael Mendoza and Georgina Pazcoguin.GIRLIE Rodis[/caption] [caption id="attachment_157584" align="aligncenter" width="193"] Giselle Tongi[/caption] [caption id="attachment_157583" align="aligncenter" width="351"] Adam Handyman, Bobby Garcia,[/caption] Here Lies Love, the Broadway musical about former First Lady Imelda Marcos and the People Power Revolution, is not only the first Broadway production to have a cast composed entirely of Filipinos. It is also the first to have so many Filipinos on its producing team. The latest HLL Pinoy producers are Black Eyed Peas singer Apl.de.Ap and DJ CherishTheLuv. They are part of a distinguished group that includes celebrated performers, renowned artists and accomplished advocates who are of Filipino blood and are proud to be part of the innovative show. Named as producers are Hal Luftig, Patrick Catullo, Diana DiMenna and Plate Spinner Productions, Clint Ramos, and Jose Antonio Vargas, with Aaron Lustbader as executive producer. They are joined by Lea Salonga (who is in the cast), H.E.R., Jo Koy, Bobby Garcia, Giselle “G” Töngi, Celia Kaleialoha Kenney, Girlie Rodis, Miranda Gohh, Rob Laqui, Georgina Pazcoguin, Don Michael H. Mendoza, Adam Hyndman, Yasuhiro Kawana, Triptyk Studios, Shira Friedman, James L. Nederlander, Kevin Connor, Patrick Trettenero, Elizabeth Armstrong, Cathy Dantchik, Wendy Federman/Suzzane Niedland, Luke Katler/Ryan Solomon, Laura Ivey/Janet Brenner and Hunter Arnold/TBD Theatricals. David Byrne, co-founder of the ‘80s New Wave group Talking Heads and the brains behind the concept and music of HLL, said to The Washington Post’s Gina Apostol that this was what he intended. The Grammy- and Oscar-winning musician explained, “I wanted producers who understand what it means, not just to them personally but to the Filipino community.” ‘Phenomenal musical’ Getting the producers on board was not difficult because of HLL’s history. In 2013, HLL premiered off-Broadway at New York City’s The Public Theater where it played until 2015. It also had runs at London’s National Royal Theatre from 2014 to 2015, and at the Seattle Repertory Theater in 2017. Tony Award-winning producer Adam Hyndman was among the audience of HLL’s off-Broadway debut. “I was so impacted that I saw it three times and brought everyone I knew!” he recalled. When he was invited to bring the project to the world’s most famous theater circuit — Adam had produced the Broadway musicals Aladdin, Once On This Island, Hadestown and The Inheritance — his response was immediate: “I jumped on board because I knew HLL would be more than just another show, but rather a moment of legacy.” G Töngi, who had made a name for herself as an actress/host/VJ in the Philippines in the 1990s, was likewise fired up when she witnessed HLL at Seattle Repertory. “I walked away from that experience feeling so seen,” she said. The musical brought her back to 1986 when she, as a child, marched in the streets outside Malacañang with her mother. Atlantis Productions founder Bobby Garcia, who mounted the Philippine productions of Rent and Angels in America, has been involved with HLL since 2014, when it premiered at London’s National Theater. Bobby said, “(Director) Alex Timbers kept me in the loop of potential productions. Patrick Catullo and Clint Ramos approached me about joining the team as co-producer and talked to me about how the show would have a revolving door of Filipino artists from Manila to play Aurora Aquino (the mother of Ninoy Aquino).” The opportunity was simply too good to pass up, said Garcia. “As an advocate of Filipino talent, I wanted to be part of bringing this phenomenal musical to the Broadway stage and opening the door for talent from the Philippines to cross the ocean and make their Broadway debuts.” Breaking ground Garcia’s friend, veteran talent manager and stage and film producer Girlie Rodis, certainly understands what he meant. “Whether you’re someone on stage or someone working behind the scenes, the big break doesn’t come often,” said Rodis. “So when Bobby talked to me in 2021 about joining him as co-producer, no questions asked. More than the prospect of giving breaks to our talented Filipino artists, it’s the chance to carve a legacy that made me tell Bobby, ‘Count me in!’ Who would have thought that a Broadway musical production would have an all-Filipino cast and depict the history of the Philippines? Now it’s finally happening.” HLL’s Broadway debut is set to break ground in American media and performing arts. “This visibility of Filipino performers in leading roles on Broadway just fills my heart,” said Georgina Pazcoguin, New York City Ballet’s first Asian-American female soloist and co-founder of the diversity initiative Final Bow for Yellowface. For actor and stage/TV/new media producer Don Michael H. Mendoza, the impact will definitely be long-term. “Like Hamilton does for actors of color, Here Lies Love will provide employment to countless Filipino performers, musicians and production staff for many years to come. Moreover, it will teach the audience about a people that was always in front of them for decades, but playing other ethnicities. Now it’s our turn to be seen and loved by the audiences for who we are as Filipinos. Not as anyone else.” Bayanihan spirit The bayanihan spirit, or cooperative spirit that Pinoys are known for, is very present among the HLL producers. A number of them are based outside of New York and a few — like Rodis — are outside the US. But thanks to technology and fueled by a united passion, they have formed a strong bond and have achieved their tasks outstandingly. “Being a Here Lies Love co-producer has, at long last, connected me with my culture in a way I’ve been craving. For the first time ever I’m surrounded by co-workers who share a part of my identity,“ said Pazcoguin. Rodis added, “Collaborating with this incredible group of Filipino co-producers has already given me so much. Tony award-winning designer Clint Ramos and producer Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, have been supportive and generous. It’s a blessing to be in this company.” A few days before Here Lies Love opens on Broadway, the producers already feel ecstatic. “We are excited that there is so much enthusiasm both in the Broadway and Filipino and Fil-Am communities to see HLL,” said New York-based creative producer Rob Laqui. “One of our jobs as producers is to translate this buzz to getting people to the theater so HLL will have a long and successful run… We are confident and have faith in our process, and in the incredible team assembled, that HLL will be the gold standard for what Broadway can be.” The post ‘Moment of legacy’:Pinoy producers making B’way history with ‘Here Lies Love’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Six ‘best-friends-to-lovers’ titles to watch
ICYMI: Carlo Aquino and Lovi Poe have teamed up for the very first time in a movie. In Seasons, Carlo and Lovi play long-time best friends Kurt and Charlie who decide to strike a deal to help each other find their “lifetimes.” Throw in a spontaneous road trip, a realization, that friendships may be something more beneath the surface, and a difficult predicament to complicate an already messy setup, and you get the perfect recipe for a chaotic love story. So, if you’re a fan of the trope, here are six more films on Netflix with the same theme to binge ahead of Seasons’ 7 July drop! Your Place or Mine (2023) Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher play total opposites Debbie and Peter, who, after hooking up once in 2003, become the best of friends. The two learn more about each other’s lives after swapping houses for a week and realize that what they’ve been searching for all along might just be each other. Always Be My Maybe (2019) This romantic comedy stars Ali Wong as renowned restaurateur Sasha and Randall Park as musician Marcus, estranged best friends who unexpectedly reconnect as adults. After meeting again, they embark on a journey to reignite their relationship and confront old wounds, all while struggling to adapt to each other’s lives that couldn’t be more different from another. EuroVision: The Story of Fire Saga (2020) This goofy film is about two best friends Lars (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit (Rachel McAdams) from a small Icelandic village who set out to chase their dreams of winning the EuroVision singing competition, a feat that nobody from their country has ever achieved. Tensions and buried emotions arise as they get ready for the competition of their lives, with everything unfolding against the beautiful backdrop of Scotland and Iceland. Single All The Way (2021) Keep this one in your watchlist if you’re looking for something light and fun! Single All The Way is a charming love story between best friends Peter and Nick. To pacify Peter’s family during a holiday trip to his hometown, the two pretend they’re finally in a relationship after years of things strictly platonic when, as is usual, things don’t go as planned. I’m Drunk, I Love You (2017) This film follows best friends Dio and Carson on a spontaneous trip to La Union before their college graduation as they come to terms with their feelings and secrets along the way. If you can relate, we suggest you prepare tissues (lots of it) and maybe some beers to help you tide this ultimate hugot film over. My Amanda (2021) This Piolo Pascual and Alessandra de Rossi starrer tells the story of TJ and Amanda, two best friends navigating their shared and individual experiences in arguably one of the most natural, believable best friend dynamics ever portrayed on the local screen. Get your tissues ready because this one hits hard. The post Six ‘best-friends-to-lovers’ titles to watch appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Nayong Pilipino seeks resumption
DAVAO DE ORO — A high-ranking official of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation said they are hoping that appropriate funding will be finally released to them next year in order to reopen the Nayong Pilipino in Parañaque City. In an interview, NPF executive director Gertie Duran-Batocabe said the park is there but not operational now. “The park is there but there is nothing on it. We really hope that it will reopen, and it should open. We already applied to the National Economic Development Authority for funding. We are also looking for a private-public partnership or PPP,” Batocabe told Daily Tribune during the Philippine Experience program-Davao Region leg on Friday. “Recently, we also sought the help of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority to fund its reopening. And they are exploring how we can be funded,” he added. According to a TIEZA official who requested anonymity, the request for proper funding is already being discussed at TIEZA and they are now delegating the project of reopening Nayong Pilipino to its attached agencies. Nayong Pilipino Foundation is an attached agency of the Department of Tourism and it was created during the time of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. in order to revive cultural practices and folkloric traditions that existed before the coming of colonizers. Batocabe said they understand that the DoT is not yet prioritizing the reopening of Nayong Pilipino. Earlier, the Commission on Audit said in its report that NPF has the uncertainty to continue its operations in the future, “considering its inability to raise additional or alternative sources of revenue as funds for its operations would be fully depleted within the next five to six years.” With this, Senator Nancy Binay in April 2023 asked the DoT to avert the expected fund depletion of the NPF by reviewing the organization’s projects and activities. Binay also recommended to the DoT to scrutinize the financial and sales projections of the NPF in the next five to 10 years. The 2022 COA audit report also called on the NPF to draft a long-term financial plan with “detailed and realistic” targets to prevent fund depletion. Nayong Pilipino Park, situated near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, is a 47-hectare property divided into seven regions, each of which was designated with a renowned architect, such as National Artist Leandro Locsin. The old park was closed in 2002 under Executive Order 111 by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to give way to the airport’s expansion. The post Nayong Pilipino seeks resumption appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teodoro and Teodoro
Gibo and Ted, as they are often referred to by many, are the two newest officials to join the Marcos Jr. Cabinet. That it took almost a year to fill the key positions at Defense and Health may be taken in either a positive or negative light, with people likely to veer either way depending on their political colors. Gilbert Teodoro and Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, upstanding men they may be to their friends and family, may just as easily be criticized for past actions, devotions, or decisions. Who are we to know, really, what they can do unless we look at their track record and reputation? Still, the most critical (or cynical) may argue that these are no guarantee that they can “do the job.” We will know in the end, won’t we, but there is never a bottom in the well of hope. The real question, as we may simply put it, never mind the whispers and whines, is this: are they the right men for the job? These are transformative times, as we often say. Experienced and capable as they may be, Gibo and Ted are coming in at a time when many factors have changed for the departments they are set to lead. Or, indeed, for the world. Teodoro has headed the Department of National Defense before. Yet in then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s time, the DND did not experience the level of aggression now being felt from China over territorial disputes. Dr. Herbosa is also not new to the Department of Health, having served as undersecretary during Noynoy Aquino’s presidency. He was also part of the Duterte government’s Covid-19 task force. The post-pandemic realities in the health sector will present him with fresh challenges, to be sure. It gets more interesting when one examines either man’s roots or affiliations, especially if looking into “why” they were given the government position. Teodoro’s ties to the Cojuangco clan and its “yellow” connotation, some say, could make it a little difficult for him this time around. However, his Marcos ties are also clear: his mother, Mercedes Cojuangco, was a member of the Batasang Pambansa during the Marcos Sr. presidency. Danding Cojuangco, his late uncle, was an ally of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. As DND secretary under Arroyo, he was a popular figure, touted as “the youngest person ever to hold the post” at age 43. He had a brilliant run until, some say, the president’s unpopularity at the time rubbed off on his chances to win elections. Some allege that he was “burned out” by the politics of the time — but that is all conjecture, as Teodoro practically went off the political grid for a decade, resurfacing to travel to Davao City and see than possible presidential bet Sara Duterte. Herbosa, medical trauma expert regarded as “a controversial figure during the pandemic,” has all the qualifications for the job, and likely both the strength and humility to handle problems when they arise. Joey Concepcion said Herbosa would help the government keep Covid-19 under control and keep public health in good standing, a must to have the national economy running at full capacity, a report says. So, back to the question: Are they the right men for the job? If they are to prove this, we have to set aside doubt and the tendency to speculate and just give them the chance they deserve. The post Teodoro and Teodoro appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Political thunderbolt (3)
A blistering and unexpected backlash of the hasty, rude and ruthless ouster of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as Senior Deputy Speaker engineered by the House leadership was the lightning departure of the enigmatic and charismatic iron sweet lady of politics, VP Sara Duterte, as chairperson and member of the Lakas-CMD, the present dominant political party, which is allied with Partido Federal Ng Pilipinas, that both launched the formidable tandem of Marcos-Duterte culminating in their landslide victory. It is beyond cavil that VP Inday Sara’s irrevocable resignation accompanied by a biting condemnation of the “political toxicity” and the “execrable political power play” that characterized the removal of FPGMA is the overriding consideration for her abrupt exit from her political party she chaired with the Speaker as its president. Evidently, she could not stomach the poisonous and malodorous betrayal inflicted on her perceived close political ally and confidant. The act was a brazen stab in the back between allies. The brain who plunged the dagger has not been educated that respect exists and is bestowed even among thieves and the worst of political enemies. She would not allow people to wrongly speculate that she gave her imprimatur to the distasteful treasonous act by keeping quiet. She must raise her voice and show her utmost displeasure and outrage — and she did — with a bang! It was a political statement and a political thunderbolt that reverberated in the entire archipelago. Following that biting condemnation and reproach to the politician behind the ouster of FPGMA, Inday Sara, who can never mask her righteous indignation, and who expresses her honest conviction and slam anyone whom she feels to have gone beyond decency and ethical conduct regardless of the stature and power of the person she alludes to, tweeted in her Instagram the ultimate indictment: “Sa imong ambisyon (In your ambition), do not be tambaloslos.” As we all know by now, a tambaloslos is a grotesque demon-like mythical creature. It is used as an insult to an inept person. In a video message to VP Sara on the occasion of her birthday last 31 May, PBBM made the following remarks with an added reference to the tweet of the former: “Inday Sara, Happy Birthday, I hope you enjoy yourself and take a break from work. I hope you make time for yourself and ignore those tambaloslos around you,” PBBM said laughing. Without meaning to, PBBM may appear to have agreed to Inday Sara’s tambaloslos tweet. Of course, the Chief Executive was trying to make light of Inday Sara’s tweet but his reference to it specifically advising her to ignore the tambaloslos around her gives significance to it with the unintended implied acknowledgment that there are indeed tambaloslos around VP Sara. The person behind the stenchy removal of FPGMA may have not anticipated the thunderous reaction from the younger Duterte, who like her father, is loved by the Filipino people. If the objective of the removal is to clip the wings of future adversaries in the 2028 presidential elections, it achieved the opposite result. Not even PBBM’s attempt at diffusing the heightened tension between the key players could douse cold water to the smoldering schism between former allies. Even assuming that there was a plot to remove the Speaker from his position by FPGMA, it was wrong to remove the latter with reckless and disrespectful abandon. He could have politely confronted her with the planned coup and if she admitted to it, then being political allies, colleagues, officials of their party Lakas-CMD, and constant traveling companions of the President in the latter’s travel abroad, and both being advisers to the President, the Speaker should have quietly settled the Speakership issue between themselves. If they failed to iron out their differences, then he could have requested his first cousin to mediate, the way he did when he was vying for the Speakership in the 18th Congress against his two political allies-rivals. The three of them sought the intercession of FPRRD, who obligingly acceded and ended the rivalry. It is hoped that the evolving political drama is not in keeping with the saying: “Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first make mad.” The post Political thunderbolt (3) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Acquittal doesn’t shield accused from karmic debt
No matter how a former government official commits abusive and criminal acts while in office, followed by prosecution and incarceration after stepping out of office, there are rabid partisans who will express their support and sympathy either out of misplaced loyalty, or out of gratitude for past favors or out of ignorance of the past misdeeds. When such government official is acquitted by reason of failure of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt, the partisans, as well as even those who genuinely pity the accused who has been clamped to jail before the acquittal pour out their sympathetic sentiments claiming that the detainee has been imprisoned unjustly for many years before being acquitted, as in the case of former senator and justice secretary Leila de Lima. Charged with three drug cases, she was jailed in 2016. Despite scoring two acquittals, with the last remaining drug case still pending she remains languishing behind bars, although relatively with less restrictive movements and enjoying some privacy being confined solo in her jailhouse, unlike ordinary convicts who suffer more. Given the change in the political environment from the time of her incarceration, where fortunes are altered for various reasons, it will not be surprising if she will be again exonerated in her last court case. Sympathizers lament that her six years of being deprived of freedom is undeserved and unjust since she has been acquitted in two cases and most likely will snatch another judicial victory unless the trying court strictly follows the rules on evidence. Let us grant that indeed she is really innocent in the drug cases filed against her, is it correct to say that her six years of being deprived of her liberty is an injustice? The answer must be negative because the law of karma applies to her. The accused has to pay a karmic debt she owes to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. For those who have forgotten, let us revisit the past, particularly 15 November 2011. On that day, accompanied by her husband, former First Gentleman, and son, Congressman Mikey Arroyo, the former President, in an ambulance arrived at the Manila International Airport. She was wheeled into the departure VIP lounge wearing a face mask and a neck brace. Armed with a Supreme Court restraining order overturning an earlier travel ban issued by the late former President Benigno Aquino III, their lawyers tried to persuade the Immigration officials to allow them to depart for Singapore for medical treatment of a bone ailment The accused, as then-Secretary of Justice, in willful, brazen and blatant defiance of the Supreme Court order, commanded her subordinate officials in the Bureau Immigration, who of course complied, to prevent Arroyo from boarding the plane. On 16 July 2012, a P366 million plunder charge was filed against her. On 12 October 2012, a warrant of arrest was issued against her by the Sandiganbayan, which granted her plea for a hospital arrest owing to her illness. She was a virtual prisoner at the hospital and deprived of her liberty until 19 July 2016 when the Supreme Court freed her after it dismissed the plunder case against her. Undoubtedly, it was the accused who not only inhumanly stopped her from getting urgent medical treatment abroad and as the head of the prosecution arm of the Aquino government, but contributed greatly to her subsequent arrest and detention for more than four years. Accused De Lima may have escaped her criminal culpability by reason of a flawed acquittal in the drug cases but she could not dodge her accountably for the illegal act of stopping FPGMA from seeking medical treatment abroad. Her continued detention despite her acquittal is a deserving substituted punishment for the cruel and criminal offense she committed against the former Chief Executive. Her acquittal is not a shield to the unstoppable and inexorable operation of the law of karma. As an aside, this writer cannot fathom why FPGMA has not filed any criminal or administrative case or both against her tormentor, except to consider that the former has a forgiving heart. It is also a wonderment why the Supreme Court, on its own initiative, has not sanctioned the criminal, contumacious, and outrageous act of the former government official, when her act was in open defiance of its restraining order. The post Acquittal doesn’t shield accused from karmic debt appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DFA on Del Rosario: ‘Consummate diplomat, inspiring leader’
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario, who ushered the Philippines’ case against China in the 2016 landmark decision that cemented Manila’s claim over the West Philippine Sea, passed away at 83, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Tuesday. In a statement, the DFA said Del Rosario died while en route to San Francisco in the United States. It did not elaborate further on the cause of the passing of the agency’s former chief. The DFA described Del Rosario as a “staunch advocate of protecting and advancing national security and promoting the rights and welfare of Filipinos both in the Philippines and abroad.” He joined the Cabinet of late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as DFA secretary from 2011 to March 2016. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo also extended his condolences to the family of the country’s former top diplomat. “I extend my deepest condolences to the loved ones of Secretary Albert F. Del Rosario. He was a consummate diplomat and an inspiring leader who led the DFA with integrity and unwavering commitment to public service. You will be missed, Mr. Secretary,” said Manalo. 2016 Arbitral Ruling During his stint as the DFA chief, Del Rosario led the country’s arbitral case before the Hague-based court and challenged China’s historic nine-dash claim in the South China Sea. On 12 July 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration favored the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea – a landmark decision that the People’s Republic of China continues to reject. Even after his stint at the DFA ended, Del Rosario continued to speak against Chinese activities in the WPS, which earned the ire of Aquino’s successor, former President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte and Del Rosario traded barbs at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, after the latter said that ranking Chinese officials helped the former president win in the 2016 elections. In response to Del Rosario’s allegation, the Duterte administration accused Del Rosario of being a “traitor” for ordering the withdrawal of Filipino ships during the 2012 standoff with China in Scarborough Shoal. The former DFA chief explained that he mistakenly believed that China would keep its promise to call off its ships in a deal that was brokered by the United States. Before taking the helm of the DFA under the Aquino administration, Del Rosario also served as Philippine Ambassador to the United States under former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2001 to 2006. Diplomats pay tribute As the news spread about the passing of Del Rosario, the international community also expressed its condolences to the family of the former DFA chief. Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Jana Treybalová Šedivá said: “He was a source of inspiration and I learned so much from him.” “You will be missed also by Czech friends and colleagues, dear Albert,” she added. European Union Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron described Del Rosario as "soft-spoken" but an "indefatigable diplomat and patriot whose role in strengthening EU-Philippines relations was critical." Likewise, Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko expressed his gratitude to Del Rosario for his contributions to the Philippines-Japan bilateral relations. “His contributions to the Philippines-Japan relationship as symbolized by the conferment of a Japanese Decoration last year and his leadership to uphold the rule of law in the sea will never be forgotten,” Koshikawa said. Last November, the Japanese government conferred on Del Rosario the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, citing him for becoming an “instrument” in building the Japan-Philippines bilateral relationship toward becoming a “strategic partnership”. “Especially, he has significantly contributed in ensuring the safety of ships navigating the waters around the Philippines by strengthening the maritime security relations between both nations,” it said. It also acknowledged Del Rosario’s role in the historic victory of the Philippines in the special arbitral tribunal that favored the country against the People’s Republic of China in 2016. The Order of the Rising Sun is awarded by the Emperor of Japan to individuals, both Japanese and foreign, in recognition of long and/or especially meritorious service. Australian Ambassador to the Philippines HK Yu also mourned the passing of Del Rosario, whom she described as a “good friend” to Australia. “Secretary Del Rosario will always be remembered for his support for UNCLOS and the rules-based international order,” YU said. Del Rosario is survived by his wife Gretchen and his children. The post DFA on Del Rosario: ‘Consummate diplomat, inspiring leader’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Charter stumbling block in joint oil search
Senator Robinhood Padilla on Thursday said the “outdated” economic provisions of the Philippine 1987 Constitution are a “stumbling block” to the Philippines and China’s possible joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea. “For so many times, the limitations in our Constitution have been an issue in discussions on oil and gas exploration,” Padilla said in a statement. “Thus, with the upcoming resumption of the talks, does this mean our DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) is open to amending outdated economic provisions of our Charter, particularly Sec. II, Art. XII that states the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources shall be under the full control and supervision of the State?” he continued. Earlier this month, the DFA announced that the Philippines and China will hold their “preparatory talks” in Beijing for the possible joint oil and gas exploration in the West Philippine Sea in May. Padilla, who is pushing for an economic charter amendment through a Constitutional Assembly, also cited the recent Supreme Court ruling which invalidated and declared unconstitutional the 2005 Tripartite Agreement for Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking as one of the “stumbling blocks.” “Another stumbling block is the decision of our Supreme Court last January, ruling as unconstitutional the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking,” he said, referring to a tripartite agreement signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that allowed the Philippines with China and Vietnam to conduct explorations for oil resources in the South China Sea. Padilla stressed that time should not be wasted in amending the Constitution. “There is no time to lose. Filipinos have long felt the effects of a shortage of oil: joblessness, lack of sufficient income, and rising transport costs and prices of basic goods,” he said. “Because of these, I am one with those hoping for the success of the discussions, as well as a solution between the Philippines and China to end the suffering of ordinary Filipinos,” he added. The DFA previously said that the Philippines is open to restarting negotiations with China, so long as discussions fall within the limits stipulated in the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. In 2018, the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China on joint oil and gas development in the West Philippine Sea during the administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte. However, Duterte, a week before stepping down from office in June last year, ordered then Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to terminate the discussion on joint exploration with China, citing that “three years on and we had not achieved our objective of developing oil and gas resources so critical for the Philippines but not at the price of sovereignty; not even a particle of it”. The post Charter stumbling block in joint oil search appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A fitting legacy
Every regime, from as far back as I know, has had its own share of disasters to deal with. The late President Cory Aquino had the Ormoc tragedy and the Pinatubo eruption, former President Fidel V. Ramos had Typhoon Rosing, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had Ondoy, the late President Noynoy Aquino had Yolanda and a couple of other strong typhoons. President Rodrigo Duterte has the Taal Volcano eruption and of course, this pandemic......»»