Duterte threatens revolutionary gov’t if ‘destab’ continues

 Entertainment
Oct 212017
 

MANILA, Oct 14 (Mabuhay) –President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to declare a revolutionary government in case destabilization moves by his critics, particularly the Left, continue and start slipping into chaos.

“‘Pag ang destablization ninyo patagilid na at medyo magulo na, I will not hesitate to declare a revolutionary government until the end of my term,” he said in a report on state-run PTV  News on Friday.

“I will arrest all of you and we can go to a full-scale war against the Reds,” Duterte added.

He said he will declare the revolutionary government if he thinks his critics are “about to take over the nation” and install a new government.

Duterte said he would not declare martial law because he would need to report to Congress for it.

He also said that declaring a revolutionary government would be akin to what late President Corazon Aquino did during her term.

“Just like your hero, heroine, President Corazon Aquino declared a martial law. Then… about to then changed her mind a few hours and declared a revolutionary government,” he said.

Duterte’s statement was part of a taped interview with broadcaster Erwin Tulfo that aired on Friday night.

While Duterte urged both the communists and Liberal Party to band against him, he singled out the Left in his recent rants.

“And pagka dumating ‘yang panahon ng revolutionary government, lahat kayo, lahat kayo, especially the left. As of now, itong mga legal fronts nila are part of the conspiracy. They are as equally guilty as the one fighting in the mountains. Kasi sila-sila ‘yan eh,” he said.

Duterte even a few days before he was elected in May 2016 said he would want to set up a revolutionary government if he wins.

In August, the President floated the idea once again saying it would bring change to the country but it would not be during his term. (MNS)

Filing charges over ‘pork’ scam up to DOJ, not Malacañang – Coloma

 News
Mar 022014
 
Filing charges over ‘pork’ scam up to DOJ, not Malacañang – Coloma

Malacañang said Sunday that filing charges over the alleged misuse of the Priority Development Assistance Fund is up to the Department of Justice. “Wala po sa hurisdiksyon ng Malacanang ang pag-aaral ng mga kaso o mga usapin hinggil diyan,” Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said over government radio on Sunday.  “Simula sapul, malinaw po ang batayang prinsipyo ng ating Pangulo at pamahalaan. Kinakailangang hayaan yung ebidensya na magturo kung saan patungo yung imbestigasyon,” he added. The statement came after Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary general, said said Saturday that the investigation into the so-called pork barrel scam seemed to be aimed only at members of the opposition. The opposition stalwart on Saturday said the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation have yet to file charges against administration allies named in a Commission on Audit report on alleged misuse of their PDAF. Tiangco said members of the Liberal Party who were identified in a COA report released last August as having received excess “pork barrel” allocations from 2007 to 2008 have yet to face charges.  “Imagine, inabot na ng 200 days pero wala pa ring nakakasuhan sa mga kaalyado ng Liberal Party? What’s really obvious and dubious is that the cases are all focused on the opposition. Ayaw na nilang idagdag ang mga kaibigan nilang sumawsaw sa PDAF. Malinaw na may cover up dito,” he said in a statement. But Coloma said Sunday that the findings of the Audit commission still Read More …

Roxas defends deputy at DILG vying for Sandiganbayan post

 News
Jul 032013
 
Roxas defends deputy at DILG vying for Sandiganbayan post

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas on Wednesday defended Interior Undersecretary Rafael Antonio Santos against those criticizing his bid to become the next Sandiganbayan presiding justice. In an interview with reporters at the Supreme Court, Roxas said Santos has performed well both when he was still at the Department of Transportation and Communications, which Roxas used to head, and now at the Department of Interior and Local Government. “Maayos ang kanyang trabaho. Sa haba ng aming pagsasama sa DOTC at saka sa DILG ay wala kang masasabi. Walang mantsa, walang bahid ang kanyang pagserbisyo,” Roxas said. Roxas said he did not necessarily give his “blessings” to Santos, but said he “supported” Santos’ decision to leave the executive branch and return once again to law practice. “Hindi ko maaaring hadlangan ang kanyang pangarap o kagustuhan na bumalik na sa kanyang propesyon sa pagiging abugado. Sinusuportahan ko siya,” Roxas said. “Sabi niya, pagod na rin siya. Nagsilbi na rin siya. Kaya maaari daw bang mag-apply. Oh di sabi ko, okay naman na mag-apply,” he added. Asked what he wanted to tell Santos’ detractors, Roxas said: “Well, hayaan mo sila.” United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) Secretary General Toby Tiangco earlier expressed doubt about Santos’ “agenda” for joining the Sandiganbayan race. Tiangco said: “[But e]ven if he has the blessing of Mar Roxas, Usec. Santos is not exempted from the ‘Tuwid na Daan.’” According to Tiangco, Santos served as undersecretary of Department of National Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz from 2004 to 2006, before being personally handpicked by Roxas Read More …

Aquino plans to appoint RH law author as DOH Usec

 News
Jul 012013
 
Aquino plans to appoint RH law author as DOH Usec

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday revealed that he plans to appoint former Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, one of the primary authors of the controversial reproductive health (RH) bill, as health undersecretary. “She will bring a lot of political savvy to the Department of Health and will enhance the cooperation between the DoH, the local government units and the national government,” the President said. He added that he chose Garin, who was aligned with the Aquino-chaired Liberal Party when she was congresswoman, due to her “extensive experience” as a doctor and a lawmaker. —KG, GMA News

Enrile, Villar fail to sign expense reports; filing may be invalid, Brillantes says

 News
Jun 172013
 
Enrile, Villar fail to sign expense reports; filing may be invalid, Brillantes says

Senators-elect Bam Aquino and Cynthia Villar of the Liberal Party coalition, and defeated bet Jack Enrile of the United Nationalist Alliance, may be the early birds in filing their expenditure reports, but their submission may be considered invalid for failing to personally sign their reports.  According to their statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) available at the Commission on Elections Law Department, Enrile’s SOCE was signed by a certain Juan Ramon Garcia, while Villar’s SOCE was signed by her attorney-in-fact Jane C. Ynte.  Coincidentally, Enrile and Villar are also the top two spenders based on available expenditure reports. Enrile spent P150,401,072.09 for the recently concluded elections, followed by Villar with P133,979,127.25.  Aquino’s treasurer also signed his SOCE, according to the poll body’s law department. However, Aquino just submitted a supplemental expenditure report on Monday, this time with his own signature. Aquino spent P124,327,987.81 for his campaign kitty. Defeated senatorial bet and Jesus is Lord founder Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas also failed to affix his signature in his expense report. It was signed by his attorney Jacky Silva. Villanueva filed his SOCE beyond the 5 p.m. deadline on Thursday, June 13. Signature required Poll chief Sixto Brillantes Jr. said he had received reports that some senatorial candidates did not affix their signatures on their SOCEs as required by a Comelec resolution.  “Mayroon mga nag-file raw na hindi nakapirma ang mga candidates. It is a requirement that it should be signed by the candidate,” Brillantes said.  He added that failure to Read More …

Liberal Party leads House seats in 16th Congress

 News
Jun 052013
 
Liberal Party leads House seats in 16th Congress

The administration-led Liberal Party will retain its hold on the House of Representatives in the coming 16th Congress after its candidates won the most number of seats in the lower chamber in the May 13 mid-term polls, according to data from the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The party, which is chaired by President Benigno Aquino III, counted 108 winning candidates in various districts across the country. Among them are House Speaker Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte Jr., who led the party’s sweep in all six congressional seats for Quezon City, including those at the newly created fifth and sixth districts. The opposition has said it intends to put forward their own bet, LAKAS president and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez – who is also the nephew of former first lady and Ilocos Rep. Imelda Marcos – against Belmonte in the next Congress. “We’re officially declaring that we’re going to challenge the leadership of the House,” Minority Floor Leader Danilo Suarez told the media last May 23. But Belmonte is confident that he will retain his post on the strength of the LP’s alliance with other parties. “We expect that we’ll form the same coalition that we did last time—principally with the NPC, NUP, and the NP (Nacionalista),” he said. Comelec results show that the remaining 126 congressional districts went to candidates from the following groups: * Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition (NPC), 43 seats* National Unity Party (NUP), 24 seats* Nacionalista Party (NP), 20 seats* Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (LAKAS-CMD), 14 seats* United Nationalist Alliance Read More …

PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

 News
May 012013
 
PNoy not conducting loyalty checks on LP members, says spokesperson

President Benigno Aquino III is not out to check if his allies in the provinces will support the entire administration slate in the upcoming midterm polls, his spokesperson said Wednesday. In a phone patch interview, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda denied a statement from the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), the administration’s rival coalition in this year’s elections, that the President is already conducting loyalty checks on Liberal Party members on the ground. “Wala hong loyalty check po na nangyayari ngayon. I think they’re just deflecting the issues right now on the performance of the Team UNA candidates vis-à-vis the Team PNoy candidates based on the surveys that have just been released,” Lacierda said. He added that the President is satisfied with the performance of administration candidates in recent surveys. On Tuesday, UNA campaign manager Tobias Tiangco came out with the statement accusing LP of being “jumpy and paranoid” in the last few weeks leading up to the elections. Aquino chairs the ruling Liberal Party. “Loyalty checks are a sign of desperation and panic. Hindi nila kayang kontrolin ang mga leader nilang sumusuporta sa UNA,” Tiangco said. He attributed the supposed “undue pressure” being exerted by the ruling party on its allies to Albay Governor Joey Salceda’s move to meet with UNA candidates in his province over the weekend. Salceda heads the LP in the Bicol Region. Lacierda countered Tiangco’s claims by saying that the LP has “no reason to panic,” since it has the upper hand in the senatorial race based Read More …

UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

 News
Feb 202013
 
UNA drops Chiz, Loren, Grace Poe as candidates

In a statement, Navotas Rep. and UNA secretary general Tobias Tiangco said the UNA “is no longer obligated to include the names of Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda and Grace Poe-Llamanzares in its list of candidates.” Tiangco’s statement came a week after UNA said it will no longer campaign for its three guest candidates who will not physically show up in the coalition’s sorties. Tiangco said they tried their best to “accommodate the three candidates but that they were aware how the Liberal Party, through campaign manager Senator Franklin Drilon, has repeatedly warned them against joining their election activities.” “We would have wanted and were looking forward to having them join our nine UNA candidates in our rallies and sorties. Unfortunately, none of them have taken any concrete move or extended any meaningful gesture to assure us that they will live up to their commitments,” he said. He likewise said “public statements have been made by at least one of them ruling out participation in UNA events.” “It is clear that they have made up their minds. We need to move on,” Tiangco said. For his part, Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, LP campaign spokesperson, said UNA’s decision to drop the three senatorial candidates was already “forthcoming.” “We are not surprised by the decision of UNA. Now, the lines are very clear between the reformists and the opposition. At least the people will now have a clear choice,” Evardone said in a text message. During the proclamation rallies last week, Escudero, Legarda Read More …

Palace assures government funds won’t be used for Team Pnoy campaign

 Entertainment
Feb 132013
 
Palace assures government funds won’t be used for Team Pnoy campaign

President Benigno Aquino (C) raises the hands of his Liberal Party Senatorial candidates during a proclamation rally in Manila February 12, 2013. The 90-day campaign period for the May 2013 midterm elections began on Tuesday. Pictured are (L-R): Antonio Trillanes, Chiz Escudero, Cynthia Villar, Jamby Madrigal, Koko Pimentel, President Aquino, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Alan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda and Risa Hontiveros. (MNS photo) MANILA, Feb 13 (Mabuhay) — MALACANANG on Wednesday assured that no single centavo from government funds will be spent for the campaign operations of Team PNoy. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said while President Benigno S. Aquino III earlier pledged to actively campaign for Team Pnoy’s senatorial candidates, he will not be using government money and resources noting that his decision to join the campaign trail “involve governance.” “The presence of the President will involve governance in all things that he does,” Lacierda said at a press briefing in Malacanang. “Those are events of the President. You cover them regardless of whatever the President does…that’s part of the President’s work as a president and, in furtherance of his agenda, this is part of those measures that the President would like to do. And part of this pushing forth the agenda of the President is to campaign for the people he wants elected,” he added. The Palace official also defended the presence of several Cabinet secretaries in political sorties saying that they are allowed to campaign and support political candidates. “Let’s take it two-fold: legally, there is no Read More …