Why we need more Dutertes than De Limas

Don't get me wrong--Justice secretary Leila de Lima's reaction is a justified sigh when she heard that most of the public agreed with what Davao city Mayor Rodrigo Duterte suggested when a Senator asked him if David Bangayan aka David Tan visits his town and is caught doing an illicit thing.

Duterte was very direct in his response--he will gladly kill the guy, should he resists.

Bangayan is now widely being accused of being the biggest rice smuggler in the country, an offense that is both criminal as well as socially detestable.

De Lima immediately balked, when if she thinks very hard, she is the one to blame for what Bangayan is undergoing now. When Bangayan appeared in public, he became the public face for smuggling, unwittingly or wittingly. He actually created these troubles for himself.

Like Janet Lim-Napoles whose name is now forever linked with large scale thievery of public monies, Bangayan will now, and forever will be, the name invoked when someone discusses about smuggling, especially rice smuggling.

I am in agreement right now to expose and unmask these people behind smuggling activities here in our country because these smugglers are like parasites--they exploit the weaknesses of the system just to generate personal wealth. They don't play the game--they dictate its terms to a point that government is now helpless and unable to fight them in a square game.

Well, most people agree with Duterte because these people use the very same laws to get what they want. And through the years, they have amass such wealth and in fact, stole billions of dollars from the economy itself to the detriment of the majority.

For me, the worst criminals are those who inflict economic harm against his fellow human being.

According to the Global Financial Integrity report, entitled, " Illicit Financial Flows to and from the Philippines: A Study in Dynamic Simulation, 1960-2011", written by Dev Kar and Brian LeBlanc,
US$ 133 billion got lost in transiting from the formal Philippine economy while the US$ 277 billion that entered into the economy also got lost into the underground economy. Meaning, illicit financial flows which amounted to US$ 410 billion did not enter into the formal economy.

What the report wants us to understand is this---this huge sum of monies disappeared and benefitted the underground economy while it undermined the collection of taxes and paved the way for the slow burn into poverty and underdevelopment for the rest of the country.

This report actually quantified the amount of damage these smugglers and other economic saboteurs committed against the Filipino People.

Imagine, that sum of money US$ 411 billion would have further developed our economy, benefitted millions of Filipino families and probably led to the upliftment of millions of lives.

That sum of money could have averted the exodus of millions of Filipinos away from this country, and probably even prevented others from militating against their fellow Filipinos!

Now, do you understand why we need to kill these saboteurs and display their mangled bodies as proof of our determination to change this country for the better?

Renato Abad as Next Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

It seems that Justice Renato Abad is the upcoming Supreme Court Chief Justice and for legitimate reasons. One, Abad is extremely competent. Two, Abad will only stay for two years which will allow Aquino to appoint his most preferred candidate for the post---Department of Justice secretary Leila de Lima. Why De Lima? De Lima does not have any vested interests to pursue. That explains why Pnoy wants a de Lima there.

Inspite of several pressures coming from one group within the palace for a Carpio appointment, Pnoy is somewhat skeptical. For one, it is widely perceived (or known) that Carpio has many business interests. Justice Carpio founded "The Firm" which flourished during the time of Arroyo. 

Pnoy does not want his name entangled with another Carpio-instigated mess. That is what happened with his predecessor. 

With Abad, Pnoy is safe. 

Truly, Pnoy wants to entirely cleanse the judiciary so that Justice will always be on the side of Right.

Cabinet revamp, political maneuverings and changes in government this season

Indications are rife of a succession of cabinet revamps in the Aquino administration. Energy secretary Jose Almendras is expected to assume the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) role. Julie Abad is expected to vacate the post as PMS head to follow her husband who will be posted abroad. A trusted undersecretary of the finance department, Emilie Bonoan, and reportedly a very close associate of Finance secretary Cesar Purisima is poised to replace Almendras as Energy secretary. Months ago, it was rumoured that Purisima was the one to replace Almendras as Energy and the Finance post to be given to BIR commissioner Kim Henares. Henares has been officially made a candidate for the Chief Justice post, same goes to Justice secretary Leila de Lima. 


De Lima, it is rumored, will stay as Justice secretary, since she enjoys the very high trust of the President. 


Should Henares be appointed Chief Justice, she will be replaced by her trusted associate commissioner in the BIR.


The Department of Agriculture is soon to be vacated by its secretary, Proceso Alcala. Alcala is set to challenge the Suarez's clan in the governorship of Quezon province. Quezon politics is really getting to be very interesting. There are talks that Betty Nantes, wife of former Quezon governor Raffy Nantes, will be given a mayoral post or is being asked to stay put as PCSO director. Nantes will not contest the governorship since this is now being promised to Alcala, a closer ally to the President than Nantes.


Danilo Suarez, a close Arroyo ally, is slated to re-assume his Congressional post. Mark Enverga, according to reports, is eyeing his second term as Congressman. 


Deputy speaker Erin Tanada is gunning for a Senatorial post. He is being endorsed by the President. He will serve as spokesperson of the Liberal Party.


With the DA post soon to become vacant, talks are rife that Senator Kiko Pangilinan is the one chosen by the President to replace Alcala. Pangilinan has big shoes to fill, since Alcala did some great wonders in the department. If Pangilinan accepts the post, this will be his first time as a Cabinet secretary.


Bert Lina, a former Customs chief, is also being asked to fill the post to be vacated by Ruffy Biazon once he decides to run either as Senator or Congressman of Muntinlupa. His father, Congressman and former general Rodolfo Biazon is reportedly eyeing another comeback at the Senate, making it quite difficult for Ruffy to really decide where he will really run.


Deputy Customs commissioner Danny Lim is expected to run against the Biazons this senatorial race. So, there will be two posts which will remain vacant at the Bureau once these two personalities decide to run for an elective posts again.


There were talks that Bureau of Immigration Commissioner David will soon leave his post for an undersecretary-ship at the Department of Defense. David is being offered, according to talks, the chance to lead in the AFP modernization efforts. There are talks that one of the BI associate commissioners will replace David.


At the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), there are rumors that say that Mar Roxas is actually thinking of running for a senatorial post, something which people are expecting, but the President is not agreeing. Roxas wants to run for the Senate, but the President himself asked him to stay in his cabinet and wait for 2016. 


Other possible changes:


1. TESDA head Joel Villanueva will leave his post and run for a Senatorial post. His replacement will also come from the civil society ranks.


2. Jesse Robredo, it was rumored, wants to go back to his former post as mayor of Naga. If he leaves, the DILG post will be offered to a former general.

Trust or competence?

Which is more important for a principled leader--trust or competence? I am asking this in the light of what happened in the IIRC report. 


Justice secretary Leila de Lima recommended the filing of charges against DILG undersecretary Rico Puno. De Lima based her recommendations after the marathon hearings conducted to unveil the truth behind the hostage crisis last August 23. And what did Aquino say? The President wants the report reviewed by his legal team. For what? 


Why waste thousands of pesos worth of the public's money for that probe and then, tell the main investigator that your report will be reviewed anyway by those not in the loop? Why review a report which is based on facts? 


Will this be the nature of all probes on controversies and scandals that this administration will encounter in the future? 


Will justice just be lip-service to this government? Will commissions like De Lima's be just "for show", and not really meant to serve the greater good, which is knowing the truth?


De Lima has shown extreme competence. Why be penalized for serving the people with utmost honesty and integrity?


Meanwhile, Puno has shown extreme incompetence and tendency for graft. Yet, he remains still in the administration, because of one simple reason---he still enjoys the trust of the President. After all that has been said and done, Noynoy continues to trust a person who already lied before the public, who already admitted meeting jueteng lords and their emissaries and who, already admitted incompetence before the De Lima Commission. 


So, what is important for the President? A competent member of the Cabinet or an incompetent buddy? I just hope Aquino really knows what he is doing--what is right and what is really, really, wrong.