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The recent release from a police detention center of former Senator Leila de Lima could not come at the most opportune time. Why so? The lower court decision best demonstrated how the justice system in the Philippines works, albeit painstakingly slow.
It’s all about “politics, politics, politics.” In one word repeated thrice over, former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque deplored what he believes were political maneuvers taking place this early in the Philippines. In particular, Roque claimed his former boss, ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and the latter’s equally feisty daughter, Vice President and concurrent Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte, are the targets.
It is a great relief to all of us residing in southern Metro Manila when our newspaper The Philippine Star moved over to the Amvel compound in Barangay San Dionisio in Sucat, Paranaque City. Naturally, because majority of The STAR employees live and commute daily in the most traffic-prone parts of the national capital region to reach our erstwhile office in Port Area in Manila.
After its initial start got suspended, the stage is now set for the much-vaunted Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) to finally take off. This developed following the release last week of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) that were revised upon the imprimatur of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM). And on Monday, PBBM officially named his adviser on economic and investment affairs as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC).
Other than the official statement released by Malacañang Palace, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste supposedly strongly backed the Philippine position to adhere to the rules-based international laws and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in the disputed overlapping maritime claims over the South China Sea. This is not to doubt the official statement issued at the end of the one-on-one talks of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) with Timor-Leste President José Ramos-Horta last Friday at Malacañang.
For someone whose political clan went through the bitter experience of military-led power grab, Senator Jinggoy Estrada would not wish any new attempt of coup d’ etat to remove again by force a democratically elected President of the Republic. Sen. Estrada firmly believes that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) enjoys the popular support of the officers and men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo revealed plans to initiate a national summit of the Judiciary and the Executive Branches of the government to try solving the congestion problem in many local jails all around the country. Gesmundo disclosed about such plans after he visited and saw personally the situation at the Pasay City Jail on Oct. 29.
Except with the few isolated violent incidents that erupted in areas that were earlier declared as “hot spots” of contest among candidates, the just concluded barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) held last Monday were the most successful. That, as far as Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. was concerned. Abalos credited it much to the innovations and “very stringent” regulations the Commission on Elections (Comelec) implemented during the BSKE held all over the country.