“Never again,” said Vice President Sara Duterte when asked by media men during an impromptu interview at the House of Representatives in Quezon City last September 18, 2024, whether there is possibility of another political collaboration with the Marcoses. The VP attended a hearing on the deliberation of the proposed budget of her office in 2025 at which she was also made to shed light on the manner with which she spent the P125 million confidential and intelligence fund (CIF) given her.
The VP further said that reconciliation with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. is impossible as “they were never friends in the first place.” She added that their alliance in the UniTeam “was merely politics.”
In other words President Marcos, Jr. and VP Sara were simply conniving with each to fool us Filipinos into voting them to office using the fake façade of friendship under a supposedly united political front – the UniTeam.
If indeed, as the VP said, “they were never friends” with the President, therefore it is clear that she agreed to the devious scheme of scamming the more than 30 million Filipinos into believing their charade.
On the other hand, if the President also acknowledges that they were never friends despite their having campaigned and strategized their moves together, then we Filipinos now have a chief executive that we do not deserve, Marcos, Jr. being a party to the grand deception by the UniTeam.
And given the VP’s admission that she and the President were never friends but acted like they were that close during the 2022 election season and the first year and a half after assuming their respective posts, then she too, tacitly agreed to be a willing party to the deception of the Filipinos. Now, should we allow ourselves again the possibility of having another leadership we do not deserve?
We could only wonder how the two “non-friends” could have countenanced their behavior knowing that they were only out to entice us Filipinos into giving their support to their candidacy. Or shall we just say that the two “non-friends” are simply the new-generation politicians practicing old politics?
******************************
We believe it is time to terminate all Congressional Committee investigations into alleged crimes of certain individuals and even the hearings on budget proposals of several national government agencies. We have been religiously following the hearings and probes since these were started.
Supposedly the investigations are done by the appropriate committees of both the Senate and the House “in aid of legislation.” As far as we are concerned, the results obtained in the series of probes are more than enough to determine which laws are wanting in teeth and which areas of governance need to have the desired legislations to ensure that proper controls and procedures are established to make governance along that aspect smoothly operational.
Unfortunately, the investigations and hearings now dragging for so long are being used by the lawmakers – except for a few – as venues for grandstanding to the point of venting their emotions to the resource persons or witnesses. Some are even using harsh words literally calling them this and that name, short of already convicting them of crimes the lawmakers believe to have been committed by the persons subjects to their probe.
It is our take that at this point in time the current outcomes of the investigations and hearings are already substantial to aid the lawmakers in identifying existing laws needing amendments or areas of governance where new laws are to be crafted.
By now they (senators and congressmen) should have already devoted their time fleshing out relevant new legislations or amendments to be done.
Unfortunately this is not happening yet. Somehow, the lawmakers from both Houses of Congress are basking on the glory (or notoriety?) of being among the “crucifiers” of the resource persons and witnesses. And to whose detriment is this? To the ordinary Filipinos of course – the very people they vow to serve.
*****************************
A motivational speaker says this one: “Nowadays, people don’t defend what is right, they defend who they like and benefit from.”
No affront here to any particular group of people. However, in recent times in the Philippines we know who the people that are more prominent in making this defense. And yes, their sector is banking on the dictum that any one person charged of a crime or crimes is deemed innocent until their guilt is proven in a competent court.
*****************************
In his statement made during the convention of the Partido Demokratiko ng Pilipinas (PDP), the carrier political party of former President Rodrigo Duterte in the 2022 national elections, he said that incumbent President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. has so far not yet committed a major sin to merit his personal leading of massive condemnation, or to that effect.
That statement was the second time we heard from the former Chief Executive’s mouth. But already the former President has over the past few months uttered scathing denunciations and verbal assaults on the President, ironically some of them said in what were dubbed as “prayer rallies.”
How scathing could he possibly go far into once he feels that Marcos, Jr. has already done certain wrongs he considers as grievous and worthy of his personally leading in protest?
