Robredo laments ‘difficult’

spot in Duterte
administration
By: DJ Yap- Reporter / @deejayapINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:17 PM March 01, 2018

ONCE UPON A TIME. President Rodrigo Duterte swears in Vice President Leni
Robredo as the housing czar in July 2016. But Robredo’s Cabinet stint lasted only a few
months before she was forced to resign as a result of political and ideological
differences with the President. MALACAÑANG PHOTO

Vice President Leni Robredo explained her silence on controversial issues facing the
administration on Thursday, declaring that she would rather “keep my peace” and pick
her battles than to hear detractors accuse her of itching to replace President Rodrigo
Duterte.

Unlike other prominent women leaders such as Senator Leila de Lima, Ombudsman
Conchita Carpio Morales, and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Robredo felt she
was in a more awkward position in opposing Mr. Duterte’s policies or statements.

“When you voice out your dissent, it seems the interpretation is always because you
stand to benefit. So for me, as long as it’s not absolutely necessary, I keep my peace,”
the Liberal Party (LP) chair said in a television interview aired on Thursday.
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“For me, I try to hold my horses if it’s not too necessary. Because I’m the Vice
President, everything I say is given political color. When I say things, some will say I
can’t wait to replace the President.”

“And it’s unfortunate because when you voice out your dissent, it’s because you want
certain things happening to change, or certain things happening to stop. It’s not because
you want to oust the President,” she added.

For months now, Robredo has been notably quiet or muted on controversial issues,
including the extension of martial law in Mindanao, Mr. Duterte’s sexist remarks
against women, and Malacañang’s move to ban a Rappler reporter.

Until recently, the Vice President had been vocal in criticizing the administration’s drug
war, which had angered Mr. Duterte’s allies and triggered the submission of two
impeachment complaints against her, neither of which, however, received an
endorsement from lawmakers.

In 2016, Robredo was given the housing portfolio by Mr. Duterte shortly after the two
assumed their respective offices, following the May 2016 elections, but her Cabinet
stint lasted only a few months before she was forced to resign as a result of political and
ideological differences with the President.
In the CNN Philippines interview, the Vice President said she considered that “very
unfortunate,” though she understood that anyone with a Cabinet position, as the alter-
ego of the Chief Executive, should have his full trust.

“It’s difficult if you don’t have that,” Robredo said.

Asked if she would accept another Cabinet post should the President make an offer, she
said she was “open to it,” adding, “but you know, it is necessary that we discuss
things.”
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“Perhaps I will tell the President that I would be very much willing to work with him, I
would be very much willing to support what he’s doing. But if there are things that we
don’t agree on, I would have to say it. If that’s okay with him, then okay,” she said.

But the problem was that people around the President might misinterpret that, she said.

“I think the President knows that I don’t have any plans, right? That I don’t have any
political ambitions… There are people around him who would have a different
interpretation about things that I say or things that I do. It’s difficult,” she said.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/972253/robredo-laments-difficult-spot-in-

duterte-administration#ixzz58f4urn2i
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Koko defends PDP-Laban–
Communist Party of China
alliance
By: Pathricia Ann V. Roxas- Reporter / @PathRoxasINQ
INQUIRER.net / 03:05 PM February 28, 2018

“This is a free country.”

This was how Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III defended on Wednesday
the partnership of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) with the
Communist Party of China (CPC).

“The PDP-Laban can choose who to partner with especially if iniimbita kami. Kung ‘di
kami iniimbita ng American parties wala kami magagawa,” Pimentel told reporters.

Pimentel, who is also the president of the ruling political party, said their cooperation
agreement with CPC since February 2017 does not necessarily mean that they would
adhere with its principles.

The agreement, whose terms have yet to be released, was just like PDP-Laban’s
agreement with United Russia, Pimentel said.

“May exchanges kami between high-level party officials, organize round table
discussions on subjects of common interests, magpadala experts to talk to other side.
Wala naman sinabi na we need to copy the principle of the other side,” he explained.

Pimentel further said Vietnam also extended its invitation to partner with PDP-Laban,
adding that no European or Western country has inked any partnership with them.

PDP-Laban’s alliance with CPC is being criticized especially amid China’s continuous
militarization of the West Philippine Sea, and naming of some undersea features in the
Philippine Rise.
 READ: China named 5 undersea features at PH Rise – expert
PDP-Laban celebrated its 36th anniversary on Tuesday, with representatives from the
CPC led by Vice Minister Guo Yezhou attending the event. Chinese President Xi
Jinping’s book was also launched at the event.
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READ: Six of nine campaign promises fulfilled – PDP-Laban

Liberal Party Vice President for External Affairs Erin Tañada criticized the partnership,
saying it “leaves a bad taste in the mouth” considering the “most aggressive military
build-up by China” in the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea.

“Propriety dictates that we should be more judicious of the people we choose to invite
to wine and dine,” Tañada said in a statement.

“Is this a celebration of our subservience, docility, and surrender?” he asked.

Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/971984/koko-defends-pdp-laban-communist-

party-of-china-alliance#ixzz58f5TMZRM
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Lawyer calls for legislative

probe into 'flying voters'
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 01 2018 12:11 PM | Updated as of Mar 01 2018 01:10 PM

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MANILA - An election lawyer on Thursday urged lawmakers to look into the

registration system for elections after nearly 1,500 suspected "flying voters"
were discovered in Pasay.

 Nearly 1,500 'flying voters' in Pasay: election lawyer

Citing a complaint by his client, Atty. Romulo Macalintal had said the flying
voters declared addresses in odd areas like an LRT station, an office building
and the house of a village captain, with each location supposedly housing
hundreds.
"Dapat magkaroon into ng congressional inquiry... para malinis natin itong
ganitong uri ng sistema ng registration," he told DZMM.
(There should be a congressional inquiry so we can clean this system of
registration.)
"Maganda iyung ating automated system, talagang mapagkakatiwalaan ang
bilang [ng boto] ng makina. Pero ang tanong ngayon, dahil sa nangyaring ito,
sino ba ang bumuboto? Iyung mga bumuto ng mga binilang na boto ay silang
mga tunay na botante?" he added.
(Our automated system is good, the vote count of the machines could be
trusted. But due to the latest development, the question is, who are the
voters? Did the votes tallied by the machine from authentic voters?)
Macalintal also called on the Commission on Election to relieve its officers in
Pasay who approved the registration of the flying voters.
The officers, he said, should have noticed that hundreds share the same
dubious addresses, which is a basis for voiding their application as voters.
Watch more in iWantv or TFC.tv

The Commission on Elections en banc is waiting for a report from its officers
in Pasay, said agency spokesperson James Jimenez.
Jimenez noted that it is difficult to check the application of potential voters
because an average of 400 applicants flock daily to undermanned registration
centers. The registration period, he added, only lasts for a month.
The official nonetheless warned that flying voters will face charges for lying
under oath and violating the Election Code.
 Trillanes says US
intelligence assessment a
'warning shot' for Duterte
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 21 2018 09:19 AM | Updated as of Feb 21 2018 09:56 AM

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MANILA - An opposition senator believes the Worldwide Threat Assessment

of the US Intelligence Community saying President Rodrigo Duterte is a threat
do democracy in Southeast Asia is a "warning shot."
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said the assessment by the US intelligence
community is fair given the number of people who died in the administration's
war against drugs and the recent actions by the President which shows a
"creeping dictatorship."
"If they're sensitive enough, they should look at it as some form of a warning
shot that he's nearing that red line because domestically he's pushing
boundaries because he's popular enough to do that," he told ANC
Wednesday.
President Spokesman Harry Roque, for his part, said the Philippine
government is taking the Worldwide Threat Assessment report very seriously.
"This is something we are taking very seriously. It is coming from the
intelligence community. It is not even coming from the State Department. It is
something that the President will take seriously as well," he said in a separate
ANC interview.
The International Criminal Court is proceeding with the preliminary
examination of a communication filed by lawyer Jude Sabio, accusing
 President Duterte of crimes against humanity in connection of the bloody drug
war,
According to Trillanes, who has filed additional information on the case, the
international tribunal has communicated with him early January that they have
enough materials to proceed with the preliminary probe.

Nene Pimentel dares US

intel: Prove Duterte is
'threat to democracy'
ABS-CBN News
Posted at Feb 25 2018 03:35 PM | Updated as of Feb 25 2018 03:57 PM

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Former Senate President Aquilino "Nene" Pimentel, Jr. on Sunday challenged

the US intelligence community to provide evidence for its claim that President
Rodrigo Duterte is a threat to democracy.
"Huwag naman basta sinabi ng Amerikano e totoo na iyan," Pimentel told
DZMM radio.
"Kahit sino pa ang magsabi d'yan -- Intsik, Amerikano, Hapon o sino d'yan --
they must produce the proof para mapaniwalaan ng tao," he added.
(Just because the Americans said it, doesn't mean it is automatically true. No
matter who said that -- Chinese, Americans Japanese or anyone else -- they
must produce proof for the public to believe them. )
A World Threat Assessment Report recently placed Duterte alongside
Cambodia’s Hun Sen, the Rohingya crisis and Thailand’s military-backed
constitution as impediments to democracy in Southeast Asia.
The Filipino leader has threatened to declare a revolutionary government or
nationwide martial law amid criticisms of his anti-narcotics crackdown that has
seen some 4,000 killed.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier rejected the report, saying

Duterte's independent foreign policy has made him "not a favorite among the
Americans."
But Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, an opposition lawmaker, believes the
assessment was a "warning shot" for the President who is "nearing a red line."

De Lima seeks inquiry into

anti-money laundering law
compliance
'Duterte should never be exempted from investigation and accountability,' says Senator
Leila de Lima

Camille Elemia
@CamilleElemia

Published 1:42 PM, March 03, 2018

Updated 1:42 PM, March 03, 2018

30

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Reddit

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30

COMPLIANCE. Senator Leila de Lima seeks a compliance review with the Anti-Money Laundering Law.
File photo

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Leila de Lima filed a Senate resolution seeking to review
the Office of the Ombudsman and the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC)’s
compliance with the 2001 Anti-Money Laundering Act.

De Lima filed Senate Resolution No. 666 after the Ombudsman terminated its
investigation into President Rodrigo Duterte’s alleged ill-gotten wealth.

“Duterte should never be exempted from investigation and accountability. Thus, the
Senate leadership should ensure that the Ombudsman and the AMLC complied with the
Anti-Money Laundering Act and the Ombudsman Act,” De Lima said.
De Lima said the Ombudsman Act of 1989 states that the agency shall “investigate and
initiate the proper action for the recovery” of unexplained wealth amassed after
February 25, 1986, as well as prosecute the parties involved.

She also said that AMLA, as amended, mandates the office “to cause the filing of
complaints with the Department of Justice or the Ombudsman for the prosecution of
money laundering offenses.”

“In short, it is expected that the ALMC and the Office of the Ombudsman would work
hand in hand to seriously uncover the truth about the alleged ill-gotten wealth of any
public officials, much less if it is the President of the Republic,” De Lima said.

De Lima also urged the Senate leadership to look into drafting bills that would require
investigation of such cases, and impose penalties for obstruction of probes into public
officials’ unexplained wealth.

On November 29, 2017, the Ombudsman closed its investigation into the alleged bank
transactions of the President and his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio,
due to supposed lack of evidence, after the AMLC “declined to provide a report or
confirmation on the requested vital data.”

Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang had previously revealed that they have
Duterte's bank records amounting to over ₱1 billion.

This irked Malacañang, which later ordered the suspension of Carandang for allegedly
divulging detailed information on the investigation. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-
Morales, however, said she would not follow the order. – Rappler.com

Leni explains silence on

volatile issues
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 07:40 AM March 02, 2018
Unlike the country’s other top female leaders, Vice President Leni Robredo has to
choose her battles, instead of being incessantly critical, because she does not want her
detractors to accuse her of itching to replace President Duterte.

“When you voice out your dissent, it seems the interpretation is always because you
stand to benefit,” Robredo said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday.

She said she would also like to contribute to the national discourse on important issues,
but her office puts her in an awkward position.
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“Because I’m the vice president, everything I say is given political color. When I say
things, some will say I can’t wait to replace the President,” Robredo said.

“It’s unfortunate because when you voice out your dissent, it’s because you want
certain things happening to change, or certain things happening to stop.

Obliged to resign

“It’s not because you want to oust the President,” said Robredo, who was obliged to
resign as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council in 2016
because of her criticism of Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs.

The Vice President said she considered that “very unfortunate,” although she
understood that one could only serve as an alter ego of the President if she enjoyed his
full trust.

“It’s difficult if you don’t have that,” Robredo said, adding she would be open to
another Cabinet position if the President needed her, “but, you know, it is necessary that
we discuss things.”

“I will tell the President that I would be very much willing to work with him. I would
be very much willing to support what he’s doing,” she said.
“But if there are things that we don’t agree on, I would have to say it. If that’s OK with
him, then OK,” she added. “I think the President knows that I don’t have any plans, that
I don’t have any political ambitions.
ADVERTISEMENT

“[But] there are people around him who would have a different interpretation [of]
things that I say or do. It’s difficult,” she said.

‘Hold my horses’

“So for me, as long as it’s not absolutely necessary, I keep my peace…For me, I try to
hold my horses if it’s not too necessary.”

Until recently, the Vice President had been vocal in criticizing administration policies,
particularly on the drug war, angering Mr. Duterte’s allies and triggering the filing of
two impeachment complaints against her.

Last May, a group, led by suspended lawyer Trixie Angeles and academician Antonio
Contreras, threatened to file an impeachment complaint against Robredo for alleged
misdeclarations in her asset statement and purportedly using government funds for a
convention in the United States.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez also said that Robredo betrayed the public trust in March
last year when she sent a video message critical of the government’s war on drugs to a
UN meeting in Vienna.

Two impeachment complaints were subsequently filed against Robredo, but no

congressman endorsed either of them, prompting the filers to submit them to the
Speaker’s office. Alvarez has not acted on the two complaints.—DJ YAP