U.S should spike the measly military aid to appease Duterte

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

To those who exhort morality on the propensity of congressmen and senators to identify projects that should be the work of the executive department, that pontification is easier said than done if you’re not the president of the Philippines.

Before I discuss the rai·son d'ê·tre of this malpractice, here is a briefer to the uninitiated why the big fuzz on this:

United States military aid to an ally country are being loaded to cargo jet C-5A Galaxy.

  A P10 million of a hypothetical farm-to-market road or medicines, means a lawmaker got 20 percent or P2 million S.O.P or cut from a favored contractor or supplier.

This ensued because without the “pork barrel”, congressmen and senators could impeach the president.

***

In my radio program, I told my listeners that if the accusation of Senator Alan Peter Cayetano was true that the opposition Liberal Party has Plan B to oust President Rodrigo Duterte like “High Crimes”, or “Betrayal of Public Trust” as complaints, it would take one-third or 99 congressmen from the 293 members’ House of Representatives to file the Article of Impeachment or Verified Complaint to the House of Senate where it takes only 14 Senators from the two-third constitutional requirement from the 24 members’ Senate to kick out from office a sitting president.

At the latest, there are 43 opposition solons in the House while there are 14 senators who can throw a monkey wrench to the security of tenure of the president.

The 43 congressmen need 56 fellow solon to complete the 99 one-third requirement for the submission of the Article of Impeachment or Verified Complaint to the 14 senators who would hear and impeached Duterte.

But thanks heaven, we have “pork barrel” to feed the 56 congressmen not to be rambunctious but toe the line.

Looks how the 20 percent shady SOP can do to a sitting president!

***

The pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte that U.S Special Forces be pulled out in Mindanao shocked many Filipinos specially those who see the Americans as ally and protector against local enemies where the Yanks use their drone and smart bombs.

 Many saw how this withdrawal affects the U.S-Philippine military alliance vis-à-vis the Chinese incursion at the South China Sea (SCS).

PMA Alumni Slam Sen. Trillanes: Conduct Unbecoming

Mr. Trillanes:

We, the undersigned, condemn in the strongest terms your behaviour as a bully and your conduct unbecoming of a people's senator. More, we are aghast and purely discombobulated that as a graduate of the revered and prestigious Philippine Military Academy, you showed you are not an officer, neither are you a gentleman. What kind of manners do you have?

You are not just an embarrassment to your people, to your family, to your co-alumni, you are an embarrassment to yourself. Decency and education dictate that real men settle their differences with dignity. Even in a duel, true gentlemen face death or the chance of killing somebody with finesse.

DRUG WAR: TARGETING THE RICH

The Infamous S.O.P (Cut) on Gov't Projects

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

I told on my radio program that some members of the House of Representatives “bullied” Department of Social Welfare & Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, a member of the leftist organization.

Congressmen like Rudy Farinas, Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin, and Negros Oriental Congressman Arnie Teves lectured her that the solons have the power of the purse to appropriate funds to government departments like DSWD.

That power, according to them, allows them to identify their poor recipient-constituents.

The proverbial hog cum pork barrel that still exist
until now in the Philippines. Photo Credit:Spot.Ph

Taguiwalo, a straight shooter who despised how those solons want to have their way on public funds, told them the DSWD Memorandum Circular 9 she signed does not intend to bar congressmen from endorsing beneficiaries.

The Secretary maintained, however, that the Circular seeks to stop the practice of congressmen getting favored projects in the DSWD after she received information that there was an allocation of projects for lawmakers even after the Supreme Court scrapped the pork barrel.

“Ang point lang namin, ang DSWD ay willing makipagtulungan sa mga representative. Pero hindi po puwedeng parang may entitlement na may milyon kayo,” she told them.

The issue here, son of a gun, is simple:

Congressmen, several of them graduated with Bachelors of Laws at Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines, had stooped too low by asserting themselves to identify tens of millions of projects because they want to get the 20 percent S.O.P (slang for cut) from their favorite private contractors.

This malpractice has been there since time immemorial. This practice persisted because of quid pro quo between Malacanang and Congress where Senators and Congressmen expedite the passing of the bill the President wants in exchange of the “pork barrel” where the solon can get their cut.

EXAMPLE of this malady:

National Police Awardee

CARTOON: DUTERTE'S DRUGS WAR: CRIMES DROPS BY 40%

Death reasons confessed drug users, pushers yield

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

DAGUPAN CITY – The fear of death was the main reason why two former dangerous drug users submitted recently themselves to the mayor and the police here to pledge in an affidavit to forego their habit.

JUNKIES AND DOPE PEDDLERS. Self-confessed narcotics users and pushers from the “notorious” Sitio Aling Barangay  Pantal near  Arellano Street have voluntarily surrendered to Dagupan City’s OIC Chief of Police Supt. Neil O. Miro.

The “surrenderees” have been accompanied to the police station by Pantal Barangay Chairman Julie Anne Perez. PHOTO CREDIT: Dagupan City’s PNP

“Ayaw ko pang mamatay sir, user ako gumagamit lang (I don’t want to die sir. I was only a user),” quipped by 24 years old Reggie Castillo inside the mayor’s office here to Northern Watch.

He said he is unemployed after his employer in a mall did not renew his contract.

“I used to have a job where a portion of my salary I used to buy shabu to finance my drug habit”.

Castillo, just like the other self- declared drug users and pushers surrendered to the police and this city’s mayor Belen T. Fernandez, said they used shabu or meta-amphetamine hydrochloride that can be bought for P100 toP300 per sachet.

Allan, not his real name, cited that he surrendered, too, because he feared death from death squads who roamed using a motorcycle the residences of the drug suspects before they assassinate through a 45 caliber handgun their unguarded target.

“Kasi natatakot po ako,” he quipped by hiding his head using a towel as cameras of TV stations pan on the almost 50 drug personalities who submitted themselves here.

He said he came from Manaoag but lives in Barangay Bacayao here where he used to peddle clothes.

Allan said he is presently unemployed.

“It has been a long time that I did not use shabu but the village chief included me on the list so I could not do anything”.