News Roundup 18 October 2024
Oct 18, 2024 • 5 min Read
House solons to Sara: Stop diverting issues, answer budget use queries | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Different lawmakers from the House of Representatives have called on Vice President Sara Duterte to stop diverting issues and instead answer questions raised regarding her past and present offices’ budget utilization.
In separate statements on Friday, Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, and Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua believe it would be better for the Vice President to face these accusations head-on.
According to Brosas, Duterte was just diverting public opinion by treating her press briefing earlier as a drama anthology show where she told stories.
“We are appalled by the recent diversionary tactics employed by Vice President Sara Duterte amidst serious allegations of misuse of public funds and corruption within the Department of Education (DepEd). This is merely a deliberate attempt to shift public attention through a tell-all interview on her relationship with the Marcos family — a narrative that serves no purpose in addressing the pressing issues at hand,” Brosas said.
“Hindi ito Maalaala Mo Kaya episode,” Brosas said, referring to the television show where letter-senders narrate their life stories. “Vice President Duterte’s reluctance to face these corruption allegations head-on, coupled with her theatrics, is a desperate bid to save face,” she added.
Gonzales said the people deserve answers since public funds are the subject of the House committee on good government and public accountability’s hearings.
Full Story at: House solons to Sara: Stop diverting issues (inquirer.net)
Duterte: I’ll throw Marcos Sr.’s body into West PH Sea if attacks continue | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte said Friday that she previously warned Sen. Imee Marcos that if political attacks from the current administration continued, she would personally dig up former president and dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.’s body and throw it into the West Philippine Sea.
Duterte made the remark when asked if she thinks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his administration had already forgotten that it was her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, who allowed Marcos Sr. to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Hindi ko alam. Pero isang beses, sinabihan ko talaga si Sen. Imee. Sabi ko sa kanya, kung hindi kayo tumigil, huhukayin ko ‘yang tatay ninyo, itatapon ko siya sa West Philippines Sea,” said Duterte in a press conference.
(I don’t know. But once, I actually told Sen. Imee. I told her, if you don’t stop, I will dig up your father, I will throw him into the West Philippines Sea.)
“One of these days, pupunta ako doon, kukunin ko ‘yung katawan ng tatay ninyo, tapon ko ‘yan dun sa West Philippine Sea,” she added.
(One of these days, I will go there, I will take your father’s body, I will throw it in the West Philippine Sea.)
Full Story at: Duterte: I’ll throw Marcos Sr.’s body into WPS if attacks continue (inquirer.net)
Another DepEd official confirms receiving cash envelopes during VP Duterte’s term | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Department of Education (DepEd) officials have disclosed receiving cash envelopes during Vice President Sara Duterte’s tenure as education secretary in 2023.
At a House good governance panel hearing on October 17, former DepEd Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) Chairperson Resty Osias bared that he received envelopes containing P12,000 to P15,000 each.
“I think it was something like between 12 to 15 (thousand pesos), Sir. Hindi ko na ho matandaan ‘yung laman talaga. (I can’t really recall the amount) Very minimal amount, Sir,” Osias said.
This corroborates the earlier testimony of former DepEd Undersecretary Gloria Mercado, who on September 25 informed lawmakers she received nine envelopes containing P50,000 each from February to September 2023.
He was summoned to the office of former DepEd Assistant Secretary Sunshine Fajarda, who also served as Duterte’s head executive assistant, to receive the envelopes.
Four envelopes. Osias alleged he received four envelopes between April and September 2023, believing it was a “practice of the department.”
“I must be candid about this. I must say I did but I didn’t know, because I was new in the department, I thought it was a practice of the department,” Osias said.
“It started [in] April, I think it was until September of that year. If I recall it right, I was only summoned about four times to the office,” he added.
He noted, however, that it was not likely because he was a BAC member since he was only appointed as the committee’s chairman in November 2023.
Full Story at: Another DepEd official confirms receiving cash envelopes during VP Duterte’s term | Philstar.com
Entire Senate eyed to probe drug war EJKs | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — If the Senate decides to launch its own investigation on extrajudicial killings during the previous administration as proposed by Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, it should do so as a committee of the whole to make it easier for witnesses and survivor-victims to testify, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said yesterday. “I proposed to the Senate leadership to convene a Senate committee of the whole, so that the whole Senate can investigate the previous administration’s war on drugs,” Hontiveros said in an interview wth dzXL. “It is important to find out the truth about the bloody war on drugs, for the families of the victims of extrajudicial killings.”
The quad committee, comprising four panels of the House of Representatives, has been investigating for months extrajudicial killings during the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, and their possible connection to Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) hubs.
During one of the quad comm hearings, retired police colonel Royina Garma said Dela Rosa as national police chief facilitated the release of reward money to police officers for every drug suspect killed.
Dela Rosa denied the allegation and offered to lead a parallel Senate probe as chairman of the committee on public order and dangerous drugs. Sen. Bong Go also vowed to file a resolution calling for a Senate parallel investigation.
“Through the committee of the whole, I am more hopeful that the ‘victim survivors’ of the war on drugs would testify. We should hear from them to get to the whole truth,” Hontiveros said.
Full Story at: Entire Senate eyed to probe drug war EJKs | Philstar.com
