"The BuCor mess makes a mockery of the President's war on corruption."
"The BuCor mess makes a mockery of the President's war on corruption."
The other day, I was invited to the birthday party of a former classmate, Justice Jaime Lantin. His son held a dinner at Estancia.
It was a good surprise. I have not seen Jimmy for quite some time. I knew that he took up law at the University of Santo Tomas, became a regional trial court judge, justice of the Court of Appeals, and upon retirement became dean of the UST College of Law.
When I asked Jimmy’s son who else from among our class was invited, he told me that it seemed Jimmy remembered only me. He was emphatic that I attend his birthday dinner.
I had hoped to see our other classmates like Tito Guingona and Ting Roxas. But no, I was told Jimmy remembered only me.
To my old friend Jimmy, thank you for your invitation and thank you for remembering me.
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Santa Banana, the continuing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation, with its many twists and turns, certainly points to the Good Conduct Time Allowance issue as a web of conspiracies.
With the revelation that Presidential Spokesman and legal counsel Salvador Panelo wrote a “referral” to the prison chief about the release of Mayor Antonio Sanchez, his former client, we see that the release of convicts guilty of heinous crimes needs to be addressed immediately.
No doubt about it, Panelo is guilty of conflict of interest. President Duterte just cannot ignore this.
And to think Panelo was bold enough to use the Palace letterhead!
Panelo should have been circumspect.
There can only be libel and cyber libel if three ingredients are present: Identification of the person allegedly libelled, imputation of crime that taints the reputation of the person, and malice—which is very difficult to prove.
What Rappler and the Inquirer reported was a statement of fact.
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The wife of Sanchez said she would not pay the P12.6 million in damages, insisting that her husband was innocent. It would be a miscarriage of justice if damages are not paid.
It is now incumbent on Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevarra to see to it that justice is served, and damages are paid.
I said in an earlier column that the accountability of Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon and other prison officials will make President Duterte’s war on corruption mere lip service. This issue has challenged Duterte’s credibility.
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I am bothered why Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddyboy Locsin now says that President Duterte was not apologetic to Chinese President Xi Jinping when he raised the issue of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on China’s claims of a nine-dash-line rule in the South China Sea.
What is Locsin up to? Panelo already said Duterte was apologetic. Is Locsin saying that Panelo is a liar?
What should concern the Department of Foreign Affairs is why the President was even apologetic to Xi in the first place. This weakens our position on the territorial dispute.
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The plan to make Edsa one way from North to South and to make C5 one way from South to North is the most foolish suggestion to be proposed. People are really getting desperate!
Edsa gridlocks are caused by undisciplined drivers, lack of roads and weak enforcement of traffic rules.
A couple of decades ago, traffic in Bangkok was very bad. Now it is smooth and easy. The solution—more skyways and greater use of mass transit.
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