Philippines: VP Leni Robredo Campaign – Statement of VP Leni’s Spokesperson Atty. Barry Gutierrez on the Easter Sunday Press Conference on Several Other Candidates (17.04.2022)

Phillipines: Lead IM Pilipinas figures – Press Statement on “Isko” Moreno (17.04.2022)

Opinion: Isko Moreno lacks courage too

“You cannot blame a person for accepting the money due to the hardships of life today. But the Filipino is intelligent. They know who is the leader who truly cares for them and who are the fake ones. Politicians cannot underestimate human understanding. The Filipino is intelligent” – Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso (Gabriel Pabico Lalu – ‘Moreno: Money can’t sway Filipino voters, but can’t blame them if they take it’ 27.10.2021, Philippine Daily Inquirer).

Yesterday, we saw that the Liberal Party Presidential Candidate Leni Robredo didn’t go ahead and settle the score of bribing voters. Now, the Manila Mayor and Aksyon Demokratiko Presidential Candidate Isko Moreno is no difference.

It is a reason why its a battle of mediocrity. Especially, when these supposed to be good candidates are selling themselves so cheap. Yes, Pacquiao is doing his bidding and ”Bong Bong Marcos” is trailing on the end in concerns with the bribery, which is currently going on. Yes, we should expect differently from people who wants to stand-out and be different then the current regime.

Isko Moreno clearly is a set-for-life politician when he speaks like this. His career as a actor is long gone. When his trading waters like this. It is trying to be bright, but still selling himself short. Instead of taking the easy stance, as everyone should. He deflects and hope nobody gets concerned.

How can you expect to fight corruption, graft and plundering cases? When you accept a informal bribery in the midst of campaigning? Why would we believe you then? When you cannot do it now ahead of the highest office?

Voting bribery and the means to an end. Only shows the willingness of politicians to misuse their office and their finances for personal gains. They are willing to trade away all policies and standing for a quick trade-off. Where they hope they can give an incentive to secure another term or get into office. It is not noble or righteous. Just a breach of contract between the citizens and their representatives. Which is why it should be easy to blatantly state: “It is wrong and nobody should do it”.

Alas, the politicians and the Presidential Candidates know the money is good for the citizens. Who is getting additional funds in the troubling times. Alas, the citizen is getting a small portion of the vast funds some people have access too. However, it is not for long and only for one cause. It is not like these funds will be open or could be applied through government schemes. No, these funds are just for one purpose and that is to secure an office. Therefore, the means to an end is more important than actually doing what is right.

Isko Moreno and Robredo could have stood for something. They could have shown some courage and character. Instead, this mediocre response and willingness to bend… is just disgusting. Your either for a practice or against it. It is either illegal or it’s justified. The bribes cannot be seen as both. That is just how the world works and the same should be for these candidates too.

Isko Moreno just show his cards and his ways. Not that I have faith in him either. His the next sort of Duterte’esque politician. He just wants to prolong the government programs and call it a day. Isko Moreno isn’t a game-changer and that’s proof with his belief here. Trying to play patriotic over a bribing voters. That says it all, really. Peace.

Opinion: Robredo – getting bribed or not to get bribed… that is the question

“I have said this in the past: Accept it because it may have been from tax money. What they used to buy your votes, could be the money of the people. Accept it but vote whoever your conscience says. Don’t just vote because you think you would be indebted to them after receiving the money. For me, accept the money, but vote based on your conscience. We should arrest them because that’s wrong. But now it’s easy. Because today, we have apps like GCash, right? We have those, so vote buying would be easier” – Vice President Leni Robredo (26.10.2021).

The current day OVP and Liberal Party Presidential Candidate in the up-coming election in 2022 Leni Robredo. She has clearly taken a stance now. This trying to be popular and really politicking. In one way… she is against it, but still says people should accept it. That’s where I’m failing her on it.

Robredo needs guidance if she wants to be different and sincere. Than she should flat-out say the bribing voters is wrong. That this usage of funds, plunder and whatnot shouldn’t exist in the first place. This is a misuse of the state reserves and making the candidacy expensive. That’s because everyone needs their cut and their peso’s. It is also striking that it is commercialization of politics. Buying voters and giving them a short-term gains for a vote. Just like some come with soap, rice and whatnot too. It is the same, but that is it really.

Robredo isn’t tricking anyone with this. Let’s “accept the bribe” but not be “swayed by it”. Take the “free” money but don’t expect any sort of justification for it. Yes, the politician and the candidate cannot see what the voter does. However, the reality is that the citizens and the local communities will know who took the pesos. This is why the candidates are doing this. Because, they know which families and barangay’s where they will take the money. Therefore, they know who will most likely vote and be “swayed” into voting for someone.

It is not like Robredo doesn’t know this. It is a pay-off for a service. It is a bribe and no matter what size the bribe is. It is still a bribe and blatant misuse of funds, especially if this is taken from the state coffers. That shouldn’t happen in the first place and why should the citizens accept that? Why receive that? Aren’t they validating and participating in the illegal transaction?

If that is all true. Than the citizen shouldn’t take the money. They are on the receiving end and could be liable too. However, we know that the citizens cannot all be criminal and part of conspiracy to corrupt the system. Nevertheless, the politicians doing this is catering to the culture of this and they know the expectations too.

This is embedded and this is why she speaks of it in this way. Trying to influence, but also downplay the significance of it. Alas, there is the problem. She should be vocally against it. If you are against corruption and bribes. It should be a simple stance. The pork-barrels and the plunder cases is a worry for a reason. The same should voter-bribing be. No matter what method you use or sort of scheme of giving operations you have. It is still a way of paying-to-play and buying a favour. That is really it.

The peso’s is becoming more important than what sort of policies, political program or what gut-feeling you have. The politician can instead become a winner, because they are the ones who pays the most. They are the ones who are giving enough peso’s to make a difference. Because, everyone will hear the talk of the vast amounts and what sort of pay-off that is coming their way. The political allegiance will either get decent pay-off or a budget Jolibee menu.

Robredo should have just said: “I am against it and it’s a ghastly tradition. We are better than this and the COMELEC should disqualify anyone who does this or participate in it. Bribes is never acceptable and shouldn’t be in campaigns”.

Instead she went into mediocre tea territory. Robredo acted soft and meagre …. not having a stance worth mentioning. This is really it. We should expect more from her, but this is disappointing. The pesos are clearly more powerful than anything else. Peace.

USA: Secretary of Defense James Mattis – “Subject: Farewell Message” (31.12.2018)

USA: Secretary of Defense James Mattis resignation letter (20.12.2018)

DPP’s Press Statement on Investigations into Allegations of Mismanagement of Funds during the 2016 Rio Olympics Summer Games (13.10.2018)

Kenya: Safaricom notice to Customers: Voice and Data Outage (22.07.2018)

Carter Page’s FISA Application: Proves the need for surveillance of him!

Now, the FISA Applications of Carter W. Page been leaked, for whatever reason, as the Republican Party or the Devin Nunes Intelligence Committee in Congress to spin-the-news cycle again. The Russian Probe is on-going and the details of the connections to the Trump Campaign is coming out. Therefore, they need to advance it or force some sort of play. Who knows why now, after failing reports from the Congress in February 2018. That is totally in disregard to the Intelligence Community, who has been on the other spectrum considering the Russian interference with the Campaign of 2016.

The First thing the FISA Application from October 2016 and beyond is redacted as hell, but is still saying that he was an agent of a foreign power, the Russian Federation, where he gathered intelligence for that power. Page was targeted in recruitment by the Russian government to undermine and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. Presidential Elections.

What this document shows again and again, is that FBI together with other parts has been able to show enough documentation of possible conspiracy by Page to continue to wire-tap and monitor him for his activities for Russia. They have been able to collect enough information on Page to be able to renew and file the application through the court. Therefore, he has had enough conspiracy and connections for the state to continue to monitor him.

Because they been able to file and renew again and again. That proves that the FBI have been able to collect and show evidence for the need because of the activity that Page has been doing for the Russians as their agent. Therefore, weird that the Trump Campaign had him as Foreign Advisor during the campaigns.

If, the Republican party and the people behind the leak thought it was wise to leak a redacted FISA application, it was not. It has only proven that the for a long time the FBI has been able to produce enough evidence for renewal and to prove the need to monitor Page. Because the FBI follows the provisions of the law before applying for a FISA Application.

So, we can hope the leak backfires, this just proves that the Trump Campaign had no trouble to hire someone in the eye of the FBI. Just like Trump didn’t follow recommendation on Michael Flynn and his agent business abroad either. Therefore, let see how this plays out. Peace.

Opinion: Is Trump in Putin’s Pocket?

It might be possible that you didn’t believe he was the Manchurian Candidate, however after this Joint Conference in Helsinki, Finland this 16^th July 2018, than you might believe it too. Who am I talking about, by all means Donald J. Trump, the United States President, he seems clearly compromised and looks like he is in the pocket of the Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Since they can hold a secretive meeting for two hours and say whatever they like afterwards. There were no one else than two people translating between the parties and no one to monitor the event. Meaning, in the meeting they could be talking about their wives, their ex-girlfriends or even about the deals they have done in the past. Therefore, as the defensive President Trump was in the Joint Conference, it is hard to believe anything the liar says. However, he has always been apologetic over Putin and Russia. Today, it went to level of foolishness.

The key quotes of Trump foolishness is right here:

“TRUMP: So let me just say that we have two thoughts. You have groups that are wondering why the FBI never took the server. Why haven’t they taken the server? Why was the FBI told to leave the office of the Democratic National Committee? I’ve been wondering that I’ve been asking that for months and months and I’ve been tweeting it out and calling it out on social media. Where is the server? I want to know where is the server and what is the server saying? With that being said, all I can do is ask the question. My people came to me Dan Coats came to me and some others they said they think it’s Russia. I have President Putin. He just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be. But I really do want to see the server but I have I have confidence in both parties. I really believe that this will probably go on for a while but I don’t think it can go on without finding out what happened to the server. What happened to the servers of the Pakistani gentleman that worked on the DNC? Where are those servers? They’re missing. Where are they? What happened to Hillary Clinton’s emails? 33000 emails gone, just gone. I think in Russia they wouldn’t be gone so easily. I think it’s a disgrace that we can’t get Hillary Clinton’s thirty three thousand e-mails. So I have great confidence in my intelligence people but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today and what he did is an incredible offer he offered to have the people working on the case come and work with their investigators, with respect to the 12 people. I think that’s an incredible offer. Thank you” (National Public Radio – ‘Transcript: Trump And Putin’s Joint Press Conference’ 16.07.2018, link: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/16/629462401/transcript-president-trump-and-russian-president-putins-joint-press-conference?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter ).

It is like he doesn’t trust the FBI, neither any other parts of his intelligence organizations, but if Putin says it isn’t so, it isn’t so. How blind or dumb is he? Trump is showing his ignorance and played ones. Thinking he can get away with this. Certainly, this should put people into fire in the United States. He shows how compromised he is. Not that I believe the Congress or Capitol Hill will do anything, because they have been helping this charade going for months. They have worked against the Russian Probe on the hill and also against the works of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Therefore, he might continue as he said nothing.

President Trump has really shown his golden nugget. I got Putin. Putin said so, therefore, I had to believe him. It is like he is oblivious about the transfers of information caught by the investigation, neither about the leaks and revelations that has been. The strong connections and the meeting between the Trump Campaign and Russians. Even the not secured meeting with former Ambassador Kislyak and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. All of that should let the bell rings, still the Republican Party has done nothing or anything worth a damn.

Now that he speaks like this, the US should be shocked, but will they act upon it? I doubt it. Than they had done already. President Trump is the Manchurian Candidate and he trusts more the denial of Putin, than his intelligence organizations. You could wonder why?

Does Putin have the Pee Tape and the Golden Shower video from the Miss Universe days in Moscow?

Is that why Trump is accepting and is in the pocket of Putin?

Certainly, he has been to friendly and compromised, the US should be shocked of the way Trump has acted in public today. Peace.