Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte – Message on Ninoy Aquino Day (21.08.2021)

Phillipines: Department of Health – Western Visayas – First Lambda variant in the Philippines detected in Western Visayas (16.08.2021)

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Philippines: Statement of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Nikkei Future of Asia Conference (21.05.2021)

Philippines: Duterte is out-quangoing himself

Today President Rodrigo Roa Duterte created a new entity to oversee other entities and in the end find out if other entities are duplicated. In a sense that is what he has done. To simplify it even more. The President has appointed one dude and his side-kicks to overlook another collective, which in the end shall see if other agencies, parastatals or government entities are efficient or delivering public services.

What is striking here. The President is creating a office with several of underling. To add as addition to the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) who works on these things already.

The CSC already has programs and directly active in this field. The CSC works on the Service Delivery Excellence Program (SDEP) and Contact Center ng Bayan (CCB), which are both focused on this and supposed to help the state to function more properly.

Now, as of today, the President is initiating yet another to combat the same thing. Just to make it more complicated the newly create office to help the ARTA and CSC is operating like this:

“The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Streamlining of Government Processes (OPASGP) is hereby created under the OP (Office of the President). The OPASGP shall be headed by the Presidential Adviser on Streamlining of Government Processes (PASGP)”.

That is the new overseer and overhead of all the other agencies that is working on the same. The Philippines has already as stated the CSC and ARTA. They have mandates and programs working directly to make things efficient and get feedback from the general public like the CCB under CSC. Therefore, it seems like the President is just creating another entity because some of his boys needs a job and he can appoint them.

The new person looking into this will be stationed under the Office of the President and will head his own thing. While his supposed to be advising the existing ARTA. What is striking and funny to me… is that its not involving the CSC who working on similar mandate. This is separate entities that is functioning partly for the same reason, but still they are not legally connected. Which is weird when the President orders not have things duplicated in the state.

So, it is ironic that the President creates another agency today. When he has others who is already doing it. Especially, when the end goal is similar. That is really special and should be questioned. We can wonder if the President is just hiring his cronies and finding them new homes. Instead of streamlining or cutting the red-tape. Peace.

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Philippines: Duterte should apologize to the VP [for his 20 minute rant against her]

“Should you become the President, if you want, buy a lot of swimsuits and swim when the floods come” – President Rodrigo Duterte addressing Vice President Leni Robredo

In the last few days Vice President Leni Robredo have worked on sites at typhoon hit areas after the ‘Goni’, ‘Rolly’ and ‘Ulysses’. She has been out to the areas and been a public face in the midst of trouble for the citizens in these areas. With this she has proven her character and been vocal to get more help for the ones in need. That has hurt Malacañang Palace and President Rodrigo Duterte.

We could clearly see by the statement of the live nation address and the 20 minutes long infuriated rant on her. Instead of addressing the needs of the people. The President was focused on her and was lying. He was trying to forge a narrative and wasn’t sincere. That because he wants to have the glory and be the big-man. Accordingly, Leni was his target because of her efforts after these storms and typhoons.

Clearly, Duterte pride was hurt as Robredo has been in the field and acted like a public servant. This is something that makes him look and indecisive. He knows that this make him look weak and not capable. As she is out there and participating in the emergency response to the affected areas of the typhoons.

Yes, Duterte is a President. A head of state and doesn’t have to be everywhere and cannot be everywhere at any time. Just like any other person. However, if he wanted to show his face and be with some of the ones who are hurt by the typhoons. He could have taken a day-trip without it hurting the programs, the plans and the scheduled affairs of the Presidency. Yes, the old man could be afraid of COVID-19, but his supposed to be in Davao. A region that is hit hard with the sickness and he cannot be sheltered from it forever.

President Duterte was in the wrong. To ask for accountability of each other is fine. However, using lies and misogyny has no place. That the President uses this to make himself look good. Is just a dumb move. If he wanted to look great. He should have taken a trip and been visible. Everyone understand that he cannot always go and has business to attend too. Nevertheless, that cannot be reason all the time. Especially, in crisis like these and where the Republic is hit with more and more troubles.

Leni Robredo isn’t the one who usually tends and attends things correctly. The VP has created unnecessary storms and conflicts, because she haven’t done the right thing. Where she haven’t filed the right papers or informed the authorities accordingly. Therefore, she can be wrong too. It is not about that. I’m not a great fan of Robredo. No, I am not, but here Duterte is off the rails.

Duterte should not get away with this. This sort of behaviour isn’t cool, it isn’t funny and shouldn’t be a thing. Rodrigo should act like a man and not like spoiled brat. That is seeing someone else is playing with his toys. He better get a grip and maybe even talk to the VP. Give her a call and apologize. Because, this is beneath his station. The rant shouldn’t have happened. The man should know better. Would the man accept this sort of talk about his daughter [Sara Duterte] and Mayor of Davao? I doubt he would accept it. He would hunt the man down… asap.

Therefore, when we knows. The President should pay amends and also see what the VP have done of late. Which has been the right thing for the same government that his serving. The President and VP serves the same government and is responsible for the same citizens.

President Duterte, this was wrong and dumb. Your better than this. I hope, because this isn’t cutting it. Peace.

Opinion: Duterte’s own goal…

I don’t know about you, but in this instance I thought no matter what President Rodrigo Roa Duterte would be the winner, as he hired Leni Robredo as the Co-Chair of the ICAD three weeks ago on the 6^th November 2019. Today we are clocking 24^th November 2019. This means the Vice-President got 18 days at the ICAD.

In this matter, I thought she couldn’t win. She couldn’t manage with the mandate of ICAD and neither the strings of the ICAD to succeed in anything. But apparently, the President couldn’t manage to anyone questioning him and reporting to him. Who wasn’t “Yes Men” or the following his protocol to the T.

Because, this is only a loss for the President. Who couldn’t see Leni fulfilling her time or even manage to implement anything. Therefore, it isn’t Leni’s loss, but the President. However, before I dwell on that, let me show the weird timeline of this matter. Will show three pieces, of when she was announced, limiting her power and now the firing. Before addressing the matter on my own.

Hired:

“MANILA — A day after accepting the challenge to lead the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo has called for her first meeting with members of the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), Malacañang said on Thursday. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo was told by Executive Secretary (ES) Salvador Medialdea through a phone call that Robredo and ICAD members would meet to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte’s efforts to fight illegal drugs” (Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos – ‘Robredo to meet with ICAD members: Palace’ 07.11.2019, PNA).

Limited scope:

“President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Tuesday said Vice President Leni Robredo would remain as Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) co-chair but would have limited access to classified information in the fight against the proliferation of illegal narcotics. “Need to know lang siya. If she asks something, then you give her…you give her half of it. The other half, if it’s a classified information, there is no need for her to know,” President Duterte said during a press conference in Malacañang” (PCOO – ‘President Duterte clarifies VP Robredo’s role as ICAD co-chair’ 20.11.2019).

Fired:

“Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 24) — President Rodrigo Duterte has fired Vice President Leni Robredo from her post as co-chair of the Inter-agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD), less than three weeks after her appointment, his spokesperson told CNN Philippines. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Sunday that apart from her missteps, Duterte fired Robredo because she spoke with foreigners, was asking for the scope of her powers and was among those daring the President to fire her, along with Senator Francis Pangilinan. “So pagbibigyan niya (Duterte) na rin si Pangilinan,” Panelo said. [Translation: So the President is also giving in to Senator Kiko Pangilinan.]” (Ina Andolong and Xave Gregorio – ‘Duterte fires Robredo from anti-drug czar post’ 24.11.2019, CNN Philippines).

If the President and his close associates thinks this is wise. These three weeks will not be remembered as a tale of success or victory. This is not Build! Build! Build!, where you can show off a few bridges, pieces of roads and possible transit projects. No, this is actual changes on the drug-war and prove that its legit.

Because, the mandate of ICAD was already marginal as is, the powers of the ICAD and the Co-Chair isn’t that significant. The mandate alone together with the others is limited. That’s why in the end, its up to the President if he wants the police, the army and other agencies to act differently in concern of the drug-war.

That’s why, I thought Vice-President Robredo couldn’t win this one. But by firing her only after three weeks. Before, she even started. Even as she has talked to NGOs and ambassadors of foreign nations. She is still viable to do that, even as that hurts the pride of the President. Not like she was selling out or giving away islands or territory to the Chinese. No, she was just talking.

President Duterte was the loser here. He lost it and couldn’t manage to be asked what sort of mandate and possible tasks she could consider at the Co-Chair of ICAD. Like that is too much to dare? Even if she dared him to fire her. That was a trick and he went for it.

This doesn’t make him look wise nor brilliant. It makes him look stupid and that’s not a look any President want to have. As a Head of State, he should been more calm and given her time. That is if, he was sincere about appointing her. Not that I think he was a single second, but still he should been more easy. No matter how head-stirring it would be to work with her. Because, Leni should have gotten more than a hot-minute at ICAD.

She couldn’t even report, be apart or have any possible time to achieve squat. Not like he could have changed much in three weeks either. The ploy was to get her in and let her fail. Instead, he failed and shown that his temper cannot stomach another busy-bee, whose has the courage to question him. That was to much for Rodrigo. That’s why Leni had to get axed.

President Duterte, this make you look stupid, not smart. FYI: If you had kept Robredo at ICAD, she could have failed and not achieved much. Been a stalwart and loose canon on-ship, as she could only do minor tweaks and not significantly change anything. The results would be mediocre, but you could have pinned on her.

Still, with that, you didn’t see that and you now look dumb. Not a good move. Not a good move. This was built for her, so that she couldn’t win, but even with that in the cards. You still lost your gamble. You had the winning hand, but you folded. You couldn’t even bluff, you just had to give up and let the others win. Peace.