Category: inday sara

Bato bato picks (Chiz loses)

I take it all back. No more giving SP Chiz Escudero the benefit of the doubt. There is just no defending or excusing the way he entertained Senator Bato‘s motion to dismiss the verified impeachment complaint on grounds that it violated the one-year ban, which was eagerly endorsed and helped along by Senator Alan Peter, both even claiming to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. E di wow.

As Senator Risa Hontiveros clearly pointed out:

… if there is a motion to dismiss the case, it should come from the camp of the vice president, and not from a senator-judge.

“A motion to dismiss is not found, hindi po ito nahahanap, itong motion to dismiss, sa rules of impeachment na literal kaa-adopt lang natin. At kung meron man, hindi senator-judge ang magraise noon, pero ang defendant. Si Vice President Sara Duterte ang magre-raise niyan. Higit pa po, naniniwala ako na hindi tayo pwedeng kumilos unilaterally sa dismissal ng impeachment complaint nang hindi pa natin naririnig ni isang salita mula sa prosecution,  ni isang salita mula sa defense, tungkol doon sa di umanong constitutional infirmities ng impeachment complaint. Ang due process ay nagre-require na bigyan natin pareho ang prosecution at ang defense ng oportunidad na madinig sa bagay na ito,” Hontiveros said. https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/

Nakagalit din na hinayaang “mag-abogado” para sa VP sina Bato, Imee, Go, at Robin, with their privilege speeches about “more important things”, taking their oath “with reservations”, and some, Imee, Robin, and Cynthia Villar, refusing to wear the judges’ gowns.

I seriously wonder how Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile (circa Corona) would have handled these brats.

Meanwhile, BRAVO to the five senators who stood tall against the “remand”:  Risa, Koko Pimentel, Grace Poe, Nancy Binay, and Win Gatchalian! May your tribes increase!

In defense of SP Chiz #Jun11

I’ve been trying to figure out why SP Chiz decided it was a good idea to put off for June 11 the convening of the Senate as impeachment court. Alam naman niya, at alam din natin, na siguradong pipigilan ito ng Duterte bloc, given the signals from the VP’s senator allies.

Could it be that he decided to put it all off for the last day of session para wala nang panahon for long plenary debates, time only to call for a vote (if at all) to “de facto” dismiss or not? meanwhile, quietly racking up enough votes against dismissal, while in the public sphere legal experts and constitutionalists happily explain and expound and lecture across media platforms on the Senate’s constitutional mandate to proceed with the impeachment trial, no ifs or buts?

Ang importante lang naman ay ang masimulan ng 19th Senate ang impeachment trial para maituloy ito ng 20th Senate. Ito na rin mismo ang say ni former Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna sa kanyang Facebook post of June 7.

As long as Senate President Escudero gets to start the process before the 19th Congress lapses … when the term of office of Representatives and outgoing Senators end, he will have done well. All he needs is to get the Articles read to the Senate and served on the Respondent. That will trigger the Senate’s jurisdiction over the case. The Senate in the 20th Congress can continue the process of proceeding with the trial.

… The Articles of Impeachment received by the Senate in the 19th Congress will not lapse with that Congress but will be carried over to the 20th Congress because Trial of Impeachment Cases is not a function of Legislative Power but it is a Constituent Power. It is lodged on the Senate specifically not under Art VI on Legislative Power but under Article XI on Accountability of Public Officers. So it does not fall under the rule that unfinished business lapses with the outgoing Congress because the Constitution says the opposite— that the trial must “proceed” meaning it must continue until it is finished. It cannot proceed if it is made to lapse. Since it must proceed, it follows that it does not lapse.

Sana talabán na rin, at mataúhan, ang mga tulad ni senator-elect Tito Sotto, the non-lawyer who’s gotten very critical of Chiz, and who can’t seem to get past Art VI — kailangan daw ay tinapos o natapos ng 19th Senate ang impeachment trial bago mag-adjourn sine die, kebs niya sa Art XI.

Hindi rin totoo ang say ni Sotto na SP Chiz “bushwhacked” anything. Sabi nga ni Pocholo Concepcion: 

Tito Escalera: Chiz ‘bushwhacked’ VP impeachment complaint
Bushwhack as a transitive verb means to attack by surprise. Parang mali ang gamit e.
Sana ‘ignored’ na lang, para maintindihan naming mga alumni ng Wanbol University. #IskulBukol https://www.facebook.com/pocholo.concepcion.

Which drew this painfully hilarious comment from Bobbit Mariano:

Wala na pong textbook ang School Bukol on Philippine Constitution, binili lahat ng Senate dahil ngayon pa lang sila mag-babasa. May exam daw kayo, sabi ni Miss Tapia, on Article XI, specifically expounding the meaning of forthwith, at Essay exam on what is the meaning of public trust, sa Lunes June 9-11, ma-ngongopya na lang daw si Richie the Horsie. Naka-pag review na si Red ford White, nang hiram ng libro.

Yeah, reminds of the Escalera brothers. I’m actually surprised that Tito Sen doesn’t seem to know better than to be so cocksure. Already on social media meron nang nagpaalala na he was among those who voted with dancing queen Tessie Oreta and 9 others to not open the second envelope in the Erap trial. Oo nga, ayon din sa Wikipedia. He was for Erap then. Is he for Duterte now? Kaabang-abang.

Imee loyalists, Imee utang-na-loob

LESLIE BOCOBO. In spite of every disappointing thing Sen. Imee Marcos has said and done to hurt true-blue Marcos loyalists (myself included), I have decided to include her still in my very short list of personal choices for the Senate. … [Beyond “utang na loob”] … Imee will always be a Marcos and, politically speaking, may be the future conduit between her family and the Dutertes. … You are free to castigate me on this, and believe me when I say I am torn … https://www.facebook.com/lesliebocobo/posts/

I imagine that many loyalists also see, and understand, Imee’s defense of former president Rodrigo Duterte as pagtanaw ng utang na loob na hindi matatawaran. After all, Digong did not just happily help along the Marcoses’ relentless campaign to polish up the dictator’s tainted image, even pushed the takedown of ABS-CBN and everything identified with yellow history, he also dared in 2016 to bury the OG Marcos in Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) with full military honors — a favor Imelda had long been seeking from every president since FVR, to no avail.

It was FVR who in 1993 allowed the remains to return home from Hawaii direct to Ilocos Norte for immediate burial with military honors fit for an army major, the highest rank Marcos obtained in WW2 according to US military records. Imelda balked, insisted that as former president and commander-in-chief he deserved a state burial in Manila’s Heroes Cemetery. When FVR stood his ground, Imelda installed the dead one in a glass vault for display in a Batac museum — a tourist attraction — while waiting for more opportune times.  https://www.researchgate.net/publication/

She tried again in 1998. Ran for president, then withdrew and endorsed Joseph Estrada, who, upon his election, immediately ordered the burial of Marcos in LNMB. Cement  was already being poured on the foundation of the tomb site weeks before Estrada’s June 30 swearing-in. Pero ipinatigil ni FVR, pangulo pa siya noon, dahil galit na galit ang anti-Marcos groups, war veterans, at Kaliwa. Atras si Imelda. Inamin ni Erap na nagkamali siya, akala niya burying Marcos in the LNMB  would  also bury the “bitter differences” between the pro- and  anti-Marcos. Estrada urged Imelda to bury the remains of her husband in Batac na lang. “End to Marcos’ burial dispute” New Straits Times July 13 1998 

Imelda gave the project a rest during GMA’s time . In PNoy’s time she turned to Congress for help. In  2011, a few days before the 25th EDSA anniversary, Marcos ally Rep. Salvador Escudero authored a resolution calling for the LNMB burial that gathered close to 200 signatures, a clear House majority. In the Senate, Bongbong Marcos released a statement insisting that his father deserved no less than a state burial. http://legacy.senate.gov.ph/press_release/

PNoy asked VP Jejomar Binay to decide the case. After 3 months of research and consultations with civil society groups and other concerned citizens, and taking into account the Escudero resolution and an SWS survey [March 3 – March 7] showing that Filipinos were split right down the middle — 50% in favor, 49% not — and a personal meeting daw with Bongbong and Imee Marcos, Binay came to the conclusion that it was a “partisan” issue and a compromise that might be acceptable to both sides would be to bury Marcos in Ilocos Norte with full military honors.  https://ph.news.yahoo.com/news/binay

But as it turned out, Binay had misread the Marcoses: Imelda was adamant about a state burial in Manila. On the 17th of June 2011, PNoy just said no. “Not during my watch.” https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/

And then came Duterte.

Kampanya pa lang, ipinangako na niya ang LNMB burial for the dictator, about whom he only had good things to say; and the burial would unite the nation daw. It is not clear if it was his way of making ligaw the Marcos loyalist vote or if naligawan na siya ni Imee vis a vis the burial in exchange for the same. But once he had won, Digong was quick to thank her publicly.

“Who supported me in Luzon? … Only Imee Marcos.” https://www.youtube.com/

“Sinong tumulong sa akin? Ilan lang … 4, 5, 6? Wala akong barangay captain. Wala akong congressman. Wala akong pera, si Imee pa nga ang nagbigay, sabi niya inutang daw niya. … Si Imee supported me.” https://www.youtube.com/

On June 30 he took his oath, August 7 he ordered the Marcos burial, August through September eight petitions were filed with the Supreme Court seeking a restraining order. Rallies pro and con, left right and center.

Imee Marcos, daughter of the former dictator and now the governor of Ilocos Norte Province painted Duterte as the natural successor to her father. She also implied that recognizing Marcos as a hero would allow the country to move forward. 

“[The reburial] is an opportunity to erase the hatred, conflicts and discord in our society,” she said at a pro-Marcos rally outside the Supreme Court in October. “The healing presidency of President Duterte will take over and we as one nation will be great again,” CNN reported. https://www.csmonitor.com/

Nov 8 the Supreme Court, voting 9-5-1, dismissed all petitions. Nov 17 Duterte flew to Lima Peru for an APEC summit, Nov 18 the dead one was flown to Manila by Army helicopter and buried in “sneaky” rites, behind shut gates, away from public view. https://www.nationthailand.com/

RACHEL AG REYES. There was a grand hearse. Relatives and guests arrived in a fleet of big cars. The Marcos family was impeccably dressed: Imelda wore a beautiful black terno whose silken folds fluttered elegantly in the breeze. Imee was in immaculate white, and her brother chose a barong his father would have favored. The coffin, draped in the nation’s flag, was carried with great ceremony by military pallbearers and honored with a 21- gun salute. Soldiers in full military regalia dutifully saluted. Priests, just as dutifully, prayed and officiated. There were wreaths and bouquets, one said to be from the President. The ceremony began promptly at noon, as tradition dictated, and ended an hour later. Rows and rows of soldiers and police stood guarding the cemetery’s perimeter and entrances. Clearly,the event was planned and executed with the sort of precision and meticulous coordination that seems so uncharacteristic of us Filipinos. Moreover, somehow, remarkably, it was all accomplished with absolute secrecy. Not a shred of information was leaked. Not a single journalist was alerted. Not a single pesky protester was there to ruin the moment and the photos. The Marcoses even controlled the visuals, selecting only a few images of the event for public consumption. The President was conveniently out of the country. His office claimed ignorance. “We honestly don’t know,” said the doe-eyed spokesperson who stood before an aghast press corps. What an impressive and extraordinary feat.  https://www.manilatimes.net/

That the burial was held in secret tells us that the Marcoses were aware of, even sensitive to, the pulse, the agitation, of the people. In the 2011 SWS survey that asked people if Marcos deserved to be buried in LNMB, of the 50% who approved, only 30% said yes to official honors, 20% said yes to a private burial only — this 20% plus the 49% who said no, not worthy, made for a resounding 69%. https://www.sws.org.ph/

Just the same, post-LNMB saw Imee elected to the Senate in 2018. And then in Nov 2021 — tila nagmamadaling maiakyat si Bongbong sa palasyo — she was able to convince Sara Duterte to UniTeam with BBM because otherwise there was no beating Leni Robredo, and Sara agreed, despite Digong preferring that she run as Senator Bong Go‘s VP.  https://www.philstar.com/headlines/

But as it turned out, outside the kulambo pala si Imee, and the pamamangka sa dalawang partido has proven unsustainable with the impeachment of VP Sara by Congress, the turnover of Digong to ICC, and her lagapak sa surveys.

Bocobo’s reading, that “Imee will always be a Marcos and, politically speaking, may be the future conduit between her family and the Dutertes”, might turn out a pipe dream, unless Imee makes it back to the Senate in May, the Senate acquits VP Sara, and Digong gets to come home alive.

Impeach bulaga, MacArthur Park

Sinadya kaya ng Lower House reps na literally last-minute nila isinampa ang Articles of Impeachment sa Senado, knowing very well that it was too late, the Senate had adjourned, but, well, the media mileage is worth it? Besides there seems to be much glee in putting Senate Prez Chiz on the spot — just about every other lawyer and pundit and rep is weighing in now on the meaning of “shall forthwith proceed” and insisting that the Senate must get moving, now na! Bumigay kaya si Chiz, o manindigan? Ano ba talaga ang rules?

Samantala, cool na cool si VP Sara, matagal na daw nilang pinaghahandaan ito, okey lang siya, “mas masakit pa maiwan ng boyfriend o girlfriend kaysa ma-impeach ka ng House of Representatives.” Hmm. I’m sure not, as in, not true. Unless it’s a measure of how little she thinks of country, and ipinapa-sa-diyos na lang niya ang kapalaran ng ‘Pinas, as in, “God save the Philippines”? Really?

Upon messaging her father daw that “Everything will be all right”, former President Duterte sent her daw a video of him singing “MacArthur’s Park”, a sixties song, boomer times, about the end of a love affair. Na medyo appropriate nga naman if we look back on the BBM-Sara hook-up. When did it start going wrong? Was it doomed from the start?

The Duterte-Marcos alliance was already there when Duterte won the presidency in 2016 (BBM lost as VP to Leni). That he immediately allowed the burial of FEM in the Libingan ng mga Bayani told us all we needed to know, that it was a bayad-utang for the Marcos-loyalist vote. Maybe he needn’t have. Maybe he would have won anyway. And maybe if he hadn’t allowed the burial, and the dictator Marcos’s right to be buried as hero continues to be questioned, maybe we wouldn’t have a Marcos back in the palace? I can imagine Dutz singing this part with gusto, and regret.

Someone left the cake out in the rain 
I don’t think that I can take it
‘Cause it took so long to bake it 
And I’ll never have that recipe again
Oh nooooo