Category: senate

Leni or not #Halalan 2025

In the wake of Leni Robredo‘s perceived “endorsements” of two BBM Alyansa candidates and one DDS PDP-Laban, tila nagkawatak-watak ang Kakampinks. Maraming ayaw kina Pacquiao at Abalos, mga dating DDS daw na ngayon ay BBM, mga balimbing! Mas maraming ayaw kay Marcoleta especially dahil sa closure ng ABS-CBN in the dark days of Digong, and also because he would surely vote to acquit VP Sara in the impeachment trial.

Kakampinks were happy enough when Leni formally endorsed Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan back in Feb 11 at the duo’s kick-off rally in Cavite.  And when word got around, via a comment thread on Twitter|X, that she had also promised to vote for Heidi Mendoza, everyone approved, even if wala namang formal endorsement. Marami nga na tatlo o apat lang daw ang iboboto, at alam na natin kung sino-sino iyon.

But many more Kakampinks on my Facebook feed who have Bam Kiko and Heidi topping their lists (that have absolutely no room for BBM-Alyansas or Digong-PDPs) are going for progressives, even if their chances of winning are slim. And these Kakampinks are okay with that, in the hope that the surveys are wrong or that the electorate will swing left in the last two minutes. Very fairytale-ish, but it is what it is.

Sa reddit.com ako nakatagpo ng mga Kakampink na iboboto sina Bam at Kiko, and maybe Heidi, Luke, and Leody, AND certainly some of the BBM slate (basta hindi pro-China) just because they want the VP impeached to prevent a Duterte comeback forever.

MEANWHILE, punditz are saying na dapat ay may quid pro quo, kapalit kumbaga, ang suporta ni Leni kina Pacquiao at Abalos — BBM’s Alyansa should also push daw for Bam and Kiko. Oo nga naman. But Leni shouldn’t have to ask for it pa, di ba. At kung di káya to go public, maaaring daanin sa bulungan, o puwede idagdag sa sample ballots, at the LGU level as the BBM admin’s machinery revs up for the homestretch.

MEANWHILE, in the DDS camp, strategist Lito Banayo, who claims credit for convincing Digong to run in 2016, is expecting 4 or 5 PDP bets to make it to the Magic 12: Bong Go, Bato, Imee, Camille, and even Marcoleta (with INC’s help daw). Fair warning that VP Sara would need just 4 or 5 more votes from incumbent senators.

… Banayo mentioned Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Joel Villanueva, Robin Padilla, and Juan Miguel Zubiri, who might vote in favor of the Vice President.

“And then, how would Alan Cayetano vote? How would Mark Villar vote if Camille Villar owes a lot of utang na loob kay Sara,” Banayo added. https://politiko.com.ph/2025/04/23/

The very same question asked of Kakampinks voting for BBM’s sure winners in aid of the VP”s impeachment: how do we know that these BBM winners will not make balimbing to Sara’s side once they’ve made it to the trial as Senator Judges?

I’m remembering the midterm elections of May 2001, post-Erap impeachment trial, post-Edsa Dos and Tres, when only three (3) of Erap’s Puwersa ng Masa slate made it to the Magic 12, and barely.

Then, as now, the nation will be watching and listening closely as the trial unfolds, being reminded of what the Senate and QuadComm hearings surfaced in late 2024, and the Senator Judges will be under intense pressure to conduct themselves with wisdom and integrity, or else.

Read Manila Standard political scientist Ernesto M. Hilario‘s Will the next Senate remove Sara as VP?

The possibility of a second Duterte administration is likely to send chills of apprehension down the spines of those who want a regime that stands firmly on the side of democracy and human rights in the country, and [who] resolutely oppose any vestige of Dutertismo that’s seen to resurface should Sara take the reins of the presidency in 2028.

… A Senate that will vote for keeping Sara Duterte in her current position as Vice President will mean an uncertain future for Philippine democracy.

It is therefore imperative for the electorate to vote only for those senatorial bets who will exercise prudent judgment and decide on her case based on a careful weighing of the available evidence unearthed by the House quadcomm instead of voting along political or partisan considerations.

Vote wisely, Kakampinks, Leni or not.

Bumoto para ma-impeach nang tuluyan

[Dahil maraming humihingi ng Tagalog version}

Sa mga botante na nagtatanong, nag-iisip, kung sino-sino ba ang dapat ibotong Senador sa May 12, ang pinaka-kritikal na laban ay ang Impeachment ng VP.

Oo, maraming pang ibang isyu na importante rin, pero sa ngayon, wala nang hihigit pa sa Impeachment sapagkat ayaw nating makabalik ang dinastiyang Duterte — sa loob ng anim ng taon ni FPRRDay lalong nalugmok ang ating Inang Bayan sa hirap, takot, patayan, at utang. Ayaw nating makabalik sila para muling maghasík ng lagim.

MALINAW NA gagawin ni VP Sara ang lahat para di ma-impeach sa Senado.

Kapag nahatulan siya na nagkasala ng at least labing-anim (16) na senador (2/3 of 24) sa Impeachment Trial, bawal na siyang tumakbo for ANY public office. Mabibigo ang balak niyang tumakbong pangulo sa 2028. Kaya naman todo ang kampanya niya para sa mga kandidatong tiyak na ipapa-walang-sala siya sa Impeachment Trial.

KAILANGAN ni VP SARA ng SIYAM (9) na KAKAMPING SENADOR

Sa ngayon, sigurado siya sa boto ng apat (4) na nasa Senado pa: Robin, Jinggoy, Allan Peter, at Mark Villar. Medyo sigurado na rin siya sa dalawa (2) ng PDP-Laban ni Digong na pasók sa Top 12 ng surveys: Bong Go at Bato de la Rosa. Kailangan na lang ng tatlo (3) para maka-siyam.

Ito ang dahilan ng kanyang pag-endorso kina Imee Marcos at Camille Villar, kahit pa kadugo’t kaalyado ng BBM Alyansa. At ng pag-endorso ni Cong. Pulong Duterte kina Gringo Honasan at Ariel Querubin (utos daw ni Digong@ICC).  Pag nakapasok iyang apat (4), may sampu (10) nang kakampi ang VP at pihadong mahahatulan siyang inosente kahit maysala.

At kung hindi man makapasok sa Magic 12 sina Honasan at Querubin, nandiyan naman sina Willie Revillame at Philip Salvador na akyat-panaog labas-pasok sa Top 12 ng mga survey. At baka maaasahan din si Pia Cayetano na kabalikat ni Alan Peter.

Mas marami, mas mabuti para kay Sara. Kung makaka-13 siya, ibig sabihin, majority + one, makakayang palitan ang Senate President ng isang DDS. Yari tayo sa Impeachment Trial.

SA KABILANG BANDÁ
SA ATING BANDÁ

Kailangan natin ng sixteen (16) senators na magco-convict kay VP Sara batay sa mga ebidensiyang nasiwalat sa QuadComm hearings na napanood at napakinggan natin.

May maasahan tayong apat (4) na nasa Senado pa: Chiz Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, Win Gatchalian, at Raffy Tulfo (?).  Hindi tayo sigurado kina JV, Loren, Joel, at Migs.

May maaasahan ding pito (7) na BBM-Alyansang pasók sa top 12 ng SWS April survey — Erwin Tulfo, Lito Lapid, Tito Sotto, Bong Revilla, Abby Binay, Ping Lacson, at Manny Pacquiao.

Totoo, ayaw na sana natin sa mga tulad nilang mga lumang politiko o “trapo” (traditional politicians), lalo na yung mga artista’t dinastiya, na sa hinaba-haba ng panahon ay di nakapagpasá ng mga batas para sa malawakan at malalim na pagbabago ng isang marumi at maramot na sistemang pangkabuhayan.

Pero bilang mga kakampi ni BBM sa Alyansa slate, puwede silang asahan na magdesisyon sa Impeachment Trial batay sa ebidensiya, alang-alang sa Inang Bayan.

Kung dati-rati ay iniismiran o binabale-wala natin ang mga survey — iba kasing mga kandidato ang gusto nating manalo, at sila ang ating ibinoboto, basta, kahit nangungulelat at pihadong matatalo — SA HALALANG ITO ay hinihingi sa atin na bumoto tayo ayon sa survey.

Oo, maniwala tayo sa survey. Noong May 2022 nga, nanalo ang labing-isa (11) sa labing-dalawa (12) na pasók sa Top 12 ng Pulse Asia April survey.

SIXTEEN (16) VOTES para mahatulang maysala si VP Sara.

May apat (4) na nasa Senado pa, plus pito (7) na pasók sa Top 12, ay labing-isa (11). Kailangan natin ng lima (5) pa.

Pumili tayo doon sa mga may laban, yung di malayo sa Top 12, na maasahan natin sa Impeachment Trial. Tulad nina Bam Aquino (15th), Kiko Pangilinan (16th), at Benhur Abalos (18th). At konting kembot na lang sana, sina Heidi Mendoza (24th), France Castro (26th), Leody de Guzman (32nd), at Luke Espiritu (30th).

Parang ganito rin ang iniisip ni former VP Leni Robredo na ka-e-endorse kina Benhur at Manny Pacquiao, idinagdag kina Heidi, Bam, at Kiko. May pag-asa talaga.

LISTAHAN ng 14
Pumili ng 12

Benhur Abalos
Bam Aquino
Abby Binay
France Castro
Luke Espiritu
Leody de Guzman
Kiko Pangilinan
Ping Lacson
Lito Lapid
Heidi Mendoza
Manny Pacquiao
Bong Revilla
Tito Sotto
Erwin Tulfo

Kung ayaw mo sa artista, ilaglag sa listahan si Revilla (na kurakot din daw) at si Lapid. O kaya, dalawang dinastiya (si Revilla pa rin). Ang mahalaga ay maka-12, pandagdag sa apat (4) na incumbent Senators na kakampi na natin. para maka-16 Senators na maaasahang isasaalang-alang ang ebidensiya sa mga kasong kriminal na hinaharap ng VP.

Ipakalat ang listahan mo. Ipalaganap ang panawagang ito.

#VoteToImpeach #SaraMaysala

Llamas exaggerates

This is what he said on Richard Heydarian‘s vlog a week ago, a day or so before the People’s Impeachment Movement (PIM) announced the signature drive.

Ronald Llamas. Nabalitaan ko lang na may mga grupo ng mga religious na balak mag-launch ng people’s impeachment movement. … Kung babagal-bagal ang senado, kung ayaw ng senado na mag-convene, kami ang magco-convene, a people’s impeachment, at itong mga articles of impeachment, mga complaints, paguusapan pa namin, kami na mismo, at baka magpapirma kami ng several million signatures. Dahil sabi ng senate president walang clamor … gagawa ng clamor ang mga religious … balita ko next week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY3Av300cnE&t=1830s 

Na-excite naman ako, LOL. I guess because it reminded of Chino Roces’s signature campaign in November ’85 to convince Cory to run for  president should Marcos call snap elections, and Chino and his peeps gathered 1.2M in less than a month — martial law pa noon! — and the rest is history.  I thought that PIM’s launch would signal the immediate start of signature-gathering in church patios and malls and street corners and online websites, as in forthwith, right away.

Alas. The “launch” on the eve of Ash Wednesday was simply an announcement of intent, and their self-imposed deadline for just one (not several) million signatures is June 8, Pentecost Sunday. June 8!!! By then, according to SP Chiz’s proposed calendar, the Senate would have convened as an impeachment court anyway, so what difference would a million sigs make?

Bakit walang urgency, kung “forthwith” ang ipinaglalaban? Anyare?

People were asking na, where do we go to sign? can we offer, volunteer, our spaces to help gather signatures? kailangan kaya may official I.D.s ang mga pipirma? at kung ano-ano pa. Sayang. It was a great idea.

I had imagined that even just a million signatures could be gathered by a well-organized team by the end of March, and the appeal could be for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court early in April, and then to suspend around the 25th, thus giving re-electionists the final two weeks before the May 12 elections to make their final pitches on the ground, and then to resume in June…

And then again, former Senate Prez Frank Drilon said yesterday on ANC’s Hot Copy with Karen Davila that he thinks the religious orgs are “barking at (sic) the wrong tree”. That the appeal should be addressed to PBBM, not SP Chiz.

Drilon. Senate President Escudero cannot start the trial UNLESS the president calls congress to a special session because (it is) the convening of a special session (that) will make the convening of the impeachment trial court compulsory. … But it cannot start today because there is no session. And therefore the remedy is for the president to call a special session. … He can say: I am calling a special session so the Senate can address its constitutional duty to convene an impeachment court. The discretion of the president to call a special session is ABSOLUTE.

Ang problema, while the president has said he is willing to call a special session, he will do so only if or when the Senate requests it, and the senators (except for Koko Pimentel and Risa Hontiveros) are adamant, as in, no way, busy sila sa kampanya. “Too much to ask” of Senators, say pa ni Cynthia Villar. I imagine that the president is on the same page — he dreams of a 12-0 win  — and will not be moved by a million, even several million, signatures?

So far, no update from Llamas on the signature drive — no response to Drilon’s advice — not even just to correct himself. Maybe the attitude is, matatabunan naman agad, no one’s keeping track, so he feels free to exaggerate, lalo na kung sa vlog lang naman. Ayos.

“Forthwith” … a people’s impeachment court?

I’ve made no bones about it, I didn’t mind waiting until after the May elections for the impeachment trial to proceed as long as siguradong the 19th HoR’s Articles of Impeachment continues to hold in the 20th Congress. Because the timing is terrible, what with the very heated campaign season with two powerful dynasties facing off, no holds barred, AND a very divided Senate.

What are the chances that it could be all over even before elections, whether acquit or convict, and what would either outcome mean for the elections? On the other hand, kung hindi agad matapos at itutuloy sa June, July, how would that affect the reelectionists’ chances in May? Madadagdagan pa ang variables nang katakot-takot, better to wait till after elections, was my attitude.

But given the endless “forthwith” discourse, and given the release of Senate Prez’s proposed impeachment calendar, I’m suddenly counting months, March, April, May, June, July, a wait of five months, masyadong matagal nga naman. Hindi na masasabing “forthwith”, not even “as soon as possible”, more like “when convenient” for the senators? And the incumbent senators’ oathtaking in June makes no sense kung wala rin namang uumpisahan hanggang July 30 [korek me if I’m wrong].

And now, this, from the pfundit who’s always worth checking out in case he’s saying something new and not just repeating himself the way he does across platforms:

Ronald Llamas. Nabalitaan ko lang na may mga grupo ng mga religious na balak mag-launch ng people’s impeachment movement. … Kung babagal-bagal ang senado, kung ayaw ng senado na mag-convene, kami ang magco-convene, a people’s impeachment, at itong mga articles of impeachment, mga complaints, paguusapan pa namin, kami na mismo, at baka magpapirma kami ng several million signatures. Dahil sabi ng senate president walang clamor … gagawa ng clamor ang mga religious … balita ko next week.  https://www.youtube.com/

Several million signatures! Alin-aling religious orgs kaya ito? Kasali kaya ang simbahang Katoliko? If yes, kayang-kaya ngang mag-create ng clamor. That would be quite a show. The Senate Prez and the Senators would then have to get their act together, now na. A higher duty calls.

PAHABOL

Christian Monsod:  [The senators] cannot give the excuse that there’s an election campaign. They will be on televisiion while this trial is ongoing and maybe the people can see for themselves what the values and alighnments and politics are of these senators, which is a good lesson for the voters. …

I’d like to see the names of those who say they refuse to meet because they’re on recess. Because … if they happen to be elected, then we will file cases against them … for violating the constitution, and they might not be able to sit. https://www.youtube.com/