Category: senate

senators absolve poor bishops

Sen. Franklin Drilon said the Senate would have no reason to hold the bishops accountable if they agreed to turn over the SUVs to state-run Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).

Sen. Francis Escudero said he was not keen on grilling the bishops after they agreed to return the SUVs and after the CBCP opened an inquiry into the matter. “I hope it would end [the controversy],” Escudero said over dzBB.

Sen. Ralph Recto said the bishops could not be absolved of any crime they did not commit. “They did not commit any crime. The legal burden is on the one who gave it,” Recto said in an interview, referring to the old PCSO board. “The real issue is propriety. The allegations basically are that they were bribed.”

hmm. are these senators running for re-election already? making sure they get the support of the church?  so what else is new.

MANILA, Philippines—The Catholic Bishops’Conference of the Philippines on Monday said that the seven bishops linked to the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office fund mess are ready to accept responsibility for their action and to face the consequences should their actions be proven unlawful, anomalous and unconstitutional.

“We assure you that their action was done without malice,” says Tandag bishop Nereo Odchimar, CBCP president reading a prepared statement during a press conference at the Pope Pius XII Center in Manila.

yeah, sure, without malice maybe, but certainly without any sense of propriety and ethics either, much less of political correctness.  akala ko ba, anti-gambling ang simbahan.  so what’s going on?  for the alleged sake of the poor that they allegedly serve they are willing to compromise — at least the money is from legal gambling and not from jueteng? lol

whatever happened to the spirit of sacrifice and the vows of poverty?  what exactly has the church done for the poor anyway in the last hundred years that has made any difference in this blighted catholic country of ours?

if anything the church gets richer by the year and yet her princes have the gall to compete against poor Filipinos for meager government funds.

read this too from elizabeth angsioco and weep.

merci & the senate

from newsbreak‘s glenda gloria: ‘Lp now a force to reckon with’

The overwhelming House vote for the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez proves two things: that the ruling Liberal Party is now a real force to reckon with and that President Aquino has been able to exercise political command without trying too hard.

“The impeachment project was a consolidating project for the LP, and they succeeded,” said Earl Parreño, a veteran House watcher and former journalist who’s now with the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform (Iper). “After this consolidation phase, they could push for their reform agenda and if they do it well, it could only be good for the country.”

The victory becomes sweeter because the Iglesia ni Cristo pushed hard—but failed—to support the Ombudsman, according to a political ally of the President.

At total of 212 members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach Gutierrez for betrayal of public trust (see how they voted). This is 30 votes less than the total members of the ruling coalition—250. President Aquino earlier made it clear to his partymates that he wanted the Ombudsman out since he considered her an obstacle to honest governance.

The INC reportedly managed to persuade some solons to vote no, abstain or not register their votes. Among the 4 who abstained are relatives of senator-judges: Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado, wife of Sen. Bong Revilla, and Las Pinas Rep. Mark Villar, son of Sen. Manuel Villar.

… A senior government official close to the President told Newsbreak that they had about 4 estimates of how the voting would go—anywhere from 140 to 160 to close to 200, but never 200 or more. In the early headcount phase, the President even said he’d be content with just the 94 votes, according to this source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

i was surprised when gma showed up, looking rather woebegone.   was her one vote perceived to be so important as to make a difference, be a tipping point maybe?   when in fact wala pala silang kalaban-laban?   i bet she regretted coming.    manny pacquiao who stayed away but voted via twitter was way smarter.   even if he got heckled online for his no vote, and of course his weird, and graceless, retort to why he was absent, serves him right.

so now, all eyes on the senate.   manila standard‘s emil jurado predicts that merci will be acquitted.

Will the Senate convict Gutierrez? There are serious doubts. Senator Francis Escudero, an Aquino ally, says that no less than 16 senators are needed to convict Gutierrez, and at least seven to acquit her.

Out of the 24 senators, two are not present. Senator Panfilo Lacson is still a fugitive from justice. Former Senator Noynoy Aquino has risen to the presidency. But it is clear that the Senate needs a two-thirds vote in order to convict an official.

Who might be the seven senators to decide in Gutierrez’s favor. They are Senators Lito Lapid and Bong Revilla, known to be former President Arroyo’s allies; the minority in the opposition composed of Nacionalista Party senators, like Manny Villar, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Bongbong Marcos, and Loren Legarda. That’s already seven. Others who will also likely join them are Senators Joker Arroyo, Miguel Zubiri and Miriam Santiago. That brings the total to 10 senators in favor of Gutierrez.

Thus, my gulay, it’s unlikely that Gutierrez will be convicted. Her acquittal will be a slap on President Aquino, he who does not hide his obsession to run after his predecessor and prosecute her with a “friendlier” Ombudsman.

hmm.   read raul pangalangan‘s Gutierrez impeachment prospects in the Senate and tony la vina‘s Impeachment as a lesson in civics.   the senate would be wise to give the prosecutors of the lower house, and not the impeached ombudsman, the benefit of the doubt.   senators who acquit do so at their own peril.

that’s entertainment sa senado

caught just the last part of the jinggoy & mrs. ligot show, and wondered what mrs. ligot was on, she who was so teary and high-blood the first time she showed up in the senate investigation.   twitter provided quick answer, valium-laced testimony, said @wagmagalit.   ah so.   ilang mg. kaya, lol.   she was not only quite composed and alert, invoking her right against self-incrimination at every turn, she was also making eyes at the senator and the senator was returning an eye for an eye, LOL.   they were almost ummm flirting, she playing the coquette, appealing for mercy, and he playing gallant macho, willing to withdraw contempt motion if only she would oblige by answering allegedly harmless questions.   kulang na lang magkalabitan sila.   that’s entertainment, complete with innuendo about mrs. ligot’s “constant lady companion.”   thanks to
@drippingmind for the link.  thanks to @SagadaSun for the retweets.

impeaching mercy

i don’t get why senators pangilinan and guingona are urging the ombudswoman to resign rather than be impeached and go to trial.   “to spare the country of this conflict” daw.   more like, to spare us the truth?   the facts?   of the cases against her?   but why?   masyado bang maraming madadamay?   but why spare them?

or is there a chance na mapapahiya lang sila, whether the lower or upper house, because they don’t have the numbers pala?

and this recommendation of senators to impeach her for the plea-bargain agreement with garcia, when there is already an impeachment process going on in the lower house for other cases — ano ‘yon?   obvious naman that that would have to wait until next year, should the ongoing one fail.   besides, merceditas says it’s for the sandiganbayanto decide the plea-bargain complaint against her, not the senate.

what’s going on, honorable senators?