THE MOST STUNNING was the Supreme Court decision, released on Wednesday the 4th of September, declaring void and unconstitutional a lease contract recognizing Marcos Sr. as the owner of a 57-hectare property in Paoay Ilocos Norte that includes the so-called “Malacañang of the North”. The ruling, penned by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, noted that the land was never titled under the name of Marcos Sr. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1980549/sc-junks-marcos-family-claim-on-paoay-land
Napaka-good news. Diyatat this Supreme Court is kabalikat ng people of the Philippines in the continuing struggle to recover ill-gotten wealth? Ang saya naman, kahit pa it could be more a matter of who appointed them — the Chief Justice and 12 Associate Justices are Digong appointees, and the two others are PNoy’s. Whatever. Okey na rin. Let’s see how they will rule on any cases brought against the Dutertes. https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/incumbent-justices/
TWO DAYS LATER came the happy arrest of the fugitive Alice a.k.a. Guo Hua Ping (who disappeared in July), fetched from Indonesia and brought “home” by DILG sec Benhur Abalos on Friday the 6th of Sept at 1:30 a.m. — masked up and grimly refusing to show her face on cam, in stark contrast to photos of the first meet-up of the two in Jakarta, where they were all smiles, complete with handshake and “Ikaw talaga”, and you couldn’t help wondering, what’s up with these two?
ANOTHER TWO DAYS LATER, on Sunday the 8th, there was the very laudable capture of fugitive Apollo Quiboloy, the appointed anak ng diyos (in hiding since February) — but PNP Gen. Nick Torre, in command of the two-week ops would not could not make kuwento about how and where it happened, the story was for Sec Abalos to tell daw, except that Abalos was in Dubai that day, and you couldn’t help wondering why you had to wait and hear the story from someone who wasn’t around naman when the heaven-appointed Quiboloy walked out of his lunggâ into the arms of earthly authorities. Abalos must have known that Torre was was all set to move in on the cornered Quiboloy. Akala niya matatagalan pa?
“I have to fly back to Manila tonight after this event to present him to the public in a press conference,” said Abalos, who also initially disclosed Quiboloy’s capture through a Facebook photo that he captioned: “Nahuli na po si Apollo Quiboloy (Quiboloy has been caught).” https://www.expatmedia.net/abalos-trip-dubai-cut-short-quiboloy-arrest/2024/09/
Tuloy, dahil di agad nakapagkuwento si Torre, namayagpag ang mga spin ng DDS — kesyo being caught or being arrested doesn’t mean he surrendered, kesyo hindi siya sa loob ng KOJC nahuli, kesyo sa AFP siya sumuko at hindi sa PNP, therefore napahiya si Gen. Torre, at kung anoano pa.
Pero hindi naman nakakagulat that Abalos wanted, needed, to take credit for the stupendous success of the two-week ops of the PNP that’s under the DILG. Surely, para makabawi sa Alice a.k.a. Guo Hau Ping fiasco — baka sakaling matabunan at makalimutan na natin? Fat chance, Sec. Ikaw talaga.
THE LATEST STUNNER on the AliceGHP front is courtesy of Ping Lacson.
In a Radyo 630 interview on Wednesday, September 11, former senator Panfilo Lacson cited information from a Filipino-Chinese friend – with contacts to the First Family – who was allegedly approached by Guo for help.
Lacson said Guo was willing to pay P1 billion to fix her legal woes with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission.
The Filipino-Chinese businessman did not help Guo with her request, Lacson clarified.
The former senator urged the intelligence community to look into Guo and her potential to be a national security risk because of her alleged use of her position as mayor to help a syndicate behind an illegal offshore casino. https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2024/09/12/2384735/guo-allegedly-offered-p1-billion-bribe-settle-legal-issues-ex-senator
Makes you wonder who she’s so afraid of, and who she’s protecting, other than herself, of course. Kaabang-abang.
BRIAN POE LLAMANZARES. ‘Isang bala ka lang’
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2024/09/15/2385307/isang-bala-ka-lang
“As a total ban on POGOs is close, despite deportations and other cases in court, it’s inevitable that the most stubborn POGOs would operate underground. Ensuring a just and complete conclusion to this crime-ridden sequence in our modern history requires sufficient support to our intelligence agencies.
Since we now work in the committee on finance in the Senate, let’s put things in perspective here from a fiscal standpoint. It was reported that Alice Guo was willing to pay approximately P1 billion in bribe money. The 2025 National Expenditure Plan provides the following approximate amounts for specific agencies: P3.5 billion to the NBI; P2.24 to NICA and P896 million to the National Security Council (NSC). In other words, one suspected foreign agent is alleged to be capable of paying an amount so exorbitant that it can cover the entire budget of the NSC, a third of the NBI’s or close to half of the NICA budget. It exposes how currently lopsided the fight is in favor of extremely wealthy criminals and how our intelligence agencies are actually severely underfunded. July this year, just before the President announced the shutdown of POGO operations in the Philippines, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) reported that there were 42 licensed POGO operators remaining. Even with just 42 remaining, their combined financial capacity would most likely outspend our entire intelligence network.
However, it’s not all bad news. Alice Guo’s arrest was the product of international, inter-agency coordination. The Philippines and Indonesia can use this recent intelligence victory as a rallying cry in gathering momentum to revitalize “Our Eyes Initiative,” which was envisioned as the ASEAN counterpart of the Five Eyes. As our Alice Guo example has illustrated, two ASEAN members collaborating against crime can lead to a mission accomplished. Furthermore, all agencies are currently eyeing financing for cyber security and capacity building.
We need to use these recent events as an opportunity to reflect on what is needed to ensure the safety and well-being of all our countrymen. As it turns out, September, under Presidential Proclamation No. 713 dated Sept. 22, 2004, is the “Rule of Law Month.” The arrests of Quiboloy and Guo serve as a stern warning: “Wag mong sabihin malakas ka. Wag mong sabihin marami kang tauhan. At wag mo ring sabihin marami kang salapi. Pare-pareho lang tayo, isang bala ka lang!”