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Duterte Castigated Female Senator for being "Immoral" and "adulterer"

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday in his speech at the 115th police service anniversary at Camp Crame, castigated a female senator for being an “immoral woman” for allegedly having an affair with her driver who also act as a collector of money for her during the election campaign. The senator who he didn't name always criticized his anti-drug campaign that resulted to a number of deaths.

“Here’s a senator complaining. One day I will tell you that her driver himself, who was a lover, was the one collecting money for her during the campaign. An immoral woman, insofar as the driver’s wife is concerned, it’s adultery.”

“Here’s a woman who funded a house of a lover and yet we don’t say any complaint about it,” he added.

“But in fairness, I would never say [clearly] that the driver gave (the money) to her but by the looks of it, she has it,” he said.

Duterte also said that the senator has no right to complain about the recent killings of drug suspects in the country when she herself has “a very sordid personal and official life.”

Last week, Duterte said that he was going to “destroy” a female official who keeps on criticizing his government.

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Senator Leila de Lima Reaction

 

Senator Leila de Lima reacted angrily and said that the President Duterte has resorted to “character assassination” referring to the president's speach about an unnamed senator, whom he described as  an “immoral woman” for allegedly having an affair with a driver.

"May nagsabi nga sa akin ngayon lang so it’s very surprising. Ang first reaction ko ngayon, ayaw ko nang patulan yan. I don’t want to dignify that. It’s so foul. It’s  character assassination.”

“It’s  very foul. Saan  man nanggaling yang information na yan, sana dino-double check, sana inaalam ang source,” she said.

de Lima said she was unfazed by the President’s statements, saying these would not affect her resolve to investigate the spate of killings in the country under the  Duterte administration.

“Hindi po ako matitinag,”

“I don’t know kung ano ho ang agenda  that  they are  resorting  to  character assassination. That’s a very  clear case of assassination and I don’t expect the President to do that, sa totoo lang,” she said.
 

Duterte Sided With the Illegal Squatters

MANILA, Philippines - President Rodrigo Duterte vows to protect and find a way to help and uplift the lives of the poor and she promised that squatter shanties would not be demolished until the government finds a suitable relocation site.

“During my time, there will be no demolition if there is no relocation. I won’t let it happen,” Duterte said during the fellowship dinner of the San Beda College of Law alumni at Malacañang last Sunday.

“If you destroy their houses, they have nowhere to go. Ano, parang aso (What, like dogs)?” he said.

Duterte promised to generate funds and spur economic activity so that the poor can have sources of livelihood.

“I would be very generous to them. I’d look for money. That’s what we want to do. We will go for a suitable relocation,” the President said.

“We have to build new industries. We have to create an activity, economic or otherwise,” he added.

Duterte said he already informed Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Caesar Dulay that he needs a lot of money because he has “so many problems.”

“I have to address the economic conditions of everybody, including and perhaps first those who are poor,” he added.

Duterte said he has reminded Dulay to be strict in collecting taxes to ensure that the government has enough funds for its anti-poverty programs.

The President, in particular, instructed internal revenue officials to strictly enforce laws on tax-free importation of goods.

Before he assumed office, Duterte said he wants to establish economic zones outside Metro Manila to create jobs for the poor and to promote development in the countryside.

He said the economic zones would serve as trading centers and relocation sites for informal settlers in congested Manila.

“I intend to spend most of the money for this year to alleviate hunger and poverty. Then I will ask the engineers, I will look for land, we will build eco zones,” Duterte said in a press conference last May.

“I have to build a new environment for the people. I will place them in eco zones and provide them assistance. I will build hospitals there. There will be economic activity,” he added.

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Abu Sayyaf groups beheads another Canadian hostage

According to a report on Al Jazeera, Canadian Robert Hall was executed by the Philippine based terrorist group Abu Sayyaf after ransom demands apparently were not met.  

Robert Hall was confirmed dead on Monday by a military source who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity prior to the official announcment.

Last April, the severed head of Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, 68, was found on the streets of Samal Island in the southern Philippines.

Robert Hall, his Filipina girlfriend Maritess Flor, fellow Canadian John Ridsdel and Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkinstad were taken from a marina in the Island Garden City of Samal in Davao del Norte on Septemper 21 last year.

A Filipino Student Use The Philippine Flag as Floor Mop

A University Student in Manila is being bashed on the internet when a video of him has gone viral. In the video the student is seen mopping the floor with the Philippine flag.

The video was uploaded on a Facebook page of "Filipino Netizens" page it showed a male student mopping the floor using a Philippine flag tied to a stick.

As of posting time, the 22 second video has accumulated over one million views and has been shared over 28,000 times.

Any act of disrespect to the flag is prohibited under Republic Act No. 8491 or “Act Prescribing the Code of the National Flag, Anthem, Motto, Coat-of-Arms and Other Heraldic Items and Devices of the Philippines.”

“Reverence and respect shall at all times be accorded the flag, the anthem and other national symbols which embody the national ideals and traditions and which express the principles of sovereignty and national solidarity,” Section 2 of the said law stated.

A fine of P5,000 to P20,000, or one year imprisonment, or both will be imposed to any violator of the law.

MRT and LRT Will Increase fares in January

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced that they will be implementing the fare increase for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2 (LRT-1 and LRT-2) and it be effective January 4, 2015. The new fare will be P 11.00 (base fare) + P 1.00 (per kilometer) formula.

DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya said: "It's a tough decision, but it had to be made. It's been several years since an increase was proposed. We delayed its implementation one last time until after the Christmas season. While 2015 will see increased fares, it will also see marked improvements in our LRT and MRT services."

"We must emphasize that around P10 billion will still go to subsidizing LRT and MRT passengers. But the premise of the user-pays principle is this: if what each rider pays is closer to the actual cost of his or her own trip, the P 2 Billion savings can be used for development projects and relief operations to benefit those who never even get to use the LRT or MRT."

"I'm referring to the vast majority of Filipinos outside of Metro Manila - those in other parts of Luzon, in the Visayas, and in Mindanao, most especially those whose lives have been severely affected by typhoons and calamities. They will be the real beneficiaries of a more equitable distribution of these savings."

US Criticize the Philippines on human rights and extra-judicial killings

The US government report indicate the faults of the Philippine government for not being able to address or eliminate the extra-judicial killings and improve human rights safeguards.

The US State Department’s global annual human rights stated:

“The (Philippine) government continued to investigate and prosecute only a limited number of reported human rights abuses, and concerns about impunity persisted. The most significant human rights problems continued to be extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances undertaken by security forces."

The report also said “Philippine has a dysfunctional criminal justice system notable for poor cooperation between police and investigators, few prosecutions, and lengthy procedural delays,” along with “widespread official corruption and abuse of power.”

Mercury Drug owner Tops BIR's Taxpayers list

Vivian Que Azcona owner of Mercury Drug is the BIR's top individual income taxpayer for 2012, stated on the report of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). She paid P131.43 million in income tax.

The report is on the Top 500 income taxpayers for last year released by BIR yesterday.

TV host Wilfredo Buendia Revillame or Willie Revillame, is in second. He payed an income tax of P63.9 million.

At No. 3 was Estelito Mendoza of E.P. Mendoza Law Office, his income tax is P56.59 million.

Kristina Bernadette Aquino, or “Kris,” youngest sister of President Aquino, was in 6th place, she paid P44.93 million.

John Lloyd Cruz and Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan settled for eighth and ninth place, with tax payments of P42.79 million and P42.025 million, respectively.

The Zobel brothers took the 10th and 11th spots. Fernando Zobel de Ayala paid P40.85 million and Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II, P40.78 million.

The BIR earlier explained that the list of top taxpayers was based on regular income taxes paid resulting from transactions and not static assets.

This means a tycoon who has much bigger assets could possibly trail behind someone in terms of income taxes paid.
Excluded

The list of top individual taxpayers excluded those whose taxes were withheld and paid on their behalf by companies that employ them.

Schools suspends classes and 3 flights canceled due to bad weather

San Sebastian College suspended classes in the preschool and grade school level, citing the bad weather conditions in Metro Manila.

School officials announced classes in preschool level were suspended at 11:30 a.m. due to heavy rain. They also suspend classes in grade school at 1 p.m.

Pasay City has already suspended classes in the elementary and high school levels due to the heavy rain and floods affecting parts of Metro Manila.

Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) said that Philippine Airlines Express flight 2P-085 from Basco (Batanes) to Manila, was canceled due to bad weather.

Two Cebu Pacific flights were also canceled between San Jose (Mindoro) and Manila - 5J-513 (Manila to San Jose) and 5J-514 (San Jose to Manila).