LBM’s initial cabinet appointments . . . todas ang Pilipinas!

Assuming the Supreme Court does NOT (a) step-up to its sworn obligation to uphold the law, (b) cancel the COC of LBM and (c) declare Leni the duly elected President of the Republic of the Philippines, which is unfortunately par for the course, . . .

LBM spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, who has been the primary purveyor of lies and disinformation, particularly during the recent presidential campaign, will be the next Executive Secretary.

Dutae’s “social media strategist” (i.e., another purveyor of lies and disinformation), Trixie Cruz-Angeles—suspended even by the whores of the Supreme Court for three (3) years, kicked-out by her partner at a law firm, a fraud—will be the next Press Secretary.

Sara Dutae, who proudly proclaims a disbarment case against her person (like a badge of honor) after punching a court sheriff who wanted to implement a demolition order in Davao City, will be the next Education Secretary.

Doubling-down on the historical revisionism of the Marcos family, a collaboration among Vic, Trixie and Sara would revamp the history textbooks of the entire public school system of the Philippine into a fictional narrative of "The Golden Years" of the Marcos Sr. and Dutae presidencies.

Dutae’s MMDA Chairman, Benhur Abalos Jr., of the phenomenally corrupt Abalos political dynasty of Mandaluyong (recall the botched NBN-ZTE deal brokered by Abalos Sr.—essentially a proxy for GMA—who were both acquitted by the whores of the Supreme Court), will be the next DILG Secretary. As Abalos Sr. was an ideal subservient lackey of GMA, so would Abalos Jr. be a perfect lapdog to LBM.

Former DPWH undersecretary during the Estrada and Arroyo administrations, Manny Bonoan will be the next DPWH Secretary. Private contractors of public works or government construction contracts would attest that the level of kickback required by government officials were at an all time high during the administrations of ERAP and GMA--only to be surpassed by the corruption during the current administration of Dutae and Villar as DPWH Secretary. Looks like business and kickbacks as usual with Manny Bonoan and only the magnitude of greed to be revealed in due course. 

In addition, the infrastructure and/or tollway group of San Miguel Corporation (SMC) will be the fair-haired proponent of the government during LBM's administration. Let's see if SMC will complete its mega-airport and aerocity in Bulacan by the end of LBM's term. Then, let's see if SMC will overcharge the consumer for this new airport. It's really quite simple. Nearly all international airports do not charge an airport fee, except for those in the most corrupt and undeveloped countries--NAIA being one of them. If SMC imposes any airport fee in Bulacan, then it's overcharging.

Representative of Cavite’s 7th District and former bagman of President ERAP (who was convicted of plunder), Boying Remulla will be the next Justice Secretary.

To appreciate the diabolical nature of Boying's appointment, noteworthy is the NOT so public memo from the Office of the President (ERAP) dated 25 August 1988, which (a) required presidential approval for all government contracts in excess of 50 million pesos and (b) was a reinstatement of the presidential approval process first introduced under the presidency of Marcos Sr. for the purpose of funneling and extorting bribes. It is NOT surprising, therefore, that the subject memo from the Office of the President (ERAP), which was issued between Memorandum Circular No. 8 dated 21 August 1988 and Memorandum Circular No. 9 dated 27 August 1988, is no where to be found in the Philippine government's website of the Official Gazette--see illustration below.

In the book entitled "State and Society in the Philippines," the authors observe:

". . . in less than half a term in office, Estrada transformed the presidency from a respected symbol of the nation into a rogue's court of family members, "mistresses, bastard children, denizens of show-business, gambling partners, business partners both established and obscure," and late-night drinking buddies who made major decisions regarding affairs of the state. Access to the president was everything following an executive order requiring presidential approval for all contracts in excess of 50 million pesos." (underscore mine)

Within the recesses of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) was the inaanak of ERAP, withholding the presidential approval from these funneled contracts to extort bribes--much like a slimy leech forcibly sucking blood from its unwilling host. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a preview of our future Justice Secretary under LBM.

Regardless of the government position he is appointed to, Marcoleta is sure to do damage to the government in any capacity.

LBM has been a mediocre individual all his life. You cannot expect him to deliver anything but a mediocre administration. Even before assuming office, he is already (a) backpedaling on his campaign promise to lower the price of rice to P20 per kilogram, (b) broadcasting an increase in VAT, among other taxes (at the same that that the recovery of ill-gotten wealth and the payment of estate taxes of the Marcos family are being muted) and (c) planning to reactivate the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. As if on cue from LBM, the PNP (true to its DNA) has reverted to its heavy handedness and injured many individuals (using water canons and truncheons to beat peaceful protesters) in the recent protests to the illegitimacy of the LBM/Dutae proclamation. 

The height of LBM's perversion is to ask for the prayers of the people. Wish him well; that is, after you and your family have (a) raped and pillaged the country and, utilizing your unlimited plundered funds, (b) cheated your way to an illegitimate presidency. I don't think so.

Based on the quality (actually the lack thereof) of his initial cabinet appointments, we are being set-up for both a mediocre and uber-corrupt administration that will leave the country far worse in every respect by the end of LBM's term. Two to three generations of Filipinos, including my own generation, have already been expended uselessly due to the first Marcos dictatorship and its long-term damage to the country. How many more generations of Filipinos will be wasted with another Marcos presidency, followed by another Dutae presidency and so on?

Postscript

As expected, LBM is not wasting any time and is on the offensive by attacking the only individual in the COMELEC who dared to the right thing.

THE BIG CHEAT

Like THE BIG LIE propaganda of Joseph Goebbels and the Nazi Party that led to the holocaust (i.e., the mass murder of more than 6 million Jewish people—among other persecuted groups—under the German Nazi regime during the period of 1941-45), THE BIG CHEAT is the culmination of decades of disinformation, historical revisionism, and the prostitution of our democratic institutions (foremost, the COMELEC and the Supreme Court) by the Marcos family. It has been the ultimate political long-game, financed by unlimited plundered funds that, among other things, bought the votes of the Filipino masses and (for good measure) doctored the results of the recent May 2022 elections, resulting in the “victory” of LBM and the intensification of our own holocaust post-Dutae.

How else can one characterize the transmission of results from voting precincts that consistently maintained a 68% and 32% vote for LBM and Leni, respectively, other than an exercise of wholesale and massive electronic fraud? This is a statistical impossibility, just as LBM securing more votes for the presidency than the senator with the most votes is a statistical impossibility. In coordination with the ridiculous pre-election surveys to precondition the minds of the general population, THE BIG CHEAT was planned and executed well before election day, rendering the actual votes entered into the Vote Counting Machines or VCMs virtually irrelevant—at least with respect to the elected positions of the president, vice president and the senators. It is no coincidence that the bogus results of the senatorial race have reinforced the political dynasties of ERAP, Cayetano and Villar. This is merely another component of THE BIG CHEAT to bolster the propaganda that the anti-political dynasty provision in the Philippine Constitution should continue to be ignored or should be scrapped altogether. Bottom line, the fraudulent election results of these national positions were preprogrammed for transmission to “transparency servers” even before the first vote was cast.

Sadly, the last line of defense (if you can call it that) is the nullification of the Certificate of Candidacy (COC) of LBM that is currently pending at the Supreme Court (SC). LBM’s COC should have been nullified by the COMELEC and the SC well before the May 2022 elections (fat chance with the whores in these institutions), which would have resulted in a Leni Robredo presidency. However, because the SC decision on this pending case will be decided after elections (albeit massively and utterly fraudulent), Dutae would argue that Sara (as the duly-elected vice president) should assume the presidency, particularly if the SC disqualifies LBM (which is different from nullifying the COC of LBM).

Ever wonder why Dutae did NOT endorse the candidacy of LBM or, for that matter, has NOT congratulated LBM, in spite of LBM’s “landslide” victory? Dutae has one more trump card (need I remind you that all but two—Leonen and Caguioa--of the SC justices are appointees of Dutae), which he will leverage to the hilt. In essence, the principals (i.e., LBM, Dutae and the SC justices) in this high stakes political machination will negotiate a stupendous financial package involving a fantastic payout of the Marcos family to Dutae and the SC justices, consummating THE BIG CHEAT of the Filipino people and the installation of LBM as the next president of the Philippines.

Predictably, what follows shall be LBM’s brand of holocaust of a particular segment of the Filipino people—the disenfranchisement, suppression and eventual extermination of the Filipino middle class/intelligentsia until what is left is a small clique of superlatively wealthy cronies/oligarchs lording over an overwhelming mass of poor sycophants.

Dutae has already started the ball rolling on the decline of the sovereign credit rating of the Philippines by doubling the sovereign debt from P6 trillion to P12 trillion during his single term of six years. When PNoy left office in June 2016, the country’s national debt amounted to P6 trillion. As of January 2022, the national government debt has breached P12 trillion. Thus, in a single administration of six (6) years, Dutae has more than doubled the national debt relative to national debt accumulated by ALL of the past administrations over a period of sixty (60) years. LBM, like his old man and Dutae, will continue this borrowing spree (build-kickback, build-kickback, build-kickback) until he runs the economy into the ground.

A declining economy means less local and foreign direct investments, which translate to less jobs and less economic opportunities for our population (i.e., growing at a rate of 1.5 million people a year or about 122 million by the time LBM is done with his term in office in 2028, as compared to 110 million in 2020). This means a higher incidence of poverty throughout the country, which in turn, becomes fertile ground for the resurgence of the communist pestilence, criminality and the corresponding deterioration of the country’s peace and order. Not only will the police force revert to its original role of wang-wang escorts and bodyguards for LBM and his cronies, they (alongside the soldiers of our military) will resume their oppressive role in a police state—just like old times.

In the meantime, the Marcos family and their cronies will corner the most essential sectors of the economy, thereby cementing their positions as economic oligarchs, albeit in a declining and increasingly uncompetitive economy that will gouge Filipino consumers for overpriced and inferior products and services. All this while LBM pushes for federalism, adding another layer of government, resulting in more inefficiencies, more corruption and more burdensome taxes imposed on the common working Filipino (not the Marcos family and their cronies/oligarchs who will naturally get special treatment from the BIR).

Needless to say, the best and the brightest (even the above average and the average) of the Philippines have already resumed with ever greater intensity to take flight and seek greener pastures in other parts of the world by any means necessary—essentially the destruction (indeed the holocaust) of the Filipino middle class/intelligentsia.

Perhaps even God cannot save us from this imminent tragedy. I can only surmise that we are being punished anew for allowing THE BIG CHEAT.

"When a crime goes unpunished, the world is unbalanced. When a wrong is unavenged, the heavens look down on us in shame.” Oishi, 47 Ronin

The aftermath of Dutae's substandard COVID vaccination program

In the US, the CDC recommends fourth Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccine doses for people age 50 and older.

In the Philippines, 27 million vaccine doses will expire in July 2022, even if as of Friday, April 1, 2022, only 67 million (out of the targeted 90 million) Filipinos are "fully" vaccinated. This is on top of the fact that most of the so-called "fully" vaccinated Filipinos were injected with the substandard and overpriced SINOVAC--the antibodies of which were found to be "low or undetectable" six months after the second shot, thereby rendering SINOVAC ineffective against COVID only six months after the second shot in the absence of a booster shot.

As of March 30, 2022, only 12 million (out the the targeted 90 million) Filipinos have gotten a single booster shot and the DOH is still waiting for the FDA to approve a 2nd booster shot for the elderly and the immunocompromised. In the meantime, "the government is planning to donate some of the expiring vaccines to neighboring countries." 

In summary:

• Dutae prioritized the use of (and therefore vaccinated most Filipinos with) a substandard and overpriced vaccine from China which loses its efficacy 6 months after the second shot in the absence of a booster shot.
• This means that most Filipinos that are "fully" vaccinated (currently and inadequately defined by the Philippine government as having had 2 full vaccination shots, even as of April 19, 2022) are practically unvaccinated in the absence of a booster shot.
• And because only 12 million (out of the targeted 90 million) Filipinos have gotten a single booster shot as of March 30, 2022, this means that only 12 million have some protection against COVID and the rest of the population are essentially sitting ducks.
• There are 27 million vaccination doses in the Philippines that will expire in July 2022, which is still short of vaccinating the 23 million remaining Filipinos that have not gotten any COVID vaccinations at all (i.e., 23 million x 2 vaccination shots or 46 million shots in total)--not to mention the 78 million remaining Filipinos that have not yet gotten a single booster shot and the 90 million Filipinos that will probably need a 2nd booster shot eventually.
• In spite of the above gaping shortage of vaccines and booster shots in the Philippines, the government is even considering donating vaccines to neighboring countries.

I recently tried to get a 2nd booster shot in one of these COVID booster counters by the LGU and was informed that they are only allowed to administer the 1st booster shot.

Talk about a complete and absolute Dutae cluster-fuck from inception to its utterly failed resolution . . . and yet the daughter, who has the charisma of an antihistamine tablet, has the temerity to run for public office and espouse the same kind of corrupt and failed governance?

Postscript

In an interview with Karen Davila (ANC Headstart) this morning (April 8, 2022), Dr. Tony Leachon disclosed that, based on various studies, the efficacy of a booster shot wanes after 3 to 6 months. This disclosure is reinforced by the following NPR article. Further, Dr. Leachon pointed out that most of the booster shots in the Philippines were administered in the 4th quarter of 2021. Consequently, he recommended that the so-called "excess" 27 million vaccine doses that will expire in July 2022 be administered as a 2nd booster shot TODAY, which would (a) address the obvious need for a 2nd booster shot (which is still being dribbled by the Philippine FDA) AND (b) avert the July 2022 expiry of the 27 million vaccine doses (that are inappropriately "labeled" by the government as "excess" vaccine doses).

Why is this recommendation, which is a no-brainer, being made by a private citizen, when it should already be implemented by the government TODAY? Instead, Dutae and Duque persist in projecting this fake triumphalist notion that the government has excess vaccination doses to donate to other countries with deadly consequences to our local population.

COMELEC is all set for a Narcos and Duts victory

Lutong Makaw ang May 2022 Elections

For starters, the recent Ferolino fiasco to delay the 1st Division decision on the case against Narcos, if only to disregard the vote associated with the decision of retiring Commissioner Guanzon and to eventually reinforce the bogus "validity" of her (1st Division) decision to junk the case against Narcos, is a portent of the COMELEC's machinations of the results of the May 2022 elections. In the first place, the Marcos family should never have been allowed to return to the Philippines, other than to be publicly executed for plunder (i.e., capital punishment was in effect under Philippine law when they committed plunder)--much less for any member of the family to be permitted to run for any public office.

With the recent retirement of Commissioner Guanzon, among other commissioners, the entire slate of COMELEC commissioners today are all appointees of Dutae--the current slate of justices at the Supreme Court is nearly as bleak. This is just in time to orchestrate the wholesale cheating of the May 2022 national elections in favor Narcos and Duts--reminiscent of the shameless and fraudulent election results rammed down the throats of the people during the Marcos dictatorship.

The mediocre and dubious backgrounds of the newest appointees merely reinforce the pending GRAND THEFT of votes against the Filipino people by the COMELEC. Among the newest appointees as of March 8 (2022) is Pangarungan, who was the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) chair since July 9, 2018 and former governor of Lanao del Sur from 1988 to 1992. Aside from these two government positions he held, he has no recorded experience of working in the Commission on Elections (COMELEC). He is Duterte’s schoolmate from San Beda College.

In 2020, Pangarungan along with two other NCMF officials was accused by his colleague, commissioner Abubakar Mangelen, of “unlawful refusal and/or delay to perform their ministerial duties”, according to a report by Abante.

Appointed with Pangarungan are George Garcia and Aimee Neri as COMELEC commissioners.

George Garcia was the lawyer of presidential candidate and dictator’s namesake Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in his electoral protest to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). Notwithstanding Garcia's statement that he would inhibit from cases involving his former clients, his appointment is a brazen "in your face and fuck you all" statement of Dutae to "fix" the election results in favor of Narcos and Duts.

And speaking of "fixers," Neri was accused of pocketing P3 million of the P10 million given to her by convicted drug lord Herbert Colanggo to "fix" a robbery case before the Supreme Court.

In short, sa dami ng pagpipilian, ang pinili ni Dutae ay very low-quality and very low-integrity individuals (sa madaling salita, mga tuta ni Dutae, straight out of the playbook of Marcos) to an institution that is supposed to uphold the integrity of the elections. How typical of Dutae appointees/stooges, who are ready, willing and bribable to do the bidding of the highest-paying patron.

Adding insult to injury, after Narcos and Duts were caught hauling and buying voters at their campaign rallies, Ferolino (the same Ferolino that junked the case against BBM) is assigned to head Task Force Kontra Bigay, an interagency team to tackle vote buying. Of course, everyone knows that a "task force" or "interagency team"--particularly in government--is bureaucratic speak for finger-pointing, zero accountability and no resolution on the issue at hand. Hence, in the same way that Ferolino (a) dribbled the case against Narcos while Commissioner Guanzon was not yet retired and (b) eventually permitted Narcos to run for the presidency (i.e., a brazen disregard for the rules of the COMELEC), she will likewise dribble the "task force" to its logical non-resolution until the COMELEC maneuvers the fraudulent victory of Narcos and Duts--in spite of the damning evidence (see videos below) that is common knowledge and par for the course during the Marcos dictatorship and during the campaign of Narcos and Duts today.

Hakot ni BBM sa Nueva Ecija

Bayaran ni BBM sa Nueva Ecija

Even the belated (ilang araw din ang lumipas bago naisip ang palusot) claim of Nueva Ecija Governor Umali that the P500 envelopes given after the rally of Narcos and Duts was "ayuda" is such a shameless preposterous lie (i.e., if this was really "ayuda," Umali should have also handed-out P500 envelopes after the rally of Leni and Kiko, which obviously did NOT happen) that the candidacy of Narcos, Duts and Umali himself ought to be cancelled immediately; that is, if Ferolino actually did her job. Fat chance with Ferolino, among the other whores, at the COMELEC.

Bayaran ni BBM sa Bulacan

Bayaran ni BBM sa Tarlac

Bayaran ni BBM sa Cavite. Sino nga naman ang pupunta sa rally ninyo kung wala kayong ibibigay na pera? A brazen violation of the rules of the COMELEC. Ano kaya ang gagawin ni Ferolino at ng kanyang "task force/interagency team?" Siyempre, dribble . . . dribble . . . dribble . . . until kingdom come hanggang sa malimutan na ng taong bayan.

Gadon Rant 1

Gadon Rant 2

Consider the above vulgar rants of Gadon, a senatorial candidate under Narcos and Duts. This is the height of moral turpitude and these videos are more than enough basis to cancel his candidacy. Yet, not a whiff of enforcement by the COMELEC. How many more of these disgusting and unacceptable outbursts will the COMELEC dribble before cancelling this asshole?

Instead, the COMELEC sounds the alarm over COVID-19 protocol violations in campaign sorties. Nakakahalata ka na ba? Palibhasa si Leni at Kiko ang nagwawagi ng pinakamalawak na suporta sa kanilang campaign sorties and rallies all over the country (habang nilalangaw sina Narcos at Duts), ito ngayon ang pag-iinitan ng COMELEC.

Recently, the DOJ claims to be pushing the Bureau of Internal Revenue to collect the unpaid ₱203 billion-estate taxes of the Marcos heirs to generate more revenue for the government. Considering this issue has been festering for over 20 years, there should already have been a criminal case filed at and decided by the courts, including a conviction of Narcos, which would also be another basis to disallow him to run for any public office. The fact is, the DOJ, the BIR, the Dutae Administration et al are deliberately dribbling the filing of the criminal case against Narcos, when it is particularly imperative to do so yesterday. It's all part of the grand plan to make Narcos win the presidency.

Even the ever-loyal lapdog of Dutae, DOE Secretary Cusi, is playing his role in the pending grand heist of votes by disregarding forecasts of slim supply margins and possible power outages during the May 2022 elections--remember the 7-hour "blackout" of servers in the last senatorial elections. In the news article dated April 2, 2022 (at the eleventh hour of the May 2022 elections), the DOE readies plan for outages during election period. The all too typical government reaction (i.e., too little, too late), which is just another convenient scenario under which the COMELEC can conveniently maneuver the cheating of the national elections in May 2022.

The reason Dutae keeps declaring that he is NOT endorsing any presidential candidate is self-evident. The results in favor of Narcos and Duts are already as good as signed, sealed and delivered by the COMELEC. Dutae does not have to do anything today and it's a done deal.

Bottom line is, watch out folks for the latest and greatest election fraud that is going to be committed by our very own COMELEC officials, whose salaries are paid by our taxes and who are bribed many times over by Narcos and Duts. Get ready for the next revolution! And this time, it's going to get downright deadly.

Time for Lacson et al to quit and support Leni

Based on the early discussion of Leni Robredo with Ping Lacson (prior to filing their candidacy for the presidency), Lacson suggested that all potential opposition bets file their COCs, then agree on a specific time to observe who among themselves performed the best in surveys. The rest of the candidates would then have to withdraw their candidacies in favor of the “best” contender.

Although the so-called "opposition bets" did not actually agree on the above suggestion of Lacson, the fact remains that, as of today and the remaining period before the May 9, 2022 elections, the best contender to ensure the defeat of Narcos is Leni Robredo. If there is any iota of patriotism left in Lacson, Pacman and Isko, they should all just fall in line with Leni and Kiko--if only to defeat the evil and diabolical alliance of Narcos and Duts.

On March 24, 2022, Lacson had to resign as the Chairman of the Partido Reporma, which is now endorsing Leni. He also failed to get the endorsement of the party of his running mate, Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) chairman Senator Vicente Sotto III. Lacson has been frank about his chances of winning in 2022, flatly polling at single-digit percentages in presidential polls. While he doubted surveys, he also explained that the electorate “may not be ready” for his candidacy. Not surprisingly, senatorial candidate Monsour del Rosario immediately shifted his support from Lacson to Leni.

I'm sure Lacson has already amassed a nice chunk of change from fund-raising for his campaign. Hindi ka pa ba kontento sa retirement package mo? Gawin mo na lang yung tama and support Leni and Kiko going forward so that we can defeat Narcos and Duts--whose political existence are sustained solely by the fruits of plunder.

Ito naman si Pacman ay nagtatapon ng kanyang pinaghirapan na kayamanan para sa wala. Alam naman ng tao na sinsero ka pero talagang kulang ang kakayahan bilang presidente ng Pilipinas.

In his recent sorties in Cauayan, Isabela (March 23, 2022), Pacquiao told reporters, “Pag ganoon siguro mga tao, lalong-lalo na mga mayayaman, baka hindi na ako tatakbo. Ang aking misyon ay makita ko na tinutulungan ang mga maliliit na tao (If people were like her, especially the rich, I would not be running now. My mission is to see to it that lesser fortunate people get help).” Kaya naman gawin mo na rin yung tama. Huwag mo nang ilustay yung kayamanan mo and support Leni and Kiko going forward so that we can defeat Narcos and Duts.

Ito naman si Isko ay lumalabas sa kampanya ang kanyang tunay na anyong putang lalaki (magaling na macho dancer talaga si Isko) at pinaninindigan pa ng kapwa putang babae na si Mocha Uson. Puro bayaran na nga si Dutae at ang kanyang mga galamay sa Malacanang, tapos ito ay magiging bayarang putahan pag nandiyan si Isko. I would not put it past Isko to extort money from Narcos in exchange for NOT quitting his campaign solely for the purpose of "stealing" votes from Leni. That's how low this toyboy can go.

One of the critical (albeit behind the scene) supporters of Isko, tycoon Enrique Razon, has just openly endorsed Narcos. Huwag mo nang gastusin yung campaign contribution ni Mr. Razon et al. Retirement package mo na iyan. Gawin mo na rin yung tama and support Leni and Kiko going forward so that we can defeat Narcos and Duts.

Hello, in case you haven't noticed, the primary goal is to defeat Narcos and Duts with Leni and Kiko; otherwise, it's political dynasties forever in the Philippines and the complete and utter enslavement of the Filipino people.

Dutae wasting our taxes for the nth time

The Philippines signed a 32 billion-peso ($624 million) deal Tuesday (Feburary 22, 2022) to purchase 32 Black Hawk helicopters in the largest military aircraft acquisition contract under outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, defense officials said.

I refer to the above news article regarding the Philippine government's purchase of 32 Black Hawk helicopters just a few months before the country is finally rid of Dutae. Apart from the fact that the Philippines can ill afford to purchase such military aircrafts at this particular time when the national debt has gone totally out of control during the thoroughly inept and utterly corrupt administration of Dutae, the said purchase amount of US$624 million could have been (and could still be) utilized more prudently by the Philippine Armed Forces (PAF).

If the deal is really done, then I would not presume to cancel the same if only to reinforce the sanctity of contracts under Philippine law, regardless of its imprudence and wastefulness--which is really the fault of the Filipinos for voting a corrupt idiot like Dutae. To the extent that the deal can be amended or, more particularly, deferred to extend the delivery period of (and corresponding payments for) the 32 Black Hawk helicopters, then I would highly recommend this course of action to the next administration. In addition, going forward, I would also recommend a significantly less expensive option for the PAF that would substantially fulfill (or even surpass) the missions and objectives of the 32 Black Hawk helicopters--which appear to be on top of the 16 Black Hawk helicopters (with a price tag of US$241 million or a unit cost of US$15 million) previously acquired by the Philippine government or a total of 48 Black Hawk helicopters (minus 1 Black Hawk helicopter that already crashed in June 2021).

Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk

To wit, US$624 million for 32 Black Hawk helicopters translates to US$19.5 million per unit. In contrast, a "comparable" fixed-wing aircraft, the Cessna Skycourier Freighter, was recently purchased by FedEx (a total of 50 units) at US$6.85 million per unit. Hence, if the Philippine government purchased 32 Cessna Skycourier Freighters today, the total cost would be US$219.2 million or about 35% (or just a little over 1/3) of the total cost incurred for the 32 Black Hawk helicopters.

Cessna Skycourier Freighter

Of course, a civilian fixed-winged freighter aircraft is a distinctly different flying machine than a military helicopter. For one thing, the Cessna Skycourier Freighter does NOT have the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability of the Black Hawk helicopter. It also does NOT have the light armor of the Black Hawk that is designed to provide some protection from artillery fire. However, in light of the fact that the PAF has used its old Huey helicopters and will use its new Black Hawk helicopters mostly for disaster relief operations (i.e., in the absence of artillery fire), the VTOL capability and the light armor of the Black Hawk are, for the most part, NOT necessary.

On the other hand, if we forego the VTOL capability and the light armor of the Black Hawk, the Cessna Skycourier Freighter can fulfill disaster relief missions faster and over longer distances. This includes more than double the cabin volume of the Black Hawk and, correspondingly, more than double the internal payload of the Black Hawk. While the "sling load" or external payload of the Black Hawk is indeed exceptional at 4,100 kg, this utility-feature has NOT been utilized extensively by the PAF in either disaster relief or combat operations and, therefore, does NOT diminish the disaster relief capabilities of the Cessna Skycourier Freighter where they really matter (i.e., speed, range and internal payload). It is also a fact that helicopters require far more maintenance per flying hour than a comparable fixed-wing aircraft.

The following table compares certain relevant specifications of the S-70i Black Hawk Helicopter and the Cessna Skycourier Freighter Fixed-Wing Aircraft. Note that I selected the Cessna Skycourier due to its "comparability" to the Black Hawk. However, the PAF can attest to even greater economies of scale and overall cost savings on disaster relief operations with the use of larger freighter aircrafts (e.g., the Airbus C-295M medium transport aircraft and the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules) already in the possession of the PAF.

Relevant Specifications	S-70i Black Hawk	Cessna Skycourier Freighter
Price Tag per unit	US$19.5 million	US$6.85 million
Max Cruise Speed	296 km/h	389 km/h
Max Range	459 km	1,741 km
Max Operating Altitude	6,096 m	7,620 m
Passenger Configuration	2 crew + 13 passengers	1 pilot + 19 passengers
Cabin Volume	11.22 m3	25.03 m3
Max Internal Payload	1,200 kg	2,722 kg
Max External Payload	4,100 kg (sling load)	NA
Takeoff Distance	NA, VTOL	923 m

Airbus C-295M medium transport aircraft

In short, the purchase of 48 Black Hawk helicopters during the Dutae Administration (1 of which crashed shortly after its delivery to the PAF, just like a newly-delivered C-130 aircraft crashed a few weeks after the crash of the Black Hawk--a clear indication of the poor training of PAF personnel pissing away our taxes) is an excessive, wasteful and imprudent use of our taxes, particularly in light of the fact (which should be common knowledge among PAF personnel) that there is an abundance of existing airstrips throughout the Philippine archipelago (see illustrations below) that could be upgraded for multiple purposes (disaster relief, tourism access, rainwater collection, palay drying, among other things) using the excess funds--if only the PAF and the Philippine government decided prudently on the most appropriate aircrafts for disaster relief.

The following illustrations of airports, airstrips and airfields throughout the Philippine archipelago indicate very good (perhaps even exceptional) penetration for disaster relief operations in virtually all areas of the country using fixed-wing aircrafts--provided all of the airstrips and airfields (and road access thereto) are upgraded, which could have been done without any need for additional funding if the PAF and the Philippine government did NOT waste our taxes on the 32 Black Hawk helicopters.

In the above hypothetical example of purchasing 32 Cessna Skycouriers (instead of 32 Black Hawks), the Philippine government would have had excess funds of US$404.8 million to invest in and upgrade over 200 airstrips (at US$2 million per airstrip with a 1 km long by 18 m wide concrete tarmac) all over the country to enable all of the disaster relief aircrafts of the PAF (including the Airbus C-295M medium transport aircraft and the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules) to have substantial access to virtually all areas of the Philippines with little or no need for expensive Black Hawk helicopters. Apart from creating many construction and related jobs all over the country, these upgraded airstrips would also dramatically improve access of tourists to many remote and exceptional tourist spots in the country--not to mention the ability of concrete airstrips to serve as rainwater collectors in the rainy season and as palay dryers after harvests for the local community.

Incidentally, why is there such a substantial increase in price per unit of the second batch of 32 Black Hawk helicopters (US$19.5 million) in contrast to the first batch of 16 Black Hawk helicopters (US$15 million). Intuitively, the price per unit of the second batch should be lower due to the 100% increase in the number of units purchased--a volume discount, if you will. Mukhang na-Pharmally na naman ang taong-bayan sa pagbili ng 32 Black Hawk helicopters.

With respect to the old Huey helicopters being retired by the PAF, Lieutenant Colonel Mariano said that the UH-1D choppers would be stored by the PAF: “They will be in storage. That’s why it happened in Clark because the 410th Maintenance Wing will be putting them in storage.” The Air Force spokesperson added that the retired Hueys will not be sold since they were donated to the military. This sounds like another convoluted line of reasoning of the Philippine government (i.e., Hueys will not be sold because they were donated--presumably by the United States government) and looks like another anomaly waiting to happen. The PAF should have the initiative to request the United States government to waive whatever condition it imposed on the sale of the Hueys upon their retirement, so that the proceeds of the sale (however nominal) can be redeployed productively. Even a retired Huey for static display can be sold for US$30,000. At least some of the old Hueys retired by the PAF can still be restored to airworthiness and therefore can be sold for US$100,000 or more per unit.

The following advertisement for an entire fleet of retired Hueys is being sold by the Royal Air Force of New Zealand. The PAF should do the same thing and get some proceeds for its retired Hueys instead of just storing these machines in a hangar--which will really be cannibalized surreptitiously for spares and scrap with proceeds pocketed by corrupt PAF personnel.

The Quintessential Lacson

Lacson cites ‘strong reservations’ that Duterte ‘betrayed public trust’ in Pharmally mess, even though he signed the Senate blue ribbon report on the alleged anomalous deals with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. at the height of the pandemic.

The above headline represents the quintessential Lacson. Is he stupid that he is unable to connect the dots on the ultimate patron of the Pharmally fiasco? Or is he just acting stupid (an instinctive behavioral pattern of long-standing survivors in the mediocre Philippine government bureaucracy) to be politically safe? One way or the other does not speak well of Lacson as a presidential candidate.

One thing is for sure, Lacson is broadcasting completely opposite signals with respect to (a) Dutae betraying the public trust on the Pharmally fiasco (by signing-off on the Senate blue ribbon committee report) and (b) Dutae NOT betraying the public trust (by expressing his 'strong reservations' that Dutae betrayed the public trust). And there lies the rub. The ambiguity and ambivalence of Lacson on many important national issues throughout his political career, including the Pharmally mess, reveal a shady and compromised individual. He is wishy-washy on issues that matter and, therefore, lacking in substantive leadership required for the presidency. It is this fatal flaw (in addition to having the charisma of a cold fish) that prevents Lacson from connecting with voters, who don't know what he stands for--other than reducing the average waistline of the police force when he headed-up the Philippine National Police (which is no mean feat).

Under a strong and principled leadership with Leni as President, Lacson's strengths can still be harnessed for the good of the country. The fact that Lacson has Dr. Minguita Padilla, an exceptional high-integrity professional, running under his senatorial slate suggests that he is not entirely bereft of the right stuff.

Lacson, who has clearly raised a decent amount of campaign funds but is unlikely to clinch the presidency, should eat some humble pie and support Leni for President. If he does this before February 8, then he may even get away with a substantial retirement package (unspent campaign funds) that need not be reported to the government--and he would be doing the country a service by helping Leni defeat BBM.

Quiboloy and BBM

Anyone with an iota of discernment cannot possibly miss the opportunity to juxtapose BBM's endorsement by Quiboloy and Leni's endorsement by former AFP chiefs, retired career diplomats and former cabinet officials. These endorsements were broadcast in mainstream media at about the same time on February 1, 2022.

Leni's endorsement by former or retired senior military and public officials is both substantial and unprecedented; whereas, the Narcos-Dutae tandem endorsement by cult-leader Quiboloy is both farcical and expected--particularly in light of Quiboloy's role as the so-called "spiritual adviser" of Dutae. These endorsements can only be characterized as polar opposites where one represents good governance and the other, a criminal enterprise. Not surprisingly, a few days afterwards, the FBI released a "WANTED" poster of Quiboloy for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and sex trafficking of children. Needless to say, the Narcos-Dutae tandem endorsement by a sex trafficker of children is beyond disgusting. It speaks volumes on the depravity of this dynastic political alliance.

Today, BBM and Quiboloy have at least one thing in common. They both have arrest warrants in the United States. This means that if they set foot in the United States, they would be arrested like any common criminal. In spite of this glaring fact, the COMELEC (except Commissioner Guanzon) is still dicking around the petitions against BBM, who has neither the right nor the moral ascendancy to run for any public office.

  

I Salute Commissioner Guanzon

Howard Calleja, lawyer for the Martial Law survivors, said he “salutes Commissioner Guanzon for her adherence to justice and the rule of law,” but expressed worries over “her revelation of political influence and manipulation hounding the decision of the 1st Division.”

I second the motion of Howard Calleja and salute Commissioner Guanzon for her courage. Furthermore, the identity of the "powerful politician" who is attempting to influence the decision of the 1st Division should be revealed. In fact, that "powerful politician" should be prosecuted to the fullest extent (including removal from office at the very least) for attempting to subvert the rule of law. As it stands, in spite of the apparent internal agreement among the members of the 1st Division to release its decision on January 17, 2022 (video at 9:10 to 9:25), said "powerful politician" has effectively delayed the release of the decision, giving BBM ample opportunity to "fix" the decision in his favor with his usual financial incentives using plundered funds.

It is precisely because of the delay in the release of the decision of the 1st Division that Commissioner Guanzon was compelled to disclose her vote to disqualify BBM, particularly in light of her pending retirement. Apparently, if Commissioner Guanzon did not disclose her vote prior to her retirement date (and the 1st Division delayed its decision after her retirement date), then her vote would not have been counted and would have been replaced by a vote of another Dutae appointee. However, because Commissioner Guanzon has disclosed her vote to disqualify BBM (prior to her retirement date), then her vote stands, even if the 1st Division delays the decision after her retirement.

Predictably, BBM has pounced on this heroic act of Commissioner Guanzon by yet again creating a fake alternate reality and pursuing an all-out offensive against Commissioner Guanzon.

BBM's Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) issued a strong statement Friday, January 28, condemning elections commissioner Rowena Guanzon and calling for her disbarment and forfeiture of retirement benefits.

“Because of her premature disclosure or leaking of her unpromulgated dissenting opinion, Commissioner Guanzon should be disbarred with forfeiture of her retirement benefits and lifetime pension because she destroyed the reputation of the institution, which these moneys come from,” said PFP general counsel George Briones in a statement Friday." (underscore mine)

For starters, the above statement of PFP on January 28, 2022 indicates that the decision of Commissioner Guanzon is a dissenting opinion in spite of the fact that in the interview of Commissioner Guanzon with Pia Hontiveros of CNN Philippines on January 27, 2022 (just a day before), Commissioner Guanzon herself stated that she did NOT know the decision of the other two members of the 1st Division (video at 2:40 to 2:50). Thus, it would appear that BMM already knows the decision of the other two members of the 1st Division, so as to characterize the decision of Commissioner Guanzon as a dissenting opinion (i.e., even before Commissioner Guanzon knew that her decision was a dissenting opinion), which in and of itself is highly irregular. As the saying goes, something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

In the explosive words of Commissioner Guanzon during the interview with Christian Esguerra on After the Fact on the night of January 28, 2022 regarding PFP counsel George Briones's statement that Commissioner Guanzon's decision is a minority opinion, "Ibig sabihin, alam na niya (Briones/BBM) na may nasuhulan siya . . . May nasuhulan ba siya ? Bakit alam na niya na minority yung akin? Alam na niya yung boto ng dalawa kontra? You catch the fish here in the mouth. Bakit may nasuhulan na ba kayo? May tumanggap ba ng pera? Iyan ang tanong ko sa kanila. Did money change hands? How come you know that mine is a minority opinion? That the majority is in favor of your whatever client? Bat nila alam? Sabi ko separate opinion because I did not know their votes yet. Walang resolution. Walang pang ponensiya. How can mine be a dissenting opinion?" (video at 15:00 to 16.02)

In the same interview, regarding PFP Briones' claim that Commissioner Guanzon should not have disclosed her decision to the public ahead of the decision of the 1st Division, Commissioner Guanzon responded:

"It is Commissioner Ferolino who may be liable under Section 3(c) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Why? Because she is delaying the release of a resolution to favor a litigant. That is an impeachable offense. Sinasalang niyo si Commissioner Ferolino dito na bagong-bago pa siyang commissioner. Sirang-sira na yung tinggin ng marami . . . sa mata ko sa kanya . . . wala na akong respeto sa kanya." (video at 16:56 to 17:36)

BRAVO Commissioner Guanzon! Thank you for telling it like it is!

Only in the fake alternate reality of the Marcoses would adherence to the rule of law and transparency to the Filipino people be considered a violation of the rules of the Code of Judicial Conduct, particularly when such "violation" was done in the context of BBM influencing the two other members of the 1st Division to subvert the rule of law in his favor.

The culprit in this situation is NOT Commissioner Guanzon. The culprit is BBM and the "powerful politician" who is doing the dirty work of BBM. That is the crux of the matter and exemplifies the essence of moral turpitude leveled against BBM.

Cancellation or Disqualification

The latest zarzuela of the various petitions seeking the cancellation or the disqualification of BBM's candidacy at the COMELEC has become the perfect venue for Marcos to broadcast another monumental batch of big lies and another ideal opportunity to chip-away at the foundations of our crumbling democratic institutions. And the whores of the COMELEC and the Supreme Court (who are mostly appointees of Dutae) are poised to oblige.

According to the liar of BBM, there is NO tax evasion in BBM's failure to file income tax returns for four (4) consecutive years (i.e., 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985). 

The fact is, the Court of Appeals (CA) affirmed the conviction of BBM by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in the tax evasion cases under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1977; hence, BBM is a tax evader and a certified convict who is disqualified to run for any public office in the Philippines.

According to another liar of BBM, the CA decision has not found BBM to have committed a crime involving moral turpitude and no such inference can be made from that (CA) decision and, furthermore, this is self-evident from the very fact that the CA had totally junked the imprisonment meted out by the trial court. 

The fact is, it was wrong for the CA to delete the prison terms altogether and to retain only the piddling fines imposed therein. Presidential Decree No. 1158 (the National Internal Revenue Code of 1977) explicitly provided for BOTH imprisonment and fine as the mandatory penalty for violation of any of its provisions. No discretion is allowed the court to impose only one or the other. In short, BBM bribed the CA to delete the prison terms correctly imposed by the RTC.

Moreover, when BBM elevated that case to the Supreme Court (SC) in 1997, the SC could have easily (a) seen from the very bare allegations contained in the appeal how the CA had gone rogue in its disposition of that case and (b) held the CA justices concerned to account for their temerity in making a mockery of the law. Instead, BBM, realizing he was pushing his luck too far, withdrew the case from the SC, thereby giving the SC a convenient excuse from doing anything about the CA's scandalous decision.

That said, nothing stood in the way of the SC in citing the CA justices concerned to show cause as to why no disciplinary action should be taken against them for such injudicious adventurism. In failing to do so, the SC itself (in addition to the CA) betrayed the trust the public reposed in the judicial system, which is supposed to uphold the rule of law without fear or favor. In short, BBM also bribed the SC to keep quiet.

Given the above perversions of the CA and the SC with plenty of help from the financial incentives of BBM (no doubt using the plundered funds of the Marcos family), why do we even bother with these petitions and seemingly endless appeals that will ultimately land in the lap of a totally corrupted SC, which will predictably decide in favor of the highest bidder?

In an alternate reality in which the CA and the SC actually upheld the rule of law (which is apparently too much to expect in the Philippine), BBM would NOT have been allowed to run for any public office since 1997 and we would NOT be expending so much energy today with these petitions at the COMELEC, which is only an interim step in an attempt to rectify the grievous treachery committed by the CA and the SC against the Filipino people in favor of BBM.

Another totally convoluted practice allowed in the COMELEC rules that has been highlighted in this fiasco with the COMELEC (and which should be corrected in haste) is the apparent ability of any disqualified candidate to be substituted by any person having the same surname up to mid-day of election day. What kind of nonsense is that?!!! This is particularly egregious in the context of a presidential candidate.

Even more ridiculous is the apparent distinction between the cancellation of the Certification of Candidacy (COC) of a candidate and the disqualification of a candidate. While both the cancellation of the COC of BBM and the disqualification of BBM are among the petitions pending at the COMELEC, the resulting President of the Philippines would be different depending on the final judgement of the SC.

If the SC decides to cancel the COC of BBM, then it would be as if BBM did not run for the presidency and the presidential candidate with the most votes (other than BBM) becomes the President of the Philippines. On the other hand, if the SC decides to disqualify BBM (say after the election results are disclosed), then, BBM would not be permitted to become the President of the Philippines (even if BBM garnered the most votes for the presidency) and the winning vice-presidential candidate would assume the presidency by virtue of succession.

Call me a simpleton but the Filipino people deserve a President (not a Vice President) for a President regardless of the SC's decision regarding either the cancellation of the COC of BBM or the disqualification of BBM. Both the cancellation and the disqualification should deem BBM a non-entity in the elections and the COMELEC rules should be revised accordingly.

Of course, if the SC neither cancels nor disqualifies BBM, then we know what happened and the SC should not even exist anymore.

Enough of this Mockery

PDP-Laban wing asks Comelec to reopen filing of COCs for 2022 polls

In total disregard for the ground rules set forth by the COMELEC for the 2022 Philippine national elections, Dutae's errand boy (Cusi) has the temerity to initiate this brazenly self-serving request in the first place. He has the shameless audacity to call the October 1 to 8 period for COC filing "unreasonable, unnecessary, and legally impossible." His statement that the COMELEC “cannot and should not” proceed with printing of ballots is completely out of line. And he has the gall to declare that his request is for the benefit of the electorate at large. Ubod ng kapal pero ganito talaga sina Dutae at ang kalahatan ng kanyang mga galamay.

This is the same PDP-Laban that initially fielded a gorilla (Bato) as its presidential candidate, which was withdrawn and followed by a chimpanzee (GaGo), which was also withdrawn. Similarly, PDP-Laban also floated the idea of Dutae as its vice presidential candidate, which elicited so much disgust that Dutae filed instead for a senatorial candidacy, which was also withdrawn. Clearly, Dutae and his stooges in PDP-Laban have been dicking around with the electoral process and, due to their stupidity and over-inflated sense of worth, have found themselves today in a position of a lame duck. Considering PDP-Laban's roots were established to fight the Marcos dictatorship, it is now a meaningless, irrelevant and splintered mess, much like anything associated with Dutae. Hence, this attempt to forcibly wedge themselves into the May 2022 elections to regain some political leverage should clearly NOT be permitted by the COMELEC. However, such a definitive and unequivocal decision by the COMELEC is wishful thinking at this time--much the same way it is wishful thinking, regardless of the definitive grounds under the Omnibus Election Code, that the COMELEC would disqualify BBM to run for any public office.

In spite of the prostituted institutions of the COMELEC and the Supreme Court, which are bound to unlawfully (a) grant the farcical request of the PDP-Laban and (b) permit BBM to run for public office, their perversions of the rule of law will ironically be the undoing of both the Duterte and Marcos dynasties. In simple terms, if PDP-Laban manages to field another presidential candidate that is presumably supported by Dutae et al, this johnny-come-lately will only split the votes of BBM, which would ensure the victory of Leni.

So I say to the whores in the COMELEC and the Supreme Court, spread your legs, extort as much bribes from Dutae and BBM, and let them have their way. In the end, the Filipinos who truly appreciate a responsible democracy will prevail with Leni as the next President.

On the other hand, the COMELEC and the Supreme Court could miraculously lean on the right side of history (i.e., reject the absurdities of PDP-Laban and disqualify BBM from running for any public office); however, this might be too high-minded for the proprietors of these brothels.