Incoming Ombudsman Samuel Martires, the first appointee of President Duterte to the Supreme Court, must be lauded for his commitment that he would not allow himself or his office to be a tool for political persecution.
Only time would tell on the seriousness and efficacy of Martires’ commitment as he is urged not to repeat past controversial decisions, as a Justice of the Sandiganbayan and the Supreme Court, which were perceived to have favored the powers that be.
Only in the Philippines do quirks of politicians happen in damaging and embarrassing frequency.
The recent upheaval in the House of Representatives which resulted in the installation of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the new Speaker replacing Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez has engendered the resurgence of these oddities.
The group of Rep. Danilo Suarez, which was the majority’s minority during the term of Alvarez, wants to retain its minority status despite having voted for Macapagal-Arroyo.
The Liberal Party members who abstained from voting for Speaker, together with others who likewise abstained, constitute the legitimate minority consistent with House Rules and recent jurisprudence.
However, the Magnificent 7 opposition group will remain firmly and fiercely intact irrespective of the outcome of the contest for institutional minority leadership in the wake of the change of command in the House of Representatives.
The “election” of Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the “new Speaker” barely an hour before President Rodrigo Duterte was scheduled to deliver his third SONA at 4:00 PM on Monday, 23 July 2018 was a shameful sham.
It was “conducted” without a prior attendance call, without the official mace, without any rules, without any record or journal, with the instant nominal voting based on a mere directory of members and without a sound system.
President Rodrigo Duterte has failed to address in his 3rd SONA the “change” he promised the people during the presidential campaign.
President Duterte did not address the reforms which the people want, but instead concentrated on the so-called reforms he himself wants to pursue and implement.
The people do not clamor for a shift to federalism because the overwhelming majority of them are unaware of federalism, do not care to know about the federal system or do not understand what federalism is all about.
