The indicators are there. The majority of Supreme Court justices who decided in favour of burying the remains of Dictator Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes Cemetery) appear to be the same justices who chose to approve the quo warranto verdict against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.
Now the Supreme Court has junked the case of ill-gotten wealth against the alleged conjugal thieves based on mere technicalities. (ing.net., June 19, 2018)
It has been widely publicised in Philippine newspapers that former senator Bongbong Marcos has filed a disqualification case against Vice President Leni Robredo, claiming that the latter won by cheating.
Marcos was then ordered by the Philippine Electoral Tribunal (PET) to pay PHP80 million (AUD2 million) for the recounting of ballots ━ a petty sum compared to the estimated USD10 billion the Marcoses allegedly plundered from the Philippine treasury.
On May 15, the House of Representatives, voting 162-10, approved on third and final reading House Bill No. 7376, which seeks to abolish the Philippine Commission on Good Government (PCGG) whose main task was to recover the hidden wealth of the Marcoses.
It is worth considering that the majority of members of Congress are allies of President Duterte, who is in turn a visible friend of the Marcos family.
“Slowly but surely, the Marcoses are desperately given their political restoration under the fascist Duterte regime. But we vow to continue to expose the blood and political stench that have characterized the Marcos years ━ those dark years of unbridled corruption and mass killings which alarmingly resemble the present condition under Duterte,” List Party Representative Emmi De Jesus said.
Earlier last month, the Supreme Court junked the bid of the government to collect P51-billion in damages against the estate of the late president Ferdinand Marcos and his cronies “for allegedly conniving to acquire ill-gotten wealth through behest loans.” The court decision was based on “insufficiency of evidence,” an overused alibi whenever an unpopular decision is made by Philippine courts.
It seems that former president Joseph Estrada was correct in referring to those justices as “Hoodlums in Robes.” It is easy for anyone to think that there was transfer of money involved. No one, not a single magistrate in the Philippines has ever been penniless. You only have to look into the pockets of the eight Supreme Court justices who appear to favour the Marcoses.
With the Supreme Court and House of Representatives under his control, Duterte has apparently emerged as a dictator but he would of course deny it and the so-called “Dutertards” will always support him.
Chinese tourists in PH up in alarming numbers
During a normal situation, the government should not be alarmed by the increasing number of tourists coming into the country. Economic managers should in fact be happy with the inflow of foreign currency brought in by tourists. It must be remembered that in the 70s, the country was struggling to attract more tourists with barely a million being recorded at the Manila International Airport.
However, recent statistics released by the Department of Tourism indicate that the number of Chinese tourists who are in the country have been up by at least 70 per cent. How alarming is that?
It is on record in history books that during the outbreak of WWII, Japanese ‘business owners’ in Manila turned out to be spies and high-ranking officers of the Japanese Imperial Army. With the ongoing dispute over the West Philippine Sea, the unprecedented increase of Chinese ‘tourists’ in the country should send a red light warning signal to military strategists. Senator de Lima flagged the reported surge of business licenses awarded by Duterte to Chinese companies, “employing about 200,000 Chinese workers.” ━ DMC