In his recent Inquirer piece “A tale of two chambers” Manuel L. Quezon III questions the assiduousness of the present Senate. It’s a praise piece for Senators Risa Hontiveros and Sherwin Gatchalian, the now renowned Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) crusaders, as they have styled themselves, even if their committees which conduct the “hearings” have turned into kangaroo courts, with both pronouncing the guilt of embattled Bamban Alice Guo, on the basis of the “evidence” they have uncovered.
MLQ3 writes…
It’s been interesting to compare the current Senate investigations into Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogos) spearheaded by Sen. Risa Hontiveros to the parallel investigation going on in the House which has made a bit of a folk hero of Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro. The House, to my mind, seems, for once, to be demonstrating some pretty effective teamwork which means there is good coaching going on behind the scenes.
Aficionados of investigations point to the satisfying manner in which police officials, for example, have been asked about their work and the people they deal with, only for the police officials to be confronted, at the end of their testimony, with pictures and videos demolishing the claims they’d just made. Even the manner in which Harry Roque was brought to heel, from being rather pleased with himself to becoming thoroughly entangled in his own evasions and contradictions, was outstanding.
Funny thing is, it’s the judiciary which determines the probity of the evidence and the guilt of the accused. It makes you question what the Senate has turned into, when its primary purpose is legislation. The bete noir of the Yellowidiots couldn’t resist taking a swipe at Sen. Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa’s proposal for a law to ban the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the country. It’s actually stupid and you wonder if Bato really had the balls. Of course, no Senator has come out in support of his proposal and what’s good for Santa Saba Leila (De Lima) is also good for Bato, going by MLQ3’s logic. Fair enough. Bato should have balls because he does have balls. Leila has balls because she eats men’s balls for breakfast. Maybe lunch and dinner as well, given the testimony of her security escorts.
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The Senate has actually turned into a circus. It used to be that it would not pass up the opportunity to investigate a sitting president. Former President Joseph ‘Erap’ Estrada was tried by the Senate. During the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA), it conducted several hearings into alleged anomalies which earned GMA the title of the most unpopular president. But witness how the present crop of Senators whitewashed the investigation of Bato’s committee about the drug use of the president and the diamond star. This is in stark contrast to Hontiveros forcibly linking Alice Guo to Duterte. The same is true with Harry Roque and his legal sleight of hand with the arrest of the foreigners renting his house in Tuba. I don’t know about you but this makes me puke.
There isn’t any reason to vote for Senators in the midterm election. Each of them cost taxpayers about P400M a year. Their new building’s cost is at P23B and counting. While we’re at it, the house of representathieves should be abolished as well. Most, if not all, of the congressmen are legitimized criminals addressed as “honorable”. The present state of our country is such that a revolution can easily be launched. But the main drawback is we are stupid Filipinos who continue to put up with the shenanigans of our elected officials.
We get the government we deserve and this is why most of our regional neighbors see us as a joke. When do we put an end to this?
Cook wide reader political crackpot music afficionado old soul out-of-the box thinker aspiring writer tech geek gearhead
Ang OA… it’s not working…
DEMOCRAZY as usual. But this time the Bread and Circuses fare could get bloody
The Philippine senate has become a witch hunting ground and a kangaroo court because of incompetent and unskilled senators as well as senators who have zero concern about the country and people they swore to serve. There are also political dynasties there and Miriam Santiago once said that they are the equivalent of mafias which means Philippines is being governed by mafia crime families.
Makes me wonder where you consider yourself a citizen, and how people there would react if you say the same thing.
“…concern about the country and people they swore to serve.”
Invoking a statement like that above coming from No Data? Is it bad omen or what?
They are Philippine government officers, so they are required to put the country above themselves and their family members even if it means sacrificing their own lives to save the country in times of need. I on the other hand am not, so I am not required to help your country.
No Data, how can we be sure that you’re not AI that writes articles and commentaries here on GRP? I mean somehow we’re required to get verified that we’re human before our comments are posted here.
I can agree with you on that. To put the country above themselves is the covenant they are supposed to honor. What would it take for them to see the seriousness of their offense?
“The Senate has actually turned into a circus.”
Interesting exchange between VP Sara Duterte and Sen. Risa Hontiveros during the Senate finance committee’s hearing on the proposed 2025 budget of the Office of the Vice President this Tuesday (August 20).
Who acted more professional and with restraint? What are your thoughts?
A simple answer for a simple question, too bad the VP is pa-victim as always :/
The House of Representatives is composed of better performing personalities compared to the clowns of the Senate.
No theatrics, just direct questioning that yields results and knows how to tame a brat like Atty. Harry Roque.
How times have changed, benign0. Didn’t expect to see your blog now infested with the remnant of the Yellow Army. Harry Rqoue asked the Congressmen what his criminal violations were and he was cited in contempt because he was absent for one hearing. Which he explained on his page. Do you even check the other side?
Or are you also one of those fools who believe the GMA video of PCG supposedly getting rammed by CCG when full video shows the former actually violating their own rule, COLREGS rule 15, during that 3AM encounter?
@passerby69:
1.) Harry Roque is a Yellowtard turned Dutertard. He also ran for Senator under the banner of the Unity Team in 2022. In other words, the brat is an opportunist.
Harry Roque is a lawyer and also a former congressman himself. He was found in violation of House Rules section 11 paragraph e according to the quad-committee.
2.) A 38-second video clip shot from the point of view of the CCG as the basis of an article of excellent writer turned China propagandist Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao is not exactly what you can a full video.
Should we let people vote even if the average intelligence assessment is not as encouraging? Or maybe IQ isn’t even the king.
The fall of man is erroneously attributed to an essentially destructive nature. In contrast, the decline results from a destitute view of life and of one’s place and role in it.
@Ramon Ortoll: “The present state of our country is such that a revolution can easily be launched.”
If Atty. Harry Roque together with his 20 pro-Duterte cheerleaders on a pedestrian overpass on EDSA on Friday night will represent the supposed millions of Filipinos, supporting the Dutertes, can easily launch that revolution, then, don’t even count on it…
VP acting like a spoil brat when she did not get what she wants. Why can’t she defend her Budget proposal when it is justifiable on her part. And the process is part of check and balance in the government.