The President’s authority over the PNP is not a Constitutional mandate
President Duterte with Chief Dela Rosa [Photo source: thesun.co.uk]
By Joe America
President Duterte is running his war on drugs as a violent bloodletting. But the killing of thousands of Filipinos without investigation or trial may finally be bothering legislators. They are going to hold hearings.
Or maybe they are just playing the popular winds for self advantage. They get a stage upon which to perform.
Legislators are creatures of popular will. They might be sensing a fast-rising public dislike for the excesses of the bloodletting. Eighty people killed in four days. A young teen brutally murdered, as captured on video. Relentless photos and videos of bleeding bodies and weeping relatives.
The Catholic Church beginning to ring bells of protest.
If I may be stark with my opinions, it seems to me that only mentally deranged people would fail to see the horror of this level of violence. Filipinos killing thousands of Filipinos on the flimsiest of evidence.
Perhaps when legislators realize that their personal and professional reputations are being destroyed one cruel death at a time . . . and certainly when 20 are killed at one time . . . they may choose to look for a solution.
They do have choices to make. It is impossible to avoid them because doing nothing is a choice, and the Legislature is co-equal to Executive.
For example, senators could replace Senator Gordon as head of the Blue Ribbon Committee. He has clearly suppressed testimony and information that would reveal who is responsible for drugs and murder. He has for sure failed to stop the bloodletting.
Or the Senate could let him continue to lead the charge.
It is a choice.
The Legislature could also decide to remove the Philippine National Police (PNP) from the President’s control. They could return policing to its protect and service role.
That, too, is a choice, and it is the point of this article.
The Constitution does not assign command control of the PNP to the President. Administrative authority is assigned to a National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM). The Legislature fills in what the Constitution leaves out.
Two laws passed by the Legislature create the odd crossing of authorities between the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), to whom the PNP reports, the Police Commission, which administers things, and the President, who has the power to appoint the Chief of Police. Appointment of the chief effectively gives him straight-line, day-to-day command of the force, cutting past DILG and the National Police Commission.
That line can be cut if the Legislature wants to end the bloodletting. And make no mistake, if legislators continue to allow President Duterte the authority to use the PNP as his private army preying on the weakest Filipinos, they are complicit in allowing this slaughter to continue.
Because they have the authority to stop it!
Let’s look at the particulars.
Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, General Provisions, says only this:
“The State shall establish and maintain one police force which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.”
In 1990, Republic Act 6975 was passed. It removed PNP oversight from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and put it under the DILG. The law established the regional organization of the PNP and defined the structure and powers of NAPOLCOM and the PNP. It created a People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) intended to provide some measure of local civilian review of police matters. It also deputized governors and mayors as representatives of NAPOLCOM in their respective areas, and it outlined powers of investigation, discipline, and operation of jails.
I won’t get into details of the law, but did find interesting the law’s clear mandate that the PNP Chief is to be appointed on the recommendation of the NAPOLCOM “from among the most senior and qualified officers in the service. . .” President Duterte did not follow this mandate. He skipped past senior officials to appoint as chief his “Executioner” from Davao, Chief “Bato” Dela Rosa. Executions went nationwide in short order.
In 1998, Republic Act 8551 was passed to reorganize and upgrade police functions. It fine-tuned organization of NAPOLCOM and the PNP by restating qualification for new recruits and guidelines for promotions, and it established an Internal Affairs Service to deal with complaints. It restated disciplinary mechanisms, established a “women’s desk” that emphasized gender sensitivities, clarified the role of local governments and gave local authorities the right to appoint chiefs in their community, a step that gave them effective control of policing activities at the local level. It also strengthened the People’s Law Enforcement Boards or civilian oversight.
It seems to me the establishment of an Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is worth noting. In a professional organization, IAS would assure accountability . . . but in an abusive organization, it would assure that abuses are well hidden. Under the current Administration, abuses are hidden and the President’s directives make clear, no police officer will be punished for executing the President’s “kill” mandate.
The second item worth noting is the authority given mayors to appoint local police chiefs. This effectively gives them command of day to day police activities. If local communities are dynastic, the police are perfectly suited to take the place of private armies and become the personal enforcement arm of the mayor.
These details exist BECAUSE THE LEGISLATURE WROTE THEM INTO LAW.
That is the point of this article.
The Legislature has the power to stop the bloodletting.
And the power to let it continue.
The Society of Honor by Joe America 
There’s a bunch of lapdogs in the legislature and their bad image is getting obvious. They now believe there is EJK and the police have not the support of the president. Why? Because there are witnesses and evidence and being silent means they are complicit. They know they can’t mess with the public uproar now. It will be political suicide!
I hope so. They clearly have no conscience or compassion for the suffering. So the question is, are the winds of self-interest shifting?
It seems to me TSOH is a TIME TRAVELER. Like a California forty-niner miner, he found and picked up from the gullies in the Death Valley of the Mojave Desert the largest diamond which can slash wide open the underbelly of the glass cloud that has since shaded dark Philippines from life sustaining noon day sun.
The diamond should also open TSOH eyes himself that it is not fair or JUST even if ONLY subliminally and between the lines, a people like the Filipinos is treated like soulless rotten garbage to justify and ennoble the actions of their leaders in the government. Read and cogitate what passes as comments in TSOH. There are nuggets here as well as lead and fool’s gold.
The POINT is TSOH is loud and had been very clear in the blog at bar . . .
“Let’s look at the particulars.
Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, General Provisions, says only this:
“The State shall establish and maintain one police force which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.”
In 1990, Republic Act 6975 was passed. It removed PNP oversight from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and put it under the DILG. The law established the regional organization of the PNP and defined the structure and powers of NAPOLCOM and the PNP. It created a People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) intended to provide some measure of local civilian review of police matters. It also deputized governors and mayors as representatives of NAPOLCOM in their respective areas, and it outlined powers of investigation, discipline, and operation of jails.”
The point raised by the above provision of the fundamental law COULD BE extra-national (i.e. international within the jurisdiction of the ICJ and the ICC) in interpretation when the military dictum of the powers of a Commander-in-Chief collides head to head on the powers of the US Presidents/Governors to call in the National Guards, likewise in the Philippine President’s definitions and limits of the powers of a Commander-in-Chief in the absence of INVASION or Revolution .
Reviled as clowns and comedians (worst as thieves) all the senators WHO REALLY ARE NOT, may do well to invite PRONTO the accountable officers of the DILG and NAPOLCOM to account using documentary evidence on what THEY HAVE DONE from planning, execution and evaluation of the on-going internal war against illegal drugs; lest an international court jump the gun on them.
International justice is slow. Duterte will be passed to another world before then and China’s well-paid stooges here will be paving the way to Filipinos becoming the new slave class of the orient.
in PERT/CPM (Program Evaluation Review Technique and Critical Path Method which may be obsolete now) there is predecessor, successor and concurrent events that DO NOT consume time. Events overtake events. Events may bury people as well as other events in longer or in no time at all. The POINT after the wordy blah bah is let’s wait and see. “a new slave class of the orient”? That will NEVER happen literally. Unless figuratively it has long ago had happened already merely by the names and surnames of the populace.
Addendum: National justice was swift in the case of the IL DUCE and Ceauscescu. International justice was not so slow with Third Reichers in Nuremberg, Yamashita et al of Japan after WWII, then Saddam Hussein and Milosovich of recent history. Justice not delayed is not justice denied.
just a word for the two paragraphs below: N O T H I N G.
It seems to me the establishment of an Internal Affairs Service (IAS) is worth NOTHING. In a professional organization, IAS would assure accountability . . . but in an abusive organization, it would assure that abuses are well hidden. Under the current Administration, abuses are hidden and the President’s directives make clear, no police officer will be punished for executing the President’s “kill” mandate.
The second item worth NOTHING is the authority given mayors to appoint local police chiefs. This effectively gives them command of day to day police activities. If local communities are dynastic, the police are perfectly suited to take the place of private armies and become the personal enforcement arm of the mayor.
They’re in a quandary; these legislators will have to ask themselves if it’s worth the power and money to be in Congress and the Senate, or the principles and the interests of the people they’re supposed to serve.
Fine point. They are not powerless in stopping this because of this they are complicit if they do nothing.
Yes, indeed. They have the power to stop the killings.
Or not.
And they will be remembered for their choice at a time when the nation seems about to collapse or concede to thugs and China.
Filipinos faved Duterte’s killings. The more killings the more popular Duterte becomes. Filipinos are tired of so-called “Justice”. Justice in the Philippines favors so-called intellectuals, crooks and the wealthy. Justice to “intellectual” Filipinos is more Philosophy than improving safety of majority of Filipinos. Philosphy is mere talk talk talk. Philippines is Afghanistan in Asia. Neither sticks and stones break their bones but Duterte name sends chills to their timber.
I suppose there are three forces at play: (1) the emotional, uneducated poor or those struggling and tired who need emotional release (a large crowd backing Duterte and his killings, which are a form of release, I suppose), (2) the largely ineffective intellectual elite who are busy taking care of themselves rather than the nation, and (3) the outside viewers, reasonably represented in this editorial: https://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/duterte-the-philippines-and-a-psychopathic-reign-of-terror/
The question seems to me to be, are there intellectual “doers” with the ability to reach across the chasm to relate to the struggling masses? A chip off of block #2. Although you seem to have quit on the idea that reconstruction is possible, it seems to me that not trying is not an option.
It is a choice.
So I’d better clarify. It is not an option for me.
Some of the intellectual elite have tried to warn about the consequences, but were ignored as anti-intellectualism came to fore of this government, so obliterating all reason and common sense into the ground; what else to expect that a starlet to be given one of the most powerful positions for agitation propaganda and a high government salary grade, tasked to dumb down a nation through anti-intellectual garbage on Facebook (btw Facebook shall also be accountable for this psychological damage).
FB has suspended FB account of Cañete,
Maybe that is a start.
I was hoping that the crackdown on hate-speech sites should also extend to the lunatics trying to destroy our people’s will to speak out online.
Actually the criticism of Mocha Uson has been ramping up for just that reason. She is depicted as a “hater” working for the government.
“Justice in the Philippines favors so-called intellectuals, crooks and the wealthy.” But who are getting killed by Gov. Du30’s EJK’s? (Gov as Chinese governor of the PH.)
Duterte’s unspoken mantra seems to be accepted broadly: “The Filipino is worth killing for”.
The legislature is just listening to the voice of the people, so why to change anything?
Aren’t we just elitists?
Yes, if you consider knowledge to be discriminatory.
Filipinos love Duterte.
Filipinos hate Philippine Justice
Philippine Justice is for the wealthy
Justice to Filipinos is mere philosophy
As what Filipinos always say without understanding, “Depende lang yan sa DESCARTE”
Filipinos do not know that “DESCARTE” is Descartes also known as “Renatus Cartesius”
As to etymology of Filipino use of “DESCARTE” is unknown.
DESCARTE to Filipinos is how to present things as what I understood from a Filipino professor.
Joe is a good man. He could be Heinrich Harrer and Anna Leonowens combined. Problem is it requires deep inteligence to understand his articles to a mere Filipinos.
I don’t write to reach “mere” Filipinos, but to share ideas with senators, judges, journalists, lawyers, activists, and people who like knowledge. It is up to others to reach across the chasm.
BAM ! Joe writes “…to share ideas with senators, judges, journalists, lawyers, activists and people WHO LIKE KNOWLEDGE” !
Chulalongkorn and Dalai Lama accepted knowledge from foreigners … these so-called “educated” Filipinos who are looked up with high regards are not taking any advice from a foreigner. These elected officials and fake journalists call it meddling. For them to change is an acceptance of your wisdom. THEY’D RATHER NOT CHANGE else THEY’D THINK THEY ARE LEARNING FROM JOEAM.
They make true of the complimentary close or signature line, “I REMAIN”
Cut the crap, MRP or lindrell or whomever you may metamorphose next. Stop getting personal and petty. Just discuss the topic. We all know that you need to run your mouth but offending people will get you nowhere in civil forums.
To get back to issues, I found this write-up by MLQ3 to be positively brilliant. He dissects Duterte’s approach in detail, and then in the last paragraph wields the heavy hammer that says it cannot work.
WILL IT BE DIFFERENT THIS TIME?
(Reading MLQ3 somewhat differently.)
Considering the negative statements associated with Kian Loyd de los Santos killing — from the pro forma very mild to low mild — from some President’s Allies, who before have not issued those kind of criticisms, one may be tempted to conclude that this time it will be different. But that will be wrong, or at least premature. For the essential belief of the President, as distilled by MLQ3, I believe, is so strong — and shown to be effective from the viewpoint of the President, from the time of the election campaign till now — that thinking that this time it will be different will be wishful at this early time, 1.23 years out of the 6 years of his term.
(But I do agree with MLQ3 that the wholesale liquidation of some 3 million is unsustainable and in the end, futile. For note that at the current 13,000 we are merely at the 0.43% level of the 3 million now.)
http://opinion.inquirer.net/106562/his-struggle#ixzz4qZMVYYhf
I share your skepticism. Chinese ships have placed a flag on a Philippine sand bar and, thanks to the hiding of this by Sec Cayetano, absolutely no one is upset. It is not an affront to Philippine sovereignty, except for AJ Carpio. Manny Pacquiao is lying on the canvas and no one cares. This is like the French Revolution where the poor are not storming the Bastille, but allowing the President to do it for them. The rest of us are check-marked as heading to the guillotine, where the mob will cheer on Facebook as each hated elite has his head lopped off.
No, I am not optimistic at all. I also think writing this blog article is like pissing into the wind for distance. The Legislators are not inclined to have their heads lopped off and have suddenly become heathens storming civility themselves.
Have a happy day. 🙂 🙂 🙂
One thing the President does is sustaining the belief-driven momentum of his actions — come hell or high water. I am glad that a reason-driven momentum is being sustained at TSH with the series of relevant and timely blogs. A series of oasis for the traveler, with few exceptions, in this desert of unreason.
And cheers to you too, Joe 🙂
“ (But I do agree with MLQ3 that the wholesale liquidation of some 3 million is unsustainable and in the end, futile. For note that at the current 13,000 we are merely at the 0.43% level of the 3 million now.) “
I and others MAY LIE reasonably on issues using statistics BUT I won’t dehumanize people by way of statistics like 0.43 per cent (of course, is not even 1.0 %) . A murder of one is still murder not to be diminished by the murder of 0.43% of targetted 3 million. words like “unsustainable and in the end, futile” ARE to me, inappropriate summation. I like to be informed of pejorative use of statistics on people by the Bible.
I agree, Popoy. One murder is a murder too many.
Here is another comment by an opinion-writer, John Nery, of Inquirer — a hopeful note on the early reversal of the killings in the name of drug war, as result of the reaction to the killing of Kian de los Santos:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/106539/tama-na
We tried our best to warn people, but the anti-intellectual agitprop machine of this government keeps on hammering this, “War is Peace; Freedom is Slavery; Ignorance is Strength.”
At national level the buck stops at the desk of the president. At local levels, the buck stops at the desk of the local head. You can’t have it any other way. You can’t have responsibility without authority.
The day-to-day running of the agencies is the responsibility of the Agency heads, no one can interfere with that mandate. Not even the boss of the Agency head because the latter represents the technical expertise to whom the former relies on. To violate this dictate is to create situations that may be explosively dangerous. Let me explain this with the HK tourist bus hostage situation. The guy with full responsibility was the Manila Chief of Police and no one else. Mayor Lim was his boss but he has no right to tell the police what to do. All he can say is cliches like I dont care how you do it, get it over by tonight, the whole damn world is watching, something like that. But Lim has the right to sack the police chief if things were not done to his satisfaction, that’s within his authority.
The problem with Philippines is like I said in some previous comment, Agency heads never take ownership of their own mandates. They simply bow as low as they can to the boss. The boss provides the general marching orders, the agency heads attend to the SOPs and run the show. There are times that Agency heads must stand up to the boss. There is a red line they must draw, and that is national interest vs personal and blind loyalties. When that line is crossed, professional principles dictate that they remove themselves. That’s what happened with Mar when he resigned from Arroyo’s cabinet, together with a few other executive officials. By his resignation, Arroyo’s corruption does not tarnish Mar.
The only agency where we find this sort of tussling going on — between a boss who wants to inject himself into all agency direct command situations, and an agency head who tries to stay his ground, is the AFP. There must always be this kind of inter-play in a hierachical organisation. A strong organisation is one where the agency head has the guts to stamp his foot down, and a boss who has the courage to pack his ego and respect the professional advice of his agency head. Sadly, there are very few such bosses.
Can this kind of rules of engagement between agency heads and bosses be legislated? I doubt it. To do so is to compartmentalise every aspect of decision making that will strangulate and immobilise every executive staffer, especially at critical moments when their leadership at the agencies mattered.
Yes, there is a vicious cycle. Accountability can’t be accepted in the Philippines because people, in the main, mistake it for being incompetent whenever there is a problem. So, in demanding perfection, people ensure incompetence.
“But the killing of thousands of Filipinos without investigation or trial may finally be bothering legislators.’ …I think it is more of self-preservation. Do you really think that they are sincere in knowing the truth?
Can we assure ourselves that we are being protected while walking down the street? The question is more like “Are we afraid of the cops or are we afraid of the drug addicts?” It is really, really sad.
They may investigate but their investigation is not done the way it should like big boys of 1stWorld, like, they investigate Russian meddling of America’s election and terrorists killings in France, Spain and Germany.
In the Philippines, so-called intellectual Senators and congressmen make public of their “investigation that jeopardize prosecution”. I put that in quote because in the 1stWorld police and big-boy mainstream Real media always quote authorities that way.
Only infinitesimally few Filipinos understand it. I understand it and so many few others. Filipinos love drama. Philippine investigation is conducted like a television soap.
Their public investigation and telegraphing what they know when they knew it HAS ACQUITTED THE FOLLOWING:
1. THE BINAY FAMILIES
2. ARROYO FAMILIES
3. PDAF FAMILIES
These so-called “intelligent” investigators failed to look back why they were acquitted and what went wrong. And the purveyors of gossips, The Philippine Fake News thru Pekeng-Peryodistas, never admit they are in cahoots of making these families go free.
Instead they analyze SCIENCE. The only SCIENCE they know. It is called POLITICAL SCIENCE. 95% of their Op-Eds are POLITICAL SCIENCE. Because Political Science is not absolute. It is mishmash of wishy-washy opinions that nobody can go wrong.
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1. I have not been able to fully wrap my mind around the police structure yet. I feel there is something wrong about it.
1.1. The PNP is under NAPOLCOM, which is under DILG. I think it is one layer too deep. It should be directly under the DILG. As it is, NAPOLCOM comes out merely as an administrative layer, almost reduced to administering police examinations; it does not seem to exercise control over PNP, which is part of its mandate.
1.2. I have not heard of any NAPOLCOM commissioner commenting on the drug war or on the performance of the police force, much less on the PNP chief. This may be because the PNP chief is an ex-officio member of the NAPOLCOM commission.
1.3. In other countries, the police force is under the Department of Justice (US) or under the Attorney-General’s Office (Australia). In this way, the police force is intrinsically connected with the administration of justice.
1.4. The point about the direct appointment of a PNP chief by the President, bypassing the recommendations of NAPOLCOM, is well made. This lends itself to the politicization of the office. As a result, there is a distinct lack of professionalism. I also feel the appointment should not be synchronous — that is, begin and end — with the term of the President. (I gather the terms of the NAPOLCOM commissioners are not synchronous. But, naturally, the tenure of the DILG Secretary is entirely at the discretion and pleasure of the President.)
1.5. I also have my doubts about the control of the police force by the mayor at the local level. The point about local dynasties is also well aimed.
2. After firing Ismael Sueño for corruption, the President appointed AFP Chief General Eduardo Año to head the DILG. Año will assume office in late October after he finishes his stint with the AFP.
2.1. I wonder if his appointment does not contravene Section 8 of R.A. 6975 which states:
Section 8. Head of Department. – The head of the Department. – The head of the Department, hereinafter referred to as the Secretary, shall also be the ex-officio Chairman of the National Police Commission and shall be appointed by the President subject to confirmation of the Commission on Appointments. No retired or resigned military officer or police official may be appointed as Secretary within one (1) year from the date of his retirement or resignation. [Bolding mine.]
*****
NAPOLCOM is a rubber stamp, a bureaucrat’s dream team.
I think Ano’s appointment has been put off because of that statute.
If it were up to me, I’d transfer PNP back under AFP and take my chances that the force (of honor) remains strong with them, and they would defend the poor rather than kill them.
I’d also write a law that says drug usage is a health and exploitation issue, not a crime warranting jail, unless harm is done. Drug sellers . . . crime.
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The earliest news I can find about the hiccup is August 15. The original appointment was made on May 10, 3 months earlier.
One would think someone would vet some of Duterte’s official pronouncements before the fact. I guess, as Chemrock notes, no one has the temerity to contradict the President and say, “No, Mr. President, you cannot do that.” Or something gentle like, “Excuse me, Sir, that is not feasible.”
This is a government of cowards and incompetents.
*****
True that.
2.1 regarding the hiccup — so Panelo was (a) sleeping on the job or (b) no temerity to tell the boss he can’t appoint Ano.
He knows, Ano won’t be appointed for a year (my bookie tells me). Also, Panelo admitted that the shooting of the 17 year old kid was not right. I wonder if it feels good to get out of the box where one’s conscience is sold to the devil.
I forgot that the former AFP Chiefs has a one year ban after retirement.
Then he got extended for 6 months starting May.I think they will not count that extension.
Btw, there is even a pending or archived bill that retired AFP chiefs can’t hold cabinet positions three years after retirement.
I got confused by Duterte, he was the one who told us that Año will have to extend six months after his early retirement because of Martial law.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/899292/ano-extended-as-afp-chief-for-another-6-months
He told us he knows his law, why did he announce Año will retire early to take the DILG post, then Año will have to extend six months because of ML.
Forget about that six month extension I mentioned.
@Edgar,
Sorry, you already pointed out everything, my mind was wandering,sorry I read your comment after typing my two comments.
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Karl, you are a busy man and I am not. It is nice to wander around. It is often at the edges, at the periphery, that we find treasure.
*****
Lots of treasure at TSOH.
*******
The defect in the police structure, where the PNP chief seems to report directly to the President, can also be seen in the Mamasapano clash.
In this incident, police chief Alan Purisima, although he was suspended at the time, was tangentially responsible for the tragedy. Purisima planned the operation and Getulio Napeñas of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) executed it.
PNoy gave the green signal to go ahead with the operation to capture terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir (aka Marwan) and one other. The DILG Secretary, Mar Roxas, was not notified beforehand of the operation and coordination with the AFP was poor, if not absent.
To the point: the Mamasapano clash was investigated by the Senate in “aid of legislation” but no changes in the police structure were made.
*****
Thank you Joeam for threshing these issues very well. i commend you’re being a filipino by heart but it’s so ironic that a “converted” person speaks well of our political issues with flying colors. It may be an insult for us filipinos but let’s just leave it that way. please continue your advocacy Joeam. God bless you!
Why thank you, Abe. Nice words to read. Best to you, too.
Many others and I may share your view Abe Rato, but a few others might suspect it is very revealing of us to consider it “ironic’ an “insult for us Filipinos” for a person “converted” or whatever to “speak well of our political issues.” How could a positive thing like that be an insult? I hope I have not taken out of context as I might have what you have just said with sincerity.
Does anybody here knew that ANTIPINOY.COM is gone? Over the weekend the antipinoy.com domain is FOR SALE !!!!
Ahh, Bong V? Maybe he gave it up. He was writing a while back, but no one was reading as far as I could tell.
Yes, instead of the Legislature doing something about the bloodletting, we have the case of a Gordon taking much time and going about with his dramatics — he seems to be conducting his investigation as Chairman of BRC by his lonesome — just to reiterate and remind us that the Big Elephant in the Room or It’s Son is not involved?
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From the little I have seen, Dick “Whitewash” Gordon seems to be browbeating the resource persons. If dagger looks could kill, Dick would be sashimi.
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“Whitewash” Edgar? COULD be “Blackwash” now. Ain’t the recent eclipse tellin us somethin? The entire sun was blackened entirely even just for a few seconds. Isn’t in history’s relativity a few seconds could last eternal? Well, any Senator worth his favors could be a moon to the sun.
Contrariwise to common reaction of readers, the moon and the sun could NOT be just persons; to be deep however, the moon and the sun could be beauty covering beast, and to be deeper STILL, both moon and sun could be critical societal issues which should wake up the snoozers In the noodle house.
Offtopic: A great question regarding the fate of the free press crumbling into the abyss of totalitarianism and something to feel the ice water running in our veins.
Was there ever FEARLESS Journalism anywhere in the world during Martial Law? YES there was/were but naturally microscopic during the Marcos Martial Law Years. Yes there will always be in the FREE WORLD but with a delayed FUSE.
In Philippine Journalism it is journalism of extremes. Either they kowtow to the leaders or attack-and-collect. ALL Fake News of Peking-Peryodistas.
Here is a question to Fake News, literati, illuminati and intelligentsia in the Fake News.
WERE COLONIST BAD PEOPLE? (I like to use BAD because Donald Trump popularize it)
MY ANSWER: “No, they were not bad. If they were the descendants of the colonists that run the economy of the Philippines would have landed in Fake News daily. But they have not. Nary a gossip not accusation and allegations. Nien! THEREFORE, COLONISTS WERE GOOD PEOPLE SO ARE THE LEFT-BEHIND LEFT-OVER LAST-REMAINING COLONISTS
We have heard before that Philippine News Media are FEARLESS. Since these FEARLESS news media cannot find anything wrong with the last-remaining colonists, therefore, it is proof that COLONISTS were GOOD PEOPLE. Proving that Philippine Historians wrote Philippine History to make Filipinos feel good and denigrate the good deeds of the COLONISTS.
On the other hand they could not be FEARLESS after all. If they are FEARFUL … therefore …
to be deleted for its niggardly worth to be read again, this comment is immediately re-cycled:
It seems to me TSOH is a TIME TRAVELER. Like a California forty-niner miner, he found and picked up from the gullies in the Death Valley of the Mojave Desert the largest diamond which can slash wide open the underbelly of the cloud that has since shaded dark Philippines from life sustaining noon day sun. The diamond should also open TSOH eyes himself that it is not fair or JUST even if ONLY subliminally and between the lines, a people like the Filipinos is treated like soulless rotten garbage to justify and ennoble the actions of their leaders in the government. Read and cogitate what passes as comments in TSOH. There are nuggets here as well as lead and fool’s gold.
The POINT is TSOH is loud and clear
“Let’s look at the particulars.
Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution, General Provisions, says only this:
“The State shall establish and maintain one police force which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.”
In 1990, Republic Act 6975 was passed. It removed PNP oversight from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and put it under the DILG. The law established the regional organization of the PNP and defined the structure and powers of NAPOLCOM and the PNP. It created a People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) intended to provide some measure of local civilian review of police matters. It also deputized governors and mayors as representatives of NAPOLCOM in their respective areas, and it outlined powers of investigation, discipline, and operation of jails.”
The point raised by the above provision of the fundamental law COULD BE extra-national (i.e. international within the jurisdiction of the ICJ and the ICC) in interpretation when the military dictum of the powers of a Commander-in-Chief collides head to head on the powers of the US Presidents/Governors to call in the National Guards VIS-A-VIS the US Armed Forces, likewise in the Philippine President’s definitions and limits of the powers of a Commander-in-Chief in the absence of INVASION or Revolution vis-à-vis the war on illegal drugs.
Reviled as clowns and comedians all senators may do well to invite the accountable officers of the DILG and NAPOLCOM to account using documentary evidence on what they have done from planning, execution (FOR THE PNP to carry out) and the evaluation of the on-going internal war against illegal drugs. ,
ADDENDUM for discussion: Are the presidential powers constitutionally prescribed as required by the Marawi War the same in force and effect as those prescribed and required by the war on illegal drugs? Are they enemies of the state? If they are, are they the same in INTENT, DETERMINATION and STRENGTH to kill those on the side of the government???? Wakanga? Not really Ah.
A long time ago I authored an article here at TSH detailing the enduring and embedded corruption at the Bureau of Customs. The reason bringing this up is not so out of topic and germane to Duterte and his PNP private army’s murderous war on the people is that the latter is not only a crime against humanity, it is an failed, misdirected if not an insane strategy to win the war against drugs in the aphilippines. One cannot wage a successful war against drugs merely by suppressing or eradicating users, demand and distribution at the baranggay level without focusing closely on primary suppliers and sources of supply. It is not only inhumane and criminal for the PNP to execute suspected users and pushers by the thousands but downright stupid to let known drug kingpins already in jail or roaming free in the country continue their wholesale operations unfettered or unhindered legally or extralegally.
At the root of it all is Duterte and his regime is not really waging a war on corruption which explains why for the large part, the focus is not on stopping the principal players and sources of supply. That a 6 billion peso shipment went thru the front door at the BOC and the staged killing of an innocent student is the current drug war furor. In truth it is futile as the real rot behind it all is the culture of corruption underlying the PNP, our public officials, political leadership, and most directly involved the BOC. That huge shabu shipment is only unique in that it was discovered and was so bold, probably because of the alleged involvement of Duterte family members. It would be naive that there is not a drug funnel through the BOC front door perhaps for shipments smaller but more numerous in scale.
If there is a reminder that the BOC is just as corrupt or worse when I wrote about the Tara system during Pinoy’s administration and it’s war on corruption. Then please read Senator Lacson’s most recent expose on the continuing rot at the BOC. I would not hold my breath hoping Duterte did not know or was not complicit in Faeldon’s corruption and merely had to replace the fired commissioner because his shot had hit the public fan.
https://www.rappler.com/nation/179748-lacson-privilege-speech-corruption-customs
In that earlier article, Senator Escudero and INC were mentioned by a disgruntled INC minister as being involved. I wonder what religious affiliation is attached to the names Senator Lacson mentioned.
They must be all atheist because ”Gods people” don’t steal…………… 🙂
Good morning.
Good morning, Sup.
It is a reallllllll good morning….
the wolves are eating the sheeps and the sheeps are now eating the wolves…
We need more customs confessions.. 🙂
I just put out a tweet suggesting that PNP be assigned to AFP, where it began, rather than DILG. It is a natural thought arising from the blog article. A follower responded that the Commander in Chief could make Bato the head of AFP. I said he’d risk a coup. Or the laws might be re-written to limit the President’s authority in making appointments.
That led me to the thought, well, assign Customs to AFP, too.
In fact, assign the President as subordinate to AFP. ahahahaha Alas, that would require a Constitutional amendment.
I guess I trust Sec. Lorenzana a whole lot more than President Duterte.
Neat and sharp summary of the situation, caliphman. Thanks.
Offtopic: “There’s nothing we could do.” –Mr. President
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/08/24/1732134/no-west-philippine-sea-funding-2018-budget#sthash.x64FyLAd.uxfs
I think there is a great deal of “giving up” about this, which is a shame. The President will do what he will do, and future generations of Filipinos will pay the price. It really is the failure of a nation we are witnessing, it seems to me. I mean, it is not rocket science to see the evil and deception going on, and yet most Filipinos find it expresses what is in their ‘soul’.
Pity.
On the other hand, sir, perhaps for the first time PLA confesses there’s something wrong with their ranks.
I had a loud laugh after reading it.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/24/17/chinese-military-links-fitness-test-failures-to-too-much-masturbation-video-games
That is the fault of an until now unknown Davao group member.
They say his name is Jack Cool.
Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano admitted that there is no appropriation in his department’s 2018 budget specifically for WPS concerns.
However, he told the House appropriations committee chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles that he is willing to submit a proposal if the panel so desires.
Gosh, who’d have thunk that — except our Bible-quoting DFA Secretary, soon to be Confucius-quoting?
There are some very deceitful people running around the halls of government.
The PNP has just displayed their cluelessness by killing a child based on hearsay and troll statements on social media. How many lives were snuffed by this War on Drugs based on unverified and sketchy evidence? Gordon, Pacquiao, Sotto, Pimentel and other Senate majority will diminish the EJK case and will halt the probe before the “root” is excavated.
http://www.interaksyon.com/intelligent-report-sacked-police-chief-admits-cops-relied-on-social-media-to-verify-kians-alleged-drug-link/
Aguirre’s diminishment of the victim into “isolated case” and “collateral damage” is not worthy of someone of his stature. His sycophantic rantings reek of prejudice. There will be no justice in PH with him and his ilk.
One refreshing news: Netizens are clamoring to get Mocha Uson out of her government position under a twitter hashtag #firemocha. Her latest gaffe is taunting the VP, and Senators Aquino, Hontiveros and Trillanes to visit a funeral that transpired last year.
The PH government is in a shambles and is generally a sham.
To make things worse, a soldier who survived Marawi was killed by the police.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/news/nation/623171/cops-kill-soldier-heading-home-from-marawi-battleground/story/
Thanks for the link, Miela.
PH as the wild, wild East. The “shoot first, ask questions later” frame of mind seems to dominate. Nanlaban as justification for all EJKs. Looks like the PNP personnel need retraining in legal arrest procedures and rules of engagement with suspects. It will also help if PRD tell his minions that there will be “absolutely no pardon” for trigger happy cops (without flip flopping).
I really thought the police and legal system ONLY harness evidences from witness accounts’ typewritten signed sealed and notarized affidavits …
The Philippine Police and Philippine Legal System have added an arsenal to combat illegal drugs: SOCIAL MEDIA, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM GOSSIPS and PUT DOWNS
Filipinos are now affidavit and Facebook away from prison and cemetery.
Even Peter Lim is subject to tirade by Duterte. The PNP is investigating Peter Lim. PNP should investigate Duterte where he got the information from that Peter Lim is a drug lord.
If I were PNP and I am told Peter Lim is a drug lord HOW DO I START MY INVESTIGATION WITHOUT INVESTIGATING DUTERTE? It is like Donald Trump alluding to his loss in popular vote due to illegal voters without evidence.
Indeed, the encroachment of the police state is starting to become overbearing. Police arrived at an Ateneo protest rally yesterday and, after it was over, began searching out faculty. The Kian hearing yesterday reeked of DOJ and PNP impunity.