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gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
There's way too much poo poo to keep up with.

A Regional Trial Court has issued an arrest order for Senator De Lima in line with her drug charges. She held a press conference today and is expected to be arrested tomorrow.

EDIT: Apparently she's going to be arrested tonight.

The President is not going to be attending the EDSA anniversary commemoration on Feb 25. The official press release is that they'd like the anniversary to be low-key and quiet. Meanwhile the administration will be throwing a pro-Duterte rally on the other side of town on the same day.

The Department of Interior and Local Government has unveiled a plan to put stickers on houses that have been certified as drug-free. This move has been decried by Amnesty International because of the obvious authoritarian overtones (maybe the stickers could be yellow stars!), to which the DILG Secretary has responded to by suggesting that they should perhaps be called a "human wrongs group" instead.

Congress is expected to vote on the reimposition of the death penalty by the end of Feb. This was after they had tried to remove plunder from the list of death-punishable offenses, then put it back in after public backlash, then tried to remove rape, then put it back in after public backlash.

On the day that Arthur Lascanas dropped his revelations regarding the Davao Death Squad (and retroactively recanted his initial denial last year when Edgar Matobato was was giving testimony), Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar accused the Senate's press corps of taking a 1000 USD bribe in order to cover the story, a claim that was obviously bullshit. He's since been called out by the press corps and by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism for making up false accusations.

Andanar is also moving to try and allow "bloggers" to be given press accreditation. This is because a lot of the pro-Duterte social media influencers (who love to post fake news, sensationalized news, and conspiracy theories) are bloggers, and the administration is seemingly trying to give them more legitimacy.

The Pro-Duterte camp of the Senate is trying to block re-opening the Senate investigation into the Davao Death Squad, even after Arthur Lascanas came out with his new allegations, but as far as I know there was a vote yesterday to move forward with the inquiry.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, during his confirmation hearing, said that the Philippine government does not claim ownership to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

gradenko_2000 fucked around with this message at 16:08 on Feb 23, 2017

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MrNemo
Aug 26, 2010

"I just love beeting off"

So the Philippines is currently looking at a leader jailing opponents, trying to introduce the death penalty for crimes he doesn't like and legitimising propaganda mouth pieces that parrot support for him as well as doubling down on acquiescing to China.

In fairness the last one is looking prescient with the US now pulling out of involvement and influence in East Asia.

Fojar38
Sep 2, 2011


Sorry I meant to say I hope that the police use maximum force and kill or maim a bunch of innocent people, thus paving a way for a proletarian uprising and socialist utopia


also here's a stupid take
---------------------------->

MrNemo posted:

In fairness the last one is looking prescient with the US now pulling out of involvement and influence in East Asia.

What?

MrNemo
Aug 26, 2010

"I just love beeting off"

Referring to the USA backing out of the the TPPC and the apparent reversal from Obama's Pacific pivot. I also fully believe despite all the very real problems with China, Trump is the kind of poker player who will fold as long his opponent doesn't blink. I think Xi is at least individually secure enough to be able to intimidate Trump.

Fojar38
Sep 2, 2011


Sorry I meant to say I hope that the police use maximum force and kill or maim a bunch of innocent people, thus paving a way for a proletarian uprising and socialist utopia


also here's a stupid take
---------------------------->
The TPP would have been really cool and good if it had gone through but the US doesn't suddenly become a bit player who is "withdrawing" without it.

The military components of the pivot are still in place as are the diplomatic ones. Hell, I've always been bothered by even calling it a "pivot" considering the US has been the most powerful actor in the region since the Second World War and the notion of a "pivot" implies that the US presence is new.

Cirofren
Jun 13, 2005


Pillbug
Yeah agreed that it's not a pivot it's a continuation of post WW2 American "everything that isn't Russia is our sphere of influence".

If Trump starts closing bases in Australia, Korea, Japan, or the Philippines then that's a withdrawal. Instead post inauguration we have an expansion planned for US bases in the Philippines and:

quote:

"EDCA is still on," Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference on Thursday.

EDCA allows the expansion of rotational deployment of US ships, aircraft and troops at five bases in the Philippines as well as the storage of equipment for humanitarian and maritime security operations.

Fojar38
Sep 2, 2011


Sorry I meant to say I hope that the police use maximum force and kill or maim a bunch of innocent people, thus paving a way for a proletarian uprising and socialist utopia


also here's a stupid take
---------------------------->
Apparently Trump wants to do a bunch of bilateral trade deals in the region anyway so in the long run the demise of the TPP might not mean all that much.

Argue
Sep 29, 2005

I represent the Philippines
Jesus the traffic was bad yesterday, presumably due to rallies or something? We got 10km in 3 hours before deciding to turn back instead of heading onwards to our destination.

The administration also announced that this year's rally in Luneta on Feb 25 would explicitly be a pro-Duterte rally to show support for him instead of being anything to do with the EDSA Revolution. To head off the noise that the critics would inevitably make in the wake of De Lima's arrest, they said.

In other news, terrible blogger/administration mouthpiece Mocha Uson is on the movie rating board, and decided to give John Wick 2 a rating of R16 because it "may desensitize the young into believing all is well and justifiable in the name of vengeance."

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

Argue posted:

it "may desensitize the young into believing all is well and justifiable in the name of vengeance."

Pretty sure that's the President's wheelhouse

Terrible Opinions
Oct 18, 2013



Fojar38 posted:

The TPP would have been really cool and good if it had gone through but the US doesn't suddenly become a bit player who is "withdrawing" without it.
Well the first part of that sentence definitely isn't true.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen

Fojar38 posted:

Apparently Trump wants to do a bunch of bilateral trade deals in the region anyway so in the long run the demise of the TPP might not mean all that much.

Still a huge blow to US credibility in the region, and if RCEP becomes prettiest belle at the ball now with TPP out, it grants China better position to exert economic leverage in the region. it was only ever half about the trade benefits to the US.

gucci bane
Oct 27, 2008



Fojar38 posted:

Apparently Trump wants to do a bunch of bilateral trade deals in the region anyway so in the long run the demise of the TPP might not mean all that much.

Bilateral exploitative trade deals were the Nazis modus operandi, so of course

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
Over the weekend:

Senator De Lima was arrested and jailed.

====

There was a rally at the People Power Monument attended largely by Liberal Party supporters and opposition to Duterte, while there was a pro-Duterte rally at Rizal Park.

It was confirmed by the administration that local government resources were used to shuttle people to Rizal Park, though it is unlikely that anything will come out of this.

During that rally, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre asked the crowd of supporters who they would like to be next, alluding to which opposition figure should be prosecuted and jailed after De Lima. The loud clamor was Senator Antonio Trillanes, the second most-outspoken opposition Senator who often acted in concert with De Lima and is at the heart of accusations that Duterte has millions in hidden wealth.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar also doubled-down on his claim that there were "destabilization plots" aimed at deposing Duterte.

====

Imee Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos Sr.'s daughter, organized their own rally in the former dictator's home province of Ilocos Norte, of which she is Governor. During this rally, the EDSA revolution was called a "fake revolution" by supporters of the Governor, and people were encouraged to continue their support of President Duterte to "undo the problems fueled by Yellows" (in reference to the Liberal Party).

Today:

The President said he agreed with the motions being taken by Solicitor General Jose Calida in reversing the conviction of Janet Napoles's serious illegal detention charges.

====

There's a mass strike of jeepney operators, the second time this month, in protest over a planned government phase-out of old vehicles, which puts thousands of drivers and operators at risk of losing their means of livelihood. (The local Uber contingent drew flak over a tweet implying that a discount being out for today was aimed at inviting people to use that instead.)

Inquirer broke a story about how Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay's citizenship is, at the minimum, unclear. He left the Philippines and went to America in 1978, acquired American citizenship in 1986, and then allegedly submitted an affidavit to the US INS in 1993 renouncing his American citizenship. Problem is, the renunciation of his American citizenship does not immediately grant him back his Filipino citizenship. Further, such a renunciation cannot be executed by affidavit alone - it requires an appearance before a US consular/diplomatic officer. Yasay did undertake such an appearance, but he only did it in June 28 2016, two days before he was appointed to Duterte's cabinet. And if he only renounced his American citizenship then, it's practically guaranteed that he has not yet reacquired his Filipino citizenship since.

Philippine law does not allow dual-citizens to hold elected nor appointed office, and even if Yasay is no longer an American citizen, he still isn't a Filipino citizen, either. Further, these allegations would point to Yasay having lied point-blank to the Commission on Appointments when he stated that he never was an American citizen and had always been a Filipino (a statement that Press Secretary Ernesto Abella has also previously released when questioned about the matter). This could also cause legal complications for him during his previous stint as Securities and Exchange Commission chairman from 1995 to 2000, since he would have been an alien to the Philippines at the time (and would have known about it).

====

The House is again proposing to remove rape, plunder, and treason as crimes punishable by death, allegedly to make it more palatable for representatives to vote in favor of it. The death penalty bill may be up for a house vote by as early as March 1.

====

A developing story as I write this is that there seems to have been a significant reorganization in the Senate:

Liberal Party Senator Franklin Drilon has been removed from his position as Senate President Pro Tempore, to be replaced by Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto, also of the Liberal Party. (Senator Antonio Trillanes will assume the post of Senate Minority Leader)

LP-ally Senator Risa Hontiveros was removed from her post as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, and was replaced by Senator JV Ejercito, son of the deposed former President Joseph Estrada

Liberal Party Senator Francis Pangilinan was removed from his post as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, and was replaced by Senator Cynthia Villar, wife of former Senator Manny Villar, who was Benigno Aquino III's primary opponent during the 2010 presidential race.

Liberal Party Senator Paolo Aquino IV was removed from his post as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Education, and was replaced by Senator Francis Escudero, an independent who was Senator Grace Poe's vice presidential running mate in 2016.

All of these committee vacancies were spearheaded by Senator Manny Pacquiao, a close administration ally and Christian fundamentalist.

It is suspected that this reorganization was done in retaliation for these Senators marching with opposition groups during the EDSA Anniversary on Saturday, as well as for their expressions of support for Senator De Lima.

All four of these Senators will join the Senate's minority bloc.

CommieGIR
Aug 22, 2006

The blue glow is a feature, not a bug


Pillbug
https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...m=.4c5ead657197

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
The death penalty bill has been approved by Congress.

What's potentially contentious is that it was approved by voice vote.

If you want to watch a Facebook video, follow this link https://www.facebook.com/jeffcrisostomo/videos/10154515795096523/ and check out the last 1 minute of the recording, and see for yourself if the ayes convincingly had it.

fartmanteau
Mar 15, 2007

gradenko_2000 posted:

If you want to watch a Facebook video, follow this link https://www.facebook.com/jeffcrisostomo/videos/10154515795096523/ and check out the last 1 minute of the recording, and see for yourself if the ayes convincingly had it.

What a joke

Ytlaya
Nov 13, 2005

Voice vote sounds like the dumbest thing ever unless it's used for some completely trivial issue like where to get lunch that day. Especially when you're dealing with a relatively small number of people and taking actual votes would probably take less than a couple hours.

Dr Kool-AIDS
Mar 26, 2004

Ytlaya posted:

Voice vote sounds like the dumbest thing ever unless it's used for some completely trivial issue like where to get lunch that day. Especially when you're dealing with a relatively small number of people and taking actual votes would probably take less than a couple hours.

It's useful for uncontroversial issues that can be approved by acclaim or for fraudulently claiming you won a vote when you lost.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
The President signed the Paris Climate Agreement, after multiple instances of railing against it as an inhibitor of industrial progress since taking office.

====

The Presidential Communications Office has released a new set of guidelines, such that all messaging and content will be coursed through Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella. This essentially cuts PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar out of the loop. It follows in the wake of Andanar drawing a lot of flak for making his completely bogus claim that the Senate press pool took a bribe in exchange for providing coverage for Arthur Lascanas's revelations about President Duterte and the Davao Death Squad last week.

Senate President Koko Pimentel attempted to mediate between Andanar and the Senate press during a dinner meeting yesterday, but Andanar ended up being completely ignored. And that's on top of Andanar being criticized even by administration allies, so this may have "mattered".

====

Speaker of the House Pantaleon Alvarez doubled-down on the legitimacy of the death penalty bill passing second reading via voice vote, saying it had to be done that way to prevent "a tyranny of the minority". The bill is due for third and final reading next week, and Alvarez claims they can secure 200+ votes in favor of it. As a reminder, the current version of the bill excludes plunder, treason, and rape - the crimes listed in the bill as punishable by death are largely all drug-related.

====

Human Rights Watch just released a report on the Duterte administration's drug war:

* Human Rights Watch says President Duterte and his men are criminally liable for drug war-related extrajudicial killings, which may be considered crimes against humanity
* The 124-page report claims that police are involved in so-called vigilante killings and are planting evidence in crime scenes.
* It says poor communities are being terrorized by killings which appear to be “systematic.”
* The report recommends the immediate end of the war on drugs and the suspension of assistance to the Philippines by its foreign partners.

It is very unlikely that the whole "criminally liable" thing goes anywhere because he's the President and it's an international third-party organization, but the report itself is fairly damning.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/03/02/1677427/duterte-killing-criminals-not-crime-against-humanity

quote:

MANILA, Philippines — Killing criminals is not a crime against humanity because they have no humanity.

This was President Rodrigo Duterte’s response to the report of New York-based Human Rights Watch which claimed that the Philippines is in the midst of a “human rights calamity” because of the extrajudicial killings of suspected drug offenders.

“When you kill criminals that is not a crime against humanity. The criminals have no humanity. God drat it,” the president told reporters during the groundbreaking of the Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway.

Unfazed by critics who blame him for the deaths of drug suspects, Duterte said the killings would not stop as long as there are drug lords and pushers.

“[There will be many more killings. They are really fighting back]. It will not end tomorrow for as long as there is a drug pusher and drug lord,” Duterte said.

“[All of them fought. Those who did not fight the government, we are not responsible for them. Maybe their enemies are the priests],” he added.

“[Those who died] during encounters, of course, I answer for them, I hold myself legally responsible.”

Duterte said there is a difference between killing an innocent person and killing a criminal.

“They ought not to be mixed up... I’m trying to zero in on law and order because peace is what makes a country developed and progressive. I hold it as an article of faith,” he said.

To support his claim that the narcotics problem in the country is serious, Duterte said about 6,000 policemen and 40 percent of barangay captains in the country are into illegal drugs.

Duterte lamented that the killing of suspected drug offenders was presented melodramatically and “played up” by the media.

“This won’t stop if we don’t get rid of the apparatus,” he said. “Who wants to kill people?”

Duterte assailed the Catholic Church again for criticizing the spate of killings tied to his war on drugs. He claimed that the Church has not been transparent on the funds it collected from parishioners.

“Where is the money of the faithful?” the president said during the oath taking of the officials of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Lapu-Lapu City.

“[These priests, they are all talk talk talk, no action],” he added. “When were you really true to your vocation?”

Duterte said he would order every precinct commander all over the country to provide the priests a list of persons who are involved in drugs. He also claimed that the destruction of some churches in the country was a message from God.

“You know why God destroyed the churches? To show you that you are not deserving of his mercy,” he said.

Duterte reiterated that he does not intend to declare martial law and to suspend the privilege of writ of habeas of corpus to address the drug problem.

“I took my oath of office. The Constitution says there is martial law, law and order, It’s all here. They are all in my hands. My oath before God and country is to preserve the Filipino people period,” Duterte said.

“I do not need martial law. I do not need to declare a suspension of habeas corpus, you destroy my country, you destroy the youth, I don’t give a poo poo.”

Ytlaya
Nov 13, 2005

Duterte curses in a weird way, almost it's a verbal tic or something. Is this just related to Filipino speech patterns or is it something unique to him?

Scaramouche
Mar 26, 2001

SPACE FACE! SPACE FACE!

In my experience it's him, or a regional/class thing. Most of the people I hung out with would apologize as soon as they said a swear.

fartmanteau
Mar 15, 2007

It's a big man idgaf get-poo poo-done persona, on top of a regional/social class thing like Scaramouche says. It works if you can back it up. I can see how people think of that as strong leadership, unfortunately.

He doesn't even think he's doing anything wrong. He honestly believes this is the only way to fix the loving place.

Ytlaya
Nov 13, 2005

fartmanteau posted:

It's a big man idgaf get-poo poo-done persona, on top of a regional/social class thing like Scaramouche says. It works if you can back it up. I can see how people think of that as strong leadership, unfortunately.

He doesn't even think he's doing anything wrong. He honestly believes this is the only way to fix the loving place.

Just to be clear, I'm not referring to the cursing itself or the frequency of it, but the awkward way he does it. Like, he seems to frequently do this thing where he'll say a sentence and follow it with a random curse - for example "I am Duterte, the Filipino President, and I like killing criminals. Sons of bitches!" It comes off like some sort of impulsive verbal tick.

Dr Kool-AIDS
Mar 26, 2004

Ytlaya posted:

Just to be clear, I'm not referring to the cursing itself or the frequency of it, but the awkward way he does it. Like, he seems to frequently do this thing where he'll say a sentence and follow it with a random curse - for example "I am Duterte, the Filipino President, and I like killing criminals. Sons of bitches!" It comes off like some sort of impulsive verbal tick.

Some of it's possibly just awkward translations. I saw an article not long ago about how populist leaders tend to get very unfavorable translations which put the worst spin possible on their words. One reason more polished speakers use diplomatic language is because it's harder to misinterpret like that.

Ytlaya
Nov 13, 2005

Sinteres posted:

Some of it's possibly just awkward translations. I saw an article not long ago about how populist leaders tend to get very unfavorable translations which put the worst spin possible on their words. One reason more polished speakers use diplomatic language is because it's harder to misinterpret like that.

I thought that in most cases it wasn't a translation, though? Like he would be quoted speaking a mix of English and Tagalog with the cursing in English.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

Ytlaya posted:

Just to be clear, I'm not referring to the cursing itself or the frequency of it, but the awkward way he does it. Like, he seems to frequently do this thing where he'll say a sentence and follow it with a random curse - for example "I am Duterte, the Filipino President, and I like killing criminals. Sons of bitches!" It comes off like some sort of impulsive verbal tick.

No you're right - I reviewed some of his speeches and he really does do that, whether it's in English or Filipino.

The other thing he does is "curse in the third-person", like he'll say "I said to them, 'gently caress you'", or "I will tell them, 'gently caress you'", or something of that sort.

I don't really know if there's something there. I've come to accept that I'm living in a country with a Ghadaffi or Idi Amin as its President.

ihatepants
Nov 5, 2011

Let the burning of pants commence. These things drive me nuts.



I don't know where this "news" is coming from but I've had multiple Trump voting family members keep telling me that "President Trump approved for Filipinos to travel visa free for 30 days for tourism & business. Never allowed before by any other US President!!!!" I can't find anything about it at all, which means that it's obviously fake, but when I brought it up, the reply was "Really!! Perhaps CNN , ABS-CBN, & NBC are the fake news here. News came from BBC." What the crap.

FAUXTON
Jun 2, 2005

spero che tu stia bene

ihatepants posted:

I don't know where this "news" is coming from but I've had multiple Trump voting family members keep telling me that "President Trump approved for Filipinos to travel visa free for 30 days for tourism & business. Never allowed before by any other US President!!!!" I can't find anything about it at all, which means that it's obviously fake, but when I brought it up, the reply was "Really!! Perhaps CNN , ABS-CBN, & NBC are the fake news here. News came from BBC." What the crap.

They heard it from a large man in a ushanka?

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

ihatepants posted:

I don't know where this "news" is coming from but I've had multiple Trump voting family members keep telling me that "President Trump approved for Filipinos to travel visa free for 30 days for tourism & business. Never allowed before by any other US President!!!!" I can't find anything about it at all, which means that it's obviously fake, but when I brought it up, the reply was "Really!! Perhaps CNN , ABS-CBN, & NBC are the fake news here. News came from BBC." What the crap.

http://memebuster.net/trump-favored-ph-in-his-immigration-war-with-30-day-visa-free-travel-policy/

Fake news is so prevalent on Philippine social media nowadays that people have taken it upon themselves to start their own snopes-type website.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
http://www.rappler.com/nation/163368-yasay-us-passport-citizenship

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay revealed during a TV interview today that he did have an American passport, which meant he lied about never having one, and and lied about never having been an American citizen, when the Commission on Appointments asked him about these. This may well put him on the hook for perjury and sink his appointment altogether, if anything ends up mattering.

=====

Former Davao Death Squad hitman Arthur Lascanas testified in the Senate today, corroborating many of the previous allegations made by also-alleged-hitman Edgar Matobato during an earlier round of Senate inquiries late last year.

This WaPo article is a good summary from a high-level view: https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...5666_story.html

This local Rappler article goes into a bit more detail: http://www.rappler.com/nation/163403-senate-ends-arthur-lascanas-hearing

The more recent development as I write this is that the Senate has decided to close the inquiry after this one day and this one hearing with Lascanas, with Senator Ping Lacson saying that there is nothing more to be pursued, and that gaps in his credibility put his testimony in doubt in the first place.

=====

http://www.rappler.com/nation/163408-duterte-appoints-samuel-martires-supreme-court-justice

The President has appointed a new Justice to the Supreme Court, one Samuel Martires. I tried to do a summary of his previous decisions here, but the short version is that:

* he dismissed a corruption charge against Duterte in 2011
* he dismissed a suit against the estate of Ferdinand Marcos and his military chief Fabian Ver over a multi-billion peso bank scam
* he approved a plea bargain deal between a former Ombudsman and a military general accused of plunder that knocked the plunder charge down to bribery and money-laundering. The deal was so rife with quid-pro-quo allegations that the Ombudsman later resigned while facing possible impeachment over the case
* during SC appointment interviews last year, he said he would have agreed with the SC's decision to acquit President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of her plunder charges
* during those same interviews, he said he would have agreed with the SC's decision to allow Ferdinand Marcos to have been buried at the National Heroes's Cemetery
* during those same interviews, he was also questioned about allegations that he paid the President a courtesy call, which reflected badly on perceptions regarding his independence and objectivity

At bottom, it would appear as though he is a justice who would rule along conservative lines, favoring the administration.

It should also be noted that because of the particular way that judicial terms are spread out, along with the timing of the President term, the President is due to appoint a simple majority of the Supreme Court's justices over his six years, with this Justice Martires simply being the first

Argue
Sep 29, 2005

I represent the Philippines
I wonder if Filipinos are going to be able to complain with a straight face that the fictional Philippine president on Madam Secretary sexually harassing the US secretary of state is an unrealistic representation of our leadership.

CronoGamer
May 15, 2004

why did this happen
edit: I just read the Rappler link and it explains basically the same thing so I'm cutting this.

But yes that is awesome. No self-awareness at all.

CronoGamer fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Mar 7, 2017

fartmanteau
Mar 15, 2007

Argue posted:

I wonder if Filipinos are going to be able to complain with a straight face that the fictional Philippine president on Madam Secretary sexually harassing the US secretary of state is an unrealistic representation of our leadership.

That's amazing.

Argue
Sep 29, 2005

I represent the Philippines
If what you edited out is an explanation that Filipinos have a history of complaining about this, then may I direct you to this site, whose data I populated: https://torchapps.github.io/butthurt/ (it was originally just a gist on Github)

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/oplan-tokhang-reboot-bloody-antidrugs-campaign-makes-a-comeback/

I failed to mention this earlier, but as of Mar 4 2017, the PNP has resumed its war on drugs, under the name Oplan Double Barrel Alpha Reloaded. I poo poo you not.

====

http://www.rappler.com/nation/163489-updates-death-penalty-bill-house-representatives

The death penalty bill just passed its third and final reading in the House of Representatives with a vote of 216 for, 54 against, and 1 abstention.

This is the version of the bill that does not include rape, nor plunder, nor treason.

Its next destination is the Senate, where of the 23 sitting Senators (normally 24, minus Senator De Lima), 10 have made public statements rejecting the death penalty, with six others variously on the fence about it.

Xelkelvos
Dec 19, 2012
Remind me again why rape, plunder and treason have been excluded from the death penalty bill? Is it because said people voting on it would be the most likely to be affected or something?

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

Xelkelvos posted:

Remind me again why rape, plunder and treason have been excluded from the death penalty bill? Is it because said people voting on it would be the most likely to be affected or something?

Some people got outraged at the thought of Congressmen removing a crime that they themselves were likely to commit (plunder) from the list of offenses punishable by death, but the press release of House Speaker Alvarez is that since "everyone" agrees that drug crimes need to be punishable by death, better to remove all the other controversial stuff to reduce the amount of time tied up in discussing amendments, and to give the Representatives more freedom (my words, not theirs) to vote in favor of the bill.

Basically, the premise is that the imposition of the death penalty itself is not supposed to be contentious, but which crimes can get it, is, so they only kept the ones that everyone could get on board with as deserving of the death penalty. I can kind of see that rationale working with rape and plunder for obvious reasons, but not treason.

Argue
Sep 29, 2005

I represent the Philippines
Speaking of the death penalty, Duterte's just said that he not going to be signing off on the death penalty yet, because he needs time to study it and get the opinions of experts because of all the dynamics involved in implementing it.

Just kidding, it's actually what he said about the smoking ban

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gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

Argue posted:

Speaking of the death penalty, Duterte's just said that he not going to be signing off on the death penalty yet, because he needs time to study it and get the opinions of experts because of all the dynamics involved in implementing it.

Just kidding, it's actually what he said about the smoking ban

ahahaha jfc that got me good

Anyway, some people are shocked and disappointed that Geraldine Roman, the first transgender woman elected to Philippine Congress, voted in favor of the death penalty, especially since she publicly declared her opposition to it in June of last year.

People are also surprised that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo* and Imelda Marcos** voted against the bill. Of course, given the massive margin by which it passed, I am disinclined to give them an ounce of credit.

* Yes, our former President was constitutionally allowed to run for Congress.

** Yes, the wife of our former tinpot dictator. She was the Congressional Representative for Leyte's 1st District from 1995 to 1998; the R. in Imelda R. Marcos stands for Romualdez, a powerful clan in that region. She then ran for and won a seat in Ilocos's 2nd District in 2010, and won two more terms - this is her last term, ending in 2019. Another interesting note is that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. held that seat before she did, and Imee Marcos (the daughter) came before him.

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