GRP Mail - 05 Jul 2021
Opposition in turmoil following Hilbay revelation that discredit Carpio. Pacquiao on a publicity rampage.
Dear GRP Insiders,
The Philippine Opposition once again proves hopelessly inept at coalition building as individual agendas trump issues-based campaign.
The silver lining here is that the playing field has been levelled as traditional campaign strategies and PR tactics are rendered obsolete by the “new normal” and fresh ideas are increasingly in demand. Exciting times ahead!
Regards,
benign0
In review and in prospect
The explosive revelations on the South China Sea dispute made by Florin Hilbay who was Solicitor General under the administration of former President Benigno Simeon "BS" Aquino III threw a spanner into the Opposition works. It cast shade upon the credibility of Retired Justice Antonio Carpio who is the chief convenor of Opposition coalition 1Sambayan. This development likely dashes any hope of a unified Opposition going up against the vastly popular Duterte camp. Even as various key personalities of Opposition blocs and even of factions within the Yellowtard camp bicker, no statement on the matter has been issued by Carpio or by any of the social media channels of 1Sambayan.
Senator Manny Pacquiao, for his part has, over the last week, been flailing around and lashing out at perceived rivals through ill-thought-out "exposés" on corruption in government. When one stops to think about it, there is not much sense in a person who has the power to fix a problem issuing "exposés" on problems the solutions to which he has power to contribute to significantly.
Politics
Antonio Carpio’s lies about the South China Sea dispute cause false sense of nationalism
July 4, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"We need to be as progressive as our ASEAN neighbors to have funds to purchase aircraft and warships for the country’s defense and the enforcement of territorial sovereignty."
The insanity that is the Philippine Presidential System—Why “voting wisely” never works
July 4, 2021 by PulbuRonn
"The presidential system thrusts so much responsibility and power upon one person, and this leads to fanaticism. This gives off the impression that the president is a panacea to all our political ails when in truth, it takes multitude of warm bodies to run a State effectively."
Duterte trolling the Opposition with VP run confirmation. Opposition react predictably!
July 2, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Ninoy and Noynoy are dead and buried. That’s the end of it. How the country will move forward is what voters will respond to. The old Opposition is dead and they still didn’t get that memo."
June 30, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Aquino never held Cabinet meetings. He also never bothered to visit troops in their camps. He didn’t bother to show up for the arrival honors of the men massacred at Mamasapano, who followed the orders he had given as commander in-chief."
June 29, 2021 by Benedict Exconde
"Cojuangco-Aquino necropolitics worked in the past because it was buoyed by oligarch-owned local and United States media, and there was no way to counter propaganda favoring the clan and its allies. The same cannot be said in 2021..."
June 28, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The haste with which the Aquino family buried their brother is indicative of their facing the hard truth that the end has come."
Public service
Senate Bill No. 23 (BRAVE Bill) aims to make pork barrel corruption a thing of the past
June 28, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Lacson looks to hit two birds with one stone... break the continuing perpetuation of the pork barrel system in its latest form and decrease the practice of political patronage with the dependence by the LGUs in the release of their internal revenue allotments (IRA)."
Business
Natural gas BILLIONS behind an Opposition desperate to block another Duterte or Marcos presidency
July 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"What of PNoy’s being clueless about the presence of Paul Reichler and Albert Del Rosario for a meeting? Why didn’t PNoy follow up with Ochoa personally? There is more than meets the eye in the perorations of Carpio."
Duterte reverses Aquino admin failures, makes good on infrastructure development promises
July 2, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Then DOTC Secretary Jun Abaya accommodated the Ayalas' desire to have the MRT station transferred to Trinoma mall instead of SM North Edsa according to the original contract signed during the GMA administration."
LANDBANK-UCPB merger clears way for further development of Philippine coconut industry
July 2, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Capital expenditure will be required to upgrade and rehabilitate the oil mills under the umbrella of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund Oil Mills Group (CIIF OMG)."
Crime
Manny Pacquiao’s cheap talk on government corruption won’t solve it
July 4, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"In short, it's easy to say that there is corruption in government but it is hard to prove. While I don't begrudge the effort of Pac-Man, it's clear that his is not a sincere effort but more of catching the public's attention for his political plans."
History
Former SolGen Florin Hilbay calls BS on Ret. Justice Antonio Carpio’s Ph-China Dispute story
July 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"It was my right, as agent, to reject an offer of compromise I found unacceptable. I never even bothered to respond to J. Carpio -- to agree or disagree with him -- simply because he had no authority to attend that meeting in the first place." - Former SolGen Florin Hilbay
Yellowtards gaslighting Filipinos into believing Noynoy Aquino was a great man is EMOTIONAL ABUSE
June 29, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Gaslighting is a psychological term commonly used in the assessment of narcissistic personality disorder. Narcissists are gaslighters because they exist in their own fantasy world where everything is according to their plan."
Salamat Noynoy: Remembering his bullet-riddled legacy
June 28, 2021 by zaxx
"With the only son of Ninoy and Cory Aquino passing away loveless and childless, there is no direct heir of the Aquino surname to take advantage of whatever political capital remains for Yellow royalty."
Technology
Candidates wanting to mount a CREDIBLE challenge to Duterte should avoid fake campaign “consultants”
July 3, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"A campaign based on news stories being reposted on social media is not communicating with voters. The 21-45 demographic is 40-million-strong and millennials are notorious for their short attention spans. 250 words max and 15 seconds of video is the most they will tolerate."
Opposition “thought leaders” LIE to Filipinos whenever they insist that all trolls are pro-Duterte
July 2, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The opposition has painted the administration as the progenitor of fake news. But what of the slew of articles praising PNoy which flooded social media platforms since last week when he died? That’s also propaganda by definition."
Important dates
30 Aug 2021 - National Press Freedom Day
01 to 08 Oct 2021 - Filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC)
Notebook
"At first blush, Microsoft's Windows 11 looks to be a compelling update to the operating system software that powers most of the world's PCs. The software has a new streamlined look, reminiscent of smartphones and tablets. Microsoft also added capabilities to help people navigate the pandemic-redefined world, like built-in video chat software, new ways to organize apps and documents on the screen, and technology to make video games look better." (Full article)
COVID-19 variants seems to be exhibiting symptoms different to the original. "While fever and cough have always been common COVID symptoms, and headache and sore throat have traditionally presented for some people, a runny nose was rarely reported in earlier data. Meanwhile, loss of smell, which was originally quite common, now ranks ninth." (Full report)