By Ade S. Fajardo Flood control is the scandal that felled a Senate president. In May 2024, Chiz Escudero replaced Migz Zubiri as Senate head, one year before the national elections that saw administration candidates getting shellacked at the polls. Among his jubilant colleagues were Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, who now face the …
Come To Think Of It
Is regime change an option at this time?
By Ade S. Fajardo Over the weekend, Senator Panfilo Lacson revealed over the radio that he has been approached and coaxed to be part of a “civil-military junta.” “Meron talagang nag-uudyok. May mga nagme-message sa akin — retired military — na gusto raw nila civil military-junta. May offer pa nga na maging bahagi ako ng …
Bicol express
By Ade S. Fajardo Former Congressman Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol Party-list has accused President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. of receiving P25 billion in kickbacks, supposedly from P100 billion worth of project insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. “After the approval of the budget in the General Appropriations Act of 2025, I asked the DPWH …
What if the former Chief Justice is mistaken?
By Ade S. Fajardo Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla has announced that Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is now the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The senator is consistently mentioned as a potential co-accused in the crimes against humanity case against former President Rodrigo Duterte. In some submissions made …
Trivializing the notarial process
By Ade S. Fajardo Senator Marcoleta: “Ito rin po ay pina-notaryo ninyo. Totoo po ba ang notaryong ito?” Orly Guteza: “Totoo po, your honor.” That was the simple exchange between the examiner and the witness that segued to questions on the substance of the affidavit that Guteza submitted to the Senate Blue Ribbon committee a month ago. *** …
The curious case of Villanueva’s PDAF
By Ade S. Fajardo Senator Joel Villanueva was among the less prominent personalities involved in the Napoles Pork Barrel Scandal near the end of the PNoy administration in 2015. The more visible indictees were Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, who were detained for some time for the non-bailable offense of plunder. …
Endless cycle of corruption
By Ade S. Fajardo Regardless of where you are in the Philippines, people assess winnability at the polls through a candidate’s vaunted political machinery. In turn, with very few exceptions, machinery is measured by how much money a candidate is willing and able to spend in the exercise. A candidate armed only with smarts and …
Duterte to be tried while in prison
By Ade S. Fajardo The pre-trial chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has junked former President Rodrigo Duterte’s request for interim release. The ICC noted that Duterte did not dispute or contest the recital of allegations in his warrant of arrest. This lack of denial led the court to conclude that there “continue to …
Are local governments powerless against insertions?
By Ade S. Fajardo Local governments must be ecstatic that billions of pesos have been pouring in by way of infrastructure projects. Meantime, legislators have ignored the constitutional directive that education be given the highest budgetary priority. The Department of Education suffered a P12-billion cut in the 2025 General Appropriations Act, prompting Secretary Sonny Angara to …
So, what if the notary was forged?
By Ade S. Fajardo Last week, Senator Rodante Marcoleta introduced a whistleblower at the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. Reading from a notarized affidavit, Orly Guteza accused Ako Bicol’s Representative Elizaldy Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez of receiving P1.68 billion in cash contained in several suitcases. Guteza alleged that 46 suitcases containing P48 million each …