By Ade S. Fajardo What is becoming apparent in recent days is that local governments are generally left in the dark in the allocation of funds and implementation of projects that come from the national government and funneled directly to the district engineers of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The emerging shape, however, …
Come To Think Of It
Are thinking voters giving up the fight?
By Ade S. Fajardo President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has created the Independent Commission for Infrastructure to uncover anomalous public works projects that were funded and implemented in the past 10 years. Marcos himself exposed the biggest corruption scandal to rock the country in recent history. He told lawmakers “mahiya naman kayo” for getting kickbacks from …
Quitting to evade lifestyle checks
By Ade S. Fajardo The ongoing probe into flood control shenanigans has shaken the foundations of many institutions. Case in point: Senator Tito Sotto has wrested the Senate presidency from Chiz Escudero. In the Senate hearing, the famed Discaya couple named several lawmakers as among those who received kickbacks from infrastructure projects that they implemented …
Richard Gomez, flood control and doxxing
By Ade S. Fajardo Without kickbacks would legislators be interested in the implementation of infrastructure projects? A legislator’s principal function is precisely that — to legislate, meaning to review or enact laws. But why is there an upsurge in the number of public work contractors in the hallowed halls of Congress? Is it the function …
Losing the fight against corruption
By Ade S. Fajardo Before PBBM could lament corruption in his State of the Nation Address, there had already been reports of P142.7 billion in “bicam insertions” added in the late stages of the 2025 national budget process. The topmost beneficiary of the largess is Bulacan, home province of Senator Joel Villanueva, which is reportedly …
Did Escudero violate the law?
By Ade S. Fajardo Section 95 (c) of the Omnibus Election Code provides that no contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by “natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or …
Is Sara vulnerable to plunder?
By Ade S. Fajardo Before July ended, the Supreme Court came out with its decision declaring the articles of impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte unconstitutional. In early June, the House of Representatives’ committee on good government and public accountability recommended the filing of criminal charges against Sara Duterte and other officials who were with …
Impeachment overhauled
By Ade S. Fajardo Before the articles of impeachment against Sara Duterte even reached the Senate, the University of the Philippines College of Law had already published its “Impeachment Primer and Frequently Asked Questions.” The Primer is available online despite the Supreme Court’s recent promulgation of Duterte vs. House of Representatives. Excerpts from the Primer …
Will the Senate also seek reconsideration?
By Ade S. Fajardo The Supreme Court had stopped an impeachment only two times before the currently sizzling case of Sara Duterte. In 2003, it declared some provisions of the House of Representatives rules on impeachment unconstitutional, and halted the hearings against former Chief Justice Hilario Davide. A status quo ante order was issued while …
Cosmetic development
By Ade S. Fajardo People have not forgotten the dolomite beach project of the previous administration. Almost P400 million was spent to whiten half-a-kilometer of shoreline of Manila Bay. The published intention was to comply with the continuing mandamus issued by the Supreme Court directing government to rehabilitate Manila Bay. *** The Metro Manila Development …