‘… there is no more excuse for government to get this wrong. We’ve been at it for
a year and six months…’

I HAD a chance to go out last weekend to see what kind of crowd an Alert Level 2 brings to the malls. It was nice to see folks out again, and good to see businesses and shops exerting every effort to make sure that health protocols are in place. It’s a delicate balance as always, one that requires cooperation from customers as well as the business owners.

On one hand, as experts say, the pandemic isn’t over yet. The detection of the new variant Omicron should give us pause, but not excessive paranoia. There is a lot of unknowns about omicron for now, and it does not help to give in to panic and hopelessness. Instead, we stick to adhering to social distancing protocols, vigilant mask wearing, washing our hands, and limiting the risk we expose ourselves to by being conscious of good air ventilation.

Fortunately, Filipinos have generally taken to wearing masks, unlike in some other countries where their residents fight vigorously against mask mandates. It is also fortunate that the South African authorities have sounded the alarm as early as possible on the new variant, allowing other jurisdictions to take the necessary precautions to ward off the spread.

Which brings us to Philippine authorities, yet again. Our authorities should already be equipped to deal with new variants. It’s not the first one we’ve seen in almost two years, and it certainly won’t be the last. We’re not back in January 2020, ladies and gentlemen.

Our government should already know what works and what does not. The things that work do not include the use of face shields, as already repeated by scientists and folks who know more about engineering and air flow.

Timely travel bans can only be efficient if coupled with testing, tracing, and vaccination. To be charitable, contact tracing efforts have been mediocre, and so far the only “results” we see comes by way of getting more spam messages via SMS. We are likewise in a better place than we were a year ago — more people have been vaccinated against COVID-19.

Government should keep pushing more vaccination drives, similar to the model that was initiated by Vice President Leni Robredo in partnership with local government units and the private sector. The latest public surveys show that more people want to get vaccinated than in previous months, and government should take advantage of this sentiment.

In any event, there is no more excuse for government to get this wrong. We’ve been at it for a year and six months, and all the learnings from the time that the first lockdown was declared should already be assessed and corrected — again there is no reason why implementation cannot be better these days. No more of this face shield and curfew nonsense — these have been shown to have very little positive effect on curbing the spread of the virus.

Hang tight, dear millennials and fillennials. It’s not over yet, and we should keep taking steps to protect ourselves and our loved ones from getting sick these days.

`Some concerned folks have raised the possibility that information given on contact tracing forms can also be
a source of these leaks.’

Snaps to the Securities and Exchange Commission for moving to institutionalize a framework to regulate online lending platforms (OLPs). We saw the rise of OLPs even prior to the pandemic, offering easy loans to folks who need a leg up until the next payday, or to deal with unforeseen expenses that tend to come at inopportune times. Traditional borrowing suddenly went online — all a consumer had to do was to provide a valid government-issued ID, a mobile number, and more importantly, no collateral — and voilí , cash will be deposited in your account. For someone in a jam, the OLPs provide a seemingly painless solution to getting a loan. Until the dark side revealed itself, all too soon.

Borrowers suddenly found themselves the subject of threats from collecting agents hired by OLPs to help collect payment. Family, friends, and office mates of borrowers started receiving messages from unregistered numbers, informing all and sundry that their friend X owes money and has not paid. How embarrassing for these folks! While the National Privacy Commission also stepped in at the height of the controversy (I understand that the NPC has already penalized some entities), it’s disconcerting to hear that this abominable practice persists to this day.

Just a few weeks ago, I received one such message from an unregistered mobile number, informing me that X (mind you, the poor person’s full name was spelled out) had an outstanding loan with them and has apparently not made any payment. Worse, the sender even informed me that I would be made personally liable for the said debt if X did not pay at a certain time. While I obviously do not scare easily with empty threats, I could not confidently say the same for others who may have been sent the same message.I checked my phone book for X’s name (it sounded vaguely familiar) and found that I indeed had someone by that name there. X worked as a coordinator in a media outfit, and probably had my name and number in her contact list for interviews and such. Like thousands before, X had turned to an OLP to access a quick loan, not knowing that the app being used by the OLP scoured her phone book and mined all those numbers, in the event of default to name and shame the borrower. I wonder how many former and incumbent public officials received the same message as I did?

Another insidious by-product of this illegal collection of mobile numbers is the practice of selling them to marketers, who use them to spam users with unwelcome advertisements and messages. Lately I’ve noticed a rise in these messages with almost the same offering: “I am a project manager, we are hiring for a part/full time job, you can earn 3000 to 6000 every day.” What gives? Where else do these people get these numbers from? Some concerned folks have raised the possibility that information given on contact tracing forms can also be a source of these leaks. If that is the case, then hundreds of thousands of mobile numbers are potentially affected, given how everyone has given these out just to enter establishments during the pandemic.

It’s concerning because securing mobile contact information is a step towards identity fraud, especially now that your banking apps and other financial services are linked to a mobile number of your own choice. As the BSP said, cyber fraud is on the rise, and while we should all take steps to secure our information, the onus cannot just fall on citizens.

Other government agencies must also step up and hold custodians of personal information and data to a higher standard.

It’s just the kind of spam no one wants, and it should stop.

‘If it is true that her candidacy has a snowball’s chance in hell, why then do other candidates (and their supporters) continually react to whatever the Vice President does? If she does not matter, why expend all this energy to bring her down?’

FOR a while over the weekend, national politics was treated to a glimpse of the normal scenario in local politics — Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, presidential daughter, gave in to the whispers of political power brokers and filed her candidacy for vice president. While the act of running for a national position wasn’t exactly news (it was quite obvious that this play had been run before by her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, back in 2015) what came as a surprise to administration allies was her decision to run as vice president alongside Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., son of ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

As Sir Isaac Newton once said: “To every action, there is always an equal and opposite or contrary reaction.” In this case, the equal and contrary action was quite swift: by Saturday afternoon, just hours after the younger Duterte made her move, long-time presidential aide and Sen. Bong Go withdrew his certificate of candidacy for vice president and set his sights on the presidency instead. Equally interesting is the announcement that the elder Duterte himself is set to file his COC for vice president to Go, contrary to his own pronouncement last month that he will retire from politics after stepping down from the presidency. (Note: as of press time, the period for filing substitutions is still open.)

In short, dear millennials and fillenials, the electorate will probably be seeing a Marcos-Sara Duterte vs. Bong Go-Rodrigo Duterte face off in May 2022. It is a clash of local proportions (I refrain from describing it as “epic,” seeing that it is far from the truth) which represents the apparent rot in our political system. Apologists will excuse it as “democracy,” citing every citizen’s right to run for public office, but we see it precisely for what it is: personal and political interest converging and diverging as the landscape dictates.

It’s interesting that all this attempted consolidation comes in the wake of Vice President Leni Robredo’s announcement that she is gunning for the highest office in the land. Funny how her political opponents and observers have been dismissing her candidacy as dead in the water — she took too long to decide, etc. etc. And yet, we see in her supporters the very thing that seasoned politicians and strategists dread: makeshift signs, volunteer driven events… in a word, maskipaps. To turn a phrase, kanya-kanyang sikap. The jury is still out on whether she and running mate Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan have made significant headway outside of their traditional base, but one thing is certain: both have managed to energize their constituencies so effectively that people are going out and doing things by themselves to help get Leni and Kiko elected.

Take for example that nationwide caravan which reportedly gathered 10,000 vehicles. So much he said-she said online (“elitist,” “small,” “drop in the bucket,”) but did anyone notice how other candidates quietly followed suit and launched their own? If it is true that her candidacy has a snowball’s chance in hell, why then do other candidates (and their supporters) continually react to whatever the Vice President does? If she does not matter, why expend all this energy to bring her down? You see, once again, this is a classic case of actions speaking louder than words. Their own actions betray their bravado; despite pronouncements to the contrary, it would be unwitting to count her out just yet.

But make no mistake, she and Sen. Pangilinan have a long and tough road ahead of them.

Both will have to break more glass ceilings in order to win, especially in the face of the consolidation of other political groups bent on preserving (or regaining) political power, armed with no machinery and no money. They will have to be wiser in spending the little resources they have, smarter in deploying their strategy, and more realistic about the bets they make throughout the remaining months. One thing is certain: VP Robredo and Sen. Pangilinan need to rely on the muscle willingly provided by their volunteers to buoy their numbers, and to get their message of hope across to every Filipino voter, from Aparri to Jolo.

‘…while many of us share the longing for a bit more of fresh air and seeing our loved ones and friends, we must all still remain on guard to help keep infections down among our own families.’

THE Duterte administration announced the lowering of the alert level prevailing in the National Capital Region to alert level 2, which means that businesses can now accommodate more customers, and more types of businesses are now allowed to operate.

With the loosening of restrictions, senior citizens and children can now go with their families to malls and other establishments. According to DOH data, the number of active cases is now much lower, along with the all-important metric of the positivity rate. NCR also has the highest number of individuals vaccinated.

The announcement was met with mixed reactions. Some are happy that children and seniors can now move about, and I can understand how being cooped up in the house must feel for many of our children and elders. Churches are likewise open and now able to accommodate more church-goers eager to hear mass or worship in person.

Some have expressed alarm at how the crowds swelled over the weekend, fearful that we might be caught in another ebb and flow of the pandemic cycle. To be sure, many understand that the economy must reopen in order to generate and save jobs for our fellow Filipinos; however, it is incumbent upon our officials to make sure that guidelines are in place to regulate the safe opening of businesses. To be fair to the private sector, most business owners have taken on the burden of ensuring that health and safety protocols continue to be followed despite the easing of restrictions.

As always, everyone wanting to go outside for leisure should make their own calculations to lessen the risk of infection: while many of us share the longing for a bit more of fresh air and seeing our loved ones and friends, we must all still remain on guard to help keep infections down among our own families. This will be especially hard this coming Christmas season, where the temptation to throw caution to the wind will be stronger. COVID fatigue is real, and we can all understand the need to be with loved ones and friends after being in the world’s longest lockdown.

The bigger concern, which goes largely under the radar, is all these campaign activities that are already happening on the ground, in every province in the Philippines. I see photos of caucuses, gatherings, and rallies, of public gymnasiums packed to the brim as if we were not living in a pandemic. Sure, there are rules in place to regulate these gatherings, that’s true. But do you see anyone stopping these politicians? If unchecked, these gatherings will likely be super spreader events. And once again, it will be the communities of ordinary people who will bear the brunt of this careless campaigning by the very people who are supposed to be looking after our welfare.

As voters, we should add this to our list of things to consider when voting for a particular candidate, whether national or local. We can expect more sweet promises from these politicians and all sorts of assistance as election day nears, but we must not forget: beyond these words and promises, do their actions show that they really are after your well-being?

Or is their disregard quite apparent, trusting that their gift of rice and promised assistance will be enough for you to shade that circle next to their names in the ballot come May? We have a lot of thinking to do, my dear millennials and fillennials. May we all discern well.

‘It’s a perfect case study on how governments should be investing in enabling their people’s creativity, in addition to many other pressing needs.’

IT’S hard to miss BTS, the seven-member South Korean mega group who call themselves “Bangtan Sonyeondan” (literally translated into English as “Bulletproof Boy Scouts.”) BTS is everywhere: billboards, magazines, radio, TV, internet. Their bright faces appear on product endorsements ranging from cars, mobile phones, juice, even coffee. I found myself looking for BTS merchandise as pasalubong for my girlfriends last time I was in Seoul and thought that I had to go out of my way to find it. Turns out I was wrong; socks, shoes, stickers, calendars, keyboards, and all sorts of items that would make any ARMY’s heart flutter were readily available (ARMY is the name of the fans of BTS, an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.)

Even if you are not a fan of their music, it’s easy to be fascinated by the phenomenon that is BTS. Beyond the fandom, most non-ARMY folks are surprised to find out that BTS is a big contributor to the South Korean economy, alongside electronics giant Samsung and Korean Air. As of 2019, BTS pulled in an estimated US$5 billion into the South Korean economy, accounting for .5% of the country’s gross domestic product. It’s not just concert sales or merchandise, mind you; around 800,000 tourists visited South Korea in 2017 alone because of BTS. This has not gone unnoticed by the South Korean government, and BTS has been the face of Seoul’s tourism program five years in a row.

Interesting side note: the last time I applied for a tourist visa to South Korea, there was a three-month waiting time for processing. I asked the travel agent why the sudden surge in visa applications (in 2013, the wait was around two weeks) and she smiled and told me: “BTS fans.”

It’s easy to dismiss the K-pop and K-drama wave as a one of the mere passing fancies in entertainment, if you didn’t know that South Korea has been investing in music and the arts for decades, integrating training in music for children as early as elementary school.

They bet on music and the arts as a pillar of economic recovery as far back as 1996 and invested tax money accordingly. In 2020, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism received a budget of over US$4.9 billion for its programs, which included financial support for local filmmakers, cartoonists, and fashion designers to enable them to reach foreign markets. The support has been integral in creative development, allowing Koreans to embrace culture and the arts as a means of earning a livelihood, in a society which previously labored under a strict censorship regime.

That bet has been steadily paying off, not just with groups like BTS but with globally watched productions like Squid Games, Crash Landing on You, Kingdom, and Parasite.

Korean artists now have global followings, encouraging fans to learn Korean in order to get closer to their idols. Fan engagements apps such as Vlive and Weverse have millions of downloads on Google Play and the Apple App store, catering not just to Korean fans but to fans around the world.

The Korean wave is also paving the way for how artists can use technology to engage their fans, beyond the typical social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram. In the case of BTS, their random and frequently unannounced live appearances on Weverse or Vlive rack up millions of viewers, providing an unparalleled brand of fan service unheard of in the West.

While there are certainly many techniques that can be adopted by individual artists and creators, the segment that should really be paying attention to these lessons are governments. It’s a perfect case study on how governments should be investing in enabling their people’s creativity, in addition to many other pressing needs. One outstanding lesson: when a government invests in its people, the return is inevitable.

‘For an administration that holds a super majority in Congress, and for a President with high survey ratings, the quandary that the Duterte administrations finds itself in is very, very, unusual.’

BEFORE, they came in droves. Venues filled to the rafters, with supporters and allies clapping at every pause. Loud guffaws at all the jokes, no matter how lewd or crass. Allies and politicians showed up at every event possible, jostling to get the best seats in the line of sight, jockeying to have their photos taken, fists held out proudly.

The said photos were gleefully plastered over social media, informing any and all in the realm of their proximity to power.

Foreign trips were likewise jammed with attendees, whether from politics or business.

There was no shortage of people who wanted a piece of the President, for their own reasons. Now, the term is coming to its close: and any former presidential staffer will tell you, the last Christmas in office strikes a very stark contrast to the first. Most allies are preparing to move on to the next big thing, eager to secure their place in the sun.

For an administration that holds a super majority in Congress, and for a President with high survey ratings, the quandary that the Duterte administrations finds itself in is very, very, unusual. The President’s party has suffered a devastating split, with one staunch ally moving to declare his own candidacy for the highest office in the land. Meanwhile, it was comically revealed soon after the closing of the filing of certificates of candidacy that the President’s party’s “standard bearer” was told a mere two hours before the event that he was chosen to run as president.

So haphazard it evidently was that the “standard bearer” even came to file his COC while donning a T-shirt with the initials of a regional party, so much so that one poor staffer must have been tasked to find (and throw on) an appropriate jacket to avoid further snickers from onlookers.

And yet, they seek to quell placeholder rumors, complete with rhetoric and chest-thumping, that this is not a case of prepared substitution. After all, it is quite embarrassing for the ruling party to be left without a real contender, clearly just making do with what is remotely available. It does not project strength; it projects the weakness of a once-mighty coalition held together by a very thin thread.

With the clock ticking until the close of the period of substitution, it must be difficult for the remaining allies to realize that they are no longer living in 2019, when they held most of the political sphere by the nape of their necks with bowed obeisance. Eyes must be frantically watching allies for every movement, checking if one has jumped ship to other sides or are dutifully remaining to wait for the true anointed one of the President.

Ears must be pressed to the ground, waiting for word of any deserters. Phone calls are being furiously made, if only to gauge if support is wavering or still enthusiastic.

Assurances are passed all around, with murmurs of allegiance, if only to prepare for quiet exits to find a soft landing space.

Soon enough, they will stare the truth in the face. Before, they came in droves. The next few months, if the signs persist, might be a completely different story.

‘Hopefully, voters will have more good options to choose from when it comes to casting their ballot.’

AND so it comes to this: the filing of certificates of candidacy is now upon us, with all and sundry curiously casting a watchful eye on who will file for what, until the eighth of October. It used to be that the close of the period of filing more or less brought some closure on the participants in the electoral arena, but with most people now wise to the Duterte playbook, we all know that the watch does not end here. Until November 15, 2021, the Comelec allows candidate substitutions belonging to the same party, for the same position. Given the nth-hour tactic pulled by then-Davao Mayor Rody Duterte in 2015, it’s very likely that the same situation may be resurrected for this season.

That announcement about President Duterte retiring from politics at the sidelines of his aide Bong Go’s filing of his certificate of candidacy fell flat, considering that he also made the same announcement back in September 2015 when he claimed that he will not gun for the presidency. The only surprising thing was that it was Mr. Go who filed his candidacy for the vice-presidential race, and not President Duterte as previously advertised.

It seems that father and daughter (incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte) have not come to an agreement yet about their final plans for 2022. Word has it that the daughter is not very warm to her father’s wish that she takes in Mr. Go as her running mate, for many reasons. While Mayor Sara has filed her COC to run in Davao City, we know that there is still more than a month to go for these discussions to continue to percolate, and for warring factions to come to a compromise that satisfies most everyone’s interests. But most in the know are not very optimistic, and one even expressed that getting oil and water to mix might be more likely than getting Mayor Sara and Mr. Go to run together.

There are, on another hand, skeptics who staunchly believe that the ongoing “disagreement” between father and daughter is just part of the script carefully written to keep them relevant and in the news. While this cannot be discounted, many things have happened outside of the public eye that lend some credence to the theory that Mayor Duterte is indeed vehemently independent from her father, a streak that is quite worrisome to her father’s lieutenants. This is not to say that they do not share the same politics, of course; when it comes to choosing friends and allies, it seems she is more inclined to make her own and not necessarily take people in because they are loyal to her father. This explicably causes discomfort among the elder Duterte’s allies and factotums, especially those who might have earned the daughter’s ire in the past years.

In any case, it’s just a little over a month before the smoke clears and the public can see more clearly what the field looks like for 2022. Hopefully, voters will have more good options to choose from when it comes to casting their ballot.

‘The essence of Pharmally
is the unquenchable stench of naked ambition and whether in the long run the Filipinos will prefer the same smell of six years of more of the same…’

FOR several weeks now, the Senate Blue Ribbon investigation on Pharmally has kept the public riveted to the continual expose of overpriced face masks, substandard face shields, expired test kits, negligent due diligence conducted by the DBM-PS, expensive Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Lexus luxury vehicles, all produced with documentary evidence that cannot be refuted. Added to this hodgepodge of hubris and extravagance were the revelations, confessions, and admissions of government personnel, Pharmally executives and personnel who wither under the blistering interrogation of Senators Gordon, Drilon, Lacson, Pangilinan, and Hontiveros. As of yesterday, a key Pharmally employee is now suddenly “out of reach.”

This is the new telenovela that has gripped the Filipino masses. Allegations of corruption, abuse of power, incompetent government officials, bad character actors who lie, sacrificial pawns being urged to do good, the arrogant Chinese mandarin connection, and a President who defends the anomalous Pharmally contracts at every turn and attacks the senators ad hominem, and finally, a Senate grimly determined to get to the bottom of this scandal.

Critics attack the investigation as political. But, of course, it is! Any time the government is investigated, it is political. But it is also an investigation on transparency and accountability, on the mammoth waste of government funds at a time when the Duterte government hesitated on giving additional ayuda to our long-suffering people, our frontliners deprived of their legally mandated allowances, and our country unable to scale up contact tracing and mass testing. Against this backdrop, how can we not feel angry and aggrieved? While the many suffer from government inertia, the few have benefited and enjoyed the spoils of their corruption.

What is unsaid with the Pharmally scandal but quite obviously felt within the political circles are the ramifications on the presidential elections, specifically on the planned tandem between Mayor Sara Duterte as the presidential candidate and Bongbong Marcos as the vice-presidential candidate, a formidable tandem by any stretch. Before the Pharmally scandal, the tandem seemed pretty solid. Despite repeated denials from the Sara Duterte camp, no one seemed inclined to believe that she has abandoned her presidential ambitions, due in large part to the zarzuela the Dutertes foisted in 2016.

But with the Pharmally scandal playing front and center in the Filipino psyche, the aura of incorruptibility has been shattered and now, the nagging question is whether the Duterte brand can carry the tandem all the way to the finish line. Or would Bongbong Marcos be more suitable as the presidential candidate? Added to that drama is the wishes of his mother to see the dawn of a second Marcos presidency. Or finally, will Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte go their separate ways and run for president in the 2022 elections?

The chutzpah of Bongbong Marcos and his cohorts to go for broke stemmed from a deliberate and systematic goal to restore and rehabilitate the Marcos name on social media. The Marcos family has made historical revisionism a springboard from which to launch his political ambitions, thwarted once in 2016 by a widow but now has taken advantage of all social media arsenal to sanitize further the Marcos name. Thus, given the highly questionable ascendancy of the Marcos brand and the corrupt web entangling the Duterte brand, will the proposed tandem survive or if they run separately, will either of them win?

The political essence of Pharmally is not so much the corruption, abuse of power and obeisance to Chinese influence. That much has been proven and no one in his right mind will doubt these contracts were riddled with red flags. The essence of Pharmally is the unquenchable stench of naked ambition and whether in the long run the Filipinos will prefer the same smell of six years of more of the same or will we prefer another fragrance and go for the most principled candidate.

Pharmally or Jo Malone, anyone?

‘I will always remember
her whenever I see sunflowers facing the sun, certain that Sec. Dinky is finally resting among her field of beloved sunflowers in the afterlife.’

RECEIVE an email from Dinky Soliman for the first time and you’ll find yourself drawn to her sign off, which reads: “sunflower wishes.” She loved sunflowers not just because they were pretty, but more for what sunflowers do: they always look up to catch the sun, no matter how dark and dreary the weather. They symbolize happiness, joy, cheerfulness, and new hope, all qualities that people who have worked with or met Sec. Dinky associate with her personality.

In a commencement speech she delivered before the class of 2014 of Xavier University in Cagayan De Oro, Dinky narrated the story behind her affinity with sunflowers: “It was 1973 when I came here for the first time to start community organizing in Bukidnon. I was young like you and did not know anybody except for a Jesuit named Fr. Junie Jesena of the Social Action Center who raised funds for the drought victims in Bukidnon, so you can only imagine the uncertainties that I felt in my coming here.”

She went on to explain: “At that time, to go to Bukidnon, one would have to pass three canyons. These were all covered with wild sunflowers. I was so captivated by that scenery that I took it as God’s reassurance that I was in the right path. It was as if He was telling me that in taking up His cross to help Him empower and facilitate processes so that the people will realize and use the power they have; God was affirming my commitment to serve His people. To this day, I still look at sunflowers as such. They take me back to that day in 1973 and the commitment to service and empowerment processes I had made to fight for justice; to stand for truth and freedom; to love and reach out to the God in people.”

A discussion on Twitter after Sec. Dinky’s passing caught my eye: comedian and host John “Sweet” Lapus expressed his sadness at her passing and said that people always felt her presence back then. Lapus asked his followers if they can name the current DSWD Secretary, and most responses were in the negative. Not to denigrate the incumbent DSWD Secretary, of course, but it’s hard to keep up with the dynamo that was Sec. Dinky. She was everywhere back then–typhoons, earthquakes, man-made calamities, etc. Apart from her colorful hair, she was always on the ground with her ever-present DSWD red vest, ensuring the delivery of relief efforts to those who needed it most.

Was she perfect? I think Sec. Dinky would’ve been the first to laugh at answering this question in the affirmative. What was unique about her is that despite the burden of office that she carried twice in her career (first under the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, second under Benigno S. Aquino III) she always exuded the optimism and hope that is characteristic of sunflowers. She rarely buckled under pressure and shepherded the younger public servants she met along the way to give their best to the Filipino. She was always generous with her time, never mind that she has a million and one things to do.

I remember seeing her at the National Resource Operations Center of the DSWD one time, where volunteers usually go to help repack relief goods. I can’t remember which typhoon this was, only that it was already late and a handful of volunteers were still at NROC. I was surprised to see Sec. Dinky among us, with a trusty walis tambo in hand, sweeping the floor where the rice repacking table was. I went to her and volunteered to take over, which she waved away politely. Other volunteers saw her and suffice to say that everyone started moving a little faster (and perhaps, out of embarrassment) that the DSWD Secretary herself was among them, lending her own muscle to get the work done.

That was Sec. Dinky–she was not one cabinet secretary to sit in her airconditioned office while work needed to be done. She was down with everyone in the trenches and was equally adept at presenting and defending the DSWD’s work to the President or to the media. It was not just about policy with her–she knew the stories of the families being helped by these programs, whether it be the 4Ps nanays or the Kalahi-CIDSS beneficiaries.

She understood that her job was to be their champion, whether in the Aguinaldo State Dining Room where the cabinet frequently met, or in the calamity-stricken areas. She did all of this with little regard for her personal convenience; she once rushed off to Zamboanga during the siege of 2013 without enough supply of her diabetes medication, not knowing that she would be staying for a prolonged period of time. Thankfully, her medication was sent to piggyback on the next trip.

She has left her mark indelibly on those who worked with her across administrations, and even post-term when she continued her work in the grassroots communities here and abroad. I will always remember her whenever I see sunflowers facing the sun, certain that Sec. Dinky is finally resting among her field of beloved sunflowers in the afterlife.

‘The President, as he often reminds us, is a lawyer. He should have known this from the start, and no amount of bullying can distract from the fact that something fishy is afoot.’

FRIENDS, readers, and followers on social media have asked me lately: how bad can this clash get between the Senate and Malacañang? Those tuning in to the news know that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee continues to hold its investigation on what Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon calls “premeditated plunder” in relation to the billions of pesos in procurement contracts awarded to one Pharmally Pharmaceuticals Corporation, through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management.

President Duterte seems to have taken it upon himself to personally lead the charge against the investigation itself, choosing to appear more frequently than usual to give the senators a piece of his mind. Most recently, he threatened senators with his usual “eye for an eye” style, hoping that the latter will back down and stop the investigation. Mr. Duterte already started slinging mud against Senators Gordon, Drilon, and Lacson, and thankfully the three have brushed off these tantrums to remain focused on the issue.

It’s true that it’s not the first time Senate and Malacañang have clashed over an important issue. While the House of Representatives is usually aligned with any sitting president, the Senate is a trickier chamber to navigate – some have referred to the Senate as “24 independent republics” as each senator is elected by a national mandate.

Remember that during the time of Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Executive Order 464 was issued precisely to prevent Arroyo’s Cabinet officials to appear before the Legislature without the Chief Executive’s express and written permission. It was spurred then by the “Hello Garci” investigations. GMA-era officials invoked EO 464 to excuse their absence from other legislative inquiries. The matter of EO 464 eventually reached the Supreme Court, which declared part of the contested issuance as unconstitutional, and upheld some provisions.

The Duterte administration, if so inclined, can provide legal cover for their officials if their continued attendance at the Senate hearings will prove to be too damaging. Whether such legal cover will hold (or the wisdom of doing so) is another issue, but the point remains that it is very possible that President Duterte can go beyond his bluster and bravado to try to put a stop to these hearings.

It is very clear that the Blue Ribbon is bent on seeing this investigation through, despite the personal attacks launched by the President and his generals. But, as they say, every man has his limit, and the Executive is in a position to find that limit and press on it. The reason why the Constitution sets out other branches of government as “separate and co-equal” is to bolster the system of checks and balances in government, to ensure that power is wielded within the manner prescribed. While many will ascribe political motive to the Senators and even doubt the timing of this effort, it cannot be denied that this is one of the fullest and most robust exercise of the check and balance power of the Legislature. The President, as he often reminds us, is a lawyer. He should have known this from the start, and no amount of bullying can distract from the fact that something fishy is afoot.