JC Gotinga
@JCGotinga
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Journalist at Rappler. Formerly: VICE World News, Al Jazeera English, CNN Philippines
Manila, Philippines
Joined February 2012
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How did we get here?
1. We did not pursue their prosecution.
2. Miriam Santiago teamed up with him in 2016; legitimized him, let him back into orthodoxy.
3. Duterte let the father be buried beside our heroes.
4. They seeded lies into countless videos & posts on social media.
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THREAD: Coverage snapshots of Vice President
@lenirobredo
This was in May 2017. The Marawi siege. Hundreds of thousands of residents were displaced. Gov't officials were wary of visiting because of security risks. Here's Robredo checking out one of the largest evacuation areas.
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OUTTAKES: VP Leni Robredo
Reporters stake out to capture fleeting moments with a VIP. You end up with successive shots, hoping for one good take.
Early in her term
@lenirobredo
tended to avoid the media. She now says she regrets it because it left room for fake news to spread.
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Covering Leni Robredo was sometimes frustrating. Unlike other politicos, she doesn't seem eager to be "seen." But she arrives because she wants to see. And listen. That's what I observed about her. She wants to get the feel of a situation, on top of having the facts and figures.
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JUST IN: Senator Risa Hontiveros files a resolution calling on the Commission on Audit to review gov't spending on its COVID-19 response. Senators Ralph Recto, Sonny Angara, Panfilo Lacson, Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, & Leila de Lima are co-signatories.
@rapplerdotcom
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@lenirobredo
Her delaying deciding to run wasn’t reluctance or hesitation. She wanted to be sure she was the best candidate to give the opposition a winning shot. We've heard her opponents on this, but now it's clear she made the better decision.
It’ll be our turn in a few days—to decide.
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January 2020, Taal eruption. Duterte said he would piss at the volcano so it would pipe down. Robredo was making the rounds of affected towns to bring aid and assess needs. This was her stop at Sta. Teresita, Batangas. It was pretty hard to chase her – she has a packed itinerary.
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The next question is, don't we have 23 senators besides
@risahontiveros
?
Imagine if even half of them did their job.
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BREAKING: 14 Filipino crew members of fishing boat Liberty Cinco are missing after it collided with a Chinese cargo ship off Cape Calavite, Occ. Mindoro at around 1 am on Sunday, June 28, the PH Coast Guard Southern Tagalog Operations team confirmed to Rappler.
@rapplerdotcom
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Journos are discouraged from expressing political views, lest we covey biases. But our pursuit is the truth; we hold back judgment when the truth is uncertain. But when we know the truth, shan't we proclaim it?
Anyway, this one's just me fanboying. I really don't do this often.
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I noticed Robredo was often the first national gov't official on ground zero in the aftermath of disasters. This day during the Marawi siege, she had a long itinerary that included giving out sewing machines to displaced women and a briefing with the military. No cameras allowed.
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That moment when
@lenirobredo
's daughters introduced her as "Ang susunod na Pangulo ng Pilipinas."
(The next President of the Philippines)
And then that family hug.
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Robredo was often trolled for showing up, accused of stealing Pres. Duterte's thunder. She often avoided media attention. In Sept 2016 after the Davao City night market bombing, she visited victims' families but declined media interviews. I got no photos. This one's still Marawi.
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Guys naman, for starters, Maria Ressa's "11 million" quote was an obvious mistake and she's apologized for it. In all of Rappler's articles, we say "11,000 employees" so it's not like we're peddling a lie. Don't stretch your imaginations too much. Mahirap yan.
#DefendPressFreedom
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@lenirobredo
In the 6 years she’s been VP, she delivered service over & beyond her office’s mandate. Because of her sterling record, resources poured in where there weren’t any, & she provided what our countrymen needed as the admin that ostracized her got caught up in a comedy of errors.
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"From drug czar to drug char," Robredo jested when, 18 days later, Duterte fired her as ICAD chief. She was about to release her findings and recommendations on how to tweak the drug war to make it humane and effective. So much for that.
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At plenary, Sen. Bong Go insinuates that Sen. Franklin Drilon's interpellation is delaying bills to increase public hospitals' bed capacities.
It backfires – turns out the bills lay pending in Go's committee for 15 months.
Interpellation, btw, is an essential part of lawmaking.
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In Nov 2019, Duterte dared her to take over the ICAD anti-drug council, basically to run the anti-drug campaign her way. She obliged, and whether Duterte was bluffing, he had to give her the post. Here's Robredo at her Quezon City office, about to hold her first meeting as chief.
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Robredo has been under a constant barrage of misogynist attacks from the very macho establishment. During a recent Zoom interview for a Probe documentary, our team got to chat with her about the toxic masculinity that characterizes our gov't, and how it encumbers our society.
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@lenirobredo
@acnichollstan
She didn’t toot her own horn. You had to be a constant observer to appreciate Robredo: the pro-bono lawyering for the down-and-out, the consistent standing up for what’s lawful and just, the moment’s notice showing up where the country is in need or hurting.
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@lenirobredo
UST, April 2016. The CNN Philippines VP Debate. This was when Robredo made her mark—"may the best woman win." Confident and composed, she refuted her rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr’s claims to innocence. It was pivotal; her numbers began to pick up after that debate.
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Senator
@risahontiveros
in her bardagulan era. Gloves are off, but not her composure tbh.
Risa Hontiveros to Sara Duterte: 'You're not special'
"If you’re so confident about those confidential funds, then defend them publicly," said Sen. Risa Hontiveros as she hit back at VP Sara Duterte on confidential funds in the OVP and DepEd budgets.
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@lenirobredo
And for all that, she only drew flak from the establishment whose incompetence was made stark by her brilliance. If only for herself, I don’t think Robredo would bother addressing the slander thrown at her. It’s beneath her.
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Dear fellow Filipinos, my prayer for us tonight is that we learn to recognize a true leader when we see one...
And a fraud when it stares us in the face during a pre-taped broadcast at 11 pm.
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@lenirobredo
Balo-i near Marawi, June 2017. She checked on evacuees fleeing the fighting. Flying in was a security risk; few national officials visited, in fact she was one of the first on the ground. She went to the war zone itself but I think no reporter was allowed to follow her there.
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BONUS 😉
Jan 30, 2020, a forum in Makati. Our 1st Covid case would be reported later that day. Robredo discussed her office's projects & plans that the pandemic would soon alter. I recall thinking "She sounds firmer this time. She's owning it." I thought she sounded presidential.
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It seems there are many reasons people look the other way when confronted with sexual abuse. Whatever the reason, it means the abuse goes on, leaving generations traumatized.
Students expose a "culture of abuse" at the Philippine High School for the Arts
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@lenirobredo
Sta Teresita, Batangas, January 2020. Taal eruption. Reporers scattered all over Batangas tried to catch Robredo as she made the rounds of affected towns to distribute aid and assess the situation. Unlike many politicos, she didn’t wait until the cameras arrived to start work...
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@lenirobredo
...As such, it was hard for us reporters to catch up with her. Here, she visits a small covered basketball court with a few hundred evacuees. She knew it was these minor shelters that often waited the longest for aid, so as she often does, she filled in the gap.
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@lenirobredo
It spoke of her sincerity, wanting to condole with the grieving families sans fanfare. She was being trolled for supposedly stealing Pres Duterte’s thunder. She must've thought showing up at that difficult time was enough. In an ideal world it was. But trolls were out to get her.
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@lenirobredo
Davao City, Sept 2016. Aftermath of the night market bombing. I was diverted from the day’s coverage plan because Robredo arrived to visit the victims. Reporters converged at the funeral chapels where the fatalities were waked.
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@lenirobredo
@acnichollstan
I wasn’t a fan, didn't think much of her joining politics after being widowed. But she was a star from the get-go, for reasons I didn’t understand at first. Congress reporters would flock to her—she’d have just filed an important bill or they'd ask for her take on some issue.
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After nearly 7 years in detention, former Senator Leila de Lima leaves the PNP Custodial Center after having been allowed to post bail. "Freedom at last," she exclaims to reporters waiting outside.
@rapplerdotcom
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@lenirobredo
Desperate, I asked a cameraman if I could take a snap of his viewfinder. He had managed to stick his lens into a crevice and caught this view of Robredo sharing a moment with one of the bereaved families.
Of course I couldn’t use these photos in my TV report. A valiant attempt.
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@lenirobredo
In an earlier tweet I said I failed to take photos. I got some after all—a brief moment with her going from one chapel to the next. We saw her arrive in a van; she right away said, regrets, she wasn’t going to give interviews. A bummer for reporters on deadline, TBH. Oh well.
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@lenirobredo
Comelec office, Manila, October 2015. Robredo struck me at the time as a reluctant candidate for vice president. She didn’t have the pomp and self-important air of her opponents; she seemed the type to be OK waiting in the wings. I may have been wrong but it doesn’t matter now...
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For those asking for FB/Tagalog:
PS: I wasn't really assigned to cover Leni Robredo so my coverages of her were mostly incidental, except a few times like the ICAD meeting, when I stood in for a colleague. I hope my colleagues can share their outtakes too.
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Senator Francis Pangilinan praises Liza Soberano, Catriona Gray, and Angel Locsin for speaking out vs abuse if women and children:
“Ano ba ‘yan? Nakipagkwentuhan lang si Liza, binantaan na ng kamatayan. Siya na nga ang binastos at binantaan ng rape, tatakutin pa?”
@rapplerdotcom
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I see some politicians outraged at the ambush & death of Gov Degamo.
Rightly so. We must demand nothing less than justice for him.
But they're the same politicos brushing the 6K+ drug war deaths (20K+ by NGO estimates) aside & blocking the Int'l Criminal Court's investigation.
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Tonight at her
#PasigLaban
rally, VP
@lenirobredo
spoke something into being: Pag-asa | Hope. Not some cheap campaign slogan but the collective fruit of the volunteerism she inspires, that has now begun to exceed the sum of its parts. And as she points out, there are 50 days yet.
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A troubling omen upon return to malls post-lockdown: bookstores shut or their spaces halved; more shelves for cutesie school supplies; books relegated to a corner w/sign: "books". Even
@_FullyBooked
BGC has downsized. A sign of this country's intellectual atrophy. My heart aches.
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He shot the mother first, in the head. She was clinging to her inebriated son to keep the situation from worsening.
And the cop shot her first. In the head.
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I feel his heartbreak. I laud his courage. I share his rage.
[OPINION] An open letter of grief from Loren Legarda’s son
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JUST IN: Senator Risa Hontiveros seeks an "immediate probe" by the Senate into the security implications of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' deal with Dito Telecommunity, which allows the China-backed telco to build cell sites in military bases.
@rapplerdotcom
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@watchmeninibear
IMHO this kind of statement doesn't serve us much. It still speaks of violence (unto self) and makes light of suicide.
It's still the same basag-ulo approach to things that's not helpful to anyone, I'm sorry.
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Mind you, 5 of us from the
@VICEWorldNews
Asia-Pacific team were let go without severance pay, despite having worked for the company full time and exclusively, on the premise that we were on contractual status because Vice did not hold office in our countries.
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BREAKING NEWS: PhilHealth senior vice president for operations Augustus de Villa resigns immediately and irrevocably. He says he will make himself available for ongoing congressional investigations of alleged corruption in the state health insurer.
@rapplerdotcom
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As Bongbong Marcos officially takes the presidency, Sara Duterte plays the diminutive vice president. Yet the strength of her presence is only getting more evident.
My latest for
@VICEWorldNews
on the Philippines'
#Eleksyon2022
#Halalan2022
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JUST IN: Statement of Senator Risa Hontiveros on NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr's warnings to Liza Soberano and Catriona Gray:
Lt. General Parlade, when you sat in front of me during your appointment hearing, you were like a lamb...
@rapplerdotcom
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That
@lenirobredo
mustered & pep-talked her grieving supporters before the week was out, cheerul & radiant as ever, w/ more hope to give despite defeat at the polls; to commit to public service sans gov't position - reveals character & leadership so rare now & throughout history.
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JUST IN: Army chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay asks NBI for 'impartial investigation" of Winston Ragos' killing, citing "apparent conflicting claims of police operatives involved, witness accounts, and materials available from open sources," including video footage.
@rapplerdotcom
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Really, the loss was ours. Part of me is glad they will be spared from all the potshots that would have been thrown their way if they won the presidency (yes they coz they're obv a cohesive unit), another 6 years of taking the high road for a country that always manages new lows.
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@agot_isidro
@aikarobredo
@lenirobredo
Thank you rin for everything you've been doing, Ate Agot. Lahat tayo saksi at nakahugot ng inspirasyon kay VP Leni throughout these otherwise lusak 6 years. Yakap, hope to see you soon, hopefully under better leadership. 🌷
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Pag kapwa politiko nila ang nadale, ang lakas nila makahiyaw ng hustisya.
Pero dun sa libo-libong pinaslang na maliliit na tao, kebs lang sila.
Actually no, hindi nga pala sila kebs dun. Pinalakpakan nila yon.
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JUST IN: Hungary reopens an embassy in the Philippines after a 2-decade absence; both countries to broaden cooperation.
@cnnphilippines
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Yan ang hirap. Marami sa law enforcement natin, fascist ang mindset without even knowing it. The thinking is to get into the force to lord it over everyone.
We are an immature republic.
When Marcos Jr. greeted supporters outside HQ, I overheard cops saying "yung media kasi magulo eh." We are not. We are orderly if you give us space. Journalists deserve that space. We need to do something, and do it now, lest we are yielding this space inch by inch.
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JUST IN: Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana says 4 Chinese warships recently passed through Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi; should've notified PH authorities but didn't. Lorenzana says Chinese ambassador will tell their navy to notify PH next time they are passing through.
@rapplerdotcom
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This for me is what
#LoveThePhilippines
means! 😄
After 2.8 years away, I am back at
@rapplerdotcom
to do multimedia journalism with a focus on investigative and in-depth reporting.
#CourageON
#HoldTheLine
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HAPPENING NOW: Senator Imee Marcos sponsors Senate Bill no. 1950, providing for the conduct of hybrid national, local, and BARMM elections. If passed, it would revert some aspects of polling to the manual mode, while retaining the automation of other aspects.
@rapplerdotcom
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🧵 On
#WorldWaterDay
I take you to
#KaliwaRiver
, which the Philippine gov't wants to dam to sustain tap water access for Manila's 14 million people.
This is the "Tinipak" segment of the river, the name alluding to the rock surfaces chiseled by millennia of water flowing through.
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What goes on in the Marcos family's minds on days like today?
How do they explain the world to themselves? How did they respond when their children first asked? Did they even ask? Did they even answer?
Do they lie to their children? Do all of their children swallow their lies?
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Powerbooks in Shangri-la, Megamall and The Podium all gone. National Bookstores selling more and more stuff that are not books. Fully Booked the only one now where you can actually browse books and not crowd around a couple of shelves with the country's few remaining bookworms.
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@nicadelrosario
@lenirobredo
Loving her relaxed vibe. I am glad for her. She gets to breathe now.
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Hontiveros: To Liza and Catriona: It is difficult and painful to be at the frontlines fighting beside persons oppressed by a norm that advocates rape, murder and exploitation. But every time you speak up, another girl becomes braver and another life is saved...
@rapplerdotcom
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THREAD: Coverage outtakes of Pasig Mayor
@VicoSotto
Sotto toppled a dynasty's 3-decade run at city hall & promised a break from tired old patronage politics that largely stagnated Pasig despite pockets of plenty. I covered his term's early days for
@rapplerdotcom
. Am from Pasig.
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This is the man the IATF kicked out because his smarts bruised some major egos in the team.
Why 15,310 new cases despite ECQ status ?
1. ECQ was late in implementation ; ECQ - 2 to 4 weeks!
2. PH doing only 35 k tests per day. We need to do 100 k day
3. Contact tracing is absent
4. No satellite clinics built
5. No Command Center for COVID and Non COVID cases.
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It dawned on me. I have been letting go of anger. Anger at how things turned out: thieves winning power, true advocates being sidelined, maligned, defeated. The ignorant having their misguided beliefs confirmed. The current state of affairs an affront to each person who knows...
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BREAKING: Philippines to ban travelers from countries with local transmissions of COVID-19 except Filipino citizens & their dependents, holders of Philippine permanent resident visas, and bearers of Philippine diplomatic visas.
@rapplerdotcom
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The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported it was Senator Imee Marcos who allegedly tried to insert a provision in the 2021 budget bill to ease safeguards on the procurement of polling equipment.
Several senators flagged this, and say that provision has been scrapped.
@rapplerdotcom
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JUST IN: PH Coast Guard identifies cargo ship in Mindoro collision as Hong Kong-flagged MV Veinna Wood. PCG ship BRP Boracay now off Mamburao in search of 14 missing crew of PH fishing boat Liberty 5. Aerial search being readied, says PCG's Commodore Arman Balilo.
@rapplerdotcom
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@jaicabajar
Nakakagaan ng loob! Pero nalulungkot din akong makita na magsisimula na siyang mag-empake to vacate the OVP.
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Argument over porridge reveals Philippines’ COVID fiasco via
@AJEnglish
Thank you for your insights,
@jcpunongbayan
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Hontiveros: I’m behind you every step of the way.
This is your constitutional right; don't be afraid. Patuloy niyo lang panindigan ang karapatan niyong magsalita. Kasama niyo ako at karamihan sa ating mamamayan. I salute and embrace you.
@rapplerdotcom
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Islamic leader Sheikh Al Kholaqi calls on all Muslims: Help gov't hunt down culprits in Davao blast.
@cnnphilippines
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Pangilinan: Ayon sa Saligang Batas, ang Armed Forces of the Philippines ang magtatanggol sa taumbayan, hindi maniniil. Protector, not oppressor. These threatening statements are uncalled for and unprofessional and should be called out.
@rapplerdotcom
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And I do hope they get some peace and quiet after they've given their all to a campaign they didn't ask to do in the first place. Still, I think we will keep seeking their light in various capacities.
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NEWS UPDATE: Senator Panfilo Lacson says it is "impossible" for Congress to pass the 2021 national budget bill on time because of the House of Representatives' deferment of its 3rd & final reading. The 2020 national budget is as good as reenacted, Lacson adds.
@rapplerdotcom
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@AjSario3
@risahontiveros
True. Pero si Sen Risa lang yung inaaway ni VP Sara, and I think that's because si Sen Risa lang yung relentless sa pag pursue nung topic.
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"They tell us we are obstinate, that we refuse to accept what's good for us. But the problem is they would not let us decide what is good for us. They must take us for fools." - Tirmizy Abdullah, a displaced Maranao.
My latest for Al Jazeera.
@AJENews
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JUST IN: 5 more Chinese warships were spotted passing through Sibutu Strait in Tawi-Tawi in July & August, in addition to the 4 Chinese warships earlier reported to have traversed the same sea lane in June. Story here:
@rapplerdotcom
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HAPPENING NOW: The Senate holds a legislative investigation of the killing of 4 Army soldiers by policemen in Jolo, Sulu, on June 29.
Context:
@rapplerdotcom
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Hontiveros: We will not forget this. Tatandaan ko ang lahat ng mga ito at paghandaan mo ang susunod natin paghaharap sa Comission on Appointments. Hindi ko ito kayang palampasin.
See you in the next round...
@rapplerdotcom
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Senator
@risahontiveros
has filed a resolution asking the Senate to investigate the alleged abuses at the Philippine High School for the Arts.
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JUST IN: Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo says US citizens will be required to apply for Philippine visas if the US government enforces an entry ban on Philippine officials over their involvement in the alleged unlawful detention of Senator Leila de Lima.
@rapplerdotcom
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LOOK: The Hong Kong-flagged MV Vienna Wood, which collided with the Philippine fishing boat Liberty 5 past midnight on Sunday, June 28. The 14 Filipinos aboard the Liberty 5 remain missing as Philippine Coast Guard searches the waters off Occidental Mindoro. 📸 PCG
@rapplerdotcom
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LOOK: The Republic of Korea Navy's Munmu the Great, a destroyer, docks in Manila for a friendly visit, along with the support vessel Hwacheon. The Philippine Navy recently received its first corvette, BRP Conrado Yap, from the ROK and is expected to receive 2 more.
@rapplerdotcom
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Hontiveros: Huwag mong gamitin ang kapangyarihan mo bilang heneral upang takutin at pagbantaan ang mga kababaihang ito. Your threats and harassment are unacceptable...
@rapplerdotcom
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Sen
@risahontiveros
has no chill but is very chill at the same time.
Senator Risa Hontiveros to Vice President Sara Duterte: Hindi ko hinihingi ang respeto mo, VP Sara. Ang hinihingi ko sa iyo, at ng taumbayan, ay accountability. | via
@bnzmagsambol
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“What we’re seeing right now is very fragile because it revolves around one figure—
@lenirobredo
. Let’s sustain the conversations, the vigilance, by creating activities that will keep us conversing with one another," says sociologist
@jayeel_cornelio
.
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Activists rally in front of the Chinese consulate in Makati City to protest China's reclamation and militarisation of the West Philippine Sea, calling for a
#Chexit
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Hontiveros: I gave you the benefit of the doubt during your promotion hearing because I believed that, just like my late husband Frank, you abide by the motto of the PMA: courage, integrity and loyalty...
@rapplerdotcom
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