News
Palace calls on Filipinos to contribute to nation building
“Patuloy po tayo sa paggawa and let’s bear in mind what the President has said, ‘Let us build a nation that’s worthy of Filipinos and let’s continue to mold Filipinos that’s worthy of the nation'”, Abella said in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday. (Photo: DucDigita/ Flickr)
MANILA –Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella emphasized on Sunday the need for Filipinos to do their part in nation building.
“Patuloy po tayo sa paggawa and let’s bear in mind what the President has said, ‘Let us build a nation that’s worthy of Filipinos and let’s continue to mold Filipinos that’s worthy of the nation'”, Abella said in a radio interview over dzRB Radyo ng Bayan on Sunday.
In a speech on Saturday during the PMA Alumni Homecoming, President Rodrigo Duterte said his government is working hard to uplift the living conditions of Filipinos.
Duterte noted that if Filipinos can work together and agree, they could continue to build together a nation that is worthy of the Filipino people.
“Hindi po madali ang nation-building considering the fact that he inherited this situation right now na tayo rin naman ang gumawa,” Abella added.
Also during the same interview, Abella clarified that the President was consistent with his previous statements that he came from a poor family.
The President has not changed his statement on the issue, Abella said noting he was just explaining of how the Dutertes, who were migrants to Mindanao, progressed as a family.
Abella explained that when the Duterte family arrived in Mindanao during the President’s younger years, they did not live in luxury and they had no lavish lifestyle because they were not wealthy.
“So they really had nothing –not naman nothing but meron naman silang sweldo and all that but they were government employees ‘no, so there was nothing there,” Abella said.
“Except that during –noong nakapag-impok na ‘yung magulang niya, when he died, the father died meron siyang iniwang inheritance,” he added.
Asked if President Duterte will release the bank history of his BPI account, Abella said it is the President’s call.
The Palace official also reacted to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) “Walk for Life” rally condemning the rampant killings and attempts to revive the death penalty.
He said the President will always protect the freedom of expression and the recent CBCP’s event is just one of them.
“That’s part of the democratic dynamic,” he said.
MAYPAGASA
February 20, 2017 at 1:27 AM
CORRUPTON IN THE PALACE
If they are true to their publicly embraced campaign pledge of ZERO TOLERANCE to Corruption, President Duterte and Cabinet Secretary Evasco must act post-haste to cleanse Malacañang of the misfits who have been able to inadvertently slip in when they came to office.
The recent Ombudsman complaint of Anti-Trapo Movement has identified the more prominent of these misfits and reprobates as Executive Director Gloria Jumamil-Mercado; Executive Assistant Aaron James Veloso; Project Management Office Director Lt. Colonel Ranulfo Sevilla and Assistant Cabinet secretary and chief of staff Isabelita Moncano-Somozo.
The evidence proffered by ATM against this bunch is really damning. For instance, Gloria Jumamil-Mercado has been charged with falsification of public documents and usurpation of authority or official functions. She is said to have gone on several unauthorized foreign trips under the guise of official business, a practice that is done by abusive government officials and bureaucrats. Some official travels even had as purpose, “security-related official matters,” although this is not even in her line of work, responsibilities, profession, competence or expertise.
During her stint with the Development Academy of the Philippines, Mercado is said to have actively participated in irregularities as a member of the top leadership of that office. DAP’s management had been roundly censured by COA for excessive and unauthorized expenditures and its penchant for unnecessary luxury in its conduct of seminars and conferences. It is obvious that Mercado has brought to Malacañang her sense of entitlement and her fondness for official perks and luxury.
On the other hand, Executive Assistant Veloso can be faulted with having an extreme sense of self-aggrandizement when he appointed himself as the acting Cabinet Secretary from Sept. 28 to Sept. 30 last year when Secretary Evasco was on an official trip to Vietnam. You have to hand it to the guy, he really aims for the stars.
http://fightthecorruptioninthephils. blogspot. com/2017/02/on-corruption-in-palace-anti-trapo.html
,
Simon antonio
February 20, 2017 at 1:44 AM
CORRUPTION IN THE PALACE
Lt. Colonel Sevilla is now hiding in his new safe haven in Malacañang while his fellow soldiers are humping out in the boondocks chasing Abu-Sayyaf, BIFF, ISIS and Maute Group Terrorists. The guy is obviously guilty of abandonment of duty. He should resign his military commission if he fancies the relative safety of a cozy and perk-filled civilian job.
As Chief of Staff, Isabelita Moncano-Somozo is the necessary co-conspirator to effect irregularities in that Malacañang office. Guess what, she co-conspired with them.
Duterte and Evasco must act swiftly to nip these irregularities right in the bud. Let’s be mindful – and warned – of the truism “A few rotten tomatoes will spoil the whole bunch.”
In the name of transparency and good governance, heads must roll.
http://fightthecorruptioninthephils. blogspot. com/2017/02/on-corruption-in-palace-anti-trapo.html.,..
Emilio
February 20, 2017 at 1:52 AM
ON CORRUPTION IN THE PALACE (Anti Trapo Complaint against GLORIA MERCADO!)
On Corruption in the Palace!
If they are true to their publicly embraced campaign pledge of ZERO TOLERANCE to Corruption, President Duterte and Cabinet Secretary Evasco must act post-haste to cleanse Malacañang of the misfits who have been able to inadvertently slip in when they came to office.
The recent Ombudsman complaint of Anti-Trapo Movement has identified the more prominent of these misfits and reprobates as Executive Director Gloria Jumamil-Mercado; Executive Assistant Aaron James Veloso; Project Management Office Director Lt. Colonel Ranulfo Sevilla and Assistant Cabinet secretary and chief of staff Isabelita Moncano-Somozo.
The evidence proffered by ATM against this bunch is really damning. For instance, Gloria Jumamil-Mercado has been charged with falsification of public documents and usurpation of authority or official functions. She is said to have gone on several unauthorized foreign trips under the guise of official business, a practice that is done by abusive government officials and bureaucrats. Some official travels even had as purpose, “security-related official matters,” although this is not even in her line of work, responsibilities, profession, competence or expertise.
http://fightthecorruptioninthephils. blogspot. com/2017/02/on-corruption-in-palace-anti-trapo.html
,
Parasa Bayan
February 20, 2017 at 1:55 AM
CORRUPTION IN THE PALACE
Lt. Colonel Sevilla is now hiding in his new safe haven in Malacañang while his fellow soldiers are humping out in the boondocks chasing Abu-Sayyaf, BIFF, ISIS and Maute Group Terrorists. The guy is obviously guilty of abandonment of duty. He should resign his military commission if he fancies the relative safety of a cozy and perk-filled civilian job.
As Chief of Staff, Isabelita Moncano-Somozo is the necessary co-conspirator to effect irregularities in that Malacañang office. Guess what, she co-conspired with them.
Duterte and Evasco must act swiftly to nip these irregularities right in the bud. Let’s be mindful – and warned – of the truism “A few rotten tomatoes will spoil the whole bunch.”
In the name of transparency and good governance, heads must roll.
http://fightthecorruptioninthephils. blogspot. com/2017/02/on-corruption-in-palace-anti-trapo.htm,
Rey David
February 20, 2017 at 5:53 AM
PCSO is always finding ways to make money without following their own rules and regulations, they should be reminded with their purpose and role in government. If they dont want to follow their own rules they should all resignhttp://pcsostlisllegal.blogspot.com/2017/02/president-rodrigo-dutertes-executive.html,…
Lucas Temoteo
February 20, 2017 at 5:58 AM
Ang tatamad ng mga taga PCSO kaya hindi nila magawa ng maayos ang trabaho nila. Hindi din sila maayos na halimbawa para sa mabuting adhikain ng ating pangulo,
Kwak Kwak Kwak
February 20, 2017 at 5:59 AM
Mr President, please remind PCSO that they although they are required to generate money for the government, they should also do and work as they are being paid by our tax money. We know you will not allow their illegal STL activities.
http://pcsostlisllegal .blogspot .com/2017/02/president-rodrigo-dutertes-executive.html,
Berdugo Katapang
February 20, 2017 at 6:05 AM
The PCSO should not abuse its power and just be lazy in implementing what they are asked to do. They should not encourage corruption for the government. This will not be accepted by our president and the entire cabinet/
Berdugo Katapang
February 20, 2017 at 6:02 AM
Dapat ma-tokhang and mapa alala sa PCSO na hindi sila binibigyan ng karapatan na gumawa ng mga illegal na gawain para makakuha ng pondo para sa gobyerno
http://pcsostlisllegal. blogspot .com/2017/02/president-rodrigo-dutertes-executive.html,…
SUPERBI
February 20, 2017 at 6:14 AM
This is very obvious a money making activity by PCSO not for the government but for themselves. They should clearly be accountable for their activities and not ask others to do it for them,
SUPERBI
February 20, 2017 at 6:13 AM
Asking others to run the STL is clearly grounds for corruption as this will make the operators bribe the people from PCSO. We should not allow this lazy PCSO management to ruin the efforts of cleaning the government by our presidenthttp://pcsostlisllegal .blogspot .com/2017/02/our-president-duterte-must-read-this.html,.
Liwanag Para sa Bayan
February 20, 2017 at 6:35 AM
It is clear that PCSO is not authorized to ask others to do the work for them. They are just using this as an excuse to commit corruption and to cover their laziness. PCSO management should be ashamed of what they are doing,./
MAYPAGASA
February 20, 2017 at 7:54 AM
President Duterte should go after these corrupt PAGCOR personalities hammer and tongs and put the fear of God in their hearts.
This is truly disturbing, Mr. President, because such is the havoc and unrest POGO is causing, that the local online gaming industry may soon collapse from the portending exodus to other countries of our foreign online gaming investors. In the few weeks of its implementation, POGO may have done irreparable damage to the online gaming industry, which was painstakingly built and nurtured from nothing over the past 15 years.
This would be tragic since the recently booming online gaming industry together with its ancillary services now employs tens of thousands of workers. It was even hailed in a few months ago as one of the promising sectors of the Philippines’ BPO industry.
This expected exodus of major industry players and the industry’s eventual collapse would prevent the Philippines from benefitting from the current global boom in online gaming/e-gambling, which is reportedly poised to generate over a hundred billion dollars in annual revenues in the next few years to several hundred billion dollars in the next decade,,
MAYPAGASA
February 20, 2017 at 8:12 AM
Clearly, President Rody must curb PAGCOR’s insatiable greed. PAGCOR is now trying to benefit from a briskly growing industry that has been painstakingly built and nurtured over the years by other institutions.
Being the lawyer that he is, the President has on several occasions vowed that his Administration will be a government of laws. PAGCOR’s recent actions on online gaming/e-gambling are patently unlawful. Regulation and licensing of this type of gaming/gambling is not in its charter, and thus, not part of its mandate.
Nor can this absence and lack of authority be simply remedied by an executive issuance, which it is rumoured PAGCOR’s new management is moving mightily to get from the President. PAGCOR’s amended charter in 2007 stipulated that it could not intrude into games covered by existing franchises/licenses. This law cannot be amended or modified by an executive order.
In truth, PAGCOR’s greed may only put the President on the spot.
Legal experts are surmising that only a legislative action can cure PAGCOR’s infirmity on online gaming/e-gambling. However, it is quite doubtful that Congress will be predisposed to provide the “cure”, given PAGCOR’s sordid track record on the matter.
Like the old saying, “let sleeping dogs lie,” we must let the online gaming/e-gambling industry grow thrive on its own without the greedy meddling of PAGCOR. After all, adequate and appropriate regulatory and licensing regimes are already in place.,
Simon antonio
February 20, 2017 at 8:47 AM
PAGCOR is destroying the Online Gaming Industry
PAGCOR is back to its old crooked ways. Scarcely had President Duterte started to set things right by going after PhilWeb’s unbridled abuse of its questionable license borne out of its erstwhile sweetheart relationship with PAGCOR, and now PAGCOR is riding roughshod over the online gaming/e-gambling industry.
One wonders whether the newly installed management of PAGCOR are actually untouchables in the present Administration. In spite of the clear pronouncements of President Rody of his leadership’s firm commitment against graft and corruption, for which he has zero “0” tolerance, rumblings are now coming out of the online gaming industry that certain personalities at PAGCOR are actively “leaning” on online gaming outfits to make “arrangements” with them to avoid being shut down.
It is whispered around by exasperated operators that the asking fee nowadays runs into several tens of millions. They now fear that this would effectively ruin the local industry and not allow the country to benefit from the current global boom in online gaming/e-gambling, which is reportedly poised to generate over a hundred billion dollars in annual revenues in the next few years to several hundred billion dollars in the next decade. There is now a clear chilling effect, which will definitely stymie the brisk growth of the local online gaming industry over the past several years.
To be clear, the local online gaming sector with its current industry practice of operating as BPO call center service catering to foreign overseas gaming clients, has become an important sector of the general BPO industry and has been growing substantively over the recent years, thanks to the pioneering efforts of forward-thinking technocrats who saw the immense potential for our country to become a vital BPO hub in Asia for online gaming.
Now, comes PAGCOR, like a bull in a china shop, trying to wrestle control of the local online gaming industry. The main problem is that the regulation and licensing of online gaming is not in the charter of PAGCOR. Simply put, it is not vested with the legal authority to regulate this unique type of technology-driven gaming. It has no mandate to speak of and its imagined and illusory authority will vanish at the first query of affected parties at the Supreme Court.
The fact that these are authorities beyond the limited scope of PAGCOR’s charter and mandate were actually already pointed out by the SC on a few occasions, one of them being in the 2004 case of JAWORSKI vs. PAGCOR and SAGE (G.R. No. 144463), although the clear pronouncements as well as implications of the decision were largely ignored by the two successive corrupt and/or incompetent administrations of Arroyo and Aquino.
Moreover, PAGCOR’s track record in its plainly arrogated authority over the regulation and licensing of online gaming/e-gambling has left so much to be desired. For one, it was largely to blame for PhilWeb’s erstwhile ubiquitous network of public online and e-gambling shops, as it practically gave Ongpin a free hand in the wanton proliferation of his publicly open gambling joints across the commercial centers of our country. In its overweening greed to impose an imagined authority over the lucrative online gaming industry, it violated the strict provision of its charter prohibiting public access to its gambling shops and centers.,,
Simon antonio
February 20, 2017 at 8:47 AM
Duterte must Curb PAGCOR’s Insatiable Greed
President Rody must stick to his solemn promise to the Filipino people that he will have zero “0” tolerance to corruption. He must curb PAGCOR’s insatiable greed. PAGCOR is now trying to benefit from a briskly growing industry that has been painstakingly built and nurtured over the years by other institutions.
Being the lawyer that he is, the President has on several occasions vowed that his Administration will be a government of laws. PAGCOR’s recent actions on online gaming/e-gambling are patently unlawful. Regulation and licensing of this type of gaming/gambling is not in its charter, and thus, not part of its mandate.
Nor can this absence and lack of authority be simply remedied by an executive issuance, which it is rumoured PAGCOR’s new management is moving mightily to get from the President. PAGCOR’s amended charter in 2007 stipulated that it could not intrude into games covered by existing franchises/licenses. This law cannot be amended or modified by an executive order. Neither should the President allow the issuance of an executive order to cater to PAGCOR’s greed and whims.
In truth, PAGCOR’s overweening greed may only put the President on the spot.
Legal experts are surmising that only a legislative action can cure PAGCOR’s infirmity on online gaming/e-gambling. However, it is quite doubtful that Congress will be predisposed to provide the “cure”, given PAGCOR’s sordid track record on the matter.
Like the old saying, “let sleeping dogs lie,” we must let the online gaming/e-gambling industry grow thrive on its own without the greedy meddling of PAGCOR. After all, adequate and appropriate regulatory and licensing regimes are already in place.
To borrow an exasperated question from FVR, “what gives?”,
Emilio
February 20, 2017 at 8:59 AM
Duterte must spare Online Gaming Industry from PAGCOR’s corrupt meddling
The local online gaming sector is one of the promising sectors of the Philippines’ BPO industry. Numerous foreign investors have shown keen interest in establishing their online gaming/e-gaming BPO operations and are now inquiring with many PEZA zones and establishments. With its current industry practice of operating as BPO call center services catering to foreign overseas gaming/gambling clients, online gaming has truly become an important performing industry and has been growing substantively over the recent years.
This success is largely attributed to the pioneering efforts of forward-thinking technocrats who, years before, had seen the immense potential for our country to become a vital BPO hub in Asia for online gaming.
Now PAGCOR is wreaking havoc as it tries to wrestle control of the local online gaming industry. Rumours are rife in the online gaming industry itself that certain personalities at PAGCOR are actively “leaning” on online gaming outfits to make “arrangements” with them to avoid being shut down.
It is whispered around by exasperated operators that the asking fee nowadays runs into several tens of millions. They now fear that this would effectively ruin the local industry and not allow the country to benefit from the current global boom in online gaming/e-gambling, which is reportedly poised to generate over a hundred billion dollars in annual revenues in the next few years to several hundred billion dollars in the next decade. There is now a clear chilling effect, which will definitely stymie the brisk growth of the local online gaming industry over the past several years.
Industry insiders are now asking what happened to the clear and categorical pronouncements of President Rody of his leadership’s firm commitment against graft and corruption, for which he has zero “0” tolerance. They are wondering if the newly installed management of PAGCOR are actually untouchables who are exempt from the present Administration’s clear declarations against corruption of any kind. ,
Parasa Bayan
February 20, 2017 at 9:02 AM
The President should be more circumspect and avoid making rash pronouncements and decisions regarding online gaming or e-gambling. Online gaming is a relatively new technology-driven evolution of gambling. It has been growing briskly by double digits over the past years and the global industry was estimated in 2015 to be about US$62 Billion and slated to breach US$200 Billion in just about a decade. Because of this, countries all over the world are now crafting legal frameworks and mechanisms so that their economies can benefit from this phenomenon. European Union countries and Asian nations were first to do this years back. Now, US states are taking notice and adapting as well.
Being the virtual call center capital of the world, the Philippines is the natural choice for investors as the ‘hub’ of online gaming’s BPO operations. This new subsector of our BPO and entertainment industry and its ancillary services can provide employment for tens (if not hundreds) of thousands and billions in taxes annually. We should not throw away this great opportunity by closing our doors to online gaming because of the corruption in some agencies which have imposed their pseudo-regulation of this industry.
An old saying goes, “Do not throw the baby out with the bath water.” We cannot throw out online gaming and miss out on its huge benefits just because some shameless and callous government officials are deriving enormous pay-offs from them.
We should instead put in place a proper regulatory structure that will put order, predictability, accountability and transparency in the industry. Right now, we should start by making an authoritative determination as to what regulatory body has oversight and control of this important new industry. Then we should make a thorough investigation of all the instances of bribery and corruption committed by these shameless officials.
For Pete’s sake, just let the heads roll.//
Parasa Bayan
February 20, 2017 at 9:04 AM
Pres. DU30 should be careful and wary about his appointees. After the shameful episode involving his two frat brothers in the BI trying to pull off a once-in-a-blue-moon hefty pay check of Php50 Million, he should order a counter-intel style check on his other appointees to be sure that they are not dipping their itchy fingers in the cookie jar. After all, too many of his appointees are recycled GMA officials and some of these have even been stained during the corruption spree days of Gloria Arroyo. And the temptation to revert back to their ‘happy days’ are too strong in agencies overflowing with fat ‘financial opportunities’ like PAGCOR and PCSO.
We know that the President is truly sincere in his efforts to reform our government and society. We know that his heart is in the right place. However, we also know that many of his appointees – by their past track records – do not really share this vision and virtue.
Here’s hoping that his solemn campaign promise of a corruption-free government will not be forgotten and degenerate into a corruption spree..