Appoint bgy execs? You need a law for that - Koko

MANILA – Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said a law is needed before President Rodrigo Duterte can appoint barangay officials in case this year’s barangay polls would be reset.

“Kailangan ng batas. Batas lang kasi nasa Constitution din po natin na the term of office of barangay officials shall be provided by law. Yun lang po yung local official na yung term ay batas ang nag-go-govern sa term,” Pimentel told reporters.

Pimentel said he will have to discuss the proposal with the President and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

"The law abhors a vacuum. The appointive Power is by default placed in the President," he added. 

Alvarez, meanwhile, expressed full support for Duterte’s proposal, but he shared Pimentel’s position that a law must back it.

“Well, wala akong problema diyan at suportado ko ang ating Pangulo diyan dahil napaka-valid po noong reason, dahil tama yun, majority of the barangay officials are involved in illegal drugs, nagagamit ito,” Alvarez told dzMM.

“Kinakailangan po ng legislation diyan para magbigay ng kapangyarihan sa Comelec na huwag ituloy yung election,” Alvarez said.

The President last year signed a law postponing the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls to October this year. This meant that barangay officials retained their posts on a holdover capacity.

This time, however, Duterte wants all barangay positions declared vacant if the polls would be reset again.

“We are looking for a way to appoint na lang the barangay captains but the mechanism of how to go about it, select them… Ako I can, but you know it’s always the President who has the power to appoint,” Duterte said.

Acknowledging that his proposal would be met with strong opposition, Duterte said he would like to seek a compromise with the Church and other sectors.

“But I’m going to a compromise with the Church and everybody. They can nominate three citizens,” he said.

Duterte said one of his qualifications for a barangay appointee is a clearance from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Authority (PDEA).

“Pagka magsabi ang PDEA pati ang pulis and the military that they have no connections with the rebels, that’s one. Second is that they are not into drugs, and third is that they are not really the leaders of politicians,” he said.

“If you can have that, I would be happy to just coming from the Roman Catholic, from the Islam group, the Jehovah Witnesses. It’s not actually interference in the preference of the character that should be there. Election eh.”

Source : ABS-CBN

Pimentel to Robredo: Correct inaccurate video or be suspected part of destab

Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III on Friday said Vice President Leni Robredo should clarify three “inaccurate” claims she made in a video sent to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UN-CND). 

Pimentel said Robredo should make the necessary clarifications if she does not want to be suspected to be part of a destabilization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte. 

“I think she made three inaccurate statements or claims, misleading claims na dapat siguro i-correct na lang niya just to — para hindi na masabi or ma-suspetsahan na kasama siya sa destabilization,” Pimentel said in an interview.

Pimentel said it was inaccurate for the Vice President to report to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (UN-CND) that there were 7,000 killings since Duterte took office. 

“Totoo ba yun? Hindi naman ah. Maybe 2,000 or 3,000 may explanation doon sa encounter ng pulis. Do you put that in the box of summary executions?” he said.

“Number two, sinabi niya Filipinos nowadays are helpless and hopeless. Totoo ba yun? I mean do we feel the general helplessness and hopelessness of the people?” Pimentel said. 

The Senate leader said Robredo should also clarify the supposed “palit-ulo” scheme as he himself has not even heard of it. 

“If may ganyang abuse kung totoong nangyayari yan, you will be detained in exchange for somebody they’re looking for? Sobra na yun pero wala eh. No one approached me, no complaint,” Pimentel said. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs earlier criticized Robredo’s video, saying freedom of expression came with the responsibility that facts were verified. 

Robredo’s video statement where she spoke on alleged drug-related extrajudicial killings in the country was shown on March 16 at a side event by an anti-drug non-government organization alongside the official meetings in Vienna.

However, this side event, the DFA said, “was not part of the official proceedings of the 60th Session of the UN-CND and did not reflect the stand of participating governments.”

The video is also being cited as basis for a planned impeachment complaint by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Source : GMA