Davao City Mayor Sarah Duterte has been in the news for her inappropriate behavior of punching a court sheriff who was only performing his duty.
What Mayor Sarah did could never be justified. She’s a public servant and her behavior, caught on news cameras, was pathetic.
Inday Sarah has taken a leave of absence and apologized for her outburst even as her father Vice Mayor Digong Duterte and brother, the ABC federation president, practically encouraged her and justified her action.
Father and son showed their own conduct unbecoming a public official by giving the dirty finger on camera.
Vice Mayor Duterte called the gesture a part of freedom of expression. He’s wrong; decent people don’t resort to this crude gesture. Neither should elected officials.
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The government is looking into the past practice of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office PCSO donating ambulances to public officials and SUVs to church officials.
I think ambulances should be given to public hospitals especially those in poor provinces and municipalities.
Should ambulances be given to local government units? Yes, because they are helpful in some localities though I’ve seen ambulances ferrying mayors or vice mayors to meetings at the Capitol, instead of being kept available for emergencies.
PCSO and the Office of the Ombudsman should look into how the donated ambulances are being used.
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Last Monday was a sad day for the Rama family because my uncle, Miguel G. Rama Sr., brother of my mother, died.
He was laid to rest yesterday at the Cebu Memorial Park beside his siblings after a Mass at the Mt. Carmel Church in Magallanes Street.
It was a nostalgic visit for me to the parish church of my childhood when I was staying in the old Botica Catalina. It brought back memories of my accompanying my maternal grandmother, Catalina, to attend Mass. I was about 5 years old then and would lie down in the pews and get up to kneel during the consecration of the host. It was still a quiet place in Magallanes then and I really enjoyed my childhood days.
Four children of Tito Mike came home from the United States, Tina, Marilou, Joy and Chona. It was good to see them again. To Tito Mike, goodbye for now. We know you are happy in the arms of God, with your brothers and sisters who went ahead of you.
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When Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama gave his State of the City Address on July 1, it was also the last day of work for some contractual employees at City Hall. Those who didn’t have their work contracts renewed lambasted the mayor, whom they said they had campaigned for in the 2010 election.
Former mayor now Rep. Tommy Osmeña joined the fray. He found another issue to criticize Rama. When he was reminded by barangay captain George Rama that he, too, terminated more than a thousand city employees when he was the mayor, Osmeña countered that he didn’t terminate employees who campaigned for him.
Mayor Rama, when asked for his reason for letting the workers go, said he only acted on the recommendation of department heads.
He said these contractual workers were often absent, habitually tardy or were found to have shown conduct unbecoming of public employees.
Their admission that they had campaigned for Rama is electioneering, which government employees are prohibited from doing.
Rama showed he was not favoring anyone despite the fact that they had campaigned for him. But if you commit abuses at work, you have to go and will not be protected.
I think that rare gesture should be commended and not criticized. Not often do you see a public servant exercising the political will to serve the public sincerely.