What’s with these prosecutors?

Vice President Jojo Binay wants to have Interior Secretary Mar Roxas for his running mate in the 2016 presidential elections.

Binay has made a very big mistake announcing his plan to tandem with Roxas.

He has probably forgotten he made a promise to get Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, now in jail awaiting trial for plunder, as his running mate.

Since Binay has broken his promise to Jinggoy, the latter’s father, Manila Mayor Erap, may decide to run against him.

Erap has a huge following among the “masa,” or masses, the sector that elects presidents, vice presidents and senators.

Erap lost to P-Noynoy in the last presidential election only because the voters sympathized with the latter with the death of his mother, former President Cory.

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Inquirer columnist Amando Doronila says coup rumors have no basis because both the military and police organizations are satisfied with what President Noynoy is doing for their respective modernization programs.

I agree and may I give additional inputs to Doronila’s opinion piece?

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who started the coup rumors, said that retired generals associated with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo were plotting to overthrow the Aquino administration.

Trillanes was talking through his hat.

When a general retires, he loses his grip on his former men in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the Philippine National Police (PNP).

A general’s power over his men is good only as long as he is in the service; he loses it the minute he gets out.

Besides, rank-and-file soldiers and policemen are now wiser than their elders who took part in previous coup attempts.

They have learned a valuable lesson from their elders who went along with their officers in staging unsuccessful coups, but were left to fend for themselves later.

The officers from whom they followed orders to rebel against the government were promoted later while they were either dismissed from the service or demoted to lower ranks.

Look at the soldiers who followed Trillanes and his fellow junior officers who staged the so-called Oakwood Mutiny.

Trillanes has become a senator while the soldiers who joined him were dismissed and are now unemployed.

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Justice Secretary Leila de Lima should dismiss or relieve all the Benguet public prosecutors who inhibited themselves from a criminal case against Baguio Rep. Nicasio Aliping.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) filed criminal charges against Aliping for ordering the cutting down of 761 pine trees in the Sto. Tomas forest reserve and watershed.

But all the prosecutors in Benguet don’t want to touch Aliping with a 10-foot pole.

One of them said he and Aliping are both Masons; another said he was related to the deceased first wife of the congressman.

Amazing!

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Aliping’s family allegedly owns a five-hectare property on Mt. Cabuyao near the Sto. Tomas watershed area.

The congressman allegedly ordered the pine trees felled to make way for a two-kilometer road leading to his property.

The cutting down of trees in the watershed has allegedly polluted the watershed which is the source of Baguio City’s drinking water supply.

Sometimes we don’t need to wonder why the Lower House is referred to as the “House of Representathieves.”