President BS (Benigno Simon) Aquino is being blamed for a single act which would have gone unnoticed had he owned up the responsibility of sending 44 police commandos to their deaths.
Had P-Noynoy said he was to blame for the Mamasapano fiasco—and nobody else—for ordering the ill-fated mission, the public would have absolved him promptly.
Sending 44 troopers of the elite Special Action Force to their fate was a command decision.
In war, an error in judgment of a commander that resulted in the decimation of his troops is glossed over by his superiors who know that in a conflict there are winners and losers.
Had Noynoy said he made a blunder and sounded remorseful, the public would have told him, “That’s okay, Mr. President, you are only human and can make mistakes.”
But what got the public’s ire is his blaming everybody else except himself for the Mamasapano fiasco.
His ability to lead the nation in a crisis has been put to question.
The citizenry regrets having installed him in the nation’s highest post as shown by the latest Pulse Asia survey: From a 59 percent approval rating to 38 percent, and a 56 percent trust rating down to 36 percent.
Coupled with the drop in his approval and trust ratings is the call by many people, among them some Catholic bishops, for him to resign; never mind if the one who would replace him is seen as abusive and corrupt.
His approval and trust ratings will continue to dive given his mediocre leadership which the public has now come to realize.
P-Noynoy has become a lame duck president.
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Which order has more force and effect on the suspension from office of Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, the Court of Appeals on one hand, or the Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice, on the other?
The appellate court has ordered a 60-day temporary stay of execution of the Ombudsman’s suspension order.
But Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima both say the appellate court’s temporary restraining order (TRO) has no effect as it came hours after Vice Mayor Romulo “Kid” Peña had been sworn in as acting mayor.
Binay asked the Court of Appeals to cite in contempt Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and his subordinates for disregarding the TRO.
Binay wants the appellate court have Roxas et al. jailed.
Even if the appellate court finds Roxas et al. guilty of contempt, who will carry out the order, the Philippine National Police?
The PNP is under the Department of Interior and Local Government which Roxas heads.
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Once again, President BS has shown his lack of managerial skills in handling the Makati standoff.
He could have called aside Vice President Jojo Binay, the mayor’s father, and asked him to tell his son to obey the Ombudsman’s order.
The elder Binay is a member of P-Noynoy’s Cabinet and it doesn’t look good that Binay and a fellow Cabinet member, Mar Roxas, are at each other’s throats.
P-Noynoy could also tell Jojo Binay that the standoff could adversely affect the economy as the city is the center of the country’s commerce.