CALLING on Director Ernesto Diokno to resign in the wake of New Bilibid Prison inmate Antonio Leviste’s “caper” is most unfair since he’s not the head of the facility.
Diokno is right in not giving in to pressures for him to quit since he had no direct responsibility over the “living out” and “sleeping out” privileges of Leviste, a former Batangas governor, and other VIP prisoners.
Yes, Diokno should be reprimanded for the negligence of NBP Supt. Armando Miranda.
But it should be Miranda who should get the axe, not Diokno.
Why wasn’t Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa asked to resign over the “euro generals” scandal?
Because Verzosa supposedly had no direct responsibility over the offense committed by his subordinate generals.
The same thing applies to Diokno in the Leviste prison scandal.
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Justice Secretary Leila de Lima was trying to pressure her boss, President Noy, to sack Diokno when she said she hoped things would turn out differently this time than in the handling of the Luneta hostage carnage.
In the Luneta incident, Interior Undersecretary Rico E. Puno, who was the overall head of the rescue team, got away with a reprimand for the botched rescue.
Both Puno and Diokno are close to the President.
De Lima should not pre-empt the President.
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The United States has affirmed once again its commitment to defend the country from external aggression in the wake of our irritants with China over the Spratly Islands.
And yet, some high officials in the government don’t appreciate the US for helping the country when it’s in trouble.
Elite US troops are arming and training Filipino soldiers in fighting the Abu Sayyaf, but some officials want to drive them out by revoking the Visiting Forces Agreement.
Without US help and money, Abu Sayyaf leaders would not have been arrested and put away in jail.
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Returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) complain of being mistreated by Saudi immigration authorities when they were deprived of their belongings as they were about to board their Manila-bound flight.
Foreign Secretary Eduardo Malaya said our government was “taking these allegations seriously.”
As long as we continue to show subservience to these foreigners, they will not stop treating us like doormats.
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A Metro Manila mayor is reportedly planning to buy a horse farm in Lipa City worth at least P30 million.
Only a year in office, and yet he can already afford to spend that much money?