YESTERDAY morning the air lanes were full of speculations on what President Duterte would tell the people in his unscheduled nationwide address, supposedly at 3 p.m. yesterday. One of the guesses was that the President would announce measures to alleviate the people’s sufferings from the escalating prices of basic commodities.
In our radio program “Frankahay Ta” (dyCM 1152AM) yesterday morning, Torni Frank jokingly said President Duterte would announce the replacement of Solicitor General Jose Calida for shaming him into invalidating the amnesty given to Sen. Antonio Triallanes by former president Noynoy Aquino. Titus Borromeo said the President will announce the replacement of Palace spokesperson Harry Roque, who has already announced his intention to run for senator in next year’s polls.
Next month, or from Oct. 1 to 5, is the filing of the certificates of candidacy (COC) for those vying for elective posts in the May 2019 elections. Congress, however, passed and approved a resolution resetting the deadline for the filing of the COCs to Oct. 11-17.
But what we all worried is the possibility that the President would declare a revolutionary government, or worse declare martial law, because of the alleged threat from the Reds to force him out of office. We strongly believe that won’t happen because the Armed Forces and the PNP are solidly behind the president.
The nationwide announcement must be so important that President Duterte had to cut short his trip to Jordan for this purpose. We hope, though, that the president’s declaration would be for everybody’s benefit because of the rising cost of basic commodities and the lack of supply of our staple food, rice.
I don’t entertain even an iota of doubt that President Duterte would declare either a revolutionary government or martial law because the Office of the President possesses and exercises awesome powers under the Constitution even without the extra ones.
The hurling of cruel or harsh criticisms against the Duterte administration is not a ground to impose a revolutionary government or martial law as these are normal in a democracy that is alive and well. After all, the president possesses the art of lashing back at his critics, among them the clergy, one that endears him to his supporters.
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The report that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña would lose his police powers again is not news after all. It is even redundant. After all, Supt. Royina Garma, the chief of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), doesn’t subscribe to the supervisory authority of Mayor Tomas.
Per Memorandum Circular No. 90-01 in relation to Section 51 of RA 6975, the governors and mayors are the deputized representatives of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) in their respective localities. As deputy, Mayor Tomas supposedly has the powers to choose the police chief, exercise operational supervision and control over the police units, etc.
But Mayor Tomas hasn’t exercised those powers. So, what is there to remove? Critics call Mayor Tomas arrogant because at one time he cut off the city government’s support of the city police due to a difference in opinion with the police chiefs.
The assurance by Napolcom Vice Chairman Virgilio Casurao that the commission will still review the complaints filed by CCPO against Mayor Tomas before stripping him of his supervisory powers would not matter anymore because Supt. Garma and Mayor Tomas are not in good terms.
The CCPO filed charges before the Ombudsman and the Office of the President against Mayor Tomas when he took custody of the three persons arrested and detained at the Parian Police station for selling butane canisters refilled with LPG. Mayor Tomas has since kept mum after this fiasco.