PEOPLE are talking about...
* CHEL DIOKNO'S QUIPS in the fast-talk section of the ABS-CBN Senatorial Town Hall Debate last Sunday (February 17):
Q: "May maganda bang nagawa ang Duterte administration?"
Diokno: "Yung No Smoking."
Q: "Lumulobog ang barko. May isang salbabida Kanino mo ibibigay - kay Duterte o kay Arroyo?"
Diokno: "Palagay ko sa akin na lang."
Otso Deretso's Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno polled only 2.8 percent last December, up from 1.6 percent, far from the Magic 12 range. Let's see if his apparently strong performance in "Harapan" will pull him up further. A tweet from Maro (@lightxyear) says: "Chel Diokno is a serious badass. This guy has my vote. He's smart. He's for the people. He knows what he's talking about." And he's no fan of Digong or GMA.
* DUTERTE'S, SARA'S FAVORED BETS. The president endorses 11 while his daughter, the Davao City mayor and "possible" 2022 successor, endorses 13. How they came to pick each number? No particular cause. It seems each is not keen about putting any cap. Had Digong not dropped Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla, his list would've been padded to 13.
Freddie's jingle for Edgardo
From the political jingle that Freddie Aguilar sings for Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, who's competing for incumbent Mayor Tomas Osmeña's seat this May, one learns that his catchphrase is "Tinuod nga Pagbag-o" or "True Change" and "Lig-onon ang Kausaban" or "Strengthen the Change."
Words that stand out in the song, which suggest some of the planks in his platform: "asenso" or "progress"; Labella will lead ("mangulo") and manage the growth and progress.
Another noticeable feature in the song's lyrics: the use of "Edgardo" instead of "Edgar."
Freddie Aguilar, known for his folk songs, particularly "Anak," an Asian-wide top hit, is also reputed to be close to President Duterte. The video, expectedly, includes Digong's image.
Sitoy on legislative process
Presidential Legislative Liaison Adelino Sitoy has some explanation on why the Senate is complaining against President Duterte's recent veto of some bills it had passed with the House.
* Congress didn't get Duterte's sentiment on the bills (e.g., coco levy tax and amnesty on past years' taxes) while it was drafting the bill. PLLO, the liaison office that Ade Sitoy heads, gives Congress feedback on thoughts of Cabinet members but not on what the president is thinking about a pending bill.
* PLLO and, of course, Sitoy are convenient "scapegoat" or excuse for that failure. Congressional leaders have no one else to blame unless they bash themselves.
PLLO and Sitoy keep three liaison offices: one in Malacañang, another in the Senate, and the third in the Batasan. The offices in Congress are run by an undersecretary each, with Ade hopping from one office to the other, depending upon where a "situation" arises.
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