PEOPLE talk about...
* DUTERTE'S ORDER FOR BATANES 'BAD BOYS.' The President visited the quake-struck Batanes Sunday (July 28) and unleashed another of his verbal threats of violence: "If they come here and hide illegal drugs, my order is tie them and throw them into the waters near Taipei boundary. Just do it. Ako ang bahala. Basta 'yung bad boys..." Expectedly it drew a few laughs from the audience.
The serious problem is to identify and catch those who dumped those plastic packages containing pulverized cocaine estimated at P5.7 million, which were found floating off Basco, Batanes last April. Those packages were lost by the drug smugglers but a lot more must have successfully found their way to the Philippine market.
* TOMAS JOINING BIRTHDAY PARTY OF HIS GRANDDAUHTER. The most recent Facebook post of former mayor Tomas Osmeña, containing photos of the birthday of his "only apo," was made last July 20 yet. Nothing about the controversy in Cebu City Hall.
She asked for help
Senator Bong Go, who continues to tag along or otherwise "hook up" with President Duterte, confirmed last Monday (July 29) what many people suspected all along: it was Royina Garma, general manager of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), who prompted the President's order to close down all gambling games supervised by PCSO.
Garma cried on Duterte's shoulders -- figuratively, one assumes -- asking for help, Go said, in stamping out the "massive corruption" at the agency. PCSO has been losing huge amounts of money and private persons, conniving with public officials, including police and judges, have been pocketing them. Or so, they indicated. The President still had to give specifics about the corruption.
Bong Go didn't say whose idea the shutdown was but the President issued the verbal order last Friday (July 26), which has since jolted and shaken much of the nation, particularly those whose lives are affected by lotto, small-town lottery, and "peryahan ng bayan."
Garma, 45, is former Cebu City police chief, the city's first woman top cop who retired early, completing her one-year stint in Cebu and ending 24 years of service with PNP to join PCSO as its GM.
She is not from Cebu City or Davao City, although she had spent memorable experiences in the two cities: in Cebu, being hated by the city mayor who later lost the election; in Davao being trusted by the city mayor who later became president.
When Duterte announced last June 18 Garma as his choice to head PCSO, after firing Alexander Balutan for alleged corruption in March, he said, "Babae to, Ilocano, taga Cagayan Valley." She took over PCSO last July 15. Eleven days later, lotto and other gaming outlets across the land were padlocked.
Reasons for closure
Bong Go cited widespread corruption and huge losses to PCSO as the reasons for the "sudden" and "allegedly arbitrary" move. But Garma must get a bulky share of the blame or credit for the shutdown.
Duterte trusts Garma and believes Garma could do the cleanup at the agency, Go said.
2 gun deaths in jail
On June 19, 2018, accused drug lord Steve Go was shot dead inside the Mandaue City jail. Last Monday (July 29), one Romy Ramas, detained for use and possession of illegal drugs and an alleged cohort of Go, was also gunned down in the same jail.
Earlier reported as a stabbing incident, the killing turned out to be a "gunslay."
Both were apparently rubouts in connection with the campaign against illegal drugs.
One recent broadcast comment ran thus: "They could've chosen not to use the gun because a firearm could only come from the guards or someone who was allowed to smuggle it into the jail. They could've used a bladed weapon or choked or smothered him with a plastic bag and would blame 'bangungot' or nightmare for the death. They could've been a little circumspect -- unless they think they don't have to explain to anyone or don't care what the public thinks."
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