SLIGHT DIFFERENCE IN MEANING. Governor Gwen Garcia chided the use of both "apprehend" and "arrest" in the threat of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año to violators of IATF's face mask mandate, following the governor's executive order and Provincial Board ordinance making the wearing optional in Cebu province.
As in "apprehend na, arrest pa." Redundant, a duplication of words? Lawyers tend to say the same thing twice, as if repetition would make their message more forceful, such as "cease and desist," "give, devise and bequeath," and themselves sound more learned.
The words may be synonyms to most people but some of those words actually have slightly different meanings.
Language experts say, for example, that to "apprehend" is to place someone under control and usually amounts or leads to an "arrest" but not always. If the police apprehend someone, that means he is placed under their control. If he is taken into custody in preparation for charging him, he is arrested. If after investigation, they find out there's no legal ground to hold him and he's released, the suspect was merely apprehended, not arrested.
“MANO PO.” Vice President-elect Sara Duterte mentioned "God" at least four times in her oath-taking speech Sunday, June 19, in Davao City, and the words "families," "fathers" and "Father's Day." No direct mention of her father in the body of the speech. But she took the President's hand on her forehead, the ancient way of displaying respect.
NOT THE LAW YET. Governor Gwen reportedly "ignored" Secretary Año's threat. In law, to ignore is to reject. To most people though, it means snubbing, not answering, or playing deaf -- and she did reply to the DILG chief's demand and arguments, more than once.
Or when the Provincial Board ordinance is reported as being "now a law," it may just be a bit exaggerated but it is incorrect for purposes of enforcement. An ordinance doesn't become enforceable until a period of time and mandatory posting are met.
News reports on the approval of the ordinance said it would take effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper of general circulation. So the "now-a-law" description was an inaccurate claim.
BYE-BYE 'BERDUGO'? Raquel Bohol-Arce has been Cebu City Probe chief and city market administrator -- one after the other or simultaneously, under three mayors -- but she's more, ah, notoriously known for her work in "clearing and demolishing" at the formerly-called anti-squatters office.
She thinks she can shift from the image of "berdugo" under Probe to some angel of help under CDRRMO, the disaster office, which is her new assignment under Mayor Mike Rama's fresh term. Can she? Looks like she already loves the work of removing and tearing down things.