A promising future for the Phl under Duterte

I wrote too soon that there was still a contest between Bong-bong Marcos and Leni Robredo. According to FB reports, Leni is the winner. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Rody Duterte and Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo have emerged as winners of the May 9 national elections after the National Board of Canvassers finished counting certificates of canvass on Friday.

 As I said yesterday, it is disappointing. The Robredo widow could not have not known how she became the winner in this contest. So she is as reprehensible as the son of Marcos whom we had to overthrow for abuses.

I will wait for things to develop what the Robredo widow means when she said she will cooperate with Duterte 100 percent. There is a reason why Leni won and it is unacceptable to me and others whose aims are truly for matuwid na daan, not a matuwid na daan that is baluktot. A great part of the waiting for me will depend on how President-elect Rody Duterte will re-organize government and change the Constitution.

Words are easy but harder to implement when the euphoria of victory begins to fade. One thing sure is she will be the darling of Aquino and cohorts and I can understand why. Just as an aside I remember that as a member of the committee to choose the Comelec chairman during Macapagal-Arroyo’s time some former Comelec chairmen who attended the meeting said “We do not only decide who wins in the counting but we can also change even those who have already been declared winners if the price is right.” We should just abolish the Comelec.

Here we go again with the culture of impunity. We may have a vice president but those who know how it was decided are disgusted. And they are not necessarily BBM fans. The indefatigable former Biliran congressman Glenn Chong had a video showing how the cheating was done.

He said “Former poll executives had sold guaranteed victories to candidates who could be ‘programmed to win’ in the May 9 automated elections.”

It may no longer matter at this point but Chong, as vice chairman and spokesman of the election watchdog Reform Philippines Coalition, said the video was about how a former election officer was selling the system to a politician in the Visayas.

“I have heard of the system being sold for P12 million to one candidate to as high as P200 million depending on the number of candidates programmed to win, but this is the first time I have received concrete evidence of how it was peddled to candidates,” Chong stated.

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It is good to hear that President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will have a new policy on the Philippine dispute with China on the Spratlys.

Instead of being pushed around by the US, we should follow the example of Vietnam that although not giving up on its claim is able to cooperate with China on other matters.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang to China signed several agreements when the latter made a state visit to China.

China scored a goal for bilateral negotiations between his country and Vietnam on the South China Sea conflict. As Asians and neighbors in the same region the two countries have agreed on bilateral negotiations. Why could it not be done by the Aquino government?

The Philippines should take note of Vietnam’s approach or be left out in the region’s development.

“China and Vietnam should make a decision to direct and push forward on seeking a political solution to the South China Sea issue in line with taking responsibilities for history and people. We should proceed from the Chinese-Vietnamese friendship and the development of both countries, so the issue does not affect bilateral ties,” Xi said.

He added that both should work to avoid internationalizing the issue in an indirect allusion to the US.

With this approach China and Vietnam have worked together to find an administrative formula for the disputed “sea waters out of the mouth of Beibu Bay.” The goal would be towards joint development and demarcation concurrently, Xi said.

In return Sang said Vietnam is willing “to implement the consensus between the two countries and properly handle relevant problems through friendly consultations.” President-elect Duterte will be helped by Philippine diplomats who are well versed in the problem. One of them is Ambassador Alberto Encomienda whom the Chinese respect for his extensive studies on the dispute.

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I was surprised to read in FB that Gibo Teodoro has turned down an appointment in Duterte’s cabinet. According to the story he has accepted to be chairman of Sagittarius Mining Inc. He said there would be a conflict of interest. This is not the first time that Gibo would turn down a return to government and politics. I think it is more personal than anything else – he wants to be in the private sector.

According to a report, he said there would be a conflict of interest. By the way, mining is a favorite bogeyman of those who would like to keep the Philippines poor and backward. They have not heard of responsible mining. And yet it is well known that the wealth of the Philippines, if done properly, lies underground.

Ambassador Delia Albert never tires of saying that this is what Jose Rizal meant when he said the Philippines is a wealthy country. Even then without the proper statistical surveys of minerals in the country he said it is well-endowed.  If Rizal had said it in his time means mining has had a long history and experience in the Philippines. It has a very rich potential for copper, gold, nickel, chromite and other metallic minerals through the commercial operation of numerous mines. It is also abundant in non-metallic and industrial minerals such as marble, limestone, clays, feldspar, rock aggregates, dolomite, guano, and other quarry resources.