Toff on drugs/ Adiong as VG

In his speech in Maine last week,  United States Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for restrictions on immigrants from the Philippines and other countries with high rates of terrorism.

In his speech, Trump listed several immigrants, mostly from Muslim majority countries – Afghanistan, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Uzbekistan and Yemen — who were arrested for conducting or threatening to carry out violent attacks, teaching bomb-making to recruits and otherwise supporting terror groups.  He called them “animals.”

This  was the first time that he specifically mentioned the Philippines.

Upon learning of Trump’s statement, Duterte went on national state television, inviting Trump to Manila for a boxing match, ”man to man.” Meanwhile Rep. Joey Salceda (2nd District, Albay)  filed a bill banning  Trump from entering the Philippines.

“I will not take any insult on my Filipino people sitting down,” Duterte said. “Let’s settle this once and for all, extra-judicially.”

Duterte said if Trump was too scared to come to Manila, he can meet him in Las Vegas, at the Trump Towers or at the MGM grand arena.

As of today, no word was heard from Trump.

According to The Adobo Chronicles, Manila Bureau, Trump finally met his match in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. “The two have often been linked to each other, but they are thousands of miles apart, literally and figuratively.”

According to the Adobo Chronicles, “Dubbed ‘The Punisher’ by Time as far back as 2002 there have been comparisons to Donald Trump and Dirty Harry. But unlike Trump, Duterte now wields considerable national and international clout, and has for some time in his own neighborhood. Unlike Trump, he is an experienced political figure.”

“Comparing Duterte to Trump is tempting as a source of clickbait headlines, but it is inaccurate and risks becoming another act of cultural colonialism, especially given the history of the United States in the Philippines. Cultural imperialism by the US in the Philippines has often meant local Filipino concerns have been viewed, acted on and disastrously managed through an American lens – as the new president well knows. Duterte may be plenty dangerous enough without spurious comparisons to a Republican presidential candidate.”

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Rep. Christopher “Toff” de Venecia  (4th District, Pangasinan) urges the mobilization of a “parallel national effort to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s decisive and increasingly successful campaign to eradicate illegal drugs and the criminal syndicates behind them by creating new drug rehabilitation centers in various regions of the country.”

Expanded and modernized centers should be able to accommodate the tens of thousands of drug addicts in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao surrendering in droves in response to President Duterte’s sustained national campaign, de Venecia says.

De Venecia is asking Congress to work with the Department of Health and government agencies to help in the campaign. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno  is asked to increase the national health budget, with the increase dedicated to rehabilitation centers in Davao, Palawan, Cagayan Valley, Pangasinan, Bicol, Cebu, Zamboanga, Bacolod and  Iligan City  for  the expansion and modernization of existing centers.

There is also urgent need for rehabilitation hospital administrators, psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, male nurses, attendants and support personnel.

In Dagupan City, De Venecia says, the country’s largest rehabilitation center outside of Metro Manila, the Region 1 center that had 300 beds, was set up by Speaker Jose de Venecia and then Rep. Gina P. de Venecia and was then subsequently enlarged by the DOH and the Anti-Narcotics Board, now managed by Regional Director Roland Mejia and Delfin Gubatan.

He recommends the expansion of the center’s  present 600 to 1,000 beds as it  takes care of patients from Region 1, Pangasinan, to Ilocos Norte, Region 2 covering the Cagayan Valley, the Cordillera Region, and Region 3, including the populous provinces of Nueva  Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac, Bataan and  Zambales.

“While the PNP is operating on the deterrence of drug supply, there is an urgent need for congressmen, the local executives, barangay heads, the Church and the academe, to help President Duterte and the PNP in the drug campaign by assisting in the prevention of narcotic demands by the drug users.”

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Mamintal Alonto-Adiong served as governor of Lanao del Sur for three consecutive terms. As he could not run for a fourth term, he ran and was elected vice governor in the last election. His mother, Hadja Soraya, was elected governor.

Observers will say this is a vivid example of a political dynasty in the works. Given the absence of a law defining political dynasties, and the fact that both  mother and son won the elections practically hands down – their election indicates that they are an accepted family in the province, says the VG’s public relations man.

“In our legislative position, we make laws that support the mandate of the governor,” says VG  Adiong. “Then we will also augment what the province needs.”

As vice-governor, Adiong says he will back up his mother. “She wants to empower women by giving them more rights, freedom from violence and discrimination and better access to a better life. Our office can support through ordinances.”

The Adiong clan includes the VG’s grandparents, Sen. Domocao Alonto and Princess Tarhata Alonto Lucman. His late father Mamintal Sr. served as congressman for three terms, then as  Lanao del Sur governor from 2001 to 2004. His son Mamintal followed for three terms. Aside from his mother, the present governor,  his younger brothers, Hooky Adiong was elected congressman of the first District of Lanao Del Sur, and Zia-ur-rahman Alonto-Adiong is an assemblyman of the first district in the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

The vice-governor was born in San Juan in Metro Manila. He earned  a degree in civil engineering at the National University.

The family opposed the Marcos dictatorship and supported the democratic ideals of then candidate Corazon Aquino.

The younger Adiong said that in a province, encumbered by conflict due to historical family feuds and rebel groups, the Adiongs tried to maintain stability.

“We don’t want chaos. We concentrated on development,” says Adiong.

When his father took his post, Lanao del Sur was inaccessible. “Most of the roads were impassable. We paled in comparison to the progress in Lanao del Norte. Since my father was also an engineer, he focused on building good roads,” recalls Adiong.

In 1996, Adiong became a member of the provincial board and was later appointed provincial administrator. He then became provincial engineer and a member of the government’s Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities, speaking for the business community of ARMM.

The Adiongs were able to secure funding from the national government to build better roads. Over time, Australia, US Agency for International Development and the ARMM provided financial assistance. Today, remote municipalities such as Wao, the only Christian town in the province and Amai Malabilang can be reached by concrete roads.

Women became more active in budget planning. To provide financial security, a livelihood center for women  was set up in Marawi City, the capital.

The local government, says the VG,  supported sports programs and gave the youths allowances in sports and education programs.

The province also hosted the Ulama League of the Philippines, a congregation of Muslim scholars trained in Islamic precepts and laws.

”We wanted the people to be more engaged, so they can deepen their understanding of Islam,” he says.

Adiong attributes his success to being “a people person. You need to be humble. You can only understand the problem when you see their perspective.”

As the vice-governor, Adiong says he will back up  his mother, Governor Soraya. “She wants to empower women by giving them more rights, freedom from violence and discrimination and better access to a better life. Our office can support through ordinances.”

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