In search for the real vice president

I really expected to find out who would have been the real Vice-President of the Philippines as of this time, anyway it’s already three years since the 2016 elections were held and we’ve always believed in that legal dictum, Justice delayed is Justice denied. The Supreme Court (SC) acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) was supposed to come up with a decision on this case last week, but deferred it for last Wednesday. However, instead of ruling on whether to proceed with the election protest of former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against Vice President Leni Robredo, the SC decided to vote to give the Marcos camp a chance to include three provinces in Mindanao in his petition for a vote recount.

In its vote of 11-2, the high tribunal also allowed the release to the two camps of copies of the committee report on the revision and appreciation of ballots in the three pilot provinces named in the protest: Iloilo, Camarines Sur and Negros Oriental. The PET gave the two camps 20 days from receipt of the order to submit memoranda on issues “and other matters” relating to Marcos’ plea for annulment of election results for vice president in Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao.

Accordingly, in his election protest, Marcos alleged that no actual election took place in the 2,756 clustered precincts in the three Mindanao provinces during the 2016 polls because of rampant terrorism, violence and threats. With the SC deliberations limited to these discussions and with no ruling on the three pilot provinces, the “status quo” was maintained. So now we wait for another 20 days, meanwhile Justice continues to be denied.

To be completely honest about this, I really don’t care who should be the next Vice-President for as long as the elections were done thoroughly and honestly. Come now, it has been three years since we’ve had questions about the 2016 elections. First off, we were totally taken by surprise, why Mar Roxas started from second to the last to second only to the winner, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte? No one could have achieved getting into second place unless someone did alter the count of the 2016 polls.

The second question I always asked, but never got an answer is that the most popular candidate in the 2016 elections was Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte… but after the elections were done, there were two Senatorial candidates who had a million more votes than Pres. Duterte. At this point, I have no idea why then winning candidate Duterte did not complain about this. Come now is Sen. Franklin Drilon more popular than Duterte?

Finally another question I’ve always asked but never got an answer is what ever happened to Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista? He was accused by his wife of corruption and he suddenly disappeared… and I’m sure he is one fellow who knows whether Ferdinand Marcos won over Leni Robredo. So why isn’t there anyone looking for Bautista? So at this point, we wait another 20 days before we finally see  an end to this great mystery as to who should be the Vice-President of the Philippines.

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Beleaguered Philippine National Police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde has resigned from his position as PNP Chief because of his being linked to the so-called “ninja cops” when he was still chief of police in Pampanga way back in 2013 when at that time, the Philippines was under then Pres. Benigno Aquino III and the nation was fast turning into a narco state. During his time, even Region-7 police regional director was considered a

“Narco General” and has been reported as out of the country.

Chief PNP Albayalde formally announced his decision to relinquish his post at a flag-raising ceremony at the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame amid allegations he was a protector of “ninja cops,” the term for policemen engaged in recycling seized illegal drugs. That Albayalde resigned even if he only lacked a couple of weeks before his official retirement only shows that he is a man of good moral character.

Not many people have the mind to retire when their retirement is already near the corner, which is why I salute the former Chief PNP for his resignation. Right now, the tagged against Albayalde are still just allegations and complaint, subject to investigation and then later on if it reaches the court and goes on trial there’s still due process.” So we will be hearing this case in the months to come.

Meanwhile, I would like to believe that the Senate investigation on the so-called “Ninja Cops” is not headed towards a course case for as long it stays in the Legislature. If indeed a huge wrongdoing was done, then this should now be brought into the attention of our courts of law. 

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