Strike 2 on Harry Roque

"With a spokesman like him, who needs enemies?"

When presidential spokesman Harry Roque speculated that President Duterte had given convicted killer Joseph Scott Pemberton an unexpected absolute pardon, my first reaction was: Oh, no, why should a presidential spokesman utter an opinion?

Thus, as expected, when Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Locsin and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra contradicted Roque that Pemberton’s absolute pardon was not in exchange for anything from the United States, or the vaccine which Roque claimed, it was Strike Two on the presidential spokesman.

Note that Roque also came out with a statement contrary to what the Regional Trial Court of Olongapo City said – that Pemberton had already served more than his 10-year sentence if you factored in his Good Conduct Time Allowance. Roque – a former lawyer of the Laude family – said that the court had committed “judicial overreach.”

To me, that was a presidential spokesman overreach. With his current job, Roque has no business speaking about anything except to echo the President.

My gulay, it appears that he has no self-respect and no delicadeza.

I don’t know how Duterte is taking all the statements of Roque. With a spokesman like him, who needs enemies?

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I have been wondering about the People’s Initiative push by some party-list representatives at the House of Representatives. Was it an initiative of the ABS-CBN network and the Lopezes?

The 1987 Constitution provides that if “Congress shall as early as possible, provide for a system of initiative and referendum, and the exceptions, they are from, the people can directly propose and enact laws or approve or reject any act of law or part thereof passed by Congress or local legislative body after the registration of a petition therefore signed by at least ten percentum of the total number of registered voters, by which every legislative district must be represented by at least three percentum of the registered voters thereof.”

Is this issue being used by the Left to further the communist movement by using the ABS-CBN in this people’s initiative campaign? I believe so. It’s so obvious!

Incidentally, the move of the NTC to recall the frequencies of the Lopez-owned network could benefit areas in the Philippines, especially in the provinces where students and teachers cannot afford tools for online learning.

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The Inter-Agency Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases has banned home quarantine of coronavirus patients. 

In the first place, where will they be isolated when the bed space of hospitals are already overcrowded? And who will take care of them since COVID-19 pandemic patients need the care and assistance of the family?

While it is true that having home quarantine of COVID-19 patients endanger the family because there is real danger of transmission, local officials should not be too hasty. They should first ensure that home quarantined patients get accommodation in hospitals, and that they can be cared for properly.

The reason why COVID-19 patients would rather stay home than be isolated at hospitals is that so long as they observe health protocols, they are sure of getting the proper care from members of the family. And will the ban not be akin to invasion of privacy?

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The decision of the Department of Transportation to ease the protocol in public transportation has positive and negative aspects.

While I admit there's a need for more mobility of people, especially those who go to work, the easing of social distancing may result in wider transmission of the virus.

I know people need to work, but I would rather err on the side of caution. I have been in home quarantine for over seven months now, and my wife and I have not gone outside since February 2020. And we are both ready to be home this coming Christmas season.

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Santa Banana, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, we have counted at least five very close friends who have died, some of them as a result of the coronavirus disease. The painful part about it was that we could not even attend the wakes and funerals of our friends.

The latest death is that of Marichu Vera Perez Maceda, who was a good friend of my wife. On many occasions, they were together, and during the Christmas season they exchanged gifts. Both Marichu and her husband Ernie were very good friends.

We have her in our prayers. And to the family, our deepest and sincerest condolences.