By – Glen Palaca Hubahib, Esq.
House of Cards:
Ctto hessam-hd. House of Cards started strong starring Kevin Spacey, the Machiavellian politician, only to fall apart by his own scandal.
The unraveling of BBM presidency is like a house of cards. It started strong with a promise of unity and the healing of old wounds. Instead, we saw the Machiavellian display of brute power using preventive suspension against local officials, the shock and awe arrest of Pastor Quiboloy and the wanton distribution of Ayuda.
What we now know of the Ayuda was that foreign assisted project counterparts were diverted, and they defunded legitimate infrastructure projects to fund the effort to impeach the VP Sarah. The monies were floating in the National Expenditure as unprogrammed funds designated for later release (FLR) under the control of the presidency. It is common knowledge, and some admitted that congressmen signed the impeachment complaint in exchange for the largesse.
The cracks started to appear in early 2023 when Digong denounced the secret plan to amend the constitution. Then the backlash of Digong’s ICC turnover and VP Sara’s impeachment cost the administration senate majority. The new senate was very polite to Archive the defective impeachment instead of outright dismissal. Not to be outdone, the Supreme Court punched the nail in the coffin that the impeachment was unconstitutional.
Then the floods came that exposed the substandard and non-existent projects. Then somebody must take the fall after the Discayas blew the lid that Rep. Zaldy Co and congressmen took bribes. The supposed mob was now demanding for Speaker Martin Romualdez’ head who is very close to BBM and some say, the power behind the throne.
Just like a ship adrift in the high seas, the presidency started to unload the cargoes. Before the September 21 rallies, BBM said he will return 60 billion to PhilHealth money which he earlier took for Maharlika Fund. Sensing that the retired military personnel and the very shy active personnel were very restless, he delivered the head of Speaker Romualdez ala Herod Antipas.
The Senate changed horses. Then came Marine Sergeant Orly Guteza who said that he delivered bags of cash to the Aguado Residence – the house cum office of Speaker Romualdez in the Malacañang compound. Legend has it that it has a secret passage to the palace. Now the barbarians are outside the walls of Malacañang, so to speak. Guteza has gone dark and per former Congressman Mike Defensor, he is in the company of his fellow marines.
BBM has lost his luster and considered by many as a lame duck president. It is just a matter of time that his friends will form a bee line to the 2028 front runner.
I remembered Digong speeches, that he has nothing to ask for and wanted to be a hero. When he went home on March 11, he knew he would be arrested. It was a given, but he has nothing to lose – he is not an official nor a national candidate but a sick octogenarian. But BBM blinked and took Digong’s gambit. He forgot the main players, and he is now plugging holes because water is leaking everywhere.
Visa Waiver Program:
The visa waiver program allows the citizens of participating countries to travel to the United States as a non-immigrant. For a fee, the traveler will have to apply via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) portal of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for short term business and tourism stays. Unfortunately, the Philippines is not a participant of the Visa Waiver Program. Thus, Filipinos should be wary and suspicious of someone peddling visa free travel to the United States. For sure that is another scam in the making.
Screenshot from https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/?forceNav=true
[Editor’s Note: Glen Palaca Hubahib is admitted to practice law in California and the Philippines. He also holds Electrical Engineering and MBA degrees. The article is for information only and is not a legal advice. Send your comments to the author at hubahibg@gmail.com.]