March 1 - 15, 2019
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
Reyfort Publishing & Entertainment
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Breaking
Point
By Rosette Correa
Nope. Apparently not this time.
This time, it’s all smiles, with a gang
of eager Liberals in the back, all lined
up like a firing squad, ready to defend
their fearless leader who comes in with
a newly elected MP from Quebec and
his daughter walking out with him.
He finally faces the angry mob and
the crowd of eager journalists who
want answers to questions that arose
from the testimony of former justice
minister Jody Wilson-Raybould. Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau doesn’t flinch,
even after his confidant and Principal
Secretary Gerald Michael Butts
resigns, followed by Jane Philpott.
This is a man who rehearsed what to
say, and what not to say; to dodge the
bullets (and the questions) as much
as he can; to persuade Canadians
that it was the Harper government’s
fault, not his, and that he was noble
in his intentions to save thousands
of jobs at SNC-Lavalin by amending
the Criminal Code to cancel a trial for
a company that racked up a king’s
ransom in lobbying bills to plead for
this change so that the company
bosses can go scot free.
In a matter of days, Wilson-
Raybould goes from disgruntled
government employee to hero of
the day for exposing the truth; Butts
becomes the second casualty, and
is called to testify by the justice
committee; and a few days after, Jane
Philpott resigns from the Trudeau
cabinet and has said she has a “loss
of confidence” with the government,
Bulong
Pulungan
By Deedee Siytangco
Picking Up the Pieces
Wait for it. A teardrop is about to fall.
and that she must, “must abide by my
core values, my ethical responsibilities
and constitutional obligations.” At a
press conference this time, Trudeau
once again emerges from his comfort
zone and faces the mob at a fundraiser
in Prince Edward Island, with young
children behind him.
It’s difficult not to think that
Trudeau likes to put on a good show
- one that tugs your heart strings
and makes you think less of the dirt
he brought into the room. He uses
ordinary people, avid supporters of
the Liberal Party, for his first go at re-
attacking Wilson-Raybould and the
Conservatives by picking at former PM
Stephen Harper’s government so that
it can cover his own iniquities. It’s not
enough that he threw Wilson-Raybould
under the bus many times after her
resignation and initial revelation, that
he had to do it again, and use Harper
as a secondary excuse for his faux
pas. He never does the same thing
to Butts, and he rightly delivered to
cover his former boss’ tracks when he
testified to the justice committee that
Wilson Raybould was “persuaded, not
pressured”. He does the same “hide-
behind-an-innocent-crowd” gimmick
at a PEI fundraiser, using children
this time, to mask the huge blow that
keeps sinking him deeper with the
resignation of Philpott.
It’s shameful for a PM not to know
how to stand on his own to defend
himself against allegations, without
the help of feel-good ambiance. He
begins his
speech with
a rallying cry
of what his
government
h
a
s
achieved
- assisted
suicide
and
the
legalization
of marijuana
- as if these
things are
laws
that
Canadians
would all be proud to tell other
countries are Canada’s achievements.
He answers questions with non
sequitur responses. He smiles all
throughout, smug, and tries to
convince the public he did nothing
wrong, treating Canadians as if we
were all noseblind to the stink.
It is now very difficult to believe that
Wilson-Raybould lost her position as
attorney general for any other reason
than that she refused to bend to the
prime minister’s will. For new justice
minister, David Lametti, to reverse
her decision after Wilson-Raybould so
clearly raised concerns about whether
the independence of the office would
stay intact after her departure would
be disastrous. There is no way out of
this one, JT. Even Quebec’s pundit
classes and newspaper people have
now concluded that the Prime Minister
crossed the line in his dealings with
SNC-Lavalin, and just recently, Sami
Bebawi
facing charges including
fraud and bribery of a public official in
relation to SNC-Lavalin’s dealings with
the regime of the late Libyan dictator,
Moammar Gadhafi.
And the myth that the PM is pro-
woman is old hat. No one believes
that anymore, especially when he
blames a female employee for not
being forward with her complaint, and
still smile smugly as the rest of his
buddies laugh along with him, finding
the woman too insignificant to take
seriously. Nope, he is not celebrating
International Women’s Day with us,
ladies.
When there’s too much to catch
up with, it will be difficult to pick up
the pieces. You can’t pearly-white your
way out of this one, Mr. PM. No baby
is big enough to kiss and to cover the
mess the government is in right now.
There Is A New BSP Governor
Reprinted from Manila Bulletin
ANGEL THOUGHTS “Always take
sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor,
never the victim. Silence encourages
the tormentor, never the tormented.”
—Elie Wiesel, an American Jewish
writer, professor
Let’s observe the 40 days of the
Lenten season by doing what Pope
Francis advised us. Instead of giving
up chocolates, booze and the like,
give up gossiping, lying, stealing,
backbiting, inflicting harm on others,
env. Instead give love, live in peace,
help those who need our help,
feed some communities that need
generous donors. Then we will have
a meaningful Lenten season in His
Name.
***
All the accusations and brickbats
hurled by some congressmen
against Sec. Ben Diokno of
the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM) seem to have
had no effect on President Rodrigo
Duterte’s regard for the budget chief.
The President has named Diokno
as the new governor of the Bangko
Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), to succeed
the late Nestor Espenilla Jr. who
succumbed to cancer last Feb. 23. He
will fill out Espenilla’s term.
Diokno brings to his new post
his expertise in public administration
and in economic and financial
matters through decades of service
in various positions in government.
Congratulations, Ben! Go slay the
dragons!
Before his appointment by
President Duterte on June 30, 2016,
as Budget secretary, Batangas-born
Diokno was already with the DBM as
undersecretary from 1986 to 1991
during the term of the late President
Cory Aquino. Yes, I remember him in
Malacañang then!
He later became the personal
choice in June 1998 of former
President Joseph Estrada as Budget
secretary. He served in that capacity
until January 2001 when a coup
ousted Estrada from the presidency,
which was put on then VP Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo’s lap.
Well, judging from the positions
he has held in various government
agencies, and his academic record
over 17 years, Diokno appears
qualified to be the top authority and
chief regulator of the banking industry
and he has the approval of President
Duterte and the support from Finance
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
chief Sonny Dominguez.
Apart from three tours of duty
with the DBM, Diokno served
as fiscal adviser to the Senate,
chairman and CEO of the Philippine
National Oil Company (PNOC), and
chairman of the Local Water Utilities
Administration (LWUA). He is also
chairman of the Board of Trustees
of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng
Maynila, which is Manila’s lone public
university for students coming from
the disadvantaged sector.
The new BSP governor’s academic
credential is impressive. On top of the
curriculum is a PhD in economics
earned from the Maxwell School
of Citizenship and Public Affairs of
Syracuse University in New York, and
an M.A. in political economy from
the Johns Hopkins
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