China Donates PhP 89.8 M to the victims of Super Typhoon Lawin

President Rody Duterte delivers a statement with China’s Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua after the People’s Republic of China donates a total of PhP 89.8 million to the victims of Super Typhoon Lawin, at the Malacañan Palace on October 24, 2016

Here's the video.

Japan, Maingat sa Bunganga ni President Duterte!

TOKYO —

Maingat ang mga Japanese officials kay Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte dahil sa kilalang di makontrol na bunganga ng presidente. "It’s not just his foreign policy toward the U.S., but also his informal style: Will he chew gum in front of the emperor?" pag-alala ng mga Japanese officials.

Tatlong araw si Duterte sa bisita niya sa Tokyo, Japan at magkakaroon ng pakikipag-usap sa Prime Minister na si Shinzo Abe sa Miyerkules. Ayon sa balita na ang Japanese Foreign Minister na si Fumio Kishida ay tatanungin nila kung ano ang tunay na intensyon nito sa pagpunta sa Japan sa kanilang hapunan.

“I think it would be important that we fully communicate through these occasions and directly hear opinions from President Duterte himself,” sabi ni Kishida.

“When (Duterte) will make a courtesy visit to the Emperor, his behavior during the event could have a major impact. I trust he understands the consequences and he would not do such a thing (as chewing gum), but I do hope the Philippine side to remind him of that particular point,” Itsunori Onodera, a senior lawmaker in the conservative ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told a Sunday talk show on Fuji TV.

Longest Bridge in Mindanao sa 2017 na!

The P4.859 billion longest bridge in Mindanao connecting Tangub City, Misamis Occidental and Tubod, Lanao del Norte, which is named Panguil Bay Bridge, will start construction by the third quarter of 2017. This was announced by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 10.

Ang Tunay na MALASAKIT, Nakikita na ng mga Pilipino!

Tunay pong kahanga-hanga ang damayang may tatak Pilipino. Kitang kita po kung paano nagtutulungan ang ating mga kababayan para maihatid ang tulong na kailangang kailangan ng mga kababayan natin na apektado ng bagyong Lawin. Kuha po ng DSWD Field Office sa Cordillera Autonomous Region. 
- DSWD Sec. Judy M. Taguiwalo

Smuggled Rice mula China, Nasabat!

JUST IN: P20-M smuggled na bigas mula China, nasabat mula sa 12 container vans sa Port of Manila. Idineklarang leatherette ang mga kargamento. (via Romel Lopez/News5) - News5 Everywhere

Davao Has The Most Grandiose Bridge in Mindanao!

DAVAO CITY- The most grandiose bridge in Mindanao is set to be constructed for P1.19 Billion after the design had been revealed from Filipino design team Budji + Royal Architecture + Design which will connect Davao City and Samal Island. The bridge is DPWH Southern Mindanao's version of Northern Mindanao's Panguil Bay Bridge. The design of the bridge includes a railway which might append to Davao's planned train system or to Mindanao Railway System. While Panguil Bay Bridge will cater millions of passengers who are crossing the Panguil Bay in their everyday lives, this bridge will mostly cater tourist of Samal Island and for the benefit of growing tourism industry in Davao. It can be noted that millions of tourists visit Davao which makes Davao the leading tourist destination in Mindanao. 

Duterte Impressed American Executive of his Leadership!

"Being an American executive living and working in the Philippines, it is safe to say my phone has been ringing off the hook recently, with reams of inquiries about “How is it in the Philippines now?”, or “What do you think?”, or “How is all of this going to play out?” with regard to the new Duterte administration and the war of words that has dominated the global press.

One can debate these questions back and forth for hours, and certainly social media is alive with the debate raging in full view. My answers to these questions have been rooted in what I believe are four fundamental conclusions that are near-irrefutable at this point:

It is far too early to conclude anything regarding the long-term impact. President Duterte has been in office a mere 100 days. We don’t know at this point how any of this is going to play out. Some wonder if the rhetoric is the result of a lack of seasoning as a politician on a global level. Others suspect this may all be part of a far grander strategy. What do I think? My mother grew up on a farm, and she always used to say, “Your mule always notices when you kiss your tractor.” And I suspect President Duterte himself has the same kind of wisdom about him. This very likely could be a clever negotiation play to create more balance with the US and the EU and strike a better deal, i.e. making the “mule” more jealous. And why shouldn’t he fight for a better set of terms from the US and EU? Nothing wrong with this; it is his job as president of his nation to protect the best interests of the Philippines. Only time will tell. Let’s give the president time to run his playbook before any conclusions are drawn.

An important essence of leadership is a bias for action. President Duterte is not a “NATO” kind of leader, meaning “No action, talk only.” Rarely in recent history has the world seen a leader be more decisive in the first 100 days than President Duterte. No matter how one feels about the decisions, this itself must be applauded. He is a man of action. And this is an essential element of great leadership.

. We can argue about what is right for Philippines, but we cannot credibly argue the man’s intentions. He truly wants what is best for his nation and is willing to take flak for it. This selflessness is truly commendable.

And finally, when the president uses the counter-argument of hypocrisy from the West with regard to human rights, he is absolutely right. I personally don’t agree with the use of 100-year-old arguments, as the present must be argued with the present. Dredging up human-rights issues from 100-plus years ago is a slippery slope — under this premise, a country could, for example, remove women’s rights to vote under the argument, “Well, the USA did not allow women to vote prior to 1920.” No, one cannot argue the present with the past, because the past is in the past, but the present can be altered. Yet, this really doesn’t matter, because the present hypocrisy of the West surrounding Syria, ISIS and the refugees proves that the US, EU and NATO, for that matter, have no business lecturing anyone about human rights. Because every day thousands of innocent people are murdered at the hands of an issue created by the West. And, worst of all, there is no willingness to help refugees, to clean up a mess of their own making.

To President Duterte, we say, “Give ’em hell, Rody!” There is an old saying in the Arab world, “The dogs bark, yet the caravan still passes.” Let the dogs bark. And keep doing what you think is right."

- James Michael Lafferty