SENATOR ROBINHOOD PADILLA’S Political Affairs Officer, Nadia Montenegro, a former actress, was reported in an August 13 incident report, filed by a Senate security officer, as having been in two alleged instances of “an unusual scent/odor…coming from the ladies’ comfort room near the senators’ extension offices.” She resigned on Aug. 15, saying that such “should not be misconstrued as an admission of guilt – it is not.” (Inquirer).
Media/social media, always on the alert about developments particularly in the Senate, naturally picked up the story for the information of the public.
Whether true or not, that a senator’s staff or employee has been caught using a prohibited drug in the Senate offices, does not speak well of supposedly one of the most important and highly respected institutions in the government bureaucracy. This august government body, in fact, has been touted as one of the ‘last’ bastions of democracy in the country.
SHAMELESSLY SUSPICIOUS
The people’s focused attention on the Senate for the past months has been extraordinary. This is given its dilly-dallying, if not shamelessly suspicious, decision especially on its mandate to be an impeachment court to try the president’s election partner, VP Sara Duterte, for alleged violation of the constitution, betrayal of public trust, unexplained robbery (?) of the people’s money in the amount of more than P612 million in 11 days, publicly threatening to have the first couple assassinated, among other crimes. The street parliamentarians – concerned citizens, partylist groups, NGOs, CSOs, People’s Movements, and various activist organizations, including active and retired military officers, and church leaders like bishops, priests, pastors and religious leaders/groups – have been clamoring for a Senate to “Litisin na si VP Sara Duterte Now!”
“Prohibited drugs have been taken by one senator’s staff or employee in the offices of the Senate?” – a big question indeed that cannot but alarm all Filipinos of goodwill, seriously concerned about good governance. If there’s anything good at all about this disturbing incident being disseminated nationwide, it probably made more Filipinos aware that they have to be more watchful about the behavior and pro-people performance records, if any, of their representatives in the Legislature.
‘What’s the PDEA doing about the drug problem? Or, are the PNP and other law enforcement agencies of the administration of President Bongbong Marcos and VP Sara Duterte sleeping on the job?’
PDEA, PNP’s ROLE
As expected, however, the people cannot help thinking aloud, as gleaned from social media: “Ano ba, akala natin nasipa na ang ‘Drugderte Kultura’ dahil nakulong na sa ICC prison sa Hague, Netherlands ang No. 1 drug lord ng Mindanao? Di ba dapat limitado na o wala na ang prohibited drugs sa mercado?” ”Bakit meron pang mga droga, at meron sa Senado mismo?” “How in the world, seriously speaking, that the number-one-elected senator has his key officer in charge of political affairs allegedly caught taking prohibited drugs in the Senate?”
What’s the PDEA doing about the drug problem?
Or, are the PNP and other law enforcement agencies of the administration of President Bongbong Marcos and VP Sara Duterte sleeping on the job? Or their mindset retains the ICC-detained former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s ‘Kill Kill Kill’ policy of his fake ‘War on Drugs’ pursued in the past by his aides, senators Bato de la Rosa and Bong Go, among others?
CHANCE TO BE SOLVED
Why are President Marcos and his VP Sara Duterte abroad almost every month, instead of making sure that at least one big drug lord is apprehended by the PNP?
Is President Bongbong Marcos just following his SONA, where he avoided talking about the country’s “War on Drugs,” and about his administration’s human rights violations by the AFP/PNP, as illegally pushed by the NTF-ELCAC’s red-tagging policy?
Is there any chance within the year or the next, the drug problem, at least, will be solved?
Thank you sirBon!