GHOST Senator si Bato?

Ilang linggo nang absent si Bato. Natsismis lang na nag-issue ng warrant of arrest ang ICC ... aba eh nagtago na. Eh marami ang nagtatanong ngayon kung dapat bang sweldohan si Bato?

Sa ordinaryo kasing mga Pinoy ... kung palagi kang absent pinapatawag ka agad ng Human Resources? Either may WARNING ka ... or you're a candidate for SUSPENSION.  Or possible pang TERMINATION ang hatol mo.

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Kung hindi ka kasi nagrereport for work ano ba ang dapat: may sweldo or wala? Most possible WALA ... lalo na kung hindi ka nagpapaalam. Or hindi importante ang dahilan. At basta ka na lang hindi nagpakita.

Too bad hindi tayo katulad ng mga senador ... hindi applicable ang No Work No Pay sa kanila. Iba ang kanilang mga rules at protektado sila nito. Wasn't Manny Pacquiao absent from Senate sessions for months because of his boxing matches? People were saying SANA ALL when GMA News reiterated that he still receives his salary and his allowance kahit hindi nakikita ang anino niya sa Senado.

Bato will receive the same entitlement ... and will receive salary despite his absence ... whether nagpaaaalam man siya o wala.

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I can't blame the ordinary Juan de la Cruz, if the disparities between Sen Bato vis-à-vis their own personal experience ... make them entertain ideas na ang agwat nila ikumpara sa mga senador ay parang langit at lupa? 

Yong feeling ba na kung sila ay mag-absent e di wala silang kita? Yon bang kahit masama ang pakiramdam, babalik sila sa trabaho kasi ayaw nilang may bawas and sweldo nila. Every cent counts.

Tapos si Bato ... kahit nagbubulakbol at naglalamierda lang... tuloy ang biyaya kahit hindi naman niya pinagpaguran? "Saan ba ang hustisya diyan?" daing nila.

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Tapos maririnig nila itong mga balita at patextex na lang si Bato at nagbibiro pang ... "Senator Lacson matatalo ko na ang record mo." He meant kung sino sa kanila ang top scorer sa pagka-lakwatsero at may mahabang pagtatago at pag-aabsent sa trabaho. Dapat pa palang ipagmalaki yon?

I find it too juvenile for a Senator of his stature ... hindi na nga siya nagrereport ... sumusweldo pa siya ... and he skipped the budget deliberation for DND at iniwan na niya ang kanyang budget duties na sinalo na lang ni Sen Win Garchalian ... tapos dinaan na lang sa biro ang lahat? 

Acceptable ba yon? How do those people who made him number 3 in the ranking in the last election feel about his condescending jokes, his disappearance, and his abandonment of work?

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One podcast host wanted to see the glass half-full, painting an optimistic and hopeful outlook on Bato's absence from the Senate plenary.

He said it with stars in his eyes: "Look at it on the bright side ... Imaginin ninyo na kung wala si Bato sa Senado ... e di maayos ang kanilang discussion. Nababawasan yong mga offkeys ... at walang masyadong arguments." 

Kung ako yon maiinsulto ako. Pero may point ang podcaster! Kung wala nga si Bato bihira lang ang walang kawawaang mga grandstanding. Hindi na rin natin maeexperience yong pag-aabogado niya (kahit hindi naman siya abogado) ... at yong shrill voice niya tuwing nakikipagdebate siya ... na para bang he is always in the precipice of an impending stroke nabawas-bawasan na rin. What a relief di ba?

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Ang hindi ko lang maintiendihan ay kung bakit nauwi tayo ngayon sa pagtatago ni Bato?

Hindi ba siya yong machong PNP chief at architect ng Oplan Tokhang na buong tapang at kayabangan na winasiwas si Sen Tri at pinagsalitaang: "Go ahead make my day Mr. Trillanes ... ikaw pa ang magposas sa akin". 

Dati yon ... pero ngayon ... hindi pa nga official na meron nga siyang warrant sa ICC ay nag-iba ang ihip ng hangin. Ang BATO ay nagiging MARSHMALLOW. At napakahirap tanggapin at lunukin ng mga tao na ang isang bato ay may kalambotan rin?

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Tapos buong ningning niyang  isinuot ang kanyang superhero  outfit sa kanyang patuloy na pagkunyari yong tahasang sinabi niyang: " Sigi na hulihin na ninyo ako ... mabuti na rin iyan at maalagan ko si Tatay Digong." How noble!

Again, that was before. Iba ang present tense. Hindi nga siya msigurado kung nagba-bluff lang si Ombusman na huhulihin na siya ng ICC ... umalis bigla at naglaho ito ng napakabilis at nagmamadali. Nagmuka tuloy siyang GHOST SENATOR,

Taliwas ito sa pinapakita niyang image na napakatapang nga niya. Di ba malaking tulong nga ito kay PRRD na at least may nakakasama na siya sa the Hague ... at may ka-ututang dila pa. Lip service lang pala yon .... at walang sincerity? Tiyak turn-off si PRRD niyan. Minus point yan!

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And then I also remember ... how his mouth froths at buong dalisay niyang ipinagsigawan sa kanyang political opponents ang kanyang paboroting narrative: "Kung wala kang maling ginawa ... bakit ka tatakbo at magtatago?" Totoo naman eh.

Kaya lang may  sa pagkademonyo ang salitang yan at kusa siyang binabalikan ngayon at sarkastiko pang inuusig siya.

You're right Bato ... bakit nga matakot ka kung wala ka namang kasalanan di ba? It is time to prove your critics wrong and look them in the eyes na Yes walang masama sa Oplan Double Barrel. Walang masama sa EJK ... at maganda ang objective ng Oplan Tokhang.

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Is This For Real?

Is this for real? Did she mean that she was not greedy ... at all?

Did she know what she was talking about ... or is this the hallmark sign of acute amnesia - inability to recall past events ... confusion ... incorrect recollection ... cognitive difficulties and issues.

Netizens think otherwise. If this is true, it will be the Clash of the Titans. Sara Duterte versus Sara Duterte.

Saan Ang Loyalty

Tamaan na lang kung sino ang tatamaan ... masaktan na kung sino ang masasaktan.

Aba mapigilan ninyo ba ang mga pageant bloggers kung nagrereport sila ng mga pageant result pati na ang kanilang mga reaction at pananaw dito?

And since when na ang pagbabalita ay pagmamayabang. Nayayabangan ka ba ... or na-overwhelm ka sa hindi mapigilan pagratsada ng bayan na isinusuka mo?

And who gave these self-proclaimed critics the license para supilin ang content ng mga post ng mga bloggers issuing outlandish comments na ano ba ang dapat ikatuwa sa B2B victories ng Pilipinas eh mga minor pageants lang naman iyan.

Yon na nga ang siste. At least kahit minor pageants nagkaback to back tayo . Eh yong iba diyan may maipagmalaki bang B2B or front to front? Wala nga di ba? Yong iba nga taon taon na lang sali ng sali ... at sa twenty or so years na pagbakasakali nila kahit minsan hindi nakatikim ng Top 30 man lang. Teka nga minor pa ba ang Miss Grand International sa iyo?

At naririnig mo ba ang sarili mo sa mga accusations mo na kaya nanalo ang Pilipinas ng back to back eh aside from being minor pageants ... hindi sumasali ang mga powerhouse countries diyan. Kaya nananalo daw ang Pilipinas dahil sila lang daw ang angat at wala ng mapagpilian. The nerve.

Ito pa ang isang matinding accusation: Gutom na gutom daw ang Pilipinas sa crowns. Paano maging gutom yan eh bondat na bondat na sila. Wala na silang dapat patunayan pa. The crowns we won are overflowing. Kusa itong binibigay sa atin ... tatangihan mo pa? Hindi natin ito hiningi ... they give us the title because they know na deserve natin ito.

At sa lahat ng kanyang sinabi, this one takes the cake as the most thoughtless, reckless, and the most "BALIW of all. Responding to another commenter who said that Venezuela has not completely won the top-tier pageants because the country still has to win the Miss Supranational, and this critic responded, "hindi nila focus ang supra ... at wala silang paki sa pageant na yan. Delusional with capital D.

How did you know inang? Ikaw ba ang National Director ng Miss Supra Venezuela at alam mo ang ins and outs sa loob? Isang tanong lang at ma-debunk na yong mga sour-graping mo (or was it sweet lemoning?) at mga palusot mo. Para que sasali pa sila sa Miss Supra, gagastos at magtrain ng candidate kung wala pala silang intention na manalo dito? Alam mo ba kung magkano ang ginagastos sa preparation pa lang ng mga representatives .... at may "bahala na" attitude sila ... at wala pala silang paki manalo man o matalo..

This is a classic case of "arguing for the sake of argument." Lusutan kung pwede lusutan. She presents an argument .... or adopts a position na walang paki ang Venezuela sa Miss Supra) not necessarily that she believes in her statements. These statements were made merely to obfuscate the discussion and mainly to rock the boat. Did you think naniniwala ang tao sa iyo?

Kaya responsibility ng Pilipinas na i-maintain ang imahen na kanilang na-estasblish. They call us powerhouse in Asia because of the record-breaking achievements. We join the pageants hindi dahil kailangan pa natin ang isang truck na titles. Far from that. We have reach the point na responsibilidad natin i-safeguard and ating brand. Na mapangalagaan ito at i-maintain ... not necessarily para manalo. Eh kung binibigyan pa rin ng title ... bonus na yon.

Going back to the critic ... kung isa rin siyang Pinoy ... it is mind boggling. Bihira ka makakita ng mga ganyang klase ng tao na instead ipagbunyi at ipagmalaki ang kanyang home country ... sila pa ang tumutuligsa at pumupuna dito. Loyalty and patriotism is now the thing of the past. And talk about crab mentality ... natutuwa sila sa kanilang kawalanghiyaan.

I am posting the photos of the back-to-back winners to remind the critic that her comments were two-faced and sneaky. Sa totoo lang kung wala ka namang magandang sasabihin ... back off ... and keep your mouth shut.

Wala ka namang ambag ... kundi ang matabil mong dila. Who needs that anyway?

One more thing ... bakit ka na-ooffend sa mga pageant bloggers na nagbabalita or nagbibigay ng komentaryo. At bakit pumapasok sa isip mo na mayabang sila eh trabaho nila yan.

Galit ka sa mayabang ... dahil natalbugan ang kayabangan mo ... is that it?

The Real Powerhouse

 

To the doubting Thomases in the neighborhood ... we have another proof that the Philippines is indeed the POWERHOUSE in Asia.

First ... you can't spell powerhouse without PH.

Second ... for two years in a row, the Philippines is the only country in the world capable of erasing unbelievable records - can you imagine winning 2-3 titles in one day? Sounds too much ... but it's true.

Third ... this year, the Philippines is the Country Of The Year for having been consistent in winning Alpha top-tier female international pageants. (Miss Universe, Miss World, Miss Earth, Miss International, Miss Supranational, and Miss Grand International.

Fourth ... the same story holds in male premium top-notch pageants (Mr. World, Mr. International, Manhunt International, Man Of The World, Mr. Supranational, and Mr. Global.

Fifth ... even in minor pageants, the Philippines continued its dominance and firepower. Lest somebody call us redundant and repetitive ... 2025 saw 55 titles tucked in our sleeves, 16 First Runner Up spots, 11 Second Runner Up, 6 Third Runner Up, 3 Fourth Runner Up, 3 Top 6-8, and 8 Top 10-16.

And Sixth - in 2025, the Philippines is second to none ... and this one is for Ripley Believe It Or Not - when she established another UNTHINKABLE ... nay INCONCEIVABLE feat when she won 3 BACK-TO-BACK wins in a span of 50 days.

-Miss Grand International - 2024- CJ Opiaza - 2025 Emma Mary Tiglao

-Miss Environment International - 2024- Shannon Robinson- 2025 - Arianna Pantaleon

-Miss Face of Beauty International -2024- Jean Isabelle Bilasanao - 2025 - Bikki Buenafe. (see photos)

-Miss Elite Global - 2024 - Jean Tumang - 2025 - Granzine Tajanlangit

Name any country that has achieved this mind-blowing coup (not even fellow powerhouses like Venezuela, Colombia, USA, Thailand, and Brazil)... yet our kapitbahay frowns at these achievements by virtue of winning one minor title.

Lawyer's Mumbo Jumbo

 We are not lawyers ... but we need to understand their lexicon (lawyers always have their own lingo, only they can understand. Same with doctors, nurses, and engineers) 

We spend our waking hours on YouTube, and we are always exposed to hearings and debates—and also their private conversations. All we do is scratch our heads because they use legal terminologies that sound too foreign and alien to our virgin ears, and our minds wander and wonder what they are talking about.

Let's start decoding and decrypting these words and phrases (it is irreverent and irrelevant for us to enter the sanctum of the in ... but desperate times need desperate measures) so the next time they use these terms again ... we are on the same page with them.  Not in limbo.

We will try to dissect and define them in simpler language so ordinary mortals and laymen (the amateur and the non-experts) can actively participate in the discussion ... and at the same time broaden their legal and paralegal stock knowledge,

So our word or phrase that is hitting the headlines today is: Restitutio in Integrum - in English Restitution.

PHRASE: Restitutio in Integrum

MEANING: In law, Restitution means the act of returning something to its rightful owner or providing compensation for a loss or injury. It is a remedy used in both criminal and civil cases to either return property that was wrongfully taken or to pay for the monetary value of the harm caused, making it a form of payment or repayment for damage

EXAMPLE: 

1. As part of Bryce Hernandez's restitution, he will surrender his Lamborghini Urus (worth 30 million), a GMC Yukon Denali valued at 12 million, and a Ferrari to ICI.

2. Henry Alcantara returned P110 million tied to the flood control scam as part of a restitution agreement with ICI

3. As of late November 2025, the government has begun the process of recovering assets linked to the Discaya family, but the full restitution is ongoing. The specific items returned as part of the restitution process include: 

-The Bureau of Customs (BOC) held a public auction for several luxury cars seized from the Discaya couple and their companies. The auction generated P34.4 million, which was remitted to the National Treasury.

-Frozen Assets - The Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has issued freeze orders on various assets linked to the Discayas, including:

-Approximately ₱2.9 billion in bank accounts, vehicles, and real estate are now under freeze orders.

-A list of 18 properties worth an estimated P1 billion was forwarded by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to the AMLC for possible forfeiture

Pageant Result: Miss International 2025

The winners of Miss International 2025 from left to right: Myrna Esguerra - Philippines - Fourth Runner Up, Paola Guzman Sanchez - Bolivia - Second Runner Up, Catalina Duque- Colombia - Miss International 2025 - Winner, Yollanda Chimbarami - Zimbabwe- First Runner Up, Melliza Xaviera Yulian - Indonesia - Third Runner Up. The pageant was held at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shabuya Tokyo, Japan, last November 27, 2025.

Country Of The Year Award For the Phlippines

Well, what do you know.  Much that we don't encourage our neighbors to get envious or jealous, or their fanatic and patriotic citizenry to sulk in one corner and self-pity ... 2025 is the Philippines' year in pageantry.

We don't actually invoke or implore for more awards, but it is written in the stars ... This early, the Philippines had a good chance of getting the Country of the Year Award by virtue of the wins the country has earned in major Alpha ... top-tier International pageants.

We won this title 2 0r 3 times in the past ... that is why we are being called a Powerhouse, and 2025 cemented it despite the doubting Thomases from our kapitbahays who dismissed it as just some kind of an urban legend and worst a delusional figment of our imagination. Here's the breakdown:

-Miss Universe - Third Runner Up

-Miss World - Top 8 and  Continental Queen of Asia

-Miss International - Fourth Runner Up

-Miss Earth- Top 8 

-Miss Supranational - Third Runner Up

-Miss Grand International- Winner

We did not ask for it, but fate was generous ... and she continue to shower and reward us with all these blessings.

The year is not over ... and we still have the chance to add more titleholders in the minor or lesser-known pageants. As of this count, we have more than 54 titles already tucked in our sleeves. We don't have to brag ... and we are not gloating ... but the year 2025 was just an avalanche.

The milestone is  a testament to the determination and excellence of our Pinay Queens.