BREAKING NEWS: The Office of the Ombudsman will file criminal and administrative complaints against former DPWH Secretary Sen. Mark Villar, Sen. Camille Villar, Manny Villar, Cynthia Villar, Manuel Paolo Villar and officials of PrimeWater in relation to joint venture agreements it entered into with 3 local water districts.

The Office of the Ombudsman files two counts of graft and administrative complaints against Senators Mark and Camille Villar, former Senators Manny and Cynthia Villar, Paolo Villar, and other local water district officials due to alleged poor water service.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano says the complaints are now under preliminary investigation.

https://x.com/gmanews/status/2100848196255658361

https://x.com/ABSCBNNews/status/2100849130960830500

It's wild how we constantly call out politicians for systemic corruption and bleeding the country dry, yet so many Filipinos willingly line the pockets of an institution that operates in much the same way. If we are truly anti-corruption, we need to stop "separating the art from the artist" in our entertainment choices. Every time people buy concert tickets for international acts at the Philippine Arena, they are directly subsidizing the leadership of the Iglesia ni Cristo. They are channeling revenue into a multi-billion-peso "white elephant" project that reportedly left the church with billions in bank debt, forcing it to sell or leverage assets funded by the contributions of its members. We complain about the INC's political bloc voting and its influence on democracy, but the moment a favorite K-pop group or Western artist books the venue, many still hand over their money, indirectly supporting Eduardo Manalo lifestyle. If we want to curb systemic greed, we also have to stop supporting the institutions that benefit from it.

Grabe lang ung tawa ko dito haha.

MB's photogs knew what they were doing when they took this photo.

Ang hirap paniwalaan ng mga iyak iyak nato. Di daw sila kinamusta ng friends nila na nasa minority, pero di ba nanghudas din sila nung nag coup sila at kinanlong ang (now) fugitive na si Pebbles?

Mygahd what a circus.

MAY 21 UPDATE:

NAGMESSAGE DAW SA GC UNG MINORITY ACCORDING TO TULFO.

YAAAAN NAGKABUKINGAN NA SINO SINUNGALING

"I CAN HIRE A GUNMAN FOR ₱5,000"

Inamin ni Vice President Sara Duterte sa 'Free Duterte Now' rally sa tapat ng International Criminal Court (ICC) kung gaano kadali mag-hire ng gunman sa Pilipinas sa halagang ₱5,000 lamang.

Nagbigay ng halimbawa si VP Sara na kung may kabit ang asawa niyang si Atty. Mans Carpio, kaya niyang mag-hire ng gunman sa halagang ₱5K.

(Disclaimer, this is a fusion of a political issue and informational post about serial killers)

I'm an avid consumer of crime mysteries, mapa-libro man yan, movies, or even tv-series kahit SOCO ni Gus Abelgas pinapanood ko. For me, the colder the case is, the more exciting it is . . and this is when I am always hooked on the mystery of serial killers.

Pero recently I had this thought, do we have our own Ed Gein who uses human-skin from cadavers to make household items? Do we have our own Zodiac killer who sends letters with mysterious symbols?

Actually meron naman tayo pero kokonti:

Father Juan Severino Mallari (1816–1826) "the first recorded serial killer"

• A Filipino Catholic priest during Spanish colonial rule.
• Confessed to killing 57 people, mostly women.
• He claimed he killed to save his dying mother from a curse.

​Juanito "Waway" Alde (1960s – 1970s) "The Boogeyman of Manila"

• ​A notorious real-life criminal whose name became the basis for a nationwide urban legend used to scare children.
• ​Documented in Philippine Supreme Court records (G.R. No. L-31041) for a series of violent stabbings and robberies in Manila.
• ​Known for a "persistent criminal design," he was sentenced to death by the famous "Hanging Judge" Manuel Pamaran (later commuted to life imprisonment).
• ​His real-life crimes were eventually overshadowed by myths claiming he was an "aswang" or a supernatural killer who could disappear into thin air.

Then it hit me, bakit hindi ganoon ka-sikat sa pop-culture natin ang serial killers like how Netflix exploits them as content?

That's when I stumbled a book in National Bookstore nung college ako. "Smaller & Smaller Circles" by Felisa Batacan.

This book for me is undeniably one the most underrated crime mystery novel na sinulat ng Pinoy (cold murder pa!). Na-hook ako ng sobra sa story. It's about two Filipino priest who have enthusiasm on cracking murder cases. They were asked to be consultants noong 90s to help crackdown a serial killer who removes the faces, the heart and the reproductive system of teen-boys.

What makes the book haunting is according to the author, nung young journalist pa sya noong 90s, ang daming cases daw ng pag-patay sa Pilipinas ang hindi recorded ng Pulis dahil may prejudice sila kapag mahirap lang yung biktima; ayaw nila ng workload; and gusto nila mapaganda ang performance nila by reporting a low crime rate sa mga areas nila.

The book was written out of frustration sa bulok na sistema ng PNP noon.

And according to her . . . this made serial killings in the Philippines not that popular. Mas marami pala tayo serial killers . . di lang natin alam hanggang ngayon.

Imagine Filipino serial kiillers are still lurking sa iba't-ibang lugar sa Pinas including your town pero di mo lang alam?

Then I realize there's more scarier pa pala.

That's when I read Patricia Evangelista's "Some People Need Killing".

Doon ko na-realize na fuck we have a lot of serial killers sa Pinas! It's the Extra Judicial Killings.

What makes EJK haunting is that we know who the suspects are but marami sa atin ang pinagtatanggol sila . . even the mastermind killer who admitted how these serial killings are done? Sinasamba pa ng iilan na animo'y trending Netflix serial killer character tulad ni Dahmer.

How do that serial killers kill?

Papuputukan ka ng baril pero panakot lang sayo. Pipilitin ka nito dumepensa at doon ka nila babarilin sabay sasabihing nanlaban ka. (-confession from a recent Senate hearing)

These serial killing is nationwide at system-wide. Sabi ng gobyerno almost 7,000 ang biktima but independent analysts says it was almost 20,000. Like Smaller and Smaller circles, ayaw ilagay sa official record 'to para masabi na maganda ang performance ng PNP.

Mas nakakatakot pala na pinagtatanggol ng mga tao ang mga serial kiillers na katulad nila. Mas nakakatakot pala na alam ng lahat sino ang mga serial killers na 'to pero bihira ang may managot.

Justice for America's Serial Killer victims was hard to achieve dahil walang may alam sino ang serial killers. Pero sa Pinas? We know who those serial killers are pero hirap parin tayo makakuha ng hustisya for those who were killed.

And yes . . part nito ay dahil may nagtatanggol sa kanilang publiko like your coworker, family member or even a friend.

Do you know someone who adores those serial killers?

ICYMI grabe another low for the senate! Here is a recap story of what happened. (non-verbatim)

Context: Nagpalit ng liderato ang senado noong May 11, naghain ng motion si Marcoleta na amyendahan ang Senate rule 136 by adding a new rule na pwede magtrabaho ang isang senador kahit Work-From-Home or video call. Natapos ang motion na yun by agreeing na ibigay na lang muna ito sa bagong mamumuno ng committee on rules dahihl nabakante lahat ng committee dahil sa balasahan.

Problem: Gusto na ni Marcoleta ngayong araw maaprubahan yung motion niya. Kaso wala pang bagong liderato ng committee on rules, hindi pa nabubuo. Lunes pa talaga to mapaguusapan.

Sen. Lacson: Paano natin paguusapan ang motion na ito kung wala pang committee on rules?

Sen. A. Cayetano: Pwede yan pagusapan! i-Move na ang motion ngayon at maghati na agad ng botohan!

Sen. Kiko: 42 amendments ang nangyare sa senado lahat yun dumaan sa debate! Wag niyo kami pigilan! Lunes pa to paguusapan dahil wala pang committee on rules!

Sen Legarda: Hindi kita pinipigilan (sabay flashback ng 2004 incident niya lol)

Sen Kiko: E bakit walang debate?

Sen. A. Cayetano: Ikaw tumataas boses mo ha! Pinagtaasan mo si Robin baka nakakalimutan mo!

Sen Risa: Mr. Chair, taliwas lahat to sa procedures natin dahil paano tayo matutuloy pagusapan to kung wala pang nabubuo na miyembro ng committee on rules? Tama po si Sen. Kiko to object.

Sen. Marcoleta: Kaya ang hirap pag hindi abugado e (referring to Sen. Risa), ang linaw na matik dapat pagbotohan to! HINDI KAYO MAGALING SA RULES!

CLIMAX:

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: POINT OF ORDER! Wag mo masabisabi na kesyo hindi abugado! Malinaw ang rules!

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: Mr. Chair kung gusto nila mag work-from-home at videocall magtrabaho, nakalagay sa rule 136 letter-b na pwde lamang gawin ito KAPAG NATIONAL EMERGENCY!

Senate secretaries sa likod: "tama, tama"

Sen. Erwin Tulfo: BAKIT BA NAGMAMADALI ANG MAJORITY SA AMMENDMENT NA ITO? WALA NAMANG NATIONAL EMERGENCY PERO GUSTO NILA MAG WORK FROM HOME?

KASE BA UMUUGONG NA SA BALITA NA DALAWA SA MGA KASAMA NATING SENADOR ANG MAKAKASUHAN AT MAKUKULONG NGAYONG WEEKEND?

Senate secretaries sa likod: "lord ayoko matawa please"

Sen. Allan Cayetano: Dalhin mo yan sa debate!

Sen. Kiko: O kala ko ba ayaw niyo ng debate?

*Minority walked out*

Sen. Sotto: Mr. Chair let's ajourn na muna! Masyadong magulo and unparliamentary gusto niyo sabihin. MAguusap muna kaming mga taga minority.

Sen. Allan Cayetano: Mali yan hoy.

Sen. Sotto: Anong mali? Adjourn nga e so walang mali don matik yun! KALA KO BA MAGALING SA RULES?

Post credit scene:

Sen. Marcoleta: Mr. Chair hindi kasama yung walk out nila sa quorum nung nagsimula tayo diba? Ituloy na natin to kahit nag-walkout ang minority.

Sen. Sotto: WALANG QUORUM KUNG WALANG MINORITY, HINDI DEBATABLE ANG AJOURN TANGA!

Ending: Hindi mapagbobotohan ang gusto nila marcoleta at magiintay pa sila ng lunes dahil nagwalkout ang buong minority at nawalan ng quorum.

Samantala nagiging kasing tamis na ng Maja Blanca ni Lito Lapid ma-boy ang pagitinginan nila ni Pia Cayetano.