Duterte admits BPI accounts

After earlier denying the existence of alleged Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) bank accounts, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte backtracked and admitted he has several bank accounts, including two at BPI - Julia Vargas and Edsa Greenhills branches. Duterte denied he hid millions in the two branch accounts, only P17,000 and P50,000.

Senator Antonio Trillanes, who has vowed to resign from the Senate and withdraw from the vice presidential race if his claims were proven false, had claimed Duterte’s BPI branch accounts had P211 million in 2014. Trillanes provided documents to show that 48 deposits, totaling P1.7 billion, including a deposit of P1.9 million, were recorded at the said BPI branches. Duterte also had a joint account in Banco de Oro Unibank-1 in Davao City. The vice presidential aspirant dared that Duterte can file a libel case against him if the allegations were false. His claims were from “network of informants,” whose privacy he was trying to protect. “The bank accounts show that Duterte is not a poor man,” Senator Trillanes added.

Presidential frontrunner Duterte did not include the bank accounts in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) for 2015. Failure to declare an asset is a ground for an official’s dismissal from government service.

The tough-talking mayor signed a pledge in March allowing for the opening and scrutiny of his bank accounts. But now Duterte has refused to sign that waiver to make it difficult for Trillanes. He claimed Trillanes’ allegations as “fabrication,” saying he was a “money for hire,” exploring a possibility of filing charges against the senator.

Lim drops Asilo

Former Mayor Alfredo Lim has dropped his running mate, Rep. Benjamin Asilo, and shifted his support to Ali Atienza, son of Rep. Lito Atienza.

Rep. Amado Bagatsing said his tandem with Ali Atienza “remained solid,” saying Atienza continued to attend his sorties.

The latest survey showed Mayor Joseph Estrada leading the mayoralty race over Lim and Bagatsing. The same surveys show Atienza with a slim lead in the vice mayoralty race.

Maguindanao schools bombed

Six schools housing election precincts in Sultan Mastura town, Maguindanao were bombed.

Senior Inspector Wendylyn Banico, a town police chief of Sultan Mastura, said the Tapayan Central School, Dagurungan Elementary School, Tuka Elementary School, Darping Elementary School, Tareken Primary School and the Simuay Seashore Elementary School were bombed.

The death of 18 soldiers in Basilan, inflicted by the Abu Sayaff Group (ASG) rebels; the beheading of Canadian John Ridsdel in Sulu; the bombings in Maguindanao; the bombings of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines towers in North Cotabato and Lanao del Sur; and the NPA activity in Davao are clear proof that the Aquino administration has failed to achieve peace in Mindanao.

It is sad to note that government forces have failed to defeat a few hundred ASG rebels in Basilan and Sulu. The ASG also abducted 14 Indonesians off Tawi-Tawi. NPA rebels held hostage seven councilors in La Paz, Agusan del Sur.

Honasan loyalty

Senator Gringo Honasan, vice presidential candidate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, is trailing in the surveys, but he has earned the respect of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) leaders for his loyalty to UNA and Vice President Binay.

Honasan did not want to run in the first place. But like a good soldier, he values the highest virtues among men in uniform: honor and loyalty.

He was elected to the Senate in 1995 as an independent candidate. He was reelected in 2001.

At the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), he was the baron or the first captain of the Matatag Class of 1971.

Honasan earned three distinguished conduct stars, as well as several gold cross medals. 

Even if Honasan does not become a vice president, he would still be a senator for three more years. 

Honasan has been a hardworking senator. He would be a hardworking vice president.

Enderun Sustainability Summit

Climate action programs around the world are now in high gear after the successful signing of the Paris Climate Agreement in New York City last week. 

As a grandfather to 10 wonderful kids, I sincerely wish we could leave a cleaner, greener and more sustainable world to our younger generations. Education for sustainable development is more important than ever. 

It gives me great pride that my fourth son Edmond, a career environmental professional who currently works as sustainability consultant to Megaworld Corp., recently joined the academe as director of Sustainability of Enderun Colleges. Aside from the new School of Sustainability he is setting up for Enderun, he has also helped organize a worthwhile event – the “Sustainable Enterprise Summit 2016” to be held on May 17 at the Enderun Tent. This one-day summit is co-presented by Enderun Extension and JCI Manila and will bring together top speakers in corporate sustainability, green buildings, social entrepreneurship and clean technology, including our dear friends Jim Ayala of Hybrid Social Solutions and Atty. Mike Toledo of the MVP Group, my niece Ritzi Ronquillo of Holcim Philippines, and many others. 

To register for this very timely conference, interested parties may visit www.sustainabilitysummit.ph.

Tidbits

The Court of Appeals (CA) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO), stopping the Ombudsman’s dismissal order of San Jose del Monte Mayor Reynaldo San Pedro.

The Sandiganbayan deferred the issuance of an arrest warrant against North Cotabato Governor Emmylou Taliño Mendoza.

 Condolence to Cristina Corona on the passing of former Chief Justice Renato Corona. He was 67.

Doing well in the surveys are senatorial candidates Manny Pacquiao, Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian and Francis Tolentino. Also catching up is Vice-Mayor Isko Moreno.