‘Under protest?’

The accusation of rape against Raul Lambino, administrator and chief executive officer of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) and presidential adviser for Northern Luzon, is so serious and disturbing that he should immediately be suspended from holding his Cabinet position.

A 17-year-old girl, a former domestic helper in the Lambino household, filed rape charges against the Cabinet official.

Lambino’s wife, Marilyn, mayor of Mangaldan, Pangasinan is also charged by the girl’s mother for maltreatment.

The girl’s mother, Rosela Tabano, is also a former maid of the Lambino couple.

In a case filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, Maricar (not her real name) alleged that Secretary Lambino raped her on several occasions in 2019 and in 2021.

Rosela, on the other hand, alleged in her affidavit that Mayor Lambino would kick her and Maricar, spit on their faces, slap them and pull their hair over some mistakes.

Mother and daughter said they were made to eat leftovers or spoiled food.

Let’s hope the accusations against the Lambino couple were not filed upon the prodding of the couple’s political rivals, to destroy their careers.

Secretary Lambino, a lawyer, is an official of the PDP-Laban, the dominant political party.

The couple’s son, Mark, is vice governor of Pangasinan.

If the charges against the Lambino couple are true, then they’re no better than most Saudi Arabia employers who maltreat their Filipino maids.

The Lambino couple denied the charges of mother and daughter. They said they didn’t know Rosela and “Maricar” Tabano.

In a letter to Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Lambino asked for an investigation into the allegations against them.

“We do not know these persons at all if they are indeed existing and using their true names when they and their handlers fabricated the said complaint-affidavit and executed the same before a notary public sometime Aug. 5, 2021 (sic), according to information we received from reliable sources and the caption of their photo release in The Manila Times but only filed it at the Ombudsman on Jan. 6, 2022,” Lambino said in the letter. (Was this really written by a lawyer who’s supposed to be well-versed in English? – RTT).

The presidential adviser for Northern Luzon said that on Jan. 3, 2019, when the first alleged rape happened, he played golf at the Baguio Country Club and had dinner with his family at the Club.

To quote a character from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “The (gentleman) protests too much, methinks.”

Why would two lowly women accuse the high and mighty Lambino and his wife Marilyn of such grave offenses?

Takot lang nila (they would be scared).

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Who were the Lambinos before Raul was appointed CEZA administrator and presidential adviser for Northern Luzon?

They were unknown political entities.

Both Raul and Marilyn graduated cum laude in political science at UP or University of Pangasinan. Raul finished law cum laude, also at the UP.

(Cum laude? And they wrote such a lousy letter? – RTT).

Raul’s position in CEZA and being presidential adviser catapulted the Lambinos to politics.

Last year, based on intelligence reports, I made an expose about Raul’s alleged shenanigans at CEZA in my column in another newspaper.

I also said in that expose that he shook down Chinese stakeholders at CEZA.

The investors had complained to me when I was special envoy to China.

Raul was never investigated despite my exposé.

President Digong, who hates corruption in his administration, probably missed reading it.

I wonder who his handlers in Malacañang are.

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The Senate Blue Ribbon committee has released to her mother’s custody Twinkle Dargani, president of Pharmally, which is being investigated for gross overpricing of supplies for COVID-19.

Twinkle and her brother Mohit are being detained separately – she at the Senate jail and he at the Pasay City Jail – for allegedly withholding the truth in their testimony before the committee, which is headed by Sen. Dick Gordon.

Twinkle’s release was prompted by her reported “deteriorating mental condition.”

How do we know if she’s just pretending to be crazy?

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Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez may want to look into why Pilipinas Shell Petroleum was allowed to pay P3.4-billion back taxes “under protest?”

As a result of Shell’s move to pay under protest, the government can’t use the amount, which is sorely needed at this time.

Actually, the P3.4 billion in back taxes is just a fraction of what the giant oil firm owes the government, which is more than P100 billion when surcharges and fines for oil smuggling are included.

The Bureau of Customs should not have allowed Shell to pay under protest.

Payment under protest is allowed only when there is a formal protest filed with the customs bureau within a specified period to appeal.

Shell didn’t file a protest within the specified period, so it lost the chance to pay “under protest.”

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Joke! Joke! Joke!

What’s the difference between “guts” and “balls?”

A husband arrives home late after a night out with friends and is met by his wife holding a broom.

“Are you still cleaning or are you flying somewhere?” says he. That’s guts.

Another hubby comes home late smelling of perfume and reeking of beer, with lipstick marks on his collar.

He slaps the wifey on her buttocks and says, “You’re next, chubby.” That’s balls.

Actually, there’s no difference between “balls” and “guts” but the outcome is the same. Both could result in death.