By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Like a sore thumb, Vice President Sara Duterte’s stay in the Cabinet of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. is no longer tenable.

This is according to Bayan Muna chairperson Neri Colmenares who, on Monday (29 Jan 2024), said VP Sara should resign following the word war between PBBM and former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

“It’s her choice, and it’s President Marcos’ choice. Ang sinasabi ko lang naman, how can you maintain your position in the Cabinet after your father and your brother called your principal (out) for being a drug addict and at the same time dapat mag-resign,” Colmenares said.

On Sunday (January 28) in a Davao City rally, FPRRD assailed Marcos Jr. and accused him of being a drug user while Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte spewed expletives at the President and dared him to resign.

However, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the President was “never on our watch list.”

On Monday, Marcos Jr. shot back, saying the elder Duterte’s tirade may have been prompted by the effects of fentanyl, a powerful painkiller that Duterte admitted in 2016 he used to take for a motorcycling injury.

“Para sa akin, the Vice President cannot continue to be a part of the Cabinet ni President Marcos… Hindi na yan tenable na mag-stay ka pa dyan. What will you do in Cabinet meetings? Puwede ba yun, wala nang tiwala sayo ang buong gabinete?” Colmenares stressed.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

MANILA — Taking its battle against charter change (Cha-Cha) to social media, lawyer Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna on Sunday (28 Jan 2024) called on groups against the people’s initiative (PI) to help disseminate the sample affidavits of withdrawal of signature for registered voters who have changed their minds about moves to revise the 1987 Constitution.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. earlier said the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should be allowed to do its job on the PI as the poll body on Friday (January 26) said it had received signatures from more than 1,000 municipalities and cities across the Philippines for the ongoing signature campaign.

The form distributed by Bayan Muna stated: “It is my intention, by filing of this Affidavit of Withdrawal, to WITHDRAW my signature, therefrom, and hereby inform the COMELEC to consider my signature withdrawn from the same.”

Earlier, Comelec chairman George Garcia said the voters were asked in the signature pages if they were in favor of amending Article 17, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution by allowing all members of Congress to jointly vote on proposed constitutional amendments in a constituent assembly.

Article 17 Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution does not explicitly provide whether members of the Senate and the House of Representatives should vote jointly or separately.

Under the 1987 Constitution, amendments can be directly proposed by the people “through initiative upon a petition of at least 12% of the total number of registered voters, of which every legislative district must be represented by at least 3% of the registered voters therein, a mode called people’s initiative.”

“These forms will help right a wrong and prove that there is deceit involved in the fake people’s initiative drive. We ask groups opposed to Cha-cha to help facilitate the withdrawal of people and submit this to Comelec,” Colmenares maintained.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Liezelle Soriano

MANILA — Neri Colmenares, the chairperson of Bayan Muna, has confirmed receiving reports about an ongoing signature campaign aimed at amending the Constitution.

During a radio interview on Wednesday (January 10, 2023), the former lawmaker stated that their members had provided information indicating a signing process taking place in various barangays across the country.

“We received reports that a signing is currently taking place… We inquired with our Bayan Muna members, and they reached out, with some sending photos and information about the signature campaign in their respective barangays,” Colmenares explained.

He further revealed that assistance is being utilized to persuade individuals to support the Charter change. “We received a video stating that people should sign for the amendment of the Constitution, claiming that it is to enact AICS and TUPAD, aids for the public,” Colmenares added.

However, Bayan Muna cannot confirm whether these individuals are being remunerated for their signatures.

Colmenares cautioned Filipinos, urging them to oppose Cha-cha due to its potential impact on the country. “The public should fear Charter change because there are proposals for term extensions, splitting the term of the president, congressman, and local officials, except for barangay and the Senate. There are also proposals to dilute human rights and open the economy to foreigners,” he emphasized.

(el Amigo/MNM)

By Junex Doronio

APPARENTLY TRYING TO WIDEN MORE the wedge between the camps of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr and the Duterte political dynasty, lawyer Neri Colmenares has assailed former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for allegedly threatening the Makabayan bloc in Congress after the House of Representatives led by Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez stripped the confidential funds of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) totaling to P650-million for 2024.

Colmenares, chairman of Bayan Muna party-list which lost in 2022 polls, said that former President Duterte is “afraid of the Marcoses and only brave when the enemy is poor.”

“It was the House leadership who decided to cut his daughter’s confidential funds. So why only threaten Makabayan? Takot siyang bumangga sa mga Marcos? Matapang lang si Duterte pag mahirap ang kalaban nya,” Colmenares fumed.

Members of the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives have been hammering on the P125 million confidential funds utilized by the OVP in the last 11 days of 2022.

“Gusto ni (former President) Duterte siya lang ang may karapatan bumira pero pag siya na naki-criticize nagagalit siya,” Colmenares said. “To threaten those who criticize wanton spending of public funds in 11 days is vintage Duterte who is intolerant of dissent and criticism.”

He called on Romualdez to defend the House members, whatever their political leaning.

“We urge the House leadership to take action and defend its members and the House of Representatives itself from this attack by the Duterte camp,” Colmenares said.

He stressed that the older Duterte, being a former president, has no more immunity against lawsuits and should be held liable for grave threats after threatening on national television ACT Teachers party-list Rep. France Castro and other Makabayan bloc members.

Some political analysts told Maharlika NuMedia that there will be likely a three-cornered president slugfest in 2028, with the UniTeam breaking up.

They predicted that VP Sara Duterte would be squaring off with fellow administration stalwart Speaker Martin Romualdez and with Senator Risa Hontiveros as the probable standard bearer of the “center-moderate left” coalition. (ai/mnm)