[GOOD NEWS] FoI Launched! It's payback time: now, ANYBODY can investigate corruption

When I wrote “[TP: Oplan Lambat-Sibat: PNP admits ‘doctored’ crime stats]”, I showed how the Aquino-era police force fudges crime statistics to make it look our streets are safer, despite the contrary. In the last part of the article, I lamented, “To verify Oplan Lambat-Sibat’s ‘scientific reports’, we need raw, unadulterated data that cover months’ worth of crime reports. Perhaps, that’s something that only (Former DILG Sec.) Mar Roxas knows.”

Since god-knows-when, secrecy and inaccessibility of government information has been a source of frustration for investigative bloggers like me. So just imagine my delight when then-Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo filed a powerful Freedom of Information Bill, which would afford any citizen access to government records. Unfortunately, fortitude is not one of Leni’s virtues, as she [TP: crippled her own bill to satisfy her Liberal Party overlords], led by then-President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino.

With Freedom of Information (FoI), regular citizens can request for government documents, allowing them to learn more deeply about how the government works. Unfortunately, FoI has been stuck in the legislature since time immemorial, and despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s May 2016 win, the best he can do is certify the bill as urgent, but the buck stops at the Senate and the Lower House.

But that didn’t stop the current administration to finding a way to get around it.

RH Law and Garin’s Implanon: Did DoH waste ₱200 million?

I am categorically pro-RH, but I think it’s time to re-evaluate government policy because the only way to move forward is to actually move forward.

Ha? Ano raw? I’ll explain.

It’s time to understand the current situation and see what we can do to fix it.

(FEATURE IMAGE: A woman holding the controversial contraceptive Implanon. Image courtesy of the Valenzuela City Government.)

"Frailties of Woman" Leni Robredo Version?

Earlier this month, President Rody Duterte cracked a joke about Vice-president Leni Robredo’s knees, The president said Robredo has smooth knees: it had no calluses. As expected, Robredo, her supporters, and women’s rights groups denounced the president’s comments for what they perceive as mysoginy.

Let’s call this the “Le-Knee” incident.

#MarcosNotAHero: WTF? Noynoy Aquino OK with Marcos' AFP Hero Honors

I sincerely respect the outcry of some people against Ferdinand Marcos’ Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB) burial, such as UP Prof. Sarah Raymundo and Dra. Lorraine Badoy: I agree with most of their points.

What I do not agree with or at the least, what I do not respect, is the stance of my Aquino-aligned friends on the burial issue, for the simple reason that their “leader” — the Aquino Political Dynasty — doesn’t give a shit about Marcos’ LNMB burial anyway.

Let me tell you why.

GOOD NEWS! After seeing viral video, DPWH to build Iligan bridge

Sec. Mark Villar, through his media officer, said DPWH to build bridge in Iligan after seeing viral video.

1979 Iranian Revolution means Marcos didn’t kill Ninoy?

Who killed Ninoy Aquino? The 1979 Iranian Revolution suggests Marcos' didn't do it.

Sen. Leila de Lima cites “Frailties of a Woman”? No, that's called crime!

De Lima's interview last night has basically opened the floodways of court cases. With last night's admission, let's check the laws, rules, or regulations that LP attack pig Leila de Lima may have violated.

A President Trump? Good for Duterte's PH, Bad for Liberal Party

Donald Trump won the US elections. I admit that I was thoroughly shocked, given that electoral surveys historically predicted a Clinton win. I guess the scandalous Podesta emails [NBC], which gave the American public invaluable insight on the corruption pervading the political establishment, did her in.

The reactions to Trump’s win have been mixed. We can expect jubilation at the Trump camp, that’s a given. However, what surprised me was the magnitude of the reaction from the other side: passionate Clinton supporters crying in disbelief, the crash of Canada’s immigration website, etc.

Even my Jewish best friend, who's been in New York his entire life, told me, “I'm depressed and scared.”

There shall be a truckload of articles that will attempt to predict what Trump’s win entails for America, that’s a given: I will not be writing another article just to add to that noise.

Instead, I will explain what Trump’s win means for the Philippines, and let me start it off by saying:

A Trump win may be good for the Philippines, and let me tell you why.

TIMELINE: Everything wrong about Mayor Espinosa’s Death

CONTROVERSIAL PHOTO Sen. Leila de Lima is shown with suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa in this photo taken in March in Baguio City. The senator denies knowing Espinosa and his father. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / INQUIRER.NET

When Senator Richard Gordon said, "[Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.] was already incarcerated and nonetheless [it's] still not safe. It’s a slap in the face of the criminal justice system of our country," he wasn’t wrong. This bears repeating: Gordon is right. Espinosa’s death is indeed a slap in the face of our country’s criminal justice system.

But before I join the mob condemning this party and that, I feel it’s just right to evaluate the situation given what we know, so let me do that.

Maria Ressa’s Dilemma: Rappler’s impending death?

Throughout the course of my work at ThinkingPinoy, I had opportunities to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes in the mainstream news media world. A number of journalists have been reading my blogs or following me on Facebook, Twitter, and some of them somehow decided to come slightly out of the shadows and contact through Facebook messages, Twitter DMs, emails, or even face-to-face conversations when I met a few in Beijing.

They all have their rants about this journalist and that, but if there’s one thing many of them share in common, it’s an antipathy for Maria Ressa and her brainchild Rappler.