Veteran law practitioner Victor D. Rodriguez, the long-time chief of staff and spokesperson of incoming President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. was nominated for the position of Executive Secretary for the next administration.
Rodriguez’ nomination was officially announced by the incoming president as the former formally relinquished his post as spokesperson of Marcos to prepare for his new assignment.
The 48-year old lawyer, who was seen by many as fiercely loyal and among those very few who stood by Marcos in his challenging times, said he has accepted the challenge and new task given to him.
“Who can say no to President-elect Bongbong Marcos? It is an honor working with him, whom I have known for a very long time and I believe will serve the country efficiently and with unquestioned devotion. It is very flattering to work alongside the best person I’ve known,” Rodriguez stressed.
Rodriguez is also the managing lawyer of Rodriguez & Partners Law Firm, president of QC Trial Lawyers League, and a noted alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas and once served as Treasurer of its Law Alumni Foundation (USTLAFI)
With his leadership, Rodriguez was also credited for the very successful and smooth conduct of Marcos’ campaign for the presidency.
“I thanked President-elect Bongbong Marcos for the trust and confidence. Rest assured that our team will work doubly hard for the success of his six-year presidency,” Rodriguez stated.
Not much of his personal activities are known as he prefers to lead a very private life and is seldom seen on the social scene attending events or functions.
Rodriguez also served as Deputy General Counsel of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines,
Apart from finishing law at UST, Rodriguez also has Executive Education at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Negotiation and Influence Program.
The Davao City Police Office said it is now coordinating with barangays to track down arrested violators of the face mask ordinance, who had been unresponsive insofar as settling their penalties.
DCPO Spokesperson, Major Ma. Teresita Gaspan, in a press conference Wednesday at The Royal Mandaya Hotel expressed dismay over the significant number of citations the DCPO had to issue for violations of Davao City’s face mask ordinance.
“Daghan kaayo tag nadakpan. Og karon, medyo naglisud gani ta kay kadtong na-issuehan og citation, ubay-ubay ato for verification. Meaning to say, wala pa namayad sa administrative penalty”. (“We caught a lot of violators. And now, we are having a hard time because most of those who received citations have yet to pay the administrative penalty.)
According to the DCPO spokesperson, 10, 941 individuals were apprehended for violating the city’s face mask ordinance. The figure involved citations from January 1 to May 14, 2022.
Of the 10,941 violators, only 3, 209 paid the P500 fine. A total of 7,732 individuals failed to pay the penalty and may soon be facing charges.
The spokesperson said the city police is intensifying its coordination with barangay units to trace face mask ordinance violators as it warned against failure to pay the administrative penalty. Major Gaspan also urged those who received citations to process the payment of their dues.
“Intensified ang among efforts sa pag-coordinate sa atong mga barangay officials para ma-locate ni na mga tawhana, mga na-issuehan og citation para makabayad sila sa administrative penalty og dili na mag-proceed ilang kaso … Gitagaan sila og 3 days nga i-process nila and pagbayad sa nearest district treasurer’s office. Apan ubay-ubay gyud ang mga na-issuehan og citation nga wala pa nakabayad. So, mu-proceed gyud ilang kaso ani. Matingala na lang sila pagkuha nila og police clearance or NBI clearance naa sila’y makita didto na naa sila’y record. Giawhag namo ang tanan, labi natong na-issuehan, na mubayad sa penalty”. (We are intensifying our coordination efforts with the barangay officials so we can locate those who were issued citations but failed to pay the administrative penalty. These people were given 3 days to process payment at the nearest district treasurer’s office. However, most of them failed to pay so they will be charged. They might be surprised upon applying for police or NBI clearance that this violation is reflected on their record. We urge everyone issued citations to pay the penalty.)
The DCPO has filed cases against 2,629 individuals who failed to take appropriate actions with their citation while 5, 103 are up for verification
Senator Christopher “Bong” Go hailed the new graduates of the Philippine Military Academy and reminded them to stay committed in serving the country and protecting their fellow Filipinos as they enter the ranks of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
On Sunday, May 15, Go joined President Rodrigo Duterte as the latter spearheaded the commencement exercises of ‘Bagong Sibol sa Kinabukasan Didigma Hanggang sa Wakas’ (BAGSIK DIWA) Class of 2022 at the Fort General Gregorio H. del Pilar in Baguio City.
PMA BAGSIK DIWA Class has 214 graduating cadets, composed of 165 males and 49 females. They shall be deployed in the three branches of the AFP, with 104 joining the Philippine Army, 57 in the Philippine Navy, and 53 in the Philippine Air Force.
“Today, the man in uniform must do many things at the same time, if he is to be relevant to these changing times. He must be both a warrior and a peacemaker, an arms bearer and a pencil pusher, skilled at the art of war and a depth of lifesaver, an offensive machine, an inferious defender, a tribune and a diplomat, a soldier and a civil servant,” Duterte stressed in his remarks.
“The Philippine Military Academy has efficiently prepared you for all possibilities and all eventualities. The eyes of the Filipino people are upon you. Always remain true to your oath,” he urged.
Echoing the President’s appeal, Senator Go urged the graduates to fulfill their pledge to the country and continue pursuing Duterte’s vision of securing the welfare, well-being and way of life of every Filipino while providing a comfortable life for all.
The senator also commended the educators and their loved ones who supported the graduates’ journey, saying, “Hindi lang po ang mga cadet ang nagtapos dito. Congratulations din po sa ating mga magulang at guro sa hanay ng PMA. Kung hindi po dahil sa inyo ay hindi po nila ito makakayanan mag-isa.”
“Sa 214 na nakapagtapos ng kanilang pag-aaral, maraming salamat po sa inyong hangarin na makapaglingkod at ipaglaban ang ating bayan. Asahan niyo po na kami po ni Pangulong Duterte ay aalalay sa inyo sa abot ng aming makakaya,” he reassured.
Even before becoming a senator, Go was instrumental in pushing for the salary increase of uniformed personnel, in fulfillment of President Duterte’s promise at the start of his term. In January 2018, President Duterte signed Joint Resolution No. 1 which increased the base pay of all military and uniformed personnel in the government.
As uniformed personnel plays a crucial role in maintaining national peace and order, the resolution doubled the base pay of a Private in the AFP, Police Officer I in the Philippine National Police, and their equivalent ranks in the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Public Safety College, Philippine Coast Guard, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
“Noong umupo siya noong 2016, naisakatuparan po noong 2018. Ako po ‘yung isa sa inutusan niya at tumulong po sa desisyon na ‘yon na idoble po ang sahod ng ating mga militar at pulis,” the lawmaker previously remarked.
“Alam po namin ni Pangulong Duterte ang hirap ng inyong trabaho, kaya noon pa ay inuna na naming isinulong ang pagtaas ng sweldo for all uniformed personnel,” he continued.
The senator has also filed Senate Bill No. 393 to provide free legal assistance to military and police officers, explaining that law enforcers sometimes hesitate to implement the full force of the law because of fear of harassment from powerful personalities who may file cases against them in connection with the performance of their official duties.
“Tulungan natin ang ating mga militar at pulis para magampanan ang kanilang tungkulin. Basta nasa tama kayo, ipaglalaban namin kayo ni Pangulong Duterte,” he ended.
DAVAO CITY – The National Confederation of Irrigators Association, (NCIA) Inc. with an estimated 1.6-million farmer-members has pledged its support to senatorial aspirant Emmanuel Piñol.
In a statement, Fernando Cristobal, secretary of NCIA bared that the support is a recognition of Piñol’s role in the implementation of the Free Irrigation Act and the Solar-Powered Irrigation Projects.
According to NCIA, they have witnessed the skill and ability of Piñol and they believed in his aspirations to develop the rice industry and help the farmers with the unfair influx of imported rice and the rising price of farm inputs.
Cristobal added that through Piñol, with the support of President Rodrigo Duterte and former Senator Loren Legarda (also Senator Panfilo Lacson as principal author) will strive hard to implement the Free Irrigation Act.
“We are also aware that Pinol’s aspirations is to further expand the paddy fields that can be irrigated through the Solar-Powered irrigation System,” he said.
Cristobal added that Piñol has the capacity to amend the Rice Tariffication Law which he said that has affected the income of their member farmers.
“As a show of support for Secretary Pinol, we promise that we will personally campaign not only with our members and family, but also with our friends, relatives and workers,” Cristpbal added.
Celebrities are going all out to support AP Partylist in its various events as election day draws near.
In Barili, Cebu, Team AP Partylist, led by first nominee Rep. Ronnie Ong and third nominee Chris Tio, was joined by singer-songwriter Yeng Constantino. Team AP, together with Team Flores led by Mayor Julie Flores went on a caravan across town that culminated in the Barili Municipal Hall Plaza where the rally was held. Thousands of Barili residents showed up to express their support.
On Tuesday, May 3, AP Partylist held simultaneous events, one in Cebu, led by third nominee Chris Tio, the Youth Hub, and Vice Mayor Franklin Ong held a For Leni concert headlined by singer-songwriter Moira Dela Torre. The For Leni concert was held at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel. Other performers were Jericho and Wonggoys.
AP Partylist, led by first nominee Rep. Ronnie Ong, also spent Tuesday in Palawan with actress Yassi Pressman and performers Smugglaz, Bassilyo, and Sisa. Team AP held a meet and greet in the morning at the San Jose New Public Market and a grand rally in the afternoon at the Puerto Princesa Baywalk. Pressman, together with Smugglaz, Bassilyo, and Sisa have been a fixture in the AP Partylist’s campaign trail and are staunch supporters of the partylist.
To know more about the programs and initiatives of AP Partylist, visit and follow their social media pages: appartytist on Instagram and Twitter; APPartylist on Facebook and Youtube; and the.ap.partylist on TikTok.
DAVAO BREAKING NEWS 