EMONG'S JOURNALS

For the lady senator, it's not all about eye bags and bad hair days. September 15, 2016. During the Senate Justice committee hearing led by Senator Leila De Lima, Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed assassin in Davao City, testified that then-Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ordered a series of summary executions including one which involved an extraordinary flair - feeding a body to a crocodile. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Duterte's running mate during the presidential elections, was quick to cross examine Matobato and noticed several inconsistencies in his story. Because of these inconsistencies, Senator Panfilo Lacson invoked the legal principle of falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus (false in one, false in everything). September 19, 2016. Senator Cayetano delivered his privilege speech, criticizing De Lima for lack of objectivity in the Senate justice committee's probe. She later walked-out of the hall, just minutes before Cayetano ended his speech. Cayetano...

How would a DNA test prove one's citizenship? Presidential hopeful Grace Poe two weeks ago underwent a DNA testing for two reasons: first, to prove that she's a natural born citizen of the Philippines; and second, to resolve a disqualification case slapped against her at the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET). Senator Poe's camp earlier said if the DNA test showed she's born to Filipino parents than it will be a conclusive evidence that she's a natural born citizen and not "naturalized" as claimed by her critics. Her lawyer, Atty. George Garcia, said in a TV interview of a Supreme Court decision that "DNA tests are conclusive insofar as the courts are concerned. In fact it is already part of the rules of evidence," Garcia is talking about a decision penned by Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice and Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) Chairman Antonio Carpio. Carpio earlier said that Poe, as a foundling, is considered a naturalized Filipin...

Senator Grace Poe, on Wednesday, finally declared her intention to run for president in the forthcoming May 2016 elections inside the jampacked University of the Philippines Bahay ng Alumni. Her speech focused on most major problems of the country which she intends to address if and when she wins the presidency. Please find below the FULL TEXT of her speech September 16, 2015: "Sa aking ina, sa aking asawa at mga anak, mga kaibigan, sa lahat ng naririto ngayon maraming salamat po sa pagdalo ninyo ngayong araw. Mga Kababayan Nung una akong kumatok sa inyong mga puso, ang sabi ko: Gusto kong ipagpatuloy ang mga simulain ni FPJ. Simple lang ang prinsipyo ng aking ama na siya ring naging dahilan ng kanyang pagtakbo... sinabi niya mismo sa bulwagang ito mahigit 11-taon ang nakalipas: Importante sa isang leader ang katalinuhan pero mas mahalaga ang may tapat na pusong manilbihan upang tulungan ang mahihirap, labanan ang pang-aabuso, at pumanday ng isang lipunang masagana ...