EMBrizuela

@nimfaravelo @gmanews @dzbb He needs to be exorcised

Sa gitna ng ugong na panibagong Senate coup, nag-imbita si SP Alan Peter Cayetano ng religious leaders sa Senado para sa prayer gathering. @dzbb

Bad as Cayetano might be, "worst senate president ever" has to go to Gil Puyat who not only passively, but actively, supported the abolition of the Senate in 1972-73; and the entire Senate back then too, shares the blame, except for these five and those in exile at the time.

Imagine replacing summa cum laude Bam Aquino as head of the education committee with ex-convict Robin P. What a downgrade for education.

BATO ADMITS HE WAS '13TH VOTE' IN SENATE LEADERSHIP CHANGE, SAYS CAYETANO CALLED HIM TO RETURN facebook.com/photo/?fbid=13…

The Philippine government’s principled stand in the West Philippine Sea has nothing to do with domestic politics or so-called “publicity stunts.” It is China that has always opportunistically taken advantage of our domestic politics. Our MDA patrols remain routine and legitimate. Your selective outrage over aircraft distance to your illegally reclaimed Mischief Reef is laughable—we do not recognize your unlawful presence there, period. The Philippines will continue exercising our sovereign rights within our own exclusive economic zone under UNCLOS, without seeking permission from Beijing. China’s repeated militarization, artificial island-building, and harassment of Philippine vessels and aircraft are the real drivers of tension, not our transparent patrols. Chinese Embassy must stop its double-speak and respect international law instead of rewriting it to suit its expansionist agenda.

🚨 "Beijing is not bypassing Philippine press freedom—it's exploiting it" NEW from @alvincamba writing at the @AtlanticCouncil: "Uncovering 🇨🇳#China's attacks on investigative journalism in the 🇵🇭#Philippines" - Chinese Embassy Deputy Spokesperson Guo Wei has issued repeated statements attacking the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism following @PCIJdotOrg contributor @RegineCabato's October 2025 reporting on pro-China influence operations in Philippine media. - On March 9, @pressfreedom urged the embassy to stop; instead, Guo escalated, after which Cabato faced sustained, coordinated online harassment. - Camba argues what's distinctive is the "architecture" of the assault: an official embassy statement activates a primed ecosystem of troll networks, influencers, and aligned accounts that scale the message within hours. - @Chinaembmanila operates in a gray zone of the 1961 Vienna Convention, framing host-government pushback as itself a violation of diplomatic norms. - Manila's options are constrained: expulsion risks asymmetric Chinese economic retaliation, formal @DFAPHL protests have been inverted by Beijing, and platform intervention is limited because the same open platforms underpin the Philippines' transparency campaign. He recommends: passing Senate Bill 2951 (Counter Foreign Interference Act), systematically documenting each embassy-linked targeting incident; coordinating bilateral statements with the US, EU, and Australia; and considering a referral to the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression. Note: Check out @IndoPacPodcast for our interview with Regine Cabato on this very topic last week. Camba's full interview link in the comments👇

Nagbabala si Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. sa posibleng banta sa pambansang seguridad ng sinalakay na planta sa Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, dahil nasa loob ito ng isang government facility at malapit lamang sa itinatayong naval facility sa probinsiya.

Sen. @risahontiveros reiterated that she left for NAIA after finishing the session on Wednesday, May 13, and called Senate President Alan Cayetano’s allegations vs the new Senate minority as “gaslighting” and “behavior unbecoming of [an SP]”. @dailyguardianph

straight from the horse’s mouth: it was really APC who orchestrated it

MULA ₱1.3M, NAGING ₱8.3M ANG BENTA — DAMANG-DAMA ANG SAGIP SAKA! 🌾 Mula sa ₱1.3 milyong budget contract noong 2024, umabot sa ₱8.3 milyon ang benta sa sumuod na taon ng Naujan Multi-Purpose Cooperative (NAMCO), patunay na kapag direktang naaabot ng suporta ang mga magsasaka at kooperatiba, tunay na nababago ang kabuhayan. Hindi lang benta ang lumago, kundi pati oportunidad para sa mga magsasaka, vegetable growers, at maliliit na livestock raisers sa komunidad. Sa pamamagitan ng #SagipSakaAct, nagkaroon ng siguradong merkado para sa ani ng mga lokal na magsasaka, at tuloy-tuloy na suplay para sa mga benepisyaryo sa mga programa ng Oriental Mindoro.

This #kmjs interview with Bato is very illuminating - Bato admits that he only came to the Senate for the vote to change leadership - Bato said he wouldn't have come if he knew for sure there was a warrant - Alan Cayetano convinced him to come, Alan sent a vehicle to pick him up

The OSG’s closing statements in its Comment to Bato’s Petition against the ICC is also a banger:

OSG: PROTECTING BATO SENDS ‘CHILLING MESSAGE’ The Office of the Solicitor General warned the Supreme Court against granting what it described as “exceptional privileges” to Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, saying doing so while he allegedly evades lawful process would send a “chilling message” that the law protects the powerful more than victims seeking justice. In its comment opposing Dela Rosa’s plea to stop government cooperation with the International Criminal Court, the OSG argued that extending new legal protections to the senator would “deepen the wounds already borne by those left behind” from the Duterte administration’s drug war. Read: philstar.com/headlines/2026…

STEEL COMPANY SA MISAMIS, NI-RAID SA ILLEGAL OPS; 69 ARESTADO JUST IN: Nagtungo si Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Gibo Teodoro sa lokasyon ng isang steel company na sinalakay ng mga awtoridad sa Misamis Oriental ngayong Sabado, Mayo 16, at sinasabing pag-aari ni Tony Yang. Sa sumbong na umano’y ilegal na manufacturing ng hinihinalang hazardous materials, naaresto sa raid ang 69 na dayuhan, na isinailalim na sa inquest proceedings. Si Yang ang tinaguriang “POGO boss” na kapatid ng dating economic adviser ni former president Rodrigo Duterte na si Michael Yang. (Courtesy: DND) #PilipinasToday #GiboTeodoro #DND #MisamisOriental

After all these years, Cayetano's invocation of God and the holy word carries as much sincerity as a monobloc chair #ThoughtLeaders rappler.com/voices/thought…

⚠️ Kung walang Senate coup bukas, Risa Hontiveros’ Health Committee goes to Bong Go. Bam Aquino’s Education Committee goes to Robin Padilla. Kiko Pangilinan’s Agriculture Committee goes to Imee Marcos. Libre barena, butas ang batas. Que horror! 🙀 #OustAlan

It is quite deplorable to see the degradation of the Senate as an institution. The Senate was conceived as the nation’s conscience, not its cockpit. And where we once saw it as a chamber of august men and women, we are now witnesses to most of them descended from cunning and fearful men, who have pedestaled a fugitive from justice over the dignity of the institution. Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies are but two literary comparisons we can appropriate to the current situation, an institution distorted by opportunism, ambition and political convenience. Made worse by the collapse of time honored norms, and the descent from order and decency into tribalism. Quo vadimus, Senatus?

Office of the Solicitor General: “Senator Dela Rosa’s position is akin to a person demanding the protection of the law while refusing to submit to its most basic commands. The rule of law cannot survive if obedience to legal process becomes optional for the powerful.” @gmanews

Hindi lang PINATAKAS. Mas malalala, ITINAKAS pala. Arestuhin ang tumakas, panagutin ang nagtakas.

Itinuturing nang persons of interest ng NBI sina Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, at Senador Robin Padilla kaugnay ng pagkawala ni Senador Ronald dela Rosa, na nasa protective custody ng Senado.