It started with a double whammy, on April 22.
When April 22 was supposed to be Earth Day where we are called to defend our planet, the Dutertes — Tatay Digong and VP Sara, and let’s include their diehard supporters – fell to Earth, not once, but twice.
In the Hague, the ICC rejected Tatay Digong’s appeal that they have no jurisdiction over his case. All four grounds of the appeal were grounded.
Over at the House, VP Sara faced one bank expose after another, as the Anti-Money Laundering Council revealed a total of 6.7 billion pesos went through the bank accounts of the VP and her husband. Yet VP Sara revealed her net worth is 88 million pesos, and had no cash in the bank between 2019 to 2024.
Congressmen and Congresswomen are baffled. If VP Sara could not math how she spent 125 million pesos, what chance can she explain how a bigger 6.7 billion pesos flowed through her bank accounts? That’s just so much thinking needed to explain how the money flowed. Maybe her 16 lawyers can snack over Piattos making a press statement about that.
Just when their supporters and spinners are trying to make up their script on the double whammy, the ICC decided on April 23 to get the trial of Tatay Digong started, and make it a triple whammy.
Three strikes against the Dutertes, they’re out whimpering in the bullpen, not able to hit a homerun which they used to do, and now they have to play defense and they can’t throw a good logical pitch to strike out the heavy hitters called facts.
VP Sara’s 16 lawyers could not throw a good argument, and decided to do it in a presscon to impress fans. Maghinambog usa aron madako ang pusta.
Kaufman raised four grounds for Tatay Digong’s appeal, but for all his talent fee worth 2.5-million pesos a month which the Dutertes are paying his team, not one of the four grounds scored with the ICC.
The Earth is round, and so is karma.
When Tatay Digong took the presidency ten years ago, he had the deputy Ombudsman who was investigating his bank accounts fired through his appointed Ombudsman. That investigation is now being shown in public, in billions of pesos.
When VP Sara brandished her name at that same time, she was the Facebook bully who would unleash insults against the critics of her father. But now, she is reduced to a Facebook meme, unable to explain her confidential funds, unable to finish even a coherent sentence in press interviews, unable to control her temper. She and her followers are trapped in their Facebook echo chamber where she is always queen despite all the glitches — the unexplained cash flows, unfinished DepEd projects and the all the Shimenet.
But still, the Duterte camp and their followers are trying to feel this is not the end of the world. They say they will fight, but whether they will show up in trial, bisan in karton form na lang, remains to be seen.
For us, we just want the country to breathe fresh air. The shock and drama of the Dutertes in the past ten years has choked us. Belated happy Earth Day, and hope the DDS are now grounded to Earth.
(Mind da Noise is a column by jaded Mindanawon observers.)
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