“The Filipino people should reject all those identified with dictatorship and authoritarianism, reject all those responsible for or who abet extrajudicial killings and whose mantra is ‘kill, kill, kill,’ and all those who violate human rights.”
I. INTRODUCTION: COURTESY CALLS “Why would you approach the president? What is the message that you want to make especially if we look at the possibility that you will be aspiring for a higher position?” BY CARMELA FONBUENA April 30, 2021 | 11:30:00 PM
Rodrigo Duterte had been installed president for a little over a month when he received justices of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan on Aug. 4, 2016 in “Panacañang,” the presidential guest house in Davao City which has served as the Malacañang of the South.
A silent video the government released on social media showed him talking in a jovial mood. The video then cut to Samuel Martires, the justice who wrote the decision dismissing a graft case against Duterte in 2011 and was seated across the dining table from him, flashing a big smile, seemingly in reaction to what Duterte just said.
Duterte named Alexander Gesmundo as 27th Chief Justice Panelo By VIRGIL LOPEZ, GMA News
Published April 2, 2021 1:49pm President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo as Chief Justice, a Malacañang official said Friday. “Yes,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said in a text message when asked to confirm Gesmundo’s appointment. Panelo added that Gesmundo was Duterte’s “personal choice” to succeed Diosdado Peralta, who left the judiciary on March 27, one year ahead of his compulsory retirement. Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque neither confirmed nor denied Gesmundo s appointment. “As a matter of SOP (standard operating procedure), judicial appointments are confirmed by my office only after they have been received by the Supreme Court. Given the long holiday, the earliest a judicial appointment can be received by the Court would be this Monday (April 5),” Roque said.
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How the Supreme Court decided on key public interest issues
By BULATLAT STAFF
An independent judiciary is integral in a democratic society. After the ouster of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos, the framers of the 1987 Philippine Constitution included provisions guarding freedoms fought for by those who resisted the former dictator.
While safeguards against another tyrannical rule have been inserted in the highest law of the land, administrations after Marcos attempted to cling on to power. Even as the Constitution explicitly states the civilian authority is supreme over the military, succeeding administrations still resorted to militarist approach in dealing with social injustices. Some of the Martial Law era doctrines have remained, and are being used against critics and ordinary folk.
Victories and controversies as Duterte presidency enters homestretch in 2021 By VIRGIL LOPEZ and LLANESCA PANTI, GMA News
Published December 31, 2020 3:06pm Rodrigo Duterte rose to power in June 2016 on a campaign promise to make bold changes in the country, from eradicating illegal drugs and corruption, shifting to a federal form of government, to remodeling of Philippine foreign policy. Four years on, Duterte s presidency faced several challenges, both here and abroad, and scored some victories, all of which can play a crucial role in shaping his legacy after he leaves office in June 2022.
Policies, gains Duterte, the first Philippine president from Mindanao, supported measures to promote public welfare. He signed laws and issued executive measures such as free public college education, universal healthcare, free irrigation to farmers, free feeding program for undernourished school children, salary increases for soldiers, policemen, firemen and government workers, hi