DID YOU HEAR WHAT WE HEARD?

LESS THAN NEWS, MORE THAN RUMOR

WHAT'S NEXT FOR BEBOT

With the crime aspect of his anti-graft case dumped by a division of the Sandiganbayan, still pending is his appeal from the decision of the ombudsman that in 2014 dismissed him as congressman, perpetually disqualified him from government service and forfeited his retirement benefits.

The appeal reportedly is still to be decided by the Court of Appeals and, if unfavorable and raised further, by the Supreme Court.

The remaining case would be as crucial as the criminal case: it could affirm or reject the ombudsman ruling that sacked him from public office.

CURSING, CATCALL

Under a bill filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, cursing and wolf-whistling, which even President Duterte does at times, would be deemed sexual harassment.

Expanding the Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, Risa’s bill will include behavior that males in groups usually do on streets and other public places, directed at passing women.

When does, say, a wolf-whistle escalate into a crime from a man’s plain appreciation of a woman?

SHABU VS. COCAINE

In disputing the declaration of former Colombia president Cesar Gaviria that President Duterte is repeating Cesar’s mistakes in the war on drugs, Digong said the situation in that foreign country is different from ours.

Pinoys, he said, are hooked on shabu, which, Duterte said, is more destructive than cocaine and heroin (Colombia consumes cocaine and marijuana and a little heroin.) Shabu is produced with battery fluid (AB market) while cocaine and heroin are from poppy plants (CD market).

Duterte didn’t explain how that would refute down Gaviria’s argument that use of violence and death wouldn’t work in a drug war, as it didn’t in Colombia.