Phl politics: Guns and money

VIRTUAL REALITY

- TONY LOPEZ

The gall of the Duterte family. They liken their patriarch Rodrigo Roa Duterte's situation to that of slain senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., a national hero in the eyes of many Filipinos.

This is the same Duterte family that still has yet to account for up to P100 billion of taxpayers' money waylaid into private pockets during their time in power, including the P41 billion of Department of Health money diverted to Pharmally, a company of Duterte crony Michael Yang, for the purchase of expired medicines and substandard medical supplies; the P51 billion in three years of pork given to Paolo Duterte, a Davao congressman when Papa was president, and the hundreds of millions of confidential funds wasted by Sara Duterte as the secretary of the Department of Education and incumbent Vice President.

Sara's confidential funds went to non-persons with exotic names: Mary Grace Piattos, Renan Piatos, Pia Piatos-Lim, Xiaome Ocho, Jay Kamote, Miggy Mango, Doding S. Barok, Dodong Alcala, Dodong Bina, Dodong Bunal, Dodong Darong, Andong Mio, Erwin Q. Ewan, Ellaine Aray, Mutya Palanca, Panglaw Quizon, Dandu Dondie Silud, Dunates Zeta, Mike Delta, Jael Zumba, Amoy Liu, Fernan Amuy.

"Too farfetched to compare Duterte to Ninoy," palace press officer Atty. Claire Castro said. "Duterte had once likened himself to Hitler... Aquino never had a record of mass murders."

Balikbayan Ninoy was shot to death at the Manila International Airport noon of Aug. 21, 1983. Duterte was arrested at the airport and deported. Three years earlier, in May 1980, Ninoy was sent to Dallas, Texas by then first lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos for a triple heart bypass surgery. Imelda saved Ninoy's life after a near fatal heart attack in Manila.