Councilor Bonz Militar

THIS EARLY (or this late?), we would like to wish all our friends – close or mere acquaintances, and even those who consider us their “enemies” because of the nature of our job as a media person – a Very Merry Christmas!

This we do in spite of the current situation of our country, which is wracked with political squabbles and corruption in some government agencies, the worst of which is in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Yes, we who are not directly or indirectly involved in the very disturbing issues in government must endeavor to help our country and society become as normal as possible. Let those who are pursuing the truth about the anomalies and positively identifying those actually involved do their thing.

We, the ordinary citizens, however, should continue to make our lives as normal as possible by enjoying the whole of the holiday season.

Nonetheless, in the midst of our celebration, let us not forget that we have the duty to support those who are working to draw the true corrupt in government and outside so they can be meted the appropriate penalties for their wrongdoings.

Again, our wish for a Merry Christmas to our friends and everyone!

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So Davao City is now home to the transport business venture, the Vietnam-based Green GSM!

No, it is not the GSM Blue that is manufactured in the Philippines. And NO again if asked whether the Green GSM is something that can intoxicate when drunk by aficionados.

This Green GSM is a transportation company operating public utility vehicles with the mentioned color. The Vietnamese-owned transport firm is now fielding a number of units in the city, starting on Dec. 15, 2025.

But only after three or four days, the operation of all-electric public utility vehicles was flagged down by the City Government of Davao for lack of the necessary permits and clearances. While the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) claimed the public transportation firm complied with all the requirements of the agency, it now appears that it has not acquired the necessary permit from the local government.

Meaning, as a business, the Green GSM has not secured a business permit to operate from the city. It also does not have a locational clearance as well as building permit for its headquarters or office.

But if it is true that the LTFRB has reminded the management of the company to comply with the requirements from the city government, then it is possible that some wise Davao-based consultants could have advised the management of Green GSM to simply “go ahead” and deal with any problem later.

Now this case of the Vietnam-owned transport business is worth the City Council’s scrutiny. We are certain that whoever gave the company management the assurance that it can proceed with operations even without first securing the necessary approval of the local government must have a connection with decision makers in the local government.

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The military, the police, and even the officials of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) are very vocal in their reaction to reports that the attackers of beachgoers in Bondi, Australia, are members of a known terrorist group who stayed in a hotel in Davao City before proceeding to their target area.

The officials of these instrumentalities of government were denying the report, further claiming that Mindanao – or Davao City, for that matter – is not and will never be a training ground or hiding place of terrorists.

Personally, we believe they were correct insofar as Davao City is concerned, and as far as the issue of the city as a training site for the terrorist organization recruits. But possibly they are wrong when it comes to the whole of Mindanao Island. Let us not forget the Malaysian terrorist bomb expert identified as alias Marwan. How many could have been trained by him in the fastness of Maguindanao forest, or in the sanctums of private homes?

But maybe those who attacked the beach bathers in Bondi did not undertake any training in the city. But who could prevent them from coming to Davao as “terrorists” and checking into one of the city’s hotels as tourists for as long as they want? After all, the city is strongly campaigning for visits by local and international tourists.

Now, had the Ordinance authored by Councilor Bonz Militar taken effect and sophisticated cameras been installed in the hotel the alleged terrorists had checked in, would they have been apprehended before they could do their thing in Australia?

TWO FORMER Supreme Court Associate Justices have openly expressed their disagreement with the ruling of the Highest Court, saying that the House of Representatives violated the one-year ban on the filing of another impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte.

Another Magistrate, no less than a former Chief Justice, while calling on the people concerned to respect the decision of the Supreme Court on the VP’s impeachment, did not hesitate to disagree with the process by which the decision was arrived at. That is, the SC is not giving the House of Representatives the opportunity to submit its comments on the VP’s petition to stop the trial of her impeachment case.

The two retired Associate Justices are former Justice Adolf Azcuna and Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. The former Chief Justice who took issue with the process adopted by the Supreme Court is Retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

The three former magistrates, however, have one thing in common. They are one in calling all those concerned to “respect the Supreme Court decision,” even if they are not in accord with it.

Of course, we cannot blame those who disagree with the ruling of the High Court, which literally stops the impeachment trial because of the violation of the one-year ban on filing another impeachment case.

In February this year, three groups almost simultaneously filed with the House impeachment cases. But while the documents were received by the House Secretary General, the impeachment cases filed were not submitted to the Justice Committee of the House. Instead, all three were archived. It was the fourth impeachment case submitted that was given due course and rapidly endorsed by the majority of Congressmen, and later transmitted to the Senate on the afternoon of the last session day.

So, as far as the members of the Highest Court of the land, there were a total of four impeachment cases filed in a period of less than half a year.

Still, there are those who doubt the objectivity of the ruling. No, it is not because the Supreme Court Justices are wanting in the understanding of the Constitutional provisions that govern the filing of impeachment cases against impeachable officials. It is the suspicion that politics and the Filipino trait of acknowledging “debts of gratitude” led to the births of so many “doubting Thomases.”

Yes, of the 15 Supreme Court Justices, 13 are appointees of the Vice President’s father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte. Two are appointees of the late President Benigno Aquino III, including the decision’s Ponente Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, and one appointee of the incumbent President, Justice Raul Villanueva.

Justice Benjamin Caguioa, an Aquino III appointee, abstained. Another Duterte appointee, Maria Filomena Singh, was on official leave.

This configuration of the Supreme Court membership is the one that is creating clouds of doubt on the ruling favorable to the Vice President in her impeachment case. This, notwithstanding the fact that the lone Marcos, Jr. Appointee in the Supreme Court was one of those who penned the majority decision.

Of course, as the spokesperson of the Supreme Court said, the ruling stopping the VP’s impeachment trial owing to procedural violation does not stop the House or any entity from filing another impeachment case against the Vice President on the same ground after the one-year ban shall have lapsed. And that will be after February 6, 2026.

So, it is another case of “Let us to see” if the leadership of the new House will still have the tenacity to pursue the impeachment of the Vice President.

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Davao City’s emergency communication system is having an overload of “prank calls,” and that is the reason why First District Councilor Bonz Militar is bent on introducing a proposed ordinance that will allow a crackdown on prank callers and penalize those proven guilty of such a crime. Yes, according to the young Militar, responding to prank calls on the city’s 911 emergency hotline is a waste of the city’s resources.

We agree with such an observation. After all, any movement of vehicles under the city’s emergency response system uses fuel and man-hours of at least three or five personnel. And if the trip ends up with no emergency at the site mentioned in the call, then the trip is just a drain on the operational funds of the said office. Moreover, the same emergency vehicle could have been put to a more important response trip if the same was not goaded to address a non-existent emergency.

Imagine, according to Councilor Bonz, there are times when the City’s 911 receives as many as 3,000 calls in a day and only about 30 or a little over are real emergency calls!

By the way, has the City’s emergency communications system not developed a scheme with which to validate whether the call for emergency assistance is real or a hoax?

Maybe it is in this area that the city should spend money to develop such a system, especially now that we have the so-called computer-generated Artificial Intelligence.

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ROUGH CUTS | Who could be Green GSM’s ‘consultant’?

ROUGH CUTS | Why the ‘doubts’ in the SC ruling