Electoral Resolutions in Congress Voice of the People “It is time for the people of ARMM to regain the dignity robbed from them by unscrupulous COMELEC officials and local and national politicians who turned their region into a convenient source of illicit votes.” CIBAC Rep. Sherwin Tugna refers to resolutions of like nature which are being deliberated in both Houses of Congress. These aim to nullify the existing voters’ list and call for a new registration of voters for the region. Says Tugna, the people of ARMM have suffered endless indignities with the labeling of their beloved region as the main hub of electoral fraud in the country. “Time to end the injustice against our fellow Moros, Lumads, and Christians in the ARMM. Time to end the collateral damage to the rest of the country,” he argues. The House Assistant Majority Leader contends that electoral irregularities in the region have hugely affected not only local polls, but national elections as...

Solon Puzzled Over Inaction on Scarborough “Whither is the Department of Foreign Affairs’ oft-publicly stated plan to lodge a complaint on the Scarborough Shoal at the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS)?” House Assistant Majority Leader Sherwin Tugna is puzzled over the DFA’s continuing inaction over the issue, amidst Chinese build-up in the area. “It is now a month since eight Chinese fishing vessels were discovered inside the shoal’s perimeter in April 8 and about two weeks since the DFA publicly stated that it was going to Hamburg with or without the Chinese. I wonder how long they will need to prepare the complaint?” asks the representative from the Citizens’ Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) Party-list. According to Tugna, the situation is slipping out of the Philippines’ hands as everyday passes without due action from the government. “The window of opportunity is closing,” he warns. “Each day that the DFA lets go...

    Witnesses in Heinous Crimes Fair Game, Solon Argues The killing of a lead witness in a criminal case of the notorious Dominguez brothers should be a wake-up call for the government to enhance its witness protection program. According to House Assistant Majority Leader Sherwin Tugna, the incapacitation of witnesses is a serious blow to the government’s quest for justice to victims of heinous crimes. “This unfortunate incident could have been prevented if we had a well-coordinated witness protection program. From the moment someone is identified as a witness in a serious criminal case, he or she threads a fine line between life and death.” The CIBAC solon admits that an enhanced bill on the program is still undergoing deliberations at the House of Representatives. “We hope to have it passed the soonest. It is one of the priority bills of the House leadership under Speaker Sonny Belmonte.” While the bill is being discussed and deliberated, Tugna suggests concerned...