IBALIK ANG TIWALA

  Sotto to PATAFA: Leave EJ Obiena alone Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III on Thursday, January 6 said sports associations should leave Olympian EJ Obiena alone to allow him to concentrate on his training instead of being sidetracked by threatened law suits for alleged misuse of funds. “Leave EJ alone. Allow him to focus on his tournaments,” Sotto, himself a former national athlete who represented the country on international bowling competitions, said. Sotto said he was a national athlete too and he feels the frustration that the Philippine pole vaulter is feeling now. ‘ ’It’s hard to train in another country without your family and the culture that you are used to. Our athletes represent the country in a different level. They should be getting our support and not being attacked by sports associations,” he pointed out. Sotto said the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) should have settled its differences with Obiena privately and not announced its gripes to t

  Suspended All the major presidential campaign groups suspended activities in the face of sharply rising infections. The suspensions could last a couple of weeks or more and could have implications for the eventual outcomes of the elections. The headquarters of the BBM-Sara campaign was first to announce a suspension of activities after several campaign workers tested positive for COVID-19. The others followed suit. Leni Robredo had to self-isolate after exposure to an infected person. Ping Lacson is in quarantine. Manny Pacquiao and Isko Moreno have postponed all campaign activities until further notice to avoid spreader events. Of course, the official campaign period doesn’t begin until after a month. But that is a mere bureaucratic stipulation. The race for president and vice president could be settled in the pre-campaign phase. Every indication points to the race breaking wide open. The leading candidate, according to the voter preference surveys, has now cornered over half the vo

  Sotto picks 2 senators to counter ‘No-el’ ploy MANILA, Philippines — Amid persistent talk of a “no-election (No-el)” scenario, Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday revealed he already had two colleagues in mind who could hypothetically serve as the interim Senate president and take over temporarily as the country’s leader if no other higher official is elected by June 30. Sotto said he was not taking any chances despite reassurances from the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that it would foil any plot to delay the May 9 polls and extend the terms of incumbent officials, including that of President Duterte. “At least two [senators] fit the strategy,” he told the Inquirer in a Viber message. But he declined to give names, saying only that his picks should be among the 12 remaining senators whose terms were not lapsing this year. These were Senators Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Aquilino Pimentel III, Juan Edgardo Angara, Christopher Go, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Ronald dela R

  Lacson in self-isolation after COVID-19 exposure MANILA, Philippines — Senator Panfilo Lacson is now in self-isolation after being exposed to his son who recently tested positive for the coronavirus. Lacson said Tuesday that he already got swab-tested and will await the result tomorrow, January 5. “In isolation with [a] sore throat after getting exposed. Many relatives and friends are saying their household members have tested positive,” the senator said in a tweet. In a message to reporters, the senator said his kasambahay (househelp) and driver tested positive for the virus on Tuesday morning. “[A] lawyer friend’s whole household also [tested] positive. Some relatives [are] also exhibiting symptoms. I got exposed to my son last Sunday. His positive RT PCR test result arrived last night, hence my self-isolation,” he said in a message to reporters. “Already informed all those I got in contact with. They’re taking precautions already,” he added. Lacson reminded the public to observe b