• PDEA seeks to ban rapper Shanti Dope’s song, “Amatz”
• PDEA believes the song promotes the use of illegal drugs
• The rapper says that PDEA misinterpreted the lyrics

Government agencies seem to be keeping a close eye on the Philippine entertainment scene.

Back in 2018, the Philippine National Police (PNP) tried to stop the airing of ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano’ because it presented corrupt cops on duty.

Now, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) is seeking to ban rap songs, specifically rapper Shanti Dope’s latest hit, “Amatz.”

Rap and hip-hop have often been associated with violence, women, money, and drugs.

PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino claimed that the lyrics of the song promotes the use of marijuana which goes against the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign.

The Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP) said that PDEA has no say in music, and should just stick to what they really need to do, and that is putting drug lords behind bars.

“One thing, however, is clear: it is not PDEA’s job to be a music critic. Neither is it mandated to promote censorship and the suppression of artistic expression,” said CAP on their Facebook page.

Shanti, in an interview back in March, explained that the song was made to warn people to not use illegal drugs. He compares it to the high that he feels when he is producing music.

“We respect and appreciate our artists in the music industry. However, we strongly oppose the promotion of musical pieces or songs that encourage the recreational use of drugs like marijuana and shabu,” Aquino insisted.

But CAP said  that, “By the time we reach the song’s chorus, ‘Amatz’ already refers to precisely the music through which the persona found his identity – not any form of drugs, but the natural high of creativity and knowing he is the only one who knows to do what he does.”

• The DENR has discovered 200 acres of marine resources during the rehabilitation of Manila Bay
• A new species of sardine, coral colonies, and other high-value fish were discovered
• The government aims to have swimmable beaches in the bay before the year ends

Manila Bay is still a 770-square mile stretch full of garbage, but the government already has plans on to change this.

For the next three years, the government will be spending over 6 billion pesos to clean up the bay and 36 billion pesos to relocate families living along the shore.

The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte plans on making the bay ‘swimmable’.

With the ongoing rehabilitation, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has discovered 200 acres of marine resources in the bay.

PTV4’s ‘Sentro Balita’ showed these photos during their newscast:

This means that the goal of having swimmable beaches is getting closer and closer. The different agencies involved in the rehabilitation are becoming more optimistic about saving the bay.

The rehabilitation was able to discover seagrasses, live corals, and—although limited or low in number—high-value fish like lapu-lapu in the area of Maragondon, Corregidor, and Cabalio Island.

A new sardine species was also discovered which could be sold in the market.

The bay is still filled with plastic and other kinds of garbage, which destroys coral colonies. To keep it cleaner, President Duterte has ordered establishments that dispose of their dirty water in the bay closed.

In January alone, the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) collected 45 truckloads of garbage from the bay.

• Here’s why the ‘Wow cool post, thanks for sharing’ is making rounds on Facebook
• Comments sections in some Facebook pages have been flooded with the phrase, “Wow cool post, thanks for sharing.”
• Badges are beneficial to both fans and page admins

If you are an active Facebook user, then you would be familiar with comments like, “Wow cool post, thanks for sharing.”

This comment is basically a copypasta. A copypasta is internet slang for any text that gets copied and pasted over and over again, usually done by netizens on online discussion forums and social networking sites.

The “Wow cool post, thanks for sharing” comment all started with comments on the official IGN Facebook page in early May 2019.  The people who were commenting on IGN’s Facebook page were described as “woke.”

The origin is still not clear, but this is the best theory out there so far.

What’s up with the "Wow cool post IGN, thanks for sharing" comments all over IGN’s posts? from OutOfTheLoop

Some are saying that trolls are responsible for this while others say that people make this comment to get a Facebook Top Fan Badge.

The Facebook Top Fan Badge is a designation rewarded to the most active participants of a Facebook page. The user’s name is then shown with a gold star.

Since its release, the badge has been the subject of numerous jokes and memes regarding its perceived social currency.

Facebook created the Top Fan Badge to help pages build relationships with their audiences.

A user will get rewarded based on how often they comment, share, react to, or watch a creator’s content, as well as the creator’s interactions with the fan and other criteria. Fans can opt in for this experience, and they can turn off the feature at any time.

This comment has become so commonplace that Karen Davila, a well-known journalist in the country, made a reference to it as she retweeted a post about how the leader of the number one party list in the polls, ACT-CIS, was actually associated with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Cool post…thanks for sharing 😆 https://t.co/G9Hxdt1SnC

— Karen Davila (@iamkarendavila) May 16, 2019

The post was tweeted by Jason Park, saying, “The bots are malfunctioning after they’ve served their purpose in the election.”

Davila captioned it, “Cool post…thanks for sharing,” with a smiling emoji at the end.

Netizens had something to say about it.

Actually Those are yellow bots posting on every DDS account & sights!Pinapalabas ng yellows that legions of people supporting the president are fakes N dont exist! N that surveys are only paid by government !Yellows are so good in manipulating N mind conditioning @iamsuperbianca

— Farcy Hay (@B74Fatima) May 16, 2019

Ang bobo hahahhaha. Hindi yan bots or trolls. Ginagamit yan oara sa top fan bage ng iba kaya nag trend. Di ko alam if woke ba talaga to sila or sadyang tanga. Hahahahahaha

— roronoaleo143 (@roronoaleo143) May 17, 2019

https://twitter.com/Maybell37903832/status/1129186125078118400

https://twitter.com/ReneGuidote/status/1129124670270107648

• Salvador Panelo said that the President will sign any bill that will make the use of medical marijuana legal.
• It was asked after Miss Universe Catriona Gray was asked about her stand regarding the matter.

In a media briefing held Tuesday, December 18, Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo stated that President Rodrigo Duterte will sign any bill that will result to the legalization of the use of medical marijuana in the country.

He said that the president is in favor of the use of the drug and will support any legislative measure consistent with his stand.

“He’s in favor of limited use of marijuana.

“Logically then he will support and sign any bill that would be consistent with his stand.”

The topic was back in the spotlight after Miss Universe Philippines Catriona Gray addressed her stand regarding the issue in the Q&A portion of the pageant.

“I’m for it being used in a medical use but not so for recreational use,” she answered.

“Because I think if people were to argue ‘What about alcohol and cigarettes?’ Well everything is good but in moderation.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrfYbK5gb0D/

When asked about the newly-crowned Miss Universe’s answer, Panelo said that she could have been “influenced by the President’s decision on that matter” or could have been her own conclusion because “she listened to the pros and cons of the matter.”

In September 2017, the House Bill No. 6517 or the Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act was approved. It seeks to legalize the use of medical marijuana.

• Audie Gemora called President Rodrigo Duterte a “madman” in a recent video that surfaced online.
• He mentioned that the current administration is destroying the economy and selling the Philippines to China.

Stage actor and director Audie Gemora gave a bold statement against President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a video uploaded on Twitter, he delivered a messaged and encouraged everyone to vote for the opposition in the 2019 midterm elections. He then continued on accusing the President of destroying the economy and selling the country to China.

“They are also destroying the economy. The peso is down and yet their taxing us to death. Prices have never been this high. They are going to starve us.”

Gemora called the President a “madman” and mentioned the extra judicial killings, too. He said that the Filipino heroes deaths were exchanged for inanimate things.

“What has happened to us? They have put in power a madman who has done nothing but lie, curse, attack the church and morality. The police and the military are supposed to protect the citizens. They have turmed omtp extra judicial killers. The victims are poor, young, many are innocent, and without a benefit of a fair trial have been murdered.

“This is all in the name of an anti-drug war and yet we see that the big time drug lords are free. There has been more drugs coming into the country because of the Bureau of Customs has turned a blind eye. You draw the conclusions. But it smells really rotten all the way up to the top.”

https://twitter.com/SpammyHammy4/status/1068926635976536064?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1068926635976536064&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thedailysentry.net%2F2018%2F12%2Fstage-actor-audie-gemora-calls-duterte.html

He also claimed that the Supreme Court and Congress were bought and that the Senate would be next in the list.

The stage actor made sure that he got his point across as he stated it in three dialects: Tagalog, Ilonggo, and English.

• Senator Trillanes dared President Duterte to undergo a drug test.
• It was after the President has made a supposed joke about his Marijuana intake during his busy schedules.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV once again challenged President Rodrigo Duterte to undergo drug test after the latter’s joke about taking Marijuana in order to wake him up in between duties as the Commander-in-Chief of the Philippines.

Trillanes said that the President was just desperate to contain the damage of his admission about his supposed Marijuana use by saying his usual excuse of it being humorous.

“Too late! Bistado na s’ya na isa rin pala siyang durugista. Now, if he really wants to clear himself, I am again calling on him to take a drug test,”  the senator said in a press statement.

The Malacañang responded and rebuffed his dare. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo asked Trillanes to take the drug test instead.

“Hindi niya [Duterte] papatulan ‘yun. Nagtataka nga ako ba’t pinapatulan ninyo siya.

“Look at this President. Malakas. Sinasabi naman niya sa atin kung anong deperensiya niya.”

Trillanes’ most recent drug test was in July. It showed negative results in the use of all five illegal substances.

On Monday, Duterte mentioned that he used Marijuana to keep himself awake in the middle of his busy schedule. He later clarified that he was just joking and that was just his way of lightening up the mood.

• Agot Isidro reacted to a video of Persida Acosta singing You.
• Netizens have also poked fun on the PAO chief’s rendition of the song.

Actress Agot Isidro reacted to a tweet containing a video of Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta singing You by Basil Valdez.

Agot poked fun from the video by saying, “Diyos na Mahabagin, bakit poooo???”

Acosta was seen having fun at a gathering and was singing via a karaoke. She even fought her way through the high parts of the song and earned the applause of the people around her as soon as she was done with her singing.

https://twitter.com/SpammyHammy4/status/1070197328332521472

A Netizen said that he thought he’s tone-deaf, but Acosta proved him otherwise.

Salamat Persi. Sa talentong ipinakita mo lumakas ang loob ko na kumanta. Akala ko pangit ang boses ko at sintunado, dinaig mo ako.

So abogada, doktora, singer ka na rin ngayon? Ano pa ba ang hindi kayang gawin ni Persida?

— Kulas (@iamkulasparov) December 5, 2018

Another said that he needed something to stop himself from eye-rolling every time he gets to see the lawyer, like an “Acosta vaccine”.

I need an Acosta vaccine! Yung tipong di mag- roroll yung mata mo pag nakita sya

— Xi JinPooh (@EduardoJoseVN) December 5, 2018

Other Twitter users resulted to replying memes just to get their message across.

pic.twitter.com/tT2r1NO53q

— P O O H t a h #StandWithWorkers (@mamaMATTaynaaq) December 5, 2018

https://twitter.com/zeke148_da/status/1070155128051654657

Agot is a known critic of the President Rodrigo Duterte administration. She has previously expressed that she is skeptical of President Duterte’s role in the government as she finds Vice President Leni Robredo more effective.

“The Vice-President acts more presidential than the President. President be talaga yan?” she said in a tweet in May 2018.

She has also urged for the jailing of Imelda Marcos, posting phrases like, “I-selda si Imelda!”

• President Rodrigo Duterte said that he used to take Marijuana to keep him awake during his hectic schedules.
• He later on clarified that he was just joking as it is his style to lighten up the mood.

During a speech in front of the ASEAN National Organizing Council in Malacañang on Monday, December 3, President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he was taking Marijuana or MJ to keep him awake during his hectic schedules.

“It’s a killing activity, and I think that at my age — ako hindi masyado, kasi nagmamarijuana ako eh, para magising. Sa iba, hindi na kaya.”

He was referring to his activities during the 33rd ASEAN Summit in Singapore which happened in November. During that period, they used to start early in the morning and end the meetings late at night.

“You know we start at 8:30 in the morning and we end up almost 10? 11? Nandiyan man ‘yan silang lahat. And it’s every 30 minutes, 8:30 tapos 9:30, 10:30, iba na naman. Baka akala nitong Asean Secretariat boy scout kami. Hindi kaya ‘yan. It’s [a] whole [day], hindi kaya.”

Duterte said that during that time, they had no sleep and he doesn’t even have time to catch up with the readings.

“Susmaryosep, walang tulog. And the more that crescendo becomes faster, mas lalo kang ‘di nakakatulog kasi hinahabol ka na babasahin eh, and so you do not want your President to look ignorant. So I have to catch up with the reading, wala na talagang panahon.”

It can be remembered that the President skipped several meetings during the summit’s second day because he needed “power naps” and managed to get some rest.

In an interview with the reporters, he said that he was joking about the Marijuana statement. He said that he just wanted to “shake the tree” in the speech as it got a bit boring.

“I want to shake the tree in the middle of a [speech] kasi boring ‘pag wala. Alam mo naman ako, patawa talaga.”

Regardless of negative reactions, the President added that it was just his “style”.

“Nobody can stop me from just doing my style. Minsan sabi ninyo misogynist ako kung mag biro ako ng ganon, that’s my style. It’s too late to change.

“If I want to joke, I will joke. Eh ngayon kung maniwala kayo, eh g*go kayo.”

Aside from the statement about Marijuana, he also complained about the food served in the ASEAN summit.

“Pangit pa ng mga ulam, susmaryosep…Andiyan yung Protocol, magbaon ako ng Karne Norte pati tuyo.”

• President Rodrigo Duterte shaded a certain Bishop David for keeping church donations.
• Bishop Pablo Virgilio David denied the President’s accusations.

President Rodrigo Duterte claimed that he knew of a certain prelate stealing from the church donations for personal use.

At the inauguration of the Cavite Gateway Terminal in Tanza, Cavite, he said that he even has videos as evidence against a Bisop David who is taking the donations to his family.

“Ikaw, David, tumahimik ka ha. Sige ka lang hingi ng contribution diyan sa mga… Saan ang pera ng mga tao? Sige lang hingi, may second collection pa.

“Alam mo totoo lang, sabihin ko sa inyo, iyong mga offerings, iyong mga pinya, mga avocado, saging, saan napupunta iyan? Gusto ninyong malaman? Gusto ninyo ng video? Ibigay ko sa inyo. Doon sa pamilya niya.”

The identity of the Bishop David, however, remained undisclosed.

A Caloocan bishop named Bishop Pablo Virgilio David has denied the President’s allegations saying that he has mistaken him for somebody else.

“My parents never taught me to steal.

“I think he has confused me for someone else. You see, people who are sick sometimes do not know what they are talking about, so we should just bear with them.”

• The Palace is said to be currently looking for a new Presidential Spokesperson, one month after Salvador Panelo’s appointment.
• One of the personalities that are said to be considered for the job is showbiz personality, Lolit Solis. 

There have been talks going around that President Rodrigo Duterte will make talent manager and television personality Lolit Solis his new spokesperson.

This was after rumors of the President not liking Salvador Panelo’s way of working.

They said that they felt that Solis will be a more effective spokesperson as her way of talking is more direct to the point that will result to a better communication.

But is she interested in taking on the position if ever they offer it to her? According to a report at Pilipino Star Ngayon, she expressed that she doesn’t dream about being scolded by the President.

“Naku hindi ko pinangarap na magmurahan kami ng Papa Digong ko.”

She also added that she’s happy with her current postion as the new “Queen of Instagram”.

It is rumored that the palace is currently looking for a new Presidential Spokesperson to replace Panelo.