Rep. Paolo Duterte not keen on running for senator

BY IVY TEJANO

Nov 3, 2023 01:47 PM

  

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DAVAO CITY – Davao City Rep. Paolo Duterte said he  currently has no intentions of running for senator.

REP. Duterte 

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Duterte said he was surprised that his name is constantly included in surveys for the 2025 senatorial elections. These pollsters placed him from Top 9 to 12 along with Senators Christopher Go and Ronald dela Rosa who are both from this city.

He said that even during the term of his father, former President Rodrigo R. Duterte, some people have been begging him to run for senator. 

The young lawmaker, who thanked all his supporters, reiterated that he has no plans of running for a higher position. “I cannot finance a nationwide campaign. What little I have saved is allotted for my retirement and the education of my children,” said Duterte, adding that seeking a higher position is not easy.

Duterte said that he started in politics serving the people of Davao City and he would like to retire as a servent of the people here.

"I can be honest that it crossed my mind to run when a few people encouraged me to run for Senate, especially during the presidency of PRRD, but it wouldn't be that easy. Hindi madaling iwan ang mga taong matagal ko nang pinagsisilbihan – ang mga Dabawenyos (It is not easy to leave the people that I have served for a long time – the Dabawenyos),” he said.

Rep. Duterte said he has to ask for his family's blessing since they would be the most affected by all the black propaganda that comes with election season.

Rep. Duterte thanked Filipinos for considering him for senator. He said a Duterte president and a vice president are enough contributions of their family to the country.

Meet new Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel

BY BETHEENA UNITE

Nov 3, 2023 01:20 PM

  

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From handling his family's business, fishing tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. will now lead the country's Agriculture department currently hounded by rising prices, production, and supply issues.

New Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (Noel Pabalate)

Laurel, Kiko to his friends and colleagues, joined his family’s business— Frabelle Fishing Corporation— in 1985, where he moved from division to division, learning as much as he can about the company’s operations and processes first hand.

He trained in refrigeration, net manufacturing, engine overhauling, electronics, hydraulics, food manufacturing, shipbuilding, and ship repair.

Frabelle Fishing Corporation is the world’s third largest tuna fishing company with a major presence in the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and many other major regions across the globe.

Prior to his appointment to the DA post, Laurel also held the following positions: president of Agusan Power Corporation which operates a 24.9 Megawatt Hydro Electric Power plant in Agusan del Norte and chairman of the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization that advocates sustainable resource management of fishing operations globally and a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council for Agriculture.

Currently, he is a captain and commander in the Naval Affiliated Reserve Force NCR (WESPHIL) of the Philippine Navy.

LONG-TIME PALS—President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. talks with new Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. after the latter's appointment to the post on Nov. 3, 2023. (Noel Pabalate)

Laurel, 56, is President Marcos' long-time friend.

During the announcement of his appointment at the Malacañan Palace, with reporters and Laurel's family in attendance, Marcos said he has known him since they were boys.

According to Marcos, his long-time friendship with Laurel, whom he also calls Kiko, has given him the confidence to appoint him to the post he held on for more than a year.

"I've known him since we were boys. So, malakas ang loob ko na ma-i-appoint siya kasi kilala ko pagkatao niya. Alam kong napakasipag nito, unang-una. Pangalawa, nauunawaan niya nang mabuti ang sistema ng agrikultura dito sa Pilipinas (So, I am confident to appoint him because I know his whole personality. I know that he is hardworking and he understands very well the system of agriculture here in the Philippines)," Marcos vouched for his long-time pal.

"So, I am expecting that he will do a good job," he said.

STREAMING REVIEWS: You gotta have a heart

BY PHILIP CU UNJIENG

Nov 3, 2023 07:44 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Flora and Son (Apple+) - Even if this is a minor feature compared to the big-budget production of All the Light, I choose to review this first because it’s a minor gem that people should watch.

• All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) - This four-episode Limited Series sadly answers the question of ‘How can you go wrong adapting a novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andes Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction?’

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A scene from 'All the Light We Cannot See'

Every work of Art has to have its own beating heart - whether a film, a song, a painting, or a book. Here are two recent drops on our streaming platforms, and they show clearly how hearts can be found…and lost.

 

Flora and Son (Apple+) - Even if this is a minor feature compared to the big-budget production of All the Light, I choose to review this first because it’s a minor gem that people should watch. Plus, I guarantee they’ll enjoy the simple tale and how it meshes single motherhood, the pains of parenting, the cost of dreaming, and tying it all in with songwriting and composing music. That may sound like a mouthful, but set in Dublin, Ireland, and directed by John Carney (Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street), you know that here’s a guy who knows how to embed the music in his stories. Here, we have a single Mom, Flora (Eve Hewson), who’s giving up on what to do with her delinquent son, Max (Oren Kinlan).

Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 'Flora and Son'

One idea is to gift him a guitar, as his father, still in the neighborhood, used to be in a band (Jack Reynor as Ian). Max rejects the guitar as he’s into ambient and electronica. In desperation and when teased by Ian, Flora decides to take up the instrument herself, looks for a teacher online, and finds Jack (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a teacher from out West Coast USA. There are no spoilers here, but things develop in a manner you won’t expect, and I mean this more in songwriting and how music can have a purpose. What Max ends up doing, the revelations that come, and how everything flows naturally and in a low-key manner are all welcome aspects of this charmer of a film. Sundance and Toronto experienced how this film was such a hit with audiences, so don’t miss out!

All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) - This four-episode Limited Series sadly answers the question of ‘How can you go wrong adapting a novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andes Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction?’ And the unfortunate answer is ‘Quite badly!’ Don’t get me wrong, I loved the novel because it was a World War II tale that transcended the era and asked the big questions about Hope, redemption, fate, and perseverance. The bare bones of the narrative were about a young, blind French girl and a young orphaned German soldier; how the war was both challenging them to survive and maintain their humanity and how it was placing them on opposite sides while being the vehicle that could, against all odds, bring them together. 

But as developed by Stephen Knight of Peaky Blinders and directed by Shawn Levy, we have an adaptation that makes the barest of surface contact with the novel I read. There are also poor casting choices - an unknown, Aria Mia Loberti, plays the central figure of Marie-Laure, and honestly, it shows that this is her first major role. Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie take on major roles, but Ruffalo’s accent is all over the place and keeps changing. At the same time, Laurie thankfully sticks to his English accent while playing a Frenchman - consistency is a godsend in this production. Something was lost in transition - and the wonderful novel I read and enjoyed is missing in action. Honestly, I think this is a great travesty, as people may not even be moved to read the novel anymore, and they’d be missing out on a good thing. For those who loved reading the book, keep that memory and keep away from this series.