Asian Wisconzine Section/Heidi M. Pascual
When a Country’s Vice-President is antsy to become President (Part 3)
The Philippine House of Representatives' Committee on Good Government and Accountability has been conducting hearings on the use of millions Confidential Funds by the Office of the Vice-President [OVP] (headed by Vice-President Sara Duterte) and the Department of Education (formerly headed by Duterte as well) as part of the House's oversight function before approving the 2025 budget of the OVP. Vice-Pres. Sara Duterte repeatedly refused to attend such legislative hearings, claiming that she is just being "investigated" due to political reasons, and blaming House Speaker Martin Romualdez as the instigator of such inquiry. Solons have been questioning questionable "confirmation receipts" with suspicious signatures as well as disallowances by the Commission of Audit. This particular House committee simply wanted the Vice-President to answer how her office spent Php125
million in 11 days, with unbelievable safehouse rentals of Php16 million, and purchase of information costing Php40 million, and other expenses. Confidential funds are supposed to be spent for matters pertaining to national security, something that should e the concern of the country's national defense department, military, police and intelligence groups. It is indeed a big question why the Vice-President has millions of Confidential funds when former Vice-Presidents did not have such in their budgets.
Aside from the committee’s suspicion of misuse of government funds by VP Sara Duterte (as Vice President and Secretary of Department of Education), the committee interpellations resulted in the information that when VP Sara was the City Mayor of Davao City during the presidency of her father (2016-2022), she received Confidential Funds amounting to Php460 million a year (2018-2022) and for two years before, received more than Php300 million in total. This revelation added to the growing suspicion of government-fund misuse of VP Sara.
The above committee noted that the concerned officials of the OVP (those who signed checks, prepared vouchers, and withdrew money from the bank) have continuously failed to attend hearings with excuses that they were on official travel abroad. The last hearing was attended by the Chief of Staff, Atty. Zuleika Lopez. During this hearing, Lopez was cited in contempt for repeatedly denying any knowledge about Confidential Funds. Lopez was detained at the House Detention Center. VP Sara came to her rescue, locked herself in the Office of her brother, Congressman Paolo Duterte, and stated she'll stay indefinitely until her Chief of Staff is released. The committee conducted an emergency meeting via Zoom and decided to transfer Lopez to the Women's Correctional Facility for security reasons. Remember, VP Sara is there in the House of Representatives, with limited security forces guarding the building. VP Sara announced that she's the legal counsel of Lopez and was forced to see Lopez in the Detention Center, where a drama ensued. Lopez hugged VP Sara, crying hard, unwilling to be transferred to the Correctional Facility, and became hysterical. Lopez ended up vomiting and collapsed, forcing the House Sergeant at Arms to seek immediate medical attention for Lopez. She had to be moved to a government hospital, Veterans Memorial. VP Sara was fuming, accompanied Lopez in an ambulance, and started calling her supporters to show their loyalty “to the country”, implying in no certain terms her call for people power.
VP Sara issued a video same night threatening the lives of President Bongbong Marcos, First Lady Lisa Araneta, and House Speaker Martin Romualdez. VP Sara stated she has already talked to an "assassin" who have to execute her wish of killing those officials, in case she “dies." This blatant display of arrogance and extreme unbecoming behavior is a clear indication of someone who does not deserve to be a country's Vice-President. Something is really happening to VP Sara’s twisted brain. I'd say VP Sara Duterte does not deserve to be the Philippines' President.
Wisconsin Women of Color Network Inc. (WWOCN) 2024: Restarting a Tradition
From the WWOCN 2018 Holiday Brunch: The late Agnes Cammer (l-r), the late Jan Saiz, Jan Miyasaki, and Charlie Daniel
By Carrie Braxton
The Wisconsin Women of Color Network Inc. (WWOCN), in its 41st year, is an organization celebrating women of African American, American Indian /Native American, Asian, and Latina descent. Initially called Wisconsin Minority Women’s Network before changing its name, WWOCN was formed in the early 1980s by founders Agnes Cammer, Mable Smith, and Sherry Hill along with assistance from other women of color. Although the founders are no longer here, there are still long-time members and supporters that have put so much time and effort into continuing the legacy of bringing women of color together and uplifting them.
In past years, WWOCN usually had four events annually. However, primarily due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, most of the activities were halted until recently. The WWOCN Executive Board Members — Carrie Braxton, president, Nereida Quinones, vice-president, Lakshmi Sridharan, treasurer, and Reyna Vasquez, secretary — have worked tirelessly to maintain the legacy of this organization and want to make sure that events are held to keep the momentum going.
In March 2024, WWOCN celebrated an event titled "Renaissance 2024" for Women's History Month, this brought women together to celebrate one another, have reflection, and as a bonus, their youngest member Sidney, now a teenager, was the main speaker. In September 2024, WWOCN had their annual "Tea Social", again bringing women together but with an addition of "Speed Chatting," where attendees got the chance to converse with someone they were not as familiar with for a couple of minutes. Both events had music, food, and were well-received.
This year, WWOCN is resuming its Annual Scholarship Fundraising Brunch on Saturday, December 14, 2024 from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the Clarion Suites, located at 102 East Rusk Avenue, Madison, WI. 53713. To attend the brunch, registration is required with a cost of $45 for adults, and $15 for youth 8-12 years old. However there is no cost for entry to shop with vendors and bid on silent auction items. The goal of this event is to assist women who are pursuing education, employment, and economic independence. These funds are set up for Wisconsin female residents who are planning to attend accredited Wisconsin vocational and technical institutions. We are still seeking vendors and items for the silent auction. Please let us know if you are interested in attending the event and/or donating funds, time or an item.
Please support their efforts by becoming a member or supporter. You can contact us by email - WWOCNinc@gmail.com or visit our website at wisconsinwomenofcolornetwork.org.
