PRESIDENT-elect Rodrigo Duterte has become one-of-a-kind because of his antics that only befit people not who are not to become president of a nation.  Some of those who did not vote for him in the past elections may now begin to like him for his determination to curb corruption and crime. And some others who voted for him may also be turned off by his unpresidential public pronouncements and demeanor. Be that as it may, people are still waiting for him to deliver his promise three to six months from now.  He already enumerated several government offices that are supposed to be the most corrupt, namely, the BIR, LTO, and DPWH.  He must have forgotten about the LTFRB. If allegations are true, franchise applications in that office mean P50 thousand to P60 thousand out of the pocket of applicants. So what?  The problem is that allegations also say that the official receipts issued do not reflect the real amounts paid. So where do the other amounts go?  In whose pockets?  Is that the reason for the overstaying heads in the LTFRB?  If Duterte is true to his promises, he should examine how the LTFRB makes money. Remains to be seen. --Romanito Conteras, romanitoconteras@ gmail.com   Justifying Violence WHILE the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Report on the Kidapawan carnage confirms the failure of the government to provide a timely and appropriate response to the needs of the El Niño-affected farmers and the accountability of State forces in the violent dispersal, it also parroted the BS Aquino regime’s attempt to obfuscate the issue raised by the farmers by equally blaming the protesters. By doing this, the CHR muddled the legitimacy of the farmers' protest. It also justifies the State’s use of force and in the killing, illegal arrest and other rights violations against the protesting farmers. It is eerily silent on the regime’s numerous efforts to cover up these violations. There was no deceit on the part of the rally organizers led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas as CHR claimed. In fact the organization has correctly led the farmers in asserting their right to demand for calamity funds and to air their other legitimate concerns. The State instigated the violent dispersal. Why does the CHR blame the KMP for the violence committed against the farmers? Why blame the protesters who were clearly acting in self-defense against police truncheons and police guns and bullets? Victim blaming has been used by the BS Aquino regime to dodge accountability. It also belittles the capacity of the masses to air and fight for their legitimate demands. --Cristina Palabay, Secretary General, Karapatan   Laudable Support BAYAN Muna commends President-elect  Rodrigo Duterte’s support to increase the pension for senior citizens. We gratefully welcome President-elect Duterte’s support for Social Security System (SSS) pension hike. This considerate act is a stark contrast to the cold-hearted Aquino administration that did not even heed the woeful plight of our seniors. President Aquino and his minions in the already discredited Daang Matuwid refused to recognize that the current pension is no longer liveable as it is  not even enough for the medical needs of our seniors, not to mention their other basic needs, such food and housing. The exiting Aquino administration unjustly denied our pensioners the much-needed although still meager pension hike approved by Congress while the SSS top executives are enjoying millions in salaries, perks, and bonuses. Bayan Muna urges President-elect Duterte to also throw his full support  to the  override resolution that we intend to file before the 16th Congress adjourns. Some 120 members of the House of Representatives have already signed the resolution that aimed to overturn Aquino’s veto on the Congress-approved P2,000-pension hike. We faced the Daang Matuwid’s arsenal of lies, distortion of facts, and even back-handed tactics to block the pension hike. We earnestly hope that in the coming administration, our senior citizens will finally reap the benefits that we fought for even as we continue the struggle for reforms in our pension system. --Carlos Isagani Zarate and Neri Colmenares, representatives Bayan Muna partylist