Ombudsman Crispin “Boying” Remulla enjoys floating scoops. His most successful float was late last year, “that Senator “Bato” dela Rosa was the subject of a warrant of arrest from the International Criminal Court (ICC).” He sent Bato into deep hiding for more than six months until Monday, May 11, 2026.
Bato surfaced briefly to create a new pro-Sara Senate Majority of 13 and installed former HoR Speaker and then pro-Sara Minority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate President. In return, he sought and received from the Senate protective custody from the ICC’s warrant of arrest. After using Cayetano, his twelve pro-Sara colleagues and the Senate to hold off various agencies of the Executive Branch, his allies staged a fake assault on the Senate premises on Wednesday evening, May 13, and helped Bato escape in the early morning hours of Thursday, May 14.
Late in the week of June 21 to 27, Remulla floated the news that his agency was about to file non - bailable charges of plunder, against Senator Rodante Marcolekta before the Sandigan Bayan. After the charges against and actual arrests without bail of former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla and incumbent Senator Joseph “Jinggoy” Ejercito Estrada, the threat appeared very credible. In the latter case, Jinggoy had also been suspended as a Senator. With the legal debate on whether the number of required votes to convict VP SD in the July 6 Senate Impeachment Trial could be reduced from the Constitutionally mandated two thirds or sixteen votes, the filing of charges and arrest of Markolekta appeared certain and imminent.
Meanwhile, the “White Ribbon” Movement staged the smallest of its four big rallies (September 21, November 30, February 25) on Sunday, June 28, at the People Power Monument. My tactical opinion is that they should have scheduled it for Sunday, July 5, on the eve of the start of Sarah’s Impeachment Trial. By then, the heat, hype and noise would have been much greater and would have motivated more anti-Duterte as well as anti - Ghost Flood Control Projects’ activists to join.
With a very short lead time, leaders and members of the INC as well as Duterte supporters launched a surprise rally at the People Power Monument (PPM) before sunrise on Tuesday, June 30. They came with many chartered buses. They were intent on more than only rallying and expressing their sentiments. They not only occupied and blocked White Plains Avenue and Temple Drive, but also as many lanes as they could of both the Northbound and Southbound sides of EDSA.
They did this without public notice, without applying for permits and without any coordination whatsoever with the Q. C. LGU, the MMDA, the PNP or the DOTr. They caused a gigantic traffic jam and inconvenienced both private and public transportation. However, the government treated them with kid gloves. The QC LGU even granted them an 8:00 am to 8:00 pm rally permit for the next day, Wednesday, July 1.
Despite all the agreements, conditions and promises, their lead, chartered bus still blocked several lanes of Northbound EDSA by parking perpendicularly. Many of their vehicles were still parked on EDSA and the EDSA Ortigas flyovers. However, their numbers throughout the day and early evening were half the previous day’s. Again, the QC LGU granted a similar permit for the next day, Thursday, July 2.
Finally, amid a mountain of complaints, the QC LGU withdrew the next day’s permit just before the 8:00 pm closing time of Wednesday’s rally. Immediately, the INC announced a shift to Liwasang Bonifacio which is Manila’s People Park and does not require permits, for the next day, Thursday, July 2.
However, just as the number of rally participants had gone down from Tuesday to Wednesday, the same happened on Thursday. At mid evening (about 8:00 pm), the Thursday rally was ended and the INC announced that they were ending their series of rallies after just three days.
On Friday, July 3, the Ombudsman filed a plunder case against Marcoleta. PNP officials went to the Sandigan Bayan for security coordination in anticipation of the filing of the plunder case against Marcoleta and the possible issuance of warrants of arrest against him and his three accomplices (including former QC Councilor, QC 3rd District Congressman and DENR Secretary Mike Defensor).
This weekend. the anti-Corruption and pro-Impeachment White Ribbons will hold a rally at the Senate. The pro-Sara and Marcoleta supporters will also hold their rallies at various venues – the Senate, the Sandiganbayan and the QC Jail in Payatas.
The capping of the INC rally at PPM and LB after only three days indicates that the INC is not fully committed against PBBM, pro Sarah and Marcoleta and for a serious and destabilizing People Power.
My gut feel is that the INC was just paying lip service for its support for their member and first INC Senator. If they had been fully committed, they could have mobilized in the hundreds of thousands instead of the declining dozen thousand rallyists. They peaked on the early evening of the first day, declined by half on the second day and further declined on the third day. The INC had no choice but to end their rallies.
Unlike the participants of EDSA I and II, the INC and Sara/ Marcoleta supporters were not gifted with the proper confluence of events, the right timing and the trigger quality event.
For the next few months, the ball will be in the Constitutional Court – the Senate. The Majority of the People are interested in listening to the evidence. The number of votes needed to convict VP Sara, will come, later—on in the Trial, and the issue may just end up as the trigger.
In the meanwhile, let us lie back and enjoy the show.
For more Boying scoops, listen to “Executive Session!” 9:00 – 10:30 am, Saturdays, on DZRH, 666 Khz AM.
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