THE TRENDING topic for the past week discussed and debated in mainstream and social media including coffee shops and beauty parlors is “whether it’s fake or not fake news.” But really, it does not matter if it’s fake or not, the damage has been done.

For the uninformed or those living under a rock, this is what they’re talking about:

US President Donald Trump has signed into law the nation’s 2020 budget, which includes a clause allowing the US Secretary of State to ban the entry of Philippine officials behind the detention of one of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s staunchest critics.

The $14-trillion budget law allows US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to ban Philippine officials involved in the “wrongful imprisonment” of Sen. Leila M. De Lima.

Aside from being a self-styled staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte, De Lima is also quite famous for shagging her driver and other security personnel all captured live on digital camera.

Her performance on those “sex tapes” is worthy enough for a nomination of the “Oscar” equivalent on Pornhub. Well, that is if you have a thing for kinky sex or have some kind of fetish.

Of course, her sex life or whether she’s immoral or not is not the reason for her incarceration. De Lima has been detained since 2017 for allegedly abetting illegal drug trade in the national penitentiary during her term as Justice secretary under the Aquino administration.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo reiterated that De Lima’s detention was not a case of political persecution, noting that no less than the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of her arrest on drug charges.

Apparently a couple of senators in the US wanted De Lima to be released; now we, of course, have no way of knowing if they have seen De Lima’s “sex tapes” or not and if these US senators were inspired by her performance.

Excerpts from the Dec. 27, 2019 news on CNN Philippines:

Just tit for tat: Gov’t bans 2 US senators, threatens to require visa for all Americans

President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the Bureau of Immigration to also refuse entry to two American lawmakers for proposing the ban from the United States of Philippine officials involved in Sen. Leila De Lima’s detention.

“The Philippines is immediately ordering the Bureau of Immigration to deny US Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy – the imperious, uninformed, and gullible American legislators who introduced the subject provisions into the 2020 budget – entry to the Philippines,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said as he read a prepared statement during a media briefing on Friday.

He said the President asked him Thursday night to issue the statement. This means that the ban is “effective immediately,” said Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, who has supervision over the Immigration Bureau.

Panelo said that once US Secretary of State Pompeo enforces the ban, the government will require all Americans to secure a visa before entering the country – regardless of the purpose of their visit and the length of their stay. Under the current setup, US citizens visiting the Philippines for not more than 30 days do not need to apply for a visa.

“We will not sit idly if they continue to interfere with our processes as a sovereign state,” Panelo said.

And Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin Jr. on Twitter reiterated Malacañang’s earlier statement it was unfazed by the new US law, “It isn’t, just tit for tat.”

Really, I pity these Viagra-popping old men Senators Dick Durbin and Patrick Leahy since they’re now banned from entering the Philippines. They’ll miss those naked midgets wrestling in mud in the bars along Burgos Street corner Makati Avenue usually frequented by members of the diplomatic corps, embassy officials and top CEOs of multinational companies.

Excerpts from the Dec. 30, 2019 issue of Manila Times:

PH ban on US senators a ‘warning’ to intruders

Malacañang on Sunday said the Philippine government’s ban on United States senators should serve as a warning to foreigners who intrude into the affairs of a sovereign nation.

“That goes without saying [that the ban was a warning],” its spokesman, Salvador Panelo, said.

He slammed Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vermont) for saying that Manila should accord detained Sen. Leila de Lima a just trial in court or release her from prison instead of the Philippine government threatening her defenders.

Leahy is “really ignorant. The ‘fairness’ he was talking about… (We have) been fair even before. We have already explained that many times. The problem with is that they don’t study before they speak,” Panelo said

The ban and the visa requirement for Americans once implemented would indeed serve and put notice that the Philippines is no longer a colony of the United States of America and we are not “little brown Americans.”

I pity the so-called leftists, self-proclaimed and pseudo communists, now they’re confused. They’ll look more ridiculous screaming ibagsak ang regimen US-Duterte or Duterte tuta ng Kano. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)