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P3-billion telecom investment up in ARMM

The Regional Board of Investments (RBOI) of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) approved during its 3rd Joint Management Committee and Board of Governors Meeting the P3 billion telecommunications investment of TierOne Communications International, Inc. (TierOne).Ishak Mastura, chairman and managing head of RBOI said the investment project seeks to put up a telecommunications carrier in the ARMM.Initially, TierOne planned to conduct its first rollout program in Marawi City but due to the ongoing siege, the company had to re-evaluate its business plan and program of works.Mastura said TierOne expressed readiness to continue with a rollout program for Marawi City in conjunction with the rehabilitation and reconstruction program of the government for Marawi City.The company has decided to roll out first a pilot program for its telecommunications project by building facilities in the ARMM government compound in Cotabato City.According to Mastura, TierOne intends to eventually cover all ARMM areas with an investment of US$60 million or P 3billion with provision for expansion and infusion of additional capital as needed.It will provide cellular service in 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE, broadband wireless Internet to homes and enterprises, and WiFi for public or common areas, he said.With the fastest Internet service of 3,000 kB/s download speeds, it will provide coverage for Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) services. It will be using the latest technology such as fiber optics and satellite relay with international gateway facility.According to ARMM-RBOI data, the company is 70% owned by Filipinos and 30% owned by Australians. It obtained a franchise to operate as a telecommunications service provider from the Regional Legislative Assembly of the ARMM a few years back.“In previous years, we were not able to get a spectrum from the Regional Telecommunications Commission since the National Telecommunications Commission had not allocated the same for the ARMM. So we did not start commercial operations in the region even though we had already put up the initial facilities such as transmission towers. However, we believe that with the oft-expressed desire of President Rodrigo Duterte to open up the telecommunications sector in the Philippines, this is the right time to restart the project,” said Jonathon Bentley Stevens, TierOne president.Mastura noted that telecommunications, particularly the internet, is a big enabler for private enterprise and provides big job opportunities.“In today’s interconnected world with the rise of social media, web-based businesses, and a global supply chain using the Internet, such investment in telecommunications by TierOne in the ARMM will make the region more integrated and plugged into the rest of the country, while allowing the region to access and compete in the burgeoning ASEAN economy, as well as, the global market,” said Mastura.For his part, Regional Governor Mujiv Hataman lauded the RBOI and TierOne for working hand in hand to push forward the project despite initial frustrations and setbacks.“Since the Regional Telecommunications Commission is directly under the Office of the Regional Governor, we will work to make the project a reality in the ARMM,” assured Hataman.

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06/07/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/06/p3-billion-telecom-investment-up-in-armm/

Manila Bulletin

Taguiwalo appeals for resumption of peace talks

Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Friday appealed anew for the resumption of peace negotiations between the government and communist rebels, citing civilian casualties in the renewed armed conflict.Taguiwalo said the social workers of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the Cordillera Administrative Region are assisting nearly 400 villagers who fled their homes in Asipulo, Ifugao, after soldiers attacked a suspected camp of New People’s Army rebels in Sitio Pinugao, Barangay Namal, in the municipality on Feb. 12.At least one villager died from exposure outside the evacuation center, she said.Taguiwalo, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte on the recommendation of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), said having civilians caught in the crossfire is a “very compelling” reason to resume the peace talks.“We must all support calls for the resumption of the peace negotiations. Armed conflict often leads to violations of the rights of civilians … Their lives are put in danger,” she said.Clashes between the military and the rebels erupted this month after the NDFP’s declaration terminating its own unilateral ceasefire, citing the nonrelease of 400 political prisoners and military incursions on rebel-controlled areas.Mr Duterte terminated the peace negotiations on Feb. 4.The DSWD said 98 families, or 398 villagers, including 107 children, had been staying in five evacuation centers in Asipulo.Meanwhile, Malacañang on Friday insisted that communist rebels show confidence-building measures to prove their sincerity in talking peace, after the Ecumenical Bishops Forum urged President Duterte to “keep walking toward peace.”

['Dona Z. Pazzibugan', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

2017-08-17 14:29:54+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/872737/taguiwalo-appeals-for-resumption-of-peace-talks

Inquirer

Iglesia, Menorca lawyers clash at CA: Reversal of raps/protection

A FAILED attempt to seize their househelp and alleged threats to have them arrested marred the first appearance of expelled Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) minister Lowell Menorca II and his family in the Court of Appeals, which Tuesday held a hearing on a plea for their protection.Trixie Cruz Angeles, the Menorca family’s chief lawyer, asserted in open court that her clients deserve continued court protection after an alleged assault on helper Abbegail Yanson while on the premises of the Court of Appeals Tuesday morning.Yanson herself cast aside all doubts to the story and spoke out in court on questioning by Magdangal de Leon, chair of the Court of Appeal’s Seventh Division.“[The woman] put her arm around me and tried to pull me away,” said a tearful Yanson.When the associate justice asked if the woman was her mother, Yanson replied: “No.”Angeles made the assertion as lawyers of respondents from INC—executive minister Eduardo Manalo and governing council members Radel Cortez, Bienvenido Santiago and Rolando Esguerra—claimed that the case should be dismissed as the Menorcas were free, hence the protection issue was already moot and academic.Menorca, his wife Jinky, 1-year-old Yurie Keiko Otsuka and Yanson were present in court, the first hearing the appellate court held on their amparo plea.Menorca was abducted by armed men in July in Bulan, Sorsogon province, detained in a jail in Dasmariñas City, Cavite, province, and kept against his will at the INC headquarters in Quezon City until two weeks ago.He said members of the INC advisory council abducted him because he was suspected to be Antonio Ebangelista, the blogger who exposed alleged corruption and other anomalies in the religious sect, as well as the abduction of other ministers.The appellate court held the proceedings on orders of the Supreme Court, which onOct. 23 directed the INC leaders to produce the family in court just hours after they were “rescued” from alleged detention at the INC Central Compound in Diliman, Quezon City.The respondents were absent but meant no disrespect to the court, according to their lawyer.Manalo is abroad, said Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad, among at least 10 lawyers from Accralaw (Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices) representing the INC officials.Attempt to seize maidIn a manifestation before the appellate court’s Seventh Division, Angeles said a woman, an alleged officer of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), tried to forcibly take Yanson as they walked together toward the courtroom inside the court.“We continue to argue (the petition for the issuance of the writ) on amparo (protection) because there is a continuing threat. Ms Yanson was forcibly being taken by a woman, also an INC member. She put her arm around her. It happened right in front of us,” Angeles said during the proceedings Tuesday.But Prodigalidad said the woman was Yanson’s mother, “in tears” and “only wanted to hug her daughter as she hasn’t seen her for several months.”Reversal of chargesYanson’s parents came out in the media on Friday claiming their daughter was being held against her will by the Menorcas—a reversal of allegations that the latter had leveled against INC leaders.“That claim is outrageous and a blatant lie,” Prodigalidad said in court Tuesday afternoon, the second part of the proceedings.“We are saying that they (Menorcas) are no longer entitled to the protection of the writ (amparo). There is no continuing threat. The Menorcas are surrounded by security,” she said.Prodigalidad noted that INC members were no longer speaking to those expelled from the church, as doing so would be risking their own expulsion.The lawyer for INC scored how the petitioners “exploit” the media, saying the Menorca side spilled “piece-meal” revelations in arranged press conferences.“They exploit the media to the disadvantage of the respondents who abide by the rule of sub judice. The distrust, suspicion and fear on the respondents is completely undeserved,” she told the court, drawing subdued expressions of agreement from the rows of mostly white-clad INC members who attended the proceedings.She said the Menorca camp’s constant contact with the media “is not conduct expected of someone who is afraid.”Angeles also cried harassment amid rumors of Menorca’s supposed impending arrest by the National Bureau of Investigation Tuesday, saying her client has not been apprised of any criminal case lodged against him.“As far as we’re concerned, we haven’t received a single [arrest warrant against Lowell Menorca], and even assuming that there was, we could move for quashal of the arrest warrant because no preliminary investigation was conducted,” Angeles said in an interview.Harassment“We only have one interpretation of these events: That this is harassment and we need the writ of amparo to be made permanent… It just shows how big and powerful the institution we’re up against is,” said Angeles during a break in the proceedings.The hearing began at 11:16 a.m., with a three-hour break over lunch to allow the Menorca camp to reproduce affidavits and have them notarized.The Menorcas appeared in the first part of the proceedings in the morning but were absent when the proceedings resumed past 2 p.m. They stayed in a holding room in the appellate court compound and opted not to return to court as they were “really shaken” by the incidents earlier in the day, Angeles said.In a bid to make the writ of amparo permanent, the Menorca camp wanted the court to take witness testimonies in lieu of just submitting affidavits, including putting Menorca himself on the witness stand for direct examination.Next hearing: Nov. 11But, on Prodigalidad’s repeated manifestation that doing so would only lengthen what should be summary proceedings, the court required both sides to instead file affidavits of all their witnesses by Thursday.“The purpose of amparo proceedings is not to determine the liability of the respondents but to determine if petitioners deserve protection,” Prodigalidad argued.Witnesses will only be put to the stand strictly for cross examination purposes, De Leon said. The parties agreed to hold the next hearing on Nov. 11.

['Tarra Quismundo']

09/11/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/736672/iglesia-menorca-lawyers-clash-at-ca-reversal-of-rapsprotection

Inquirer

Filipino living treasures honored in Ilocos exhibit

Filipinas, the students and teachers of different high schools, colleges, and universities in the province.The GAMABA is the highest award given to the finest traditional artists in the country that was institutionalized in 1992 through Republic Act No. 7355.The administration of the awarding is assigned to the NCCA, the country’s highest policy-making and coordinating body for culture and the arts.Among the incentives to be given to the awardees are a gold medallion, the initial grant of R100,000, and lifetime monthly stipend of R10,000.In consonance with the provision of Republic Act No. 7355, which states that “the monetary grant may be increased whenever circumstances so warrant,” the NCCA board approved the following: additional monthly personal allowance of R14,000 for the awardees; and a maximum cumulative amount of R 750,000 medical and hospitalization benefits annually.These incentives are similar to that received by the National Artists of the Philippines, and funeral assistance/tribute fit for a National Living Treasure.Aside from Gammayo the 12 other GAMABA awardees are: Ginaw Bilog (poetry); Masino Intaray (musician and storyteller); Samaon Sulaiman (musician); Lang Dulay (textile weaver); Salinta Monon (textile weaver); Alonzo Saclag (musician and dancer); Federico Caballero (epic chanter); Uwang Ahadas (musician); Darhata Sawabi (textile weaver); Eduardo Mutuc (metalsmith); Haja Amina Appi (mat weaving) and Teofilo Garcia (casque maker).

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09/11/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/09/filipino-living-treasures-honored-in-ilocos-exhibit/

Manila Bulletin

Solon: Marcos buried as soldier, ex-president, not as hero

Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro yesterday reminded Ferdinand Marcos loyalists that the dictator was buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani not as a hero, according to the Supreme Court, but as a former president and soldier.“It did not say that he would be buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani because he is a hero. That is an issue that has yet to be resolved to this day because it was sidestepped by the Supreme Court,” Castro said in a radio interview.“What the Supreme Court merely said was he can be buried there because he was a soldier and a former President, and that is in accordance to the law,” said the Capiz representative.Castro said the Marcos loyalists should not blow up the issue by saying that Marcos was a hero.“Perhaps they should just keep that in their hearts because that has yet to be proven. And in fact, that heroism is under question because of the many things discovered … which does not qualify him to be a hero. In fact, many say that [Marcos] faked his records and medals. Even the US government said it did not confer to him a medal,” Castro said.To those opposing the burial, Castro said there was “enough legal process that where they could ventilate their opposition.”“We have the laws like the right to claim damages. If they know who were responsible for the death or disappearance of their loved ones,” Castro said, adding the prescriptive period for criminal liability does not apply in this instance as the perpetrators have not yet been identified and haled to court.Castro, a lawyer and former activist, was also a martial law victim.Asked if the atrocities could still be blamed on Marcos, Castro said it was possible.“But considering he has died, it is his estate that would be liable for this. Criminal liability ceases after his death … And since his estate had been inherited by his children, it is his children who would be responsible for the damages,” Castro said.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

11/02/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/846149/solon-marcos-buried-as-soldier-ex-president-not-as-hero

Inquirer

Lacson: Espinosa slay a case of badly written script

A case of bad script.That’s how Sen. Panfilo Lacson describes the mess the Philippine National Police are in after the shooting death of Albuera, Leyte, Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. inside his cell in the provincial jail early on Saturday.Lacson is chair of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, which will look into the suspected silencing of Espinosa to protect the identities of high-ranking police officials protecting the illegal drug trade.The inquiry, which begins on Thursday, will be conducted jointly with the committee on justice and human rights headed by Sen. Richard Gordon and will also look into the Oct. 28 deaths of Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao, Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom and nine of his men in what police claimed was a “shootout” in Makilala, North Cotabato province.Many questionsIn a radio interview and talk with reporters on Monday, Lacson said there were many questions about how a 15-officer team from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) conducted an alleged raid on Espinosa’s cell.CIDG-8 claimed that the team was serving a search warrant for weapons and drugs on Espinosa in his cell at the jail in Baybay City around 4 a.m. on Saturday when the detained mayor fired on the officers, forcing them to fire back.Espinosa was killed, along with another inmate, Raul Yap, who also allegedly shot it out with the policemen.Lacson questioned why the policemen were serving an arrest warrant on Espinosa at 4 a.m. He also questioned the necessity of a warrant in searching a jail for drugs and weapons.“Even Chief PNP (Ronald) dela Rosa said a search warrant is not needed if it is a government facility, especially a jail,” Lacson said.He also noted other questionable actions taken by the CIDG-8 team. Aside from ordering the jail guards out, the CIDG-8 team also disarmed maritime policemen stationed nearby instead of coordinating its operation with them, Lacson said.Before they left, the policemen took the hard drive from the security cameras at the jail.“I find the script was not well-done. There are more questions than answers in the incident,” Lacson said.Espinosa surrendered to the PNP in August after President Duterte publicly linked him and more than 100 other public and police officials to illegal drugs.The mayor denied the allegations and was released, but he was arrested again after being indicted on drug and weapons charges.In denying the drug charges, Espinosa disclosed that his son, Kerwin, was a drug dealer who operated extensively in the Visayas.Kerwin fled the country, but he was arrested last month in Abu Dhabi. He learned about his father’s death when he called home on Saturday.Mayor Espinosa reportedly submitted a statement to police linking 226 government, military and police officials, including seven from the CIDG, to the narcotics trade.Police probeChief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, police director for Eastern Visayas, has directed the regional office of the PNP Internal Affairs Service to investigate the CIDG-8 operation, while Director General Dela Rosa has ordered the CIDG to investigate Espinosa’s killing.On orders from CIDG headquarters in Quezon City, Supt. Marvin Marcos, chief of CIDG-8, was relieved on Monday.In a press briefing at PNP headquarters at Camp Crame, Quezon City, on Monday, Deputy Director General Francisco Uyami Jr., the police deputy chief for administration, said there were enough grounds to search Espinosa’s cell.He said the CIDG-8 team recovered “shabu” (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and weapons in the cell of Espinosa and the cell of Yap.According to Uyami, crime scene investigators found a Super .38 cal. pistol and a small, heat-sealed sachet of shabu in Espinosa’s cell and a caliber .45 Colt Commander pistol, 10 big, heat-sealed sachets of shabu, 27 sachets of dried marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the cell of Yap.He said the recovered materials were the subjects of two search warrants issued by Judge Tarcelo Sabarre of the Basey, Samar, Regional Trial Court Branch 30.Uyami played down claims that search warrants were not needed in searching jails, saying there is no law that says a search warrant may not be implemented in a government facility.

['Christine O. Avendaño']

11/02/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/841991/lacson-espinosa-slay-a-case-of-badly-written-script

Inquirer

Trillanes eyes President’s son as hostile witness in drug probe

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Sunday said Paolo Duterte’s filing libel charges against him had given him a chance to call the son of President Rodrigo Duterte as a hostile witness in a Senate drug smuggling inquiry.A hostile witness is someone who is called to an investigation but refuses to tell the truth.In a statement, Trillanes said Paolo Duterte’s legal actions would enable him to pressure the resigned vice mayor of Davao City to open his bank accounts.Duterte has filed libel charges against Trillanes for linking him to the smuggling into the Philippines of “shabu” (crystal meth) worth P6.4 billion from China and for alleging that he and his brother-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio, extorted money from ride-hailing companies.Dragon tattooTrillanes said he would call Duterte to the Senate inquiry into drug smuggling and compel him to show the dragon tattoo on his back that he refused to show to the senators during last year’s investigation of the shabu smuggling through the Port of Manila.“It would also be an opportunity for me to have his bank accounts subpoenaed,” Trillanes said.During last year’s inquiry, Trillanes claimed that Duterte had a dragon tattoo on his back, proof that he was a member of a triad, a Chinese-organized crime group.Trillanes dared Duterte to show the tattoo, but the then vice mayor of Davao City refused, saying it was an invasion of his privacy.Unexplained wealthA confessed customs fixer, Mark Taguba, implicated Duterte and Carpio in the smuggling of the shabu through the Port of Manila with the connivance of Bureau of Customs officials.Trillanes also challenged the Dutertes to allow the Anti-Money Laundering Council and the Office of the Ombudsman to open their bank accounts to disprove his accusations of unexplained wealth.

['Julie M. Aurelio']

11/02/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1035430/trillanes-eyes-presidents-son-as-hostile-witness-in-drug-probe

Inquirer

Mangudadatu to tap sultans, datus in fight against crime

The provincial government of Maguindanao intends to tap sultans, datus and other royalties in its constituency in its intensified campaign against illegal drugs and other criminal activities.At a press conference here Thursday marking the opening of the First Inaul Festival, Governor Esmael Mangudadatu said an estimated 100 local royalties, including reigning sultans and datus, will converge here on Monday for the “Governor’s Night.”Mangudadatu said he would suggest the anointment among the royalties of a “Paramaount Sultan” that will spearhead the activities expected of them by the provincial government.“Sultans and other reigning datus are still wielding influence and respect in their communities. We can tap them in the campaign against illegal drugs and other criminalities,” the governor said.The scheduled “Governor’s Night” will immediately follow the Palamata Nu Maguindanao, the official pageant contest that will highlight the festival, which formally kicked off on February 9.The pageant will be held in the air-conditioned provincial gym here, while the “Governor’s Night” is set at the BBGM reception hall here.Mangudadatu said both events will be graced by Miss Philippines-Universe Maxine Medina and Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa, alongside other Filipino celebrities.Last year’s “Governor’s Night” was joined by then Malaysian Consul General Abdullah Zawawi Tahir, who was invited to witness the provincial government’s initial stride in reviving the nearly extinct role of royalties in public governance.“Royal houses in Maguindanao, which predate the Spanish conquest, are influential. But their involvement in public governance had not been harnessed by the past administrations for decades. We are now reviving their role…to help us in various development endeavors, including our campaign against illegal drugs,” Mangudadatu told reporters.Because the words of Sultans and Datus are “still respected,” the governor said, “we will involve them now in policy-making activities, especially those concerning communities under their influence.”Mangudadatu hinted that tapping royal houses in the war on drugs may yet “save the lives” of those individuals that defy laws and eventually end up as fatalities in police enforcements.

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11/02/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/11/mangudadatu-to-tap-sultans-datus-in-fight-against-crime/

Manila Bulletin

‘No truth to AI claim PH a dangerous place’

Malacañang on Friday brushed off an allegation by Amnesty International (AI) Philippines that President Duterte had made the country “a far more dangerous place” to live in.Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the decline in the number of common crimes and the support of the majority of Filipinos for the Duterte administration’s war on drugs belied the rights organization’s allegation.“There is no truth to the statement of Amnesty International that President Duterte has made the Philippines ‘a far more dangerous place,’” he said.In a statement on Thursday, AI Philippines director Jose Noel Olano said “impunity and lack of accountability have been shamelessly displayed at almost all levels” of the Duterte administration.“It is not only Duterte’s speeches about keeping our country safe that has become mere lip service but in his audacity to smear human rights, he has rolled back on hard-won human rights protections that are supposed to keep everyone safe, in the first place,” Olano said.Tagle admits pain“Abandoning human rights values and principles is a failure on his part and comes with a huge cost of essentially guaranteeing that no one can ever be safe because the country has become a far more dangerous place,” he added.Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the Manila archbishop, admitted to being pained whenever the Philippines or being a Filipino was criticized because of the apparent disregard for human rights and the rule of law in the country.In his speech at the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization at Cuneta Astrodome on Thursday, Tagle urged Filipinos to show to the world, “as the country’s true representatives,” their dignity as a people.Roque cited a Social Weather Stations survey, which showed that victims of common crimes fell to a record low of 6.1 percent in 2017, while the annual average for property crimes were at a low of 5.6 percent last year.Legitimate operationsHe also cited a Pulse Asia survey which showed that nearly nine out of 10 Filipinos, or 88 percent, supported the Duterte administration’s war on drugs.“We reiterate that the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs is conducted through legitimate police enforcement operations, and deaths arising from these are due to the drug personalities’ violent resistance to lawful apprehensions,” Roque said.He added that the President, a lawyer and former prosecutor, had previously prosecuted murder as a capital offense.“He, therefore, does not and will never condone extralegal killings, as he maintains zero tolerance for erring policemen who digress from standard protocols and abuse their power,” Roque said.

['Julie M. Aurelio']

07/07/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1012474/no-truth-to-ai-claim-ph-a-dangerous-place

Inquirer

Massacre suspect recants confession

The chief of police here was not surprised Carmelino Ibañez, who had earlier confessed to killing five members of the Carlos family last June 27, is now saying he was tortured to own up to the massacre, but said the forensic test results will not lie.“It is his own bet to alter his sworn statement,” Superintendent Fitz A. Macariola told The Manila Bulletin yesterday when asked to comment on Ibañez’s sudden turnaround testimony given to media Thursday night.Ibañez was arrested after confessing before police, his mother and his sister – and later before media – that he had raped and killed Estrella Carlos and her mother Auring Dizon and stabbed to death Carlos’ children, aged 11, 7, and 1, at their house in North Ridge Royal Subdivison, Barangay Sto. Cristo, this city.But speaking to media the other day, Ibañez claimed he surrendered to authorities in fear for his life because police allegedly tortured him to confess to the crime by covering his head with a plastic bag while someone hit his hands with a hammer.The suspect’s new claim has struck many as bizarre as he bore no signs of torture in his body since he was first presented to media.“Nang in-interview siya sa television at tinanong bakit walang bakas ng torture sa katawan, ang sagot niya, ‘matagal na kasi.’ Ganun ka-bilis mawala ang mga pasa (When he was interviewed on TV and asked why he had no torture marks to show, he answered ‘it’s been a while.’ Do bruises disappear that easily?)” a neighbor of the Carlos family, who refused to be identified in this report, said.For his part, Macariola recalled that media has been given access to Ibañez since he was captured and throughout his medico-legal examination so his claims of torture, if true, would not have escaped members of media covering him.“We are still awaiting the results of the forensic tests. We will rely on the findings of the crime laboratory and our eyewitness. Let the police do their work. We want an airtight case filed against him so that justice will be served to the family and relatives of the victims,” said Carlos.Meanwhile, Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said Carlos family patriarch Dexter Carlos has been provisionally accepted into the Witness Protection Program (WPP) of the Department of Justice (DOJ).Carlos applied for the WPP after an offer from DOJ Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II who met him last Thursday.Aside from the legal assistance of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Aguirre said “the Department of Justice is more than willing to extend any assistance that he may need in getting justice for what was done to his family.” (With a report from Jeffrey G. Damicog)

[]

07/07/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/07/massacre-suspect-recants-confession/

Manila Bulletin

Next strike may be longer, warns big transport group

After calling its second day of strike “successful,” transport group Piston on Tuesday warned of a longer protest if President Rodrigo Duterte does not talk to them and hear their pleas along with other groups condemning the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.“Kung kinakailangan ngang gawing isang linggo, gagawin namin ‘wag lang nilang ituloy ang phaseout [We will go on strike for one week if the government proceeds with the plan],”Antonio Simangan, Jr., president of the Pinagkaisahang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide (Piston-Cubao), told The Manila Times.“Si Presidente, matigas ‘yan, pero ayaw niyan sa welga. Sinabihan niya kami noong July na magwelga muna kami. Ngayon nasa kanya na ang bola at hihintayin namin ‘yung pagdinig niya sa amin [The President, he is tough, but he does not like strikes. He told us in July to go on strike. Now the ball is in his court and we will wait for him to hear us out]” George San Mateo, Piston president, also told The Manila Times.“We, jeepney drivers, operators and commuters strongly condemn Malacañang’s announcement that the government will push through with its anti-poor phaseout scheme amid the strong objection of the transport sector, as proven by the 90 percent participation in our two-day nationwide transport strike. This only forces us to hold more strikes in the next months until the government’s phaseout scheme is junked,” labor movement Kilusang Mayo Uno said in a statement also on Tuesday.But after affirming that the final day of the strike was 90-percent successful, San Mateo said this is not his group’s measurement of success but the government’s reactions to the strike.He referred to Malacañang’s suspension of classes and work in government offices.Mateo also, pointed out that because of their protest, a hearing will be set at the House of Representatives to hear the strikers’ grievances on October 19.Police authorities stationed in Cubao, Quezon City, among them Chief Insp. Mario Manipin, deputy station commander of the Quezon City Police District’s Station 7 (Cubao), said the second day of the two-day strike was “more peaceful” than the first day.They put at 60 the number of the strikers in the afternoon.The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it was grateful for the “generally peaceful” and “orderly outcome” of the two-day transport strike staged by different transport organizations that ended on Tuesday.According to PNP spokesman and Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos, even though there were mass actions and public assemblies all over Metro Manila, the police, together with road marshalls, were able to handle the strike peacefully.Carlos said nationwide suspension of classes and work in government offices prevented unwanted effects of “lack of public transportation” as a result of the strike.“Overall, however, there was no general paralysis of public transportation services reported anywhere,” he added.The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), however, said the strike still had a “minimal effect” on Tuesday, with the number of affected passengers in Metro Manila barely reaching one percent.“As of this afternoon, the number of vehicles that we have deployed only assisted around 580 passengers,” the LTFRB said.The board noted that the paralyzation rate in different regions only reached a maximum of 20 percent, particularly in Angeles City and San Fernando, Pampanga, and zero percent for the rest of the regions.WITH REPORT FROM RJ CARBONELL

['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']

2017-10-17 23:21:45+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/next-strike-may-longer-warns-big-transport-group/357068/

Manila Times

Trolls, partisan netizens run riot on social media

ARE YOU a Dutertard, Yellowtard, a BINAYaran or a closet Poetard?Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you would know these are the labels netizens and trolls have been hurling at each other on cyberspace since around August last year.In fact, if hashtags and memes could kill, the Philippine cyberspace would have been littered with the corpses of the protagonists, the virtual guns and goons of traditional politics.Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte lamented the state of online discourse. “I’ve never seen so much bullying. Social media is toxic,” Valte said.Who are these keyboard warriors waging war online?A Dutertard is a follower of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, standard-bearer of PDP-Laban and front-runner in the presidential race.Like their potty-mouthed candidate, the Dutertards follow no rules, shoot at anyone who “attack” Duterte, whether a student who asks a pointed question at the mayor in a forum, celebs who support rival candidates or the critical media that are either biased or bayaran (paid hack).Death threatsThe word Dutertard—a combination of Duterte and retardate—was first used by Carlos Conde, a former journalist turned human rights advocate.From the late 1990s, Conde investigated and wrote about the human rights violations of Duterte and the Davao Death Squad.For his comments on Duterte, Conde received death threats online. “I don’t take them seriously,” said Conde, the Dutertards’ “Enemy No. 1.”The Yellowtard, aka Noytard, is a follower of President Aquino, his anointed candidates Mar Roxas and Leni Robredo of the Liberal Party. The Yellowtard is also a believer in Mr. Aquino’s daang matuwid (straight path) governance.The term Yellowtard is a combination of yellow—the color associated with Mr. Aquino—and retard. It has been an online term even before Conde, who is not a Yellowtard, coined Dutertard.Fire with fireRanged against the Dutertards, some Yellowtards can be as vicious in fighting fire with fire.Among the high-profile Yellowtards are celebrity tour guide and street performer Carlos Celdran, and artists Jim Paredes, Leah Navarro and Cynthia Patag.But a majority of the Yellowtards are timid, like the followers of Vice President Jejomar Binay, the United Nationalist Alliance standard-bearer, and Sen. Grace Poe, an independent presidential candidate. They seldom “attack.” In most cases, they rely on social influencers to deliver the message.“We don’t want to waste our time mentioning other candidates,” said Joyce Ramirez, social media director for Grace Poe. “We want to focus on the positive.”“Only Duterte has the army, the muscles. But they are concentrated on mudslinging and bullying. They’re not doing it responsibly,” Kankan Ramos, a digital marketing practitioner, said in an interview.“They are uncouth. They are not capable of civilized debate,” Philip Lustre, a journalist and Facebook commenter who was “lynched” for writing that Duterte has cancer of the throat.Reflection of cultureBut Jonji Gonzales, founder of mugstoria.com, an umbrella of over 200 pro-Duterte online communities, said the Dutertards’ behavior was a reflection of the millennials’ culture.“Parody, satire, fun and sometimes over-fun posts. That’s the language of the millennials,” Gonzales said, citing the social cards where Pope Francis and Barack Obama were supposed to have endorsed Duterte.OrganizedHe said efforts had been made to teach the Dutertards a sense of social responsibility. But the group was just too big. “What we have is organized chaos,” he said.“Sometimes we feel it’s not us doing it. Millennials just want fun, good vibes,” Gonzales said.In fact, he said, millennials could identify themselves with Duterte because “he is raw, he is authentic.”“Duterte has his imperfections and he shows it. He is not packaged,” Gonzales said.This “rawness” is similar to the selfies and photos that millennials post to document what they eat, what concerts they watch and where they go for the weekend.Share of voiceBut it is precisely the “noise” created by the Dutertards that has given their candidate a sustained, almost 50-percent share of voice (SOV) since the campaign started in February, according to statistics from the Internet tracker Tech Cellar Business Solutions.SOV is the percentage of people “talking” about a particular candidate, including people reacting to news, writing news and sharing news.“SOV can be positive or negative sentiment,” said Bobby Gantuangco, chief eBusiness Enabler at TechCellar.No matter if the “people” talking are actually just trolls—or netizens who sow discord by posting arguments that are controversial, unverified, threatening or just outright lies.

['Fe Zamora', 'Karl Angelica Ocampo', 'Ramon H. Royandoyan']

2018-04-29 20:41:00+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/783106/trolls-partisan-netizens-run-riot-on-social-media

Inquirer

Comelec assures pay for election workers

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has assured poll workers who will render service in the 2018 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) elections that they will be fully compensated under a new law, which renders election services non-compulsory for public school teachers.Comelec spokesman James Jimenez over the weekend said the honoraria of workers would be paid in full after their election duties either in cash or through the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) cash card as advised by the Comelec’s Finance Services department.Under Republic Act (RA) 10756 or the Election Service Reform Act, the following poll workers are entitled to the corresponding honoraria: Chairmen of Electoral Boards, P6,000; Members of Electoral Boards, P5,000; Department of Education Supervisor Official (DESO), P4,000; and Support Staff, P 2,000.Additionally, they are entitled to a travel allowance of P1,000 each.Pursuant to Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Ruling No. 003-08 dated April 14, 2018, honoraria and travel allowances are subject to 5 perecent withholding tax.RA 10756, enacted into law in April 2016, renders election services non-compulsory for public school teachers starting with the barangay and SK elections and succeeding elections.It allows the Comelec to tap private school teachers, national government employees (excluding military officers), members of Comelec-accredited citizens’ arms and any voter with integrity and competence and without political affiliations as election officers.The Comelec was supposed to implement the law in the 2016 village and SK elections but, because of their postponements, the law will be implemented in the coming May 14 polls.Qualified to vote for the SK polls are duly registered Filipino citizens who are at least 15 but not more than 30 years of age on the day of the elections; a resident in the barangay for at least six months on election day; and not otherwise disqualified by law.For the barangay elections, one should be at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the elections; must be a resident of the Philippines for at least one year and living in the barangay where he/she intends to vote, for at least six months immediately preceding the elections; and not otherwise disqualified by law.A voter may vote two times if he or she is qualified to vote in the village and SK elections.

['William Depasupil']

2018-04-29 20:41:00+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/comelec-assures-pay-for-election-workers/395802/

Manila Times

Senate panels: Reset Oct. 2017 elections

THE Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation and the Senate Committee on Finance have proposed the postponement of the October 2017 barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) elections to the fourth Monday of October 2018.The two panels submitted jointly on Monday Committee Report No. 163 recommending the approval of Senate Bill 1584 postponing the October 2017 barangay and SK elections, amending for the purpose Republic Act 9164, as amended by RA 9340, RA 10656 and RA 10656.“Subsequent synchronized barangay and SK elections should be held on the second Monday of May 2020 and every 3 years thereafter,” Sen. Richard Gordon, vice chairman of the Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, said.Gordon is set to sponsor this week at the plenary the committee report.The House of Representatives on Monday approved on third and final reading the proposed postponement of the village and SK elections.Gordon said until their successors have been duly elected or until President Rodrigo Duterte appoints officers-in-charge for the barangay, all incumbent village officials should remain in office “unless sooner removed or suspended for a cause.”“In addition to the other causes under existing laws, inclusion of the name of an incumbent barangay official in the duly confirmed and validated drug list provided to and in possession of the President shall constitute sufficient cause for the appointment of officers-in-charge for the barangay,” Gordon said.He added that village officials who are ex-officio members of the Sangguniang Bayan (Town Council),Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) or Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Council), should continue to serve as such members in the sanggunian concerned until the next village election.“Given the events occurring, such as the armed conflict in Marawi City, the proclamation and extension of martial law in Mindanao and the prevalence of illegal drugs, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to postpone the October 2017 barangay and SK elections to October 2018 to provide ample time for the government to maintain peace and order and protect the general welfare of the people,” Gordon said.Eleven out of the 19 combined members of the electoral reforms and finance committees signed Committee Report 163.Seven of them expressed intention to interpellate Gordon and amend SB 1584. They were Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Joseph Victor Ejercito, Francis Escudero, Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe, Joel Villanueva and Cynthia Villar.

['The Manila Times']

2017-09-12 23:59:29+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-panels-reset-oct-2017-elections/350351/

Manila Times

Mamasapano sinks Aquino rating

President Benigno Aquino III’s handling of the Mamasapano incident resulted in his net satisfaction ratings plunging to their lowest levels in the first quarter of the year, according to analysts.Edmund Tayao, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, said how the President handled the incident was not acceptable to the public.“The unfortunate incident held hostage everything, not only the peace process. The political capital of the President was significantly eroded by the poor handling of the incident,” Tayao said.The President’s rating in the first quarter of the year fell to its lowest level since he assumed office in 2010, according to Social Weather Stations (SWS).READ: SWS: Aquino satisfaction rating hits all-time lowDespite the decline in his rating, a majority said they were not in favor of the proposal that Mr. Aquino resign as president, results of the SWS survey, conducted from March 20 to 23, showed.Of the 1,200 adult respondents nationwide, 47 percent were satisfied with the performance of the President while 36 percent were dissatisfied, resulting in a net satisfaction rating (satisfied minus dissatisfied) of “moderate” 11, down 28 points from last December’s “good” 39 (63 percent satisfied minus 24 percent dissatisfied).Mr. Aquino’s previous record low was a “moderate” 25 in June last year and his highest rating was a “very good” 67 recorded in August 2012.SWS considers a rating of 70 and above “excellent”; 50 to 69, “very good”; 30 to 49, “good”; 10 to 29, “moderate”; 9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 and below, “execrable.”The survey, first published in BusinessWorld, had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3 percentage points.The sharp decline in the President’s rating came several weeks after the clashes between Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) commandos and Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province.DebacleOn Jan. 25, SAF commandos went to Moro rebel-controlled Mamasapano to arrest Malaysian terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” and Amin Baco, alias “Jihad,” and their Filipino associate, Basit Usman.The commandos killed Marwan but Baco and Usman escaped and the mission ended in a disaster when the commandos were ambushed by members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and Justice for Islamic Movement as they withdrew from the town. The encounter left 44 policemen, 17 MILF fighters and three civilians dead.BBL prospectsProspero E. de Vera, professor at the University of the Philippines National College of Public Administration and Governance, said Mr. Aquino’s decreasing ratings would have an impact on his ability to mobilize his allies in Congress and generate public support for the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).The BBL is a measure that would establish an autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao as provided for in the peace agreement signed by the government and the MILF.“Can the administration produce a BBL that will satisfy constitutional challenge, be acceptable to the MILF and generate enough votes from his allies in Congress? The real battle will be fought in plenary where his critics and those aspiring for national office in 2016 will resurrect the horrors of Mamasapano and link these with the BBL,” De Vera said in an e-mail interview.“Assuming the bill passes through Congress, will it be able to hurdle a challenge in the Supreme Court and a plebiscite? In all these, presidential leadership will be required, and a President with a declining performance and trust rating will be severely tested,” De Vera added.Malacañang acknowledged that the Mamasapano debacle had influenced the “political landscape” that led to the President’s lowest public approval rating in five years.Moving forwardReacting to the results of the SWS survey, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said that “very clearly events in Mamasapano have influenced the political landscape when the survey was taken.”“We recognize that. And moving forward, we will continue to do what is good for the Filipino people,” Lacierda said. “We still have several hundred days left.”Until Mamasapano, Mr. Aquino was the only Chief Executive after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship who enjoyed a consistently high public approval rating.No controversy would stick to the President since he assumed office in June 2010, not even the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program, an economic program parts of which had been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.READ: Aquino vs Judiciary?The Mamasapano debacle had Mr. Aquino explaining to the public four times what he knew about the planning, execution and aftermath of the police counterterrorism operation.Explanation from PresidentWhat critics still demand from the President was an explanation why he allowed his friend, then PNP chief Alan Purisima, join the then SAF commander, Director Getulio Napeñas, in a Jan. 9 briefing on the planned police operation to take down Marwan and his cohorts.Purisima was at that time serving a six-month suspension order from the Ombudsman for allegations of graft and corruption. He later resigned as PNP chief and Napeñas was sacked as SAF commander in the wake of the debacle.Against resignationAmid calls for Mr. Aquino’s resignation following the bungled police counterterrorism operation, 50 percent of the respondents said they disagreed with the proposal, with 30 percent saying they strongly disagreed and 20 percent saying they somewhat disagreed. Thirty-two percent said they agreed and 18 percent were undecided.“You can see the public is objective in assessing the incident. A majority don’t want the President to resign,” Tayao said.But this is not something that the administration should crow about, according to De Vera.

['Ana Roa', 'Nikko Dizon']

04/04/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/683948/mamasapano-sinks-aquino-rating

Inquirer

Pilgrims told: Secure passport only from DFA

THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday reminded Filipino Muslim pilgrims participating in the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) to refrain from getting the services of individuals or organizations promising to facilitate their passport processing in exchange for a fee.In an advisory, the DFA said only holders of Philippine passports would be accepted for hajj processing by Saudi authorities.Hajj participants, according to the Foreign Affairs department, may apply for regular passport at any consular office of the DFA after securing a valid online appointment and completion of documentary requirements.“It is generally advised that hajj participants apply for regular passport at least one year before the pilgrimage to ensure that the travel document is ready and on hand at the time of travel,” the DFA said in a statement.In August 2016, immigration officers were able to prevent 177 Indonesian pilgrims bound for Saudi Arabia to participate in the hajj.The pilgrims were carrying authentic Philippine passports but were later discovered by authorities that they were not Filipinos because they cannot speak or understand Filipino or any Filipino dialect.Further investigation revealed that they paid unscrupulous travel agencies that promised them to facilitate their travel requirements including passports.Some of them paid as much as 131 million Indonesian rupiah or around P460,000.They were released later that month upon request of the Indonesian ambassador to the Philippines.It was also learned that the passports were reportedly issued by the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos, which facilitates the hajj pilgrimage of Filipino Muslims.The Philippines rarely fills its quota and it could be the reason why some unscrupulous individuals were able to use the slots for their scheme.The DFA warned organizations and individuals involved in illegal activities that it would not hesitate to take the necessary lawful action against them.“The DFA has taken swift administrative investigations on the heels of passport validations in the past and is more determined to ensure that those responsible shall be held accountable for their ill actions,” it said.The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam.It is the annual pilgrimage to the Holy City of Mecca, which each Muslim must undertake at least once in his lifetime.

['The Manila Times']

2017-06-06 22:29:32+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/pilgrims-told-secure-passport-dfa/331305/

Manila Times

Remulla out, Corona lawyer Rico Quicho in as new Binay mouthpiece

A litigation lawyer who was one of the spokespersons of Chief Justice Renato Corona during the latter’s 2012 impeachment trial is the new political spokesperson of beleaguered Vice President Jejomar Binay.Lawyer Rico Quicho replaces Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla, who had earlier said he would be representing Binay only until December 2014.The 36-year-old Quicho, who teaches evidence and civil procedures at San Beda College in Alabang, said he was ready for the job, now made even tougher as Binay continues to face controversies and allegations of corruption from former colleagues.The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee is scheduled to resume its inquiry into the corruption allegations against Binay later this month.In a text message on Tuesday, Remulla said he would continue to help Binay’s communications team and will be “involved in the rollout of the economic program of the Binay presidency.”“I’m running for reelection as governor. My constituents might get mixed signals if I’m still too high on the national issues,” Remulla said, explaining his decision to keep low-key his involvement with the Binay camp.The Cavite governor described Quicho as “very good.”Binay’s main spokesperson and the head of his media office, Joey Salgado, said Remulla would continue to be part of the Binay team, “crafting the platform of government and policies.”Quicho, who is with the Quicho and Angeles law firm, said Binay had asked him to be his spokesperson for political concerns last Monday when they were both in Cebu.He said he had been on board the Binay train since 2013, “helping quietly in the background” in the Vice President’s communication and policy sections. He said he had been helping Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, JV Bautista and Remulla with the communications aspect of the Binay operation.He said he got to know Binay through mutual friends that included Tiangco, who was one of the witnesses for Corona at the impeachment trial.He also admitted to writing to Binay in 2013 to ask him if he could join the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) as he planned on eventually running for Congress in Bataan.He said Binay told him to help in his presidential campaign and Quicho agreed.The lawyer said he was not scared of the job of spokesperson for Binay.It is not the first time that Quicho will be speaking for someone as controversial as Binay, having acted as one of the three spokespersons for Corona during the then Chief Justice’s six-month-long impeachment trial in 201

['Christine O. Avendaño']

27/02/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/662769/remulla-out-corona-lawyer-rico-quicho-in-as-new-binay-mouthpiece

Inquirer

The kidnap case of 2 UP students vs Palparan et al.

Nine years ago, University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño disappeared.Last year, retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan and three soldiers were charged with kidnapping and illegal detention at Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 14 over the disappearance of the two human-rights activists.One of the soldiers remains on the loose. There have been hearings on the case, but how much longer the parents of the two students and the public have to wait before the court hands down a decision is unknown.What is known is the account of witnesses that they have seen the abduction and torture of Cadapan and Empeño.According to the witnesses, armed men, on June 26, 2006, barged into the rented house of Cadapan and Empeño in Purok 6, Barangay San Miguel in Hagonoy, Bulacan province, and seized the two students.A farmer identified as Manuel Merino was also taken when he tried to help Cadapan and Empeño.The three were then forced to board a “stainless” jeep with license plate No. RTF 597.They were never seen again.‘The Butcher’ tried to fleeIt took some time to bring the case to court. After retiring from the military, Palparan, called “The Butcher” by human rights activists because of the killings of rights advocates wherever he was assigned, served in the House of Representatives as a nominee of the Bantay party-list from 2004 to 2009.After his term in the House, the case against him went up to the Malolos court and he was indicted in December 2011. He tried to flee to Singapore but was stopped from boarding the plane and turned back.Palparan went into hiding and became one of five high-profile fugitives for whose arrest the government offered millions of pesos in rewards. President Benigno Aquino III put a P2-million price on his head.After two years on the lam, Palparan was arrested not in some remote village in the country but in an apartment above a bakery shop on Teresa Street in Santa Mesa, Manila, last year.The two other suspects in the case, Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado and S/Sgt. Edgardo Osorio, surrendered on Dec. 20, 2011, a day after a court issued warrants for their arrest.Parents not losing hopeAnotado, Osorio and Palparan are detained at the Philippine Army Custodial Center in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.The fourth suspect, M/Sgt. Rizal Hilario, remains at large. Records showed that he has been absent without leave from the service since 2008.Cadapan, who was 28 then and believed pregnant, was a human kinetics student and a community organizer for the farmers’ group Alyansang Magbubukid ng Bulacan. Empeño, then 22, was a graduating sociology student studying the conditions of Bulacan farmers for her thesis.Nine years after their disappearance, their parents have not given up hope that they are still alive and just being held in a secret military jail.“As long as there is no evidence of her death, I will continue to believe that she is still alive,” Concepcion Empeño, Karen’s mother, said in a telephone interview.“They (the accused) got my daughter alive so they should return her alive,” Erlinda Cadapan, Sherlyn’s mother, said in a separate telephone interview.At the time of the alleged abductions, Palparan was the commander of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division based in Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija province, where Anotado and Hilario were also assigned. Osorio was assigned to the 24th Intelligence and Security Group in Fort Bonifacio.Presiding Judge Teodora Gonzales of the Malolos RTC is handling the cases against Palparan, Anotado and Osorio.Palparan bail petitionAccording to the case summary sent to the Inquirer by Julian Oliva, lead lawyer of the families of the missing students, hearings have started for the prosecution to present evidence in opposition to Palparan’s bail petition.“The prosecution presented all over again its witnesses and evidence, but is about to wind up its presentation of evidence on the petition for bail by General Palparan,” the summary said.Palparan can present evidence in his defense before the prosecution submits the petition for resolution, the summary added. Once a decision is handed down, the court can proceed to try the main case against Palparan.Anotado and Osorio have been on trial since 2012. The Malolos RTC denied their bail petitions in July 2013.According to the same case summary, the defense was able to present only Anotado and Osorio, prompting the court to stop the presentation of more evidence.“As of August 2014, before the arrest of General Palparan, there was already a standing order from the court declaring the accused Colonel Anotado and Sergeant Osorio to have waived their right to present further evidence,” the summary said.Motion for reconsiderationAnotado and Osorio filed a motion for reconsideration. It was granted, allowing both to present additional evidence.The next hearings for all the accused have been scheduled for Aug. 11.“I hope there will be no further delays,” Concepcion Empeño, a public school principal in Masinloc, Zambales province, said.The hearings were initially slated for next month but were moved to August because the court would conduct an inventory of cases, Concepcion said.Erlinda Cadapan complained that the hearings were “slow,” but expressed confidence in the prosecution’s case.“We have submitted strong and credible evidence. Now it is up to the court to render a decision,” Erlinda said.Witness to abductionAt the resumption of the hearings on Palparan’s case on May 25, fisherman Wilfredo Ramos said that he saw Cadapan and Empeño taken from a house and dragged into a vehicle in their home village of San Miguel in Hagonoy by Osorio, who also tied him and his father.Ramos, a witness who testified in court with the same narrative in 2012, said he and his father were later freed and did not see the students in detention.Human rights groups condemned the abduction of the two students. On July 17, 2006, Concepcion Empeño and Erlinda Cadapan brought a petition for habeas corpus in the Supreme Court, asking the tribunal to compel the military to produce their daughters in court.The respondents were Palparan, Lt. Francis Mirabelle Samson, Romeo Tolentino, Lt. Col. Rogelio Boac and Arnel Enriquez.The petitioners claimed that Palparan hinted about their daughters’ arrests in an interview on ANC. But the military officials denied holding the students.In January 2007, a fact-finding team led by retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo recommended that Palparan be held responsible for the extrajudicial killings in his area during his tour of duty.The panel, which was formed two months after the abduction of the UP students, was tasked to look into extrajudicial killings following a local and international clamor.Human rights groups in Central Luzon have counted more than 700 incidents of human rights violations in the less than two years that Palparan was assigned to the region.Writ of amparoOn Oct. 24, 2007, Concepcion Empeño and Erlinda Cadapan sought a writ of amparo from the Supreme Court for their daughters.The next day, the court issued the writ and ordered the Court of Appeals to hear the petition.Under the writ, the military or the police cannot simply deny involvement in abductions or extrajudicial killings but must also prove they are not involved and, if ordered by the court, open their jails for inspection.The military opposed the requests and continue to deny knowledge of the abductions.On Dec. 18, 2007, farmer Raymond Manalo testified in the appellate court that he first saw the two students at Camp Tecson in Bulacan in September 2006.He said he saw Cadapan being waterboarded and subjected to electric shocks, and Merino being burned.READ: Missing UP students tortured, sexually molested, witness tells courtManalo said he escaped from detention in a military safe house in Pangasinan province with his brother Reynaldo, also a farmer, on Aug. 13, 2007, while their guards were binge drinking.On Sept. 17, 2008, the appellate court, citing Manalo’s “clear, consistent and convincing” testimony, ordered the military to free the two students and Merino. The military did not obey the order.But the respondents were cleared of contempt by the appellate court in March the following year. The court ruled that “there is nothing in the rules on the writ of amparo that states that a decision rendered is immediately executory.”Charges filedOn May 4, 2011, the mothers of Empeño and Cadapan filed criminal charges, including torture and rape, against Palparan in the Department of Justice (DOJ).The other offenses alleged in the complaint were serious physical injuries, arbitrary detention, maltreatment of prisoners, grave threats and coercion.In December 2011, the DOJ approved the kidnapping and serious illegal detention charges against Palparan, Osorio, Anotado and Hilario. The other soldiers tagged in the case were cleared.Still aliveIn January 2012, lawyer Jesus Santos, who represents Palparan, told the Malolos RTC that he was informed that the missing students were still alive.But Judge Gonzales questioned the authority of Santos to represent Palparan and ruled that the information he offered, unless backed by proof, could not be accepted by the court.On April 23, 2012, Osorio and Anotado pleaded not guilty during their arraignment.The parents of the missing students took the witness stand in separate hearings and expressed their grief.On May 11, Concepcion Empeño said in the hearing that Palparan should tell the truth that he knew Karen and Sherlyn for everyone’s peace of mind.At a hearing on May 18, Erlinda Cadapan said she would not agree to a settlement.“No amount of money, even millions of pesos, can pay for my daughter’s life. I went to court so I could get her back alive and healthy,” Cadapan said.Sources: Inquirer ArchivesRELATED STORIESMom of missing UP student still hoping, praying‘My daughter suffered; why is NBI coddling Palparan?’

['Kathleen De Villa']

21/06/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/700871/the-kidnap-case-of-2-up-students-vs-palparan-et-al

Inquirer

Thousands flee ‘Chedeng’

Tens of thousands along the country’s eastern coastal provinces on Saturday fled to evacuation centers ahead of the landfall of Tropical Storm “Chedeng,” expected early Sunday, in Isabela province.As of 4 p.m. Saturday, Chedeng (international name: Maysak) was spotted 340 kilometers southeast of Casiguran in Aurora province, moving west northwest at 20 kilometers per hour with peak winds of 115 kph near the center, gusting up to 145 kph.Chedeng developed into a supertyphoon in the Pacific early in the week, killing four people and destroying hundreds of homes in Micronesia. The off-season storm lost its punch as it swept toward the Philippines.The weather bureau downgraded Chedeng into a storm on Saturday. It said winds and rain were expected Saturday night in the eastern provinces before the expected landfall.The storm comes as the nation celebrates Easter. Many local and foreign tourists were in beach resorts, including popular surfing areas in the north for the Holy Week holidays, when Chedeng headed toward the country.Nigel Lontoc, assistant director of the Office of Civil Defense, said some 24,000 people in Aurora were being evacuated, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).READ: 24,000 to be evacuated as ‘Chedeng’ closes in on PHDuring a meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas urged mayors to be on alert.“I encourage the mayors to seriously consider undertaking forced evacuation for the safety of our constituents and visitors,” Roxas said.Assistant Social Welfare Secretary Cheche Cabrera said that in Aurora alone about 10,000 visitors mostly Filipinos were told to leave beach resorts and inns.

['Rima Granali']

01/03/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/683510/thousands-flee-chedeng

Inquirer

Martial law mulled to stamp out 4Ps anomalies

The new leadership of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DSWD-ARMM) has tapped the military as martial law enforcer to eradicate years-old anomalies in the implementation of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps).ARMM Executive Secretary Laisa Alamia, concurrent DWSD secretary, disclosed complaints reaching her office that barangay and town officials as well as teachers and social welfare workers have allegedly been pocketing large amounts of money intended for the region’s 415,389 households registered with 4Ps.Alamia, who served as regional human rights lawyer before joining the ARMM bureaucracy, revealed that of the region’s total number of 4Ps beneficiaries, only about 40 percent are legitimate because the rest are either “ghosts” or unfit being affluent relatives of people involved in the anomalous selection of 4Ps members. The bogus beneficiaries constitute about 60 percent.“There are even some barangays officials and teachers listed as 4Ps beneficiaries” as shown in initial findings of her office since the time she took over the DSWD regional leadership last month.The ARMM’s total number of 4Ps-accredited households is broken down as follows: Maguindanao (160,972), Sulu (93,734), Lanao del Sur (93,051), Tawi-Tawi (36,139) and Basilan (31,439).Sec. Alamia said that poor households were supposed to get P1,400 cash each from 4Ps but some unscrupulous government employees withdraw the money from their automated teller machine accounts and hand over to them just R500, pocketing the rest of the subsidy.Alamia, alongside ARMM cabinet members Rasol Mitmug Jr. (education) and Kirby Matalam-Abdullah (interior and local government) presided over an assembly on social welfare protection among over 1,000 social welfare workers, teachers, principals, superintendents, barangay officials and municipal mayors from Maguindanao at the Army’s 6th Infantry Division headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat town on Wednesday.“We will revalidate the list of 4Ps beneficiaries to weed out the unfit and replace them with legitimate households,” Alamia told the audience in Pilipino, saying the cleansing period may take a month or two.In the cleansing process, she said, the ARMM government has asked the DSWD national office to suspend the release of 4Ps subsidies for ARMM until the list of beneficiaries shall have been sanitized.“We are giving unscrupulous beneficiaries two months to surrender their 4Ps cards,” Alamia said. After the grace period, she said, the military as enforcer of the martial law in Mindanao will step in to arrest the erring parties or individuals. Arrested persons will be prosecuted to the full extent of law, she added.

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01/03/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/01/martial-law-mulled-to-stamp-out-4ps-anomalies/

Manila Bulletin

LTFRB starts mass distribution of fuel cards

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has launched the synchronized distribution of the Pantawid Pasada fuel cards that grants jeepney drivers and operators P5,000 fuel subsidy in a year.LTFRB Information System Management Division Chief Nida Quibic said the agency and the Land Bank of the Philippines would monitor how drivers will use their fuel cards.“The P5,000 subsidy shall only be allotted to fuel; the Land Bank monitors whether the funds are used for fuel or not,” Quibic said.Five beneficiaries who misused their fuel money have already been reported but the LTFRB has yet to decide on sanctions.“Members of Pantawid Pasada signed a contract stating that they will be blocked from the program if they use the fund on things other than fuel,” she said.The fuel subsidy program was rolled out in July to mitigate the impact of higher excise taxes due to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Law. It covers 179,852 units or 100 percent of public utility vehicles with LTFRB franchise.The government allotted P977 million for the program.JOVE MOYA

['The Manila Times']

2018-08-29 00:11:06+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/ltfrb-starts-mass-distribution-of-fuel-cards/435646/

Manila Times

Too little, too late, Aguirre says of freeze on drug lord’s funds

Despite the recent freeze order on the bank accounts of convicted drug lord Peter Co, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) chaired by Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr. has still fallen short of its duty to help authorities crack down on the lucrative business of drug lords operating inside New Bilibid Prison (NBP).“It’s too little, too late,” said Aguirre on AMLC’s much delayed filing of a freeze order on the bank accounts of Co and his syndicate of drug money launderers last January.The Court of Appeals granted AMLC’s petition for a freeze order more than six months after the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency sought to ice the 184 deposit accounts and insurance policies used by Co and 11 cohorts to receive payment for drug deliveries and launder this dirty money.“What we were asking for is an analysis of the bank transactions of Sen. Leila de Lima. They have not given that to us up to now and even after the President has castigated them twice publicly,” Aguirre said.Aguirre has accused De Lima of being responsible for the proliferation of the drug trade inside NBP during her watch as justice secretary from 2010 to 2015.Aguirre said that the bank information being sought by the National Bureau of Investigation would have shown how the alleged drug money from NBP drug lords were deposited to De Lima or to her dummies.

['Gil C. Cabacungan']

24/09/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/868289/too-little-too-late-aguirre-says-of-freeze-on-drug-lords-funds

Inquirer

Lawyer seeks NBI probe of P1-B bank transactions

A lawyer has asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate how international export firm Marsman-Drysdale Corporation used one of his dormant companies to facilitate a series of unexplained and possibly fraudulent bank transactions worth US$21 million (around P1 billion) from 2007 to 2018.Antero Sison Jr., owner of Oro del Mar Aquatic Resources Inc. (Odmar), told the NBI that he learned about the Marsman officials’ transactions only when he retired early this year and that he was shocked to find the staggering amount of money that passed through his company.“I am alarmed by the magnitude of the amount deposited and withdrawn in the name of my dormant corporation which I believed might expose me to money laundering and possible tax evasion. It is for this reason that I am seeking the help of your office to immediately investigate these transactions in order to make those responsible punished,” Sison said in a letter dated May 17.“I am seriously concerned that these transactions could possibly be illegal, fraudulent and/or done with criminal intent, in breach and abuse done with criminal intent, in breach and abuse of my trust and confidence when I allowed them to use my corporation for legitimate purposes,” he added.Sison said he executed a waiver on the bank accounts so the NBI can conduct a thorough investigation.Lawyer Nathaniel Ramos, officer in charge of the NBI’s antigraft division, said a probe was underway and that those named by Sison were asked to submit their counteraffidavits.He said the bank was also asked to submit the transaction records of the accounts in question.But Marsman, in a statement to the Inquirer, called Santos’ claim “wild and false” and said it would cooperate with the NBI in its investigation.“The Marsman Group of Companies has acted and will always act within the strict confines of the law. In fact, this is what our lawyer of over 40 years, Atty. Antero Sison Jr., has always assured Marsman, its board of directors and officers regarding the transactions he now casts doubt on,’’ Marsman said.“It is thus surprising and shocking that after Atty. Sison was separated from Marsman this year, he started making these wild and false accusations against the very corporations where he was no less than president, board member and tax counsel,” it added.Sison said Odmar was incorporated as a family corporation in 1987 to operate a farm in Cadiz, Negros Occidental, that exported prawn to Japan. He said he stopped Odmar’s operations in 1995 because he could not compete with prawn farms in neighboring Asian countries that were subsidized by their governments.Sison said Odmar was incorporated as a family corporation in 1987 which he and his wife used to operate a prawn farm in Cadiz, Negros Occidental for export to the Japanese market. In 1995, Sison said he stopped Odmar’s operations because he could not compete with prawn farms in neighboring Asian countries that were subsidized by their governments.Sison said Odmar became inactive and dormant until Marsman’s vice president, Eduardo B. Castillo asked him in late 2007 “if I had a corporation which was inactive that he could use to facilitate transactions without directly involving the Marsman Drysdale Group of Companies and its affiliates.’’“In good faith, I consented to Mr. Castillo’s request to have Odmar used to facilitate these transactions, on the assumption that the transactions would be legitimate and would not expose me or my dormant corporation to any government investigation,” Sison said.Sison was president of Marsman from 2006 until January 2018 when he retired. That was when he asked the Marsman officials to return Odmar and its documents to him.On its company website, Marsman Drysdale Group described itself as a “diversified Philippine-based synergy of companies with interests in the export of agribusiness products, medical equipment, travel and tourism, and mining.” The firm has businesses located in Metro Manila, the Bicol region, Davao del Norte and Guimaras with a 3,000-strong workforce.Marsman said it is known internationally for its export-quality bananas, with its 1,000-hectare farm in Davao having produced the local industry’s highest production record of 6,000 million boxes in 1999. Marsman also has a mango plantation n Guimaras and is only one of two major producers of asparagus in the country.Sison said after he agreed, Castillo instructed Marsman-Drysdale lawyer Enrique Dimaano to prepare secretary’s certificates for the opening of three foreign currency accounts in the name of Odmar with the Bank of Philippine Islands in Ayala-Paseo branch.Sison, in his affidavit, said the authorized signatories, were himself as Odmar president; Castillo, and Jesus Pedro S. Adan II, vice president and chief financial officer. Another Marsman officer, Emily A. Medina, was named Odmar representative authorized to confirm check deposits and other transactions. He said another account was opened at BPI, with another Marsman officer Dorothy Isabel Drysdale as additional signatory.Sison said the secretary’s certificates were not supported by any minutes of meetings or resolutions of the board.However, in more than 70 bank transactions that took place from 2007 to 2018, Marsman-Drysdale never informed Sison what the transactions were about.Sison said when he retired from Marsman early this year, he asked Dimaano to return to him all the records of Odmar. But Dimaano did not turn over records of the BPI transactions.“I had to make a personal request myself to the – branch for copies of records of transactions involving these – accounts. When I reviewed the transactions made – I was shocked to discover that from 2007 to 2018, there were approximately US$21 million remitted into the accounts, in which substantial amounts encashed by Ms. Emily Medina, some funds transferred to the other accounts, and some converted for deposit to the peso current accounts,” Sison said.Sison said that since Castillo and Adan were senior Marsman officers, he “can only surmise that the instructions given by them to the foreign banks to remit the US dollars into the FCDU BPI accounts in the name of Odmar were made upon orders of the chairman of Marsman, Mr. George M. Drysdale, who has the sole authority to decide financial matters concerning the Marsman Group of Companies.Sison said he was “totally unaware of where the funds remitted to the BPI accounts of Odmar came from’’ and that he had no knowledge of who got the funds from the accounts.He said neither he nor his wife ever received any compensation for allowing Odmar to be used by the Marsman officials.Sison asked the NBI to “investigate the nature and purpose of these financial transactions, and to clear myself of any civil or criminal liabilities’’ if the transactions turned out to be fraudulent.“I executed a waiver so that the NBI can investigate,’’ Sison told the Inquirer.

['Aie Balagtas See']

11/02/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1012480/lawyer-seeks-nbi-probe-of-p1-b-bank-transactions

Inquirer

No new casinos for now

The government will not allow the establishment of new casinos because President Duterte believes there are already enough casinos in the country.Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the President prefers to see the operations of the existing casinos before allowing the entry of new gambling sites.“I have no additional details other than the President has decided that we have enough casinos for now since Entertainment City’s full potential has not been fully realized yet,” Roque said in a recent Palace press briefing.“Perhaps the President wants to see how these will operate and if there’s a need to build new ones,” he said. “But for now, since the casinos are huge, we will impose a moratorium on new huge casinos].”Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) chief Andrea Domingo has said the agency will no longer approve new casino applications.Domingo said the President directed Pagcor to freeze the entry of new casinos.

[]

11/02/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/11/no-new-casinos-for-now/

Manila Bulletin

Legarda: PH must seek ‘climate justice’

THE Philippines, as one of the highly vulnerable countries to climate change, must “pursue justice” in the international arena for the millions of Filipinos whose basic human rights are curtailed because of the effects of severe weather changes.Sen. Loren Legarda noted that “compared to industrialized countries, the Philippines barely contributes to global warming, and yet we bear its brunt.”She said the Philippines must demand for commitments from developed countries to have access to the Green Climate Fund and Adaptation Fund in anticipation of the full implementation of the Paris Agreement by 2020.“We always need to contextualize the discussion on climate change with the issue of human rights,” said Legarda, chairman of the Senate committees on Climate Change, Finance and Foreign Relations.“We cannot truly address climate change if we do not recognize the fact that climate change impinges on our very basic human rights, such as access to food, water, shelter, livelihood, and the right to life itself,” she added.Every year, millions of families get displaced, thousands of lives and livelihoods are lost and billions worth of agriculture and infrastructure are damaged because of climate change, Legarda said.“It is time that we seek justice for these tragedies. Climate justice is to demand for what is right and just for the Filipinos who everyday fall victim to climate change,” she added.“It is to improve our capacity to adapt and mitigate. It is to commit to upholding the right of every Filipino to a better life,” the senator said.She cited a report of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) that states that disasters cost the Philippine economy P206 billion annually, cutting the country’s gross domestic product by 0.3 to 0.4 percent.Between 2011 and 2015 alone, the agriculture sector in the Philippines suffered production losses of P163.6 billion because of climate change.Legarda said the Philippines also “experiences increases in school dropout rates, mental and psychological issues, outbreak of communicable diseases and malnutrition, among others, due to climate change impacts on the health and education sectors.”She also cited the global climate deal Paris Agreement, which acknowledges climate change as “a common concern of humankind, [and that] Parties should, when taking action to address climate change, respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, the right to health, the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the right to development, as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity.”“The Paris Agreement charters a new path for the fate of humanity—one that protects our rights, safeguards our environment and secures the future for our children,” Legarda said.“We must ensure commitment from all countries and foster global solidarity in order to realize this goal,” she added.Legarda called on the Duterte administration to promote climate justice by advancing climate change adaptation and mitigation at the national and local levels.She described the Senate version of the proposed 2018 P3.76 trillion budget as a “climate budget for institutionalizing adaptation measures, as well as including special and general provisions that will ensure ecological integrity, clean and healthy environment, risk-sensitive investments, and disaster preparedness.”

['Bernadette E. Tamayo']

2017-12-09 22:29:24+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/legarda-ph-must-seek-climate-justice/367745/

Manila Times

Cha-cha to clip court powers vs grave abuse of discretion?

A House of Representatives subcommittee has proposed the removal of the judiciary’s power to determine grave abuse of discretion in government actions and policies as part of efforts to amend the 1987 Constitution for a shift to federalism.According to a list of salient provisions furnished to reporters by the House media bureau, the subcommittee cited “judicial overreach” in clipping the courts’ powers by deleting an entire phrase from Section 1, Article VIII of the 1987 Constitution.The deleted phrase stating the courts can “determine whether or not there has been a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction on the part of any branch or instrumentality of the government.”As proposed by the subcommittee, the constitutional clause would read: “Judicial power includes the duty of the courts of justice to settle actual controversies involving rights which are legally demandable and enforceable.”Grave abuse of discretion is commonly defined as the “whimsical, arbitrary, or capricious exercise of power.”Such actions by a judicial or quasijudicial tribunal or officer may thus be questioned through a petition for certiorari under Rule 65 of the Rules of Court.Proposal deniedDespite being an official document, Deputy Speaker Fredenil Castro, the chair of the subcommittee on judiciary-related amendments, denied the proposal was ever taken up for consideration.“[On] my subcommittee, never. [On] the mother committee, I don’t think so,” Castro said in a text message.“Not much amendments/changes have been proposed except [the creation of] regional [Courts of Appeals] and abolition of [the Judicial and Bar Council] to be substituted by the Prime Minister and Commission on Appointments,” he added.The mother committee chair, Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado, said by phone that subcommittee proposals were not final and “subject for purification through public debate.”Removing the power to look into grave abuse of discretion would be “very significant in the sense that it lessens the power of the judiciary to inquire into acts of the other agencies,” Integrated Bar of the Philippines national president Abdiel Dan Fajardo said in a text message.“The power of review over lower courts will continue. The removal will only reduce so-called intrusion by the judiciary into discretionary acts of the other branches,” Fajardo said, referring to the executive and legislative branches of government.“It really is a question of whether [Congress acting as a constituent assembly] wants a strong or weak judicial department,” he added.Political questionsIt would also likely lead to broadening of the President’s discretion in declaring martial law once the provision was taken out.“Certain steps toward declaration may no longer be reviewed because they may be classified as political questions so that judges may no longer reverse or revise them,” Fajardo said.Members of the left-wing Makabayan bloc condemned the subcommittee’s proposal as yet another showing of the Duterte administration’s dictatorial tendency.Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao said the proposal was “a clear attack on the principle of accountability” so the proponents could be “free in their unlimited abuse of power.”Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the proposal aimed to “emasculate and weaken the power of the judiciary as coequal branch of government.”Kabataan Rep. Sarah Jane Elago called it a “move to further cement Duterte’s dictatorial rule.”She said “the executive will be free to do whatever he wants without fear of legal persecution, and lesser eyes on accountability lead to greater chances of abuse of power.”

['Vince F. Nonato']

2018-09-12 00:04:24+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/961412/cha-cha-to-clip-court-powers-vs-grave-abuse-of-discretion

Inquirer

Duterte no longer wants emergency powers

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte no longer want to be given emergency powers to address the traffic problem in Metro Manila.In his tete-a-tete with Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo on Tuesday, Duterte said he’s rather leave EDSA “as it is” than being granted emergency powers.“The [traffic] in Edsa, right at the beginning, we raised the possibility of being granted emergency powers. But you cannot improve on things without money nowadays. Everything you do, there will be money,” the President said.“Now, you want me to install some measures there, mitigate it at least. If they call me or they would have a dialogue, what I will hear is, ‘This is big, this is prone to corruption,’ so I said, then do not [give it to me],” he added.“We will not borrow anymore. Just leave Edsa as it is. What will I use [to fix the traffic] my saliva?” he said.

['Ralph Villanueva']

2018-09-12 00:04:24+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-no-longer-wants-emergency-powers/440465/

Manila Times

Coalition opposes PUV modernization

Transport group Stop & Go Coalition over the weekend said it disagrees with the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines (OFG) signed last week by Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade to carry out the public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program.“We are not in favor. We did not make any move in the past few weeks because we respected the dialogue between us and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board [LTFRB],” according to Stop & Go president Jun Magno.Earlier, Magno said the LTFRB assured his group in a dialogue last March 31 that there will be no phase-out of PUVs and the government would accept the rehabilitation of jeepneys instead.But the signed OFG requires a shift to modern PUVs that comply with the emission standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and a three-year transition period for all existing, updated and valid franchises.The modern PUVs should have a Euro4 emission or better, friendly to PWD (persons with disability) and senior citizens and are equipped with safety and comfort features such as CCTV, GPS, automatic fare collection system, Wi-fi, speed limiters, and dashboard cameras, according to the Department of Transportation (DoTr).“We just waited for the copy of the OFG. Now, we already have a basis to make a move,” Magno said,According to him, Stop & Go will still have a meeting with its members on what moves they would make and when they would do so.The LTFRB, meanwhile, said that it is open for a dialogue with Stop & Go.Another transport group, Piston, held a rally against the PUV modernization program last June 19, the same day that Tugade signed the OFG.REICELENE JOY N.IGNACIO

['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']

2017-06-25 21:16:38+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/coalition-opposes-puv-modernization/334841/

Manila Times

Slovaks hold rally for Pinoy beaten to death

BRATISLAVA: Thousands of Slovaks rallied in the capital Bratislava on Friday to pay tribute to a Filipino expat beaten to death by a man believed to be a neo-Nazi.Henry Acorda, 36, was assaulted in the heart of the capital on May 26 by 28-year-old Juraj H., whose surname has been withheld pending trial.Five days later, Acorda died in hospital from injuries he sustained in the attack.Organizers told the local Dennik N daily that around 3,000 protesters, mostly in their twenties, turned out for the memorial rally that began with a violinist playing a mournful tune.Some carried banners reading “Justice for Henry” and “Nazi brain burn in hell.” Others laid flowers and lit candles at an improvised memorial where the attack occurred.CCTV footage made available to the media showed that Juraj H. hit Acorda, who then fell and became unconscious.The attacker continued to kick Acorda in the head and used a mobile phone to photograph him laying in the street.Prosecutors have charged Juraj H. with manslaughter and placed him in pre-trial detention. If found guilty, he could face up to 12 years behind bars.Police have neither confirmed nor denied that the attack was racially motivated.Juraj H. said he “will be sorry for what happened for the rest of my life. But I don’t remember anything,” while being escorted from court on Monday.The Friday rally was organized on Facebook by four anti-fascist groups.“The information that we have about Juraj H. makes it clear that he is inclined to support the far right,” they wrote. “Let’s make sure this brutal murder does not go without consequences for him.”AFP

['Agence France-Presse']

2018-06-09 23:40:30+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/slovaks-hold-rally-for-pinoy-beaten-to-death/406549/

Manila Times

Farmers, fishermen earn P2M in a day

FARMERS and fishermen who brought their produce to the Department of Agriculture’s TienDA “Malasakit” food outlets in Manila and Quezon City earned about P2 million in a one-day sale on Friday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.Citing data from the department’s Agribusiness and Marketing Office, Piñol said total sales from outlets in the Bureau of Plant Industry Compound in Manila and the Central Office in Quezon amounted to P2,069,912 on September 28.In San Andres, Manila, gross sales totaled P1,224,552. Sales in the Central Office were placed at P725,360 while sales from National Food Authority (NFA) rice totaled P120,000.Piñol said the “Malasakit’ food outlets, which were first opened on September 21 in Manila and last Friday in Quezon City, were filled “with huge crowds enjoying fresh vegetables, fish, fruits, chicken and rice at farm gate prices.”The agriculture chief earlier said DA was looking at expanding the scope of its food outlets in other areas in Metro Manila and every barangay or village in coordination with local government units.“Next week, the third TienDA Farmers and Fishermen’s Outlet will be opened in Alabang, Muntinlupa to serve consumers in the southern part of Metro Manila,” Piñol said in a Facebook post dated September 29.“On October 13, the TienDA Malasakit Store will be opened in Taguig City with the support of Mayor Lani Cayetano,” he added.A TienDA Malasakit Store will also be opened in Bulakan in the second week of October, said Piñol.The opening food outlets is intended to to bring down the high prices of basic goods in Metro Manila. The TienDA Malasakit Food Outlets will be open every Friday and Saturday until market prices for basic goods stabilize, the Cabinet official said.The vegetables being sold, per kilogram, include: okra (P45), tomato (P50), eggplant (P55), sitaw or legumes (P55), chayote (P40-P60), ampalaya or bitter gourd (P60), potato (P75), carrots (P120), cabbage (P80), radish (P60), Baguio cabbage (P120) and bell pepper (P120).Also sold per kilo are: mangosteen (P100), lanzones (P100), rambutan (P60), sweet corn (P35), cardava bananas (P25), papaya (P15) and cassava (P15).The red chili pepper or siling labuyo, which reached P1,000 per kilo price in previous weeks, is being sold at the ‘Malasakit’ Food Outlet for P400 per kilo or P5 for 2 pieces.The agricultural commodities were sourced from farmers in Mindanao, particularly Bukidnon and Davao.

['Eireene Jairee Gomez']

2018-10-01 00:02:19+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/farmers-fishermen-earn-p2m-in-a-day/447071/

Manila Times

Turkey sacks 18,500 state employees in new decree

PresseTurkish authorities ordered the dismissal of more than 18,500 state employees including police officers, soldiers and academics, in a decree published on Sunday.The Official Gazette said 18,632 people had been sacked including 8,998 police officers in the emergency decree over suspected links to terror organizations and groups that “act against national security”.Some 3,077 army soldiers were also dismissed as well as 1,949 air force personnel and 1,126 from the naval forces.Another 1,052 civil servants from the justice ministry and linked institutions have been fired as well as 649 from the gendarmerie and 192 from the coast guard.Authorities also sacked 199 academics, according to the new decree, while 148 state employees from the military and ministries were reinstated.Turkey has been under a state of emergency since the July 2016 attempted overthrow of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Turkish media dubbed the decree as the “last” with officials indicating the state of emergency could end as early as Monday.The emergency has been renewed seven times and the latest period is officially due to end on July 19.Over 110,000 public sector employees have been removed previously from their jobs via emergency decrees since July 2016 while tens of thousands more have been suspended in a crackdown criticised by Ankara’s Western allies.Turkey accuses US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen of orchestrating the attempted coup. The majority of those fired under the emergency are accused of links to Gulen.The government refers to the movement as the “Fethullah Terrorist Organisation”. Gulen strongly denies any coup links and insists his movement is a peaceful organization.Sunday’s decree shut down 12 associations across the country as well as three newspapers and a television channel.Human rights defenders including Amnesty International have lambasted the purges as arbitrary but Turkey says they are necessary to remove the Gulen movement’s infiltration of state bodies.Earlier this year, the government said more than 77,000 people had been arrested over alleged links to Gulen.

[]

08/07/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/07/08/turkey-sacks-18500-state-employees-in-new-decree/

Manila Bulletin

SC allows holding of Masses in courts

THE Supreme Court has given its nod to holding of Masses and religious practices in all courts in the Philippines, despite the lone opposition of SC Justice Marvic Leonen.The permission came after the SC en banc junked a petition of a litigant asking the tribunal to prohibit the holding of religious rituals in the Quezon City Hall of Justice and in all halls of justice in the country.In a full-court ruling, the SC directed the executive judges of QC to regulate and closely monitor the holding of Masses and religious practices within the Quezon City Hall of Justice by ensuring, among others that “it does not disturb or interrupt court proceedings; and (b) it does not adversely affect and interrupt the delivery of public service and it does not unduly inconvenience the public.”The ruling was penned by SC Justice Jose Catral Mendoza.“In no case shall a particular part of a public building be a permanent place for worship for the benefit of any and all religious groups. There shall also be no permanent display of religious icons in all halls of justice in the country,” the SC said.The case originated from a series of letters written by one Tony Q. Valenciano and addressed to then-Chief Justice Reynato Puno.Valenciano reported that the basement of the Hall of Justice of QC had been converted into a Roman Catholic chapel, complete with offertory table, images of Catholic religious icons, a canopy, an electric organ and a projector.He believed that such practice violated the constitutional provision on the separation of Church and State and the constitutional prohibition against the appropriation of public money or property for the benefit of a sect, church, denomination or any other system of religion.Valenciano said the holding of Masses at the basement of the QC Hall of Justice showed that it tended to favor Catholic litigants, among others, that rehearsals of the choir caused great disturbance to other employees and that the public could no longer use the basement as resting place; and that the employees and litigants of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Branches 82 and 83 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Legal Library, Philippine Mediation Center and Records Section of the Office of the Clerk of Court (OCC) could not attend to their personal necessities such as going to the lavatories because the “chapel” gets in the way.But in its decision, majority of the justices held that “to disallow the holding of religious rituals within [the] halls of justice would set a dangerous precedent and commence a domino effect.”“Strict separation, rather than benevolent neutrality/accommodation, would be the norm. Thus, the establishment of Shari’a courts, the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos and the exception of Muslims from the provisions of the RPC [Revised Penal Code] relative to the crime of bigamy would all be rendered nugatory because of strict separation,” the decision held.“The exception of members of Iglesia ni Cristo from joining a union or the non-compulsion recognized in favor of members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses from doing certain gestures during the flag ceremony will all go down the drain simply because we insist on strict separation. That the holding of Masses at the basement of the QC Hall of Justice may offend non-Catholics is no reason to proscribe it. Our Constitution ensures and mandates an unconditional tolerance, without regard to whether those who seek to profess their faith belong to the majority or to the minority.”In case of religious rituals, the High Court said “religious icons and images may be displayed but their presentation is limited only during the celebration of such activities so as not to offend the sensibilities of members of other religious denominations or the non-religious public.”After any religious affair, the SC ordered that “the icons and images shall be hidden or concealed from public view. The disposition in this administrative matter shall apply to all halls of justice in the country.”“Other churches, religious denominations or sects are entitled to the same rights, privileges and practices in every hall of justice. In other buildings not owned or controlled by the judiciary, the executive judges should coordinate and seek approval of the building owners/administrators accommodating their courts.”

['Jomar Canlas']

2017-04-06 21:35:09+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-allows-holding-masses-courts-2/321400/

Manila Times

‘There was radio silence, a very long silence’

(Editor’s Note: The following are excerpts from the eulogy of Chief Supt Noli Taliño, Philippine National Police-Special Action Force officer in charge.)… During that fateful day when Oplan Exodus was launched against Jemaah Islamiyah international terrorist named Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as “Marwan

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2017-12-03 19:46:40+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/669332/there-was-radio-silence-a-very-long-silence

Inquirer

Senators: Get killers of university president

SENATORS from both the majority and minority blocs on Sunday condemned the killing of the president of the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (Pasuc) as they urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to immediately arrest the perpetrators.Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd and Sen. Francis Escudero at the same time expressed alarm over the killing of Ricardo Rotoras, also the president of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.“I am alarmed and outraged by this latest attack on our law-abiding and dedicated public servants. I urge the police to work double time to arrest the killers and unmask the mastermind,” Pimentel said in a statement.Escudero said the incident was unacceptable and enraging considering that the attack was done against a member of the academic community.“His untimely passing is a great loss not only to his family, friends and colleagues but to the whole higher education sector as well,“ according to Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.Rotoras was shot dead by unidentified assailants early Saturday morning outside his house at Golden Glow North Subdivision in Barangay Carmen in Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental.According to police, the 48-year-old victim sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was brought to the JR Borja General Hospital where he was declared dead.Liberal Party (LP) senators Francis Pangilinan and Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th also condemned the killing of Rotoras, who, according to them, has contributed to passage of the Quality Tertiary Education Act.The senators said the Senate worked closely with Rotoras in crafting the law providing free tuition for students of 112 state universities and colleges.“His untimely death is a great loss to the country’s push for quality education for every Filipino,” the LP senators added.They called on the PNP and all law enforcement agencies to leave no stone unturned to ensure that those behind the killing be brought to justice and punished for their deplorable act.

['The Manila Times']

2017-12-03 19:46:40+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-get-killers-university-president/366512/

Manila Times

Carpio: No reason to decline CJ nomination

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio on Wednesday said there is no reason to decline his automatic nomination for the position of Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.“There is no more reason for me to decline,” Carpio said in a message to reporters.After the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno as chief magistrate in May, Carpio was automatically nominated to fill up the position.The most senior Associate Justices of the Supreme Court has yet to submit a letter of acceptance to the Judicial and Bar Council.The deadline for applications and other requirements will be on October 15.

[]

03/10/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/10/03/carpio-no-reason-to-decline-cj-nomination/

Manila Bulletin

Replacing Aquino with Binay: ‘It’s like jumping from the frying pan into the fire’

Video by Cathy Miranda/INQUIRER.netMANILA, Philippines—Replacing President Aquino with Vice President Jejomar Binay is like “jumping from the frying pan into the fire because Binay is widely distrusted as corrupt,” said a lawmaker allied with Aquino.“The President may have made a bad decision but it was not impeachable behavior,” said Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello.“On resignation, his source of legitimacy is he was democratically elected by the people. We can’t have people deposed by the ups and downs of people’s emotions, no matter how justified these are, or by the ups and downs of opinion polls,” Bello said.Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said groups calling for the resignation or impeachment of Aquino were advocates of Binay.“I sincerely pray for them because they know not what they are doing. If you want P-Noy to resign, then you want Binay. It’s that simple,” said Erice, a member of the administration Liberal Party.Both Erice and Bello reckoned that Binay appeared to have taken advantage of the President’s situation in the aftermath of the deaths of 44 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) by adding fuel to the fire fanned by his critics.Militant groups and Church leaders have asked the President to resign for his alleged culpability in the deaths of police commandos in Maguindanao.Erice said that the Vice President probably realized he had no chance of winning an election after his alleged corrupt practices had been uncovered, which was why he was moving heaven and earth to unseat the President.“The Vice President has been coming out with self-serving proposals to create a scenario in which he will take over. He wants the IBP (Integrated Bar of the Philippines) to handle the Mamasapano probe but everybody knows the IBP is his partner in his medical missions,” said Erice.“I have asked him before to stop rowing on two rivers. Make a choice. Are you for the President or against him? You can’t have it both ways.”Bello said: “Binay appears to be taking advantage of the crisis to advance to the presidency. Out of respect for the Fallen 44 (police commandos) and their families, he should refrain from converting their loss into a presidential springboard.”EvasiveMembers of the Makabayan bloc were evasive when asked to acknowledge that Binay would be the beneficiary should the President step down, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said:“Whoever will replace him (Aquino), that will be the decision of the people. We should not take a position based on who will take over. Our position is the President has sinned and he should be made to pay.”Colmenares noted that his group also faced questions on “consequential morality” during the previous administration when militant groups also called for the resignation and pushed for the impeachment of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo despite the public’s aversion over her replacement, then Vice President Noli de Castro.Colmenares said Makabayan’s call to seek the resignation of the President was not a knee-jerk reaction or was meant to favor anybody.“Our only consideration is for the public’s interest for the President not to remain in office a day longer, otherwise, we will suffer a repeat of the Edca (Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement), DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) and Mamasapano,” Colmenares said in a press briefing.ImpeachmentAside from resignation, ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio said the President could still be kicked out of office through the pending impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives.While the House justice committee has rejected the impeachment complaint the Makabayan bloc filed in August last year, it has yet to be dismissed with finality in plenary.Tinio said the impeachment complaint just needed a one-third vote of House members in order to carry it to the Senate for trial.The Makabayan bloc, which includes Bayan Muna and ACT Teachers, was confident that the basis for the impeachment’s rejection had changed after the decision of the Supreme Court reaffirming the unconstitutionality of the DAP and the ineptitude of the President as Commander in Chief that led to the death of 44 police commandos.Coup d’etatIf the President does not resign or does not get impeached, Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan said he could still be kicked out of office through extraconstitutional means, such as a coup d’etat.Ilagan said this would address the issue of succession as Binay would not automatically head the next government.Ilolio Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. does not see any hope of reversing the justice committee’s rejection of the impeachment complaint. “Any move to impeach the President is doomed to fail,” he said.Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali called the militant bloc’s call for the resignation or impeachment of the President as “wishful thinking.”Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. said Church leaders calling forAquino’s resignation and seeking a national transformation council had failed to explain how they planned to choose leaders to take the place of the President.“It’s easy to make plans for leadership change, but the proponents, especially the Church leaders, should explain the basis or the process for the change in leadership. Otherwise, they are just making noise,” Barzaga said.RELATED STORIESEjercito: Aquino must ‘step up,’ not resignCBCP not calling for Aquino’s resignation, but advises him to listen to criticisms

['Gil C. Cabacungan']

21/10/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/670588/replacing-aquino-with-binay-its-like-jumping-from-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire

Inquirer

Justice irked: ‘Philosophers’ in pork barrel case delay trial

Acting like they were descended from the great philosophers (pilosopo) Socrates and Aristotle, defense lawyers have been unnecessarily slowing down the plunder trial of those accused in the pork barrel scam, a Sandiganbayan justice lamented.“If you insist on acting like the descendants of Socrates and Aristotle, the ends of justice will not be met,” Associate Justice Samuel Martires of the Sandiganbayan Third Division told several defense lawyers who had refused to hold a joint hearing on the plunder and graft cases filed against detained Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and several coaccused in connection with the P10-billion fund scam.Noting how the defense lawyers had been raising countless arguments even during the pretrial conference, Martires brought up the importance of trying the cases at the same time to expedite the resolution of arguably the most controversial case the court had handled in recent years.“As I have said, this is not for the benefit of the court, but for the benefit of your clients,” Martires told the lawyers at the continuation of Napoles’ bail hearing on Friday.Cause of delay“My logic can’t understand why the (defense lawyers) don’t like a joint trial of these cases,” he said. “I may already be retired in 2019 and this case is still pending before the Third Division. (Now) that’s favorable to me,” Martires said.Reiterating the court’s position on the matter, the associate justice said the public might blame the antigraft court if the pork barrel cases take years to resolve.Martires cited the civil and criminal suits the government had brought against the heirs of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos as a classic example of how lawyers can drag down the conclusion of cases.“If you look at the records of the Marcos cases, you can see that the prosecutors and the counsels themselves were the cause of the delay in the dispensation of those cases and not the court,” he said.The justice also brought up the court’s earlier suggestion to terminate the pretrial conference of the plunder and graft charges on the first week of February, and for the court to proceed with the trial proper.Snail-paced proceedingsMartires had earlier raised the court’s concern about the snail-paced proceedings in the marking of documentary evidence that the prosecution had wanted to present to support its allegations.The prosecution on Friday presented six more witnesses against Napoles, who will testify that they were “not aware their municipality was chosen or was made to appear as one of the recipients of the livelihood projects for marginal farmers” allegedly funded by Enrile’s pork barrel allocation.Among those who submitted their judicial affidavits were incumbent Mayor Eldred Tumbokon of Umingan, Pangasinan province; Mayor Ricardo Revita of Rosales, Pangasinan, and former Mayor Bartolome Ramos of Sta. Maria, Bulacan province.Municipal agriculturists Imelda Eugenio, Rodolfo Mendoza and Francisco Collado also submitted their sworn affidavits.RELATED STORIESLawyer told Napoles to leave no paper trailPork scam witness exposes ‘Janet Lim-Napoles Jr.’Janet Napoles and the pork barrel scam

['Marlon Ramos']

21/10/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/667651/justice-irked-philosophers-in-pork-barrel-case-delay-trial

Inquirer

‘Feelings of victims irrelevant’

President Duterte’s move to have Ferdinand Marcos buried at Libingan ng mga Bayani is a political decision and does not consider the feelings of victims of human rights abuses under the dictator’s rule, the Supreme Court was told on Wednesday.Solicitor General Jose Calida and Marcos lawyer Hyacinth Rafael-Antonio presented to the court the case for Marcos’ burial at Libingan in the second round of oral arguments on petitions by victims of martial law abuses opposing the move.Antonio told the magistrates that the “emotions and feelings of the victims have no relevance” to the case. He said the issue was simply whether Mr. Duterte committed grave abuse of discretion, adding that the victims of martial law abuses could seek remedies under other statutes.Calida urged the court to set aside “epithets and ad hominem arguments,” and consider the “wisdom and propriety of the President’s well-meaning desire to put closure to this divisive issue.” He said “questions of policy and wisdom” were beyond the ambit of judicial review.On questioning by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Calida said he was unaware that former first lady Imelda Marcos had sent a letter to Mr. Duterte requesting a hero’s burial for the dictator.Leonen asked if the letter sought forgiveness for the dictator’s sins. “Before God forgives Christians, there should be a request for forgiveness,” he remarked.Marcos seeking forgiveness is not relevant to the issue, Calida said. “What’s material is political wisdom and maturity.”Status quo ante orderAfter eight hours, the court adjourned and ordered the lawyers—the petitioners presented their case last week—to submit their respective position papers in 20 days.The court also extended its 20-day status quo ante order issued on Aug. 24 to Oct. 18.Marcos, who ruled the Philippines for 20 years, 14 under martial law, was ousted in the People Power Revolution in 1986. He died in exile in Hawaii in 1989. The remains have been on display for 23 years in a glass coffin in his Batac, Ilocos Norte province, hometown. His family wants him buried at Libingan.Last week, the petitioners told the court that the burial of Marcos at Libingan would be a national tragedy; that it would glorify a tyrant and aggravate the injustices heaped on his victims.Accomplished factCalida said the court had respected the decisions of past Presidents on the disposition of Marcos’ remains. “If the prerogatives of these former Presidents were respected by this honorable court, so must it be with President Duterte,” he said.Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa questioned Calida if the burial of Marcos at Libingan would “retraumatize” his regime’s victims.While he feels for them, Calida said, there are other venues for that pain to be expressed. “Making them recount their experience is also a form of retraumatization,” he replied.Justice Francis Jardeleza asked if Duterte committed grave abuse of discretion by disregarding existing court rulings. Calida said the cases against Marcos were civil and not criminal.Since the strongman died without being convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, Calida said there was no reason to disqualify him from burial at Libingan under Armed Forces of the Philippines Regulation No. G161-375.Citing the same rules, Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro noted that a Medal of Valor awardee like Marcos was entitled to a burial at Libingan.She asked if there were rules that provided for the revocation of the medal.Vox populiRetired Brig. Gen. Restituto Aguilar, chief of the Veterans Memorial and Historical Division, said there were none.Picking up on this interpellation, Calida said that “once it is awarded, it cannot be diminished or nullified, because it’s a fait accompli.”But Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno railed against the repeated citation of the AFP rules, after Calida admitted that the awarding of a Medal of Valor to Marcos makes him effectively a war hero.“You’re using AFP regulations to force upon this Court your definition of a hero,” she told Calida. “You are reducing us to a court that will legitimize everything due to a regulation by AFP.”“Are our pronouncements so meaningless to you … that all of them will be set aside so you can justify under just an administrative issuance, just so the President can fulfill a promise made during his campaign?” Sereno asked.The justices also zoomed in on Calida’s argument that Duterte was simply exercising his presidential discretion to fulfill his campaign promise to bury Marcos.“The sovereign people responded, the vox populi is too definite to ignore,” Calida said.RELATED VIDEOS

['Estrella Torres', 'Vince F. Nonato']

21/10/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/813756/feelings-of-victims-irrelevant

Inquirer

Close VP Binay aides elude arrest

Close aides and associates of Vice President Jejomar Binay ordered arrested for snubbing the long-running Senate hearings on corruption allegations against him were nowhere to be found in their registered residences and business addresses, the chamber’s sergeant at arms chief, Jose Balajadia, reported on Wednesday.Balajadia said teams from his office had failed to locate the people whom Senate President Franklin Drilon had ordered detained on recommendation of the chamber’s blue ribbon committee.He said his men would continue the hunt and would seek the help of the police and the National Bureau of Investigation in the effort, if necessary.Fourteen people were ordered arrested on Monday: Binay’s longtime aide Gerry Limlingan and associates Vissia Marie Aldon, Danilo Villas, Aida Alcantara, Hirene Lopez, Irene Chong, Imee Chong, Kim Tung Chong, Iris Chong, Erlinda Chong, Kimsfer Chong, Anne Lorraine Buencamino-Tiu, and brothers James and Antonio Tiu.On Wednesday, the committee deferred the arrest of Antonio Tiu, Aldon, Villas, and Makati City engineer Line de la Peña after they submitted motions for reconsideration and promised to appear at the next hearing.There are also arrest orders issued earlier for three other Binay aides—his personal secretary Eduviges Baloloy, Bernadette Portallana and De la Peña.Balajadia told reporters that it seemed to him that the wanted people were evading arrest deliberately. An address for one of the people even seemed to be fake, he said.“When we arrived, the owner of the house said, ‘Why are you dragging me into that issue? I don’t know that person,’” he recalled. He said the addresses submitted for the subpoenas were wrong.In some of the addresses that his team visited, there was no one to answer their calls or the persons who opened the door said that the person they were looking for was not there.In one house, the occupant initially tried to stop Balajadia’s people from going in. But after an appeal, they were allowed to enter but failed to find the wanted person.In another house, the Senate staff were told that the person they were looking for had not gone there for a week.‘Bullying and scaring’Binay on Wednesday slammed the arrest orders against his associates. He said some of them did not get the summons.Others, he said, were “entitled to know what are the questions to be asked” of them by the senators and were waiting for these questions to be given to them.Binay said the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee of Senators Aquilino Pimentel III, Antonio Trillanes IV and Alan Peter Cayetano investigating him were “bullying and scaring” people summoned to the hearings.Binay was in Panabo City, Davao del Norte province, on Wednesday. A transcript of his interview with local reporters there was distributed to media people in Manila.The Vice President also complained that some of the resource persons had already testified several times in the subcommittee and asked why they were still being summoned. So far, the subcommittee has conducted a record 20 hearings.Not for prosecutionLegislative hearings are not an investigation to gather evidence in a court proceeding but are supposed to be in aid of crafting legislation, said Binay, a presidential aspirant whose popularity rating has dropped significantly after his bashing in the Senate.“That’s why I’m wondering why these senators are saying ‘thieves, guilty of graft and corruption” (during the hearings) when the court is supposed to be saying that,” Binay said.He said those attending the hearings had not committed crimes, they were just supposed to be there as resource persons.Binay also reiterated that the 242 bank accounts in the Court of Appeals’ freeze order did not belong to him and that he had only five bank accounts.He said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) report to the court made it appear that he was richer than American billionaire Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft.He also said that the court order for a six-month freeze on the bank accounts did not mean he had committed wrongdoing. He said his money in the bank accounts was legally acquired. “It is clean money,” he said.Interior Secretary Mar Roxas shrugged off Binay’s claim that the Liberal Party was behind the issuance of the arrest warrants.“This is proof that Vice President Binay does not understand our system. The Senate is independent… and (the senators are) 24 independent republics,” Roxas told reporters at Camp Olivas, where he distributed police patrol vehicles.“How can he say that there is an architect behind all this? I think the senators are just doing their jobs and that’s their focus,” he added.–

['Christine O. Avendaño', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

21/10/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/692619/close-vp-binay-aides-elude-arrest

Inquirer

TESDA expands training program to address youth unemployment

The Technical Education and Skills Development Program (TESDA) will expand the implementation of its Dual Training System and Dualized Training Program (DTS/DTP) for technical vocational education training (TVET) to help solve youth unemployment and skills gap problems.DTS will be among the topics to be discussed at the “Industry Forum on DTS Implementation” in Pasay City this week which will be held in response to the published policy paper of the World Bank (WB). “Who Benefits from Dual Training Systems Evidence from the Philippines.”In the paper, the author, Takiko Igarashi, WB education specialist, and Dr. Pablo Ariel Acosta, Ph.D, WB senior economist, noted the DTS delivery system can provide opportunities for the Filipino youth, especially those who are having difficulties in the academic subjects of basic education.“The forum aims to create ways to encourage industries and discuss initiatives on how to expand the participation of stakeholders in the implementation of DTS in the county,” according to TESDA Deputy Director General for Partnerships and Linkages Rebecca J. Calzado.The DTS, because of its practical training aspect, could be especially helpful to youths who have finished vocational training or high school.Among those invited as speakers to the forum are Dr. Pablo Ariel Acosta and Dr. Alberto Fenix, Jr. from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).The DTS is based on a German model wherein training is conducted in two venues, namely the school and its partner companies.Under the DTS, the school and company will collaborate in designing the curriculum and other plans to respond to the needs of the firm. At least 40 percent of the training will done in-school and 60 percent will be provided by the company via in-plant training.Republic Act 7686 (Dual Training System Act of 1994) was signed into law on February 25, 1994 by former President Fidel V. Ramos to enforce the Dual Training System as an instructional delivery system for TVET trainees.There are 110 TVIs implementing DTS/DTP nationwide. Region III has the highest number with 56; Region lV-A, 21; and Region 9, 9.The five areas with the highest number of companies that implement DTS/DTP are Tourism, 316; Electrical and Electronics, 233; Metals and Engineering, 89; Automotive and Land Transportation, 68; Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery, 40.Since 2013 up to January-September 2018, there were 88,947 enrollees and 72,607 graduates under DTS/DTP.The National Recognition for Exemplary Implementation of Dual Training System (DTS) will also be launched during the forum.

[]

21/10/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/10/21/tesda-expands-training-program-to-address-youth-unemployment/

Manila Bulletin

CEZA’s first 9 months income up 212 percent

The income for the first nine months of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA) rose 212 percent, a record high, on the back of robust collections from offshore virtual currency exchange (OVCE) and blockchain firms and their local business processing outsourcing (BPO) subsidiaries.Secretary Raul L. Lambino, CEZA administrator and chief executive officer, said that compared to last year’s three quarter income of P166,339,889, CEZA registered P518,296,127 for the same period, the bulk coming from 17 Fintech firms.The OVCE principal licensees paid application and license fees amounting to P371,949,735 at the end of September this year, Lambino said.“We expect to earn more in the coming months once these OVCEs start to trade cryptocurrencies or conduct primary placement of coins or exchange” he said.Licensing fees from gaming operations slowed to P127,315,981 compared to P150,833,547 last year because of CEZA’s new thrust to limit online gaming operations.On the other hand, seaport operations at Port Irene earned P5,786,957 compared to P1,068,116 in 2017.Cryptocurrency exchange is not done in the country but offshore firms have flocked to CEZA, seeing it “as a safe haven” even if existing laws do not allow the use of digital assets for payment, Lambino said.Since the economic zone launched its “Crypto Valley in Asia” project in May, Lambino has incentivized the trading firms using a multi-tier system that also increased the government’s shares as the volume of transactions grew bigger.Under the new policy, CEZA’s maximum monthly recurring fee is pegged at $10,000 for every average monthly volume of ten million US dollars.Already listed as CEZA OVCE principal licensees are Golden Millennial Quickpay, Liannet Technology, Ultra Precise, Rare Earth, Tanzer Holdings, Formosa Financial, Asia Premier, Dragon Empire, Galaxy Plus, Orient Express, White Ranch, Sino-Phil, HK Yuen, Tiger Wheel, Digifin Technologies, CR8TIV and IPE Global.Lambino said the primary revenue sources of OVCEs are transactional fees earned from the volume traded on the cryptocurrency exchange where the average global total is pegged at 0.1 percent of each transaction.

[]

21/10/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/10/21/cezas-first-9-months-income-up-212-percent/

Manila Bulletin

Palace: Duterte unaware of Marcos burial

Despite President Duterte’s access to intelligence gathered by the state, the burial of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani on Nov. 18 went under his radar.Believe it or not, Malacañang on Tuesday insisted that Mr. Duterte was unaware that the late tyrant’s burial was to be held a day before he left for Lima, Peru, to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.This contradicted an earlier statement of one of the President’s most trusted aides, Director General Ronald de la Rosa of the Philippine National Police, that Mr. Duterte had been informed of the burial.The assistant presidential communications secretary, Marie Banaag, said Mr. Duterte was already in transit to Lima when reports on the rushed burial came out.“We have been so consistent about that. It has been very clear that insofar as the President is concerned, he wanted that kind of burial for the former President. But as to the exact date, we don’t know because that is a family decision,” Banaag said at a press briefing in Malacañang.Funeral wreathShe dismissed insinuations that Mr. Duterte was told beforehand of the burial date as he had sent a funeral wreath extending his condolences to the Marcoses, who had supported his candidacy in the May 9 presidential election.“We’re not the ones who lost a loved one. It’s not the government or this administration that lost a loved one for us to decide on everything,” she said.Banaag said the President’s plate was already full with other pressing concerns for him to think about sending funeral flowers for the deposed strongman’s burial.“Our country is beset with many problems. We are not saying that the (Marcos) burial is not an issue. What we’re saying is that the President is attending to many other things,” Banaag said.“I don’t really think the President still thought of sending the funeral wreath …. He just respects the dead and he only did what the law says,” she continued.Unaware of exact dateBefore flying back home on Monday night, the President told Filipino journalists who covered his attendance at the Apec meeting that he “knew nothing” about the exact date of the Marcos burial.Said Mr. Duterte: “In all honesty, I’m telling you: ‘I knew nothing about it.’ They only asked me when would be the ‘appropriate time for me? I said, ‘do as you wish.’”“I didn’t ask them and why would I ask? I allowed it already so what’s it to me? What would I get if I had known in advance whether he would be there for the interment on that day?” he added.Protests, RamosThe burial sparked protests from groups and individuals, who claim that Marcos did not deserve to be entombed at Libingan as he was not a hero.Former President Fidel Ramos also opposed the move, describing it as an “insult to veterans.”Ramos castigated the covert manner of the burial that he said was carried out with connivance among the Marcos family, military and police officials. He said the Duterte administration was “losing support, they are losing friends.”“We respect the opinion of former President Ramos but the President’s position is very clear: The Supreme Court ruled on the basis of its appreciation of the legal aspect of the case, not on whether martial law led to human rights violations or some other political issue,” Banaag said.As to whether Mr. Duterte has been losing friends because of the developments, she said she knew of no desertions.“So far, there has been none. We know of no such development. The President will arrive and they will talk,” she said.‘Big brother’She said Ramos had been clear that while he might disagree with the President’s decisions or positions on certain issues, he remained a “big brother.”Mr. Duterte credited Ramos for convincing him to run for President and appointed the former Chief Executive as a special envoy to China.Banaag said that as long as the President trusted his Cabinet secretaries, she saw no reason for them to resign even if they opposed his decision to allow Marcos burial at Libingan.“They may not agree on various fronts, but then let it not be said this would mean resigning, because they have other programs which they would want to implement together,” she said.Leftists in CabinetCabinet members who had been martial law activists have castigated the stealthy burial, but have said they would not leave the administration because they still see space for them to engage with the President on other matters.Mr. Duterte continues to stand firm on his decision allowing Marcos to be laid to rest at the country’s cemetery for heroes amid massive outrage over the stealthy burial, which was carried out before the Supreme Court ruling dismissing the petitions against it became final and executory.The burial was also announced only an hour before it took place, and after Libingan was closed to the public and surrounded by state security forces.Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano said he would not resign from the Cabinet although he was against the hero’s burial for Marcos.“Before we entered the government, we were already aware of the differences we have with President Duterte on some issues. Despite our opposing stance on the Marcos burial, we continue to engage him on this matter,” Mariano said in a statement on Monday, three days after Marcos was buried.Equally important issuesA founding member of the militant farmers’ group, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, Mariano underscored the “equally important issues” he wanted the President to pursue.“We accepted the post in the Duterte [administration] because we aim to find common grounds in pursuing talks for just and lasting peace including the release of political prisoners, completion of the comprehensive agreement on social and economic reforms, prioritization of social services and the forging of an independent foreign policy,” he said.He noted that Mr. Duterte had already convened the long-defunct Presidential Agrarian Reform Council, resulting in decisions or considerations on “landmark cases,” such as the revocation of two stock distribution option contracts, one agribusiness venture agreement contract, a two-year moratorium on land-use conversion of agricultural lands, condonation of arrears on interests of unpaid amortization by agrarian reform beneficiaries, free irrigation, return of coco levy funds to farmers and end to labor contractualization.

['Leila B. Salaverria', 'Marlon Ramos']

2016-04-11 03:41:29+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/846956/palace-duterte-unaware-of-marcos-burial

Inquirer

Duterte gives aid to bus crash victims’ kin

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended cash assistance to families of the victims of the bus crash in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija that left at least 32 people dead.Duterte handed the assistance through Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra, LTFRB spokesman Aileen Lizada said in a statement sent to Palace reporters on Saturday.Lizada said the families of those who died in the accident each received P20,000 in cash assistance, while the injured passengers got P10,000 each.An Abra-bound Leomarick bus on Tuesday plunged 80 feet into a ravine in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija province.The bus was traveling from Isabela province to Candon City in Ilocos Sur when its brakes failed along a winding road.Malacañang earlier conveyed its condolences to the families of the victims and promised to hold accountable those responsible for the tragedy.Road accidents are common in the Philippines, where old, badly maintained buses ply poorly lit and maintained roads. Poor driving habits and drivers working long hours also contribute to frequent mishaps.

['Catherine S. Valente']

2017-04-23 00:38:53+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-gives-aid-bus-crash-victims-kin/323630/

Manila Times

Faeldon, BOC execs face probe for P6.4-B ‘shabu’

Ombudsman probers have found enough evidence to pursue a full-blown investigation of former Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and several others over the smuggling of P6.4-billion worth of “shabu” (crystal meth) last May.But the special fact-finding panel said there was a “lack of basis” to implicate President Rodrigo Duterte’s son, resigned Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, and son-in-law, lawyer Manases Carpio, in the smuggling case.The case against Faeldon, fellow former mutineer Milo Maestrecampo and the other Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials will now move to the preliminary investigation stage.Faeldon, now a deputy administrator at the Office of Civil Defense, described the investigators’ findings as “ridiculous” and that he “should be commended and not persecuted.”He pointed out that he was the one responsible for uncovering and seizing the contraband that went through the Manila International Container Port in May 2017.“It feels [like] they are persecuting me,” Faeldon said.Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales ordered the fact-finding investigation on Oct. 13 last year.The case against Faeldon and company was based on the BOC’s mishandling of the drugs recovered during a May 26, 2017 raid at a Valenzuela City warehouse.“Evidence suggests that numerous laws and administrative issuances pertaining to the proper search, seizure, handling and controlled delivery of drugs were violated by the public officers,” a statement issued by the Ombudsman press office said.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

02/09/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/987250/faeldon-boc-execs-face-probe-for-p6-4-b-shabu

Inquirer

Alan Cayetano runs for VP, doubles as defender of faith in Duterte

Video by RYAN LEAGOGOIs he running for the second highest post in the land or as defender of the faith in his principal?Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano may have found a new job: Defending presidential candidate, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who has been under fire lately for being a confessed womanizer and executioner, and for his expletive-filled speech that spared no one, not even Pope Francis.“I will be very honest. You only defend him from some media and some members of the upper class because most of our people are longing for change,” Cayetano said when asked if he is worried that he will spend most of his campaign defending Duterte instead of presenting his platform.“The mission has never been to change [Duterte],” the senator said during Wednesday’s meeting with the Inquirer editors and reporters. “The mission has always been for Duterte to change the country and for us to help see it through.”Cayetano said he was “very comfortable” with the tough-talking official, and that in the last two weeks, they’ve spent a lot of time together, talking politics and discovering how similar their views are on severalissues, among them the need to decentralize the National Capital Region, and to do away with the contractualization of labor.“We think alike on common issues,” said the official spokesperson of the Duterte camp. “But I have a different approach. If he is the fighter in the ring, I am the fighter in court [of law].”Cayetano disputed claims from certain quarters that Duterte would eventually self-destruct and lose potential voters with his cursing and disclosures of his checkered past.AuthenticHe was just being true to himself, the senator said of Duterte’s thuggish ways. “I think it is refreshing for people to see someone [being] authentic,” he added.Duterte, the senator maintained, was for “honesty, anticorruption, good governance and equality under the law. He is who he is. He will not pretend to be something else just to get your votes. In fact he said that if you don’t like him, don’t vote for him.”Cayetano, however, acknowledged that “some people may be offended or aghast at the start” with Duterte, but that they should pay attention to his often lengthy speeches to see the context behind the cursing.At his PDP-Laban proclamation rally on Monday, Duterte railed against the horrendous traffic in the Metro because of the tight security surrounding the visit of Pope Francis in January. Stuck in traffic for five hours, the mayor used an expletive to describe how he would urge the Pope to go home.He also publicly admitted to several crimes, among them killing a la “Fernando Poe Jr.” a kidnapper in Davao City barely three months into his job as mayor.Duterte confessed as well to being a womanizer and having a relationship with two wives and two girlfriends.While the PDP-Laban leadership had apologized for Duterte’s expletive directed at the Pope, Cayetano urged listeners to “just don’t follow his example,” the same advice given by his wife, Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano, when he told her about Duterte’s many women.“Remember there is a difference between telling someone the right thing to do, and telling someone this is who I am,” Cayetano said.Polarize votersCayetano, however, admitted that the mayor could potentially polarize voters. “Either you love him or you hate his guts,” the senator said, adding that the 70-year-old local executive’s weaknesses were also his strengths.Having been mayor for 22 years of Davao City, which is thrice the size of Metro Manila, Duterte’s “effectiveness comes with the language” as he would talk to people from all walks of life in Davao, Cayetano said.He may not be the ideal presidential candidate, but he is the best bet among all candidates in what is believed to be a five-way presidential race, the senator said.“Would you rather have an honest man who says “PI” (expletive), or someone who stealseverything from you but does not curse?” said the senator who is known to be one of the most vocal critics of Duterte rival, Vice President Jejomar Binay.According to Cayetano, the challenge for Duterte is to be more amiable, but for other presidential candidates, the challenge “is to tell people how can they make a real difference.”Leap of faithThe senator, who filed his candidacy for the vice presidency in October, even when he did not have a clear standard-bearer, said he took “a leap of faith” by asking to be Duterte’s running mate.“Two presidential [contenders] offered me the VP slot, others offered me a Cabinet role. But I did not have peace in my heart until the day I went to Davao. I took a leap of faith that night and told (Duterte): ‘Mayor whether you run (for president) or not, I am for you,’” Cayetano recalled.Cayetano had been lagging behind in surveys in recent months, but his rating doubled after Duterte gave him his endorsement, the senator said.Cayetano ranked third in the last Metro Manila survey conducted by Pulse Asia, garnering a 20-percent rating. Sen. Chiz Escudero was leading the survey with 32 percent, while Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. came in second, with 24 percent.

['Niña P. Calleja']

02/09/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/744639/alan-cayetano-runs-for-vp-doubles-as-defender-of-faith-in-duterte

Inquirer

Duterte: Go didn’t call PNP chief about official’s reinstatement

UPDATED: 9:44 p.m.President Rodrigo Duterte denied on Friday Sen. Leila de Lima’s claim that presidential aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go called Director General Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), asking him to reinstate Supt. Marvin Marcos as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 8.“Huwag kayong maniwala na si Bong Go ang tumawag kay General Bato,” Duterte said in his speech at the graduation of the PNP-Highway Patrol Group Motorcycle Riding Course in Davao City.Go is the head of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).On Thursday, De Lima, citing sources, identified Go as the one who made a call to De la Rosa about the reinstatement of Marcos.But Duterte was vague on the identity of the caller.“Whom can we identify?” he said. “Maybe the retired police officer who is now undersecretary of the DILG. What’s the name again? Cuy.”He was referring to retired Chief Supt. Catalino Cuy, the predecessor of De la Rosa as chief of the Davao City Police Office.Cuy held the post during Duterte’s term as mayor.Duterte also defended De la Rosa for reinstating Marcos, saying it was the police chief’s prerogative and that a case was still being built against the reinstated official.“Prerogative ni Bato yan, maski sabihin na criminal yan,” he said. “Let the law takes its own course.”(“That’s the prerogative of Bato, even if Marcos is accused of being a criminal.”)The president also defended Chief Supt. Asher Dolina, who was chief of the Eastern Visayas Police Regional Office, saying he was “clean,” contrary to the statement of self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa at a House hearing that the official had received P6 million in drug money.“Si Dolina, malinis. Si Marcos, may tama,” he said. (“Dolina is clean. Marcos is tained.”) –ATM

['Frinston Lim', 'Nestor Corrales']

02/09/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/850160/duterte-go-didnt-call-pnp-chief-about-officials-reinstatement

Inquirer

‘Indiscriminate firing’ to cost police chiefs in regions

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday said police chiefs in the regions who fail to solve cases of “indiscriminate firing” during the holiday season will be removed from their posts.Senior Supt. Rudolph Dimas, Directorate for Operations (DO) Public Safety Division chief, read a memorandum dated November 7 stating that the police chiefs have 24 hours to clear or solve stray-bullet incidents.In a press briefing, Dimas revealed that the memorandum would apply to all police chiefs, especially those in the lower units.“The one-strike policy on death or injury from indiscriminate firing on Christmas and New Year will be [enforced against] all police commanders and chiefs,” he said.Dimas added that the police chiefs “should be on guard so that indiscriminate firing will not happen again. They should have maximum deployment from their stations.”He said the police need the help of barangay (village) officials to apprehend suspects violating the memorandum.Village authorities, according to him, know more about residents who may be inclined to fire their guns during the holiday season.“Of course we need the help of barangay officials because they are the ones helping us [on this] matter. They know the residents who are stubborn enough to do this thing [indiscriminate firing]. That’s why coordination with the village authorities is good,” Dimas said.According to him, the directorate asked police regional offices for reports and data on stray-bullet incidents especially from last year but only Regions 1 and 2 have submitted reports so far.Dimas reminded policemen that they should report to their units from 5 p.m. of December 24 to 5 a.m. of December 25 and 5 a.m. of December 31 to 5 p. m. of January 1 for deployment to areas where there would be indiscriminate firing.Citing directorate data, he said there were 22 cases of stray-bullet incidents from December 16, 2016 to January 4, 2017. One death was reportedly recorded.The PNP reported that the stray-bullet incidents on New Year’s Day in 2017 were 89.47 percent lower during New Year’s Day in 2016.The police said there were only “four” cases recorded in 2017 compared to the “38” cases of 2016.

['Rj Carbonell']

2017-12-02 20:42:30+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/indiscriminate-firing-cost-police-chiefs-regions/366228/

Manila Times

Incoming Speaker Alvarez at Meet Inquirer Forum today

CAN HE stop the House of Representatives from being turned into a tool for “virtual dictatorship?” Is there a more humane way to death by hanging? Does he approve of perpetuating the lawmakers’ fashion show during the State of the Nation Address?Pantaleon Alvarez, handpicked by President-elect Rodrigo Duterte to be the Speaker, will answer these questions and more in the Meet Inquirer Multimedia Forum from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today (Tuesday).The eighth in a series, the Meet Inquirer Multimedia Forum showcases all Inquirer platforms—print, Web, radio, social and mobile—with reporters, editors and columnists among the panelists.Inquirer.net editor in chief John Nery will moderate the forum.The forum will be held at the PDI Building on Chino Roces Avenue, corner Mascardo and Yague streets, in Makati City.Live streaming will be via Inquirer.net, real-time on Twitter (#MeetInquirer) and the Inquirer chat apps. Radyo Inquirer will broadcast the forum at 7 p.m.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

16/02/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/790551/incoming-speaker-alvarez-at-meet-inquirer-forum-today

Inquirer

Duterte offers P5-M reward for Ardot Parojinog’s capture

President Duterte on Friday offered a P5-million reward for the capture of Ozamiz City councilor Ricardo “Ardot” Parojinog, the brother of slain Ozamiz City Mayor Ricardo Parojinog, who remains at large after a police raid on his home.Members of the Parojinog family have been linked to the drug trade and other illegal activities.Speaking before soldiers of the Eastern Mindanao Command, Mr. Duterte asked them to put Ardot Parojinog in their sights.‘Jerk’He called Ardot a “jerk” (gago).“Place him in your arrow… I’m increasing the number, the money, the reward money on his head by P5 million,” he said.When the soldiers are off duty, they could use their time to hunt him down so they could be P5 million richer, he said.Mr. Duterte made the offer of a reward for Ardot as he spoke about the Parojinogs’ alleged involvement in the killing of four police personnel whose remains have yet to be found. He said one of the missing policemen’s body was recently discovered.The President also noted that some people from Ozamiz City do not want him to remove Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, because they’re concerned that Ardot would get back at them.Espenido was the Ozamiz City police chief during the raid on the Parojinog’s compound that led to the death of the city mayor and 14 others.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

16/02/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/927387/president-duterte-ozamiz-ricardo-parojinog-ricardo-ardot-parojinog-drugs-war-on-drugs

Inquirer

‘What sin?’

‘we can only nod when the President demands an answer: “What sin did my countrymen commit?” He was right to be incensed. No amount of outrage can bring Joanna back and close the gaping wound in her family’s side. The worst thing that can happen while we wait for justice, or karma, to take effect is to treat the case of Joanna as just another OFW, another statistic.The statistics are by themselves a horror story. 300 OFWs on any given day escape their employers for all kinds of reasons. 200,000 OFWs in Kuwait, of whom 170,000 are household helpers. 10,000 of the latter undocumented. 120 OFW deaths reported in the last couple of years. 7,000 workers want to come home (the first batch of 300 arrived last Monday). 25,000 land a job in Kuwait each year. Kuwait may appear to be a desirable destination.Desirable? No worker goes abroad to seek greener pastures out of pure desire. Skilled, semi-skilled, unskilled, they just need, not want, to flee their own country, at the risk of losing life and limb, maybe a spouse or the family back home. Not desire but desperation drives them to try their luck in alien territory, alone with nothing (not even their own passport) and no close friend or support system. Too late now to tell Joanna and the ghosts of those other heroes who propped the economy with their sacrifices that POEA-OWWA-Philaak-DOLE-DFA could’ve saved them in their hour of need.

[]

16/02/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/16/what-sin/

Manila Bulletin

Food firm’s complaint vs DAR officials junked

The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed a graft complaint filed by the Lapanday Foods Corporation (LFC) against Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael Mariano and Undersecretary Luis Pañgulayan.LFC had also accused the two DAR officials of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and oppression/grave abuse of authority in the complaint that it filed last month.According to a Notice of Dismissal addressed to the firm, the Office of the Ombudsman said in part, “A resolution on the allegations of the complaint cannot be done by the office without passing upon the issues concerning the validity of the issuances and the writ’s implementation. Stated differently, complainant is indirectly assailing in this complaint the legality of the issuances and the writ’s implementation, which the Office cannot take cognizance of since these issues should be addressed to the proper forum.”“Clearly, complainant is presently seeking reliefs from the Regional Trial Court [RTC] of Davao City through its pending petition for indirect contempt and from the Court of Appeals (8th Division) in its pending petition for certiorari. These are adequate remedies that are available to complainant and which it is indeed currently availing of in the regular courts,” it added.The Office of the Ombudsman thus dismissed the complaint outright “for want of palpable merit and complainant has an adequate remedy in another forum.”LFC alleged in its complaint that Mariano committed graft when he issued a cease and desist order last December which, according to LFC, prohibited it from evicting the members of the Madaum Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association Inc. [Marbai] from their “occupied” areas.The order “gave a stamp of approval to the forcible taking by MarbaiI members of the Sanid area” and “emboldened the Marbai members to chop the bananas of HEARBCO-1, and to destroy the facilities of LFC in the banana plantation,” the firm also alleged.HEARBCO-1 is the Hijo Employees Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative-1.LFC also alleged that Pañgulayan committed graft when he supposedly “publicly announced to the Marbai members on December 19, 2016 that by virtue of the cease and desist order, the Marbai members could already harvest the bananas in the Sanid area and sell them to third parties despite knowing that LFC has the exclusive right to manage the Sanid area and to purchase the Cavendish bananas of HEARBCO-1, pursuant to a final and executory Order of the RTC of Davao City, and that the DAR has no authority to annul a final and executory order of the regular courts.”The firm was referring to a meeting called last December 19 by the Office of the City Mayor of Tagum City between LFC, HEARBCO-1, and Marbai to discuss a possible win-win solution.The 157.5-hectare Sanid area refers to areas in HEARBCO-1’s banana plantation that had suffered deterioration and that were turned over to LFC management for rehabilitation and operation.According to the complaint, LFC is the exclusive buyer of Cavendish bananas produced from the banana plantation.A disease outbreak in 2004 spoiled the bananas in the farm and caused production to drop, which led to the deterioration of the plantation.According to the complaint, the “No Group” members who organized themselves as Marbai in 2012 did not want to honor a compromise agreement between HEARBCO-1 and LFC that was signed in 2011.“In the compromise agreement, the areas of HEARBCO-1’s banana plantation which suffered deterioration were denominated as ‘Poor Areas’ while those which remained in good condition were termed as ‘Good Areas.’The poor areas consisting of 157.5 hectares were turned over to the management of LFC for rehabilitation and operation. This area is called the Sanid Area. LFC likewise advanced the operational requirements of the farm in order to ensure that the farm receives adequate farm inputs and technical support,” LFC said.

['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']

2017-06-10 00:24:50+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/food-firms-complaint-vs-dar-officials-junked/331934/

Manila Times

Duterte a Red-coddler, claims Palparan

“The Butcher” has an unsolicited advice to “The Punisher”: Don’t run for President.Retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., known for leading a brutal counterinsurgency campaign during his days in the military, said on Wednesday that Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte should not seek the presidency because of his close association with the “enemy of the state.”“He is a supporter of the New People’s Army (NPA). He is one of the biggest supporters of the NPA among local officials. For me, Duterte should not run [for President],” Palparan told the Inquirer after a hearing for his bail petition in a case involving the disappearance of two University of the Philippines students in 2006.Palparan, along with three soldiers, is standing trial for the disappearance of Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in June that year. The two UP students have not been found.‘The Butcher’The former commander of the Philippine Army’s 7th Infantry Division, Palparan is called “The Butcher” by human rights advocates who accuse him of responsibility for the killing, torture and disappearance of political activists in areas where he was assigned.Palparan said he saw no problem with Duterte negotiating with communist rebels when there was a crisis, but the mayor’s support for the NPA was another issue.“[Duterte’s support for communist rebels was] very evident during the death of Kumander Parago,” Palparan said.Duterte has acknowledged his friendship with Parago, or Lencio Pitao, one of the most wanted NPA leaders in the country, who was killed by government forces in a raid on (village) Barangay Panialum, Paquibato district, in Davao City, on June 28.Duterte allowed a hero’s burial for Pitao in Davao.“[Kumander Parago] was a leader in the Tagum massacre. He killed many people and for (Duterte) to be closely associated with Parago, who was declared enemy of the state, is not good,” Palparan said.‘The Punisher’Duterte, whom Time magazine called “The Punisher” for his no-nonsense leadership in Davao, had said he would not run for President.Recently, however, he asked his supporters to give him more time to review his decision.When asked, Palparan said he would not support any presidential candidate.“I think they are all equal,” he said, referring to Malacañang hopefuls Sen. Grace Poe, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and Vice President Jejomar Binay.Palparan, a former Bantay party-list representative, said in court on Wednesday that he would run for the Senate in next year’s national elections.He has been detained at the Army Custodial Center in Fort Bonifacio since his arrest in Sta. Mesa, Manila, in 2014.RELATED STORIESDuterte on Parago burial: ‘He was no robber’Duterte defends allowing hero’s burial for slain NPA leader

['Ron Lopez']

2017-02-11 23:29:47+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/727277/duterte-a-red-coddler-claims-palparan

Inquirer

Malacañang defends ‘recycling’ of sacked officials

Malacañang on Thursday deflected criticisms that President Duterte’s antigraft drive was sending mixed signals with the reappointment of some public officials he had fired over allegations of corruption.Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque played down Sen. Bam Aquino’s statement that such reappointments tended to give a different interpretation of the President’s resolve to stamp out corruption.Roque said that of the more than 20 presidential appointees whom Mr. Duterte had fired, only three were reappointed to other positions in the government.“It is not the rule, but it is the exception to the rule,” he said.New set of appointeesRoque defended the President’s move as Malacañang announced a new set of appointees, including Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña and Manuel Serra Jr.La Viña was named undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA), taking over the position vacated by now Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.Serra was named a member of the board of the Philippine Coconut Authority.La Viña was first appointed commissioner of the Social Security Systems in November 2016, but Mr. Duterte did not renew his appointment when his term expired in June 2017.The President said he had sacked La Viña for “his abuse of public funds.”Serra was a commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor when he and four others were fired by the President in December last year for making too many foreign trips.Mr. Duterte also fired Nicanor Faeldon as commissioner of the Bureau of Customs and Melissa Avanceña Aradanas as commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor but later reappointed them to other government posts.‘Executive prerogative’Roque stressed that in La Viña’s case, the decision of Mr. Duterte to reappoint him was an “executive prerogative.”The other appointees were Nepomuceno Malaluan, undersecretary of the Department of Education; Emilio Aquino, chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission; Bruce Tolentino, member of the Monetary Board; Raul Lambino, presidential adviser for Northern Luzon;Nuzar Balatero and Eduardo Pagulayan, director II of the Bureau of Internal Revenue; Richard Alvin Nalupta, register of deeds II of the Land Registration Authority; Aleli Hernandez, Ma. Cresencia Sunga, Ma. Paula Domingo, and Libertine Cagang, director III of the Department of Budget and Management;Edgar Danao, director IV of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS); Miguel Fernando Oraa, deputy director III of OTS;Nancy Bantog, director IV of the Department of Science and Technology; Rene Valera, director III of the Department of the Interior and Local Government; Cameron Odsey, director III of the DA; Jacqueline Caancan, director IV of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

['Julie M. Aurelio']

2017-02-11 23:29:47+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/998704/malacanang-defends-recycling-of-sacked-officials

Inquirer

HK okays safety clause for domestic helpers

THE Hong Kong government has finally agreed to add a safety clause in the job contracts of foreign domestic helpers.After a month-long consultation with consulates of labor-sending countries, including the Philippines, the Hong Kong Labor and Welfare Bureau was convinced that there is a need to amend the Standard Employment Contract (SEC).“The HK government agreed to add in the SEC a provision on the cleaning of windows. Both parties believed safety in the workplace must be ensured, and every life, protected,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.In cleaning outward-facing windows, the provision in the new SEC sets conditions that the window being cleaned is fitted with a grille that is locked or secured in a manner that prevents the grille from being opened; and no part of the helper’s body extends beyond the window ledge except the arms.Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong Bernardita Catalla spearheaded the efforts, according to the DFA.“To fast-track the negotiations on the proposed additional safety provision, the Philippine consul general and the commissioner for labor, worked vigorously on a series of consultations that resulted in the incorporation of an additional safety clause in the new SEC,” it said.There are about 330,000 foreign domestic helpers in the city of skyscrapers – 188,000 from the Philippines.Last year, a shocking photograph of a domestic helper cleaning windows while balancing precariously on a ledge of a high-rise building in the affluent MacDonnell Road in Mid-Levels district stirred protests on the exploitation being faced by migrant workers.More so, at least three domestic helpers, including a 35-year-old Filipina, have died falling from windows in 2016.

['Michael Joe T. Delizo']

2017-02-11 23:29:47+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/hk-okays-safety-clause-domestic-helpers/311680/

Manila Times

Dear 2016 Self

Today is the first Saturday of August. It is hard to imagine that by this time next month, we will well be into the “ber” months. That’s right – Christmas carols will start playing on the radio, and we will all be gearing up for the longest holiday season we Filipinos pride ourselves for. This also happens to be the last full month of my twenty-sixth year. Exactly a month from today, I turn twenty-seven. That, to me, is even harder to believe! I still remember welcoming my twenties – I had just completed my sophomore year of college then, ending a carefree summer, and gearing up to return back to New York as an incoming junior. So much has happened since the, but rewind back to a decade ago, and I feel like I’m talking about a completely different era. I was a sweet sixteen-er in her sophomore year of high school, who thought she knew everything there was to know about adult life. Little did I know back then that there was so much more to being an adult than what my Princess Diaries books made me believe. Life, indeed, is so much more complex than what meets the eye. So today, as I mark the celebration of my last month in my “mid-twenties,” indulge me as I write a letter to my sixteen-year-old self.Dear Sixteen-Year-Old Self,You are probably still basking in the high from the weekend that has just passed. You just celebrated your sweet sixteenth, alongside your mom’s fiftieth birthday, and your sister’s thirteenth. It was a triple treat as you ladies called it, and it couldn’t have been more of a treat for you. Your crush came out to celebrate with you, and even stayed on to party the night away – it couldn’t have been more perfect! In fact, you feel like the most popular girl in your batch right now because that was one heck of a party you just had. But do remember that in two years’ time you will graduate from high school. You will leave the magical playground you’ve grown up in and have always known. Quite a number of those faces you danced the night away with – you may sadly never cross paths with again right after that moment when you receive your high school diploma. A decade from today, the words of your Superintendent’s speech will continue to ring true, “[That would’ve] been the last time you’d all be together in one space, at one given time.”That is, after all, the reality of growing up in an international school. You see people come and go. You’ve gotten used to it by now, and you are blessed to have that core group of friends – the ones who take up a finger each on your right hand. A decade from today, they will still be the ones ever so prominent in your life. Cherish them. Love them. Do not let petty arguments and forbidden (albeit puppy) love get in the way of your friendships. But you will, at some point. You need to, I guess. Because to love is to live, and to live is to learn.You are yet to experience heartbreak. And believe me when I tell you that it won’t only come in the form of romance. Oh, but it also will at some point. Don’t worry, you too will have your “moment of regret after falling so hard. And then you’ll realize that you should’ve listened to your mom when she told you that the both of you were better off as friends from the very beginning – you would’ve spared yourself a ton of sleepless nights and pain.Your biggest heartbreak though will be the loss of your life’s greatest love. Suddenly, there will be a void in your everyday life that will never be filled in quite the same way again. You will cope, and learn to live with it eventually, but you will also be faced with betrayal at the same time you are trying your hardest to stay strong – by someone nonetheless who you deeply respect and admire. This will teach you the value of loyalty very early on. You will become wary and you will learn to discern greatly. You will smell genuine from fake miles away, and will run away from hypocrisy as fast as you can because you will have no more room for small mindedness, false accusations, lies, and negativity in your life.Do not stress too much about your grades. But do continue to strive high and work hard. At this point, you have enough discipline to get you through your academic life with flying colors, and into your dream school at that. You will get there, and then you will realize that well-roundedness is so much more valuable in the real world. From the pains of your past, you will move forward. Because in a few years’ time, when your heart is less vulnerable, it’ll all make perfect sense to you – you can’t leave a foot behind and jump right into the future with the other. You must take center stage and dance in the present. Otherwise, you will miss the very essence of what the world has in store for you.Keep at it with pursuing your passion for helping others out, and furthering a cause. Little do you know that this is only the very beginning of what will eventually become a career in philanthropy. You are blessed to realize the ugly truths and harsh realities so early on – perhaps the very reason why people regard you as ahead of your years. This will be your very ticket in finding yourself and your calling. Consider it a privilege. You will have moments of doubt and questioning, but your faith will carry you forth, and prayer will allow things to fall into place for you.You will crave for freedom, and yearn for your independence. But you have no idea that in a few years’ time, you yourself will be so lost in the sudden and enormous amount of liberty bestowed upon you. Quickly, you will realize one of the greatest ironies – that in fact, life can sometimes be much simpler with the presence of rules. You will wish you hadn’t hoped to grow up too soon, and then one of life’s most constant lessons will present itself boldly – you always want what you don’t have. You must learn to be content, because happiness is rooted upon and stems right from that.You will wonder at times why so much pressure is put on you – by your parents, occasionally your peers, and most especially yourself. Use that pressure wisely and to your advantage. Transform it into a drive to constantly innovate and keep on going. You have no idea how much more colorful your life will be a decade from today. How much, people you haven’t even met yet will change your life for the better. In time, you will see that everything happens for a reason. Seek purpose and meaning in ALL that you do, for this is truly what success will mean to you. For every loss, there is something to gain. For every person that has walked away, someone better is about to walk in. You have your whole life ahead of you, and while fate (and intent prayer) will guide you, your decisions are ultimately yours to make.And you will make some terrible ones. But you must suffer the consequences and stand by them no matter what. How you recover from a fall is much more substantial to your growth than the very reason you fell in the first place. Listen to others – to everyone who has a story to tell. But only allow a very select few to shape or influence your actions. Discern, and pray for constant guidance.The rest of it I’ll leave for you to figure out. Heck, a decade from now, you still wouldn’t have figured out everything there is to know, anyway. Stay humble, and keep your feet on the ground. It’s the only way you’ll really be able to soar high. Remember to live a little, laugh a whole lot, and love only in wholes to those who deserve your love – infinitely, unconditionally, passionately, and like you never have before.Till your thirties,Your Almost Twenty-seven-year-old Self.

[]

04/08/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/04/dear-2016-self/

Manila Bulletin

NPA camp overran in Agusan

Combined troops of Agusan del Sur Provincial Public Safety Company, Third Maneuvering Company of 13th Regional Public Safety Battallion and Alpha Company of the 26th Infantry Battallion captured a New People’s Army (NPA) camp in the hinterlands of Barangay Sta. Cruz, Rosario, Agusan del Sur, Sr. Supt. Joseph D. Plaza, provincial director of Agusan del Sur Police provincial office (PPO) yesterday reported.In a progress report sent to Chief Supt. Rolando B. Felix, regional director of Northeastern Mindanao Police Regional Office 13 (PRO 13), Plaza reported that the government forces overran the NPA camp after an hour-long gun battle with members of guerilla-Front Committee 14 of the CPP-NPA Northeastern Mindanao Regional Committee (NEMRC) on Friday.He said the troops scoured the camp on Saturday and Sunday, and found several blood stains believed from guerillas who were either killed or wounded skirmish.But with no body recovered, the government forces believe that the casualties were carried by the rebels as they retreated to the Mount Diwata range, bordering the provinces of Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Sur.He said the captured NPA camp was located in a one-hectare area and was bounded by a forest with natural spring running through it.The government forces recovered guerilla paraphernalia, including bomb-making, as well as 157 cartridge cases for M-16, AK-47 and M-14 rifles, sweat shirts with the NPA insignia of “Bagong Hukbong Bayan,” and subversive documents with high intelligence value.“No one was killed or wounded on the government side while it is still to be determined, as of this time, how many were killed or wounded on the enemy side as blood stains were sighted along the rebel escape route of withdrawal even inside in the NPA camp,” claimed Plaza, in his progress report on Monday.

[]

20/03/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/20/npa-camp-overran-in-agusan/

Manila Bulletin

Duterte grade higher than 6, says Cebu archbishop

Amid the rising death toll in the war on illegal drugs, Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma on Sunday gave President Duterte a passing grade based on his overall performance in the last 100 days.“I should say more than 6,” Palma said, smiling when asked to rate the President’s performance on a scale of 1 to 10.While the Catholic Church is worried about the alleged cases of extrajudicial killings, Palma said Mr. Duterte nonetheless had made numerous efforts to improve the lives of Filipinos, citing his attention to the plight of workers, the environment, and government services.“He has made serious efforts to curb abuses in trying to make the people and the government work. Majority of our people has given him a very high rating. It’s one of the highest rating a government official has ever had,” said Palma, 66, a former president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.Palma was referring to the recent Social Weather Stations survey that said 76 percent of respondents were satisfied with Mr. Duterte’s performance—the second highest among the post-Edsa Presidents after Fidel Ramos.“On a personal note, he should not take for granted the way he speaks. I hope it could be fine-tuned. In general, he has a very high rating for people except for his not-so-diplomatic way of speaking,” Palma told reporters after celebrating Mass to welcome the image of Our Lady of Lindogon at the International Eucharistic Congress Pavilion in Barangay Mabolo.Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, police director in Central Visayas, described Mr. Duterte’s first 100 days as “successful.”Taliño said the total crime volume in the region had decreased to 26 percent from July to September 2016 compared with the same period last year, citing the antinarcotics campaign as a major factor.“Illegal drugs is the mother of all crimes, and 70 percent of the total crimes committed are attributed to the use of illegal drugs,” he said.“Now, we have seen the impact. All other crimes like robbery, theft, rape and the like have reduced. Incidents of murder, on the other hand, have increased due to the killings related to drugs,” he added.He said 113 drug suspects were killed in alleged shootouts with policemen in the provinces of Cebu, Siquijor and Bohol from July 1 to Oct. 3. At least 130 killings blamed on unknown assailants are under investigation.Evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva, speaking at his birthday party in Bocaue, Bulacan, on Saturday, expressed concern about drug-related killings.The leader of the Jesus Is Lord Church said too many drug suspects had been killed in police operations, and urged law enforcers not to take advantage of the President’s popularity by murdering criminals.“Criminals who are not given the chance to repent go straight to hell and that should not be the case,” said the evangelist, who ran and lost in the 2004 and 2010 presidential elections.

['Ador Vincent S. Mayol']

15/07/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/823595/duterte-grade-higher-than-6-says-cebu-archbishop

Inquirer

Occ. Mindoro power supply assured – Sato

AtienzaOccidental Mindoro Representative Josephine Sato has assured that local officials are closely working with officials of the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Electrification Administration (NEA), the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) and other concerned national agencies to ensure a steady power supply for her province.Sato said that by next year, the 25-year Energy Conversion Agreement (ECA) entered into by the Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. (OMECO) and the Island Power Corp. (IPC) will expire, allowing more investors to invest in Occidental Mindoro.“OMECO and IPC are entangled in a court battle concerning the ECA for years.The exclusive ECA prevents other independent power producers (IPP) from investing in the province, thereby affecting largely OMECO consumers,” she said.“IPC has failed to produce power since 2007 aggravating the energy crisis in the province,” she lamented.Sato said Occidental Mindoro officials are now stepping up efforts to improve the power situation in their province, including the plan to boost the 20-MW diesel power plant of the Occidental Mindoro Consolidated Power Corporation (OMCPC) in the town of San Jose.Sato recently met with NAPOCOR officials, led by its President and CEO Pio J. Benavidez, for the repair of the province’s 69KV transmission lines to ensure the uninterrupted supply of electricity, and ensuring an energy supply loop with Oriental Mindoro.

[]

15/07/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/15/occ-mindoro-power-supply-assured-sato/

Manila Bulletin

DOLE studying wage hike for ‘kasambahay’

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said it is conducting an ongoing survey as part of its review of the minimum wage rate of household service workers (HSW) in Metro Manila.Based on the initial results of the survey, DOLE-National Capital Region (DOLE-NCR) Director Johnson Cañete disclosed many “kasambahay’ or HSWs in the Metro Manila get a pay bigger than the amount prescribed in Republic Act (RA) 10361 (The Kasambahay Law).“Many (employers in NCR) are paying their kasambahay with more than P3,000,” Cañete said in an interview.Cañete said they are targeting to complete the survey by next month, in preparation for the possible releasing of a new wage advisory for HSWs in Metro Manila on June.Depending on the result of the survey, the labor official said they may raise or retain the prevailing minimum wage rate for HSWs in the NCR.Previously, NCR has the highest minimum wage rate for HSWs at P2,500. Other regions paid their HSWs ranging from P1,500 to P2,000.

['Paul Parenas', 'Real Eyes']

23/04/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/23/dole-studying-wage-hike-for-kasambahay/

Manila Bulletin

Water and life

Dave BranonThank You, Jesus, for being our living water. Thank You for Your willingness to die on the cross and for Your power to rise from the dead in order to provide us that water.Only Jesus has the living water to quench our spiritual thirst.©2017 ODB Ministries, 3000, Kraft Ave., SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49555-0001, USA. Used by permission. For this and other materials contact ODB Ministries at 322 P. Guevarra, San Juan City (Phils.); Tel.: 722-2010.

[]

31/10/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/31/water-and-life/

Manila Bulletin

WHAT WENT BEFORE: Trillanes vs Duterte

In May 2016, days before the national elections, a face-off between the camps of then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV took place at the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI) branch on Julia Vargas Avenue in Pasig City.It came after news came out on April 27 that Mr. Duterte, according to Trillanes, had at least P227 million in an account in the BPI-Julia Vargas branch that he did not declare in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).Candidate Duterte earlier denied the existence of the account. “I will not play into their hands by issuing a waiver. The account is nonexistent,” he told the Inquirer in a phone interview.Peter Laviña, his spokesperson then, also told the Inquirer: “Sorry, we cannot comment until we see it, but now I can tell you it’s a lie, a fabrication and black propaganda. Documents can be fabricated.”2 BPI accountsAfter some netizens posted online their copy of deposit transaction receipts for Duterte’s BPI account, he admitted that he had two accounts in BPI-Julia Vargas, one with P17,000 in deposits and another with less than P50,000.He also said he had “less than P200 million” in the branch and that he did not declare it in his SALN in 2014 because he had already spent it. The money, he said, was a birthday gift from friends.Trillanes dared candidate Duterte to sign a waiver that would allow the scrutiny of his bank accounts, and to file a libel case against him if the allegations were false.The presidential candidate countered that Trillanes should execute an affidavit stating that he had records of the alleged bank accounts, and the manner and purpose with which the documents were obtained.On April 30, Duterte’s political party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, insisted that the mayor had only two accounts in BPI-Julia Vargas with P17,000 and P27,000 in deposits, not “less than P200 million” as he had told reporters.Supporters of Duterte and Trillanes trooped to the branch office on May 2, but no bank records were opened.Certification soughtInstead of a waiver, Duterte’s lawyer, Salvador Panelo, requested BPI to look into his client’s records and to issue a certification that “at no time since the opening of the account has there been P211 million whether singly, collectively or cumulatively deposited to his bank account.”The bank, however, asked for seven days to respond to Panelo’s request. Panelo said a bank official told him that this had to be carefully studied since it was a joint account.Citing client confidentiality, BPI refused to comment further.“Bank of the Philippine Islands will not make any comment as regards this morning’s discussion involving prominent politicians at our Julia Vargas, Pasig City, branch. To do so would be against the basic banking principles of client confidentiality,” BPI said in a statement.The bank also denied it was the source of Trillanes’ information about the alleged Duterte bank accounts.‘Empty’ waiverMuch earlier, on March 11, Duterte and his then running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, signed a “waiver” allowing the opening of their bank accounts for public scrutiny.But the document was “empty” and invalid, according to corporate lawyer Raul Palabrica, who writes a business column in the Inquirer. It was merely a pledge to open their bank accounts, not a waiver for opening bank accounts, Palabrica said.“A waiver has to be expressed and specific. And it is directed to a particular bank or person,” he said.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

20/05/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/930555/what-went-before-trillanes-vs-duterte

Inquirer

Duterte meets Cebu slide survivors who blame tragedy on quarrying

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday offered sympathy and full government support to the affected families as he met with the survivors of the landslide that buried at least 50 houses in Sitio Sindulan, Barangay Tinaan.In a speech, the President asked the crowd if they had any complaint.A woman in a white blouse and who appeared to be in her 40s bravely went onstage and faced the President.Without identifying herself, the woman told the President that she and her neighbors at Barangay Tinaan wanted to put a stop to the quarry operations that they blamed for the massive landslide.“Stop the Apo Cement quarry. That’s what I’m asking. We don’t need food. What we need is for the quarry to stop because I believe if the people would just work, we’d still manage to eat,” she said as the crowd cheered.With the President looking at her intently, the woman continued and said she did not think heavy rains had triggered the landslide. They’ve been through a lot of typhoons, she said, but no tragedy had struck until the quarry operations started.Pink nail polish“I believe what you say,” the President told the woman. “But look at your nails. I guess you were at the beauty parlor when the landslide happened.”He then pointed to her pink nail polish.When the woman left the stage, the President went on to say “Maayong pagka-training ni sa kuan … (She’s well trained by the …).”He then asked the crowd: “Are there any New People’s Army [communist rebels] here?”Make sure that no one is supporting the NPA, he said, as he went on to rant for the nth time against the Communist Party of the Philippines.In his speech, the President said he felt “sad with what happened,” referring to the Sept. 20 landslide that, as of Saturday, had left at least 35 persons and seriously injured 15 others. At least 44 remained missing.“It’s not easy to be in your situation right now. It’s too heavy a burden. This happens not just because many people were affected or lost their lives. You should know that typhoons are evil,” he said.He said affected families could relocate to a vacant portion of the Balili beach property located about a kilometer from their current homes.“I’m happy because if a lot is owned by the government, that means you can have it,” he said as he instructed Secretary Eduardo del Rosario of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council to supervise the construction of the evacuees’ new houses.The President said that the local government could also allow public vehicles to service the area to make life easier for them. “If you don’t have fare, then that is a problem. Just don’t engage in illegal drugs. I will kill you,” the President said.Natural phenomenonThe President also sent in Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who on Thursday ordered the suspension of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) officials in Central Visayas (not Environmental Management Bureau, as erroneously reported on Saturday).The MGB earlier said the cracks found in the mountains of Tinaan were a natural phenomenon and not caused by the quarry operations of Apo Land and Quarry.Cimatu also suspended quarry operations in the mountains around Naga City and several other provinces for 15 days to determine if they pose any danger.Aside from promising new houses for the affected families and paying their hospitalization fees and burial expenses, the President gave P20,000 each to the bereaved families and P10,000 to those who suffered injuries.The amount is on top of the P25,000 each to be given by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to the families of landslide casualties, according to Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go.In Cebu City, Archbishop Jose Palma on Saturday echoed calls for a stop to quarry and mining operations in the area.“It’s time to reassess. If there is a need to close these companies for good, then we should do it. We should be mindful of its effects to life and the community,” the 68-year-old prelate said after visiting the wake of those who perished in the landslide.“We were saying over and over again, we should not desecrate the blessings we have from above,” Palma said, adding that a thorough investigation should be done so that justice could be served to the victims.Forcible evacuationChito Mañago, spokesperson for Apo Land, earlier denied that the company had conducted quarry operations in the mountains of Naga City.“What was done was an access road development,” he said. Still, the company will conduct its own investigation to find out what caused the landslide, he added.On Saturday, rescuers briefly suspended search and rescue operations due to a heavy downpour past 1 p.m. Two life detection machines from the Office of Civil Defense in Manila arrived in Naga City.About 270 government troops and policemen were deployed to prevent residents from returning to high-risk villages. Soldiers and police have forcibly evacuated residents of five villages that were found vulnerable to landslides.

['Ador Vincent S. Mayol', 'Connie Fernandez-Brojan']

20/05/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1035201/duterte-meets-cebu-slide-survivors-who-blame-tragedy-on-quarrying

Inquirer

World water leaders cite PH team in SoKor event

World water leaders cited the 20-year-old successful public-private partnership (PPP) between the Philippines’ Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) and its concessionaires, Manila Water, Maynilad Water and SMC’s Luzon Clean Water Corp. at the 1st Asia Water Week and Korea International Water Week held last week in Gyeongju, South Korea.The three-day event brought together some 2,500 water stakeholders who discussed ways to establish lasting partnerships needed to resolve water issues worldwide.MWSS administrator Reynaldo Velasco, Manila Water president Ferdinand dela Cruz and Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez presented “Water security under the Duterte administration and the successful PPP in the Philippines” during the twin water conferences in Korea.“The Korea water conferences was an important event to promote the country’s effective, participative and successful PPP legal framework started in 1997 by President Fidel V. Ramos through a concession agreement in the water industry,” Velasco said.Dela Cruz stressed that “water PPP can work in many places provided the regulatory framework is clear, transparent and consistent … Water PPP has worked in Metro Manila. It has worked in other parts of the Philippines. It can work in many more places in Asia.”For his part, Fernandez said “our partnership with the MWSS has benefited millions of Filipinos, spurred economic activity with our investments and generated thousands of jobs.”

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

20/05/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/934390/philippine-news-updates-metropolitan-waterworks-and-sewerage-system-luzon-clean-water-corp

Inquirer

Senators see pork in DPWH budget

Senate deliberations on the P454.2-billion budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Monday ran for six hours as Sen. Panfilo Lacson questioned suspected pork in the agency’s proposed spending for next year.Lacson questioned certain lump-sum appropriations in the DPWH budget that were not itemized, some of them lodged at the agency’s central office.“I hope that the DPWH cooperate with us. . . there are funds that have been juggled and the DPWH’s autonomy and capability to implement programs are affected. I just want to [know] why there is juggling of funds in the House version,” Lacson said.The lump sums included the transfer of P8.317 billion from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the DPWH central office, as well as an increase of P216 million for school buildings under the House version.Clearly PDAFLacson said these were “clearly priority development assistance funds (PDAF) and should be restored to their appropriations under the National Expenditure Program.”Lacson also questioned P1.525 billion in lump sum for legislative districts that Sen. Loren Legarda said were part of the Mindanao logistics network and “not congressional insertion.”Legarda, chair of the finance committee, said the department would change these items from legislative districts to district engineering office.Lacson also asked why there was P500 million and another P150 million lodged at the DPWH central office for feasibility studies for future projects of regions when there was already an allocation of P5.9 billion for feasibility studies, project development and preliminary and detailed engineering.Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon said these funds seemed to be similar to the PDAF, which the Supreme Court had struck down as unconstitutional.Legarda said the funds were standby funds the public works secretary was authorized to use for future projects, prompting Drilon and Lacson to ask why the DPWH chief had such an authority when Congress did not.Lacson asked that DPWH break down the allocation and explain its use so this would not be seen as a lump sum.Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III expressed alarm over reports that regional and district offices of the DPWH were already bidding out projects for next year when Congress had not yet passed the proposed P3.3-trillion national budget for 2017.Even if this had been a practice, Pimentel stressed there should be a legal basis for it and, if there is none, then it should be stopped.“We are just reinforcing our concept of rule of law. How can you possibly bid a project right now, when there is still no law appropriating funds for the project?” he added.Legarda had informed Pimentel that the practice was based on a 2009 circular of the Government Procurement Policy Board.

['Christine O. Avendaño']

05/03/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/846579/senators-see-pork-in-dpwh-budget

Inquirer

CBCP exec tells PNP chief to ‘study’ first as next prisons chief

Do your homework first, an official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) advised the country’s top cop over remarks that the latter made on the country’s drug problem.“I think it will be a lot better for [outgoing Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa] to have an in-depth study and analysis of the issues confronting the penal system before proposing a solution,” said Rodolfo Diamante, executive secretary of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care.Earlier, the tough-talking police chief said he would bring his fight against illegal drugs when he takes on his next assignment as director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor).Dela Rosa, who was scheduled to retire next week, said he would ask drug lords in jail to swear by the Bible that they would cease their illegal activities.As PNP chief, Dela Rosa led the government’s bloody war on drugs, which has claimed thousands of lives in police operations and vigilante killings.Diamante said that illegal drugs was not the only problem that awaited the incoming BuCor director.“He should engage those who know the situation in as much as he has not been in the correction pillar. He should consult with experts in penology and we are not wanting in them,” the CBCP official said.In Tacloban City, Dela Rosa said he had “no regrets” in his post as PNP chief, except for the policemen who died during the antidrug war.“I am very happy. I am very thankful to the President for appointing me to the PNP and for giving me all the support that he could give,” Dela Rosa said on Thursday night.“[Now that I am about to retire], I am very sad. I love the job. I love everything about the PNP,” said the outgoing police chief who visited Camp Ruperto Kangleon, the PNP headquarters in Eastern Visayas based in Palo town, Leyte, as part of what he called his “farewell tour.”Among the accomplishments of the 170,000-strong organization, Dela Rosa cited was “bringing the PNP closer to the people and restoring their trust in the men in uniform.”

['Julie M. Aurelio']

05/03/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/982416/cbcp-exec-tells-pnp-chief-to-study-first-as-next-prisons-chief

Inquirer

8,000 Philippine Army slots opened

About 8,000 slots have been opened for those who are aspiring to join the Philippine Army in wake of activation of additional battalions to be deployed to different areas in the country.Lt. Col. Louie Villanueva, Army spokesman, said in a statement on Friday that the number of slots opened was higher compared to the regular 3,600 annual quota replacement in the Army.The increased quota, according to Villanueva cited the ongoing activation of 10 additional Infantry Battalions for the increase quota, which aims to further strengthen the Philippine Army’s capability, to be more responsive in addressing various threats, particularly terrorism, that beset the country.In 2017, he said, the Army was able to meet its recruitment quota of about 350 new officers with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and about 13,000 new enlisted personnel.Of the 13,000 personnel, 8,892 soldiers will be for the special quota as approved by the President; 1,069 soldiers will be for the newly-organized 54th Engineering Brigade; and 3,600 soldiers will represent the annual quota replacement in the Army.A total of 1,000 slots were given to Indigenous Peoples (IPs) last year with about 400 integrated into the Army and deployed mostly to the Eastern Mindanao area while 348 are still undergoing training.According to Villanueva, the 1,000 quota set last year for the IPs was not met by the Army but the same qualifications for recruits will be applied this year.“For now, nothing specific was mentioned if the same 1,000 quota for the IPs will be mentioned. As long as the recruitment is open, as long as the IPs meet the requirements laid down by the Army, we will accept them,” he said in a phone interview with The Manila Times.Villanueva added that even former members of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) will be “gladly accepted” by the Army, reiterating that they do not have restrictions in admitting aspiring soldiers.Most of the recruits will be designated to Army infantry, cavalry and artillery units while some recruits will fill up the engineer, communication, logistics and other administrative functions in the Army.The Philippine Army has set up recruitment centers in Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu City and in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, the headquarters of the 75,000-strong Army.

['Dempsey Reyes']

2018-02-09 23:54:08+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/8000-philippine-army-slots-opened/379283/

Manila Times

Inquirer, GMA 7 join forces for clean polls

WITH “great power” comes responsibility.GMA Network CEO and chair Felipe Gozon called on Filipinos to vote wisely and choose leaders worthy of “the great power and opportunity to lead our nation.”Gozon issued the call on Thursday at the signing of GMA’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with election partners, including the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Inquirer.net. This will be the fifth election that GMA will be partnering with the Inquirer group.Inquirer president and CEO Sandy Prieto-Romualdez said the partnership involved content sharing and spearheading the advocacy for clean elections.Romualdez said media should fulfill its role in informing voters on candidates’ platforms and stand on issues instead of focusing on personalities.“This partnership … will be able to give the voters a good sense of who their candidates are so they can make a good choice,” she said after the MOU signing at the GMA compound in Quezon City.‘Most credible’She said there would also be a sharing of “thought leaders” or resource persons, as well as a concerted effort to protect the Filipino vote.In the presentation of the election partners at GMA 7’s Studio 6, Inquirer was introduced as “undeniably the country’s most credible and most influential newspaper.”Host Mike Enriquez said he was looking forward to working again with Inquirer.“When a network like GMA partners with a group like Inquirer, you can’t get any bigger, you can’t get more comprehensive,” he told Inquirer.net.“It is the hope of this partnership that GMA and Inquirer can make the people more aware, the voters more educated, more involved, more active, more vigilant. And all of this for a better Philippines,” he said.New landscapeGozon acknowledged that the media landscape and the nature of the election campaign had changed.“We see an election coverage that is online, on social media, mobile, quick up close and personal. In addition, of course, to traditional media,” he said.However, Gozon said the people were still looking for the same things: good governance, and honest, credible and peaceful elections.“In the midst of this change there are things that remain constant and timeless: that is the people’s clamor for good governance, the need for honest, credible and peaceful elections and our commitment to cover the election with no spins, no personal agenda, truthfully, accurately, comprehensively and written only by the calling toward public service,” he said.EmpowermentCommission on Elections Chair Andres Bautista, one of the speakers at the event, said, “Credible elections are fundamental to the ethos of democracy.”“Elections are at the heart of people empowerment,” he said, adding that the voice of the voter is also important.Bautista said the Comelec was working with GMA, Inquirer and other media organizations for the debates among presidential candidates.“We want to create institutionalized venues that can improve the candidate-voter interaction and deepen public discourse on present-day issues,” he said.Other partnersOther GMA partners are the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections, Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., Smart Communications, University of the Philippines, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, AMA Education System, Waze Mobile, Viber Philippines, PEP, Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands, Catholic Media Network, Youth Vote Philippines, Philippine Bar Association and Integrated Bar of the Philippines.Romualdez and Inquirer.net president Paolo Prieto signed the MOU.After the MOU was signed by the heads of all election partners, Enriquez said, “After this signing, no more turning back, no leaving anyone behind.”

['Kristine Angeli Sabillo']

07/11/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/729267/inquirer-gma-7-join-forces-for-clean-polls

Inquirer

The Pasig beckons (2)

Someone read the first part of this column! Mr. Gil Torres of Oregon said that when he came to Manila recently, he tried to take the ferry at Escolta but was informed that it was closed due to to a clog of water lilies by the Manila Post office. He posted a photo of a tugboat “navigating with difficulty through the water weeds.” However, he did have “a wonderful time watching up close the whiskered terns and a lonesome turtle diving among the vegetation for food and small fish. Hopefully, I’ll board the SS Tabo next time up to Bai.” Evidently,Mr. Torres has read El Filibusterismo, Rizal’s second novel which starts on the deck of the steamboat “Tabo.”Rizal described how the early morning sun “quivered on the river and danced on the pliant bamboo along the banks.” The Tabo threatened everything in its way, “the rickety fishingtraps that had the look of giant skeletons (salambaw)”; there were “bamboo thickets,” “riverside restaurants (karihan), nestled among hibiscus and other flowers, seemed like timid bathers with their toes in the water but still holding back from the plunge…” Doña Victorina “hurled invectives against the barges, boats, coconut rafts of the natives, and even against the laundresses and bathers on river banks whose noisy gaiety put her in bad humor…” She said the Tabo would have sailed smoothly on the Pasig, “if it were not for so many natives in the river.”Even then, the Pasig was slowly silting as there were” “unsuspected mud banks“ which when hit, threw passengers off balance. Simoun had a solution: “…dig a canal straight through from the lake to Manila, that is to say, to make a new river channel and close up the old Pasig.Land will be saved, distances shortened, and mud banks avoided.” His audacity shocked everyone.The Pasig is a river of legends, according to the Fili; a protrusion called “Malapad na Bato” was the home of sacred spirits before the coming of the Spaniards. When it was mindlessly destroyed and profaned, it became a nest of bandits who made easy prey of the boats that had to struggle against the tides and currents. The Tabo skipper, experienced as he was, navigated “with all his senses” when near that rock.Fray Salvi (Maria Clara’s tormentor) had his own legend to tell, about the time when both the Pasig and Laguna lake were infested with crocodiles “ so huge and voracious” they overturned boats with their tails. Once, “a heathen Chinese” who had resisted conversion was going down the Pasig when the devil appeared to him in the shape of a crocodile. When he was about to be devoured, the Chinese man prayed desperately to St. Nicholas and the croc turned into stone. Whenever I cruise the Pasig, I look for that rock, to no avail.As the Tabo entered Laguna de Bai, “the view was really magnificent…The lake was ringed by green banks and blue mountains stretched out before them like an immense mirror in a frame of emeralds and sapphires where Heaven might look at itself….” Jose Rizal had precious childhood memories of his beloved lake. He described the series of smaller bays, Talim Island, the Sungay, and, “as a background, Mount Makiling, majestic, imposing, crowned with light clouds… Susong-dalaga (Maiden’s Breasts) with the soft undulations that had given it its name…” As if to ruin the idyll, someone asked for the exact spot where Ibarra was killed. Visibly annoyed, the skipper said that, according to the corporal in charge of the chase, Ibarra dived from a banca near Kinabutasan, swam two miles underwater while being fired upon, “and a little farther on near the shore, they found what seemed like traces of blood. It is just thirteen years to the day, exactly, that this happened.” Simoun was silent (those who have read the novels know why) and Ben Zayb, a fellow passenger, tauntingly asked if he was sea sick “in a mere drop of water…” to which the skipper retorted that Laguna lake is larger than all the lakes of Switzerland and Spain put together.Needless to say, Rizal’s glowing description of the Pasig River and Laguna Lake no longer apply. No lavandera in her right mind would venture into such murky waters. Only street urchins on a torrid summer day dare swim in the Pasig. There are no more salambaws, only rusty barges spilling construction material and soya oil. Gone are the karihan ensconced among gumamelas and pliant bamboo; there is only floating garbage coming from the San Juan River and illegal settlers. Assorted bancas charge 20 pesos per crossing. The MMDA ferries, baby buses on top of single-hulled boats, provide alternative transport. The closest thing to the Tabo are the sleek twin-hulled catamaran ferryboats of the SSS Nautical Transport, Inc,. which are leased for tourism and corporate functions.We might lose our waterways altogether astoday’s developers, afflicted with Simoun’s satanic greed, are dead set on reclaiming Manila Bay and Laguna lake, Will the legendary Pasig become a mere expressway to all those gambling casinos?(Translation of El Fili by Leon Ma. Guerrero) (ggc1898 @gmail.com)

[]

07/11/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/11/07/the-pasig-beckons-2/

Manila Bulletin

P3.7-T national budget proposed; BIR, BOC to collect more taxes

The Duterte administration is proposing a P3.767-trillion national budget for next year.Time to build more, time for faster change, government says.***The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said it will submit to Congress soon the proposed national budget of P3.767 trillion for 2018, representing 21.6% of the gross domestic product (GDP).Higher than the current budget by 20.1 percent, adds DBM.***The Department of Finance (DOF) explained that the proposed budget for 2018 is anchored on the assumption that the BIR and the BOC will be able to collect more taxes and that first comprehensive tax reform package will soon be passed into law by Congress.Tax collection efficiency and Congress’ exercise of its “power of the purse” needed.***The administration pointed out that the biggest share of the pie, equivalent to 41.2 percent or P1.551 trillion, will go to social services while education, culture and manpower development will get P794 billion.Social security, welfare, and employment will get P369.6 billion; health, P177.6 billion; and others, P209.6 billion.***Around 29.4 percent or P1.106 trillion of the pie will go to economic services such as infrastructure spending on power, water, transportation, and communications P734.5 billion, others, P238.4 billion; and agriculture and agrarian reform, P133.2 billion.***Budget for general public services such as general administration, public order, and safety will remain unchanged at P575 billion, the DBM added.***P353.4 billion of the budget, 9.4 percent will go to debt servicing and interest payments, while P164.2 billion will go to defense.And finally, net lending will get the remaining P16.8 billion, unchanged from this year’s allocation.***Government economic managers said that from the original target of P3.87 trillion, they lowered the proposed national budget for next year following the approval of a watered-down tax reform package by the House of Representatives.A balancing act respecting taxpayers’ ability to pay.***But NEDA said nine major infrastructure projects will proceed as planned, upon final approval by President Duterte.DU30’s pro-progress and legacy projects lined up.***“These are the ones that seem needed by the people, like the commuter lines which aims to decongest Metro Manila, “ Economic Planning Sec. Ernesto M. Pernia explained.***Economic managers added that the government is keeping GDP growth targets at 6.5% to 7.5% percent this year and at 7.0 % to 8.0 % from 2018 to 2022.Economic targets look okay so let growth and prosperity come our way.

[]

22/06/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/22/p3-7-t-national-budget-proposed-bir-boc-to-collect-more-taxes/

Manila Bulletin

No match: Poe’s DNA tests with probable kin

Sen. Grace Poe’s search for her parents remains unsuccessful, with DNA tests she has taken with two potential relatives failing to match, she disclosed in a radio interview Wednesday.But while sad that she could not yet put closure on the question of her parentage, Poe said the failure of the tests did not spell her defeat in the disqualification case brought against her for supposedly not being a natural-born Filipino and so ineligible to hold public office.Poe is running for President in next year year’s general elections.“I do not lose hope because our legal basis is not just dependent on DNA. It is dependent on the rights of children born in the country,” Poe said.George Garcia, a lawyer for Poe, said the negative DNA findings had “no effect at all” on the senator’s case.Poe could win her case on legal arguments, Garcia said.“The DNA test is more for personal consumption rather than for a legal purpose. Her citizenship can still be established by using the 1935 Constitution as basis,” Garcia said in a text message.A case for Poe’s ouster from the Senate on grounds of questionable citizenship is pending in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).Poe was abandoned in a church in Jaro, Iloilo province, after birth on Sept. 3, 1968. She was adopted by movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) and his wife, movie actress Susan Roces.Had the DNA tests produced positive results, questions about Poe’s citizenship would have been erased. With the determination that her father was a Filipino, she would have been automatically considered a natural-born Filipino citizen.Poe said she was saddened at the negative results of the DNA tests.“It’s saddening because I had long been hoping to know the truth about the identity of my family,” she said.She declined to name the people with whom she took the tests, saying they were entitled to privacy.Going for resolutionValenzuela Mayor Rex Gatchalian, a spokesperson for Poe, said more DNA samples were still being processed, but Poe’s camp would submit her SET case for resolution, believing in the strength of her legal arguments.“The laws are on all fours on this account, hence we are submitting the case for resolution,” Gatchalian said.Asked about the opinion of Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio that she was a naturalized and not natural-born Filipino, Poe said the magistrate’s statements saddened her and made her think.She noted that Carpio, who heads the SET, also took a position against her late father, FPJ, in the challenge to his citizenship when he ran for President in 2004.But she maintained that a naturalized Filipino is one who acquired Philippine citizenship through a law or a court order.She said she did neither because from the very start, she was put up for adoption by the state.“The state could not have put up a child for adoption if it does not recognize the child as a citizen,” she said.She said it would be hard to argue with a Supreme Court justice. But she pointed out that Carpio was just one member of the SET and that he was the head of the tribunal did not necessarily mean his opinion would prevail.Other abandoned kidsPoe said she should not be the sole concern in the disqualification case in the SET. If people don’t like her and don’t think she should be President, all they need to do is not vote for her, she said.But if she is disqualified because she is a foundling, she said, thousands of abandoned children will also lose their Philippine citizenship.Poe said she would continue to look for her parents even if the disqualification cases against her had all been dismissed.Aside from the petition in the SET, Poe is also facing three petitions for disqualification from the presidential race in the Commission on Elections, all questioning her citizenship.She said she would step down if she won the election but later found to be a foreigner.“It’s OK with me to step down, but I hope I would have accomplished much by then so that there would be no regrets,” she said.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

16/12/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/737030/no-match-poes-dna-tests-with-probable-kin

Inquirer

Separation of the PCG from the Navy

regional meetings and exercises under the Search and Rescue (MSAR) convention, port state control, prevention of Marine Pollution (MARPOL), and the 20-nation regional cooperation agreement on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia (RECAAP).It is certain the coast guard organization is here to stay. The PCG will forever be grateful to FVR, concludes Rear Admiral Melad.(Note: Rear Admiral Melad originally wrote about these details in the article “Remembering Vice Admiral Mariano J. Dumancas” [The Maritime Review, 24 May 2016]. The PCG finally became a separate service thru RA 9993 [Coast Guard Law of 2009] approved on 12 February 2010, eleven years after President FVR took the unprecedented bold move of “cutting it clean” from the Navy. The position of PCG Commandant now carries the grade of Admiral.Final Note: FVR, who was born and grew up beside the Lingayen Gulf (WPS), is an experienced long-distance swimmer, deep-sea scuba diver and photographer. He claims to have seawater and red wine in his veins.)Please send any comments to fvr@rpdev.org. Copies of articles are available at www.rpdev.org.

[]

16/12/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/12/16/separation-of-the-pcg-from-the-navy/

Manila Bulletin

‘White House’ of Mayor linked to illegal drug trafficking now object of scrutiny

Promenaders would hardly miss the so-called White House on the edge of the scenic Iloilo River Esplanade, now the object of scrutiny by investigators looking at the assets of its owner, Iloilo City Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog, who has been accused of involvement in the illegal drug trade.The three-story structure at Barangay Tap-oc in Molo District lies along the kilometer-long prime recreational area for walking, jogging, open-air dining and venue for water sports.Photos of the White House have gone viral online since President Duterte identified Mabilog as among the officials allegedly involved in illegal drugs.The mayor has repeatedly denied the allegation. But his inclusion on the drug list has heightened curiosity and focus on the source of his wealth and assets.His house was cited in the criminal and administrative complaints filed by former provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada in the Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the President against the mayor for alleged unexplained wealth and plunder.The Ombudsman Visayas is conducting a fact-finding investigation on the house based on Mejorada’s complaint.P50 million?Mejorada, a longtime critic of Mabilog, claimed that the cost of the house could reach P50 million based on its size and features.On Oct. 25, the mayor and his wife, Marivic, opened their house for the first time to reporters.Marivic said the house, constructed over three years, cost P7.9 million. It is among the properties declared in Mabilog’s 2015 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).“We wanted you to see for yourself and know the truth,” Marivic said.She said she and her husband earlier ignored negative posts on social media about their house “because we know and are comfortable with the truth.”But they decided to invite reporters after relatives abroad told them about the viral social media posts.House planThe house sits on a 200-square-meter lot within the family compound. The first floor is an open hall with its back wall facing the river and adjacent to the promenade.The master bedroom, living area and kitchen are on the second floor, which opens to two terraces, one facing the river. The third floor has two bedrooms with a common bathroom for their 21-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son.“We only have a P10-million view,” Marivic said in belying allegations on the cost of the house.Mabilog has insisted that his assets were accumulated from his earnings as a businessman and that of Marivic, who was employed for 21 years, rising to become vice president for finance and comptroller of Terracom Geotechnique, a geodetic engineering firm based in Calgary, Canada. She retired in December 2014.“We saved for this house and this is among the fruits of our labor,” Marivic said.But Mejorada alleged that the house cost much more than what Mabilog had declared and beyond the means of the couple.High-endCiting data from a tax declaration covering the property, Mejorada said the house had a floor area of 555.51 square meters with a market value of P5,551,070 and assessed value of P2,775,540.But he said the construction costs, including those for mechanical and electrical fixtures, could be P35 million.The estimated cost of a detached high-end house ranges from P53,900 per sqm to P63,150 per sqm, he said, citing Construction Cost Handbook for the Philippines (2015).He said the cost could be higher, claiming that the glass windows were supplied by Kenneth & Mock, which specializes in top-of-the-line windows and doors.The installation cost of the glass windows is estimated to be between P5 million and P7 million, he said.Mejorada served as campaign manager and spokesperson of businessman Rommel Ynion whom Mabilog defeated in the 2013 mayoral election.In his 2015 SALN, Mabilog declared a net worth of P64,670,405.7

['Nestor P. Burgos Jr.']

2018-10-03 00:04:02+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/837110/white-house-of-mayor-linked-to-illegal-drug-trafficking-now-object-of-scrutiny

Inquirer

Palparan transferred to Bilibid Wednesday

Convicted military general Jovito Palparan Jr. will be transferred to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City on Wednesday (October 3) to serve his sentence, a Palace official said.Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. told reporters that Armed Forces chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. confirmed to him the transfer date of Palparan.“Sir, accordingly this coming Wednesday,” Roque said, quoting Galvez.Palparan and two others were sentenced last month to life imprisonment for the 2006 kidnapping and disappearance of University of the Philippines students Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño.After handing down the sentence, Malolos Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 15 Judge Alexander Tamayo issued a commitment order for the transfer of Palparan, and Lt. Col. Felipe Anotado Jr. and Staff Sgt. Edgardo Osorio to NBP.Army spokesman Louie Villanueva earlier confirmed that Palparan is still in their custody.“Gen. Palparan is still under the custody of Army Custodial Center since the army is still waiting for the decision of the court (regarding) his disposition,” Villanueva said.He said Palparan has a pending case with another court, which issued a separate commitment order stating that the retired army major general should remain in the custody of the military.Palparan was charged before Bulacan RTC Branch 19 for the disappearances of brothers Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo.

['Catherine S. Valente']

2018-10-03 00:04:02+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/palparan-transferred-to-bilibid-wednesday/447772/

Manila Times

Andanar suspects saboteurs in PCOO

Given the flurry of gaffes by his team, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar can’t help thinking that he’s being targeted by saboteurs at times.Andanar admitted on Monday that the possibility of sabotage had crossed his mind following conversations with many people, including friends, after a series of blunders hit the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO).The latest was the PCOO’s misidentification of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian as “Sen. Winston Gatchalian” in a June 13 press release.“But as a technocrat, I would like to think it’s really an organizational problem, and we should keep at fixing the problem and finding the right solution, a lasting solution, that should be the case,” Andanar said in a radio interview.He said that if he would continue to think he was being sabotaged, he would go crazy and “would not fit to function.”Murphy’s LawOtherwise, it could be that Murphy’s Law, a popular adage that states that “whatever can go wrong, will go wrong,” has caught up with his office, he added.The article that got Gatchalian’s first name wrong came out only two days after the PCOO wrongly identified former Representative and ex-National Security Adviser Jose Roilo Golez as “Rogelio” Golez, who died on June 11.On June 14, the PCOO again made a mistake when it released a picture of the Norwegian ambassador’s farewell call on President Duterte and congratulating him on his service “as the representative of Norwegia,” instead of Norway.Gatchalian reactionGatchalian on Monday tried to make light of PCOO’s blunder with his name.“After everything has been said and done over the weekend, let’s look at the positive side. At least now I know what to name my child in the future—‘Winston,’” the unmarried Gatchalian joked on Twitter.Roque has apologized to the senator for the gaffe. While Gatchalian acknowledged the apology, he said he hoped this would be the last time.“I hope (and pray) that this error will be the final one. Thank you for the acknowledgment,” Gatchalian wrote in his post, along with a screenshot of the PCOO’s erratum.In a text message, the senator said he appreciated the agency’s “immediate acknowledgment” of its error.“But moving forward, PCOO should seriously review its standard operating procedures as well as the qualifications of its manpower,” Gatchalian said.He said the Senate had not been remiss in the allocation of funds for the operation of PCOO. “They should do better from now on,” he said.The PCOO received a budget of P1.38 billion this year.

['Christine O. Avendaño', 'Dj Yap']

15/10/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1004116/andanar-suspects-saboteurs-in-pcoo

Inquirer

First Filipino airline flight over Polar region inaugurated

flew 7,200 nautical miles or 13,300 kilometers and traveled over Canada, Greenland, the Arctic Circle, Russia, Mongolia and parts of China. The flight was conducted at cruising altitudes ranging from 29,000 to 37,000 feet.PAL President and COO Jaime J. Bautista proudly said: “This was the first non-stop direct flight from Toronto to Manila over the polar region (north pole). Congratulations to the PAL team which made this flight a reality and most importantly, congratulations to our PAL flight deck crew under the leadership of Capt. Chuck. You make us proud.”

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19/12/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/12/19/first-filipino-airline-flight-over-polar-region-inaugurated/

Manila Bulletin

SMC’s Ang offered Duterte a jet, but…

Businessman Ramon Ang offered to buy President Duterte a private jet upon learning Mr. Duterte continues to take commercial flights even after winning the presidency last year.The President himself revealed the offer in a speech at the groundbreaking of the Biyaya ng Pagbabago Housing Project at Tugbok district here.“[Ang] said it was not safe. It was OK when I was still mayor but not anymore because I am the President already,” Mr. Duterte told his audience, which included Ang, who was seated a few feet away.He said Ang, majority owner of conglomerate San Miguel Corp., offered to buy him a Gulfstream jet, costing from $21 million to $65 million.“His offer was he would buy me a Gulfstream but I declined. I said I’m fine with commercial flights. I told him he was owner of (Philippine Airlines) before so he knew PAL is working efficiently,” Mr. Duterte said.When he urged Ang to give the money to the people instead, the businessman asked him if he had any foundation and he suggested the one put up by his late mother Soledad, Mr. Duterte said.The money that was supposed to be spent for the Gulfstream was instead used to buy land for the landless and houses for the homeless.Mr. Duterte said Ang initially insisted on being anonymous “but I convinced him to come out in the open so the people will not ask anymore where we got the money.”Like Ang, Mr. Duterte said there were other people who insisted on anonymity in extending help to poor people through such an undertaking as the Biyaya ng Pagbabago Housing Project.That’s why Mr. Duterte urged the beneficiaries of the housing project to protect their new property and not resell it.“Don’t sell it. If you do, I’ll put up a flagpole there but I will not raise a flag there. I will hang those who would sell their properties,” he said, eliciting laughter.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

17/01/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/897906/smcs-ang-offered-duterte-a-jet-but

Inquirer

Japanese group to help establish bio mass facility in Butuan

A group of Japanese investors and consultants are set to help the city government here to establish a bio mass energy facility.These Japanese investors and consultants were recently here and pledged to help the city government on the energy project.It was gathered that the bio mass energy project was one of the 12 major projects of the city government lined up under the Integrated Regional Economic Development (IRED) in Caraga region, recently approved by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.“This bio mass energy project will really be a big help to our growing city, especially in the business sector,” said City Mayor Ronnie Vicente C. Lagnada.The group of Japanese investors and consultants from the CHODAI Company Ltd., headed by Masyaki Oura, was composed of Odette M. Duban, Deok Soo Lee, Yusuke Fukimura, coordinator of Business Development Section; Jun Kaisuka, Social Environment Division; and Aya Asai, Chief Engineer of the Social Environment Division.They paid a courtesy visit on the city officials here and relayed their intention to help in establishing the bio mass energy project.The group was particular about pollution, including noise pollution, it was also gathered.The Japanese investors and consultants also visited the the regional office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) January to seek a copy of DENR policy guidelines about the proposed two-mega-watt (MW) bio mass energy facility.DENR 13 officials, led by Regional Director Charlie E. Fabre, assisted the Japanese investors and consultants.Details of the bio mass project shall be the result of the feasibility study that will be undertaken by Chodai Co. Ltd consultants and services. The facility is expected to start operation in 2020.The city government wanted to develop a sustainable power supply from rice husks, coconut husks and other materials from waste to produce a two-megawatt power plant.

[]

17/01/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/01/17/japanese-group-to-help-establish-bio-mass-facility-in-butuan/

Manila Bulletin

DOH: Lift TRO on contraceptives

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday joined calls for lifting a temporary restraining order (TRO) on contraceptives during the first Family Planning Conference in Quezon City.The DOH, together with the Commission on Population (Popcom) and the Forum for Family Planning and Development Inc., hopes to collect one million signatures as an initiative against the TRO that is considered anti-women and anti-poor.The TRO issued by the Supreme Court (SC) prohibits promotion, distribution and marketing of contraceptives.The order is seen preventing a third of women in a relationship in the country to practice family planning through using contraceptives, Juan Antonio Perez 3rd, executive director of Popcom, said.The National Demographic and Health Survey in 2013 showed 81 percent of women of reproductive age want to delay their pregnancies or prevent getting pregnant, yet 18 percent of them are not using contraceptives.Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said in a message read by Dr. Francia Laxamana, DOH assistant secretary, that the SC needs to understand that the health of Filipinos especially women is the focus of the provisions of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law.Former President Fidel Ramos shared his insights about family planning and his experience during his presidency.President Rodrigo Duterte also showed his support through a message, saying he hopes the conference attendees will ‘”gain deeper understanding of the importance and advantages of family planning so that they, too, may help formulate viable actions to accelerate progress in our agenda of reform including population control and poverty reduction.”

['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']

2016-11-21 22:41:21+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/doh-lift-tro-contraceptives/297720/

Manila Times

Duterte makes unexpected ‘solomonic’ decision on Kuwait issue

Following the recent developments that rocked the relationship between the Philippines and Kuwait, Malacañang revealed that President Duterte has made an unexpected decision on how to deal with the gulf state.Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after it was reported that Duterte, upon his arrival here in Singapore for the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit, discussed with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano the course of action to be taken regarding the Kuwait issue.While the President will make the announcement the moment he returns to the Philippines on Saturday evening, Roque on Friday night said that Duterte made a rather ‘solomonic’ decision.“Parang (It seems like) he’s been thinking long and hard about it. Sinabi niya kung ano’ng gagawin niya (He told us what he is going to do), which was really neither the recommendation [of secretaries Bello and Cayetano]. I think it was he who thought it himself,” Roque told reporters after his press briefing Friday evening.“Medyo solomonic (It’s a rather solomonic decision). My immediate answer is I did not expect that. It’s a Duterte pronouncement so of course it’s dramatic,” he added.The Philippines and Kuwait are supposed to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the gulf state. However, the signing is put to uncertainty after Kuwait declared Philippine ambassador Renato Villa persona non grata, and recalled their ambassador Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh.Kuwait ordered Villa to leave the gulf state within the week following his supposed inflamatory remarks against the government, and for the rescue operations early this week which they called an illegal raid.However, Roque said that the fate of the MOU is now put to uncertainty.“I do not know anymore what will happen to the MOU. As I said, even when I addressed this issue in Malacañang but I do not know,” he said.“Everything is up in the air now with recent developments, with the Kuwaiti ambassador being recalled and the Philippine ambassador declared persona non grata. So anything we say on this matter will be pure speculation and let’s not speculate,” he added.Roque also described that Duterte’s decision was certainly a very different reaction to the controversy.“It was the course of action that was not specifically recommended by anyone. He made up his mind and I appreciate it. It shows really his experience in governance and there’s wisdom, I guess, even in his number of years of leadership, as well as in his age. But he will announce it,” he said.The tension between the Philippines and Kuwait started when Duterte lashed out against the gulf state for the death of Joanna Demafelis. Demafelis was reportedly beaten to death by her employers in Kuwait and was stuffed inside a freezer for more than a year in an abandoned apartment unit. Her body was discovered only this February after being declared missing since November, 2016.Demafelis’ death prompted Duterte to order a total deployment ban of new OFWs to Kuwait and said that he will only lift the ban if Kuwait agrees to sign an MOU that aims to protect OFWs from abusive employers.Some of the conditions that Duterte want in the MOU were for OFWs in Kuwait to get a day-off and holiday off and/or pay, be able to cook their own meal, get at least seven hours of sleep, have their own cellphones, and their passports not confiscated.However, with the recent development, Cayetano said that he will recommend against the signing of the MOU and the lifting of the ban until Kuwait clarifies its stand on declaring Villa persona non grata. Cayetano noted that Musaed assured him that Kuwait likes Villa and would like him to finish his tenure.Bello, meanwhile, said that he will go to Kuwait after Labor Day to find out himself the real situation and hopefully talk to his counterpart about the possibility of strengthening the relations between the two countries.

[]

27/04/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/27/duterte-makes-unexpected-solomonic-decision-on-kuwait-issue/

Manila Bulletin

Court finds probable cause to try Corona for perjury

Former Chief Justice Renato Corona is expected to receive an unwanted gift on his birthday.The Sandiganbayan has found probable cause to put Corona on trial for perjury and false declaration in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).The antigraft court has set the arraignment of Corona on 16 counts of criminal charges for Oct. 15, which falls on his 67th birthday.In an interview after the judiciary budget hearings in the House of Representatives on Thursday, Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang said the court voted 4-1 to dismiss Corona’s motion for judicial determination of probable cause to put him on trial.The Sandiganbayan’s special third division also upheld the legality of the complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman.“There is probable cause that he has committed the crime… My recollection is that there are certain properties that he failed to include in his SALN for a number of years based on the documents submitted,” Tang said.Tang, who also chairs the third division, penned the resolution and was joined by Associate Justices Alex Quiroz, Jose Hernandez and Ma. Theresa Dolores Estoesta.Corona, whose designation as Chief Justice on May 17, 2010, was described by President Aquino as a midnight appointment, was charged with eight counts of perjury and eight counts of violation of Republic Act No. 6713, also known as the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.Dissenting opinionAssociate Justice Samuel Martires voted against the majority and issued a 62-page dissenting opinion, a copy of which was obtained by the Inquirer.The former Chief Justice, who was also sued by the Ombudsman in a P130-million forfeiture case, was unseated by the Senate impeachment court in 2012 for culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust.In his separate opinion, Martires argued that the cases against Corona should be dismissed for lack of probable cause.“Firstly, there is no legal basis for the filing of charges against the accused Corona,” Martires said.“Secondly, the accused cannot be charged with perjury under the Revised Penal Code. Neither can he be charged both for perjury and violation of Section 8 of RA 6713,” he argued.In addition, Martires said the Ombudsman was “devoid of authority to file these cases” against the former Chief Justice.The Office of the Ombudsman indicted Corona for allegedly deliberately lying on his true net worth by not declaring properties and several bank accounts as well as undervaluing a number of real-estate properties that he declared.During its probe, the Ombudsman special panel of investigators said that from 2001 to 2011, Corona and his wife earned a total of P30.4 million.Of the total, P27.1 million was earned by Corona as a government official.Impeached in 2011Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives in December 2011 in connection with false declarations of wealth on his SALN.At the impeachment trial in 2012, the senators, who acted as judges, found Corona guilty of betraying the public trust and committing culpable violation of the Constitution.The Senate decision removed Corona from his post, disqualified him from holding public office and opened him to possible criminal cases.Originally posted as of 3:22 PM | August 13, 2015RELATED STORIESSandigan finds probable cause to put Corona on trial for perjuryHistoric impeachment trial ends gov’t career of Renato Corona

['Marc Jayson Cayabyab', 'Marlon Ramos']

2018-10-31 12:59:03+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/712713/sandiganbayan-indicts-ex-chief-justice-corona-for-perjury-over-undeclared-wealth

Inquirer

Grand reunion for UP law class 1976

The University of the Philippines (UP) Law Class of 1976 will hold a grand reunion and book launch on Oct. 20 to cap a year-long commemoration of its Ruby Anniversary Jubilee at the Sequoia Hotel in Quezon City.Titled “Present Perfect,” the book memorializes 40 years of life’s journey of members of the 61st batch of UP College of Law graduates.The book was put together by an editorial staff composed of Jorge Cabildo, Moises Tolentino Jr., Wilfredo Trinidad, David Simon, Randolph Salazar, Ceasar Oracion and Benjamin Subido, with cover design by Kinjo Estioko.Lucien Sayuno was project manager for the book that also carries articles from Civil Law Prof. Ruben Balane and Prof. Patricia Salvador Daway.Led by its president, Victoria delos Reyes, the 1976 class was the first batch of martial law graduates. It was also one of the few classes with 100-percent passing record in the Bar exams with its top two graduates also topping the Bar.Hailed by former Dean Salvador Carlota as “one of the strongest classes” he had handled, the class has since made significant contributions to the law profession and public service.The class produced three justices—Court of Appeals and Sandiganbayan—and three regional trial court judges. It also produced one university president, three law school deans and dozens of law professors and lecturers.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-10-31 12:59:03+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/937788/philippine-news-updates-university-of-the-philippines-ruby-anniversary-jubilee-sequoia-hotel

Inquirer

Two dead in Spain as Europe wilts under record heatwave

people are beginning to experience water shortages, even if drinking supplies remain unaffected for now.– Sweden: hottest July in 250 years –With almost no rainfall since May, Sweden experienced its hottest July in more than 250 years, with the drought and high temperatures sparking wildfires across the country, even as far north as the Arctic Circle. The fires have largely abated. A glacier on Sweden’s Kebnekaise mountain has melted so much that it is no longer the country’s highest point, raising concerns about the rapid pace of climate change.But relief may be on the way: meteorologists are forecasting cooler temperatures and thundershowers across the country on Saturday.– France: health alert –Temperatures passed 40 degrees Celsius in France for the first time this summer on Friday as millions hit the roads for August vacations, with sweltering conditions forecast to persist into next week. Wide swathes of the country have been placed on heatwave alert with the health ministry rolling out a TV and radio campaign alerting people to the dangers of what is expected to be the most intense heatwave since 2006.However national weather service Meteo France said conditions were not as severe as in August 2003, when several days of scorching heat caused more than 11,000 deaths. A daycare centre in Strasbourg, northeast France, turned to toys to keep youngsters cool. “The youngest are wearing only diapers and every once in a while we spray them with water toys,” its deputy director Carol Hebbel told AFP.– Britain: retail sales down –In Britain, the heatwave has hit retail sales, which were down 1.1 percent in July, according to accountancy firm BDO. “While the sunshine and buzz around England’s World Cup run was a boost for pubs and supermarkets, the scorching conditions did not encourage physical shopping and only hindered footfall in shops,” said BDO’s Sophie Michael.“While temperatures may have been rising, retailers are being frozen out. Summer is proving to be something of a disaster for shops.”– Belgium: more road accidents –The Belgian road safety authority VIAS reported an increase in the number of road accidents as a result of the heatwave. “The daily average number of accidents is 15 percent higher during a heatwave. And the accidents are more serious,” VIAS spokesman, Stef Willems, was quoted by Belgian media as saying.– Poland: drownings –As many in Poland look for a cool respite from the scorching weather, the police said nearly 250 people had drowned since the beginning of April, including 75 in July alone. Police blamed alcohol-fuelled swims in unsupervised areas.– Italy: free bottles of water –

[]

03/08/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/08/03/two-dead-in-spain-as-europe-wilts-under-record-heatwave/

Manila Bulletin

Ex-DAR regional director faces malversation charge

Yusoph B. Mama, former Regional Director for Davao City of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), has been slapped with a malversation charge before the Sandiganbayan Second Division due to reportedly anomalous cash advances from 1997 to 1999.Mama, who also ran as governor for Lanao del Sur during the 2013 elections, was accused of violating Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code when he allegedly misappropriated to his own personal use the amount of R184,904.Assistant Special Prosecutor III Jorge B. Espinal wrote in the charge sheet against him that the public funds, which represented Mama’s cash advances from August 1997 to February 1999, was intended for the duties of his office.Despite demands made upon Mama to account for said public funds, Espinal said that “accused had failed to do so, to the damage and prejudice of the government and the public interest.”His bail bond has been set at P40,000.Mama is known as a Moro leader from Marawi, and he was even elected as the first Filipino-Muslim president of the National Council of Career Executive Service Organizations (NCCESO) sometime in the 1990s.

[]

02/09/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/02/ex-dar-regional-director-faces-malversation-charge/

Manila Bulletin

Lawaan, E. Samar’s new town hall unveiled

The new municipal hall of Lawaan, Eastern Samar was recently inaugurated as part of continuing assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to the rehabilitation and recovery efforts in areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.The single storey building made of reinforced concrete that sits on a 3,100 sqaure meter lot, was built in the very same location as the old municipal building which was severely damaged by the typhoon in 2013.About 12,000 Lawaan residents were displaced by the super typhoon.The new building is one of two municipal buildings for reconstruction under JICA’s Grant Aid scheme along with Marabut town hall expected to be completed within the year.

[]

01/03/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/01/lawaan-e-samars-new-town-hall-unveiled/

Manila Bulletin

Duterte signs executive order on ‘endo’

President Rodrigo Duterte signed here on Labor Day an executive order (EO) that prohibits illegal labor contracting but still allows some forms of contractualization, a scheme used by employers to avoid regularizing workers.The EO dismayed labor groups and got some members of the business community worried.The President, whose campaign promise was to end contractualization and “endo,’’ acknowledged that a more comprehensive action on contractualization had to be done by revisiting the Labor Code, which he described as “outdated.”Endo, or end of contract, refers to a contractualization scheme that offers short-term and unprotected temporary work arrangements.Section 2 of the EO bans “illegal contracting and subcontracting” when undertaken to circumvent workers’ right to security of tenure, self-organization and collective bargaining, and peaceful concerted activities.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told reporters that other forms of contractualization — like seasonal or project-based jobs of janitors and maintenance workers that can be outsourced — were still permitted.The EO also provides that the labor secretary may declare specific activities that can be contracted out in consultation with the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council.It was Bello who read the entire EO before the President’s speech.Calling on Congress“I remain firm in my commitment to put an end to endo and illegal contractualization. However, I believe that in order to implement an effective and lasting solution to the problems brought about by contractualization, Congress needs to enact a law amending the Labor Code,” he said in his speech after he signed the EO.The President signed the EO in front of thousands of job applicants and local officials in the IEC Pavilion in Barangay Mabolo here.‘Memorable’He said he didn’t answer questions regarding the EO before, despite a clamor from labor groups, because he had wanted to sign it on Labor Day to make it more “memorable.”The President also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to submit to his office a list of all companies engaged in or suspected to be engaged in labor-only contracting.‘Cabo’ days numbered“To all noncompliant and abusive employers under the so-called cabo, who are engaging in labor contracting, your days are numbered,” he said.“I have warned you before and I warn you again, I’ll cut off your heads. That’s not right. Stop endo and illegal contractualization,” he added.The President said he would see to it that laws were strictly enforced.“The government will not rest until we end this shameful labor practice,” he said.The order also mandated the labor secretary to inspect establishments to check compliance with all labor laws, including provisions in the EO.No real bearingWhile it’s a step in the right direction, the President’s EO has no real bearing on existing labor policy, said Sen. Joel Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor, employment and human resources development committee.But at least, “the President reiterated his call to end endo and illegal contractualization,” Villanueva said in a statement.Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III told reporters that legislating a new labor law would be a priority at the resumption of Congress on May 15. “[It will] focus on ending illegal contractualization,” he said.Some businessmen had reservations with the EO but nevertheless said they would just have to “live with it.”Ecop, PCCI reactionsThe Employers Confederation of the Philippines (Ecop) and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) said they were worried over the definition of some terms in the EO.They found the definition of “security of tenure” and the possible loose or abused rules of engagement in the enforcement of certain prohibitions “worrisome.”“[The] government though must be credited in its serious and sincere effort to craft an EO that meets the expectation of both labor and capital,” they said.The labor department’s office in Central Visayas is making a list of companies engaged in labor-only contracting in Cebu as well as in Siquijor, Negros Oriental and Bohol provinces.

['Jose Santino S. Bunachita']

2017-09-18 20:43:54+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/986964/duterte-signs-executive-order-on-endo

Inquirer

'Ballots for October polls good for next year'

‘Ballots for October polls good for next year’home/News/Nation/‘Ballots for October polls good for next year’THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) can still use the ballots intended for the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataang (SK) polls next month if Congress decides to postpone it, Chairman Juan Andres Bautista said.Commissioner Rowena Guanzon disputed this, saying the ballots can no longer be used.Bautista pointed out that it has already been done in the past, and the Comelec may come out with a resolution stating that even if the ballots are for the October 23, 2017 barangay and SK elections, these can still be used at a later date.He explained that the village and youth polls would be done manually and are not as complicated as the automated elections.Bautista admitted that storing the ballots would be a challenge because these should be kept in a secure place to prevent tampering.“We can come out with a resolution for the purpose or we can ‘snowpake’ the ballots to change the date but it will entail a lot of expenses,” he said.But Guanzon said using “snowpake” to change the date on the ballots will affect the credibility of the elections.“The law requires the date to be printed on the ballot, Imagine a situation where Comelec personnel will snowpake the date one by one. Snowpake remedy will risk the credibility of the elections,” she added.Election lawyers George Garcia and Manuelito Luna agreed that the Comelec can legally use the ballots.Garcia noted that the law is specific on the date of elections on the ballot but he also pointed out that “the law gives Comelec greater latitude of discretion.”Luna said that since the barangay and SK elections will be done manually, the poll body can use the ballots at a later date so as not to waste government resources. “Legally, it is feasible for Comelec to do that,” he added.Some P6 billion has been allotted for the twin polls, including the printing of ballots and other paraphernalia and procurement of election materials.On August 14, the House of Representatives’ Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms approved a bill postponing the October 23 barangay and youth elections to May 2018.The Senate has yet to approve its version.

['William Depasupil']

2017-09-18 20:43:54+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/ballots-october-polls-good-next-year/351381/

Manila Times

Duterte appoints new Sandiganbayan justice

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed a new magistrate to the anti-graft court.A transmittal letter from Malacañang through Deputy Executive Secretary Meynard Gueverra to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said the President has appointed Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 65 Judge Edgardo Caldona.A graduate of Ateneo de Manila University, Caldona had served as a lawyer in the Sandiganbayan under the Office of Justice Sabino de Leon.He later on worked as court attorney of the Supreme Court under then-Chief Justice Renato Corona.Caldona became an RTC judge of Pangasinan prior to his appointment as judge of Makati RTC.Like Corona, he is also a member of the Utopia fraternity.The Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) shortlisted in December 2016 five RTC judges, including Caldona, and an Ombudsman director for the position of Associate Justice of the Sandiganbayan that was vacated by Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Jose Hernandez, who retired on November 16, 2016.Makati RTC Judges Maryann Corpus-Manalac and Honorio Guanlao Jr. also contested the job.Also on the shortlist is Aparri, Cagayan RTC Judge Oscar Zaldivar and Bayani Jacinto, a director from the Office of the Ombudsman.There are now seven divisions of the Sandiganbayan, which is composed of a Presiding Justice and 20 Associate Justices.The seven-man JBC, which is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, is headed by Sereno, with ex-officio members Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd, Sen. Richard Gordon and Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali.

['Jomar Canlas']

2017-05-23 22:34:20+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-appoints-new-sandiganbayan-justice-2/328831/

Manila Times

Tagle appeals to faithful for assistance to storm survivors

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Tagle called on the faithful to extend assistance to the survivors of Tropical Storms “Urduja” and “Vinta” in the Visayas and Mindanao that left more than 200 dead and scores missing.The international community has also offered assistance to the Philippines. Japan has joined the United Nations and the European Union in expressing willingness to help the survivors.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday said his country was ready to send emergency relief goods “to the maximum extent possible” for the tens of thousands affected by Vinta.On Church-run Radio Veritas, Tagle appealed to the public’s generosity, especially during the Christmas season. “It is only right that we become channels of goodness for our brothers who lost their loved ones, homes and livelihood.”He urged the faithful to forward aid to the victims through Caritas offices or social action centers.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-11-12 00:03:44+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/955439/tagle-appeals-to-faithful-for-assistance-to-storm-survivors

Inquirer

P50B not enough for Marawi rehab, says Lorenzana

A war chest of P50 billion may not be enough to rehabilitate Marawi City given the extensive damage it has suffered from the battle between government forces and Islamic State-inspired extremists, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Friday.Lorenzana said the amount was his initial estimate when asked during a recent Senate hearing how much would be needed for Marawi’s reconstruction.“But when we went there last week with the President … I think P50 billion is not enough. The destruction is really massive,” Lorenzana said in a press briefing in Malacañang.A postconflict assessment group that includes members of the Philippine Army and the Department of Public Works and Highways has begun inspecting the cleared areas of the city to check on the conditions there, he said.P20 billionPresident Duterte earlier pledged P20 billion for the Marawi rehabilitation efforts, promising to restore the city to its former glory.Lorenzana said the government would use the funds donated by other countries for Marawi’s reconstruction, except those from China, which specified that its grant would go to the wounded soldiers.Australia has pledged P1 billion, while the United States said it would give P730 million. Japan and Thailand have pledged P100 million each. The European Union has also pledged P49 million.Of China’s P85-million donation, P70 million would be for the wounded soldiers, and P15 million for their rehabilitation.Meanwhile, Lorenzana also said the Department of National Defense would be seeking an additional budget of P2.5 billion this year to replenish funds depleted by its operations in Marawi.Most of the funds had been used for ammunition, fuel, medicines and incidental expenses, such as evacuation. The request for more funds was already forwarded to the Department of Budget and Management, he said.Congress had also promised to pass a supplemental budget, he said.Lorenzana said the conflict in Marawi was winding down based on the assessment of ground commanders. The fighting has displaced about 200,000 residents and destroyed roads, homes and other buildings.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

2018-11-12 00:03:44+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/931001/p50b-not-enough-for-marawi-rehab-says-lorenzana

Inquirer

Stay away from drugs, Bong Go urges youth

Former Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go urged the youth to avoid illegal drugs, saying drug use ruins lives and families.He lauded members of Kabataan Kontra Droga at Terorismo (KKDAT) for their active participation in nation-building.“Ang programang KKDAT ang magbibigay daan na mas mapakinggan ang boses ninyo upang mas epektibong matugunan natin ang mga problemang kasalukuyang hinaharap ng bansa. Sa totoo lang, napahanga niyo ako dahil sa kagustuhan niyong maging bahagi ng laban para sa pagbabago (The KKDAT program will allow you to be heard and will enable officials to better address the problems faced by the nation. Your desire to institute change is commendable),” Go said when he graced the KKDAT program in Davao City on Saturday.KKDAT is a program where young Filipinos engage in dialogues that help them gain more understanding about the effects of terrorism, violent extremism, and the abuse of illegal substance.Upon arrival in Manila on the same day, Go also reminded members of the Tricycle Operators and Drivers Association (TODA) in Navotas to stay away from illegal drugs.“Isipin ninyo, ‘yung pinagpaguran ninyo sa buong araw, masasayang lang at mapupunta sa wala sa paggamit ninyo ng droga. Sayang lang. Wala pang magandang naidudulot ‘yan,” Go said when he visited fire victims in Tangos North, Navotas.A TODA member approached Go and thanked him and President Rodrigo Duterte for their help. He admitted that he used to be a drug addict but he changed because of Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.Go said Filipinos should stay away from illegal drugs because it could tear families apart.“Nakakasira ng utak, nakakasira pa ng buhay ng pamilya (It can mess with your head, and ruin your family),” he warned.After his visit to Navotas, Go attended the Libreng Concert Para sa Kabataan ng Mandaluyong at the Rizal Techonological University. In his speech, he also encouraged the youth to focus on sports instead of illegal drugs.“Isa po ito sa aking adbokasiya – itong sports lalong-lalo na po ang basketball, in support of the President’s campaign laban sa droga, corruption at kriminalidad… isang paraan ang sports para malayo ang kabataan sa masamang bisyo (This is one of my advocacies, sports, especially basketball, in support of the President’s campaign against drugs, corruption and criminality. This is one way of keeping the youth away from drugs),” Go said.The former Palace official earlier said that if he wins in his Senate bid, he would review existing legislative measures with the aim of strengthening the fight against the illegal drug trade.This includes the possibility of amending the controversial Juvenile Justice Act, which the President has repeatedly said is being abused by drug syndicates to recruit minors into their ranks.

['The Manila Times']

2018-11-12 00:03:44+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/stay-away-from-drugs-bong-go-urges-youth/466136/

Manila Times

SAF chief: My men still alive at noon but no reinforcements came

Police Director Getulio Napeñas was sure of one thing: His men were still alive around noon last Sunday.That was about six hours after the second group of Special Action Force (SAF) commandos got into a gun battle with Moro rebels.The first group, for which the second force was providing cover, had shot its way out of Tukanalipao village in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, where it killed Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”“They were alive, sir, they were alive. Many of them were wounded and they had run out of ammunition,” Napeñas, the sacked SAF commander, quoted PO2 Christopher Lalan as telling him after the clash.Lalan was a member of the second SAF group who survived the gun battle with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas in Mamasapano. He was the lone survivor.Napeñas told this reporter in an interview on Thursday that the bodies of many of the 44 commandos who were killed in the Mamasapano operation showed that they had been given first aid.Combat casualty care“Their wounds were bandaged, or properly stitched. They had a fighting chance. They held on,” Napeñas said.All the 392 SAF commandos deployed to Mamasapano to get Marwan and local terrorist Abdul Basit Usman had undergone tactical combat casualty care, he said.“They carried individual life savers (ILS). I made sure all of them had ILS,” he added, referring to the emergency kits.The fire fight went on until the commandos ran out of ammunition. It was almost noon.Napeñas said the last contact with the troops, who were pinned down in a cornfield, was before 1 p.m. Help never arrived.Call for reinforcementsThe call for reinforcements went out at 6 a.m. That was when, according to Napeñas, coordination was done not just with the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, but also with the government peace panel and the leadership of the MILF.The nearest Philippine Army units that could respond were the Mechanized Brigade in Shariff Aguak town, the 45th Infantry Battalion in Mamasapano and the 601st Infantry Brigade in Awang town.“The most difficult thing was I knew my men were still alive and no reinforcements were coming other than our own forces,” Napeñas said.“It was difficult because I decided not to coordinate prior to our actual jump-off. I knew the Philippine Army in the area was ready to reinforce us at once. But they were also waiting for orders, and I understand that. I do not blame anyone, that’s why I said I was responsible,” he said.Fighting in the afternoonMamasapano Mayor Benzar Ampatuan confirmed to this reporter that IVs (intravenous), bandage and other medical items were found in one area in Tukanalipao where the bodies of the slain commandos were recovered.The area was about 4 to 5 kilometers away from the Pidsandawan village, where Marwan was cornered and killed by the SAF assault team.“We don’t know until what time they lived. We have no way to find out. What we know is that there was still fighting at 3 p.m., when negotiations were going on for the entry of the International Monitoring Team and the local government,” Ampatuan said.“But the fighting was far from the area where we were to retrieve the bodies. We got there about 5:30 p.m.,” he added.In an interview on Tuesday, Napeñas said he was taking full responsibility for what happened in Mamasapano.In that interview, he said his not coordinating the operation with his superiors—Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, the PNP officer in charge, and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas—delayed the arrival of reinforcements, which cost the lives of his men.But he just followed orders, he said.Who gave the go-signal?This reporter asked him who knew about the Mamasapano operation.Without hesitation he said: “The President, of course, because we had been working on this mission for a long time. As I told you, it was command commitment. We knew how dangerous Marwan was and that was the basis of this operation, to save the lives of the innocent people from the Bin Laden of Southeast Asia.”A senior police official who asked not to be named told this reporter that Napeñas also admitted to Roxas that it was President Aquino who authorized “Oplan Wolverine,” the mission to get Marwan, a bomb expert from the Indonesia-based terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.“Eventually this will come out and Napeñas owes it to the families of the fallen 44 to admit that he just followed orders because that’s what we do—we follow orders,” the police official said.In his televised address to the nation on Wednesday, President Aquino admitted that he knew about the operation, which was designed under the leadership of Director General Alan Purisima, the suspended PNP chief, based on an “actionable intelligence.”Mr. Aquino, however, did not categorically say that he gave the go-signal for the SAF mission.Intel solid, verifiedThe after-operation report submitted to the President by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission indicated that the intelligence information on the whereabouts of Marwan came from the SAF.Asked about it, Napeñas said the information came from a “capable” unit.“We just acted on it. The information was solid and verified. We got Marwan,” Napeñas said.Police Director Leocadio Santiago, a former SAF commander, described Napeñas as “dedicated, someone who is both a good subordinate and a leader who cares about the welfare of his men.”“I hope people will see the value of the deaths of the officers and men of the SAF. Those men lost their lives in the line of duty in a dangerous place. Let’s recognize that that place is a battleground and they gave their lives in the performance of their duty,” Santiago said.RELATED STORIES‘There was radio silence, a very long silence’PMA alumni call for ‘impartial’ probe on Mamasapano clashTaliño: Slain SAF men would say it’s (the mission) worth their lives‘Behind every brave SAF trooper is a strong wife’

['Arlyn Dela Cruz']

29/04/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/669540/saf-chief-my-men-still-alive-at-noon-but-no-reinforcements-came

Inquirer

Año to DILG, Duque back to DOH

President Duterte formally announced on Thursday the appointment of retired Gen. Eduardo Año as head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).Año, who stepped down on Thursday as Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, was replaced by Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo Borja Guerrero.At the AFP change of command ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Mr. Duterte said he was appointing Año special assistant to the President or undersecretary for the time being because the DILG Act of 1990 prohibited Año from assuming the post of interior secretary immediately.“From the military service to the civilian sector, you have to wait for one year,” the President said. “General Año, you’re always welcome to report. Maybe tomorrow, I’ll wait for you.”Mr. Duterte earlier said Año could have a rank of undersecretary in Malacañang but he “performs as officer in charge” of the DILG.Other appointmentsThe President also appointed Francisco Duque III as secretary of health, a post he left seven years ago.Duque would replace Paulyn Ubial, whose nomination was rejected by the Commission on Appointments (CA).Others offered new positions by Malacañang were Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque and Deputy Commissioner Jesus Clint Aranas of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).Roque has been offered to be the presidential spokesperson and Aranas, president and general manager of state-run pension fund Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).The President said Año “will now supervise the PNP (Philippine National Police) together with the acting interior secretary, retired PNP Director Catalino Cuy.”“General Año goes from a general to a secretary of the Cabinet. He would head the Department of the Interior and Local Government,” Mr. Duterte told him.The DILG law states that no retired or resigned military officer or police official may be appointed secretary within one year from the date of his retirement or resignation.Announcement in MayThe President first announced Año’s designation as the next DILG secretary on May 10 after then Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno was fired in April over alleged corruption involving the purchase of fire trucks from Austria.Undersecretary Cuy is running the DILG as acting secretary.On May 19, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the President had wanted Año to take over the DILG by June 2.But four days later, terrorists overran Marawi City and the President declared martial law in Mindanao. Año was designated chief martial law implementor.Año retired from the military on Thursday when he turned 56. The former Army commander became AFP chief of staff last December. He received his fourth star in January.Duque served as health secretary from 2005 to 2010 during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, a close ally of Mr. Duterte.He also served as PhilHealth president from 2001 to 2005.After leaving the Department of Health (DOH) in 2010, he headed the Civil Service Commission. In February this year, he was named chair of the GSIS.Duque obtained his medical degree from University of Santo Tomas. He also has a master of science degree, majoring in pathology, from Georgetown University.Health Undersecretary Herminigildo Valle welcomed the return of Duque to the DOH, saying the department “is ready to move forward under his able leadership.”Valle served as officer in charge of the DOH after Ubial was rejected by the CA.Presidential spokespersonRoque said he and Mr. Duterte were set to meet on Friday to discuss the President’s offer for him to become presidential spokesperson.“Will meet [the] President tomorrow [Friday],” Roque told the Inquirer in a text message when sought for his reaction to rumors that he would soon join Mr. Duterte’s communications team.Word spread earlier this week that Mr. Duterte wanted Roque to replace Abella.The President was said to have been disappointed with Abella’s explanation to the media that he was “fed with the wrong information” about a human rights body, and not the European Union parliamentarians, criticizing his administration’s human rights record.Aranas to GSISAranas, who helped in Mr. Duterte’s election campaign, was offered to be president and general manager of GSIS amid a power struggle in the BIR.Sources told the Inquirer that during a private dinner with Aranas on Sunday, the President told the BIR official that he would be appointed to the top GSIS post.Aranas is said to be in conflict with BIR Commissioner Caesar Dulay.While Aranas’ name had been mentioned as a major contender for the top BIR post before Mr. Duterte assumed office, it was Dulay, the President’s roommate at the Young Men’s Christian Association dormitory in the 1960s, who was eventually appointed.Aranas, who was the national treasurer of Mr. Duterte’s PDP-Laban, was later appointed deputy commissioner in charge of the tax agency’s legal group.Del Monte tax caseIn July, Dulay accused Aranas of initiating an inquiry into the alleged “anomalous reduction” of Del Monte Philippines Inc.’s tax liabilities.According to reports, Del Monte’s tax liabilities from 2011 to 2013 were slashed by the BIR to just P65.4 million from P30 billion.A case against Dulay and 16 other BIR officials was filed in June by a supposed whistle-blower and tax informant in the Office of the Ombudsman.

['Ben O. De Vera', 'Leila B. Salaverria', 'Nikko Dizon', 'Philip C. Tubeza']

29/04/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/940919/ano-to-dilg-duque-back-to-doh

Inquirer

Customs seizure of P1-B vessel in smuggling contested

The seizure by the Bureau of Customs (BOC) of a P1-billion cargo ship allegedly used in smuggling at the Port of Limay is being contested before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA), it was learned yesterday.The Seaworld Management and Trading, Inc. (SMTI) has filed a petition for review before the CTA over the Customs’ forfeiture of “M/T Alpine” last December 17 due to its involvement in the alleged unlawful discharge and transfer of fuel oil to “M/T Malolos” without paying taxes.The BOC said that SMTI questioned the legality of the seizure and forfeiture by the BOC-Port of Limay and appealed to the CTA to release the vessel.But BOC District Collector Julius Premediles, head of the BOC-Port of Limay, disputed SMTI’s claim, saying: “The non-payment of duties and taxes on the subject shipment which was discharged via loop loading from their vessel to MT Malolos qualifies the importation as contrary to law thus subject to seizure and forfeiture.”Premediles added that SMTI should have exhausted all administrative remedies before bringing the case to the CTA.

['Luzvisminda Filipinas']

29/04/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/29/customs-seizure-of-p1-b-vessel-in-smuggling-contested/

Manila Bulletin

Big fire hits Cavite market

Scores of stores and stalls in this town’s public market were razed by a more than three-hour fire that started late Thursday night.The fire alarm at the market in Barangay Poblacion, just at the back of the municipal hall, reached Task Force Alpha.Vice Mayor Jose “Nonong” Ricafrente said at least 30 stores and stalls were gutted down by what arson probers believed was an electrical-related fire.The cost of damage was initially estimated at P15 million, making it the biggest fire to hit the province’s first district this year.Municipal Fire Marshal FO1 Roland Dandan said that the fire started around 9:30 p.m. Thursday and declared out by 12:34 a.m. yesterday, but clearing operations continued until 11 a.m.

[]

16/12/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/16/big-fire-hits-cavite-market/

Manila Bulletin

US charges Iranians in massive hacking scheme

of academic data and intellectual property were stolen.This included “research, and other academic data and documents, including, among other things, academic journals, theses, dissertations, and electronic books,” the Justice Department said.“The defendants targeted data across all fields of research and academic disciplines, including science and technology, engineering, social sciences, medical, and other professional fields,” it said.David Bowdich, deputy director of the FBI, said the defendants are in Iran and “apprehending these individuals presents a challenge.”“(But) the long arm of the law reaches worldwide,” he said.“You cannot hide behind a keyboard half way around the world and expect not to be held to account,” Berman said.One of the 10 Iranians subject to sanctions, Behzad Mesri, was already indicted in November 2017 in connection with the theft of scripts and plot summaries for HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” and for trying to extort $6 million in Bitcoin out of the network.The Justice Department said that besides targeting university professors in the United States, the hackers also compromised accounts in Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.Rafatnejad, Mohammadi and the seven other Mabna Institute employees or contractors were charged with identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer intrusions and other crimes.

[]

23/03/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/23/us-charges-iranians-in-massive-hacking-scheme/

Manila Bulletin

From business to the battlefield

Entrepreneur Roberto Almario was attending to business in his comfortable Metro Manila office in May when he received a letter from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.It was a summon for the 48-year-old businessman to report for active service as a lieutenant colonel in the Army reserve.“I did not hesitate and accepted the 60-day call to active duty,” Almario told the Inquirer.The telco industry executive is not alone in this urban war zone; two other reservists have been assigned here after being called to active duty.“There are three of us reservists from Manila who are now on active duty here. One is a senior vice president of a bank, while the other is an IT expert,” Almario said.Though their tasks here have to do with communications, Almario said he and the two other reservists have also been on the front line.Sniper fireOn the day the Inquirer spoke with him, Almario was dodging sniper fire along with regular Army officers who were leading a mortar attack against an enemy position in the heart of the city.The father of two teenagers

['Jeoffrey Maitem', 'Richel Umel']

19/04/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/912161/from-business-to-the-battlefield

Inquirer

Online gambling operator in Cambodia barred from PH

A South Korean wanted for operating a multi-million dollar illegal online gaming racket in Cambodia has been barred from entering the country.The Bureau of Immigration blocked Jurng Wook Yi and placed him on its blacklist of undesirable aliens following his attempt to enter the Philippines last month.Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the 56-year-old South Korean had an arrest warrant for operating illegal gambling websites in Cambodia several years ago.“He was refused entry after it was found that he was the subject of a red notice from the Interpol due to a criminal case that was filed against him in Korea,” Morente said.Yi arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 last Feb. 11 aboard a Philippine Airlines flight from Incheon. Yi was immediately sent back to Incheon, where he was arrested by policemen.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

14/03/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/877356/online-gambling-operator-in-cambodia-barred-from-ph

Inquirer

Harmonized dev’t plan for Iloilo towns, Guimaras pushed

Local government units (LGUs) of the Metro Iloilo Guimaras Economic Development Council (MIGEDC) are looking forward to finalize and approve a working plan for the revitalization of the council this September.Its revitalization is geared towards the synchronization of the development plans of local government units that compose the council.Iloilo City Mayor Jose Espinosa III has called for a closed-door meeting with members of the council on Tuesday where they agreed to “review the working mechanism and system of the MIGEDC as a metropolitan organization” in April.Espinosa said they would like to have a “holistic” approach when planning for development such that this city takes into account it’s neighboring LGUs and Guimaras, and vice-versa.Iloilo City is the current chair of the MIGEDC with the province of Guimaras as co-chair while its members are the towns of Pavia, San Miguel, Oton, Leganes and Sta. Barbara in Iloilo and the president of the League of Municipalities of Guimaras.Espinosa said the last meeting of the MIGEDC was held more than a year ago. With its revitalization, the mayor wanted an authorized and permanent representative from each member.MIGEDC “focuses on the total development of the area.” He cited for instance Iloilo City gets its supply of food from its immediate vicinity.The development of Iloilo City has also made an impact on the transportation sector and boarding houses, among others, thus these have to be considered when making future plans.The upcoming bridge that would connect Guimaras and Iloilo City “will be advantageous to all of us,” the mayor said.Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno last week confirmed that the Iloilo-Guimaras bridge, which is part of the big ticket projects of the national government, will start construction this year.With this development, they should plan out on the concentration of each member, he said.He added that they need to consider whether or not Pavia and Oton will be the industrial center, Zarraga for food production and food security aspect and Guimaras on tourism.MIGEDC was created by virtue of Executive Order 559 signed by former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on August 28, 2006.It was the fruit of the merger of the Metropolitan Iloilo Development Council (MIDC) that was created through a Memorandum of Agreement in 2001 and the Guimaras-Iloilo City Alliance (GICA) that was formalized in 2005.MIDC gathered Iloilo towns with focus on six areas of collaboration. These included basic services, environmental management, public safety and security, land use management, infrastructure development and economic promotion and development.GICA focused on tourism and infrastructure development with special focus on road and port systems improvement.This coming May, they will be holding a workshop where they will be guided by a consultant who will walk them through the crafting of an effective working plan. The draft will be presented to local chief executives of member-LGUs in July and for approval in September.

[]

14/03/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/14/harmonized-devt-plan-for-iloilo-towns-guimaras-pushed/

Manila Bulletin

Jeep drivers warn: Fare hike or strike

Jeepney groups have warned of a nationwide transport strike should the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) reject their petition for a P12 minimum fare as fuel prices surged to their highest levels in 10 years.Zenaida Maranan, president of the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association of the Philippines (Fejodap), said a strike was becoming “inevitable” as another round of increases was implemented on Tuesday, raising the price per liter of diesel and gasoline to a decade-high P49.60 and P60.50, respectively.The series of fuel price increases has drastically reduced jeepney drivers’ daily take-home pay from P500 to P300 for 15 hours’ worth of work, according to Maranan.Compounded by severe traffic congestion and surging inflation, jeepney drivers are starting to feel the pains of maintaining their public utility vehicles and being consumers themselves.Current minimum fare“I thought this government loved the poor. But it’s like they do not understand. People’s empty stomachs are what’s at stake here,” the Fejodap president said in an interview.“If the LTFRB refuses to grant our petition, then we have no other choice but to stage a (transport) strike,” she added.Currently, the minimum fare for jeepneys is P9 after the first round of provisional P1 increase granted by the board in July.But the LTFRB has yet to resolve the original petition filed by transport groups in September 2017, which sought a P4 increase that would bring the minimum fare to P12.The original petition cited, among other things, the rising costs brought on by the passing of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act.Neda guidanceLTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said the panel was still seeking the guidance of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) on whether it could grant the second and last round of provisional P1 increase, which would raise the minimum fare to P10.The provisional increases are to be implemented while the board deliberates on whether to grant the entire P4 fare hike petition.These could also be revoked if global oil price trends change, LTFRB Chair Martin Delgra said in an earlier interview.Obet Martin, Pasang Masda president, noted that when his group filed the petition, the price of gasoline was P36 a liter.‘Urgent’“Clearly, the expenses we had anticipated then have already gone overboard. An increase [in fares] is not only due, it is urgent,” Martin said.Echoing the sentiments of jeepney operators, Acto president Efren de Luna said the P5,000 subsidy given to the operators under the revived Pantawid Pasada Program was not enough to cover their daily expenses.The subsidy, as provided for under the TRAIN law, De Luna said, translates to only almost P27 per liter a day—barely enough to augment the drivers’ daily income.Remove excise on fuelBut while they are all lobbying for an increase, Maranan, Martin and De Luna agree that a much more permanent solution is not to raise transport fares but to remove the excise on oil and to regulate fuel prices.The Department of Finance expects inflation to remain at 6.4 percent in September, but the consensus forecast, according to Bloomberg, is higher at 6.9 percent.

['Krixia Subingsubing']

2016-11-03 20:57:42+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1038500/jeep-drivers-warn-fare-hike-or-strike

Inquirer

Ruffy’s pride of place: First to file House bill

ONE EARLY bird has beaten all other lawmakers scrambling for the honor of being the first person to file a bill in the 17th Congress, which will start on July 25.Returning Muntinlupa Rep. Rozanno Rufino “Ruffy” Biazon, a former customs commissioner, was the first to save a spot in what has turned into a long queue to the Bills and Index Service of the House of Representatives.Chairs, ranging from generic white monobloc ones to office swivel seats, have lined the south wing lobby of the Batasang Pambansa for the past three weeks to reserve their owner’s place in the queue, House officials said.As of Monday, the line stretched to 82 chairs, each bearing the lawmakers’ names, with Biazon’s at the very front.“The standing procedure in the filing of bills and resolutions is first-come, first-served. Queuing for the filing of bills is not sanctioned by us,” said Terence Grana, chief of the Indexing and Monitoring Group of the Bills and Index Service.“It was an arrangement made by the lawmakers’ staff members among themselves,” he said in a statement.Per House rules, the Bills and Index Service will begin accepting bills and resolutions from individual House members on July 4.Many lawmakers, however, have already drafted their proposed measures and are only waiting for the opportunity to submit them.Up to 5 bills eachBased on an agreement reached by staff members, each lawmaker can submit up to five bills and two resolutions for the initial round of filing, Grana said.The lawmakers can then file additional measures after the first round, he added.The group of 82 early filers is a mix of veteran and neophyte lawmakers, including returnees who are seeking to refile measures that did not make it in the 16th Congress due to lack of time.These include proposals on income tax reform, public order and security, better national and local governance, wage hike, institutionalization of the conditional cash transfer program, better health and other social services.Biazon is followed on the list by fellow veteran Representatives Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, Raul del Mar of Cebu City, Karlo Alexei Nograles of Davao City, Alfred Vargas III of Quezon City, Emmeline Aglipay-Villar of Diwa, Kaka Bag-ao of Dinagat Island and Antonio Tinio of Act Teachers.Newcomers in the queue of early birds include former Sen. Pia Cayetano of Taguig City, Geraldine Roman of Bataan (the country’s first transgender lawmaker) and Rogelio Pacquiao of Sarangani, a brother of boxer and now Sen. Manny Pacquiao.

['Dj Yap']

2016-11-03 20:57:42+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/792777/ruffys-pride-of-place-first-to-file-house-bill

Inquirer