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Escudero top VP candidate, says survey

SEN. FRANCIS “Chiz” Escudero is still the top choice among vice presidential aspirants as nearly three of 10 registered Filipino voters would pick him, the results of the Pulse Asia nationwide survey showed.Had the elections been held during the Dec. 4-11 survey, 29 percent of 1,800 respondents would vote for Escudero, who is running with presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe under “Team Galing at Puso.”The latest score was six ticks up from the 23 percent Escudero obtained during Pulse Asia’s noncommissioned survey on Sept. 8-14.Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stayed at second spot with 23 percent (from 13 percent), followed by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano with 18 percent (from 9 percent), Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo with 14 percent (from 3 percent), Sen. Gringo Honasan (name not yet included in September poll) with 9 percent and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV with 4 percent (unchanged).Escudero led among vice presidential candidates across areas, leading in the rest of Luzon (33 percent), Metro Manila (30 percent) and Visayas (27 percent) except in Mindanao (21 percent).Across socioeconomic groups, Escudero was favored by Classes D and E (29 percent) and Classes ABC (26 percent).MarcosMarcos, who teamed up with presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, was picked by 28 percent in Metro Manila, 26 percent in the rest of Luzon, 19 percent in Mindanao and 17 percent in Visayas.Marcos was the preferred vice presidential candidate by 20 percent both among Classes ABC and E and 23 percent among Class D.Cayetano, who is Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s running mate, led in Mindanao with 27 percent. The Senate majority leader obtained 18 percent in Visayas, 17 percent in Metro Manila and 13 percent in the rest of Luzon.Among classes, Cayetano was picked by 18 percent both in Classes D and E and 17 percent in Classes ABC.RobredoRobredo, Liberal Party’s vice presidential candidate, was selected by 21 percent in Visayas, 14 percent in the rest of Luzon, 10 percent in Mindanao, and 9 percent in Metro Manila. The widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo was chosen by 18 percent from Classes ABC, 14 percent from Class D and 12 percent from Class E.Honasan, who is running under United Nationalist Alliance with Vice President Jejomar Binay, was favored by 12 percent both in Metro Manila and Mindanao, and 8 percent both in Visayas and the rest of Luzon.A former military officer who led several coup attempts against the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino, Honasan was preferred by 12 percent in Class E, 11 percent in Classes ABC and 8 percent in Class D.TrillanesTrillanes of the Magdalo group, which has endorsed Poe’s bid for the presidency, would be voted for as Vice President by 5 percent both in Visayas and Mindanao, 4 percent in Metro Manila and 3 percent in the rest of Luzon.Only 4 percent of respondents from Classes D and E would pick Trillanes, while those from Classes ABC totaled 5 percent.The December survey asked respondents: “Of the people on this list, whom would you vote for as Vice President of the Philippines if the 2016 elections were held today and they were candidates?” It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2 percentage points. Inquirer Research

[]

05/08/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/749648/escudero-top-vp-candidate-says-survey

Inquirer

Nationwide quake drill postponed

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Tuesday announced the postponement of the nationwide earthquake drill scheduled for Sept. 21 after President Rodrigo Duterte declared that day a national day of protest.The Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill scheduled for Thursday was supposed to be the third this year. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), chaired by Lorenzana, holds quarterly drills to promote earthquake awareness, preparedness and resilience among communities.Malacañang said the President’s declaration meant a suspension of classes and work in government offices. Government offices and public schools are usually the main venues for the earthquake drills.The NDRRMC said it was necessary to postpone the drill “to ensure maximum participation” when it would be held at a date still to be set.Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Sept. 21, the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, would not be a special holiday. Private offices and schools could decide on their own whether to suspend work and classes on that day, he added.He said the day was “for people to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and to seek redress [of] their grievances against the government, past or present.”“The President understands that some people want to vent, and I suppose he also assumes most people want to vent on something … It’s a national day of protest,” Abella told reporters.Groups critical of the administration, such as the Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) and the newly formed #TindigPilipinas, are set to hold protests on Thursday.Ferdinand Gaite, national president of Courage, a leftwing coalition of government office unions, told the Inquirer that holiday or not his group will join Thursday’s protest rally.

['Nikko Dizon']

05/08/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/931893/nationwide-quake-drill-postponed

Inquirer

No ‘humanitarian crisis’ in Marawi

Malacañang on Friday denied there is a “humanitarian crisis” in Marawi City after President Rodrigo Duterte sought allies’ help in rebuilding the conflict-torn city.In a news conference, Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said Duterte welcoming aid from the country’s international partners is just “normal for friends” to help each other especially in times of crisis.“The President’s invitation for international partners to aid in rebuilding Marawi is not synonymous to humanitarian crisis. We have said in numerous occasions that we welcome foreign assistance in the Marawi situation, especially in the rehab and reconstruction and recovery phase, especially now that the troops are about to liberate the city from lawless elements,” Abella told reporters.“It is normal for friends and allies to support each other [when they] need a helping hand. And after all, we have our shared commitment with other countries to combat terrorism and attain sustainable peace,” he said.When asked how long the rehabilitation in Marawi would last, Abella replied that the government was not setting a specific date.“As to when the recovery and rehabilitation would last, the Bangon Marawi Plan has a short-term and a long-term timeline depending on the activities involved. So we are not giving any specific dates but there is a timeline, we have a short- and a medium-term—a short and medium and long-term timelines,” he said.Duterte, in a speech in Pampanga on Wednesday, invited allies of the Philippines to help in the rebuilding of Marawi City.“As our troops wrap up our operations against the remaining terrorists in Marawi, I also welcome our international partners into looking forward to rebuilding the city. This invitation extends to our allies who share with us the principles of goodwill and non-interference in our domestic affairs,” the President said.The United States, China and Australia have extended assistance to the Philippines through intelligence-sharing or monetary aid as government forces continue to battle Islamic State-inspired extremists in Marawi.In pursuing an “independent” foreign policy, Duterte has said the Philippines will reject foreign help if they come with strings attached.Amid the Marawi conflict, the Duterte administration has vowed to channel a P20-billion fund for the rehabilitation and recovery program for the war-torn city.On Friday, Abella reported that the number of civilians killed in Marawi is 44, following the recovery of 17 decomposing cadavers.He said 303 terrorists were killed while 82 government troops died in the fighting.A total of 1,713 civilians were rescued, while 382 firearms were recovered, the Palace official added.‘Generally peaceful’During the same news conference, Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, deputy commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the military had “effectively shielded Eastern Mindanao” from further terrorist attacks.“So after 38 days of martial law, [the] Eastern Mindanao Command, under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Guerrero, who is also the martial law implementor in Eastern Mindanao, has continuously prevented the spillover or spread of the Marawi crisis in our area of responsibility,” Gapay added.“We have effectively shielded Eastern Mindanao from terrorist attacks and deterred any diversionary, retaliatory or sympathetic attacks by the local terrorist groups here in Eastern Mindanao,” he said.The military official added, “Eastern Mindanao remains generally peaceful, safe and secure,” which he attributed to tightened security measures being implemented by the command.“We have also denied terrorists from making our area a safe haven, as their safe havens, sanctuaries, and even as transit points. This is largely attributed to the tightened security measures being implemented by the command,” Gapay said.As of Friday, he reported that a total of 17,494 checkpoint operations had been conducted, both fixed and mobile checkpoints.“We have apprehended 31 violators in these checkpoints. We have also confiscated 15 firearms and even confiscated illegal drugs during these checkpoint operations. So somehow, they also helped in law enforcement,” Gapay said.He added that the military has intensified intelligence coverage of the various threat groups and enhanced intelligence fusion among all government agencies.“We activated martial law special action groups to run after and apprehend, track, apprehend those terrorists and supporters included in the arrest order issued by the martial law administrator,” Gapay said.“And to complement this, we have established more than 5,900 barangay intelligence nets or community information collection networks to help us track these terrorists in our area of responsibility,” he added.Gapay reported that some 17,224 internally displaced persons and evacuees were accommodated in various cities and key areas in Eastern Mindanao.“We would like to thank the general public for your continued support and cooperation for the successful implementation of martial law here in our area,” he said.“Your continued vigilance and alertness are instrumental in this success. So let us continue working together to maintain the peace and preserve law and order here in Eastern Mindanao,” Gapay added.

['Catherine S. Valente']

2017-07-01 00:25:39+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/no-humanitarian-crisis-marawi/335828/

Manila Times

BIR finds ‘no anomaly’ in Sereno’s tax returns

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is yet to find an anomaly in Income Tax Returns (ITRs) of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.BIR Deputy Commissioner Arnel Guballa made the pronouncement on Wednesday, the same day that the BIR submitted the ITRs of Sereno from 2004 to 2009 after previous impeachment hearings revealed that she failed to file her SALN 17 times from 1986 to 2006 or during her tenure as professor at the state-run University of the Philippines (College of Law).One of the charges in the impeachment complaint lodged against Sereno by lawyer Larry Gadon is betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution for her supposed failure to fdeclare P37 million in income as government counsel in the state’s case against the Philippine International Air Terminals Company Inc. (Piatco) involving the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.“Taxpayers are being evaluated to determine if they will be mandated for investigation. We can’t tell an anomaly regarding the income of the Chief Justice [with what we have so far],” Guballa said.Under the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards, all public officials and employees, except those who serve in an honorary capacity, laborers and casual or temporary workers are mandated to file under oath their SALN and disclose business interests and financial connections of their spouses and unmarried children under 18 years of age living in their households.The same law provides that any public official or employee, regardless of whether he holds office or employment in a casual, temporary, holdover, permanent or regular capacity, who failed to file SALN will be punished with a fine of salary suspension spanning six months to one year or removal from post depending on gravity of the offense after due notice and hearing by the appropriate body or agency.“We have learned that the Chief Justice did not file her SALN for several years. Our part is on tax consequences, meaning finding out if the Chief Justice paid the corresponding tax. If there is a violation on the SALN, I believe we do not have jurisdiction,” Guballa said.Rep. Eugene de Vera of ABS party-list has pressed the BIR to launch an inquiry into Sereno’s SALN, considering that existing laws provide that failure to file and truthfully disclose SALN is tantamount to keeping ill-gotten wealth.“If government officials are not filing their SALN, then they are hiding their assets and as such, must be investigated,” de Vera said.Guballa agreed, saying, “There is no formal investigation yet on the ITRs of the Chief Justice, but we can do that.”He and the rest of the BIR officials were subsequently excused from the impeachment hearing so they can start their work on investigating Sereno.

['Llanesca T. Panti']

2018-02-08 00:10:45+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/bir-finds-no-anomaly-serenos-tax-returns/378818/

Manila Times

Patriarch of Bulacan family massacre victims accepts protective custody

The security guard whose family was massacred in San Jose Del Monte City in Bulacan yesterday accepted a government offer to be placed under protective custody.Dexter Carlos accepted the offer during his meeting with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Witness Protection Program (WPP) Executive Director Nerissa Carpio at the Department of Justice (DOJ) also yesterday.“He accepted shelter and other benefits under the WPP,” said Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes.In the meantime, Balmes said Carlos has started filing up paper work for the application to be provisionally placed under the WPP.Balmes added Carlos will be subjected to an evaluation to determine if he will qualify under the coverage of the WPP.“If he feels threatened or if he fears for his safety, we will study if he can be placed under the Witness Protection Program which the DOJ administers during the duration of the trial of the case to be filed against the suspects,” said Aguirre in a statement.“If qualified, we will expedite his admission into the program,” Aguirre assured.

[]

06/07/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/06/patriarch-of-bulacan-family-massacre-victims-accepts-protective-custody/

Manila Bulletin

VAT break ‘favors’ rich and middle-class

Claiming that most of those benefitting from the Value-Added Tax (VAT) exemption for senior citizens are the rich and the middle-class, the Department of Finance (DOF) has proposed to limit the tax break to medicines.At a hearing of the Senate ways and means committee headed by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara on Wednesday, DOF Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said they are looking at lifting VAT exemption of senior citizens on non-essentials, which only the rich and middle-class senior citizens can afford to buy.A proposed tax reform package of the DOF presented during the hearing seeks to remove VAT exemption of senior citizens and people with disabilities (PWDs) on other purchases aside from medicines.Chua told that committee that by removing the VAT exemption, the government could generate P3 to P6 billion.He said the current VAT leakage is between P6 billion and P10 billion.“For senior citizens, we are proposing to retain the exemptions on medicine in our new proposal. We, however, find that the expenses in restaurants, travel air fare, for instance, mostly are [within reach only] by the rich who can afford to pay and go to these restaurants. So we’re proposing to remove the exemption,” Chua told the committee.The money to be generated from removing the VAT exemption of senior citizens and PWDs he said, could be used to directly benefit the poor and vulnerable among them.Angara said the DOF should not view the issue as only a “mathematical” issue because thousands of senior citizens are expected to be affected by the proposal.“It’s an emotionally charged issue, not a purely mathematical issue. Seniors feel it is something they have earned having served for so long. You might not want to spend your political capital there,” he also told the DOF official.Chua pointed out that they are fighting more for the principle of equity.“There is also the principle of compassion. One of the reasons [that enabled the President [to come to] power was that people saw other candidates as not as compassionate. He wanted to have more working people have more money in their pockets,” Angara said.In an interview after the hearing, the senator said there is a need to study the matter thoroughly and hear the position of senior citizens’ groups.“We will not support something that the sector [senior citizens] do not want to support,” he added.The proposed law granting VAT exemption to PWDs was signed by then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd last March but it is yet to be implemented because of absence of Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).Under Republic Act 10754 (Magna Carta for Disabled Persons), the Department of Social Welfare and Development, along with the DOF, Department of Health and the National Council on Disability Affairs, shall promulgate the IRR.

['Jefferson Antiporda']

2016-10-26 22:32:47+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/vat-break-favors-rich-middle-class/293275/

Manila Times

11 more heroes in Bantayog ng mga Bayani

A journalist, a priest, a diplomat and four activists who took up arms against the Marcos dictatorship are among the 11 new heroes and martyrs whose names will be added to those etched on the black granite Wall of Remembrance of Bantayog ng mga Bayani (Monument for Heroes) in Quezon City.The other honorees come from indigenous communities, the labor and youth sectors, public service and the academe.The annual honoring of martyrs and heroes will be held on Thursday, the 31st anniversary of the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation founded in 1986 shortly after the Edsa People Power Revolution that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.298 heroes to dateA total of 298 names are already engraved on The Wall, which stands close to the 13.6-meter (45-foot) bronze monument created by renowned sculptor Eduardo Castrillo. The monument depicts a defiant mother holding a fallen son.The monument, the commemorative wall and other structures at Bantayog Memorial Center are dedicated to the nation’s modern-day martyrs and heroes who fought against all odds during the dark days of martial rule (1972-1986) to restore freedom, justice and democracy in the country.The 11 new heroes are Tayab Arthur Aboli (1942-2007), Cesar T. Cayon (1956-1983), Coronacion Chiva (1926-1977), Jose P. Dizon (1948-2013), Pablo G. Fernandez (1948-1973), Lumbaya Gayudan (1935-1984), Antonio Ma. O. Nieva (1944-1997), Sabino G. Padilla Jr. (1954-2013), Francis S. Sontillano (1955-1970), Dalama Elma Villaron (1955-1987) and Alfonso T. Yuchengco (1923-2017).Jailed journalistAs a journalist before, during and after the martial law years, Nieva supported the causes of the working class, particularly those in media. In 1981, he organized the Brotherhood of Unions in Media of the Philippines and was among those who led “Save the Press” marches in Manila.He was union president for two terms at Bulletin Today (now Manila Bulletin) and pushed for the establishment of unions of journalists and trade guilds across the media industry. As National Press Club president from 1984 to 1986, he turned the club premises into a refuge and haven for harassed journalists who needed protection from the dictatorship.Nieva’s opposition to dictatorial rule and his union work made him a vulnerable target of the military. In 1983, his house was raided. He was arrested and detained briefly.Even after Ferdinand Marcos had fled, Nieva continued with his organizing work in media. He was founding chair of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and he helped establish the Kapisanan ng mga Manggagawa sa Media ng Pilipinas.He was a columnist for the Bulletin Today, where he was also a desk editor, and later for the Inquirer. He died of natural causes in 1997 while serving as the first Filipino and Asian secretary general of the Prague-based International Organization of Journalists.Aboli and Gayudan both belonged to Kalinga indigenous communities. Aboli took up arms while Gayudan, familiarly known as Lumbaya, led his people to oppose the construction of the Chico River dam after their leader, Macli-ing Dulag, was murdered.Villaron, the daughter of a Tumandok tribal leader in Panay, also took up arms.‘Kumander Waling-waling’Two other Bantayog honorees, Cayon from the youth sector, and Chiva (known as Kumander Waling-waling of Iloilo) also joined the armed struggle. Chiva was some kind of legend in the areas where she worked. Her life story is stuff for the movies.Chiva had been a member of Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan laban sa Hapon) that fought the Japanese in World War II but that was later outlawed because of its communist ideology. Her first husband had died in the war.Like her second husband, she spent years in prison but was released after she gave birth to a son. In the 1960s, she continued her advocacy for labor groups.When martial law was declared in 1972, Chiva, along with student activists and professionals, was arrested and detained in Iloilo. She was rearrested for the third time and briefly detained.The life of “Kumander Waling-waling” came to an end in a hail of bullets in 1977. She was 51.Priest in worker’s clothingDizon, the only one from the Church sector in this year’s batch, lent his voice to the resistance to martial rule. He devoted many years of his life to the causes of oppressed workers. He died of natural causes in 2013.Like Dizon, Padilla had a heart for workers. An anthropologist and professor, Padilla’s world was the university, but he went beyond the confines of the academe and stood with the “batilyos” (fish port workers) of Navotas and, later, the farmers of Isabela under threat from a land-grabbing Marcos crony.He was detained in 1973 and in 1982 while working as research chief for a church-based social action center in Ilagan, Isabela, and helping the farmers in their struggle to keep their land. After his release, he taught at St. Scholastica’s College and the University of the Philippines Manila.Padilla died of natural causes in 2013.Fernandez was a public servant, elected municipal councilor of Nueva Valencia in Guimaras in 1971. But before that he was already a political activist clamoring for social change and protesting against the impending declaration of martial law.When martial law was declared in 1972, this reserve Army 2nd lieutenant refused deployment to Mindanao to fight the Moro people. He avoided court-martial by heading for the hills and joined fellow activists there. Fernandez was wounded in an encounter with soldiers in Iloilo and later died of his wounds.Dying youngCayon and Sontillano were both from the youth sector. Cayon, who worked among the Higaonon tribe in Mindanao, was beheaded by his military captors. He was 29.Sontillano died at the age of 15. A scholar at Philippine Science High School, he was an activist and a member of Malayang Kilusan ng mga Kabataan. At a protest rally in 1970, a pillbox bomb thrown by a security guard blew up his head.Yuchengco, an industrialist who died at the age of 94, is the oldest of this year’s batch. Born to a wealthy Chinese-Filipino family, Yuchengco was highly educated. He may not have been a street activist but he gave quiet support for the antidictatorship movement, particularly the Light a Fire Movement.After the fall of the dictatorship Yuchengco served as the country’s ambassador to China, Japan and the United Nations. He was a trustee of Bantayog and later, chair and chair emeritus until his death in 2017. Bantayog’s auditorium is named after him.Never Again, Never ForgetThrough its Never Again Never Forget Project, Bantayog addresses “attempts by certain groups to rewrite Philippine history and confuse the young generation about the truths of the Marcos dictatorship, erase its horrors, abuses and deceptions and have it remembered as a ‘golden era’ in the Philippines.”Bantayog’s activities include publishing biographies, holding forums, disseminating information, film showings, roving exhibits and museum tours.The Bantayog complex now includes a building which houses a small auditorium, library, archives and a museum. Its 1.5-hectare property was donated by the administration of President Corazon Aquino through Land Bank of the Philippines in 1986.The Bantayog foundation is chaired by former Sen. Wigberto Tañada. Former Senate President Jovito R. Salonga served as chair emeritus before he died. May Rodriguez is the executive director.Details about the lives of the honorees can be found in www.bantayog.org.The ceremonies on Thursday will open at 4 p.m. at Bantayog Memorial Center on Quezon Avenue and Edsa in Quezon City.

['Ma. Ceres P. Doyo']

2018-11-04 00:04:55+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/948685/11-more-heroes-in-bantayog-ng-mga-bayani

Inquirer

Senate eyes stiffer penalty for overloading of passengers

THE Senate Committee on Public Services is pushing for the immediate approval of a measure that seeks to increase the penalty for overloading of passengers in public utility vehicles.Sen. Grace Poe, chairman of the panel, said the committee recommended the approval of Senate Bill (SB) 2038 in substitution of SB 1446 introduced by Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito titled “An Act Increasing the Penalty of Overloading of Passengers in Public Utility Vehicles and Certain Types of Vehicles,” and SB 1551 introduced by Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao titled “An Act Increasing the Penalty for Overloading of Passengers and/or Freight or Cargo in Common Carriers Beyond the Registered Carrying Capacity.”Under the measure, covered vehicle refers to any motor vehicle considered as a public transport conveyance or common carrier duly registered with the LandTransportation Office (LTO) and granted a franchise by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).The proposed law bars owners, operators, drivers, conductors and other persons responsible for the operation of vehicles to load above their registered carrying capacity as determined by the Department of Transportation (DOTr).In determining the registered carrying capacity, the DOTr shall consider the measured weight of a motor vehicle plus the maximum allowable carrying capacity. The registered carrying capacity shall reflect the seating and standing capacity of the motor vehicle.A fine of P50,000 and suspension of the franchise and driver’s license of the driver will be slapped against violators for the first offense, a fine of P250,000 and suspension of the franchise and driver’s license of the driver for the second offense, and P1 million fine and revocation of the franchise and driver’s license of the driver for the third offense.If the overloading shall result in the death of a passenger, the penalty of prision correccional or an imprisonment of two years and 1 day to six years shall be imposed.

['Javier J. Ismael']

2018-11-04 00:04:55+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-eyes-stiffer-penalty-for-overloading-of-passengers/461840/

Manila Times

‘Priest freed by AFP, not negotiators’

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday dismissed suggestions that Fr. Teresito “Chito” Soganub, the vicar general of Marawi, was released by his captors after back-channel talks with the Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorists.“Impossible, impossible. I will not even agree to look at them,” Mr. Duterte told reporters in Caloocan City.“Father Soganub was not released. He was liberated through a special operation. They really focused on him because they (the hostages) were held separately,” he said.“That means the Special Forces of the Rangers crawled to get him,” he added.Another hostage, Lordbin Noblesa Acopio, was also rescued by the troops.They had been held by the terrorists for 117 days.Mr. Duterte said that once Soganub was presented to him, he would ask the priest if it was true that terrorists repeatedly raped their female hostages.“The first questions would be not about the war [but] how the women were treated there. All of those who escaped — and this I got from the media, the newspapers — said they (the women) were being repeatedly raped every night,” he said.“That’s a gross violation of the rights of a human being, an affront to the dignity of the women of the Philippines,” he said.Mr. Duterte said the military operation would “not end until the last terrorist is taken out.”“[T]hat is my order to the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the police,” he said.Soganub, 51, was flown to Manila on Monday, accompanied by the Lanao del Sur provincial government spokesperson, Zia Alonto Adiong, and Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., deputy commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi battling the terrorists.Mosque retakenThe priest, flanked by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año, appeared to be in good health and high spirits when he was presented to reporters in military headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.Soganub expressed his thanks but gave no statement.“God bless you all. Pray for me, for my healing and recovery,” Soganub said.Lorenzana said the rescue of Soganub and Acopio came as government troops pressed an attack to retake the Bato Ali mosque, which the terrorists used as command center.“[O]ur troops gained the upper hand, the terrorists were forced to withdraw to nearby structures at the periphery of the mosque,” Lorenzana said.“As the intensity of the armed confrontation continued to escalate in favor of our troops and while the terrorists were busy repelling the attack, the troops had the opportunity to snatch Father Chito and Mr. Acopio,” he added.The troops also captured the Jamaitul Philippine al-Islamiyah, another stronghold of the terrorists.Lorenzana commended the troops for the “excellent job.”Año said Soganub had yet to undergo tactical debriefing.“He underwent harsh conditions. We want him to rest and adjust after his medical check-up,” Año said.Long restThe Prelature of Marawi is preparing a “healing and reintegration program” for Soganub and Acopio.Duyog Marawi, the prelature’s social action arm, said in a statement on Monday that the program had been ordered by Marawi Bishop Edwin de la Peña, who was in Abu Dhabi when he heard Soganub and Acopio had been rescued.The program, Duyog Marawi said, includes general medical check-up and hospital confinement, to be followed by a long period of rest and trauma therapy.During that period, Soganub’s duties at Mindanao State University — including his chaplaincy, education, interfaith and peacemaking programs — will be temporarily assumed by other priests and lay missionaries, the group said.Soganub’s family in Norallah, South Cotabato province, is rejoicing.“Our prayers were answered. God is good all the time,” said Marilyn Soganub, the priest’s elder sister.Soganub and dozens of other civilians were snatched by the terrorists as they rampaged across Marawi and laid siege to the predominantly Muslim city on May 23.Terror groupsThe terrorists are from a faction of the Abu Sayyaf bandit group led by Isnilon Hapilon and the terror group led by brothers Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute, whose family in Lanao del Sur has deep connections in the lakeside city and surrounding areas.Hapilon has pledged allegiance to the IS group, which has reportedly named him “emir” in Southeast Asia.Together with the Maute gunmen and some foreign fighters, mostly Indonesians, Hapilon’s band seized parts of Marawi to establish an IS enclave in Southeast Asia.As of Monday, more than 800 people have been killed in the fighting: 673 terrorists, 149 soldiers and police, and 47 civilians.Hapilon is among those still fighting but several of the Maute brothers are likely dead, Año said, citing information provided by civilians who escaped and some captured terrorists.“Based on the debriefing of those captured and surrendered, Omar Maute is the only one left. Abdullah, Madi and Otto, they’re all dead,” Año said.He said about 10 foreigners—Malaysians and Indonesian—were still in the battle among some 50-60 Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists, who were holding 45-80 hostages.Speaking to reporters in Malacañang, Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesperson for the military, gave slightly different figures, saying the terrorists were still holding 40 to 60 hostages, some of whom they had pressed into the battle, boosting their force from 60 to 80.“The enemy’s strength, per the last validation, seemed to have increased from 60 to 80 . . . news and information . . . indicated that perhaps some of the hostages previously held have forced to join the [terrorists’] ranks,” Padilla said.

['Edwin O. Fernandez', 'Julie M. Aurelio', 'Nikko Dizon', 'Philip C. Tubeza']

30/05/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/931635/marawi-siege-teresito-soganub-rodrigo-duterte-marawi-hostages-lordbin-noblesa-acopio

Inquirer

La Union village councilor, two others nabbed for gun, ammo possession

A village councilor and two others were arrested for illegal possession of firearms during successive searches conducted by police in Sudipen, Bauang, and San Fernando City recently, the La Union Police Provincial Office (LUPPO) reported Monday.Backed by search warrants, the operations were part of several preemptive moves of the local Philippine National Police (PNP) to rid La Union of loose firearms, police information officer Chief Inspector Silverio Ordinado Jr. said.The councilman was identified as Giovanni Sarmiento, 36, of Barangay Castro, Sudipen. His house was raided by authorities.Seized from Sarmiento’s house were a homemade .45 pistol, one empty magazine, and several 9mm live ammunitions.The police raiders executed a search warrant for violation of Republic Act 10591 (Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition) issued by Judge Ruben Corpuz of Municipal Trial Court (MTC) in Sudipen, La Union.

[]

30/05/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/30/la-union-village-councilor-two-others-nabbed-for-gun-ammo-possession/

Manila Bulletin

Teens’ killings sabotage–Duterte

President Duterte on Friday raised the possibility that the recent killings of three teenage boys were carried out to sabotage the police.“These are deliberate,” Mr. Duterte said of the killings in a speech at the 17th founding anniversary of Digos, Davao del Sur. The police would shoot people, but would not make the effort to wrap up their victims, he added.“That is not the job of the police … Someone is sabotaging them,” the President said, adding that he does not tolerate unlawful killings.‘Within bounds of law’“We operate within the bounds of the law,” he said.Mr. Duterte added: “I am telling you, one of those killed was my relative. Carl Arnaiz. He was my relative, I want you to know that. Would I allow the police to kill my relative?” he asked.But the President did not say how he was related to the 19-year-old University of the Philippines student.‘Discredit’Arnaiz’s death and that of his 14-year-old companion, Reynaldo de Guzman, who was found dead with at least 26 stab wounds in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, drew public outrage.Mr. Duterte also told Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa to be on alert because there was a brewing plan to “discredit (them),” adding that a “massive rally” was being planned.Massive rallyThe Movement Against Tyranny, which has been calling for an end to drug-related killings, is planning a rally on Sept. 21, the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law.But the President said he would allow these protests to go on and would order the military to remain in their barracks and the police in their stations.“Give them the space and they can shout all day,” he said.Mr. Duterte also blamed Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno for reportedly saying that suspects should not submit to an arrest without a warrant.“I told her, Madam Chief Justice, don’t teach the people a wrong thing. You have forgotten that there are arrests that can be made without a warrant. The war in Marawi, if somebody shoots at me, should I still run to the court first to secure a warrant? If an NPA rebel was being pursued, should I go to the municipal judge first?” the President said.Mr. Duterte again said that he would protect soldiers and policemen as long as they were performing their duties.Do not resist“The duty of the police is to put you in the custody of government, bring you to the judge that issued the warrant or to the police station for investigation,” Duterte said. “That’s why your duty is to surrender. Do not resist,” he added.At the same time, the President advised law enforcers to take drastic actions against suspects “only if your life is in danger, he resisted, because you have to place him under custody.”In Malacañang, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that while the Executive, through the PNP, “will cooperate with the Senate investigation” into the deaths of Arnaiz and De Guzman, parents should do their part and watch over their children.‘Questionable activities’“Rogue cops, if and when allegations are proven true, have no place in an institution like the PNP and we need everyone’s full support and cooperation as we continue to cleanse its ranks,” he added.Parents should try to maintain more solid family relationships and must keep their children away from “questionable activities,” Abella said.“(W)arn them again and again, not to even be physically near, not to entertain suspicious activities or even companions,” he added.“Like we said earlier, any death, even just one single violent death is a call for concern, especially with the younger ones,” Abella said.“As we all know, the President is very concerned and deeply protective of the next generation,” he added.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

20/05/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/929089/philippine-news-updates-president-duterte-teen-killings-war-on-drugs-2

Inquirer

No poll fraud–Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday dismissed allegations of fraud in the May 9 elections, saying a change in the data packet for a transparency server was just “cosmetic” and did not affect the counting of votes.“I can categorically say there is no cheating,” Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said at a press briefing on Thursday afternoon.Bautista said the correction was cosmetic. “It does not in any way change the results, the counting and the canvassing of votes and the source code of the automated election system (AES).”The Comelec made a clarification after the camp of vice presidential candidate Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cried fraud in the counting of votes that led to administration candidate Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo grabbing the lead from Marcos.The Marcos camp, through lawyer Francesca Huang, on Wednesday said a new script was introduced in the transparency server “from which the PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) obtains its data for the quick count,” altering the hash codes of the packet data.The son and namesake of the late dictator was leading the early count by as much as a million on Monday evening, but the widow of the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo eventually overtook him early Tuesday. As of Thursday afternoon, Robredo was still ahead of Marcos by more than 200,000 votes.Lapse in protocolThe Comelec acknowledged a lapse in protocol as the political parties were informed about the adjustment only after Smartmatic project manager Marlon Garcia had changed the special character “?” that appeared in the names of certain candidates to “ñ.” Smartmatic is the technology provider for the elections.Officials also said the Comelec en banc was not notified before the change, except for the poll body’s IT officer Rouie Peñalba, who witnessed the adjustment.Peñalba was stationed at Pope Pius Center in Manila, where the PPCRV was conducting the quick count using the transparency server.Election Commissioner Christian Robert Lim said the outcome of the adjustment in the script of the data packet was a changed hash code.But he said the hash code that changed was merely that of the data packet and was entirely different and separate from the hash code of the AES.He explained that “?” appeared in the names of certain candidates since the transparency server system, which was written in the English language, could not process or understand the letter “ñ.”“So what they did is they introduced a script that will understand what ‘ñ’ means in the transparency server,” he said.Should have been overruledBut if he were informed before the minor change was implemented, he would have overruled it so as not to add fuel to rumors of cheating.The Marcos camp said its allegation of fraud was based on information from an IT expert monitoring the PPCRV quick count. The senator’s camp, however, did not present evidence to back its claims.Change uncoveredThe IT expert, who asked to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity, told Inquirer.net that hash codes of packet data in the transparency server were changed.“At 8 p.m., May 10, in the course of our regular verification of the files that we are extracting from the transparency server, we uncovered something that is not correct—the paired hash codes of the file is not the same,” the source said in an interview early Thursday morning.The source, who works as a lead IT consultant in a private company, refused to divulge his identity, saying that they were covered by a nondisclosure agreement with the Comelec.The PPCRV said it was leaving it to the Comelec to respond to allegations that a new script was introduced on the transparency server receiving the votes to change the hash code.In a report submitted to the Comelec on May 12, Smartmatic project director Elie Moreno recounted how the introduction of the script was triggered at around 7 p.m. at the PPCRV Center.Observer’s observationAn “observer,” whom Bautista identified as Robert Locke, an IT technical staff of an online news network, called the attention of Peñalba to the presence of several question marks in some of the candidates’ names where the letter “ñ” should have appeared.The Comelec IT officer then notified the Smartmatic technical support team led by Garcia about the concern.“Upon being notified by the Comelec and after validating that changing ‘?’ characters required a minor cosmetic change to appease the observers at the PPCRV transparency center, the Smartmatic technical support team addressed the concern by introducing the correction of the script in the presence of everyone present there,” Moreno wrote.Following the adjustment, the Comelec IT officer and the Smartmatic technical support team announced to all those present at the PPCRV transparency center that the correction was made and all subsequent data packages would reflect the candidates’ names with “ñ” instead of “?,” he said.CCTVMoreno further said in his report that the change was done openly in the presence of the political parties and was witnessed by the Comelec IT officer.“Furthermore, such action was done in full view of several people in the PPCRV transparency center with full knowledge that a CCTV system is in place,” Moreno said.In a separate report to the Comelec en banc, Peñalba said William Yu of the PPCRV validated the data package by reverting the “?” and then rehashed it, confirming that the hash was the same. “This means that only the [special character] in the names of the candidates was changed,” Peñalba said.Compare resultsBautista said to quash suspicions of fraud, all results could be compared with the printed election returns of the vote-counting machines (VCMs), the electronic results transmitted from all the VCMs, the results in the Comelec’s central server, the PPCRV’s transparency server and the results shown on the Comelec’s website.The Comelec also announced on Thursday that it would make available “hopefully today” the original script and the amended script with their respective hash codes for publication and scrutiny of anyone. With reports from Leila B. Salaverria and Marlon Ramos

['Jocelyn R. Uy', 'Yuji Vincent Gonzales']

20/05/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/785408/no-poll-fraud-comelec

Inquirer

Is Grace Poe a Marcos? DNA test up

Now we will know whether it’s true or just an “urban legend.”Sen. Grace Poe, a presidential candidate in next year’s general elections, on Thursday welcomed the offer of Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to take a DNA test with her to help her find her biological parents.The offer of Marcos, 58, came a day after Poe, 47, disclosed in a radio interview that the DNA test she had taken with two people she had believed were potential relatives turned out negative.Asked by reporters during a news forum in the Senate if he was willing to help Poe find her real parents, Marcos replied: “Sure, I will take a DNA test. No problem.”But he quickly added: “But I don’t know how that will help her. If it will help her, why not?”“That’s very nice of him. It’s heartwarming,” Poe said after learning what Marcos had said.“I don’t want to impose it on Senator Marcos, but I’m happy that he’s open and willing,” she said.Rumor has been going around since the 1960s that Poe is an illegitimate daughter of Marcos’ father, the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, with former movie actress Rosemarie Sonora, sister of Poe’s adoptive mother, movie actress Susan Roces.Poe was abandoned in a church in Jaro, Iloilo province, after birth. She was adopted by movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. and his wife, Roces, in 1973.Senator Marcos is the only son of the late dictator and his wife, former first lady and now Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos.Rumor persistsThe Marcoses and the Poes have denied the rumor, but it has not really died, and Poe said one of her cousins had been hurt by it.She was referring to movie and television actress Sheryl Cruz, a daughter of Sonora.In September, as Poe set about looking for her parents through DNA tests with potential relatives to supplement her defense in a disqualification case in the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), Cruz called a news conference to say that she would not take a DNA test to help Poe.Cruz said she did not want her mother’s name to be dragged into Poe’s search for her parents and that she knew that the story about her mother and former President Marcos was not true.“I don’t want my mother to be dragged into this. She wants to keep the peace in the family. I don’t want it to appear that my mom had an affair with a man who’s not my father,” Cruz said.Senator Marcos, according to Poe, had earlier refused to take a DNA test to disprove the talk that they were brother and sister“He said he did not like [to take a DNA test], not because he wanted to be part of an urban legend or because we were lying but because there was no reason for people to think that way, that’s only gossip,” Poe said in late September.Son of his parentsOn Thursday, Marcos sounded confident as he offered to help Poe.“They won’t see anything in the DNA test because I’m the son of my father and mother,” he said.But what if the test turns positive?“Then, welcome to the family,” Marcos replied, drawing laughter from reporters.If Poe turns out to be his sister, would blood be thicker than water?“It is up to her,” he said. “I cannot answer the question for her. Let’s cross the bridge when we get there.”No hurryBut Poe is not in a hurry to have a DNA test with Marcos.“There are other people who could take the test,” she said Thursday.“As a foundling, you cannot really be sure, that’s why you should look into the possibility that someone is your relative. [But you also] cannot just test everyone,” she said.Poe, the front-runner in voter preference polls for the presidential election, said she was sad that the first two DNA tests returned negative results.But she said she remains confident that she would eventually find a relative and a test could be taken.She said she and her advisers were considering advertising to hasten the search for a relative.“But this is just a suggestion,” she said.Three other casesPoe maintained that the question of her parentage should not be used to take her out of the presidential race, saying it would be tantamount to “injustice to other foundlings” in the country.“Actually, the burden of proof should be on those [who are seeking my disqualification]. But I’m doing this to speed up the case and for myself,” she said.Besides the disqualification case in the SET, Poe is also facing disqualification cases in the Commission on Elections (Comelec), alleging that she is not a natural-born Filipino because her parents are unknown or that she does not meet the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates.“It’s saddening that I have yet to find them, but I’m also hopeful because there is a higher purpose for me,” Poe said.She said she was confident that the disqualification cases against her would be dismissed eventually.“It’s not enough [to decide on my disqualification] based on DNA because if that’s the case, I won’t be able to fight for the rights of other foundlings who don’t have the capacity to undergo the legal process,” she said.“There would also be [professionals] who would lose their licenses because of questions about their birth,” she added.Poe said finding her real parents was more personal than political.“The more important thing is, this is for my personal [satisfaction] and to end my long search [for my parents],” she said.Comelec hearingPoe will appear before the Comelec Second Division next Tuesday for the hearing on the case brought against her by former Department of Justice prosecutor Estrella Elamparo.Elamparo alleges that Poe, a former US citizen, does not meet the 10-year residency requirement for presidential candidates.The Comelec Second Division has ordered Poe to answer Elamparo’s petition.“Although her presence is not required by the Comelec, we decided that she will be there during the hearing,” said George Garcia, a lawyer for Poe.“We are confident that the disqualification cases againstSen. Grace Poe will all be dismissed in the Comelec. Our trust in the institution and its members is unparalleled. The Constitution is on our side. The truth is our guide,” Garcia said.

['Marlon Ramos', 'Niña P. Calleja']

11/03/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/737347/is-grace-poe-a-marcos-dna-test-up

Inquirer

Davao CTTMO to review city’s traffic situation

The City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) is currently reviewing the traffic condition in this city’s 169 intersections as management of the agency is transferred from Rhodelio Poliquit to new CTTMO Chief Dionisio Abude.In an interview, Abude told reporters that he has ordered the review of the traffic situation in the major intersections of the city, as he underscored that he will not tolerate the misuse of government resources during his term as the head of the city’s traffic office.“Dili ko gusto ugma naa ugma wala. Dili na maayo (I don’t want my personnel to be there one time and gone another time. That’s not good),” Abude said.The CTTMO currently has 423 personnel coming from various departments.“If they are there to watch the traffic, they should watch the traffic,” he added. “Sayang kung dili ma-utilize kaayo ang equipment, tapos walay disiplina ang mga tao (it will be a waste if the equipment that we have is not utilized properly and if the traffic personnel do not have discipline),” he said.The new official added that various road user issues, such as self-discipline, will also be addressed.“Sometimes, it’s just common sense,” Abude said about violators who try to break traffic laws and get away with it.“We’re going to paint the pedestrian lanes because it has been an excuse of jaywalkers that they don’t see the pedestrian lanes,” he said, adding that it would take a while.

[]

22/02/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/22/davao-cttmo-to-review-citys-traffic-situation/

Manila Bulletin

Liquid water lake discovered on Mars

exists there, international astronomers said Wednesday.Located under a layer of Martian ice, the lake is about 12 miles (20 kilometers) wide, said the report led by Italian researchers in the US journal Science.It is the largest body of liquid water ever found on the Red Planet.“Water is there. We have no more doubt,” co-author Enrico Flamini, the Italian space agency’s Mars Express mission manager, told a press conference.Mars is now cold, barren and dry but used to be warm and wet. It was home to plenty of liquid water and lakes at least 3.6 billion years ago.Scientists are eager to find signs of contemporary water, because such discoveries are key to unlocking the mystery of whether life ever formed on Mars in its ancient past, or if it might persist today.“This is a stunning result that suggests water on Mars is not a temporary trickle like previous discoveries but a persistent body of water that provides the conditions for life for extended periods of time,” said Alan Duffy, an associate professor at Swinburne University in Australia, who was not involved in the study.Being able to access water sources could also help humans survive on a future crewed mission to Earth’s neighboring planet.This particular lake, however, would be neither swimmable nor drinkable, and lies almost a mile deep (1.5 kilometers) beneath the icy surface in a harsh and frigid environment.Some experts are skeptical of the possibility since the lake is so cold and briny, and mixed with a heavy dose of dissolved Martian salts and minerals.The temperature is likely below the freezing point of pure water, but can remain liquid due to the presence of magnesium, calcium, and sodium.“This is a discovery of extraordinary significance, and is bound to heighten speculation about the presence of living organisms on the Red Planet,” said Fred Watson of the Australian Astronomical Observatory.“Caution needs to be exercised, however, as the concentration of salts needed to keep the water liquid could be fatal for any microbial life similar to Earth’s,” added Watson, who was not involved in the research.– Radar detection –The tool is called the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding (MARSIS), and was designed to find subsurface water by sending radar pulses that penetrate the surface and ice caps.MARSIS “then measures how the radio waves propagate and reflect back to the spacecraft,” said the study.These reflections “provide scientists with information about what lies beneath the surface.”A team of researchers led by Roberto Orosei of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Bologna, Italy, surveyed a region called Planum Australe, located in the southern ice cap of Mars, from May 2012 until December 2015.A total of 29 sets of radar samplings showed a “very sharp change in its associated radar signal,” allowing scientists to map the outlines of the lake.“The radar profile of this area is similar to that of lakes of liquid water found beneath the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets on Earth, suggesting that there is a subglacial lake at this location on Mars,” said the report.Researchers said they are not sure how far down it goes, but may be around three feet (one meter) deep.– Confirmation needed –“This is the first body of water it has detected, so it is very exciting,” David Stillman, a senior research scientist in the Department of Space Studies at Southwest Research Institute in Texas, told AFP in an email.However, Stillman, who was not involved in the research, said another spacecraft, or other instruments, need to be able to confirm the discovery.He noted that a higher-frequency radar instrument made by the Italian space agency, SHARAD, on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2005, has been unable to detect subsurface water.“It is strange that SHARAD cannot confirm this discovery. In fact, SHARAD cannot penetrate through the ice here and no one understands why it can’t,” Stillman said.“This suggests that something strange is going on here. Thus, I’m skeptical about this discovery.”But researchers are excited about the potential for future finds, because if liquid water could be found at Mars’ south pole, it might be elsewhere too.“There’s nothing special about this location other than the MARSIS radar on the Mars Express spacecraft is most sensitive to that region meaning there are likely similar water deposits below the ground all across Mars,” said Duffy.

[]

25/07/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/07/25/liquid-water-lake-discovered-on-mars/

Manila Bulletin

Marixi Prieto retires from Inquirer

Marixi Prieto, chair of the board of directors of the Philippine Daily Inquirer Inc., announced on Friday at the company’s annual stockholders’ meeting her retirement as chair effective immediately.She said that, at 78 years old, it was time to transfer the management of the company to a new leadership.She expressed her desire to “spend more time with my family, especially with my grandchildren, and devote my energies to various advocacies, charity organizations and foundations.”Multimedia entityUnder her leadership, the Philippine Daily Inquirer grew from a print organization to a multimedia entity. “I unassumingly joined the Inquirer in the late ’80s and it never crossed my mind that it would be No. 1 and diversify into different media platforms,” Prieto said.The Inquirer was at the forefront of momentous political and social events that changed the course of the country’s history. During her watch, the Inquirer expanded to Inquirer.net, Cebu Daily News, Bandera, Inquirer Libre, Megamobile, Radyo Inquirer, Hinge Inquirer Publications, Print Town, DAG Xpress Courier and Inquirer Academy.Ma. Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez shall continue to serve as president and chief executive officer of the company. Romualdez said: “I will continue to draw inspiration from the chair’s legacy.”Palabrica is new chairRaul Palabrica has been elected as new chair of the company.A lawyer by profession, Palabrica graduated from the University of the Philippines and served as the Inquirer’s legal counsel and Readers’ Advocate for more than 10 years, in addition to being a columnist of the paper’s opinion and business sections for three decades.He was a commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission from 2005 to 2012. He brings to the position his extensive experience in corporate law and editorial management.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-01-16 20:36:25+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/998969/marixi-prieto-retires-from-inquirer

Inquirer

Binay on Poe candidacy: No big deal; Roxas, LP not threatened

For Vice President Jejomar Binay, the prospect of Sen. Grace Poe being his rival in the 2016 elections is not a big deal.“She can declare (her bid for President). What do you want me to say? As far as I am concerned, I am a candidate for President in the 2016 elections,” Binay told reporters on the sidelines of the Mining Philippines 2015 conference, which he keynoted on Wednesday morning.Binay showed indifference to the news that Poe declared her presidential bid on Wednesday afternoon at Ang Bahay ng Alumni at the University of the Philippines, alma mater of both the Vice President and Poe.He dodged the question about Poe posing a threat to his candidacy.But the Vice President said he would not monitor Poe’s announcement. “I won’t be a hypocrite. I have other important things to do,” he told reporters.The Liberal Party (LP), which is fielding Interior Secretary Mar Roxas as its standard-bearer in the 2016 elections, is ready to face the presidential run of Poe, Senate President Franklin Drilon said on Wednesday.“They are all candidates and we will face them all because we are running under a platform of good governance, the daang matuwid [straight path],” Drilon said in a radio interview, when asked to comment on whether Poe’s run for the presidency would threaten Roxas’ own bid.Drilon, the LP vice chair, said the party had a good platform of government in daang matuwid.As to Poe’s camp, he said: “[W]here they will tread, that’s their problem.”Poe announced Wednesday night that she was taking on the challenge of running for President.She was expected to announce Sen. Francis Escudero as her running mate in the latter’s press conference Thursday.Believe in brandBroadcaster Korina Sanchez, Roxas’ wife, said she was not afraid of Poe’s bid for the presidency.Sanchez, who was at the opening of the 30th Negros Trade Fair at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati City, was asked if Poe’s entry was a threat.She told the Inquirer that the Roxas camp was not threatened by Poe’s entry in the presidential race because it believed her husband had the best qualifications to lead the nation.“We’re kind of relaxed because I think it’s just all about believing in your brand and, being his wife, of course I’m biased. I think he (Roxas) is the best person and the best brand,” she added.Sanchez said no one could beat 30 years in governance.Saying Roxas is an Ilonggo, she added, “I guess that’s good enough reason to put back a Visayan in Malacañang. It’s about time.”Reminded that Poe also has Ilonggo roots, Sanchez replied: “But he can speak Ilonggo. She cannot. You also have to count the number of visits over the years (to Negros). Between all the candidates and by far, Mar is a sure winner.”The mothers of Roxas and Poe—Judy Roxas-Araneta and Susan Roces—are both from Negros Occidental province.Drilon said that he had long told his party mates to prepare because Poe, the front-runner in recent presidential surveys, was gunning for the presidency and that the party should stop courting her to be Roxas’ running mate.The Senate President said the party would likely know who would be Roxas’ running mate by the end of the month, as the latter was continuing to talk to prospective vice presidents who include Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.Very transparentAt the Negros Trade Fair in Makati City, Negros Occidental Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. and former Gov. Rafael Coscolluela also came to the defense of Roxas.Marañon said he did not believe Poe’s entry into the presidential race would affect Roxas’ chances of winning.“(Roxas) is the most experienced, is brilliant and has been in government for a long time with not a single taint of corruption to his name. He is very transparent,” the governor said.Marañon said Poe’s decision to join the race would only strengthen Roxas’ resolve to work for his victory. In the end, he added, Roxas will win.Most organized party“Politics is local and the Liberal Party is the most organized down to the grassroots level,” he said.“Does Grace Poe have that organization up to the precinct level?” he asked.Coscolluela said the entry of Poe in the presidential race would strengthen Roxas’ chances because people would be asking who among the presidential candidates was most qualified.“Right now all that the Grace Poe group is banking on is really popularity. But if people just make a habit of asking what the credentials of the candidates are, then I’m pretty sure that Mar will outrank all the other candidates by a mile,” he said.Coscolluela was confident that the voters would vote on the basis of qualifications and not just on the basis of popularity.Good luckSenate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, meanwhile, wished Poe good luck.Recto, who is reported to be jumping to the Poe-Escudero camp, welcomed “Senator Grace’s courageous move to submit her application letter for the highest officer in the land.”“That she will present a preview of her platform would hopefully be the cue that the run-up to 2016 will be marked by a serious discussion of issues and away from the pettiness of gutter politics,” he said in a statement.“I wish her good luck and Godspeed—the same sincere tidings I would convey to my seatmates in the chamber—Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Antonio Trillanes IV, Escudero and Cayetano—when it is time for them to submit their reported application letter for the vice presidency as well,” Recto said.Marcos still undecidedEven if he said the political situation would somehow clear with Poe finally announcing her bid for the presidency, Marcos said he had yet to decide whether to run for higher office as the possible running mate of Binay or to seek reelection.Marcos said he would still have to consult with his party, the Nacionalista Party of former Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., this week.“I have nothing new to tell you… I see elements that are still unclear,” he told reporters, who asked him about Binay’s statement that he was 85 to 90 percent sure of his vice presidential candidate.Asked whether he was in touch with Binay, Marcos said not personally but through “intermediaries” whom he was in constant communication with.Always standing by EstradaHours before Poe’s announcement, United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) secretary general JV Bautista said the party was still hoping that former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada would support UNA in next year’s elections.Bautista said it was the party that was by Estrada’s side “in his recent political activities.”“We believe that the politics of Erap will somehow be seriously considered,” Bautista told reporters on the sidelines of a media forum in San Juan City.In recent interviews, Estrada said he was caught in a dilemma—whom to choose among the three presidential contenders he would support.Erap’s ties to PoeThe former President noted that Roxas was a very good Cabinet member during his short-lived presidency, Binay was a close friend and Poe his godchild and the daughter of his bosom friend—the late movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ).Estrada is believed to be more inclined to endorse the candidacy of Poe as he wasn’t able to personally campaign for the presidential bid of FPJ in 2004 because he was then incarcerated for the crime of plunder.Apart from endorsing and campaigning for the junior senator’s run for Malacañang, Bautista said there were “many ways” Estrada could return the favor to FPJ.“Paying back to FPJ is more a matter of ensuring the memory of FPJ will always be in the minds of Filipinos,” he said, which he added Estrada has been doing.Bautista pointed out that Binay has always been by Estrada’s side through all his political fights, as well as FPJ’s till the end.“There was not a single instance that Binay left him. Where should the payback be?” he said, adding that he hopes Estrada would make a “political decision which would benefit the country.

['Carla P. Gomez', 'Christine O. Avendaño', 'Niña P. Calleja']

2018-01-16 20:36:25+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/722738/binay-on-poe-candidacy-no-big-deal-roxas-lp-not-threatened

Inquirer

Bato: No replacing the term ‘tokhang’

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa has rejected the idea of replacing the term tokhang in their anti-drug operation despite its negative connotation.The Cebuano term, which was derived from tokhang-hangyo, means knocking on an alleged drug user’s door and plead to them to surrender to authorities.De la Rosa defended the term, saying it is “bloodless” in its essence.“I don’t care kung anong gusto nila [what they want]. Basta ako [As for myself], I stick with ‘tokhang,’” he told reporters.This was in response to Dangerous Drugs Board chairman Catalino Cuy’s proposal of changing the term once the operation is revived.Cuy said the term tokhang should be replaced because of its negative impact on people.Last week, National Capital Region (Metro Manila) Police Office chief Oscar Albayalde said the anti-drug operation should stick to its name because it had greater effect.President Rodrigo Duterte previously removed the PNP from Operation Tokhang and tapped the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to lead the anti-drug campaign.In December last year, the President ordered the PNP to support PDEA in the operation.

['Roy Narra']

2018-01-16 20:36:25+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/bato-no-replacing-term-tokhang/374650/

Manila Times

Quimbo challenges Suarez minority leadership at SC

Marikina Rep. Romero “Miro” Quimbo has filed on Friday a petition before the Supreme Court, asserting his group’s claim as the legitimate House minority bloc and challenging the leadership of Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez.The petition for certiorari, prohibition, and mandamus seeks to assail the recognition of Suarez as minority leader, which he said was contrary to the rules of the House of Representatives and the ruling of the court in the Baguilat versus Alvarez case, Quimbo said.In 2016, Ifugao Rep. Teodoro “Teddy” Brawner Baguilat Jr. filed a petition for mandamus, insisting that he should be recognized as minority leader in light of the “long-standing tradition in the House that the candidate who garnered the second highest number of votes for Speakership should become the minority leader, and challenging Suarez who was elected to the position.Then speaker Pantaleon Alvarez won with 251 votes, Baguilat got 8, and Suarez got 7 for voting for Alvarez.The decision of the Supreme Court in the case of Baguilat v. Alvarez in 2017 affirmed that those who vote for losing candidates for speaker and those who abstain from voting constitute the Minority.“Judging from the previous case of Baguilat v. Alvarez which also dealt with the issue of House Minority leadership, it is likely this case will take months to resolve, possibly close to the end of our current terms. Nonetheless, we are committed to pursuing this if only to ensure that our institutions remain bound by law and logic,” Quimbo added.Quimbo said that his camp was confident that they have “an airtight case.”“It was very clear to any impartial observer that it took a monumental feat of mental gymnastics to justify the recognition of Rep. Suarez as minority leader despite simple and unambiguous House Rules,” Quimbo said.After Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was elected as House speaker last July 23, the struggle for the minority leadership ensued between the group of Quimbo and of Suarez, after the latter maintained his position as minority leader despite voting for Arroyo.From the initial 15 House members who abstained and voted “no” during the election of Arroyo, membership in the “People’s minority” has since swelled to 26.These members include Liberal Party (LP) representatives Baguilat, Francis Gerald Abaya, Vincent Alcala, Isagani Amatong, Kaka Bag-ao, Jorge “Bolet” Banal, Jose Christopher “Kit” Belmonte, Emmanuel Billiones, Gabriel Bordado Jr., Raul Daza, Edgar Erice, Edcel Lagman, Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong, Romero “Miro” Quimbo, and Josephine “Nene” Ramirez-Sato.Also included were Makabayan bloc representatives Arlene Brosas, Ariel “Ka Ayik” Casilao, France Castro, Emmi de Jesus, Sarah Jane Elago, Antonio Tinio, and Carlos Isagani Zarate; Akbayan Representative Tomasito Villarin; Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano; and Anak Mindanao representatives Amihilda Sangcopan and Makmod Mending Jr.Suarez’ bloc, on the other hand, now has 45 members “with more members seeking to join them even before the case was filed,” his camp said.Aside from the group of Quimbo, former House majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas and his allies also challenged the leadership of Suarez by filing a petition before the SC last August 30 and asking for the recognition of ABS Party-list Rep. Eugene de Vera as the minority leader instead.

['The Manila Times']

2018-10-06 00:05:06+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/quimbo-challenges-suarez-minority-leadership-at-sc/448911/

Manila Times

2,000 Red Cross volunteers ready for Traslacion 2018

At least 2,000 members and volunteers of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) were deployed to assist devotees who will participate in the Feast of the Black Nazarene or Traslacion 2018.PRC chair and chief executive officer Sen. Richard Gordon said they had set up nine first-aid stations and deployed 44 ambulances, an emergency medical unit, an amphibian, a 6×6 truck, a fire truck, one rescue truck, two Humvees, four plastic boats, and welfare desks in some hospitals to serve when needed.Like a devotion“Like those who have dedicated their lives to their devotion to the Black Nazarene, it has been like a devotion for us as well at the Red Cross to ensure the health, safety and well-being of the devotees during the height of the ‘traslacion,’” Gordon said.The first-aid stations and welfare desks are located throughout the path of the Black Nazarene procession and will be positioned at the Aquino monument, Round Table (Manila City Hall), Liwasang Bonifacio, Plaza Mexico (Post Office), Lacson (Santa Cruz area), San Sebastian, Jones Bridge, and near Quiapo Church to cater to minor and major injuries, as well as help trace missing family members and provide referral service, counseling and psychosocial support, PRC said.All PRC chapters in Metro Manila will participate in the operation during the event, while other nearby chapters along with their volunteers will be put on standby, the humanitarian group said.Aside from manning the first-aid stations, PRC volunteers and staff will conduct foot patrol, ambulance assistance, patient transport, and water rescue, all for easy access to medical and emergency assistance.11 hospitals readyAt least 11 hospitals are ready to accommodate injured individuals in the event of accidents, along with referral from the Department of Health.These include Jose Fabella Hospital, Jose Reyes Hospital, San Lazaro Hospital, Tondo Medical Center, Ospital ng Tondo, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Gat Andres Medical Center, Justice Abad Santos Memorial Medical Center, Sta. Ana Hospital, Philippine General Hospital, and Ospital ng Maynila.Meanwhile, an emergency room will be put on standby at the PRC Port Area with doctors, nurses and technicians for a possible multicasualty incident.

['Jodee A. Agoncillo']

2018-06-20 00:10:08+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/957836/2000-red-cross-volunteers-ready-for-traslacion-2018

Inquirer

‘Hero’ Henry is finally home

The remains of Henry John Acorda, the overseas Filipino worker beaten to death while defending a fellow Filipino in Slovakia, was flown home on Tuesday.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Hans Leo Cacdac, and other officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) joined Acorda’s family and friends in welcoming the “hero.”Acorda, 36, who worked as a financial analyst, was mauled by a Slovak on May 26 and died on May 31 in a hospital.The 28-year-old suspect Juraj Hossu, a weightlifter believed to be a Neo-Nazi, is under police custody and facing a charge of manslaughter.Cayetano said the remains of Acorda will be brought to Heritage Park and will be laid to rest on Saturday. He said the city of Taguig is planning to set up an OFW center in honor of Acorda.“Although it was a tragic incident, we will not let his death be in vain,” Cayetano told reporters.The family of the victim would receive P220,000 from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in death and burial benefits while the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) would provide additional financial assistance for the expenses incurred by the family. AND BENJIE VERGARA

['The Manila Times']

2018-06-20 00:10:08+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/hero-henry-is-finally-home/410317/

Manila Times

10-year high for maritime kidnappings

The number of maritime kidnappings hit a 10-year high in 2016, with waters off the southern Philippines becoming increasingly dangerous, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Tuesday.While the overall number of pirate attacks has declined in recent years, the IMB said 62 people worldwide were kidnapped for ransom at sea last year compared with only 19 in 2015 and nine in 2014.“The kidnapping of crew from ocean-going merchant vessels in the Sulu Sea and their transfer to the southern Philippines represents a notable escalation in attacks,” the IMB said in a report.Avoid Sulu SeaIt urged shipowners to avoid the Sulu Sea, which lies between eastern Malaysia and the Philippines, by routing ships to the west of Borneo island.In a string of incidents in the Sulu Sea last year, groups of armed men said to be either from or linked to the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group ambushed ships and seized crew for ransom.The Abu Sayyaf group is based on remote and mountainous southern Philippine islands.Their leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) jihadi group in Iraq and Syria, but analysts say they are more focused on lucrative kidnappings.Noel Choong, head of the IMB’s Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Center, said groups linked to terrorists were carrying out the kidnappings, particularly off West Africa and in the Sulu Sea.Attacks fallDespite the rise in kidnappings, the number of overall pirate attacks continued to fall due to better policing and ships taking more precautions.A total of 191 cases of piracy on the high seas were recorded in 2016 compared with 246 in 2015.World piracy has been on the decline since 2012 after international naval patrols were launched off East Africa in response to a spate of violent assaults by Somali-based pirates and others.The number of cases has also plummeted off Indonesia thanks to more efficient patrols.“The continued fall in piracy is good news but certain shipping routes remain dangerous, and the escalation of crew kidnapping is a worrying trend in some emerging areas,” said Pottengal Mukundan, director of IMB.Kidnap hot spotsIn addition to the Sulu Sea, the Gulf of Guinea was a kidnap hot spot, with 34 crew taken in nine incidents last year.The number of all pirate attacks off Nigeria rose from 14 in 2015 to 36 last year.Peru, which had a clean sheet in 2015, saw 11 pirate incidents last year, 10 of them at its main port of Callao.

[]

2018-06-16 03:30:09+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/861261/10-year-high-for-maritime-kidnappings

Inquirer

Koko Pimentel shrugs off Speaker’s threat, says they’re both for federalism

Give Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez space to say what’s on his mind in pushing for a federal form of government because the Constitution guarantees free speech, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said on Saturday.Coming to the defense of his party mate and coequal in the House of Representatives, Pimentel attributed to Alvarez’s “style of leadership” his threat of a “zero budget” to local officials that don’t support federalism.The Senate leader and president of PDP-Laban said Alvarez, the party’s secretary general, alone could not control the budget process anyway.‘Psychologically heavy’“If others can say that Charter change is dead, let us allow the Speaker to come up with his own psychologically heavy statement. Let him freely speak his mind,” said Pimentel in a radio interview.Alvarez had told officials in Iloilo province on Friday that local governments that did not support federalism should expect zero budget from the House. He also called on voters to reject senators who were against federalism.Refusing to be drawn into a quarrel with Alvarez, Pimentel said the Speaker’s statements were reflective of his personality. “That’s his style. Let us leave him be,” he said.‘Give-and-take’He also pointed out that the budget was a lawmaking process that involved the executive and the legislative branches, with the Senate being responsible for the second review of the budget measure.“It’s a long process. No one man controls the entire budget process,” said Pimentel. “The budget is a law. It’s give-and-take, just like any other law. But I will respect the right of the Speaker to freely speak his mind.”Senate leaders are themselves split over a proposed summit to help end the bickering on Charter change that will allow the shift to a federal form of government.Pimentel said the House and the Senate should talk things over and not shut down all efforts to amend the Constitution.He said he was looking to meet with Alvarez “in the coming week” so they could have an informal exchange of ideas.“I am not expecting that it will be finished in one meeting. But in that meeting, there will be informal exchange of ideas and then possibly, I’ll make an appeal that both camps keep an open mind and to exchange position papers to see which party has the heavier legal argument.”The Senate has always rejected the House’s stand on joint voting in a constitutional assembly (Con-ass).A House-Senate summit proposed by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri does not sit well, however, with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who likened it to “putting the cart before the horse.”Drilon suggested instead that before such a meeting, each chamber should conduct public hearings separately and firm up their respective positions on four issues: the need to amend the Charter and if so, which provisions to amend; by what mode—either a constitutional convention (Con-con) or Con-ass; and how Congress will vote.Transparency“Until the issues are settled, I do not see the point of a summit. It might end up with nothing. Transparency and public participation are critical to people’s trust in the process,” he said.The Senate has picked up an important ally over the manner of changing the Constitution—if it has to.The board of governors of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on Saturday batted for a Con-con and called on Congress to vote separately on Charter change.Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo, IBP national president, said that the “rigid nature” of the 1987 Constitution is to ensure that the stability of power would remain.Check and balance“Major revisions designed to substantially alter the balance of power in government must be proposed by a more circumspect constitutional convention and not by an overweening constituent assembly,” he said in a statement.“A proposed revision must be set forth by the two houses of Congress voting separately, in keeping with the deliberative nature of our bilateral legislative body,” he added.Fajardo said that, although the 1987 Constitution was “ambiguous” on Charter change, it was clear on the separation of the two assemblies to ensure check and balance.“The intent behind bicameralism continues to be check and balance between the two houses, so designed for the enactment of better laws,” he said.

['Jocelyn R. Uy']

2017-01-26 15:00:32+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/962155/koko-pimentel-shrugs-off-speakers-threat-says-theyre-both-for-federalism

Inquirer

Martial law will be harsh, says Duterte

President Duterte warned on Wednesday that he would deal harshly with terrorists, after declaring martial law in Mindanao following clashes in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, between government forces and Moro extremists who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group in Iraq and Syria.Mr. Duterte, who cut short a visit to Russia, said martial law in Mindanao under his administration would not be different from martial rule under dictator Ferdinand Marcos, remembered by many Filipinos as one of the darkest chapters of their recent history.He said he had also suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao, which would allow the authorities to arrest people without warrants.‘I’ll be harsh’“Martial law is martial law. My fellow countrymen, you’ve experienced martial law. It would not be different from what President Marcos did. I’ll be harsh,” Mr. Duterte said in a live interview on Facebook with Assistant Presidential Communications Secretary Mocha Uson aboard his plane before leaving Moscow to return to Manila.Mr. Duterte said he had no choice but to declare martial law in Mindanao following a failed raid by soldiers on Tuesday on a hideout of the Maute terrorist group, which triggered clashes and chaos across Marawi City.He said IS could not be allowed to gain a foothold in the Philippines and he would do whatever it took to rebuff extremists from the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf, even if it meant many would die.“Anyone now holding a gun, confronting government with violence, my orders are spare no one, let us solve the problems of Mindanao once and for all. Do not force my hand into it,” he said in a speech upon his arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia).“If I think you should die, you will die. If you fight us, you will die. If there’s an open defiance, you will die and if it means many people dying, so be it,” he added.Mr. Duterte placed all of Mindanao, home to about 20 million people, under martial law on Tuesday night after gunmen, including a group reportedly led by Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, rampaged through Marawi City.He said the imposition would last for 60 days, but it could last a year if it would take that long to quell the crisis.In a news conference at Naia after his arrival from Moscow, Mr. Duterte raised the possibility of expanding the coverage of his proclamation to the Visayas and even Luzon to protect the people from terrorists who had pledged allegiance to IS.“I am appealing to the humanity of everybody, especially those who sow terror, do not allow [IS] to come in. I warn you again do not do it because as I have said, my response would be harsh. I will not hesitate to do anything and everything to protect and preserve the Filipino nation,” he said.Martial law, Mr. Duterte said, would mean checkpoints, arrests and searches without warrant, and it would go on for as long as it took to restore order, but he would not tolerate abuses of power by police or soldiers.“[A]nyone caught possessing a gun and confronting us with violence, my orders are shoot to kill. I will not hesitate to do it. My human rights is different. It is an institutional theory which we will reserve and observe. I said I will not allow abuses. The courts are open,” he said.Mr. Duterte has repeatedly threatened to place Mindanao, the scene of decades-long Moro separatist uprisings, under martial law.But human rights groups have expressed fears that martial law powers could further embolden Mr. Duterte, whom they have accused of allowing extrajudicial killings of thousands of drug suspects in a crackdown on illegal drugs.Marawi sealed offDetails from inside Marawi City were sketchy because the largely Muslim city of more than 200,000 people appeared to be largely sealed off and without electricity.Abu Sayyaf and Maute group gunmen abducted a Catholic priest and more than a dozen churchgoers while laying siege to Marawi City overnight on Tuesday, burning buildings, ambushing soldiers and hoisting black flags of the Mideast jihadist group.Battles abated on Wednesday as the military tried to isolate Maute gunmen while awaiting reinforcements.Thirteen terrorists and seven members of the security forces have so far been killed and 33 troops wounded in the fighting, according to the military.RELATED VIDEO

['Jeannette I. Andrade', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

2017-01-26 15:00:32+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/899340/martial-law-will-be-harsh-says-duterte

Inquirer

In the aftermath of tragedies, Easter brings hope–Villegas

Filipinos have gone through adversities in recent months, but Easter, the celebration of Christ’s resurrection, offers them hope and joy.“Remember Yolanda. Remember Mamasapano. Remember the frustrating unsolved problem of government corruption. Remember the loneliness of our loved ones toiling abroad. Our memory is full of broken hopes and dreams. The litany of frustrations is endless. But we have hope,” Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, says in an Easter message that he will deliver at the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Dagupan City today.“Easter is the greatest and most important feast of our faith. If Christ did not rise from the dead, our faith is irrelevant and meaningless, dry and dead,” Villegas says.He calls on the faithful to “go beyond the customary greetings and feasting” and continue the mission of the Risen Christ by bringing His message to more people.“Be like the Risen Jesus. Look at the Risen Jesus. Love the Risen Jesus. Follow the Risen Jesus. What is it in Jesus that we must carry with [us] through life? It is his joy,” Villegas says.“Our calling is to return to the joy that comes from the Gospel and from sharing the Gospel,” he says.RELATED STORIESArchbishop Socrates Villegas: Let glam go for Jesus to glowBishops propose prayer for peace to ‘calm anxieties’ over Mamasapano incident

['Niña P. Calleja']

2017-01-26 15:00:32+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/683540/in-the-aftermath-of-tragedies-easter-brings-hope-villegas

Inquirer

Stronger protection of OFWs from abuses, slavery sought

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has sought stricter monitoring of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) against abuses and slavery after news broke out last week about a Filipino housemaid whose lifeless body was discovered inside her employers’ freezer in an apartment in Kuwait.In a statement, CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana reiterated that the government should assure that OFWs are to be deployed only to countries where their rights as migrant workers are respected and protected, as stated in Republic Act 10022 or the Migrant Workers’ Act.“The law is very clear. For it to be properly implemented, we need stronger and sustainable partnerships between and among the government and the private sector as well as civil society and OFW groups to ensure that migrant workers’ rights are being monitored,” Gana said.The rights commission also extended its sympathies to the family of OFW Joanna Demafelis, the Filipino maid whose body was brought home to the country on Friday.Demafelis, who worked as a housemaid in Kuwait, died a year ago.Her body was found in the freezer in the apartment rented by a Lebanese and Syrian couple.The two, who used to be Demafelis’ employers, remain at large.“That her employers subjected her to physical torture prior to freezing and abandoning her body for more than a year reveal the kind of risks that our OFWs, particularly domestic workers overseas, are confronted with. We must always remember Joanna and other victims like her so that our resolve to undertake reforms remains strong and unwavering,” Gana said.She noted that distressed workers “who may be suffering from mental and emotional anguish” after they were repatriated from Kuwait should seek psychosocial services and medical attention.

['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']

2018-02-18 21:22:25+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/stronger-protection-ofws-abuses-slavery-sought/381167/

Manila Times

6,505 residents evacuated in Cavite

A total of 2,387 families or 6,505 individuals were placed in evacuation centers as preemptive measure after heavy rains and gusty winds brought by typhoon Ompong hit 10 cities and municipalities in Cavite province.The monitoring Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) and the Police Provincial Office reported zero-casualty in Cavite’s lowland and upland districts.Those evacuated were mostly living near the coastal shores of the cities and towns of the province.Affected were Cavite City, Bacoor City and the municipalities of Naic, Ternate, Kawit, Rosario, also called Salinas, Noveleta and inner Carmona and Indang.Governor Jesus Crispin C. Remulla said that the evacuees returned to their homes when the weather condition improved later in the day.Senior Superintendent William M. Segun, PPO director, reported that six houses in Magallanes and Ternate were destroyed when rains and strong winds lashed the areas starting before dawn Saturday.Typhoon Signal 1 was raised in the province during the day.Power outages were also experienced in some coastal municipalities of the province and that some trees fell in the areas due to the lashing winds.There were no reported river overflowing nor deep street floods in the province.The Cavite Office Public Safety Office (COPS), the PDRRMO and PPO continue to monitor the situation in the seven districts of the province as of press time.

[]

15/09/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/09/15/6505-residents-evacuated-in-cavite/

Manila Bulletin

Fire razes Boracay flea market

Fire razed a flea market in Boracay, Malay town, Aklan Monday.Malay Town Councilor Nenette Aguirre-Graf told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview at least 90 percent of the D’Talipapa market in Station 2 was destroyed.The fire started at around 4 a.m. The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared a fire out by almost 9:30 a.m.Early estimates said more than 1,000 establishments were affected by the fire.While the fire was concentrated mostly in the flea market, the flames also reached several residential houses as well as Nigi Nigi Beach Resort.Graf said Mayor Ciceron Cawaling has called a meeting Monday to assess the damage and extend aid to those whose homes were affected.No one was reported injured in the fire.The last major fire to hit Boracay was on Christmas Eve of 2015.

[]

18/09/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/18/fire-razes-boracay-flea-market/

Manila Bulletin

Bongbong warned against advising Imee

Surigao del Sur 2nd district Rep. Johnny Pimentel has warned former senator Bongbong Marcos Jr. he could get in trouble for telling his sister, Ilocos Norte Governor Imee Marcos, not to attend a House hearing looking into the possible misuse of tobacco excise tax funds.Governor Marcos has become the central figure in the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability’s inquiry that began in May.Pimentel, who chairs the committee, has approved the issuance of a subpoena against the governor after she failed to attend past panel hearings. The next hearing is on July 25, the day after the start of the second regular session of the 17th Congress.During a press conference last June 23, she announced she will not attend next month’s hearing on the recommendation of her younger brother.Bongbong and Imee are the children of former strongman president Ferdinand Marcos.Reacting to the looming no-show of the governor, Pimentel pointed to the case of Ronnie Dayan, a witness in the investigation of drug trafficking inside the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP), and the detained Senator Leila de Lima.“Remember Ronnie Dayan? Anong sabi ni Ronnie Dayan, tinext-an ang anak ko na huwag mag-appear. Eh di na-involve tuloy si De Lima (Ronnie Dayan said his daughter was texted telling him not to appear. De Lima was involved as a result),” Pimentel said.After Dayan repeatedly snubbed the summons of the House committee, the House leadership issued an arrest warrant against him.Pimentel said the same thing could happen to Imee Marcos if she continues to disregard the House subpoena against her.“I appeal to Governor Marcos that if she is really innocent then she should appear and answer the question,” he said.“[This hearing is being conducted] because of [the] highly anomalous, highly irregular purchase transaction done by the province of Ilocos Norte. Huwag natin tingnan ang personality, tingnan natin ang nangyaring transkasyon (Let’s not look at the personality, let’s look at the transaction that occurred),” he said.Pimentel’s committee has been looking into the provincial government’s alleged misappropriation of P66.45 million representing Ilocos Norte’s share of excise tax collections from locally manufactured Virginia type cigarettes.The money on the approval of the governor, was used to buy 144 land vehicles. The mode of the purchase meant that no public bidding took place.

['Mike Ponce']

28/06/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/28/bongbong-warned-against-advising-imee/

Manila Bulletin

Trillanes links Arroyo official to coup plot

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on Monday linked Norberto Gonzales, national security adviser and defense secretary of the Arroyo administration, to an alleged plot to unseat President Aquino amid public anger over a disastrous police mission to arrest two terror suspects.Trillanes, an erstwhile Navy officer who led two failed attempts to oust Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when she was the President, answered in the affirmative when asked in a brief interview whether Gonzales played a role in the destabilization plot against the Aquino administration.Earlier, he and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago disclosed that they had received information about a coup plot, especially with the public anger over the botched police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, that led to the deaths of 44 police commandos of the elite Special Action Force.“The role of Norberto Gonzales is to create trouble in the Philippines,” Trillanes told reporters when asked about Gonzales’ supposed participation in the plot.Gonzales could not be contacted for comment as of press time.‘Sociopath’Trillanes described the former member of the Arroyo Cabinet as a “sociopath” who would pursue whatever idea he got into his head.The senator noted that nobody seemed to be following Gonzales’ lead, though someone was funding his activities.“He has no influence whatsoever, but he’s trying to project as if he has one. Remember, briefly, he was defense secretary but no one had listened,” Trillanes added.Trillanes, an Aquino ally, said there was no need to be alarmed over the plot against the administration, but people must not be complacent either.“Having experienced this, for them to be able to get one disgruntled soldier with a valid grievance can become a very bad situation for this administration,” he said.Best deterrentThe senator said the best deterrent for the plan was to expose the recruiters to alert the Armed Forces of the Philippines. When he was part of the plot to unseat then President Arroyo, he and his coconspirators had lain low when their plans came out in the media, he recalled.Santiago, in a Senate hearing last week, said she had received intelligence data that several parties she described as “leaders of certain alphabet soup acronyms who are familiar with the public” had met to discuss how to stage a coup d’etat.Also discussed was who to install as the new President, Santiago said.A “rich Filipino” was behind the plot, according to her.Lessons learnedBut soldiers, particularly the enlisted personnel, who took part in previous attempts to overthrow the government, have learned their lessons and would no longer participate in a destabilization plot if there is one, according to Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc.Cabunoc, chief of the AFP public affairs office, made this observation amid rumors of a brewing destabilization plot by soldiers and policemen upset over the government’s mishandling of the SAF operation in Maguindanao.He reiterated that the AFP had not monitored any coup plot within the military organization or the reported involvement of some former local government officials.“If there are officials who are trying to persuade us [to join] coup attempts, we will not follow them. They are not part of our chain of command,” Cabunoc said.“In the first place, we have no valid reasons to remove our loyalty from the President of the Republic of the Philippines and Commander in Chief. We have remained loyal to the Constitution and we will remain focused on our mandated tasks,” he said.Careers destroyedCabunoc said the military career of many soldiers who had taken part in previous destabilization efforts were destroyed by people who lured them into joining coup attempts.He said the enlisted personnel were either discharged from the service or demoted to the lowest ranks, affecting their families.Cabunoc said soldiers today were fully aware of the risks of military adventurism and the punishments provided in the Articles of War and in the law.Earlier, the commanding general of the Philippine Army debunked rumors of a coup allegedly fueled by discontent over the Mamasapano incident.Loyal to administrationMaj. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, who was a guest during the 45th anniversary of the 4th Infantry Division in Cagayan de Oro City on Feb. 5, said the military remained loyal to the Aquino administration.Ramon Montaño, former chief of the Philippine Constabulary and the Integrated National Police, has said the discontent and unrest could fuel destabilization.But Iriberri categorically trashed the idea, saying there was no such thing as a coup plot or even attempt to stage one.“The military is fully behind the Aquino [administration] and the people,” he told reporters.Iriberri said that despite the Mamasapano incident, which put Malacañang and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) at the receiving end of the blame game, the military was fully committed to peace and the peace process with the MILF.“We put primacy in peace and we have invested so much in peace,” he said.“We should just wait for the findings of the investigation of the board of inquiry on the Mamasapano incident,” Iriberri said.–

['Cynthia D. Balana', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

26/12/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/673363/trillanes-links-arroyo-official-to-coup-plot

Inquirer

China’s cancer patients gamble on gray market

When her father’s lung cancer worsened, Yin Min, a 51-year-old financial broker from Shanghai, faced a choice: pay nearly $3,000 a month for an approved drug or pay a fraction of the price for a generic drug not approved for use in China.Yin, like many families in China, turned to the increasingly popular, unregulated market of online pharmacies, agents, and peer groups for drugs.She bought a generic version of Iressa, not approved for use in China, directly from a manufacturer in India.“With this sort of misfortune, it’s hard to put into words the financial pressure you feel,” Yin told Reuters.Of 30 cancer patients interviewed by Reuters over the past year, two thirds took routes similar to Yin’s, pushed by China’s high drug prices and a lack of access to newer drugs. The patients were aged between 32 and 81, had varying income levels and suffered from a variety of cancers.There is no official data on how many cancer patients in China turn to unregulated channels, but research indicates an increase globally in the use of gray and counterfeit markets.Liu Xuemei, a 61-year-old carcinoma patient from Beijing, said she went through a pharmacy agent to get a cheaper alternative to the approved Zadaxin, while Zhao Xiaohua, who has lung cancer, said he found a cheaper treatment through a patients group recommended by his doctor. Patients Reuters spoke to said doctors often turn a blind eye to them accessing drugs through the gray market, and some actively help them do this.Medicines bought through unofficial channels are not necessarily harmful, and some of the Indian generics available online are approved for use in other markets. But they can include drugs that are ineffective or fake.The reason patients in China turn to these unregulated channels are largely financial.Low average salaries, a chasm between urban and rural wealth, and creaking state reimbursement schemes mean serious disease is among the leading causes of poverty, creating a major social burden and rising debt.In Yin’s case, the generic drug she bought was 13 times less expensive than the China-approved branded Tarceva.But Chinese also turn to unofficial channels because of bottlenecks in China’s drug approvals, which pharmaceutical executives say can mean drugs lag markets like the United States by 5-10 years. China requires all new drugs to be tested and approved in the country, but has a shortage of specialists for this work.The national drug reimbursement list, the main catalog of medicines covered by state health insurance, is being updated for the first time since 2009. That means even if a drug has been approved, patients can often only access it if they pay for it themselves.China’s health ministry did not respond to Reuters’ questions about patients turning to unregulated channels to buy medicines, or the lack of access to new drugs.The high cost of drugs is not confined to China, and there has been a jump globally in so-called ‘buyers clubs’ – informal patient groups sourcing drugs via the grey market to help those with HIV and hepatitis access drugs at more affordable prices.LIMITED OPTIONSChina last year had four million new cancer cases, according to official data, and the nation’s personal healthcare bill is set to soar almost fourfold to 12.7 trillion yuan ($1.84 trillion) by 2025, according to Boston Consulting Group.For many Chinese, being left outside the health system at a time of need is in sharp contrast to the ‘iron rice bowl’ concept of state benefits and guarantees for life.“If we can’t buy the drug in China or we can’t afford to buy it, then what other options do we have?” asked Duan Guangping, a banker in Chongqing, whose mother got lung cancer in 2011. He bought a drug for her from Bangladesh.China has sought to increase insurance coverage for serious diseases, and encourage drug makers to lower their prices to gain better market access. It has also tried to speed up the regulatory approval process by thinning out the waiting list, forcing manufacturers to withdraw new drugs where trial data isn’t strong enough.But change has been slow.“A lot of new oncology drugs were approved in the U.S. and UK, but in China there’s a 5-7 year delay,” said Li Tiantian, a former doctor and founder of medical platform DXY.com. “A lot of patients with cancer cannot wait.”The overall 5-year survival rate for cancer in China is just over 30 percent, less than half the level in the United States, according to Deutsche Bank.

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26/12/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/26/chinas-cancer-patients-gamble-on-gray-market/

Manila Bulletin

Jeepney strike not felt in Cebu, Bacolod

What was billed as a crippling jeepney strike failed to paralyze public transport in most of the Visayas on Monday.The two-day strike was called by the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) and its affiliates in the Visayas to protest the phaseout of old and dilapidated jeepneys under the government’s transport modernization program.The strike was timed to coincide with the opening of school and was aimed to disrupt mass transport.But the protest action went almost unnoticed Monday in the cities of Cebu and Iloilo, two of the biggest urban hubs in the Visayas.At least 100 members of Piston marched from Mandaue City to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulator Board (LTFRB) office in Cebu City where they held a rally.In a statement, Piston Cebu said that if the government goes ahead with the jeepney phaseout, about 15,000 drivers, 3,000 operators and 10,000 families will be affected in Central Visayas.The Police Regional Office in |Central Visayas reported no major incidents monitored on the first day of classes.In Cebu, at least of 670,000 students attended classes in kindergarten to Grade 12. About 170,000 of the students are based in Cebu City.In Bacolod, members of two big jeepney organizations, the Federation of Bacolod Drivers Association (Febacda) and the Samahan ng Tsuper at Operators ng Negros (STONE) are seeking police protection from harassment by striking drivers.Elisabeth Katalbas of Febacda and Jessie Ortega of STONE expressed concern that members of United Negros Drivers and Operators Center (UNDOC) could use violence to coerce nonstrikers.At least 80 percent of jeepney drivers in Bacolod continued to ply their routes.Mayor Evelio Leonardia has deployed clean dump trucks with chairs and a bus to provide rides to stranded passengers.

[]

05/06/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/05/jeepney-strike-not-felt-in-cebu-bacolod/

Manila Bulletin

Quezon City mayor switches party again, bolts LP

After seven years with the Liberal Party (LP), Quezon City Mayor Herbert “Bistek” Bautista returned to the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) in an apparent preparation for the 2019 congressional elections.Bautista, who has served Quezon City in various capacities for 22 years, took his membership oath before NPC chair emeritus Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. last month but did not announce the move.City information officer Ares Gutierrez said Bautista “did not even want to announce” the move because he “wants to stay apolitical as he winds up his term.”Bautista, who is on this third and final term as mayor, was originally with NPC in 1992 to 1994 when he was elected city councilor.In 1995, he jumped to Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino and won as vice mayor.When he ran for mayor in 1998, he lost to Ismael Mathay Jr., but he made a landslide return in 2010 when he ran for mayor under the LP, the party of former Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., who had also served as Quezon City mayor.Belmonte’s daughter, Joy Belmonte, also won her current post as an LP, but moved to the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) last May.In a previous interview with the Inquirer, she said she changed her party affiliation because she found herself aligned with the PDP-Laban’s advocacies, including a shift to federalism.Belmonte took her oath with Councilor Gian Carlo Sotto, son of Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, who had also served as Quezon City vice mayor.Both Belmonte and Sotto

['Jhesset O. Enano']

23/06/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/936367/quezon-city-mayor-switches-party-again-bolts-lp

Inquirer

Pompeo warns Iran on nuclear arms; hopes military force will never be needed

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday warned Iran not to pursue nuclear weapons, saying it would face the “wrath of the entire world” if it did so, but added that he hoped it would never be necessary for the United States to take military action against the country.In an interview with political columnist Hugh Hewitt conducted on Friday and broadcast the following day on MSNBC, Pompeo said that whatever the fate of the international nuclear deal with Iran, it would not be in Tehran’s interest to seek nuclear arms.“I hope they understand that if they begin to ramp up their nuclear program, the wrath of the entire world will fall upon them,” he said.“Wholly separate from if they spin a couple of extra centrifuges, if they began to move to a weapons program, this is something the entire world would find unacceptable and we’d end up down a path that I don’t think is in the best interests of Iran,” Pompeo said.He said, however, he was not talking about a U.S. military response.“When I say wrath, don’t confuse that with military action. When I say wrath, I mean the moral opprobrium and economic power that fell upon them. That’s what I’m speaking to. I’m not talking to military action here. I truly hope that that’s never the case. It’s not in anyone’s best interests for that.”Pressed on whether the United States would do whatever it had to do to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Pompeo said: “President Trump has been unambiguous in his statements that say Iran will not be able to obtain a nuclear weapon.”

[]

23/06/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/06/23/pompeo-warns-iran-on-nuclear-arms-hopes-military-force-will-never-be-needed/

Manila Bulletin

7,544 poll hotspots under watch

The Philippine National Police (PNP) identified over the weekend 7,544 election hotspots throughout the country as the new PNP Chief ordered police intelligence units to immediately come up with a proper assessment of these areas in order to ensure security and peace in next month’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) Elections.Director General Oscar Albayalde ordered police to intensify and expedite the assessment of these hotspots with the help of the military and the Commission on Elections (Comelec).“But whenever we say hotspots, they are not necessarily dangerous places. These areas were categorized as election hotspots because of some violence that only include mauling incidents, not necessarily firefights,” said Albayalde.Currently, the PNP is conducting a review of the past cases of violent incidents in the past elections, including the latest barangay elections in 2013 and that of the 2016 polls.Barangay elections are considered to be posing more local security threats as compared with national polls since both candidates and their supporters are coming from the same community.Albayalde said the identification of hotspots for the barangay elections on May 14 will serve as a basis for mapping out strategies on peace and order, especially for local police commanders.Aside from election hot spots, Albayalde said they are also focusing on candidates who have links with drugs amid threats and warnings from the Duterte administration for those connected to illegal drugs not to run.Poll paraphernaliaThis week, the Comelec will start the deployment of election paraphernalia to local Comelec offices.Comelec Commissioner Sheriff Abas announced Saturday that they will start the deployment of the forms and supplies on Wednesday (April 25).“By April 25 we will start deploying… we are ready in the Packing and Shipping Committee,” he said.Abas added that first to be deployed are for those in farthest areas such as the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).The Schedules and Order of Dispatch of Accountable Forms such as Official Ballots, Elections Returns, Canvassing Forms and Indelible Ink are as follows: April 25, ARMM; April 26, Region 13 (CARAGA) and Batanes in Region 2; April 27, Regions 11 and 12; April 28, Regions 9 and 10; April 29, Region 8; April 30, Region 6; May 1, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Region 2; May 2, Region 4-B (MIMAROPA) and Quezon in Region 4-A; May 3, Region 7; May 4, Region 5; May 5, Region 1; May 6, Region 3; May 7, Region 4-A (CALABARZON); May 8-9 National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila).Prayer for pollsWith less than a month to go before the polls, the Diocese of Balanga in Bataan has released a prayer for electing village and youth officials.In the said prayer, Bataan Bishop Ruperto Santos asked the faithful to seek guidance from the Lord so that they may choose “Godly leaders” who are not only pro-God, but are also pro-country, pro-environment and pro-people.“Guide us so we can vote intelligently and conscientiously. We seek out Godly leaders to represent and protect us. Be with us at this time so that we may vote for candidates with a mind who will listen to Your voice and follow Your ways,” read the prayer.The prelate said the faithful should ask God for leaders who respect life and dedicated in protecting the rights of all, particularly the unborn and the underprivileged.The kind of leaders, Santos said with “servant hearts” who will always put the country’s welfare before their very own, who will move the country in the right direction and who will help heal this land from corruption and not concede to bribery, profit, nor misappropriation of funds.“We humbly ask that You position leaders who will advocate a strong stand in protecting the environment. Install people who will sustain your gift of nature and stand against its threats,” he said in the prayer.Lastly, the Balanga prelate urged the faithful to pray for “compassionate leaders” who have unwavering desire to help those in need.“Grant us leaders with great conviction, who will never compromise what is right even in their most unguarded moments. We beg that you send us people who will steer our country in making us a great nation of faithful believers,” said Santos.He added: “Leaders who will give God the glory and not themselves.”The prayer was released Saturday, April 21, the last day of the filing of the Certificates of Candidacy for the village and youth polls.

[]

22/04/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/22/7544-poll-hotspots-under-watch-2/

Manila Bulletin

Mississippi man pleads guilty in killing of Catholic nuns

A Mississippi man has pleaded guilty to the 2016 killing of two Roman Catholic nuns in an agreement that averts the possibility of the death penalty, which was opposed by the women’s families and their religious orders.Rodney Earl Sanders made the pleas Thursday in state court in Lexington, blocks away from where Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill had worked as nurse practitioners in a medical clinic.The judge accepted a recommendation from District Attorney Akillie Malone-Oliver that the 48-year-old Sanders be sentenced to life without parole.Sanders was indicted for raping and stabbing to death Held and Merrill in their shared home in nearby Durant.The two sisters’ religious orders, based in Nazareth, Kentucky, and Milwaukee, have opposed the death penalty for Sanders because it contradicts Catholic teaching.

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21/06/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/06/21/mississippi-man-pleads-guilty-in-killing-of-catholic-nuns/

Manila Bulletin

Muslims recall Abraham’s obedience to God

Muslim leaders in the country have called on their constituents to shun extremism and draw inspiration from the story of Abraham, whose life and struggles are commemorated today by the world’s close to 2 billion Muslims on the occasion of Eid al-Adha.Eid al-Adha, one of the two Muslim nonworking holidays observed in the Philippines, is the Feast of Sacrifice, which celebrates Abraham’s passing of God’s most difficult test of his faith—asking him to sacrifice his first born. When Abraham proved that he would really submit to the will of God, his son was spared and a ram was sacrificed in his stead.At around 7 a.m. today, Muslim Filipinos pray in congregation and listen to a sermon from an imam.After the special prayer, they gather and visit relatives. For those who are able to do so, a male cow or a goat will be slaughtered in the Islamic way, with prayers and expressions of pure intentions.The meat is ideally divided into three parts: one each for the family, for friends and relatives, and for the less fortunate (as an act of charity).Special prayer“It is recommended that the special Eid prayer is done in an open space or field,” said Mohammad Nur Kadil, an assistant professor in Islamic religious studies at Ateneo de Zamboanga University.“Eid al-Adha is observed in three days. The first is when the special prayer is done. The last two days can be allotted for slaughtering cows and for more time to celebrate with relatives,” he added.In Lanao del Sur province, Gov. Bai Soraya Alonto Adiong underscored education for the youth and parents as a sustainable tool in efforts at sparing generations of young people from the menace of illegal drugs.Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu said most Muslims abhorred violence, and urged worshippers in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) to offer supplication during the Eid al-Adha congregational prayers for the victims of the deadly Davao City bombing on Sept. 2.Assemblyman Ziaur-Rahman Alonto Adiong of the ARMM’s Regional Legislative Assembly said, “Muslims should deeply reflect on the most beautiful story of sacrifice.”He appealed to his fellow Muslims “to continue extending goodwill and friendship to Christians, who also believe in the Abrahamic tradition.”Abul Khayr Alonto, newly appointed head of the Mindanao Development Authority, said Abraham had been looked up to by Muslims as the leader of humankind, because he was addressed in the Koran as the imam, which means “leader.”Bangsamoro Grand Mufti Abu Huraira Udasan said that by performing hajj rituals, Muslims were retelling to their families and the world the great sacrifice and struggle of Nabi Ibrahim (alaihisalaam), as Abraham is addressed in the Koran.Muslims and non-Muslims should bear in mind the lessons of Abraham’s story of faith tested in the greatest sacrifice told in a heavenly edict to take the life of his own child—and to realize that God, after all, holds human life so dear, said Udasan, who studied comparative Abrahamic religions in Jerusalem.Scholars and students of comparative religions have taken significant notes on the supposed harmony of the Christian and Muslim Scriptures in the hajj rituals.Respect for womenFor instance, a ritual called sa’e, a seven-round jog to-and-fro the ancient Hills of Safa and Marwa (Kadesh and Bered in the Bible), is a reenactment by Muslims (men, women, young and old) of the struggle of the biblical Hagar, the first woman to receive divine inspiration, when she delivered Ishmael. (Genesis 16: 11-14)Adiong said sa’e exemplified how Muslims held women in high regard because hajj could not be completed without paying tribute to Hagar, “the woman saved from persecution by a heavenly dialogue.”Aside from slaughtering lambs, Muslims performing the pilgrimage reenact rituals or deeds attributed to Abraham, as his story of great leadership and love of family is told in the Bible (Genesis 22:12-19) and also in the Koran (2:124; 15:53 and 37: 101-107).But followers of Abrahamic religions also speak of differences in retelling the patriarch’s story: The Muslims believe that Ishmael was the first born, whom God asked Ibrahim to offer as sacrifice, in accordance with the Hebrew tradition. The Christians believe it was Isaac, who was up for sacrifice by Abraham, and it was with Isaac that God made His covenant.UP Diliman campusAt the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, five Muslim students, who stay at dormitories, share how Eid is observed and celebrated on the campus.Ben Balt, who is from Iligan and president of the Muslim Students Association, said “being away from my family does not make me totally updated about what’s happening at home. I can only see photos of their celebration on social media and I miss how the Eid is celebrated there.”For Noreen Zsarina Tanua, one difference between celebrating Eid al-Adha in UP and back home in Marawi City “is that I feel more free at home because I really know the people around me. I am more comfortable to eat different food.”Alrahje Paute, originally from Cotabato, said it was a different feeling to be accompanied by parents in the special prayer when “I was younger. Now, I feel more independent and mature to have other companions in the prayer.”

['Nash B. Maulana', 'Yara Lukman']

2016-11-24 07:22:52+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/814636/muslims-recall-abrahams-obedience-to-god

Inquirer

Thousands rally in Moscow for internet freedom

Some 10,000 people were rallying in Moscow on Monday to protest against recent restrictions on internet freedom in Russia.Russian authorities this month began blocking popular messaging app Telegram over its refusal to hand over keys to its data encryption. Telegram, which was developed by Russian entrepreneur Pavel Durov, has refused to share data, citing privacy concerns. It has promised to keep the app running despite the ban.In a battle to cripple Telegram’s operations, the Russian communications watchdog this month blocked some servers owned by tech giants Google and Amazon, affecting millions of Russian websites.Protesters flocked to a central street on Monday, which is a public holiday in Russia, to rally against the communications regulators actions. People were holding placards, some of which read “For the freedom of speech!” and “Down with the czar!”Although the slogans focused on the attempts to block Telegram, many of the speakers from the stage blamed President Vladimir Putin for encouraging the restrictions on internet freedom. The protesters chanted “Russia without Putin!” and threw paper planes, which is Telegram’s emblem.The hashtag Digital Resistance supporting the Telegram protests was trending on Twitter on Monday.Over the past few years Russia has adopted a flurry of legislation aimed at curtailing internet freedom and limiting data privacy. One of the laws requires mobile phone operators to store data on voice calls and messages for several months. Other legislation allows authorities to target activists by fining and even sending them to prison for social media posts.Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who gained prominence thanks to his blog exposing corruption among state officials, on Monday accused authorities of trying to breach citizens’ privacy by exerting pressure on Telegram to share encryption keys.“I turn on the TV and I see news that some guys… have decided that they have the right to read everything I message in Telegram,” Navalny told the rally. “I’m not going to tolerate that.”Telegram’s founder, Durov, in a social media post wrote that the rally was “unprecedented” and said that he felt “proud to have been born in the same country” as the protesters.

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30/04/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/30/thousands-rally-in-moscow-for-internet-freedom/

Manila Bulletin

63 Marwan bomber associates still on the loose

One down. Sixty-three to go.The government has to hunt down not only Basit Usman but more than 60 other bomb experts after taking down international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”Documents obtained by the Inquirer, including one stamped with the logo of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and marked confidential and “Special Operation Group (SOG) bomb experts,” showed that Marwan had 63 associates, all trained by Indonesian bomb expert Dulmatin, who was killed by police in Jakarta in 2010.Dulmatin was a senior figure in the Indonesia-based terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah who was one of the brains behind the bombings of two nightclubs on the resort island of Bali that killed 202 people, mostly Australian tourists, and wounded 209 others, mostly foreign tourists, on Oct. 12, 2002.Attack on PH envoyHe also took part in the Jemaah Islamiyah car-bomb attack on Philippine Ambassador to Indonesia Leonides Caday in Jakarta on Aug. 1, 2000.Caday was injured in the explosion. Two people were killed and 21 others injured in the midday attack in Jakarta’s Menteng district.Dulmatin was killed by officers from Indonesia’s counterterrorism police in a raid on his hideout on the outskirts of Jakarta on March 9, 2010.The MILF list of SOG bomb experts is topped by Marwan, who was killed by commandos from the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25.The list, dated June 28, 2008, is signed by one Jamir M. Bansil. It contains the names of 38 bomb makers.A second list, dated Aug. 2, 2008, contains the names of 26 bomb experts.Usman is third on the first list. A Filipino bomb maker for the local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf, Usman escaped from the SAF commandos, who lost 44 of their own in gun battles with guerrillas from the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.President Aquino, under heavy public criticism for the deaths of the policemen, demanded that the MILF, which signed a peace agreement with the government in March last year, to surrender Usman, if they had him, or help the government find him or step aside to allow government security forces to get him.The United States has offered a $3-million reward for the capture of Usman.Extortionists’ groupOn the list is Abdul Jabedi Bedz, a leader of the local terrorist group Al-Khobar, which authorities say is behind a series of bombings in Central Mindanao that started two years before the list was made.More than 30 people have been killed in those bombings.Based in the marshlands of Maguindanao, Al-Khobar is a group of extortionists who use bombs to scare businessmen into paying up, according to authorities.Authorities say Al-Khobar was formed in support of Jemaah Islamiyah and foreign jihadist groups.The government is offering a P3.3-million reward for information that would lead to Bedz’s arrest.The list shows that some of the bomb experts are also assigned as organizers, logistics and supply officers.Some of the people on the list are described as “instructor for jihad and bombs.”Several of the people listed as organizers are linked to Al-Khobar.The list includes the aliases of the bomb experts, including Zulkifli’s, which is the same as the alias Marwan that appears on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s list of most wanted terrorists.MILF informantThe Inquirer obtained the documents from a source who claimed he got the papers from an MILF informant in exchange for “some consideration.”“These documents show that the MILF had been using the expertise of Marwan and the others as early as 10 years ago,” the source said.The source said Dulmatin trained the 64 men on the list in bomb-making.“They were the core group that also trained others,” the source said.He said the training included making improvised explosive devices using locally available materials.Marwan’s studentsThe military is verifying reports that Marwan trained 300 people, including female fighters, not only in bomb-making but also in using guns.“We received information that some of the students are hiding in Mamasapano and nearby areas, and are constantly on the move. But we are still validating this,” said Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, chief of the public affairs office of Armed Forces of the Philippines.Cabunoc asked the public to help in monitoring Marwan’s students because the military has no list of their names.“We have seen the evil effects of bombing, especially on defenseless civilians,” Cabunoc said, adding that knowledge of bomb-making is dangerous in the hands of radical, angry civilians.“That is very serious. If someone knows how to make a bomb, anyone can be a victim,” he said.Cabunoc said the military had asked the MILF for help in hunting down terrorists like Usman, and that it was one way for the rebels to prove themselves serious in pursuing the peace process despite the Mamasapano incident.“If the MILF themselves turn over the terrorist to us, then trust might be restored. They should prove that they are worth trusting and believing,” Cabunoc said.–

['Nancy C. Carvajal']

05/10/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/671256/63-marwan-bomber-associates-still-on-the-loose

Inquirer

Sexual violence, a savage feature of conflict over centuries

can sleep under the cover of justice.”Yet rape remains a weapon of war and power in Congo, especially in the east, which has seen more than two decades of bloody conflict among armed groups. Some are fighting for control of the country’s mineral wealth, intensifying the cycle of violence.Women have suffered as rebels and soldiers carry out sexual violence and rape. Mukwege and his team have treated thousands of women, many who have been gang-raped. His work made him a target: Armed men tried to kill him in 2012, forcing him to temporarily leave the country.“There is impunity in rape and violence,” Solange Furaha Lwashiga, a women’s rights activist in Congo, told the AP.“Unfortunately, people look for power by dehumanizing people,” she said. “Rape is a manner of seeking power and dehumanizing the Congolese societies.”___MYANMAR/ROHINGYA MUSLIMSHuman rights investigators from the United Nations and independent rights groups have highlighted sexual violence as one of the many egregious abuses they accuse Myanmar’s military of carrying out against the country’s Muslim Rohingya minority.A report presented last month to the U.N. Human Rights Council recommended that some top Myanmar military leaders be prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Rohingya during a counterinsurgency campaign that followed militant attacks in August 2017 on government security posts in the western state of Rakhine.It cited allegations of crimes including murder, torture, pillaging, execution without due process, rape, sexual slavery and hostage-taking. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.The AP talked to some Rohingya women who said they were raped by soldiers. Some ended pregnancies from the rapes early by taking cheap abortion pills available in refugee camps. Others gave birth to unloved babies; some agonized over whether to give them away. The infants are reminders of the horrors that the women survived. Their community often views rape as shameful, and bearing a baby conceived by Buddhists as sacrilege.Before she took power in 2016 as Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi said the military used rape as a weapon to intimidate ethnic nationalities. Her government, however, denies acting in that manner against the Rohingya.But the scale of the actions against the Rohingya in a nation that is about 90 percent Buddhist brought the issue into focus.

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05/10/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/10/05/sexual-violence-a-savage-feature-of-conflict-over-centuries/

Manila Bulletin

Dengvaxia failed for 2,198 children in Central Luzon – DOH

Despite receiving the vaccine Dengvaxia, 2,198 children in Central Luzon turned up sick with dengue in the last eight months, according to reports of the Department of Health (DOH).The children took part in the mass immunization program that vaccinated 205,449 public school students in the region between 2016 and 2017.But no one had died among the 2,198 Dengvaxia recipients, said Dr. Jessie Fantone, regional DOH spokesperson, in a briefing on Friday.These recipients belonged to 6,086 cases recorded among patients ages 11 to 20, which represented 41 percent of 16,107 cases reported from January until Sept. 1.In this batch, 48 patients, with ages from 1 to 10, had died.Advisory too lateSince Nov. 29 last year, the DOH report showed 1,219 patients fell ill from dengue fever, 971 showed signs of dengue infection, eight contracted severe dengue and 2,609 turned up with upper respiratory tract infection.In November last year, French pharmaceutical company Sanofi issued an advisory that Dengvaxia should be given only to people who previously contracted dengue.Vaccinated people who had never been infected could be vulnerable to a severe form of dengue, it said.Fantone said the government secured the consent of the parents of the pioneer batch of recipients because the immunization program was launched before Sanofi released the advisory.To help this batch, the DOH in Central Luzon hired 35 dengue surveillance officers.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

22/07/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1029921/dengvaxia-failed-for-2198-children-in-central-luzon-doh

Inquirer

Duterte back in Davao, still on ‘private time’

President Duterte arrived here on Thursday night on board a private jet after taking “private time” in Manila beginning on Monday.He remains well, Malacañang said on Friday, amid continued speculation about the President’s health when he skipped what would have been his first Independence Day celebration as Chief Executive on Monday.Mr. Duterte is fine, said presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella. “Just to assure you, he’s all right,” he told reporters in a press briefing.Military sources said the President arrived at Davao City around 8 p.m. on Thursday with presidential assistant Christopher Lawrence Go, Presidential Security Group commander Brig. Gen. Lope Dagoy and Brig. Gen. Allen Paredes, commander of the 250th Airlift Wing of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.The group left Villamor Air Base at 6:30 p.m.President Duterte had not been seen in public since Sunday night when he led the welcome honors for soldiers killed in Marawi City at the Villamor Air Base. He later went to the Philippine Marine headquarters to meet with the Marines’ grieving families.PhotographsMr. Duterte’s absence since Sunday started speculations that he was sick. But on Thursday afternoon, Go released photos of the President that he said were taken inside Bahay Pagbabago, the President’s official residence.Also released early on Thursday evening were a series of photographs of the President before he took off for Davao.The Presidential Communications Office did not announce any scheduled activity in Davao.Abella said the President was planning to meet his Cabinet sometime next week, but could not say whether it would be in Manila or Davao.A Cabinet member, who asked not to be named, denied a tweet that said the President called a Cabinet meeting at dawn on Friday.Also on Friday, a military official said the President continued to receive updates on the situation in Marawi even after he took a break and kept himself out of the public eye since Sunday.Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesperson, said the latest command conference with Mr. Duterte was held last week when the latter visited a military camp.But even without a command conference, he continued to give “guidance” to the AFP chief of staff and the defense secretary, Padilla said.“We have telephones. We have secured facilities where he could call and talk to our senior leaders,” he added.Security officials also submit daily updates to the President about the situation in Marawi, which are given to his staff who brief him every day, according to Padilla.Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III on Friday sought to allay public uncertainty brought about by President Duterte’s prolonged furlough.“If the President is sick, Malacañang has the obligation to inform the public, but if [he] is merely resting or doesn’t feel well or has a slight fever, flu or [diarrhea], there is no reason to make a public announcement about that,” Pimentel said in a text message to reporters on Friday.“Since there is no public statement then that means the cause of the absence of the President from the public eye is a minor one,” he added.Public interestBut two opposition senators on Friday joined the call for Mr. Duterte to explain his absence from public functions.“If the President has a medical condition preventing him from fulfilling his duties as Commander in Chief and is not simply ‘just resting’ then the public deserves to know the truth,” said Sen. Francis Pangilinan in a statement.Sen. Leila de Lima said knowing the truth about the President’s state of health was both a matter of public interest and national security.“Of course, it is well within constitutional bounds when [Malacañang] refuses to fully inform the public about the President’s ‘vacation,’ but it is also its moral obligation to go beyond what the Constitution requires,” De Lima said in a statement issued from her detention cell at Camp Crame.“This is called transparency and accountability, two words that are already lost to this administration and its senior Cabinet officials,” she added.Sen. Ping Lacson also described the President’s health as a matter of public concern.“It behooves Malacañang to disclose the current state of health of the President if only to quell any speculation about his health. The public deserves nothing less,” he said in a statement.

['Jocelyn R. Uy', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

2017-06-15 21:39:52+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/906256/duterte-back-in-davao-still-on-private-time

Inquirer

Aquino says MRT, LRT fare hikes ‘justified, necessary’

President Benigno Aquino III on Friday insisted that the fare hikes for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Light Rail Transit (LRT) were justified and necessary.Aquino, who was in Romblon for a series of inspections and inaugurations, said it was about time the ticket prices for the three lines—MRT, LRT Line 1 and Line

['Kristine Angeli Sabillo']

2017-06-15 21:39:52+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/663478/aquino-says-mrt-lrt-fare-hikes-justified-necessary

Inquirer

Cheap way to filter water for the poor

SOMETIMES, there is a simple solution to a complex problem.For some 1.5 million Filipino households without access to safe drinking water, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) recently developed a pitcher equipped with a water filter made from red clay that can make deep well and tap water clean and safe to drink.“Hopefully, with this technology that is very cheap and reusable, we will help more Filipinos get access to clean and potable water,” said Carlos Primo David, executive director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD).PCIEERD funded the project initiated by DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) in 2014, following Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) that devastated Eastern Visayas, leaving thousands of people dead and some four million others homeless.The ceramic water filter project was headed by Blessie Basilia, chief of the ITDI-Materials Science Division.It was undertaken with the country’s “severe water pollution problems” in mind, David told the Inquirer in a recent interview.“This was also partly inspired by Yolanda because clean water sources became a problem in most parts of Eastern Visayas. So this was a solution for that,” he said.Premature deathsNearly 6,000 premature deaths occur in the country every year due to waterborne diseases, according to the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.Citing a 2010 study by the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the DOST said diarrhea was rampant in the country because 432 municipalities where 1.5 million households outside Metro Manila had no access to safe drinking water.“In a nation with severe water pollution problems, these affected families may be able to get their potable drinking water if their houses are outfitted with ceramic water filters,” it said.If households with poor water sources will be equipped with this filtering device, the country’s accessibility rate to potable water would rise from 82.9 percent in 2007 to 86.6 percent this year, according to DOST.The ceramic filter developed by DOST-ITDI makes use of micro-filtration technique, which is an effective way to get rid of infectious microorganisms, said Dr. Ruby Raterta, a senior science researcher for the environment sector.Cost-effectiveIt is also cost-effective and sustainable since red clay is an abundant resource in many parts of the country, such as Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Aurora, Tarlac, Camarines Sur, Sorsogon, Aklan, Leyte and South Cotabato provinces, and Cagayan de Oro City.The filter can purify tap water and those from deep well and springs, Raterta said. Tests also showed that water purified by the ceramic filter conformed with the Philippine National Standard for drinking water, she added.But the use of rain and floodwater are still prohibited. “There is an ongoing research to find out whether the filter can also be used to purify water from rain or flood because these sources have other contaminants aside from microorganisms. They also contain heavy metals,” she pointed out.Targeting the distribution of an initial 20,000 water filters to various barangays, DOST has started mass producing the product in Isabela, Vigan, Bauko in Mt. Province and Tacloban City, Raterta said.Some of the filters have been distributed to National Housing Authority households in Muntinlupa City and Cagayan de Oro and in 10 barangays in Quezon City.“We recommend that they use it in the barangay center so that more people can benefit from it,” she added.

['Jocelyn R. Uy']

2017-06-15 21:39:52+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/803938/cheap-way-to-filter-water-for-the-poor

Inquirer

Airbus makes emergency landing

An Airbus A320 of Air Asia made an emergency landing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after its right engine malfunctioned, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) said on Thursday. Flight Z2-612 with 159 passengers and six crew on board, was flying from Davao City when its pilot, Captain Allan Roque, requested clearance for emergency landing while approaching NAIA. It was not known if the plane already had engine failure when it took off from Davao.

['Benjie Vergara']

2017-06-15 21:39:52+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/airbus-makes-emergency-landing/332910/

Manila Times

Senate bill seeks licensure exam for microbiologists

If a proposed measure of Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri becomes a law, future microbiologists will have to take and pass a licensure examination to practice their professionZubiri on December 6 filed Senate Bill (SB) 1630 regulating the practice of microbiology in the country since the handling of microorganisms requires special skills and knowledge.SB 1630 states that every applicant seeking to be registered and licensed as a microbiologist must “undergo and pass a written technical examination” to be given by the Board of Microbiology at least once a year.The Board of Microbiology, to be created under SB 1630, is mandated to issue to successful examinees a Certificate of Registration, which is renewable every three years.“The practice of microbiology as a profession started more than five decades ago [50 years ago],” Zubiri noted.“Inevitably, due to differences in philosophy, facilities and resources, the content and emphasis of the curriculum and training modules in various institutions differ,” he said.Given the important role of microbiologists, it is imperative that the profession of microbiology be regulated, according to the senator.SB 1630, however, exempts doctors of medicine, doctors of veterinary medicine and medical technologists from taking the licensure examinatio although microbiology is an essential component of their profession.Zubiri said special skills and knowledge are essential in the quality control of processed foods and manufactured goods, in managing environmental pollution, in remediating degraded soils, preventing epidemics in human, animal and crop populations and in producing microbial-based goods and services.Society benefits from microorganisms in various ways, the senator added.“These microorganisms are employed in the production of foods and condiments such as bread, cheese, beer, soy sauce and pharmaceuticals such as antibiotics, vaccines and hormones like insulin and vitamins,” he said.They are also employed in environmental clean-up and in the production of biogas and bioethanol, according to Zubiri.Life on earth is preserved with the action of microorganisms in the cycling of major elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and sulfur both in terrestial and aquatic ecosystems.Furthermore, microorganisms are the source of nutrients at the base of ecological food chains and food webs.Microoeganisms are employed in scientific research and technology.The principles of microbiology form the foundation of modern biotechnology such as genetic engineering and cell and tissue culture.

['Bernadette E. Tamayo']

2017-12-26 20:19:59+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-bill-seeks-licensure-exam-microbiologists/370719/

Manila Times

‘Selfie protests,’ noise barrages vs fare increase

Disagree with the light-rail fare increases? You can join the noise barrages and “selfie protests” slated for Monday, the first working day of the new year.The commuter group Riles Laan sa Sambayanan (Riles Network) and the Nagkaisa labor coalition will be leading the protest actions at various stations of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).‘Clap 2 Stop’The Riles Network said it would hold the “Clap 2 Stop” protest at the MRT North Avenue Station, the LRT-1 Monumento Station and the LRT-2 Recto Station, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday.Commuters will be asked to clap or make noise inside the stations to express their opposition to the fare hikes.Nagkaisa, meanwhile, urges the riding public to take selfies or “groufies” Monday holding mini-posters expressing their opposition.The photos could then be posted on social networking sites with the #MRTprotest hashtag.People’s rightNagkaisa members Partido Manggagawa and the Philippine Airlines Employees Association will lead the Monday protest at the MRT Pasay-Taft Station, while the Sentro ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa will lead the protest at the MRT North Avenue Station.“Let us make our voices heard: Safe, efficient and affordable mass transportation is a right of the people and should not be turned into a business of a few,” Riles Network spokesperson Sammy Malunes urged the public.‘Treachery’Malunes decried the government’s “treachery” in approving the fare hikes without public consultations.Nagkaisa said the fare hikes were an “assault on workers’ living conditions” by the government.It said workers and students made up the bulk of regular train riders.“The Aquino administration has not only failed to address the traffic mess, it is shamelessly adding a three-fold burden to workers who will have to shell out more for their own train fare and that of their children who go to school,” said Julius Cainglet of the Federation of Free Workers.The coalition said the “87 percent” fare increase was not even for the improvement of train services, but only to pay debts to a private concessionaire.‘Dagger to workers’ income’One of the worker groups protesting the fare hikes is the BPO Industry Employees’ Network (BIEN), as most business process outsourcing (BPO) hubs and call centers are located within the radius of both the MRT and LRT train systems.“The MRT and LRT fare hike is like a dagger to workers’ income as this will cut 10 to 15 percent of workers’ income for transportation alone,” BIEN president Ian Porquia said.“The average income of a BPO worker ranges from P12,000 to P21,000 a month. On a daily basis, a worker already has to set aside P28 a day or P560 a month for MRT fare. But with the increase, the cost for MRT fare will become P48 a day or P960 a month. For a minimum wage earner in the BPO industry, that is equivalent to 10 percent of his or her income going to MRT fare alone,” he said.#StrikeTheHikeThe protests started on Sunday, the first day of the fare hikes’ implementation, with the #StrikeTheHike Network going on a selfie protest at LRT-2.The militant youth group Anakbayan also held a lightning sitdown protest at the MRT North Avenue Station at noon Sunday.The protest actions Monday will coincide with a plan by militant groups to file a petition in the Supreme Court to suspend the fare hikes.

['Jaymee T. Gamil']

21/12/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/662237/selfie-protests-noise-barrages-vs-fare-increase

Inquirer

Pangasinan protected area eyed for ecotourism efforts

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Regina Paz “Gina” L. Lopez is optimistic on agro-economic tourism potential of the 1,935 hectares protected landscape, here saying that it could open opportunities to boost the provincial tourism industry in Pangasinan.During her first visit to the protected area on December 16 in Brgy. Malabobo, Mangatarem, Lopez suggested for the creation of a joint-management venture of the Manleluag Spring Protected Landscape (MSPL).Do it in joint venture. Do it multisectoral. The private sector, DENR, the (provincial and municipal) government. Everyone benefits,” Lopez said.She also observed that the local leaders are “makakalikasan” (nature advocates).In her visit she was welcomed by Governor Amado I. Espino III, Congressman Amado T. Espino Jr. of the fifth district, Cong. Leopoldo Bataoil of the second district and Board Member Raul Sison, also from the second district.For his part, Espino assured support in safekeeping and improvement of this area.”He even recalled in his speech that when he was still the provincial police director in 1993-1994, he planted trees at the site together with then-Senator Robert Jaworski at the site.“We have long been fighting for the preservation and protection of this area,” he said.Meanwhile, Bataoil shared his vision of developing MSPL as a “world-class attraction.”

['Samuel Deguzman']

21/12/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/21/pangasinan-protected-area-eyed-for-ecotourism-efforts/

Manila Bulletin

Arthur Yap’s arraignment for graft moved to Jan

The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division deferred the arraignment of former Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap on two counts of graft, one count of malversation through falsification, and one count of malversation.The court reset his arraignment to January 19 next year because Yap has a pending motion for reconsideration on the court’s finding of basis to try the cases, as well as a pending motion to quash.Earlier, the Office of the Ombudsman filed at the Sandiganbayan charges of graft, malversation through falsification, and malversation against former Misamis Occidental Rep. Marina Clarete and several other individuals over alleged misappropriation of PDAF or pork barrel allocation totaling P62.63 million between 2007 and 2009.Yap, then the Agriculture secretary at the time material to the cases, was named respondent in two of the 18 counts of graft, in one of the 11 counts of malversation through falsification, and in one of the seven counts of malversation filed against Clarete.The Sandiganbayan’s Third Division later found basis to try the cases.In filing the cases earlier, the Ombudsman alleged Clarete chose and endorsed Aaron Foundation Philippines Inc., Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay sa Masa Foundation Inc. (KKAMFI), and Kasangga sa Magandang Bukas Foundation Inc. as project partners in implementing PDAF-funded livelihood projects that allegedly “turned out to be non existent.”Yap allegedly entered into a memorandum of agreement with the National Agribusiness Corporation (Nabcor) on project implementation, in the cases involving KKAMFI.Numerous people chargedThe others charged with graft along with Clarete were: Alan Javellana (13 counts), Rhodora Mendoza (13 counts), Encarnita Munsod (four counts), Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson (five counts), Romulo Relevo (two counts), Maria Ninez Guañizo (two counts), and Victor Roman Cacal (two counts) who were formerly with Nabcor; Gondelina Amata (eight counts), Emmanuel Alexis Sevidal (eight counts), Evelyn Sucgang (three counts), Gregoria Buenaventura (eight counts), Ofelia Ordoñez (seven counts), Sofia Cruz (four counts), Chita Jalandoni (five counts), and Filipina Rodriguez (one count) who were with the National Livelihood Development Corp.; Antonio Ortiz (two counts), Dennis Cunanan (one count), Maria Rosalinda Lacsamana (two counts), Francisco Figura (two counts), Consuelo Lilian Espiritu (two counts), Marivic Jover (one count) who were formerly with the Technology Resource Center; and Marilou Antonio (14 counts), Marilou Ferrer (two counts), Allen Calma (two counts), Rodrigo Doria (six counts), Pio Ronquillo (two counts), Flerida Alberto (10 counts), Maria Paz Vega (seven counts), Ma. Nerizan Gador (one count), and Godofredo Roque (one count).The others charged with malversation through falsification along with Clarete were Javellana (four counts), Mendoza (four counts), Munsod (two counts), Johnson (three counts), Antonio (nine counts), Ferrer (two counts), Relevo (one count), Calma (two counts), Cacal (one count), Guañizo (one count), Alberto (seven counts), Vega (five counts), Amata (six counts), Sevidal (six counts), Sucgang (two counts), Buenaventura (six counts), Ordoñez (five counts), Doria (six counts), Cruz (two counts), Jalandoni (four counts), Rodriguez (one count) Gador (one count), Roque (one count), Ortiz (one count), Lacsamana (one count), Figura (one count), Jover (one count), Espiritu (one count), and Ronquillo (one count).The others charged with malversation along with Clarete were Javellana (four counts), Mendoza (four counts), Munsod (two counts), Antonio (five counts), Relevo (one count), Johnson (two counts), Amata (two counts), Sevidal (two counts), Sucgang (one count), Buenaventura (two counts), Ordoñez (two counts), Cruz (two counts), Alberto (three counts), Ortiz (one count), Cunanan (one count), Lacsamana (one count), Figura (one count), Espiritu (one count), Ronquillo (one count), Cacal (one count), Guañizo (one count), Vega (two counts), and Jalandoni (one count).Clarete and some of the other accused are at large.

['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']

2017-11-18 23:58:06+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/arthur-yaps-arraignment-graft-moved-jan/363680/

Manila Times

Development will kill NPA, says military

The military sees the eventual demise of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) with the waning strength of the rebel group and the arrest of its top leaders.Brig. Gen. Joselito Kakilala, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, noted that the rebel group’s strength had dwindled to fewer than 4,000 fighters.“Their capability has been degraded, as well as their influence on the mass bases … that’s their eventual demise,” he said.Kakilala issued a statement yesterday on the NPA’s 46th anniversary during which the military raised a red alert.Impending development in marginalized communities will eventually lead to the rebel group’s downfall, he said.“We will have economic growth and prosperity for every Filipino in the years to come, and the NPA and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) will be irrelevant,” he added.Critical infrastructureKakilala said the AFP under Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. was assisting in the identification of needed critical infrastructure projects such as bridges, farm-to-market roads and schools.He said these were being translated to tangible programs which were being implemented, resulting in a “drastic decline” in insurgency-related activity.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-08-19 00:04:20+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/682196/development-will-kill-npa-says-military

Inquirer

Only P1.4B of P8-B fund for free tuition program used – CoA

THE Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) disbursed merely 18.11 percent or about P1.449 billion of the P8 billion allotted by the government in 2017 for the free tuition program.In its 2017 audit report, the Commission on Audit (CoA) said CHEd spent P1,448,780,722.03 for the implementation of the free college program which “only pertains to the 1st semester requirement of the 114 SUCs (state universities and colleges) in the country.”The CoA said that fund use for at least three programs of CHEd “was low” because of the supposed delayed or late submission by SUCs of billing statements.These are the Higher Education Support Program (free tuition), the K-to-12 Transition Program, and the five-year program implementation of the Philippine California Advanced Research Institutes (PCARI).“The national government appropriated a total of P12.3 billion to CHEd under the General Appropriations Act for 2017 for the said programs’ implementation. However, since the other half of the allocation or P3,894,993,500 is intended for the 2nd Semester requirement of the SUCs which normally starts in October to December in other SUCs and January to others, the Audit Team made use of the 50 percent of the allocation as the ideal amount that has to be disbursed by the end of CY 2017, resulting in a 37 percent disbursement rate which is still far below the full realization rate of the CHEd,” it said.As to the K-to-12 transition program, CHEd spent only 44.55 percent or about P1.516 billion of the P3.402 billion allotted for its implementation.On the other hand, of the almost P5.043 billion allocated for PCARI, only 55.64 percent or over P2.806 billion was used because of the “rigorous process in evaluating/screening of project proposals.”The audit agency raised the need to revisit CHEd policies regarding the payment of claims of SUCs for tuition fees of enrolled tertiary education students, scholarship privileges of faculty scholars for K to 12 transition program and funds for research under the PCARI.

['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']

2018-08-19 00:04:20+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/only-p1-4b-of-p8-b-fund-for-free-tuition-program-used-coa/432123/

Manila Times

Purisima forced to resign?

Did he or didn’t he? That was the big news until Malacañang denied that suspended Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima despite widespread and persistent news had resigned.Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma told a news briefing he had no information on Purisima’s supposed resignation.One Palace insider texted the Inquirer: P-Noy addressing the nation tomorrow afternoon. Best to await that.“It’s confirmed that there’s no resignation letter,” one Palace source told the Inquirer.Sources said that during Thursday’s meeting in Malacañang to discuss the “fallout” of the Fallen 44, one official told the President that the people—his “bosses

['Julie M. Aurelio', 'Nikko Dizon']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/670865/purisima-forced-to-resign

Inquirer

Solon recalls Imelda story on Marcoses’ 7,000 tons of gold

Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, now Buhay party-list representative, said on Wednesday that Imelda Marcos, the widow of dictator Ferdinand Marcos, once confided to him that her family kept 7,000 tons of gold deposited all over the world.Atienza said Imelda, now an Ilocos Norte representative, claimed that she had offered to pay off the country’s foreign debt with the gold but she supposedly could not touch the money due to the interference of a “superpower.”“I’m announcing it in light of these developments,” Atienza told a press briefing after he was asked to comment on President Rodrigo Duterte’s disclosure that the Marcos family had offered to return some of its wealth.“She told me, ‘A superpower is preventing us. We can’t move any of the gold deposited in many parts of the world.’ I asked her, ‘what is your estimate?’ 7,000 tons,” Atienza quoted the former first lady as saying.The gold hoard of the Marcoses, if true, is bigger than the 4,582 tons being kept at Fort Knox in Kentucky; the 3,374 tons in gold holdings of Germany; and the 1,842 tons of China.The congressman said Imelda made the revelation in a private talk some time in the late 1990s or early 2000s at a wedding in which both of them stood as sponsors.“You can ask her to confirm it,” he said, adding that the two of them were not even close friends at the time.“I’ll liberate the country of its foreign debt,” Imelda was supposed to have said.But Atienza added that Imelda’s daughter, Imee, now governor of Ilocos Norte, overheard the conversation and quickly issued a denial: “Do not believe a word of it,” he quoted the daughter as saying.The Inquirer tried to reach Imelda through her office at the House of Representatives, but her staff said she was not available for interview.Speaking at the same press briefing, Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, who confessed to being a “Marcos boy,” expressed doubt that there was that much Marcos gold left.“Where did it come from? I don’t think we will get that much tonnage. I’m having doubt really with the accuracy of that tonnage,” he said.During the Marcos regime, Suarez said there was a good number of gold production operations in different mining sites.“This gold is either sold to Bangko Sentral or sold privately. From what I’ve heard, Bangko Sentral can convert gold to US dollars and there were buyers of those gold bars,” he said.“Some of those gold bars may have been purchased by the late President’s family,” he added.At the oath-taking ceremony in Malacañang of newly appointed officials on Tuesday, Mr. Duterte said a Marcos spokesperson had agreed “to open everything and probably return what has been discovered.”The President said the Marcos heirs had expressed openness to returning part of their wealth, including “a few gold bars,” to help the government manage the budget deficit.A total of P170 billion in ill-gotten wealth had been recovered as of 2016 by the Presidential Commission on Good Government from the Marcoses and their cronies, including Swiss bank deposits, shares of stock, real estate properties, paintings and jewelry.

['Dj Yap']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/926920/solon-recalls-imelda-story-on-marcoses-7000-tons-of-gold

Inquirer

Pharma, drug store ordered to stop dengue immunization services

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has ordered a pharmaceutical company and a drug store chain to stop promoting and offering immunization services without authorization, as such activities could pose “a potential health hazard to the consuming public.”The FDA asked Sanofi Pasteur Inc. and Watson’s Personal Care Stores to explain why administrative and criminal cases should not be filed against them for conducting immunization activities using Sanofi’s dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia.In a statement, FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno said the agency had not issued any authorization to allow immunization services to be conducted by Sanofi, Watson’s or any drug store.“There is no assurance on the safety and quality of the service rendered in these drugstores and thus [it] poses a potential health hazard to the consuming public,” Puno said.The FDA’s cease and desist order was issued following Watson’s announcement that it would conduct immunization activities at the drug store using the vaccine which cost P4,000 a dose. Three doses have to be administered in a year.Unauthorized adsIn April, the FDA’s Center for Drug Regulation and Research monitored Watson’s unauthorized advertisement and promotion of the vaccine, and noted that the drug store chain had misrepresented Dengvaxia as available over the counter. The vaccine is classified as a prescription drug approved only for those 9 to 45 years old.The FDA said it would similarly ask Sanofi to explain why it violated the law for the second time. In December last year, the agency issued a cease and desist order and filed a case against the pharmaceutical firm for the unauthorized promotion of Dengvaxia.Puno warned that if the FDA finds Sanofi’s explanation unsatisfactory, or if the firm continued to commit violations, the agency would suspend or cancel the vaccine’s certificate of product registration.“Laws are mandatory and they are meant to be followed,” the FDA chief said.“Compliance with the law is not optional, especially when the safety and health of the public are involved,” she added. “Sanofi, Watson’s and other manufacturers and drug stores are hereby warned. Nobody is exempt [from the law].”The FDA chief also advised the public against availing themselves of unauthorized immunization services, and warned drug stores against conducting such activities until the appropriate regulation and authorization had been issued.Strictly pursued“Regulation action and sanctions shall be strictly pursued in case of noncompliance,” Puno said.For a drug store to be able to undertake additional activities such as vaccination services, it must apply for a variation of its license to operate from the FDA and comply with its requirements, among them patient counseling, having a qualified person to administer the vaccine, dedicated space and sanitation.The FDA and the Department of Health train and authorize FDA-licensed community pharmacists to administer adult vaccines and other immunization products.The agency also urged the public to report unauthorized immunization activities in drug stores via an e-mail to report@FDA.gov.ph, or at the FDA’s online reporting facility at www.fda.gov.ph.

['Julie M. Aurelio']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/894865/pharma-drug-store-ordered-to-stop-dengue-immunization-services

Inquirer

Dengue cases down–DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday reported that there were 35,973 dengue cases recorded nationwide from January 1 to May 20.The figure is 31.8 percent lower compared to the same time period last year, which was at 52,780.“There is a decreasing trend of reported dengue cases to the Epidemiology Bureau,” said Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial in a statement for Thursday’s commemoration of the Asean Dengue Day.Ubial, however, reiterated that the DOH cannot be complacent in its efforts against dengue and should strive harder to eventually make the Philippines a dengue-free country.There were also 207 reported deaths stemming from dengue for the same period, said the DOH.Majority of the dengue cases were in Central Visayas (15.5 percent), Central Luzon (13 percent), National Capital Region (12.2 percent), Calabarzon (11.4 percent) and Soccsksargen (11.1 percent).

['Tina G. Santos']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/905992/dengue-cases-down-doh

Inquirer

Duterte returns from fruitful Bali meeting

President Rodrigo Duterte arrived early on Friday morning in Davao City after his brief visit to Bali, Indonesia, where he stressed the importance of closer regional cooperation to boost growth at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Leaders’ Gathering.“I am pleased to be back home from an engaging interaction with my fellow Asean leaders and heads of international institutions at the Asean Leaders’ Gathering in Bali,” he said in his arrival statement.The President said he reiterated the country’s “national priorities of inclusive growth, stable and secure environment and economic integration in the region.”Steady growth path“As a regional bloc, Asean should capitalize on its strength as a highly competitive region in order to maintain its steady growth path,” he said.“Only when we are willing to invest in ourselves can we ensure resiliency amid the challenges of trade tensions, threats to security and stability, and increasing natural calamities,” he added.During the Asean leaders’ gathering, Mr. Duterte extended the Philippines’ sympathies to Indonesia, following the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit South Sulawesi.Humanitarian aidThe Philippines also offered humanitarian aid to Indonesia, which was also hit by an earthquake during the summit.“I conveyed to President Joko Widodo the Philippines’ condolences to the Indonesian people,” the President said.He said that it was the Philippines’ turn to extend a helping hand to Indonesia, which had always shown its readiness to help the country during past calamities.“Now, we are giving back. That’s the Asean way. That’s our duty as brother and a neighbor,” he said.Mr. Duterte said he also met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to discuss efforts by their countries to delineate their maritime boundaries in the disputed South China Sea.

['Julie M. Aurelio']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1042346/duterte-returns-from-fruitful-bali-meeting

Inquirer

Marawi evacuees reach Cebu

The war in Marawi City rudely interrupted the vacations of Alaina Macabato and Salma Abdulla, Muslims and natives of Marawi who teach at the Madrasah Education Program in a public school in Cebu City.It cut short a phone conversation between Pfc. Kevin Sisiban and his 94-year-old grandfather in Cotabato City, their last.It cost Somaya Palao and her family P8,000 for a normally two-hour trip from Marawi to Iligan City that took eight hours.Their stories were now among countless emerging from the siege of Marawi by Islamic State followers and the ongoing operation by the armed forces to finish them off.Macabato and Palao went to Marawi to celebrate Ramadan there when the terrorists struck. They are now among 62 people who were rescued in Marawi and brought to Cebu City from Iligan City.SafetyIt was the call of duty that brought Sisiban, an Army soldier, to Marawi where he became one of the casualties of “friendly fire.”On the day of her return to Cebu City, Macabato sat quietly at the back of a city-owned bus that ferried the 62 evacuees from the city port where a ship brought them from Iligan.“It is only now that we feel safe,” said the 24-year-old teacher at the Zapatera Elementary School in Cebu City.Macabato recalled the day the terrorists, belonging to Abu Sayyaf and Maute Group, struck in Marawi City.The teacher and a female friend were at the public market to buy fish and vegetables on May 23 when they heard people talk about fighting between the terrorists and soldiers in the Marawi village of Basak Malutlut.Macabato shrugged off the news, thinking the fighting would not reach the village of Naga, where the market was located.As Macabato and her friend checked out clothes being sold at the market, they heard gunfire which meant the terrorists had come to Naga, just minutes from her home in the village of Mapandi.Macabato wanted to go home immediately but was told it was not safe because the terrorists were already in the area.Good Samaritan“Luckily, there was a woman who lived nearby and allowed us to stay in her house until it was safe to leave,” she said.Macabato left the Good Samaritan’s home in the afternoon but found no ride to flee. She ran to her house instead.As she got inside her house in Mapandi, terrorists clad in all black clothes passed by.“Good thing that we locked our house immediately,” she said.The next day, Macabato and her family fled their home in Mapandi to the town of Balo-i in Lanao del Norte.Macabato and her family walked from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. as no transportation was available anymore.They had only the clothes they were wearing, bringing nothing as they thought the war would not last long.Another teacher, Abdulla, was also trapped in Marawi where she had also planned to spend her vacation for Ramadan.Palao, 47 and a native of Boganga village in Marawi, was in the same bus as Macabato and Abdulla that took them to Cebu City.Ancestral home goneTeary-eyed after disembarking from the ship that brought them out of Iligan, Palao said it was the first time in days that she felt safe.Palao, her 9-month-old grandson, six children and five grandchildren had wanted to vacation in Marawi.Recalling her ordeal in Marawi drove Palao to tears. She grieved for an ancestral house damaged by air strikes.“It is sad to see what has happened to our city,” she said, finding time to narrate her ordeal while waiting for a vessel to Catbalogan where she runs a store.Sisiban had been hit in the errant air strike that killed 11 soldiers but gathered enough strength to call his grandfather Primitivo in Cotabato City.“I’ve been hit” were Kevin’s words during the phone call, his last to the 94-year-old Primitivo who raised the soldier

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2017-11-16 08:53:09+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/902418/marawi-evacuees-reach-cebu

Inquirer

DA officials told to seek military help for poultry clearing

Malacañang on Monday called on agriculture officials to enlist military personnel to speed up clearing operations against the avian flu virus to ease the burden on the poultry industry.Officials earlier said the lack of personnel and dry soil pits had delayed the culling of infected chickens.Some of the workers have reportedly refused to undertake the task despite a daily allowance of P700, and did not want to be vaccinated or wear protective suits.“Despite their lack of personnel, we urge [the Department of Agriculture] and [the Bureau of Animal Industry] to expedite the various clearing [operations] to minimize the losses and hasten the recovery of the poultry industry,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing.Abella said the Armed Forces of the Philippines could be called in to help if necessary.“Perhaps, if needed, the AFP can field more men to cull more birds. This is, after all, no small calamity,” he said.He said Malacañang sympathized with farmers and with the various sectors in the poultry industry burdened by the measures that have to be taken to deal with the country’s first avian flu outbreak.The outbreak has prompted consumers to shun poultry products and raised fears of price increases.Malacañang has sought to ease the public’s fears by saying that the avian flu strain found in Pampanga is not harmful to humans.The Department of Health (DOH) said it was monitoring the condition of two poultry workers who had manifested flu-like symptoms.Dr. Eric Tayag, DOH spokesperson, said the two “suspect cases” were under observation and isolated in an undisclosed hospital.“Out of the 20 people interviewed by our team from different farms, two of them have symptoms; one had cough, the other had fever,” Tayag said.“We’re verifying if their flu was caused by bird flu. Or it could also be that such suspect cases could be just influenza. We’re still unsure if those are cases of bird flu because this is currently the season of influenza,” he said.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

23/06/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/923042/da-officials-told-to-seek-military-help-for-poultry-clearing

Inquirer

DAR audit bares P12B mess

What happened?The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has failed to fully implement two major development projects worth P12.8 billion in farming communities despite the release of funds for the programs, the Commission on Audit (COA) reported.In its scrutiny of the agency’s financial transactions in 2013, the COA said the DAR did not meet its goal to help alleviate poverty incidence in agrarian reform communities because of the delays in the completion of Agrarian Reform Infrastructure Support Project Phase III (Arisp) and the Agrarian Reform Community Project Phase II (ARCP).In a report, uploaded to the COA website on Tuesday, the state auditors also found that the DAR had spent P135.7 million for training and consultancy services without a public bidding in violation of Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act.Italian aidThe COA said the office of Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes had failed to submit the “cash programming” for the P2.5-billion Italian Assistance to the Agrarian Reform Community Development Support Program in Mindanao, which caused the delay in the release of funds for the project.Aided by a soft loan from the Italian government, the project was intended to spur economic development and improve peace and order in 35 agrarian communities in the provinces of Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur as part of the government’s Millennium Development Goals within a six-year period.As of December 2013, the COA said none of the deliverables, including the construction of farm-to-market roads and bridges, had been met despite the release of P20.7 million for the project since April 2011.In the case of Arisp, the COA said the DAR had already spent P7.76 billion out of the P8-billion appropriation for the project, but only 42 percent of the infrastructure projects had been completed.Loan from Japan“As such, full attainment of its targets at the end of the project duration may no longer be feasible,” the COA said.The project, funded primarily by a P6-billion loan from Japan Bank for International Cooperation, was initially programmed to run from August 2007 to August 2014.But delays in the first two years of the project prompted the DAR to request the National Economic and Development Authority to extend its life until August this year.With the help of the National Irrigation Administration, the Department of Public Works and Highways, local government units and other project partners, the DAR was tasked as lead agency for the undertaking to help improve the income of farmer-beneficiaries through the construction and rehabilitation of public infrastructure, and organizing and strengthening peoples’ organizations.Besides road construction, the funds for the project were earmarked for the putting up of communal irrigation and postharvest facilities, and a supply of potable water.Only 18 projects doneThe project also involved non-infrastructure items, such as agrarian reform information and marketing centers, and the training for the development of cooperatives involved in agribusiness and rural enterprises.The COA said out of the 34 projects it inspected, only 10 had been completed or operational, 2 were completed but were not operational, while 19 other projects were still in the pre-implementation stage.Three projects, supposed to be implemented in 2013, had yet to start as of last year, it added.“From the auditor’s point of view, project completion/progress thereof is a tangible thing. While (the DAR) considered the transfer of funds to the implementing agencies or the conduct of procurement as an accomplishment, the project does not exist yet,” it said.While it considered the explanation of the DAR officials for the delays in the project, the COA said the agrarian reform department should have been able to address these issues “considering that this is the third phase of the Arisp project.”“(P)roblems encountered in the earlier projects should have been given solutions and resolved for the smooth implementation of the current project,” it said.“Problems encountered during Phase I and II should have been ironed out and used as guiding tool on the same problems that have arisen in the implementation of Arisp III,” the COA noted.As to the implementation of ARCP, the COA discovered that DAR had used up P3.6 billion out of its P4.8-billion allocation, but only 2.25 percent of the foreign-funded project had been completed since it was started in March 2009.Commitment fees, bonusState auditors said the government had to pay P14.8 million in “commitment fees” because of the delay in the use of the loan proceeds from the Asian Development Bank and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Fund for International Development.The COA said the DAR also illegally used P3.6 million from the funds of the project for the bonus, medical benefits and clothing allowance of its personnel in violation of the Department of Budget and Management Circular No. 2010-001.RELATED STORIESAquino asked to reform DAR to complete agrarian reform targetsIn Quezon town, land reform is incomplete

['Marlon Ramos']

23/06/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/687202/dar-audit-bares-p12b-mess

Inquirer

DA, DTI to set standard retail prices for basic farm goods

The Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will set standard retail prices for basic agricultural goods to protect consumers from “profiteering” by some industry players.Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said unscrupulous traders had been using as excuses the rising oil prices and the implementation of the government’s tax reform law in raising the prices of basic commodities like rice, vegetable, fish, egg, poultry, livestock and sugar.But Piñol said a recent meeting with the industry’s stakeholders revealed that while retail prices were rising, farm-gate prices for the commodities remained stable, reflecting a “flaw in the supply chain.”“That’s the reason why we called the meeting. We would like to determine what triggered these increments. And this early, it’s all about finding a scapegoat to increase their profits,” Piñol said, referring to some traders and middlemen.“There’s really a flaw in the supply chain between the producers and the consumers … Traders control the buying price and selling price [of goods],” he added.Piñol clarified that the rise in prices were not caused by the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act, but rather due to “speculations” of shortage.“There is really no shortage … The movement of the price in the market is more likely caused by speculation,” he said.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

23/06/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/996679/da-dti-to-set-standard-retail-prices-for-basic-farm-goods

Inquirer

Bongbong tops survey for VP amid attacks by rival bets

SEN. FERDINAND “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. appears to have so far escaped unhurt the sustained bashing he has been getting front and center for refusing to apologize for the martial law excesses of his father’s martial law regime, topping the latest Pulse Asia voter preference survey of vice presidential candidates released on Tuesday.The survey showed Marcos got a nationwide rating of 27 percent, with solid support coming from Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, Classes ABC and D, results of the latest Pulse Asia survey conducted from April 5 to 10 showed.He held a four-point lead over Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero who was preferred by 23 percent of the respondents. Escudero was in a statistical tie with Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo who had 21 percent.The survey, commissioned by ABS-CBN, interviewed 4,000 respondents and used a margin of error of plus-or-minus 1.5 percentage points.In the one and only vice presidential debate sponsored by the Commission on Elections and CNN Philippines on April 10, Marcos was skewered by his rival on issues of his father’s human rights record, corruption and the alleged stolen billions of dollars.President Aquino himself has been leading the Bongbong Marcos bashing, devoting his speech on the 30th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution in February to the excesses of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship after the New York Times said that Filipinos, disillusioned by the Aquino administration’s ineptness, were yearning for the Philippines’ “golden age” under martial law rule.Duterte, MarcosExplaining Marcos’ surge in the survey, Edmund Tayao, a political science professor at the University of Santo Tomas, noted a similarity between Marcos and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who is seeking the presidency.Duterte and Marcos leading the polls shows the voters’ preference for “strong men and decisive leadership,” said Richard Javad Heydarian, political science professor at De La Salle University.There was little change in the ratings of the vice presidential candidates compared to the last Pulse survey conducted from March 29 to April 3. Marcos was down by a point, Escudero was up by one point while Robredo’s rating was unchanged.“Albeit small, there are still movements in the ratings. This remains a three-way race,” Tayao said.Following the top three were Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano (17 percent from 15 percent), Sen. Gringo Honasan (4 percent, unchanged from the last survey) and Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (3 percent from 5 percent).Marcos was the leading candidate in Metro Manila (40 percent), Luzon outside Metro Manila (35 percent), Class ABC (43 percent) and Class D (28 percent), while Robredo topped the Visayas (35 percent) and Cayetano was the most favored in Mindanao (32 percent).The ratings of Escudero (23 percent), Marcos (22 percent), Robredo (22 percent) and Cayetano (20 percent) were almost the same among Class E.The survey also showed Escudero as the leading second-choice of voters with 26 percent of the respondents saying they would vote for him in the event their candidate withdraws.Sixteen percent said Cayetano was their alternative candidate while 13 percent chose Robredo and 13 percent picked Marcos. Trillanes and Honasan were the second choice of 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively.Escudero would gain the most if Marcos cancels his candidacy with 33 percent of the latter’s voters naming Escudero as their second-choice candidate.Escudero was also the alternative candidate of 38 percent of Robredo’s voters, 36 percent of Cayetano’s supporters and 24 percent of those who favored Trillanes.Message of unityIn a statement on the survey result, Marcos said, “It is a validation that the Filipino people want to hear platforms and programs rather than mudslinging.”He added, “Our message of unity is being accepted and the survey results will continue to inspire us to work doubly hard in the remaining days of the campaign.”At the “Agbiag ti Ilocano (Long live the Ilocano)” event at Manila Polo Club on Monday, Marcos said that he had always been spreading the message of unity, which was being well-received and accepted around the country.He pointed out that it was time to bring back the true essence of public service but the campaign still has to be won and it was time to work “double time” in the remaining period of the campaign.After the event, Marcos explained that he needed to work doubly hard on the campaign, saying, “I am not counting out anyone from the vice presidential race… Every candidate has skills, a bailiwick, support so I take every candidate’s campaign seriously.”He added that he was focusing on his own style of campaign and would not be distracted. “Other candidates will do what they do. We will continue with our campaign and message of unity, merit and excellence in government. That I think is something that reverberates with the people.”

['Ana Roa']

18/02/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/780403/bongbong-tops-survey-for-vp-amid-attacks-by-rival-bets

Inquirer

Cycling in the Metro

please make sure that you avoid the main thoroughfares. Always use secondary roads. Squeezing in and around vehicles will not be much of a problem, even on narrow streets. And it’s exponentially safer for both the cyclist and the motorists.Arguably, this suggestion is not for everyone. Some will likely complain about the pollution and other inconveniences. But traffic in Manila has gotten from bad to worse to unbearable that there is no other recourse but to take a less time-consuming course in your bicycle. Happy riding!www.facebook.com/GoyYLarrazabal/

[]

18/02/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/02/18/cycling-in-the-metro/

Manila Bulletin

Lessons of martial law, comfort women among topics in 3-day confab

Comfort women and the lessons of martial law are among the topics to be discussed at the 27th Annual Manila Studies Conference on September 12-14 at Seminar Rooms A and B of Technological Institute of the Philippines (TIP) in Cubao, Quezon City.The conference includes paper presentations, a history teaching workshop, and a tour of the Museum of Natural History in Rizal Park, Manila. It is being convened by the Manila Studies Association and is cosponsored with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and TIP.SpeakersBernardita R. Churchill, Mary Jane Louise Bolunia and Digna Apilado will conduct a workshop on enhancing the study and teaching of Philippine history and culture in basic and higher education and creating an inclusive history, and will present papers on Philippine archaeology and learning the lessons of history, including understanding and teaching martial law.The speakers and their topics are: Timothy James Vitales on the role of fauna in pre-Hispanic Santa Ana, Manila; Nida Cuevas, on the sarcophagus mortuary tradition in Mulanay, Quezon; Analyn Muñoz on the Pasig River in the late 19th century and contemporary times; Martin R. Gaerlan on Cordillera coffee production during the Spanish colonial period; Ivan Kaye L. Bantigue on the Port of Manila in 1898-2010.Teresita Ang See on the comfort women in World War II; Elmer M. Soliman Jr. on the commercialization of heritage sites; Juan Paolo M. Calamlam on the significance of the Carriedo waterworks during the Philippine Revolution (1896-1898) and the Philippine-American War (1899); Wensley Reyes on the “Foundation Day” of Philippine Normal University.Emmanuel Jeric A. Albela on the contemporary balut-eating culture in Metropolitan Manila; Carla Gamalinda on the graphic arts industry in Manila (1750-1825); Jayson B. Portem on the Camino de Nazareno and Grace C. Ramos on Manila as an evolving ecosystem.A documentary on Don Jose Nepomuceno and the birth of Philippine cinema will be presented by Nick Deocampo of the Center for New Cinema.Also to be launched is “Manila Selected Papers” of the 26th Annual Manila Studies Conference.Teachers, students and researchers are welcome to attend. The conference fee is P2,500 and covers kit, meals and certificate. Registration will be held on site.For inquiries, contact Lorelei de Viana at loriedeviana@gmail.com (0917-7161470); Bernardita R. Churchill at nitachurchill@hotmail.com (0908-7238295); Dyun Zamora at mmx_dyun@yahoo.com (0925-5032519), and Josefina S. de Asis at jsantosdeasis@yahoo.com (09260875125).

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

06/03/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1027080/lessons-of-martial-law-comfort-women-among-topics-in-3-day-confab

Inquirer

74 4Ps beneficiaries in Tarlac City receive livelihood assistance

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided livelihood assistance to 78 beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) as part of the government’s continuing efforts to uplift the lives of the marginalized people.Under its Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP), the DSWD, in partnership with the city government of Tarlac, distributed Monday some PHP1.56 million worth of livelihood aid to 4Ps members.Jimbo Soriano, officer-in-charge of the City Social Welfare and Development Office, said PHP20,000 was given to each 4Ps beneficiary who is currently engaged in livelihood or entrepreneurial activities and those who wants to pursue vocational studies.Soriano said the beneficiaries are 4Ps members from Barangays Baras-baras, San Nicolas and Balingcanaway.“They were chosen as beneficiaries of the program because they are currently ‘economically active’. We hope that through the financial assistance, their small businesses will expand,” he said.Those who want to study, Soriano said, may enroll at the Tarlac School of Arts and Trades which is accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.He noted that 26 4Ps members in the province have previously received similar livelihood assistance.The project is also part of the extensive program of Mayor Cristy Angeles which aims to provide employment or livelihood to Tarlaqueños.Angeles urged beneficiaries to properly manage their respective livelihood projects so they could improve their living standards.

[]

06/03/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/03/06/74-4ps-beneficiaries-in-tarlac-city-receive-livelihood-assistance/

Manila Bulletin

Pagadian City police chief sacked for disobeying Bato

The local police chief here has been relieved from his post for disobeying orders from the highest official of the Philippine National Police (PNP).Relieved as city police chief was Supt. Michael Palermo. He was replaced by Supt. Kiram Jimlani, the former deputy provincial director for operations and chief of the intelligence division.Sr. Supt. Sofronio Ecaldre, provincial police director, on Monday said Palermo was relieved after he ordered the taping of the gun muzzles of policemen, contrary to the order of PNP Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.Dela Rosa stopped the practice of taping the gun muzzles of policemen during the holiday season, citing it did not prevent indiscriminate firing by policemen in past Christmas and New Year celebrations.Dela Rosa decided to forgo the tapping of the gun muzzles to also show to the citizenry that policemen are now more disciplined under his stewardship.Ecaldre said Palermo ordered the taping of gun muzzles of the local policemen despite the directive from Dela Rosa, resulting in his relief from his thus, he was post effective December 31, 2016.Jimlani has assured the residents of this city that he will continue to implement the programs of the PNP, especially the war against drugs of President Duterte.He commended the local police force for the efforts against the sale of illegal firecracker that resulted in zero firecracker-related injury during the New Year revelries.

[]

03/01/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/03/pagadian-city-police-chief-sacked-for-disobeying-bato/

Manila Bulletin

Law pushed to protect waterways as ‘living entities’

Amid rapid urban development in Quezon City, the San Francisco River has stood as silent witness to the changes that people had wrought in the area.Decades ago, Franciscan priests followed its banks as they trekked from Laguna and Quezon provinces to their retreat seminary in what is now known as the San Francisco del Monte enclave, named after St. Francis.Before the river became a dumping area for trash, its waters offered hours of frolic and fun for children in the community. Today, the silted river is choking under tons of garbage and presents a considerable threat to families living nearby when heavy rainfall swells its banks.On Friday, the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP) decided to step in and conduct a cleanup drive in an attempt to bring this sluggish river back to life.But the cleanup campaign is only part of AMRSP’s bigger dream of having a law that would declare Philippine rivers “living entities,” bodies of water that have their own inherent rights against harm and pollution.‘Stewards of the Earth’“Our understanding is anthropocentric. We may believe we are the center of the ecosystem, but we are just part of it,” said Fr. Angelito Cortez, AMRSP coexecutive secretary.“If human beings have rights, so does nature. And because we are the stewards of the Earth, we should fight for them because they cannot speak for themselves,” he added.If rivers were declared living entities, then the act of polluting them would be “tantamount to harming a human being,” the group said. This means that proof would no longer be required to show that discharging waste into rivers is harmful, since “the act of polluting the waters will be a crime against the river itself.”Cortez said AMRSP, which is composed of some 300 religious congregations working in missions in the country, would be organizing meetings with other religious groups to discuss the possible bill.30 sacks of garbageTheir haul of 30 sacks of trash after a 20-minute cleanup is proof enough that such legal intervention is needed.Should such a bill be passed, it would be a landmark law in the country, said environmental lawyer Antonio La Viña.If rivers were declared living entities, it means that their functions and needs must be respected and nurtured, independent of human beings and their utilitarian purpose, La Viña said, adding that the country’s laws protecting the environment are inadequate.“We always think of the value of a natural resource to people, but this time, we’re asking: What is the natural resource’s value in itself?” the lawyer asked.New Zealand exampleIn 2017, a similar law benefited the Maori tribe in New Zealand after the Whanganui River was granted the same legal rights as a human being.AMRSP’s proposal will have legal basis in the 1987 Constitution itself, La Viña said, citing a section in the Declaration of Principles and State Policies, which says that the state shall “protect and advance the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology in accord with the rhythm and harmony of nature.”The bill could also serve as a precedent that will extend protection to trees and other living beings, he added.In 2004, five Metro Manila rivers were declared “biologically dead,” which means they no longer have oxygen and can no longer support life. The decaying rivers that had succumbed to waste and industrial pollution are the Pasig River, Marikina River, San Juan River, Parañaque River and Navotas-Malabon-Tenejeros-Tullahan River.More than a decade later, the rivers have started to show signs of life, as both government and nongovernment groups have conducted hundreds of cleanup drives and other rehabilitation efforts to clear the waterways, including the forced removal of families from the riverbanks.Heeding Pope’s callFor Cortez and other men and women of the faith, their actions simply put into practice Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si,” the papal encyclical that called on people to live in harmony with nature, rather than dominate it. The Pope also called for “swift and unified global action” against global warming and environmental degradation.In this struggle, rivers, considered symbols of interconnectedness, play a crucial role, Cortez said.“Water in itself is a basic necessity. We have to reconnect with waters and rivers, which have witnessed how life has changed over time,” he said.“We must play our roles in saving these bodies of water, as they also play a significant role in our lives,” Cortez added.

['Jhesset O. Enano']

2017-05-11 21:41:10+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1039866/law-pushed-to-protect-waterways-as-living-entities

Inquirer

Death-penalty proposal still alive in the Senate

THE proposed reimposition of the death penalty is still very much alive in the Senate, contrary to earlier claims of some senators in the minority bloc that it is already dead, Sen. Francis Escudero said on Thursday.Escudero, who opposes the planned restoration of capital punishment, added that he was able to get the respective positions of senators on the matter two months ago and they are different from a statement earlier made by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.Drilon recently said in a news forum that the bill seeking to restore the death penalty in the country was already dead in the Senate with at least 13 senators likely to reject it.“I don’t believe that the death penalty is dead in the Senate and I hope he [Drilon] will not assume that and be complacent,” Escudero said, as he maintained his position against capital punishment.According to him, there is a chance that the death penalty will gain the Senate’s nod.Five death penalty bills are pending before the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights headed by Sen. Richard Gordon.Escudero said that there was a proposal to limit the imposition of the death penalty to high-level drug trafficking and there is a big possibility that the move could convince more senators into supporting the proposal.“What is clear is that the version of the House of Representatives which involves firing squad and hanging won’t have a chance of passing in the Senate,” he added.Sen. Richard Gordon, in a separate interview, said the fate of the death penalty is still too close to call, adding that his position against it would not change.Gordon reiterated that instead of imposing capital punishment, the government should work on improving the prison system and adopting a stricter policy on life imprisonment.“We have to really make sure that when we do impose life imprisonment, it should really be in prison, where prisoners are seen undergoing hard labor and far from their families,” he said.

['Jefferson Antiporda']

2017-05-11 21:41:10+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/death-penalty-proposal-still-alive-senate/326671/

Manila Times

PCSO chair quits, but Palace says he’s not on chop block

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Chair Jose Jorge Corpuz has resigned for “health reasons,” Malacañang announced on Friday amid an ongoing squabble between two other officials of the agency.But presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that Corpuz was not the official whom President Duterte had been planning to sack for corruption.“Mr. Corpuz, for the information of everyone, is not the person whom the President said he will fire for corruption,” Roque said, referring to Mr. Duterte’s speech on Thursday before officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. where he vowed to continue the cleanup of government.Three generals“I am in the thick of firing people. I intend to fire another, maybe 70 or 49 policemen and three generals for corruption,” the President said.“I am firing another chairman of an entity in government maybe this week,” he later added.On Friday, Corpuz sent the Inquirer a text message saying he was recovering well. His son and executive secretary, Miguel Corpuz, also said that the resigned chair was “OK.”But Corpuz, according to Florante Solmerin, deputy spokesperson for PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan, had yet to inform the agency personally about his resignation.“We haven’t talked to the chair … We cannot speak at the moment because we do not want to preempt his reasons, if the [reported] resignation were true. We will wait for Chair Corpuz,” Solmerin said.Upcoming probePCSO Director Sandra Cam, who has accused Balutan of overspending for the PCSO Christmas party, however, accused Corpuz of resigning to skip an upcoming probe on alleged anomalies in the agency.“If health reasons were the real reason, Corpuz should have resigned last November when he had a stroke,” Cam said.“I agree [that] he is really sick, but if he wants to clear his name, he should have waited for the investigation. It’s only four days to that … He’s evading it,” she added.Cam said that what she would reveal next week would be like a Pandora’s box. A probe on the PCSO Christmas party that Cam had described as “lavish” was set on Jan. 17.

['Jodee Agoncillo', 'Leila B. Salaverria']

22/11/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/959802/pcso-chair-quits-but-palace-says-hes-not-on-chop-block

Inquirer

Chiz urges Aquino to alter draft BBL

President Aquino has formed a peace council that he believes can convince Congress to pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). But Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero expects it will be the other way around: Congress can enlighten the council on the constitutional defects of the draft BBL.Understanding those flaws, the council could then help Congress convince the President, his peace negotiating team and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) about the need to amend the draft BBL to make it conform to the Constitution, Escudero said in an interview on dzBB radio yesterday.“I believe in the independence and integrity of the members [of the peace council] and that they will not allow themselves to be dictated on what to do, especially if [the provisions are] obviously wrong and unconstitutional,” Escudero said.“I look forward to engaging them to hear their opinion and how they defend in another way the provisions that we have long been questioning. In the end, we might be able to convince them and help convince the President and the MILF that we really need to change these provisions,” he added.On Friday, President Aquino named Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., businessman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, former Ambassador to the Holy See and Malta Howard Dee and youth leader Rohaniza Sumndad-Usman as leaders of a National Peace Summit that would “deliberate on and discuss the BBL.”Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chair of the House ad hoc committee on the BBL, said the peace council should submit its recommendations by April 20 so that the members of his committee could read them before they vote on the proposed BBL on May 11 and 12.Rodriguez said the council could still submit recommendations as the House voted on the draft BBL at the plenary level.Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Senate President Franklin Drilon have committed to pass the proposed BBL by June, before the adjournment of the 16th Congress.Both Escudero and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the peace council should be made aware of the massive funds that would be earmarked to the prospective Bangsamoro parliament and its members—roughly P75 billion, a big chunk of which would be “lump-sum funds” not unlike the pork barrel that the Supreme Court had declared unconstitutional.‘Trending lie’Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the government’s chief peace negotiator, has claimed that theP75-billion annual budget for proposed Bangsamoro government was a “trending lie” being peddled by anti-BBL advocates.She claimed that only P35 billion of the amount would go to the prospective Bangsamoro government—P27 billion in block grant, P7 billion in development fund and P1 billion in transition fund.Escudero, however, pointed out that Ferrer conveniently left out from her computation the internal revenue allotment (IRA) for local governments and the department agencies (such as the Department of Education and the Department of Public Works and Highways) operating in the proposed Bangsamoro territory, which would push the total allocation for Bangsamoro to at least P75 billion.Conservative figure“It’s a conservative amount, considering that the Bangsamoro can also impose fees and penalties for their own use and it will get a substantial share of royalties from natural resources extracted from its area,” Escudero said.“I thought they will be autonomous or operating on their own but they are actually getting double the amount,” he added.With so much of the Bangsamoro budget in lump sum or not itemized, Escudero said the region’s chief minister might end up having a bigger intelligence fund than the President of the Philippines.Marcos said that the P75 billion for Bangsamoro was bigger than the budget of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.“This is alarming because these funds could be used to buy arms for MILF troops. There are reports of continuous recruitment by the MILF, establishment of camps and manufacturing of arms,” he said.Marcos pointed out that the funds going to Bangsamoro would not pass through Congress.He said there was no assurance that the funds would not end up in the pockets of the region’s leaders, just like in the current situation in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) where local governments complain that very little of the massive funds for the region have trickled down to their level.Hard to justifyEscudero said his main concern was that the Bangsamoro bonanza would be hard to justify to other regions that also needed funds.He also said that the P75-billion annual budget would send the message that “if you threaten the government, we will reward you with P75 billion a year.”Aside from the funds, Escudero said the government should explain why it would allow the Bangsamoro to form equivalents of the Civil Service Commission, Commission on Elections and Commission on Audit and adhere to its own kind of justice system, which is not allowed in the Constitution.He also said the government should explain why the disarmament of the MILF was not included in the draft BBL.“They promised to surrender one-third of their arms upon signing of the agreement and the remaining two-thirds after the election. What would they need two-thirds of their arms for in an election?” Escudero asked.Other parties excludedHe said the proposed BBL was flawed from the start because the government chose to speak with only one group—the MILF—and excluded other interested parties, such as the Moro National Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and the indigenous peoples of Mindanao.‘Honor IPs’ rights’Escudero noted that the draft BBL did not state if it would honor the indigenous peoples’ rights.The BBL, he said, has an opt-in provision (where as little as 10 percent of the population of a barangay can petition for inclusion in the Bangsamoro) but it has no opt-out provision, which means membership in the Bangsamoro will be permanent.“The government drafted the bill without consulting anybody except the MILF and they want us to approve it on an as-is-where-is basis. Do they have a monopoly of talent, intelligence and good intentions of what is good for Mindanao?” Escudero said.“It’s not my goal to water it down, I just want to make sure it follows the Constitution,” he added.

['Gil C. Cabacungan']

02/04/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/682241/chiz-urges-aquino-to-alter-draft-bbl

Inquirer

Observance of Holy Week in Region 12 generally peaceful, orderly

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-12 declared the observance of the Holy Week in the entire Region 12 or Soccsksargen as “generally peaceful and orderly.”Chief Supt. Marcelo Morales, Region 12 police director, said Monday they have not recorded any untoward incident in the area that was directly related to the week-long annual Lenten celebration.He said the Holy Week activities in the region, especially in Catholic Churches, were held smoothly based on the monitoring conducted by local police units.Region 12 comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and North Cotabato, and the cities of General Santos, Koronadal, Tacurong, Kidapawan and Cotabato.Morales attributed the accomplishment to the security patrols and maximum presence of police personnel in strategic places and areas of public convergence.The official specifically cited churches, public transport terminals, beaches, shopping malls, among others.“We did our best to accomplish our core function to properly secure the people and our local communities during the entire Holy Week as mandated to us by the central office,” he said in a statement.The police official said they were “very grateful and proud to be assigned” in the Soccsksargen region as they were able help many people in the process.He said the challenges faced by their personnel have even made them better and transformed to better achievement of their core functions.Morales said they will sustain their heightened alert status in the entire region in line with the summer break.The Philippine National Police placed all police units in the country on full alert starting March 23 until June 13 for the Holy Week and the summer break.He added that the PRO-12 has “strategically planned for a safe and secure school break,” which is considered the longest summer vacation in the country.

[]

02/04/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/02/observance-of-holy-week-in-region-12-generally-peaceful-orderly/

Manila Bulletin

STL operators cheat PCSO of P50B, says NBI

OPERATORS of Small Town Lottery (STL) have defrauded the state-run Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) of at least P50 billion yearly through the nondeclaration of actual sales, according to a report by the National Bureau of Investigation.The government started STL in 1987 in hopes that it would stamp out “jueteng,” an illegal numbers racket. Both involved betting on two-number combinations.The NBI finding was confirmed by PCSO Chair Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi, who said he had asked the agency to investigate STL operations following reports that some STL operators were using their licenses to conduct jueteng operations and not declaring actual sales to the PCSO.“Approximated income from STL alone is P50 billion per annum nationwide, but the average income being declared by the STL operators in the past years is only around P4.7 billion,” Maliksi said.He said that “based on the Gaming Product Development and Marketing Sector of thePCSO, the potential income of all illegal games, including the illegal declaration from STL, could be approximately P100 billion a year.”Front for ‘jueteng’The NBI report, submitted recently by then Deputy Director for Regional Services Edward Villarta to Director Virgilio Mendez, was based on investigations of selected STL operations in the provinces of Bulacan, Zambales, Olongapo, Laguna, Batangas, Nueva Ecija and Quezon.The Philippine National Police earlier said that STL was being used as a front for jueteng.The NBI said STL operators in the seven provinces were using “papelitos” or “lastillas” (jueteng bet sheets), and not the PCSO official paper.Unsupervised drawsThe NBI also said that the conduct of actual draws was allegedly not being supervised by the PCSO, making it impossible for the PCSO to monitor the actual sales of STL operators.Maliksi, a former Cavite governor and close ally of President Aquino, said the NBI report had been forwarded to the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit.“The implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of STL lack countermeasures in the system of recording of bets, collection and auditing, making [the system] vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation … to the damage and prejudice of the government,” the report said.No point of saleThe NBI said STL license holders were not using point of sale terminals (POSTs) in their operations, allowing operators to underreport their sales.The report said the terminals should be used in recording bets, in creating the corresponding tickets or receipts and in transmitting the record of the bets to central data center.“This means that recording of bets is done manually by the sales agents while their accounting is through a portable register,” the NBI said.Instead of using the terminals in collecting bets, all sales agents chanced upon by the NBI team were using white papelitos, it said.Not covered by IRRThe NBI noted that the use of papelitos were not covered by the implementing rules and regulations governing STL.In lieu of the nonavailability or nonoperation of the terminals, the rules called for the use of PCSO printed tickets.“With this type of setup, it is highly improbable for the PCSO to determine the actual amount of sales per draw, per day, per week and per month being generated from the STL games,” the NBI said.Registered ‘rebisahan’“This could hinder proper recording and auditing, which may be used to defraud the government and avoid the payment of taxes, fees and remittances should there be misdeclaration of actual sales,” it added.The report also said that because there was no mention in the IRR of authorized or registered “rebisahan” (where the bets are brought), it was difficult to distinguish legitimate STL outlets from “bookies” operations. (Bookies take illegal bets on horse races, fights and sports games.)The NBI report also stated that draws were conducted in areas other than those stipulated in the PCSO permit.

['Nancy C. Carvajal']

27/10/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/738545/stl-operators-cheat-pcso-of-p50b-says-nbi

Inquirer

Trillanes only 2nd in Magdalo poll for Veep; Escudero 1st

He ranked only second in a survey on vice presidential candidates conducted by his own Samahang Magdalo group, but Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV said his standing was a “good starting point.”“I’m happy where I am right now … compared to when I started in 2007, [at] practically zero,” said the senator, who was a bottom-dweller in recent surveys conducted by Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations, where he got 5 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.Sen. Francis Escudero topped the Magdalo nationwide survey, with 53.8 percent of respondents favoring him as a vice presidential candidate over Trillanes, who was chosen by 22.6 percent of the respondents.Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos was third with 16.2 percent, while Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Trillanes’ fellow Nacionalista Party (NP) member, was fourth with 5.3 percent. There was no answer from 2.1 percent of the respondents.The Magdalo survey conducted from Aug. 11 to 13 involved 2,937 respondents—all non-Magdalo members—who were selected through a multistage probability sampling. The survey had a margin of error of 1.8 percent.Magdalo Rep. Franciso Ashley Acedillo said the survey respondents were presented a scenario with four candidates who were perceived to be making plans to run for Vice President next year.The survey question asked was: “If elections would be held today, who among the possible candidates would you vote for?”In a statement, Acedillo said Magdalo had been conducting this survey since 2006 “as a tool for campaign planning and policymaking.”The survey results showed that he needed to do a lot more to gain the trust of the people, Trillanes said, adding that he would intensify efforts to introduce himself to voters when the campaign season starts.The senator said he was determined to run for Vice President, even without a running mate and even without the support of the NP.Poe ranking firstThe Magdalo survey also showed Sen. Grace Poe as the most preferred presidential candidate, ranking first in the two scenarios tested by Magdalo.In a field of 10 candidates, she would get 28.2 percent, followed by Vice President Jejomar Binay with 22.3 percent, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte with 16.2 percent and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas with 15 percent.If only Poe, Binay and Roxas were to run, Poe would still rank first, followed by Binay. Roxas ranked third.Trillanes said the Magdalo group, which had some 500,000 members, would support Poe should she run for President.In a phone interview, Acedillo said that in conducting its survey, Magdalo tried to approximate the statistical rigor of the other professional survey firms to get an accurate political picture.Otherwise, the group would miss the point of conducting the survey, which was to determine areas where (the group) is strong, where it is hitting a plateau, and which demographics it had to work on, said the Magdalo representative.RELATED STORIESPoe is voters’ choice for president, Escudero for VP – Magdalo pollTrillanes, Magdalo backing Grace Poe’s possible presidential bid

['Leila B. Salaverria']

27/10/2017 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/716266/trillanes-only-2nd-in-magdalo-poll-for-veep-escudero-1st

Inquirer

Faces of the News: Sen. Richard Gordon

An emotional Sen. Richard Gordon took the floor last Wednesday and railed against the looming return of a Senate witness who earlier testified that the so-called Davao Death Squad (DDS) did not exist.Two days before Gordon’s impassioned privilege speech, retired SPO3 Arturo Lascañas surfaced to recant his testimony saying that he and a group of Davao City policemen were DDS hit men under the pay and control of then city Mayor and now President Duterte.Gordon’s beef against Lascañas was that he appeared last year before his committee to say that confessed DDS hit man Edgar Matobato was a liar and that the DDS did not exist.The testimony of Lascañas and other Davao cops led Gordon’s committee to conclude that there was no evidence of the existence of the DDS.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

22/12/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/875425/faces-of-the-news-sen-richard-gordon

Inquirer

South Cotabato steps up efforts against locust infestation

The provincial government of South Cotabato has stepped up its interventions to contain the worsening locust and slug caterpillar infestation in parts of the province that already damaged around P9.1 million worth of crops.Justina Navarrete, chief of the South Cotabato Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, said Thursday at least 383.5 hectares of corn farmlands have been destroyed by the locusts in two barangays alone in T’boli town.She said the infestation directly affected some 203 farmers in Barangays Maan and Mongocayo of T’boli.The official said severe locust attacks were also reported in Barangays Lampari and Lamba in Banga but they have yet to receive the official damage report from the municipal agriculture office.“We already distributed chemicals for the massive spraying activities in some of the affected areas,” she said.But Navarrete lamented that some farmers have refused to spray chemicals on the locusts as they gather and sell them to local markets.Cooked or fried locust is considered as a delicacy in some localities in the province.“We’re continually educating and urging our farmers to prioritize the elimination of the pest as it is very destructive,” she said.Meanwhile, the municipal government of Tupi has also reported severe infestation from slug caterpillar, which is locally known as “pagi-pagi,” in coconut farms in Barangay Cebuano.

[]

22/12/2016 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/22/south-cotabato-steps-up-efforts-against-locust-infestation/

Manila Bulletin

Living to be 100

Former Vice PresidentLongevity and health experts now agree that 70 is the new 50. My generation, referred to as baby boomers, are living longer and still mentally and physically active at our age. Paul McCartney of the Beatles will embark this year on a concert tour of the United States. Not bad for a 75-year-old.Then you have the late Washington Sycip, who until his death last week at 96, kept a work schedule that put younger people to shame. He had seen the country rise from the ashes of war, and personally witnessed the rise and fall of companies, governments and presidents. Wash Sycip not only had a front seat to Philippine history but lived it and made it.So if 70 is the new 50, then 100 may be called the new 80. In Makati, we have 20 centenarians as of this year, and some of them continue to live happy, productive lives.In 2012, the Makati city government initiated another first in a long list of benefits and recognitions to the elderly: It began giving P100,000 cash gift for centenarians.Since the program began, 42 centenarians have been honored by the city. For this year, P326.2 million has been allocated by the city government for its yearly cash gifts to seniors and centenarians.Four years after the Makati program began, in July, 2016, a national law granting a P100,000 cash incentive and additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians was signed.Republic Act 10868 grants Filipinos who reach the age of 100 a P100,000 cash gift and a congratulatory letter from the President of the Philippines.They will also be awarded a plaque of recognition and additional cash gift from their respective city or municipal governments. The law sets September 25 of every year as National Respect for Centenarians Day.An estimated 3,500 Filipinos aged 100 and older are expected to benefit from the Centenarian Act. The Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) were signed earlier this month.Again, Makati is thankful that one of its exclusive benefits for the elderly are now being extended to senior citizens nationwide.For centuries, man has searched for the secret to longevity. It has become a cottage-industry of sorts, with all these books, fad diets, vitamins and supplements being peddled to people above 60 years old. For some, longevity has turned into an obsession, fuelled by a longing to continue living their years of easy-going youth while trying to defy the physical toll that ageing takes on their bodies. This reminds me of the words of actor and comedian Woody Allen: “You can live to be 100 if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be 100.”An online article written by Tony Dearing for NJ.Com cited recent research that shows “a significant number of older adults continue to enjoy good health and quality of life well into their 80s and beyond.”“Some decline occurs as we age; that’s inevitable. But research is showing that the decline can be less acute than previously thought, less tied to chronological age, and well within the ability of all of us to slow down the decline, based on the lifestyle choices we make,” the article said.It quoted Dr. Thomas Cavalieri, a founder of the New Jersey Institute for Successful Aging at Rowan University, as saying: “People can age well… People can live into their 80s and 90s and beyond and be active and functional.”But is there a secret to long life? Has the mythical fountain of youth been found? If you listen to Makati centenarians, there is nothing magical or mystical behind their longevity. Just plain and simple habits. They are examples of “succesful aging,” elderly people who remain mentally sharp and physically active even at their advanced age. And here are some of their secrets:Margarita Ugarte, who will turn 102 in November, said she has maintained a healthy lifestyle all throughout her life by eating a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, and fish. On special occasions, she enjoys a glass of wine.Romarico Vitug attributes his long life to having an active mind and healthy body. A lawyer and accountant, Vitug keeps his mind alert by computing the taxes of all his family members up to this day. He is also an avid reader and solves crossword puzzles.Avelina Gil, who turned 100 last May, said she continues to write daily. During the prime of her life, she was an educator, a writer, and an author.Other Makati centenarians attribute their longevity to daily exercise like walking, having a positive outlook and cheerful disposition, and living a vice-free life.With these simple habits, added with advances in science and medicine, expect the number of centenarians to increase in the coming years.And Makati will continue providing them the pampering they deserve. As I have said in my previous column, we make no excuses for pampering our elderly. They deserve it, especially our centenarians who were there when Makati was still a sleepy, small riverside town. They have seen Makati grow from a “worthless swampland” to the country’s financial center extending to its citizens the benefits and services they deserve as taxpayers. And during their youth, they have been part of this growth as taxpayers and citizens.Why live to be 100, you may ask? If you are a citizen of Makati, why not?jcbinay@gmail.com

['Parasa Bayan', 'Maka Pili', 'Liwanag Para Sa Bayan', 'Berdugo Katapang', 'Jeffrey B']

17/10/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/17/living-to-be-100/

Manila Bulletin

DOJ subpoenas Peter Lim, 7 other suspected drug lords

Cebu businessman Peter Lim and seven others have been ordered by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appear in a preliminary investigation into a drug trafficking case.DOJ records showed that Lim was directed to attend the preliminary hearing on Aug. 14 to be handled by Assistant State Prosecutors Aristotle Reyes and John Michael Humarang.Also summoned were suspected drug kingpin Kerwin Espinosa, convicted drug lord Peter Co, Lovely Adam Impal, Jun Pepito, Rupel Malindangan, Max Miro and Marcelo Adorco.They have been charged with violating Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5 of Republic Act No. 9165, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2000.The offenses pertain to the “sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals.”The complaint filed by Supt. Richard Verceles of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group has prompted Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to issue an immigration lookout bulletin order against Lim et al.It was the first criminal case against Lim, a wealthy Chinese-Filipino businessman based in Cebu City, more than a year after President Duterte named him as one of the country’s biggest drug lords.Mr. Duterte has threatened to kill him along with other senior government officials believed to be involved in the narcotics trade.

['Marlon Ramos']

2018-04-14 00:04:10+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/919558/doj-subpoenas-peter-lim-7-other-suspected-drug-lords

Inquirer

Duterte sits on village narco list

As elections near, President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday said he was considering to release the names of barangay (village) officials suspected of having links to the illegal drug trade in the country.Speaking to reporters in Davao City after his arrival from a four-day visit to China and Hong Kong, Duterte reiterated that he has “zero tolerance” for illegal drugs.“I will sleep on that issue. I’ll give it a thought. I’ll sleep on it maybe sometime. Because I have to make sure that it does not affect the freedom of the people to elect their own leaders because this is democracy. So I have to think about this crucial issue,” he said during a news conference.“The choice of the people but then again letting them know that you might just elect the wrong guy. And then we go back into this rigmarole again of denials and everything, and even mayors getting killed along the way. [But I really have] zero tolerance [for illegal drugs]. There is no middle ground here… no quarters given, no quarters asked,” the President added.Duterte made the statement amid the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency’s (PDEA) call for the public not to reelect village officials tagged in the illegal drug trade when the Barangay (Village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) elections are held on May 14.Earlier, the PDEA disclosed that there were 289 barangay officials, composed of 143 chairmen and 146 councilors, included in the narco list of the President.The village elections, originally scheduled for October 31, 2016, were first moved to October 23, 2017, and then to May 14, 2018.Duterte earlier sought to suspend the barangay elections as he wanted to wipe out incumbent village officials linked to narcotics sale.At the time, he said he was considering declaring all barangay positions vacant and appoint “honest” village officials over reports that 40 percent were involved in illegal drugs.As a result, the three-year terms of village officials who were elected in 2013 were effectively extended as they were retained in a holdover capacity.

['Catherine S. Valente']

2018-04-14 00:04:10+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-sits-on-village-narco-list/392403/

Manila Times

COA: Roxas’ hiring practice questionable

The Commission on Audit took to task officials of Roxas City for spending P71.47 million for hiring job order personnel without first assessing the requirement of offices under the city government.COA also questioned the city’s spending P54.269 million on infrastructure projects in 2016, noting that its auditors have not been informed of the award and execution of the projects.Roxas spent P71.470 million in hiring job order personnel which resulted “the inefficient and uneconomical operational performance that affected the quality of public services rendered,” COA said.A post-audit of disbursement vouchers and payrolls indicated that job order contracts did not indicate the nature of work performed by hired personnel. These employees did not submit an accomplishment report of actual work performed, COA said.It asked the city government to require its Human Resource Officer to review the staffing requirements of each department.“Hire only JO (job-order) personnel in accordance to the necessity and urgency of the department’s needs and asses the individual assignments of all job order personnel to avoid the redundant and duplicating work accomplishments,” the agency recommended.Reacting to COA’s comment on the implementation of infrastructure projects, Capiz Mayor Alan Celino said purchase orders were submitted to the auditors before the contracts were awarded.COA said reasonableness of the cost of projects could not be determined because of the delay in the submission of necessary bidding documents.Celino attributed the delay to the shortage of staffers to process the documents.

[]

01/01/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/01/01/coa-roxas-hiring-practice-questionable/

Manila Bulletin

Vatican loses count of welcomers’ estimate

“The Holy Spirit will have to work to touch all the hearts of these people that we see.”A “very impressed” Pope Francis uttered these words to Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on board the popemobile as tens of thousands of ecstatic Filipinos took to the streets to catch a glimpse of him Thursday night.Francis, the third Pope to visit the Philippines since 1970, arrived around 5:30 p.m. to a rousing welcome led by President Aquino at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.Tagle, who was with Francis during the brief drive under heavy security from Villamor Air Base to the Apostolic Nunciature in Manila, pegged the crowd at “two to three million,” said Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi, who described the turnout as “very impressive.”“In the end, I was lost,” he said, referring to the different crowd estimates.Chair Francis Tolentino of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority put the crowds at between 800,000 to 1 million.Lombardi said Francis’ “first encounter with the Filipino people” left a “very strong first impression” on the Pontiff. He said it also gave Francis “an idea of what will be the importance of [his] presence to the Filipino people” for the rest of his trip.“From the very beginning of his pontificate, this journey to the Philippines was a necessity,” Lombardi said in a press conference.“It was necessary to come to this very important nation that is the center of the Catholic Church in this continent. To come here is to come to the center of Catholic Church in Asia, and from here you can see the presence of the Church in this fundamental continent.”Francis’ first official activity Friday is the welcome ceremony in Malacañang where he is scheduled to meet briefly with the President.Personal encounterLombardi said the meeting would be more of a “personal occasion of encounter,” noting that “profound” discussions on issues were often left in other venues.“The Pope prefers to have a more personal encounter. This is very characteristic of Pope Francis. He likes to encounter concrete people and know them,” Lombardi said.“He is more attentive to the personality of the interlocutor,” he added.Despite a hectic schedule in Sri Lanka, the first leg of his apostolic visit to Asia and a much tougher one ahead in the Philippines, Francis is “in good health,” Lombardi said, noting that the Pope usually drew “energy from the people around him.”Francis will deliver a message before an audience of 450 people, including senior government officials and members of the diplomatic corps, at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall.From Malacañang, the Pope will proceed to Manila Cathedral for a concelebrated Mass. The last item in the day’s agenda is a meeting with Filipino families at SM Mall of Asia Arena in the afternoon.Originally posted at 10:52 pm | Thursday, January 15, 2014RELATED STORIESThousands spill out onto streets to welcome Pope FrancisPope says he’ll focus on poor, exploited in Philippine trip

['Christian V. Esguerra']

18/06/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/664965/pope-francis-may-the-holy-spirit-touch-the-hearts-of-all-the-people-here

Inquirer

Maganto, a retired police General dies of cardiac arrest

BUSTOS, Bulacan– A retired police General Romeo Maganto who was familiar in 1990’s has died in cardiac arrest last Sunday afternoon at the BMMG Hospital in Barangay Turo, Bocaue this province.Maganto was described as a hero, he has started as a police patrolman in this town and became Western Police District Station commander in Manila.During his stints, he filled the newspaper headlines almost everyday and became the “Darling of the Press”.He received the distinguished conduct medal, the second highest medal that can be conferred to a Military Police personnel.In 1990, he was promoted a rank higher which made him the youngest police colonel in the history of the Integrated National Police.It was recalled that among of the unforgettable experienced of Maganto was when he brought the convicted murderer and notorious fugitive Rolito Go to Vice President Joseph Estrada instead to his superior in the Philippine National Police and DILG.In 1995, Maganto authored the color coding traffic scheme, being a traffic czar of the MMDA when he was appointed by President Fidel V. Ramos at that time.His wake is in Barangay San Pedro here, and on Tuesday at around 4 pm, it will be transferred to St Peter Memorial Homes in Cubao.

[]

18/06/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/06/18/maganto-a-retired-police-general-dies-of-cardiac-arrest/

Manila Bulletin

Manila, Moscow in talks on energy, tourism deals

THE Philippines and Russia are discussing potential cooperation in the energy and tourism sectors.Philippine Ambassador to the Russian Federation Carlos Sorreta recently met with Russian officials as the Duterte administration aims to pursue closer ties with Moscow.In energy, the Philippines and Russia wanted to have an exchange of information, experts and technology.Sorreta suggested developing of business-to-business (B2B) linkages between Russian energy companies and their Philippine counterparts.“Russia is a global leader when it comes to energy and had recently invested more time and focus in developing its technological edge in the area of alternative and sustainable sources of energy,” he said.Roman Marshavin, director for international cooperation of Russia’s Ministry of Energy, expressed interest in increasing current oil sales to the Philippines, given the country’s increasing energy needs.Both officials agreed that cooperation in the area of energy will be greatly enhanced through an agreed framework.They hoped that such framework could be ready in time for President Rodrigo Duterte’s visit to Russia, slated in the first half of 2017.Sorreta and Oleg Petrovich Safonov, head of the Russian Federal Agency for Tourism, discussed the possibility of adopting a roadmap on tourism cooperation that would identify specific areas and actions to implement the Agreement on Tourism Cooperation, which was signed in March 2006.Safonov said the Russian Tourism department was open to having a roadmap and that, since the last agreement was signed 11 years ago, it was time to adopt a new kind of cooperation on paper.“Tourism helps our peoples understand each other better, which in turn can contribute to building closer relations between our countries,” Sorreta said.

['Michael Joe T. Delizo']

2017-01-30 21:45:43+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/manila-moscow-talks-energy-tourism-deals-2/309726/

Manila Times

Congress lauded for supporting STL

STATE gaming agency Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday lauded the support expressed by lawmakers to its efforts to expand Small Town Lottery (STL) operations as a means to eradicate illegal numbers games in the country.“There might be illegal activities on the ground but with our efforts to strengthen and expand STL, lawmakers can be assured that we are gaining ground against illegal gambling and numbers operations, which deprive the government of its much-needed revenue,” PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said.“We appreciate the efforts and the inputs provided by the House Committee on Appropriations for us to further improve our operations, particularly in STL, which is instrumental in killing jueteng and other forms of illegal numbers game in the country,” Balutan added.During a hearing conducted by the House appropriations committee on the proposed P3.7-trillion national budget for 2018, PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz told lawmakers that the expansion of STL operations was intended to turn gambling lords into “gaming lords.”The government expects P18.32 billion in 2017 in revenues from 92 STL operators, or 183 percent higher from P6.46 billion last year.Among those discussed by PCSO officials with lawmakers for the STL’s further improvement include placing restrictions to stop the operations of other illegal numbers games, reviewing the law mandating PCSO to provide for contributions under at least 27 Republic Acts and centralizing and computerizing STL operations.Balutan said for the agency to fully realize its responsibility to eradicate all forms of illegal numbers games in the country, law enforcement agencies should also do their part in protecting STL operations and its Authorized Agent Corporations (AACs) based on a memorandum of agreement with the PCSO.From the previous figure of 18, the PCSO has now accredited 92 STL operators to help in its revenue generation efforts, which have led to the projected 183-percent increase of STL proceeds to P18.32 billion in 2017, from P6.46 billion last year.The PCSO’s total retail receipts are projected to increase by 31 percent or P51.88 billion in 2017 from the P39.56 billion in 2016. The projected net receipt for 2018 is P60.9 billion.Based on its budget presentation, the PCSO said lotto continues to account for the bulk of PCSO revenues.Lotto’s contribution, however, decreased by 1 percent to P28.59 billion in 2017, from P28.77 billion in 2016.But for 2018, it is projected to increase by 8 percent to P30.9 billion.Another PCSO game is Keno, which is expected to earn P4.95 billion in 2017 and P5.6 billion for 2018.The PCSO’s sweepstakes’ revenue is expected at P17.5 million this year and P1 billion next year.The PCSO Charter provides that 55 percent of net receipts shall be allocated to the payment of prizes, 30 percent to charity and social programs and 15 percent of operating expenses and capital expenditure.NEIL A. ALCOBER

['The Manila Times']

2017-08-03 19:32:24+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/congress-lauded-supporting-stl/342241/

Manila Times

Duterte to declare martial law, only if needed

President Duterte would place the entire country under martial law only when it is needed to “protect and preserve the safety of the people,” a Malacañang official said on Tuesday.For the nth time, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella reiterated that the President would not arbitrarily impose military rule without any valid reason.Speaking at a press briefing, Abella said the Chief Executive’s recent remarks that a sitting President should enjoy martial law authority without the approval of the Congress and the Supreme Court should be taken in “context.”“The President was saying that… if martial law were to be taken for what it’s supposed to be, which is to… protect and preserve the safety of the people, then it should be facilitated,” Abella told reporters.As to Vice President Leni Robredo’s statement branding Mr. Duterte’s statement as “appalling,” he said the country’s second highest elected leader merely “amplified her concerns.”“And it (Robredo’s statement) seems to make it appear as if the President was actually planning of doing it,” he said, adding: “But if you read it in context, it was not (exactly what the President meant). It was not that way.”In a speech in Pampanga last week, the President expressed his desire to amend the constitutional guarantees aimed at preventing an incumbent Chief Executive from abusing the power to declare martial law.He described the judicial and legislative requirements set by the 1987 Constitution as “almost reckless reaction” of the Congress to the iron-fist rule of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose style of leadership he had openly praised.“If I declare martial law and there is an invasion or war, I cannot proceed on and on, especially if there is trouble. I have to go to Congress, I have to go to the Supreme Court if anybody would file a complaint to look into the factual [basis of the declaration],” Mr. Duterte said.“But what if the world is in chaos? That’s why there is martial law, so that only one person would be giving directions,” he added. “That’s why I want to change that. But there is a safety measure there. I’ll tell you later.”According to Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution, the President may proclaim martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus to repel rebellion or invasion when “public safety requires it” for a period of 60 days.Within 48 hours after such declaration, the President is mandated to present a report to the Congress in person or in writing.Voting jointly, the Senate and the House of Representatives may revoke the proclamation of martial law or the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus by a vote of at least a majority of all its members, a process which the President cannot discard.

['Marlon Ramos']

14/09/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/857312/duterte-to-declare-martial-law-only-if-needed

Inquirer

Boracay rehab ‘political will’

Boracay’s resurrection was the result of President Rodrigo Duterte’s political will, according to his spokesperson, Salvador Panelo.“Boracay is a lesson of political will,” Panelo said.“It is also a lesson of neglect, misfeasance and malfeasance by responsible persons in office,” he said.“The cesspool that was Boracay would not have happened if political will was exhibited by those in authority and if only officials of the island paradise, as well as stakeholders, operated following the law and the rules and regulations of pertinent government agencies,” he said in a statement.But intervention from the President gave it a new lease on life and this was a lesson that all must heed, he added.“It has to take the strong and decisive leadership of the President to put things in order,” Panelo said.

['Leila B. Salaverria']

11/12/2016 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1047480/boracay-rehab-political-will

Inquirer

Cocaine might have come from Taiwan

There is a possibility that the P120 million worth of cocaine packed into a container that drifted to shore in Sorsogon last Wednesday had come from a Taiwan-registered vessel that made an emergency docking in Northern Samar last January 2.This is one of the theories floated by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Bicol and the Police Regional Office 5 (PRO5) when officials presented to media in this camp yesterday the contraband plucked from Juag Lagoon, Barangay Calintaan, Matnog town, Sorsogon.Chief Superintendent Antonio Gardiola Jr., PRO5 director, said that based on their investigation, the Taiwanese vessel “Jing Ming 16” made a distress call to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) as it began to sink off Pambujan, Northern Samar at the height of the onslaught of tropical depression “Agaton.”

[]

05/01/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/01/05/cocaine-might-have-come-from-taiwan/

Manila Bulletin

Comelec prohibits candidates from engaging in theatrics

The usual fanfare that goes along with the filing of certificates of candidacy (COCs) may be a thing of the past.The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has limited the number of supporters who may accompany national candidates in an attempt to make the process a “dignified” exercise.If in the past it was a free-for-all, the Comelec now limits to only four the number of people who may accompany senatorial candidates in filing their COCs at the poll body’s head office at Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila.Five-day filingFor party-list applicants, only 10 are allowed, including the group’s five nominees.Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said on Wednesday that the limit was put in place to help ensure that the five-day COC filing

['Jovic Yee']

21/08/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1041471/comelec-prohibits-candidates-from-engaging-in-theatrics

Inquirer

‘Tisoy’ killed by 2 cell mates, QC cops say; kin blame police

The Quezon City police has filed murder charges against two jail inmates who allegedly beat to death a 22-year-old man who was arrested for being half-naked during a police anti-“tambay” campaign.Chief Supt. Joselito Esquivel, chief of the Quezon City Polic District, said Justin Mercardo and Richard Bautista were the main suspects in the killing of Genesis “Tisoy” Argoncillo inside a Novaliches Police Station jail cell on Tuesday, four days after his arrest.The two men, alleged members of the Sputnik gang, were being held for illegal gambling.Esquivel earlier said Argoncillo had no external injuries when inspected by a doctor, but his death certificate showed his death by “homicide” was due to multiple blunt force trauma with contusions and bruises on the neck, head, chest and upper extremities.Both men were charged based on the testimonies of inmates Nestor Villejo, Terrence Llamac, Rolly San Jose who said the two punched and kicked Argoncillo because he was “unruly.”One of the witnesses said Argoncillo was “running around” inside the cell, which was built to accommodate only 40 inmates but held 128 at the time.“I helped him and used a fan to make him feel better while he lay down,” he said.Inmates blocked cop’s viewThe witnesses said the jailer on duty twice checked the commotion, but the other inmates hid Argoncillo.The police report said Argoncillo complained of breathing difficulty and was brought to the hospital where he later died.National Capital Region Police Office Director Guillermo Eleazar has ordered the relief of Station 4 Commander Supt. Carlito Grijaldo, the duty jailer, the staff duty officer, the desk officer and the chief patrol supervisor while an investigation was under way to determine the liability of the officers and other inmates who also may have been involved in the beating.Sis cries negligenceArgoncillo’s sister, Marilou Argoncillo, bewailed what she believed was police negligence.“Look what happened to my brother’s life. It was wasted because of your neglect. It was your obligation to secure him,” she said tearfully during a confrontation with police officials on Friday at the Quezon City police headquarters in Camp Karingal.Marilou said her brother, the ninth of 11 siblings, had just bought cell phone load to watch films on YouTube, his only hobby, when he was arrested for being shirtless.The Station 4 spot report, however, said he and four other men were arrested along Old Sauyo Road in Barangay Sauyo for alarm and scandal, alleging that they were shouting at “the top of their voice” and disturbing “the peace and serenity of the night.”Barangay records confirmed that Argoncillo was nabbed for being half-naked, not for alarm and scandal.Marilou said she pleaded with the officers not to take her brother to jail because he was involved only in a minor case.“You did not listen to me,” she cried.Marilou said she was determined to file charges not only against the suspects but also against the officers who may have been involved in her brother’s death.CHR to visit jailsFollowing Argoncillo’s death, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Friday said it would visit jails to inspect the condition of detainees.Law enforcers must respect the rights of an inmate, as prescribed by Republic Act No. 9745 and the UN Convention against Torture, of which the Philippine was a signatory, the CHR said in a statement.It also deplored the mass arrest of tambay, saying that loitering was not a crime.CHR Commissioner Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana warned the PNP against arbitrarily arresting loiterers on the mere presumption that they might be “potential trouble for the public.”“How will you know that one person is a potential criminal merely for loitering? You cannot presume any person guilty; he must be presumed innocent first,” she said.

['Jodee A. Agoncillo']

21/08/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1003413/tisoy-killed-by-2-cell-mates-qc-cops-say-kin-blame-police

Inquirer

Belmonte, LP join Duterte’s coalition

Still yellow, but of different shade, in a multicolored “superparty.”Outgoing Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and other members of the Liberal Party (LP) flew here on Tuesday and met with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte, a development which could further solidify the incoming administration’s hold on the 17th Congress.Belmonte also announced his support for incoming Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of Duterte’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in the speakership race in the House of Representatives.Alvarez briefly met with the Speaker and his nephew, reelected Quezon City Rep. Kit Belmonte, at the Marco Polo Hotel before they drove off to Duterte’s temporary office at the Presidential Guesthouse in Barangay Panacan here.“He’s got it in the bag,” a smiling Belmonte told reporters, addressing Alvarez, who was standing next to him, as the “incoming Speaker.”His statement ended weeks of speculation that he might challenge Alvarez for the speakership or settle as minority leader.Belmonte said the LP, the decimated political party of President Aquino and defeated administration candidate Mar Roxas, opted to coalesce with the PDP-Laban after weeks of consultation with its members.The Speaker said he was aware that some of his party mates had already opted to bolt the LP and join Duterte’s party.Belmonte said LP’s support for Duterte was also in deference to the big number of votes he garnered in the May 9 presidential election.“With the big mandate he received, I think Duterte is entitled to expect that we should help him (ensure) that his mandate becomes a reality,” he said.Asked if he would leave the LP and join the PDP-Laban, Belmonte said: “We are talking of a coalition at the moment. We never know what happens next.”“To tell you frankly, (PDP-Laban) was my first party actually after the Edsa People Power Revolution (in 1986). But others started to organize all sorts of (political) parties,” he said.To which Alvarez replied in jest, “So it’s not about (Belmonte) leaving the party, but it’s about him returning to PDP-Laban.”Belmonte said he and Alvarez were still discussing how many LP members would stay with the party and how many would take their oath as PDP-Laban members.SupermajorityAccording to Alvarez, the new ruling party would have more than 80 members when the 17th Congress opens in July.Besides the LP, he said members of other major political parties such as the Nationalist People’s Coalition, National Unity Party and Lakas-CMD had also assured him of their support.Alvarez said the “supermajority” led by PDP-Laban would have over 200 members in the 290-member House.Told about criticisms regarding political turncoats, Belmonte said the decision of some lawmakers to support the party of the sitting President was not unique to the Philippines.Unlike in European nations, most of which have a parliamentary system of government, having different political parties in the presidential form of government poses difficulties for the incumbent President, he said.Belmonte cited the experience of US President Barack Obama, a Democrat, whose legislative agenda had been blocked by the Republican-dominated Senate and House.“We cannot afford doing that. We don’t like stalemates. We have to keep on moving,” he said. “All of us are running on the promise of good governance, but only the President is the one single guy who embodies an idea and leadership.”ReservationsBelmonte sought to assure Alvarez of the LP’s support for Duterte’s primary legislative agenda.But he admitted that some LP members were adamant in joining the coalition because of their “reservations” on the three main legislative matters which Duterte wanted to pursue in Congress—the reimposition of the death penalty, the shift to federalism and the amendment to the law on youth offenders.“That’s very true,” Belmonte said when asked if some LP members raised opposing views during their discussion on joining the coalition.“There are some (LP members) with reservations on some provisions … (but) I’m hopeful that we can thresh it out,” he added.“I myself have no problem with it. Some of the members do have a problem with it, (but) we’re confident that we will be able to thresh it out.”

['Marlon Ramos']

21/08/2018 0:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/789604/belmonte-lp-join-dutertes-coalition

Inquirer

PRRD warns mayors against supporting Reds

President Dutertegave mayors a warning against supporting communist rebels.The President said the local government officials would “lose everything” if they would collide with the communists who are considered enemies of the state.“Please do not, do not associate yourselves with the Communist Party of the Philippines. Never give them aid and never give them favor. It will be to your chagrin at the end of the day if you do that,” he said before an assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines-Visayas cluster in Cebu Tuesday night.“You will lose everything there. you will lose power over the police… Kung magkausap tayo, I will not be nasty but huwag kasi kalaban ‘yan,” he said.Duterte lamented that he has lost many police and soldiers in the attacks perpetrated by the communists. “Hindi ko na ma-correct yan peace talks, peace talks,” he added.The President earlier announced that he has terminated peace talks with the communists not only due to their deadly attacks on troops but their demand for a coalition government. Duterte said the government would instead resume the fight against the communist rebels who appeared insincere in the resuming the peace negotiations.At the same event, the President called on the local chief executives to raise the bar on governance, particularly in the fight against illegal drugs and corruption. He said they should improve their performance and enforce the law in their areas of jurisdiction.“I expect you to go one bar, two bars higher in governance,” he said.“If there’s a drug problem which you cannot solve, you go to (Interior and Local Government) Secretary Año. Tell him the problem and he will solve it for you,” he added.Duterte also asked the mayors not to get involved in illegal drug trade and corruption. He said he would not help them in case they get embroiled in court cases for involvement in such offenses.

[]

21/08/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/08/21/prrd-warns-mayors-against-supporting-reds/

Manila Bulletin

Charter change: No campaign funds from foreigners

A Charter change committee headed by former Chief Justice Reynato Puno seeks to ban campaign contributions from religious organizations and foreigners under the proposed federal form of government.This would address unequal campaign funding among parties, transparency, campaign overspending and corruption, a consultative committee official said on Thursday.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-03-27 03:12:22+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1001018/charter-change-no-campaign-funds-from-foreigners

Inquirer

News Briefs: October 26, 2018

President appoints Tulfo special envoy to ChinaPresident Duterte has appointed two journalists to join the government. The President named Inquirer columnist and broadcaster Ramon Tulfo special envoy for public diplomacy to China for six months. In his column last Oct. 6, Tulfo said he offered to become a special envoy to China, instead of seeking a seat in the Senate. President Duterte had reportedly offered to help Tulfo if he decided to run in next year’s midterm elections. “As special envoy to China, which pays only P1 per year, I could retain my public service program—‘Isumbong Mo kay Tulfo’—on dzRP, my bread and butter,” Tulfo said. Aside from Tulfo, the President appointed PTV-4 news operations head Raquel Tobias as undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office. Mr. Duterte also named Jesus Dureza, the presidential adviser on the peace process, as his special envoy to the European Union until Dec. 31, 2018. Myra Paz Abubakar was named assistant secretary of the Department of Tourism.

['Philippine Daily Inquirer']

2018-03-27 03:12:22+08:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1047050/news-briefs-october-26-2018

Inquirer

Drug suspect slain in Manila

A man under the illegal drugs watchlist was shot dead by still unidentified motorcycle-riding gunmen in Sta. Mesa, Manila Friday afternoon.Virgilio Hilaro, 39, of Bacood, Sta. Mesa, Manila, was shot dead at around 4:30 p.m., according to residents in the area.An employee of an establishment in the area told investigators that he heard several gunshots, and later saw a bloodied Hilario slumped on the ground.The witness added that he saw a man carrying a handgun, wearing a baseball cap, white shirt, and denim pants aboard a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.They sped off toward V. Mapa Street.Hilario sustained several gunshot wounds and died on the spot.Further investigation is ongoing.

[]

15/07/2017 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/15/drug-suspect-slain-in-manila/

Manila Bulletin

More power for DoH to deal with hospital bed lack urged

The Department of Health (DoH) should be granted additional authority to quickly address the hospital bed shortage in government hospitals all over the country.The proposal was made on Monday by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, who noted that the DoH, under the present set-up, can only increase the bed capacity of the government hospitals and upgrade their capability through legislation.Currently, there are 70 DoH-retained public hospitals, of which 53 are general hospitals, 14 specialty hospitals, two infirmaries and one psychiatric facility that complement the devolved district, provincial and private hospitals in providing health care services.Angara, however, said majority of these hospitals had bed occupancy higher than the authorized bed capacity.In a recent hearing, the Senate Committee on Health and Demography headed by Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito learned that of the 17 regions, only Metro Manila and Northern Mindanao have met the ideal number of population to hospital bed ratio of 1/800.Ejercito said the current bed to population ratio is 1:1,121 and the gap will widen by 2022 when the population is expected to hit 115 million.Angara said waiting for Congress to come up with legislation that would allow the Health department to upgrade its capability clearly limits public access to medical and health services provided under the Constitution.To remove the limitation, he has filed Senate Bill (SB) 1682 that will give the DoH the authority to increase the bed capacity of all public hospitals without waiting for Congress’ approval.The bill, according to the senator, will authorize the Health department to administratively determine and approve the bed capacity and service capability of all DoH hospitals as necessary.He said it is just proper for the department to be given the authority since it is the one that has the capacity and expertise to assess gaps in service delivery.“The mismatch in bed occupancy, compounded by insufficient manpower, will not be able to sustain the growing health needs of the populace,” Angara added in a statement.He said putting these government hospitals under the jurisdiction of the DoH, which manages these hospitals in the first place, could effectively increase efficiency in the delivery of health services to sustain increasing demands of patients.

['Jefferson Antiporda']

2018-03-06 00:03:10+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/power-doh-deal-hospital-bed-lack-urged/384199/

Manila Times

Govt urged: Free overserving cons

In the spirit of the Christmas season, Buhay party-list group Rep. and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza has urged President Rodrigo Duterte to direct the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to immediately conduct an inventory of inmates and release those who may have already overserved their sentences.“Many inmates have already served their sentences but continue to languish in jails all over the country, owing to the slow pace of our justice system, and with no lawyers keeping an eye on their cases,” Atienza said in a statement on Wednesday.“This is one of the reasons why we are absolutely against the death penalty. Because of our defective and disjointed criminal justice system, only the poor who cannot afford lawyers will be sentenced to death. While the moneyed criminals buy their way through the corruption network and go scot-free,” he added.Atienza also reminded government to focus not only on political detainees but more so on prisoners who are suffering from sub-human conditions inside jails.He invoked Article III, Section 19 of the 1987 Constitution, which provides, “The employment of physical, psychological or degrading punishment against any prisoner or detainee or the use of sub-standard or inadequate penal facilities under sub-human conditions shall be dealt with by law.”The lawmaker also cited Article I of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, which provides, “All persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person.”Atienza pointed out that the slow pace of the justice system has been depriving thousands of inmates of a speedy trial, as provided for under Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution, which states, “All persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative bodies.”“Many inmates who were supposed to serve short sentences end up being imprisoned for extended periods.This is contrary to what our Constitution guarantees. This is a classic case of justice delayed is justice denied,” he said.

['The Manila Times']

2016-12-21 21:41:29+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-urged-free-overserving-cons/303048/

Manila Times

Marcos asks SC to junk Robredo supporters’ plea

Former senator Ferdinand Marcos’ camp has pleaded before the Supreme Court (SC) to stand by its ruling that junked a prayer of the supporters of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo that they be allowed to pay the balance of her counter-protest fee.Marcos is contesting results of the race for Vice President in the May 2016 elections, which he lost to Robredo by more than 200,000 votes.In the pleading before the SC, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, Marcos said intervention of the Piso Para kay Leni Movement is against the 2010 rules of the electoral tribunal.The Marcos camp said the poll protest is clearly a contest between the defeated and the winning candidates and allowing the petitioners to intervene by granting their plea would be “highly unprocedural” and has no legal or factual basis.“It appears that the only purpose of the movants in intervening in the case is to provide financial assistance to the protestee in defraying the cash deposit required for the counter-protest,” Marcos stated through his legal counsel George Erwin Garcia.The group of Robredo led by Museo Pambata chairman Cristina Lim-Yuson has asked the Presidential Electoral Tribunal to allow them to pay the rest of Robredo’s counter-protest fee amounting to P7.4 million.The SC earlier ordered Robredo to pay the amount of P15.4 million.Other intervenors in the case are former social welfare secretary Corazon Soliman, former human rights commissioner Paulynn Sicam, former Bases Conversion and Development Authority board director Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, singer Celeste Legaspi-Gallardo and Ateneo de Manila University Press director Karina Bolasco.“This is a necessary exercise of the right of suffrage considering that VP [Vice President] Leni will be deprived of her victory, we will be deprived of her victory because she is financially disadvantaged,” they said.The intervenors added that they have already raised P7,442. 859.34 from more than 20,000 people as of August 30.In his protest, Marcos assailed election results in 39,221 clustered precincts—36,465 of which he pays for the conduct of manual count and judicial revisionBased on Commission on Elections data, the 39,221 clustered precincts are composed of 132,446 precincts.Marcos, who lost to Robredo by 263,473 votes, accused her of “massive electoral fraud, anomalies and irregularities” such as pre-shading of ballots, pre-loaded Secure Digital cards, misreading of ballots, malfunctioning VCMs (vote counting machines) and an “abnormally high” unaccounted votes/undervotes for the position of Vice President.The electoral tribunal has ordered retrieval of all ballot boxes and election paraphernalia in the three pilot provinces of Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

['Jomar Canlas']

2017-09-29 21:29:51+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/marcos-asks-sc-junk-robredo-supporters-plea/353569/

Manila Times

Winnie Mandela: South Africa’s flawed heroine

to Mandela’s bedside in his final months, and she said she was present when he died.He did not leave her anything in his will.At her lavish 80th birthday party in Cape Town, Madikizela-Mandela wore a sparkling white dress and beamed with pleasure as she was lauded by guests that included senior politicians from rival parties.“Mama Winnie has lived a rich and eventful life, whose victories and setbacks have traced the progress of the struggle of our people for freedom,” then vice president Cyril Ramaphosa, who is now president, told guests.

[]

02/04/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/04/02/winnie-mandela-south-africas-flawed-heroine/

Manila Bulletin

SC employees, judges press Sereno to resign

For the last time, a group of judges and court employees demanded the resignation of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno on Monday, ahead of the scheduled Supreme Court vote on the quo warranto petition brought against her by Solicitor General Jose Calida.Several members of the Philippine Judges Association (PJA) and the Supreme Court Employees Association (SCEA) wore red shirts or sported something red during the weekly flag-raising ceremony in the high court’s compound on Padre Faura Street in Manila.Unlike the three previous “red Monday” protests, only five Supreme Court justices showed up at the assembly.Of the five, only Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta wore a red necktie.Also present were Associate Justices Noel Tijam, Mariano del Castillo, Andres Reyes Jr. and Presbitero Velasco Jr.The ‘big picture’“[We are] looking at the big picture [on this issue] and what’s best for all of us,” Marikina City Regional Trial Court Judge Felix Reyes, PJA president, said after the event.According to SCEA president Erwin Ocson, Sereno failed to act on the concerns of the court employees that they raised to her after her appointment in 2012.“The real reason behind this are the acts and policies of the Chief Justice [that adversely] affected the employees,” Ocson said.In a statement, SCEA said the participation of its members in the protest rally was aimed at proving their “collective action to show the truth and pursue reforms in the Supreme Court and the judiciary.”PJA and SCEA had previously released a joint statement asking the Chief Justice to step down “to give the entire judiciary the opportunity to move forward and get back to order.”They said Sereno’s actions put the “entire judiciary in disrepute, thereby affecting the honor and integrity” of the members of the Supreme Court and the judiciary.May 11 voteThree Supreme Court sources had earlier disclosed that the 14 justices had agreed to convene a special full-court session on May 11 to vote on Calida’s petition, which questioned Sereno’s integrity for her supposed failure to submit the required number of statements of assets, liabilities and net worth when she applied for the job of Chief Justice.Various groups have called on the justices to throw out Calida’s petition, as the Constitution provides for impeachment as the only process by which the Chief Justice can be removed from office.Vice President Leni Robredo on Monday joined the defenders of the constitutional process, saying the quo warranto petition, should it succeed, would be “the final blow to the ideal of justice.”Speaking at the University of the Philippines, Robredo said Calida’s petition “tramples our Constitution” and vowed “to do everything” in her power “to right this wrong, should it ever come to pass.”“It weaponizes the courts and if we allow it, a quo warranto can be used as a weapon of intimidation [and] kill dissent,” she said.The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said that should it succeed, the quo warranto petition could open more questions on the qualifications of other constitutional officials.IBP president Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo said a Supreme Court decision granting the petition could be “highly persuasive” and even “binding” as a precedent.“This decision would open the floodgates to questions on all qualifications of every constitutional position, every justice of the Supreme Court, or all those who are appointed on the basis of qualifications that were already passed upon by the Judicial and Bar Council and the President,” Fajardo told reporters on the sidelines of the UP forum.“To us, it should no longer be disturbed at this time except for those objective qualifications,” he said.

['Jhesset O. Enano', 'Marlon Ramos']

2016-11-15 22:22:10+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/988350/sc-employees-judges-press-cj-to-resign

Inquirer

Customs executives face lifestyle checks

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd has ordered a lifestyle check on Bureau of Customs (BOC) officials and a forensic analysis of data, including possible opening of bank accounts linked to fraudulent or corrupt activities.In a statement on Monday, the Department of Finance (DOF) said Dominguez’s order is part of the Duterte administration’s ongoing efforts to rid the agency of graft and corruption.“I think it has to start at the top, good example at the top that people do not accept bribes or are clean. I think the leadership factor is important, [that’s] number one,” he replied when asked how he would direct Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to achieve zero corruption at the bureau.“Number two, we have to be smart about catching corrupt people. You cannot always catch them like, you know, playing cops and robbers. We have to catch them by … checking their lifestyle, checking their bank accounts, checking how many cars they own,” Dominguez said.On top of conducting a lifestyle check on Customs officials, according to the Finance chief, the DOF and its attached agencies would be doing a forensic analysis of data to expose corrupt officials, tax evaders and others involved in financial crimes.“That’s why part of our legislative agenda is to make sure that the privacy laws on bank accounts will allow the government to look into the bank accounts of people that have very strong evidence of corruption or tax evasion,” he said.“If we do not do that, we can hardly catch them. So we are going to ask the legislature to please … allow the government to look into the bank accounts of people suspected of corruption, tax evasion and crimes like that,” Dominguez added.The Finance department said relaxing the country’s bank secrecy law is a way to flush out corrupt government officials as well as tax dodgers in the private sector.It is one of the proposals that the agency plans to submit to Congress.The DOF has also asked the Congress to pass new legislation that will relax bank secrecy laws for tax-fraud cases and include tax evasion as a predicate crime for money laundering.

['Mayvelin U. Caraballo']

2016-11-15 22:22:10+00:00

https://www.manilatimes.net/customs-executives-face-lifestyle-checks-3/296703/

Manila Times

SC clarifies: Martial law powers not limitless

The 1987 Constitution has enough guarantees to thwart the possible abuse of the presidential prerogative to declare martial law and suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, according to the Supreme Court.But the tribunal, voting 11-3-1, recognized President Duterte’s “sole discretion” to expand the geographical scope of his martial law proclamation beyond the place where an actual rebellion was happening to prevent the armed uprising from “spilling over.”In dismissing the three petitions questioning Mr. Duterte’s Proclamation No. 216, the high court said in its decision on Tuesday that the attack by the Islamic State-inspired Maute terror group in Marawi City on May 23 was an act of rebellion, which justified the imposition of military rule all over Mindanao.Theodore Te, the high court’s spokesperson, said the President’s authority to invoke martial law, as spelled out in Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution, was not without limits.In fact, Te said, the tribunal “exercised one of those limits” when it deliberated on the petitions and reviewed the President’s martial law declaration.Wide latitudeRetired Supreme Court Associate Justice Adolf Azcuna said while the magistrates gave the President a “wide latitude,” it did not rule that his powers to impose martial law was unlimited.“The 11 justices did not say there’s no limit to President’s martial law powers, but rather upheld the declaration precisely because there are constitutional safeguards in place against abuses,” Azcuna said.“The review conducted by the Supreme Court of the sufficiency of the factual basis of the proclamation is itself one of the limits of that power,” he said.The magistrates allayed the fears of those opposed to martial law, saying the 30-year-old charter had enough safeguards to prevent Mr. Duterte from abusing his power.“The importance of martial law in the context of our society should outweigh one’s prejudices and apprehensions against it. The significance of martial law should not be undermined by unjustified fears and past experience,” said the court’s 82-page ruling.The tribunal also asserted its jurisdiction to scrutinize and strike down any martial law declaration, saying Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution “specifically grants authority to the court to determine the sufficiency of the factual basis of the proclamation.”‘Most important objective’It said the “most important objective” of that provision was “the curtailment of the extent of powers of the Commander in Chief.”That provision also gives “additional safeguard against possible abuse by the President” of his power to impose martial law, the court said.The court explained that it was “difficult if not impossible, to fix the territorial scope of martial law in direct proportion to the ‘range’ of actual rebellion and public safety simply because rebellion and public safety have no fixed physical dimensions.”The territorial scope of martial law “could only be drawn from arbitrary, not fixed, variables,” it said. “The Constitution must have considered these limitations when it granted the President wide leeway and flexibility in determining the territorial scope of martial law.”“There is no constitutional edict that martial law should be confined only in the particular place where the armed public uprising actually transpired. This is not only practical but also logical,” it said.As the end of 60-day martial law period on July 22 drew closer, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III on Friday said that the President must request Congress for any extension.Pimentel said he agreed with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who said only Congress, not Mr. Duterte, can extend martial law.

['Marlon Ramos']

2018-09-27 22:40:16+00:00

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/911962/sc-clarifies-martial-law-powers-not-limitless

Inquirer

Pinay graduates summa cum laude from NYU

A Filipina from Isabela tribe graduated summa cum laude from the prestigious New York University (NYU), Friday.Janelle Micaela Panganiban finished with three majors: Global Public Health, Public Policy, and Sociology.She also received the Alexander L. Shluger award and the Founder’s Day award for excellence in sociology.Panganiban is a member of Gaddang indigenous group from Isabela and is the daughter of ANAC-IP Partylist Rep. Jose Panganiban Jr. and Angadanan Mayor Lourdes Panganiban.“As a Filipino, I feel like I have the obligation to bring all of these back to the Philippines and at the same time, as a descendant of the Gaddangs, I find myself impassioned for indigenous resurgence as a step to combat the long and embedded history of colonization,” she said.“Learn how to engage and really just be critical with everything. The professors encourage that here and I think that’s what I appreciate because it doesn’t seem like they’re doing it to make me feel like I’m wrong but for me to [really] grow.”The Northern Star Award from the Philippine Consulate General will be awarded to Panganiban.Also, she will receive a PGRAD 2018 medal, a Filipino diploma, and a citation from New York Assemblyman Brian Barnwell in the 6th Annual Philippine Graduation (PGRAD) at the Philippine Center Kalayaan Hall on June 9.According to its website, NYU is now one of the largest private universities in the United States. Of the more than 3,000 colleges and universities in America, NYU is one of only 60 member institutions of the distinguished Association of American Universities.

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25/05/2018 0:00

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/05/25/pinay-graduates-summa-cum-laude-from-nyu/

Manila Bulletin