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PH poised to shun foreign military tie ups
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['Isang Lahi']
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15/01/2017 0:00
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foreigners soldiers, ayaw ko,” Duterte said in a business forum in Davao City Saturday night.“Time for the Philippines so sibat na kayo. We are good enough. We are good now. So hindi ko na kailangan ‘yang mag-patrolya-patrolya,” he said.The President also said there was no talk of military alliances when he met Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during his recent two-day official visit.Duterte also rejected Japan’s offer of missiles for the Philippines, hoping there won’t be another world war.“Actually, sinabi ko kay Abe, hindi ko na kailangan ‘yang mga missile-missile,” he said.Meantime, Duterte has described North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un crazy and unpredictable, saying his death would be good for everyone.The President said the North Korean leader, not Russian President Vladimir Putin, was the “wild card” amid the nuclear and missile development by Pyongyang.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/15/ph-poised-to-shun-foreign-military-tie-ups/
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US Embassy closed on May 1 for Labor Day
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-04-27 21:13:27+00:00
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The Embassy of the United States in the Philippines and its affiliated offices will be closed to the public on Monday, May 1, in observance of Labor Day, a Philippine holiday.The US Embassy and its affiliated offices will resume their regular services on Tuesday, May 2.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/us-embassy-closed-may-1-labor-day-2/324413/
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CHED, state schools asked to offer free tuition now
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['Neil Alcober']
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2016-12-20 21:41:38+00:00
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The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and administrators of State Universities and Colleges should immediately implement free tuition in the SUCs in light of the Senate’s allotment of at least P8.3 billion to provide free tuition for all SUC students.“The move to provide free tuition for SUCs is long overdue. Students, parents, teachers and administrators had been protesting during the past decade against the incessant tuition and other fee hikes, commercialization, budget cuts, privatization and general neo-liberal attack on public higher education and the country’s education system in general,” Vencer Crisostomo, the national chairman of the left-leaning youth group Anakbayan, said in a statement on Tuesday.“The situation has worsened to the point of students committing suicide because failure to pay tuition has become common,” Crisostomo added.He said the government should make sure that the move takes effect next month, in time for enrolment for some schools affected by a calendar shift and scheduled examinations for most.President Rodrigo Duterte and CHED “should immediately order all schools to stop collecting fees from all students. Even pending such an order, however, the SUCs, through their board of administrators can and must stop tuition collection,” Crisostomo added.He noted that the policies in state schools meant to collect ever increasing tuition and other fees should immediately be lifted or removed.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ched-state-schools-asked-offer-free-tuition-now/302879/
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Come home, Pinoys in Afghanistan urged
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-07 00:04:02+00:00
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THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on Filipinos working in Afghanistan to consider returning to the Philippines in the wake of escalating violence that left more than 200 individuals dead in July alone.At the same time, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano extended his condolences to Afghanistan as he expressed support to the Afghan government and its people in their quest for peace.The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad, which has jurisdiction over Afghanistan, also issued an advisory reminding the public that a travel and deployment ban to Afghanistan remains in effect.There are about 1,500 Filipinos who are working mostly in military bases in Kabul and other locations in Afghanistan.Cayetano said the Embassy is ready to repatriate those willing to go home. He cautioned Filipinos in Afghanistan to exercise extreme caution and avoid any movement outside of their work places.The embassy issued an advisory following two suicide bomb attacks at a mosque on Friday, killing 30 people, including women and children.Ambassador to Islamabad Daniel Espiritu said the latest suicide bombings followed a series of violent and frequent attacks across Afghanistan.Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment called on more than 100,000 distressed and overstaying overseas Filipino Overseas Workers (OFWs) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take advantage of the three-month general amnesty program for foreign violators of the state’s residency laws.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd assured OFWs who wish to be repatriated that they would receive immediate assistance from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), including airport and cash aid.Records show that that there are 102,106 undocumented or overstaying Filipino workers in the UAE.Under the amnesty program, undocumented foreigners can leave UAE without being prosecuted.OFWs who wish to avail of the amnesty may seek assistance from the Philippine Embassy in UAE, as well as from the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.WITH REPORTS FROM WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/come-home-pinoys-in-afghanistan-urged/427372/
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PCSO winning war vs jueteng – Balutan
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-20 00:08:18+00:00
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Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander “Mandirigma” Balutan said on Wednesday that the agency earned P30.78 billion from January to June 2018.The amount represents the combined retail receipts from Lotto, Keno, Small Town Lottery (STL), and Instant Sweepstakes.“We are winning the war against illegal gambling such as jueteng through our Small Town Lottery (STL). From January to June, our STL posted a whopping P12.4 billion revenues,” Balutan said during the Sama-samang Talakayan at Linawan forum held at Fort Ilocandia in Laoag City, Ilocos Sur.The quarterly forum has been a regular activity of the PCSO.“We are doing this because we want to show the public that we are transparent in all our dealings. We want to let the public know where their money goes and what the PCSO has done in support to the Universal Heathcare coverage program of President Rodrigo Duterte,” Balutan saidThe PCSO’s revenue for the second quarter this year was P6.4 billion or 26 percent higher compared with the same period last year.The highest revenue came from STL with P12.4 billion, up by 146.85 percent compared with the same period last year; followed by Keno with P2.7 billion, an increase of 8.69 percent, and Sweepstakes, P662.7 million compared to only P12.5 million in 2017.Lotto, on the other hand, recorded a P14.9 billion revenue compared to P15.6 billion last year, down by 4.5 percent.“Figures don’t lie and our revenues for the second quarter, which is 24 percent higher compared to the same period of last year, is proof that PCSO is on the right track of hitting its P60-billion target by the end of this year,” Balutan said.He thanked the Philippine National Police and local government officials for going after the operators and collectors of illegal numbers game.Balutan said higher revenue increases means more people will be given medical assistance under the charity agency’s Individual Medical Assistance Program, Balutan said.For the first semester of 2018, PCSO served 236,595 compared to only 184,907 in 2017. The agency released P4,646,597,471 for these patients, compared with the P3,555,633,572 assistance granted to 184,907 patients in 2017.“What I’m trying to say is that with more revenue PCSO generates, more funds will be available to support PCSO’s various charity programs. In turn, more Filipinos especially those needing medical assistance will be served by PCSO,” Balutan said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-winning-war-vs-jueteng-balutan/421238/
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PH eyes 2 projects to protect women
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-02-26 00:00:15+00:00
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THE Philippines has introduced two major projects that seeks to further protect women and develop legal instruments on human rights during the 23rd meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) in Boracay last week.In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the AICHR will push for the thematic study on protecting the rights of women in natural disaster situations and a follow-up workshop on the development of the legal instruments on human rights in Asean.The thematic study on protecting the rights of women in natural disaster situations was approved in principle during the 22nd AICHR Meeting in Luang Prabang, Laos in November 2016.The study aims to compile current policies and practices on the protection of women’s human rights in situations of natural disasters; document best practices in mainstreaming gender in natural disaster responses and assistance as well as in post-disaster reconstruction and rehabilitation; and analyze the results of the study and provide concrete recommendations with regard to the framing of a draft ASEAN Regional Action Plan on Women in Natural Disaster Contexts.During the meeting held in Aklan from February 13-15, the commission approved the guidelines on the conduct of field visits in Asean member states to support the thematic study.Meanwhile, the follow-up consultation workshop on the development of the legal instruments on human rights will build on the findings and recommendations of the first workshop that AICHR Philippines hosted in September 2015.The second workshop seeks to identify elements among the existing international human rights legal instruments that are applicable in the context of Asean.Leo Herrera-Lim, Philippine Representative to AICHR and chairman of AICHR in 2017 presided over the meeting which was attended by all Asean member states.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-eyes-2-projects-protect-women/314155/
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Poe seeks independent media task force
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-09 00:01:20+00:00
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SEN. Grace Poe on Wednesday asked the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) to make the body independent by giving media practitioners and other sectors more involvement.Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee of Public Information and Mass Media, urged PTFoMS Executive Director Joel Sy Egco to recommend to President Rodrigo Duterte to allow media men, human rights groups and the academe as members of the task force to ensure the protection and welfare of the journalists.Media organizations, human rights groups and the academe are mere observers in the task force chaired by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra.“You will not bite the hand that feeds you, right? You would not want to do that, or you’d be very cautious to do that,” Poe said.The senator, in an interview after the hearing, disclosed that she plans to file a bill that would create an independent agency dedicated to protecting members of the media. She admitted that creating such a body through legislation would take time.For now, she said what she could do is push for more funding to PTFoMS to enable it perform its duty.Egco admitted that the agency gets its budget from the Office of the President “by request.” For next year, the media task force was allotted P10 million.Poe asked the task force to set up a dedicated hotline for media workers to report threats amid increasing cases of work-related harassment and killings.The senator said she would push more benefits for media workers, such as hazard pay and insurance.Poe has filed Senate Resolution 820 directing her committee to find feasible ways and means to provide standardized social protection mechanisms such as health and accident insurance to the media.“This is also for the welfare of media in general. You could coordinate with other government agencies to provide insurance for high-risk groups,” she told Egco.The PTFoMS said there were at least four work-related media killings, including the recent murder of radio commentator Joey Llana in Daraga, Albay.There were also 11 non-work related killings that were investigated by the media task force.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/poe-seeks-independent-media-task-force/428127/
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Asean officials brace for Manila summit
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-03-14 21:46:45+00:00
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Senior officials from the three community pillars of Association of Southeast Asian Nations–Political-Security Community, Economic Community and Socio-Cultural Community–will meet at the Philippine International Convention Center starting today up to March 16 for the Asean Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) to discuss preparations for the 30th Asean Summit slated in Manila on April 26-29.President Rodrigo Duterte will head the 30th Asean Summit, which is expected to be attended by heads of the 10 Asean member states.The 30th Asean Summit is the first of two leaders-level meetings that the Philippines will host as chairman of the Asean this year.The Asean senior officials are also expected to discuss community-building efforts of Asean and the possible documents that will emerge from the summit.They will also exchange views on how to move forward with the effective functioning of the JCM, particularly on coordination between the three pillars after the adoption of the terms of reference of the JCM in 2015.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/asean-officials-brace-manila-summit/317207/
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Gonzales named Tourism Board OIC
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2018-05-25 00:01:50+00:00
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The Department of Tourism has appointed Arnold Gonzales as officer-in-charge of the Tourism Promotions Board.He will take the post vacated by Cesar Montano who resigned on Monday.The department said Gonzales was uninanimously chosen as OIC by the Board of Directors on Thursday.Gonzales previously served as the OIC of the Domestic Promotions Department of the TPB.Gonzales, 56, has been with the agency for 30 years.Montano quit his post after Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat questioned his project “Buhay Carinderia.” Puyat called for an investigation after learning that Montano paid P80 million for the unfinished project that did not undergo public bidding.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/gonzales-named-tourism-board-oic/400924/
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Transport group plans another ‘holiday’ vs modernization program
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['Fair Gamer', 'Cornell Ong']
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22/03/2017 0:00
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A transport group is planning to stage yet another transport holiday, this time, for three days to protest the government’s proposal to phase-out jeepney units older than 14 years.The Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators ng Pilipinas Genuine Organization (STOP and GO) yesterday announced their plan to paralyze again the transport system to protest against the government’s plan to modernize public transportation.Jun Magno, STOP and GO national president, said they will launch the strike once their members and other groups have agreed to join the three-day protest.“We will announce it one day before the date after we consolidate the groups to join us,” he said.The strike, Magno said, aims to slam the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for not listening to the concerns of the affected jeepney drivers and operators regarding the modernization program. He also insisted that the agency did not invite nor send notices to them despite the consecutive strikes they have organized.“They are blind and deaf to our grievances. They don’t hear us,” he said.Magno also hit officials for “flipping the situation” and instead commending groups who did not participate in the previous strikes.“Instead of meeting us, they recognized the groups who are pushing for the (modernization) program for reportedly helping them. We are insulted by this action,” he said.Magno also challenged the groups to try the “phase-out” program for themselves first.“Let them, if they want, to go first. Don’t make it mandatory for everybody. If it’s good, then we will join them. But should there be problems, let them experience it first,” he said.Magno, who admitted not owning a franchise but driving a unit, said the group remains unfazed by the LTFRB’s repeated warnings to penalize those who participate in any transport holiday.The LTFRB, for its part, said that it will pursue legal steps against Magno and his group for organizing such transport holidays.“Our lawyer is finalizing the complaint against Jun Magno to be filed in the regular court,” said LTFRB board member and spokesperson Aileen Lizada.While Magno is not under the agency’s jurisdiction for not being an operator, Lizada said he could be sued in relation to the Public Service Law.Lizada said the agency is prepared should there be a strike.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/22/transport-group-plans-another-holiday-vs-modernization-program/
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Duterte insures govt interests for P1B
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-08-09 21:39:16+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has initially earmarked P1 billion for the insurance of key pieces of property, assets and other insurable interests of the government.The move came with issuance by the President of Administrative Order (AO) 4, which created an inter-agency committee to formulate the necessary policies, rules and regulations for the purpose of insuring government assets.It is in accordance with the Property Insurance Law, which provides for a General Insurance Fund (GIF) for thepurpose of indemnifying or compensating the government for any damage to, or loss of, its insurable interests because of fire, earthquake, storm and other calamities.The Property Insurance Law also provides that national government agencies and local government units, except those belonging to municipalities below first class, should insure with the GIF their pieces of property, assets andother interests against any insurable risk.“There is a need to prescribe the necessary policies to ensure that key [pieces of property] , assets and other interests of the government, especially high risk items, are provided with comprehensive and adequate insurance coverage,” AO 4 read.“Notwithstanding existing law, the Commission on Audit indicated in its reports that there are still agencies whose [pieces of property], assets, facilities and other insurable interests are currently not insured or substantially underinsured,” it said.The inter-agency committee will be composed of representative from the Finance department as chairman, representative from the Office of the Executive Secretary as Co-Chairman, and contingent from the Department of Budget and Management, Insurance Commission and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) as members.In addition, the inter-agency committee is mandated to assess the utilization and management of the GIF being administered by the GSIS; evaluate the existing inventory of all government assets, facilities and other insurable interests that are actively insured; determine high-risk key government assets and other public facilities which should be insured annually; and propose appropriate legislative measures or executive issuances, as necessary, on insuring key government assets, facilities and other insurable interests.The inter-agency committee will submit a terminal report to the President within one year after its convening.The Finance department, through the Bureau of Treasury, will provide the necessary technical and administrative support services to the inter-agency committee.The funds necessary for the implementation of the AO will be charged against the current appropriation of the members of the inter-agency committee and other appropriate funding sources, subject to existing budgeting, accounting and auditing laws, rules and regulations.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-insures-govt-interests-p1b/343403/
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Cadets ‘violated’ anti-hazing law
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-03-29 00:05:11+00:00
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The Philippine National Police Academy has condemned a video that shows PNPA cadets striking other cadets with a stick and a paddle in recent “initiation rites.”In a text message to The Manila Times, PNP spokesman John Bulalacao pointed out that the PNP does not tolerate the act as it violates the anti-hazing law.“Initiation rites are organized and sanctioned by the police academy. Their conduct is properly supervised with the presence of medical and tactical officers and no tools or implements are used… what is shown on the video is pure and simple maltreatment activity which is violative of the anti-hazing law,” he said.In the video, a group of men wearing exercise overalls are gathered in a room and one cadet stands in the middle to get hit by another cadet with a stick or a paddle.The cadet used the stick to strike the palms and soles of the other cadet.He used the paddle to hit the thighs of the cadet.The video is said to have been shot inside the police academy.Earlier this week, it was reported that six PNPA graduates were mauled by a group of cadets right after their graduation rites on March 21.Chief Supt. Joseph Adnol, PNPA director, previously denied that it is a tradition inside the academy and the mauling is just an isolated case.PNP chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, however, said mauling is an “on and off tradition” as he was told so by some PNPA alumni.He urged Adnol and the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) president, retired general Ricardo de Leon, to take action in removing the tradition.The PNPA is under the PPSC, a separate bureau of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.Adnol previously offered his resignation to de la Rosa regarding the mauling but the latter refused to accept it.Two of the cadets who were mauled, Police Inspectors Yla Lambenecio and Arjay Divino, have already filed their complaint-affidavit against nine cadets who were allegedly involved in the incident.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cadets-violated-anti-hazing-law/389137/
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Sotto pushes salary hike for Comelec employees
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['Javier J. Ismael']
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2018-11-07 00:01:20+00:00
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Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd has filed a measure that seeks to upgrade the salaries of employees of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and reorganize the poll body’s offices.Sotto filed Senate Bill 2082 to address the disparity in the salaries of Comelec employees with those in other government agencies.“It is about time that Congress responds to their call for adequate adjustments in their remuneration,” the Senate leader said in the explanatory note of his bill titled “An Act Reorganizing the Comelec Offices.”Members of the Comelec Employees’ Union had for decades asserted their right to substantial and just salary increases.“Equal pay for equal work in government service is the ultimate goal of the proposed legislation. It can only be realized through reclassification and upgrading of their current plantilla positions, particularly in the Comelec main and field offices. Furthermore, it is posited that an increase in their salary will be an effective deterrent to graft and corrupt practices,” Sotto said.The bill, if approved, would benefit 5,000 employees of the commission nationwide. A counterpart measure has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Representatives Gary Alejano, Francisco Datol and Feliciano Belmonte Jr.The Senate bill also seeks to institute regional and provincial offices and divide the National Capital Region (NCR) into five administrative districts.“The Comelec may delegate its powers and functions or order the implementation or enforcement of its orders, rulings or decisions through the heads of its field offices,” Sotto said.All of the remaining rank and file plantilla positions in the Comelec’s main and field offices shall be reclassified and upgraded accordingly, he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sotto-pushes-salary-hike-for-comelec-employees/463342/
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Senate panel eyes raps vs NHA execs
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-02 00:10:35+00:00
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The Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement wants the National Housing Authority (NHA) to file charges against former and current officials of the agency as well as developers whose projects were not completed.Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, chairman of the committee, said the filing of charges would be among the recommendations included in the committee report he would be drafting.“We will recommend that necessary charges be filed. We really need to show that the government is serious ingoing after public officials conniving with private firms and individuals,” Ejercito said as his panel wrapped up its investigation of the construction of substandard and unlivable housing units for calamity victims.The senator said that after conducting three hearings, the committee was able to establish collusion between mid-level NHA officials in the Visayas region and contractors. It also discovered that most of the housing units were substandard while some were built in danger zones.Ejercito said the introduction of the mobilization fund in housing projects for typhoon “Yolanda” victims was highly questionable because some contractors who were given the fund did not complete their projects.The chosen developers were given a mobilization fund amounting to 15 percent of the project cost.“Many developers took advantage of the fund and left the project unfinished,” the senator added.He cited the case of JC Tayag Builders, which was given almost P300 million in mobilization funds but finished less than 10 percent of its housing project.“I hope the NHA will act immediately and file cases already against these contractors and developers and NHA officials who were in cahoots with them,” Ejercito said.The senator estimated that public funds wasted due to the irregularities in the NHA housing projects intended for the victims of typhoons Yolanda in 2013, Pablo in 2012 and Sendong in 2011, and the Zamboanga siege in 2013 could reach P30 billion.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-panel-eyes-raps-vs-nha-execs/425756/
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Tattoo artist caught with marijuana at train station
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-09-05 21:19:43+00:00
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A tattoo artist was apprehended after he was caught in possession of marijuana leaves on Monday afternoon while entering the V. Mapa Light Rail Transit 2 station in Manila. Sampaloc Police Station 8 commander Supt. Ruben de la Rama Ramos identified the suspect as Emercito Rodriguez, 32, of 4076 Baldovino Street, Sampaloc. At about 2:13 p.m. Monday while Variance Security Agency guards Rosa Vergara and Venherryl Gatchalian were checking the baggage of commuters when they found a suspicious small Zip-lock container belonging to the suspect. Inside the container were dried leaves of suspected marijuana with approximate weight of 1.5 grams. Rodriguez was accused of violating Section 11 of Republic Act 9165 or Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act before the Manila Prosecutor’s Office.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/tattoo-artist-caught-marijuana-train-station/348846/
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Duterte tags Goldberg, other US diplomats as ‘spies’
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['Just Me', 'Chris Dixon', 'Ako Madamosiya 毛むくじゃら']
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29/12/2016 0:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has branded most ambassadors of the United States as experts in eroding the politics of a country, citing the career of former U.S. ambassador Philip Goldberg as a prime example.“Most of the ambassadors of the United States, but not all, are not really professional ambassadors,” President Duterte said in a television interview Thursday, December 29.He said those career diplomats “do the spying” and are actually connected with the Central Intelligence Agency, America’s civilian foreign intelligence service tasked with gathering, processing and analyzing national security information from around the world primarily through the use of human intelligence.“That is how it is,” said the president. “The ambassador of a country is the number one spy, but there are ambassadors of the United States, their forte is really to undermine government.”Duterte cited Ambassador Goldberg as an illustration of such a diplomat. “You may have some an inkling of how this guy operates.”He narrated Goldberg’s events prior to his deployment in Manila.He used to be the assistant secretary for intelligence and research (INR) at the U.S. Department of State whose primary mission is to harness intelligence to serve U.S. diplomacy.As head of one of 16 elements in the U.S. Intelligence Community, he was involved in:providing value-added independent analysis of events to U.S. State Department policymakersensuring that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposesserving as the focal point in the State Department for ensuring policy review of sensitive counterintelligence and law enforcement activities around the worldIn 2006, then President George W. Bush nominated Goldberg as ambassador to Bolivia.In September 10, 2008, the Bolivian government gave Goldberg 72 hours to leave the country after the U.S. was accused of providing millions of dollars to opposition leaders and think tanks opposing Bolivian president Evo Morales.The U.S. State Department, in a subsequent official statement, accused Bolivia of committing a grave error and that the allegations against Goldberg were baseless.“That’s what happened with Bolivia,” Duterte pointed out. “He was expelled because he was undermining the native President there. And they say that—that’s a good article of Time Magazine, I think. And it has a good analysis of how the elite of that country hates that native president.“And Goldberg started to dig under, to erode the foundation of the presidency and he was expelled persona non grata.”Earlier this month, allegations surfaced that Goldberg had left behind a “blueprint to undermine Duterte” meant to eventually help remove him from office.The claims prompted House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to call for an investigation into the alleged plot by the former U.S. ambassador to kick the president out of Malacañang.“If true, this has serious consequences not only on our country’s political stability but also on the economic and social fabric of our nation. It would also have grave repercussions on our relationship with the United States,” Alvarez said in a statement.Goldberg was replaced by Sung Kim last November.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/29/duterte-tags-goldberg-other-us-diplomats-as-spies/
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Women are competent but they ‘melt’ – Duterte
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-05-26 00:02:46+00:00
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AMID criticisms hurled against him over his supposedly misogynistic behavior, President Rodrigo Duterte has tried to appease his critics by saying he believes women are competent and capable, but could not stand “threats and intimidation.”In his remarks in Davao City on Thursday night, Duterte said he still trusted the capabilities and competence of women, but stressed that some jobs were not for them.“We get used to fist fights, scrimmages, and shooting incidents. And we grew up with a sort of a mindset that sometimes is prone to violence,” the President said.“Women are prim and proper. With just one look of their mothers, they will melt. And you will make them cops? It’s not that I don’t believe them. I believe in the woman, their competence and capability but not in all aspects of life… It’s not appropriate,” he added.Duterte made the remark after women activists launched a social media campaign using the hashtag #BabaeAko to lash out at his derogatory remarks against women.The President earned the ire of women activists over his controversial remark that he would not appoint a woman to the Ombudsman or the Supreme Court.Women activists, including former social welfare secretary Judy Taguiwalo, called on women to “fight back” against Duterte.On Wednesday, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go came to Duterte’s defense, saying the President’s style of self-expression “has always been taken out of context.”Contrary to what others believe, Duterte has “high respect for women,” he said.Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr., meanwhile, said the President’s statement was “a mere play of words.”“PRRD’s (Duterte’s) statement reflects his growing frustration over the continuous and non-stop tirades against his administration by the ousted chief justice and the ombudsman,” Roque said in a statement on Wednesday.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/women-are-competent-but-they-melt-duterte/401169/
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PNP ‘on track’ with drug war
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-07-02 00:30:21+00:00
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THE police is on track with the Duterte administration’s crackdown against illegal drugs even if it was suspended because of policemen who committed abuses, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Thursday.The campaign against illegal drugs, dubbed Operation “Tokhang” (knock and plead), has achieved 70 percent of its target with over 1.2 million surrenderees since it started last year, according to PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos.However, Tokhang was criticized by both local and international human rights groups over law enforcers committing abuses like extra judicial killings, among others. It was also criticized by members of the opposition.The campaign was suspended after policemen allegedly killed a Korean businessman inside Camp Crame in Quezon City, but was later revived by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte. The revived campaign was dubbed “Oplan Double Barrel Reloaded.”“Our intention or the objective was to continue with the program but the campaign [has] to be more transparent. Our personnel [will be] more accountable and less bloody, as what we want to achieve,” Carlos said in an interview.The PNP official is also looking forward to the involvement of other sectors that will help make the campaign transparent.Carlos said anti-drug operations have been opened to the religious sector, human rights groups, non-government organizations and other civil organizations that want to have a “first-hand” experience how the drug war is being operated.However, the Commission on Human Rights and the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines still oppose the war against drugs.“We are delivering results. We are on track with our target…we would like to achieve [a deadline] in double barrel reloaded and after June 30, we will have another assessment and look at what would be the next step forward into the program…but what we discovered is the magnitude of the problem,” said Carlos.As the President is set to mark his first year in office, Carlos said data on the war against drugs is expected to be released next week, saying it will undergo proper consolidation and will also be submitted to PNP chief Ronald de la Rosa.“This will be the one-year accomplishment of the PNP pertaining to its campaign against drugs, criminality, corruption, internal cleansing and administrative accomplishments, recruitment, logistic [and] activities,” Carlos said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pnp-track-drug-war/336063/
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‘Beware of online Canada job scam,
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['Kim Kong']
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1/10/2017 0:00
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‘Jobseekers have to be wary of unscrupulous groups and individuals recruiting Filipinos online supposedly for jobs in Canada.In an advisory, the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa advised Filipinos to be careful in dealing with companies or persons with job offers to Canada as this may be an online job recruitment scam.The Philippine Embassy said an unsolicited email from a firm or individual claiming that your qualifications match the job requirement in Canada and requiring little or no experience is a key warning sign.The Embassy likewise pointed out that poorly-constructed letters and job offers, including grammatical and spelling errors may also indicate a recruitment scam.Filipinos are also urged to check if address of the recruiting company matches the given postal code.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/01/beware-of-online-canada-job-scam/
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Duterte’s bold new world with China and Russia
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['Dale Jose C. Gozar']
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16/05/2017 0:00
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China, Philippines and Russia. It’s the only way.”True to his word, Duterte will visit Russia on May 25 in another historic move that would have rocked the old Washington, DC were it not reeling from its diminished status in the world. Fortunately for the Philippines, too, US President Donald Trump is supportive of Duterte and in fact had sought his help in talking with China about handling the recalcitrant North Korea.The Belt and Road Forum has been described as the Chinese version of the Group of 20 with a bit of the Davos-World Economic Forum thrown in, creating according to Xi, “a big family of harmonious co-existence.” It was created back in 2013 but the Philippines wasn’t invited to join during the time of the rabidly pro-American tag team of Benigno Aquino III and his foreign secretary Albert del Rosario.China’s long and rich history is mostly unknown to Filipinos, many of whom grew up on shallow Hollywood portrayals of the Chinese (not to mention Russians) as cardboard villains. The warming of ties between China and the Philippines is an opportune time to get to know this giant neighbor who has been painted in such negative light by Western media.The name Belt and Road is a nod to China’s historic trade caravan that travelled through the continents from Asia to Europe. The multicultural merchants and the hardy camels stopped at key points along the way to buy and sell prized goods such as jade, gold, tea, spices, porcelain, and the lustrous cloth called silk.Today’s China plans to build a modern version of this trade diplomacy through expanded land routes, which means the building of more rail networks, bridges, roads and highways. The Belt and Road initiative will assist in financing these crucial infrastructure in order to improve interconnection and boost trade. But where does that leave the archipelagic Philippines, which has no land connection with any Asian country?The answer is in the complementary “sea version” of the Belt and Road, the Maritime Silk Road, which will invest in the development of port networks in the South China Sea, South Pacific Ocean, and the Indian Ocean. Hopefully, this initiative will also make provisions for the acquisition of ships especially roll-on, roll-off vessels that can carry passengers, cargo, and vehicles. Interconnection among the country’s numerous islands via sea vessels is seen as crucial to national development.China has pledged at least $124 billion to finance projects under the alliance. Its initiative couldn’t have come at a better time for the Philippines, which only recently launched its massive ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure program.As expected, the attack dogs from the Western media were quick to pounce on the country’s plan to upgrade its infrastructure, saying that the country was in danger of being heavily indebted to China. But only 20 percent of the P8-trillion budget for the infrastructure program will be in the form of foreign debt because the bulk of the budget will come from government appropriations and domestic loans.There will be no heavy loans, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez assured the critics. Instead, the Duterte government will take advantage of the concessional loans being offered by friendly countries such as China. These loans, also known as Official Development Assistance (ODA), have an average interest rate of 1.54 percent compared with the 6.31 percent for foreign bonds, which the previous administration had preferred.The Philippines is already enjoying the benefits of its independent foreign policy. China has committed at least $3.4 billion in ODA to finance three infrastructure projects in the Philippines the North-South Railway Project South Line; the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in Cagayan and Kalinga provinces; and the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project.In addition, China has pledged $75 million to build under a grant assistance (which is not a loan) two bridges in Metro Manila to help ease the traffic congestion. These are the Binondo-Intramuros and the Estrella-Pantaleon bridges that will cross the Pasig River. The plan is implement these initial projects within the year after the feasibility studies are completed.Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana noted that the bilateral mechanism for trade and economic cooperation is functioning again after being “frozen” or in a “state of hiatus.” After all, who needs a confrontation when both sides can have a “win-win cooperation”?
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/16/dutertes-bold-new-world-with-china-and-russia/
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ICC withdrawal not linked to sea row – Palace
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-10-14 00:02:19+00:00
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Malacañang sees no link between the Philippines’ withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and its maritime dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Saturday.Panelo disagreed with Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who earlier argued that the Philippines’ withdrawal from the ICC would weaken its stance against China.“Frankly, I have not seen the relation between withdrawing from the ICC and that particular China issue,” he said.Panelo noted that the country’s notice to the United Nations (UN) should be taken to mean that the ICC has never assumed jurisdiction in light of two communications that allege Duterte of crimes against humanity in connection with his war on drugs.“Wala akong makitang koneksyon. And moreover, misnomer ‘yung withdrawal. Hindi naman tayo nag-withdraw actually (I cannot see any connection. And moreover the withdrawal is a misnomer. We actually did not withdraw),” Panelo said.“The notice was more of informing them that, ‘Excuse me, we’re not part of you because you never assumed jurisdiction over us.’ Kasi kung walang (because if there is no) jurisdiction, what are we talking about?” he added.Carpio on Tuesday warned that the Philippines could lose a “very strong” legal deterrent to China’s possible invasion of the resource-rich West Philippine Sea if Manila pulls out of the ICC.Carpio said the Philippines would benefit if it keeps its membership, mentioning that the recent amendment to the Rome Statute, an international treaty creating the international court, punishes the crime of aggression that may be committed by China.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/icc-withdrawal-not-linked-to-sea-row-palace/451951/
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Palace ally Saycon named commissioner
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-01-25 00:05:22+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Pastor Saycon, who is seen as a Malacañang ally, as one of two new members of the EDSA People Power Commission.Saycon’s appointment paper and that of Christopher Carrion were released on January 18 but were only made available to the media on January 24.Saycon claimed that he witnessed that certain individuals shaved 200,000 votes from then-candidate Rodrigo Duterte in Quezon province during the May 2016 national elections.|Duterte won the race for the presidency in that year by over six million votes. |Saycon’s witnesses, however, have not surfaced to validate their claims.Carrion is the founder of the Spirit of EDSA Foundation Inc., which fetes the military, the religious and the citizens who played a crucial role during the 1986 uprising against then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-ally-saycon-named-commissioner/376215/
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Emergency aid for displaced Boracay workers sought
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-04-24 00:04:24+00:00
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SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian on Monday urged the government to provide “emergency” financial assistance and livelihood to over 6,000 workers who will be affected by the six-month closure of Boracay island.The government will shut down Boracay on April 26 to rehabilitate the island that President Rodrigo Duterte described a “cesspool.”Gatchalian estimates that more than 6,000 workers in the informal sector of Boracay Island and the surrounding municipality of Malay, Aklan, will be affected by the closure order.“Our estimates show that informal sector laborers employed on and around Boracay island could lose as much as P166 million in wages over the next six months,” he said. “The government needs to put programs in place to ensure that every centavo of these losses will be compensated.”The senator, chairman of the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs, urged the Department of Labor and Employment to put strategies in place to serve the needs of the informal sector.“Informal sector workers will be particularly vulnerable during the closure period because it will be much more difficult to identify them and provide the necessary public aid,” he said.Gatchalian said Boracay’s small-time laborers “are not to blame for the environmental mess on the island, and they should not be made to suffer the consequences of the reckless illegal behavior of careless big businesses.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/emergency-aid-for-displaced-boracay-workers-sought/394415/
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PH to have 3rd telco in December – Duterte
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-09-12 00:01:12+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said the Philippines would have its third major telecommunications player in December, as he vowed to select the offer of the bidder with the “best track record.”Duterte made the statement as he expressed frustration over the delays in the government’s selection of the country’s third major telecommunications player.“Late, early November, pag wala pa (if there’s no decision yet), I’ll take over. Ilagay ko iyan sa Office of the President. And I will invite all the businessmen and I will decide in front of them kung sino (who it will be),” Duterte said during a televised interview with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.“I will resolve it by late October or early November. By Christmas, alam na ng mga tao kung sino na ang (the people will know the) third player,” he added.Last month, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said it aims to finish the selection process before the end of the year.This was after missing its initial target of making an announcement before Duterte’s State of the Nation Address in July as the terms of reference for the selection process has yet to be finalized.Duterte, who said he would place the selection process under the Office of the President if he was forced to take, elaborated on how he would make the decision on the third telco player.“Give me your position papers. I’ll read it, give me about 30 minutes then I’ll come back and tell them. I will decide. ‘Yun na at ibigay na ‘yung linya (That’s it and the line will be given),” he said.Duterte earlier called for the entry of a new telco player in a bid to improve the service being provided by current players.PLDT and Globe Telecom continue to dominate the industry after San Miguel Corp sold its telecommunications assets to the two firms in May 2016.The third player must secure a congressional franchise and be able to spend at least P500 billion over five years, said Eliseo Rio, DICT officer-in-charge.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-to-have-3rd-telco-in-december-duterte-2/440459/
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Palace stand against same-sex marriage hailed
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-21 21:38:32+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s stand against same-sex marriages has been hailed by House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza.“President Duterte is correct in saying that same-sex marriages are not for us because we are a Catholic nation, aside from the legal aspect where the Civil Code provides for marriage between a man and a woman. Marriage should be for founding a family,” Atienza said on Tuesday.The lawmaker from Buhay party-list was reacting to the President’s statement during his meeting with the Filipino community in Myanmar over the weekend.“I respect the rights of two people sharing affection and material things but to allow them to get married by law is not okay. Same-sex couples can share affection even without marriage,” Atienza said.During the hearing of the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality, he had moved for removal of the phrase “of any other kind of license” from section 4E of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) bill, saying this would have allowed the granting of a marriage license for same-sex couples.The amendment was accepted by the bill’s proponents.“The rights of every person are already guaranteed and protected by the Constitution and [are] something that we recognize and respect. But the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman must be upheld and protected as an institution as it is the most basic foundation of the family. I have always considered people belonging to the LGBT community as some of my best friends. In fact, I grew up with them belonging to one dance troupe. I know that many of them don’t approve of same-sex marriage. And I have always looked at the LGBT community with respect. But same-sex marriage is against the Constitution, existing laws and especially the natural law. We Filipinos should not really be copying Western culture. Even if they approve of it, majority of Filipinos don’t. It’s time Western countries look at us and start copying our culture,” Atienza said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-stand-sex-marriage-hailed/318421/
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Court allows Honasan to travel to Hong Kong
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-03-11 00:02:40+00:00
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The Sandiganbayan’s Second Division has allowed Sen. Gregorio Honasan to travel to Hong Kong from March 15 to 18 to attend seminars.Honasan, who is out on bail, is facing graft cases along with other individuals in connection with alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel allocation totaling P29.1 million in 2012.“Acting on the ‘Motion for an Allow Departure Order’ filed by accused Gregorio B. Honasan on February 19, 2018, praying that he [will] be allowed to travel to Hong Kong on March 15, 2018 to March 18, 2018, after considering the comment of the prosecution, the court hereby resolves to grant the same,” the court said in a ruling.Honasan earlier filed a motion, saying the Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Inc.-Hongkong Executive Council, which “organized two seminars with the theme ‘Cha-cha [Charter change], federalism and the OFW’ aimed at raising awareness on these issues directly affecting Overseas Filipino Workers,” requested his presence as special guest of honor and main speaker on March 16 and 17.“Accused Honasan undertakes that the aforesaid travel is not for the purpose of absconding or evading prosecution of his case pending before this Honorable Court… He is prepared to report to this [court] within five days upon his return from abroad,” the defense said in part in the motion.In allowing him to travel to Hong Kong, the court said in its ruling that he shall not leave the Philippines earlier than March 15 and shall return not later than March 18.It added “that his itinerary of travel shall cover Hong Kong only.”The court said, “He shall, within five days from his arrival, personally appear before the Clerk of Court of this Division and submit proof of date of return to the Philippines.”“Should he fail to comply with the conditions herein imposed in connection with the authority to travel, trial against him shall proceed in absentia; the travel cash bond shall be canceled and forfeited in favor of the government and any future Motion for Leave to Travel which may be filed by him shall be denied,” it added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-allows-honasan-to-travel-to-hong-kong/385384/
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Chamber rejects Binondo-Intramuros bridge
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['Catherine A. Modesto']
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2018-09-04 00:01:34+00:00
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The Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI) and historical preservation groups said the China-aided project to build a bridge connecting Intramuros to Binondo would “destroy” some historical sites of the Walled City.“Our stand is that preservation of heritage is paramount. We are not saying to preserve, you should not develop,” CCPI President Jose Luis U. Yulo, Jr. said on Monday.“No new bridge or construction should destroy heritage. That is basic. Any new construction can destroy new heritage by demolishing an existing heritage, by endangering it or by demolishing the atmosphere in many ways,” he added.Yulo said the Binondo-Intramuros bridge project plan of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) “violated” the National Cultural Heritage law.“It was totally against and in violation of the national historical commission law,” he said, adding that there is “no use” for it.In July, Virgilio Castillo, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-Roads Management Cluster project director of the bridge project, notified the CCPI that the construction would “partially affect the CCPI” by “taking symmetrically from its property the right-of-way requirement.”The CCPI suggested that Del Pan Bridge should be expanded or a new bridge built beside it to decongest the traffic jams brought by cargo trucks that “travel to and from North and South Piers.”The group said it would also clear traffic congestion along Roxas Boulevard “and it will not damage Intramuros structures and environment with pollution and noise vibration.”Meanwhile, the Intramuros Administration (IA) said it has yet to give clearance to the project.“It must ensure that Intendencia must not be affected and that the movement of the bridge must not prejudice our restoration of Baluarte de Sto. Domingo, which is across Magallanes,” Guiller Asido, IA administrator, said.Intendencia was the first home of the Philippine Senate.Architect Joel Rico, president of the Guild of Architects in Conservation, echoed this, saying the proposed bridge compromises the Intendencia, which “would collapse in one year’s time because of the impact of the vehicles.”He called on the government to put the bridge project on hold.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/chamber-rejects-binondo-intramuros-bridge/437799/
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Lone bettor bags P45-M lotto pot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-02-08 23:57:58+00:00
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A bettor from Batangas won the P45.3-million Megalotto 6/55 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during Wednesday night’s draw.PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said the lone winner got the six-number combination 38-14-44-07-26-34 using “lucky pick” (computer generated).According to Balutan, the lucky bettor bought the ticket with a total jackpot prize of P45,394,304 at a lotto outlet inside the Batangas City Grand Terminal, Alangilan, Batangas.Apart from the jackpot winner, 32 other bettors will be getting P32,960 each as consolation prize for correctly guessing five of the six-number combination.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lone-bettor-bags-p45-m-lotto-pot/379058/
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Drive vs illegal gambling gaining ground – Balutan
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-01-15 21:35:26+00:00
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THE fight against illegal numbers game and all forms of illegal gambling is gaining ground, state-owned gaming agency Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) said on Monday.“We started this in 2016 when we were appointed by our President [Rodrigo Duterte]. We have expanded the Small Town Lottery (STL) nationwide to fight illegal gambling,” PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said in a news briefing in Mandaluyong City.“We are now gaining ground because through market forces, many illegal gambling operators have now migrated to legal numbers game. There are no bettors now who patronize illegal numbers games such as jueteng and other forms of illegal gambling because the law enforcement units will arrest them. We have further intensified our campaign against illegal gambling so that we can generate more funds for the government,” Balutan added.He said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will arrest gambling syndicates who are operating in the guise of STL, including STL collectors who moonlight as illegal bookies.In 2016, the PCSO and PNP entered into a memorandum of agreement stating the latter’s responsibilities in helping the agency crack down on syndicates who operate jueteng, swertres, masiao, and other illegal numbers game in the country, and protect STL.The PCSO official said the government-sponsored STL, the only legal numbers game in the country, has been expanded from the 20 Authorized Agent Corporations (AACs) to 83 ACCs authorized by the agency to operate STL.Balutan said Duterte has ordered all law enforcement agencies to help in the war on illegal gambling.“So we are now on this fight,” he said.“We have closed down thousands of illegal gambling operations, including the arrest of hundreds of illegal gambling syndicates and collectors,” Balutan said.Balutan urged local government units anew to support STL, saying the support of mayors and governors is crucial in the campaign against illegal gambling.He said the appointment of his classmate, Eduardo Año, as officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government would boost the fight against illegal gambling.“Under the charter, the DILG [Department of Interior and Local Government] has the mandate to manage and control also the local government units, our good governance. And part of the good governance is that our local government officials should not be involved in illegal gambling,” he explained. “He [Año] told me that we will coordinate with each other to stop illegal gambling, and to identify those who are involved in this illicit activity. The DILG secretary has the power to suspend them or remove from office if they were found involved in the illegal gambling.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/drive-vs-illegal-gambling-gaining-ground-balutan/374525/
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Japanese squadron arrives in Manila
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2016-10-24 21:35:36+00:00
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A training squadron of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force is in Manila for a five-day goodwill visit to enhance the strong relationship between the Philippine Navy and the JMSDF.Capt. Lued Lincuna, Navy spokesman, on Monday said the squadron, headed by its commander, Rear Adm. Hidetoshi Iwasaki, is composed of three vessels, namely JS Kashima (TV-3508), JS Setoyuki (TV-3518) and JS Asagiri (DD-151).Onboard are 190 newly commissioned officers and a helicopter [SH-60J.Navy vessel BRP Rajah Humabon (FF11) conducted the meeting procedure for the vessels at the vicinity of Corregidor Island and escorted them to their designated berthing area in South Harbor in Manila.Delegates from the Navy held a customary welcome ceremony for the ships at the piers followed by a port briefing on security, safety and health."This goodwill visit includes a series of engagements between Philippine Navy personnel and their visiting counterparts such as ship’s tour, courtesy call to Navy leadership, goodwill games and receptions for cultural exchanges,” Lincuna said.He added that the visit is another gesture of fostering goodwill, which contributes to furtherance of friendship between the Navy and JMSDF established through the years with continuing commitment to promoting naval diplomacy and camaraderie.Two months ago, two Japanese destroyers — Murasame-class destroyer JS Yuudachi (DD 103) and Asagiri-class destroyer JS Yuugiri (DD 153) arrived in Manila also for a goodwill visit.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/japanese-squadron-arrives-manila/292932/
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Ex-AFP chief named Interior undersecretary
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-10-27 22:37:47+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduardo Año as undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).Malacañang released Año’s appointment papers on Friday, or less than a day after Año retired from military service.His appointment papers were dated October 26.Duterte earlier said he wants Año to head the DILG as soon as a one-year ban on the President’s power to appoint a retired military officer expires.The ban is provided under DILG Act of 1990.Año’s appointment was a fulfillment of Duterte’s words in August when he said that pending the ban, Año will serve as undersecretary but will function as officer-in-charge.Año is the administrator of martial law in Mindanao that was declared by the President over a rebellion led by the terrorist Maute Group on May 23.Martial law in the region has been extended to December this year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ex-afp-chief-named-interior-undersecretary/359040/
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La Viña named DA undersecretary
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-06-08 00:05:40+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Tourism undersecretary Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña as undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture.He replaces Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, who was named Tourism secretary.This is La Viña’s second government post since being fired by Duterte in February from his post as Social Security System (SSS) commissioner for supposed corruption.La Viña’s appointment paper was signed by Duterte on Wednesday but was released to media on Thursday.La Viña, Duterte’s social media strategist during the 2016 campaign, replaced Tourisn undersecretary Rolando Canizal in April.Duterte also appointed Nepomuceno Malaluan as undersecretary of the Department of Education. He will be replacing Alberto Muyot.Raul Lambino, administrator of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, was named presidential adviser for Northern Luzon.Bruce Tolentino, the deputy director general at the International Rice Research Institute, was appointed board member of the Bangko Sentral ng Plipinas (BSP), replacing Valentin Araneta.His term will expire on July 21, 2020.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/la-vina-named-dar-undersecretary/405687/
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10 smokers die every minute – WHO
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['Agence France-Presse']
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2018-05-31 00:03:54+00:00
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PARIS: Every minute, smokers get through nearly 11 million cigarettes and 10 die from the habit, experts say, in an industry that generates billions of dollars.There are around one billion smokers in the world, about a seventh of the global population, according to World Health Organization (WHO) and other estimates.China has the highest number: of its population of 1.3 billion, about 315 million are smokers and they consume more than a third of the world’s cigarettes, the WHO said in a report last year.Indonesia has the highest proportion of smokers at 76 percent of men aged over 15.About 80 percent of the world’s smokers live in low- and middle-income countries and 226 million of them are considered poor.A study published in The Lancet medical journal in April 2017 said the percentage of people using tobacco every day has dropped in 25 years.One in four men and one in 20 women smoked daily in 2015, down from one in three men and one in 12 women in 1990, it found.But reductions in smoking rates in some nations “are almost entirely offset by the increasing consumption in many countries with weaker tobacco control regulations,” says The Tobacco Atlas anti-smoking lobby.These include poorer parts of the world, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa.Tobacco use has decreased in places such as Australia, Brazil and Britain, where anti-smoking measures include higher taxes, bans and health warnings. Electronic cigarettes have also entered some markets.France reported a million fewer daily smokers in 2017 over 2016.Tobacco sales have even declined in China, down by 10 percent from a peak in 2012, according to the Euromonitor International market research group.High human costTobacco is the leading cause of preventable death, experts say.Active or passive smoking kills more than seven million people every year, according to the WHO, with tobacco consumption blamed for the death of on average one person every six seconds.Cancers, heart attacks, strokes and lung disease are the main diseases associated with tobacco.Over the 20th century, tobacco claimed 100 million lives — more than the 60-80 million deaths during World War II and the 18 million in World War I combined.At current rates, tobacco could account for up to a billion deaths in the 21st century, the WHO says.Smoking uses up almost six percent of world spending on healthcare as well as nearly two percent of global GDP, according to a January 2017 study in the scientific journal Tobacco Control.This amounted to $1.436 billion globally in 2012, 40 percent borne by developing countries.Around the world, 4.3 million hectares (10.6 million acres) of land is used to grow tobacco, the WHO says, an area about the size of Switzerland.Cigarette sales are worth more than $680 billion annually, according to Euromonitor.China is the leading producer of tobacco, growing about 40 percent of world’s leaves, The Tobacco Atlas said.Smokers get through about 5.7 trillion cigarettes annually. This works out to nearly 11 million every minute.Filters made from non-biodegradable cellulose acetate have become the type of litter most present on the world’s beaches. AFP
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/10-smokers-die-every-minute-who/402683/
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Duterte names Cabinet execs to Unesco panel
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-03-22 21:36:07+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has named members of his Cabinet to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (Unesco) National Commission of the Philippines.Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority Secretary Guiling Mamondiong were appointed on March 14.Also appointed were National Commission for Culture and the Arts Chairperson Virgilio Almario, Science andTechnology Undersecretary Renato Solidum Jr., and Commission on Higher Education commissioner Prospero de Vera.They will serve a term of three years.Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said that the new members of the commission “will continue to perform their functions as required by their primary appointments.”Other members include Economic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon, Tourism Director for MarketDevelopment Verna Esmeralda Buensuceso, Social Welfare Undersecretary Florita Villar and Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Denis Villorente.The Philippine National Commission for Unesco was established in 1951. It is mandated to serve as an advisory and liaison body bridging the work of relevant Philippine partners to Unesco’s own work in educational, scientific, and cultural matters and concerns.Duterte also named Guiller Asido as administrator of the Intramuros Administration,Rosario Gaetos as assistant secretary of Department of Trade and Industry; Mel John Verzosa, deputy administrator of National Tobacco Administration; Roy Fiel, chair of Regional Development Council-Region VIII; Clark Delvo, director II of the Department of Finance; Ronnie Samonte, member of Cinema Evaluation Board; Teresa Pacudan, director III of the National Police Commission; Pinky Pabelic, director IV of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples; Visa Dimerin, director II of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources; Rosetta Palma, member of the Professional Regulatory Board for social workers; and Stella Banawis, member of Employees’ Compensation Commission board.Beverly Milo, Elenita Quimosing and Teresita Dizon were named directors II of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Marilou del Rosario is new BIR director III.The President also named Arturo Bautista, member of the Cagayan Economic Zone board; Edwin Enrile, member of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority board; Franz Weber, member of the Laguna Lake Development Authority board; Fritz Salazar, member of the Land of the Philippines-Leasing and Finance Corporation board; Michael Arañas, member of the Philippine Sugar Corporation board; Pio Benavidez, member of the National Power Corporation board; Pocholo Paragas, member of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority; and Ramon Macasaet, member of the United Coconut Planters Bank board;Other appointees are Reynaldo Tansioco, member Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation board; Elba Cruz, member of the Development Academy of the Philippines; and Roque Quimpan and Conrado Capa, members of the Philippine Coconut Authority board; Rodolfo Puno, member of the Land the Philippines board.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-names-cabinet-execs-unesco-panel-2/318593/
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De la Rosa wants SAF out of Bilibid
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-07-05 21:33:36+00:00
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Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald de la Rosa does not believe that Special Action Force (SAF) commandos assigned to the national penitentiary New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City are involved in illegal drugs.De la Rosa on Wednesday defended his men “with an open heart” after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd alleged that the SAF commandos guarding the NBP may have links to drug traders.He, however, said the PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management and the Directorate for Intelligence are probing the allegation .“We will find out in the investigation if some [SAF troops] are really involved [for which] they will face the consequences and I will initiate actions immediately. But for now, I must tell you with an open heart that I don’t have any single speculation [about the SAF involvement] here,” de la Rosa told reporters in a chance interview after visiting the NBP to check on the SAF commandos.“Personally, as a leader, as the father of the PNP, my full trust is still with them, that they are not involved [in illegal drugs] but if the investigation will be released [finding that they are], I will launch further actions [against the commandos],” he said.Aguirre had noted that some of the SAF troops may have been involved in illegal drugs because of their familiarity with inmates in the NBP, which is under the Bureau of Corrections.He is yet to present evidence to back up his allegation.The SAF commandos were deployed to the prisons last year and were supposed to stay there for three to six months only and be replaced by the Marines.This arrangement did not materialize because the Marines were sent to Marawi City to fight terrorists from the Maute Group.Even before the SAF took over jail security in 2016, the SAF director had suggested to the PNP chief himself to pull out the police commandos from the national penitentiary, fearing issues might be hurled against them.But according to de la Rosa, he already requested President Rodrigo Duterte to withdraw the commandos and immediately have the Marines take over the prison security.De la Rosa said the SAF commandos are more needed in Marawi City for their “urban warfare” expertises.Meanwhile, the Department of Justice (DoJ) has tapped the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the alleged revival of the illegal drug trade inside the NBP.Aguirre issued Department Order 457 dated July 4 mandating NBI Director Dante Gierran to conduct the probe.“We want to get to the bottom of the reported resurgence of the drug trade inside the NBP. We acted after verifying raw information provided by concerned individuals. I have said it before and I will say it again, we shall be relentless in fighting and eradicating the drug menace,” he said in a statement.Republic Act 10867, or the National Bureau of Investigation Reorganization and Modernization Act, authorizes the President or the DoJ secretary to direct the NBI to probe any crime when public interest so requires.Aguirre said he had talked to SAF Director Benjamin Lusad about replacing the 300 SAF commandos assigned to the NBP in the “fourth week” of July.WITH JOMAR CANLAS
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/de-la-rosa-wants-saf-bilibid/336673/
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SBMA neglects 70-30% export rule violations
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['Patrick Roxas']
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2018-07-09 00:10:30+00:00
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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: Many foreign trading firms here that import used vehicles and heavy equipment have been violating the 70-30 percent export-domestic sale policy by not exporting their products, but the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) has not been able to stop this practice, sources said.One of the sources, a chief operating officer of a trading firm established in 2001 but who requested not to be named, told The Manila Times the SBMA has failed to curb the growing number of foreign firms importing second-hand vehicles and heavy equipment but with zero exports to show.He urged the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to look into the situation in Subic where importers are required to have a minimum 70 percent export and 30 percent domestic sales before they can be accepted as locators.“The 70% export and 30% sales rule to the domestic market is not being followed as most motor vehicle importers sell their products 100 percent,” the source said.Disadvantageous to local tradersHe claimed that many local trading firms shared his dissatisfaction and recently formed the Association of Subic Truck Importers Group (ASTIG). The group, composed mostly of Filipino and Chinese importers and accredited by the DTI as truck rebuilders, was created to push for the protection and welfare of legitimate second-hand vehicle importers like them in the Freeport, the source said.He added that Pakistanis and Sri Lankans dominate the second-hand vehicles and heavy equipment importation business in Subic and had been pirating their workers and undercutting prices.He said his firm conducted a research on the issue and the figures collected showed that the SBMA’s Business and Investment Group had reported very few export-oriented locators from 2007 to 2017.ASTIG said the SBMA Board of Directors during the terms of Armand Arreza and Roberto Garcia allowed the proliferation of foreign-owned trading firms, whose number grew from 30 locators in 2007 to 105 vehicle importers in 2017. The group said 70 percent of the trading firms now belong to Pakistanis and Sri Lankans.Arreza was the SBMA administrator and chief executive officer from September 23, 2005 to September 19, 2011. He was succeeded by Garcia, whose term ended in October 2016.Rising number of violatorsThe source said the SBMA has allowed the illegal activities in the Freeport to proliferate as it has not acted to stop the rise in the number of foreign-owned trading firms violating the rule.“I can only see that SBMA doesn’t want to lose revenue from these many investors should these motor vehicle importers be closed,” the source said.He added that while most of them invest in their business heavily, foreign importers only rent small warehouse spaces.Weak monitoringAn official from the SBMA who received a letter detailing the complaints aired by the source admitted that the agency has not monitored the implementation of the 70-30 percent export and domestic sale policy.But she said the SBMA had acted on the complaint and started inspecting foreign-owned trading firms.Department of Trade and Industry Zambales provincial director Leony Baluyut, in a recent interview, also said the DTI has not been able to monitor this policy but will look into it.The DTI’s Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau (FTEB) and Consumer Protection Department issues Certificates of Authority to Import before any truck leaves Japan, a major source of used vehicle imports in Subic.The Manila Times tried to reach DTI-FTEB Import Regulation Division chief Sonia Tapales through email but has not received a reply as of press time.This paper received unverified information on July 7 that a new Administrative Order from the DTI requires all new motor vehicle importation to be Euro4 compliant.Euro4 compliant is an emission standard established by the European Union to limit vehicles’ toxic gas to attain cleaner, breathable air.Subic importers also appear worried over another supposed DTI Administrative Order stopping the importation of 15-year-old trucks.The source said buyers prefer converted Japan-made trucks because these are 30-40 cheaper than brand new ones while those Euro4 compliant are about 50 percent cheaper.Used and rebuilt trucks are 30 percent to 40 percent cheaper than brand new trucks, which is a big help to small business owners who have limited capital.Another trading firm owner and member of ASTIG, in an interview said foreigners do not only lack quality control, but were also competing with the local workforce.He said ASTIG members account for two-thirds of the 3,000 average monthly used-vehicle importations in Subic. One-third is shared by foreigners, comprising 70 percent of importers.Another source said a committee of the House of Representatives during the 13th Congress conducted several hearings in 2008 in relation to the legality of importation of completely built unit (CBU) trucks and selling them through public auctions.The panel, chaired by Rep. Jacinto Paras, came out with a committee report in June 2008. The report contained recommendations to the SBMA, such as a motor vehicle locator in Subic should have a minimum of 150,000 square meters of leased property to eliminate fly-by-night business operators who are not financially capable and whose vision are for short term profits only.The source said the SBMA, after failing to attract export-oriented locators, had not implemented the recommendations in the House Committee Report.“Instead they (SBMA) accepted the registration of small vehicle importers down to 1,500 square meter leased area who are mostly using “below the belt” methods to pass through Land Transportation Office (LTO) safety procedures,” the trading firm owner said.ASTIG members urged SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma and members of the board of directors to look deeply into the eligibility of foreign- owned locators in Subic, their business practices, and implement the recommendations of the House panel.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sbma-neglects-70-30-export-rule-violations/417435/
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Norway minister upbeat on PH peace
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['Michael Joe T. Delizo']
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2016-11-25 20:57:26+00:00
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VISITING Norwegian Foreign Minister Børge Brende sees increasing chances for the Duterte administration forging a peace deal between the Philippine government and the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).Speaking at the sidelines of the 4th European Ambassadors’ Forum in Manila on Friday, the diplomat cited recent positive developments that could help achieve peace.“We have seen really new momentum in the process with the guerrillas and this is I think important to the Philippines,” Brende told reporters in an interview.“It’s a historical opportunity to reach an agreement so that conflict can be settled,” he said.The second round of formal peace talks between the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines and its armed wing New People’s Army and political arm CPP was held in Oslo last October.The third round had been scheduled for January next year.“So it’s going to be on stream right now,” Jesus Dureza, the presidential adviser on the peace process, said during the ambassadors’ forum.“Within our sight is the bright prospect of bringing everyone to the negotiating table for a shared vision of sustainable unity and peace in our land,” Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said.While acknowledging that the road ahead is still “bumpy,” Brende said settling the nearly 50-year conflict will bring great opportunities for the Philippines to move forward.“One thing is to get an agreement. But then it’s the implementation and we have to get the implementation right,” he added.Brende also on Friday flew to Davao City to meet with President Rodrigo Duterte for a “broad agenda,” including the peace process, bilateral cooperation, maritime sector, economic-trade agenda and regional and global challenges.The Norwegian official said he will also discuss with the President the Philippines- European Free Trade Association free trade agreement.Signed last April, the agreement is expected to enter into force next year after completion of necessary internal procedures for ratification by the parties.MICHAEL JOE T. DELIZO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/norway-minister-upbeat-ph-peace/298431/
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Comelec resumes voters’ registration
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-11-06 22:18:15+00:00
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THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has called on the public to register early as it resumes today (Monday) the continuing voters’ registration in preparation for next year’s barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council).At the same time, the Comelec also announced the resumption of registration for overseas Filipino voters from December 1, 2016 to September 30,2018 in connection with the May 13, 2019 national elections.Comelec Resolution No. 10166 promulgated on October 25, 2016 sets the registration period for the 2017 village and SK elections from November 7, 2016 to April 29, 2017, including Saturdays and holidays except on December 24 and 25, 2016 and April 13 and 14, 2017.“While we will have a longer registration period, we are still urging voters to register early to avoid long queues as we are expecting 5 million more registrants,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said.According to Jimenez, the poll body expects 5 million more registrants during the almost five months’ registration period.“We are expecting three million voters for the barangay elections and additional two million for the Sangguniang Kabataan elections,” he said.The synchronized barangay and SK elections will be held on October 23, 2017.It was originally scheduled to be held October 31, 2016 but was postponed by Congress in deference to the wishes of President Rodrigo Duterte.Jimenez said applications for registration, transfer/transfer with reactivation, reactivation, change/correction of entries and inclusion/reinstatement of records on the list of voters will also be accepted at the local Offices of the Election Officers for the duration of the registration period.For overseas voters, applicants can secure their Overseas Form No. 1 (OVF 1) through the websites of the Comelec or Department of Foreign Affairs or they can file online using the iRehistro facility.Filipino registrants abroad may file their applications online through the iRehistro facility at www.comelec.gov.ph.Section 6 of Comelec Resolution 1067 states: “All citizens of the Philippines, who are at abroad or will be abroad during the thirty [30] day voting period, at least eighteen [18] years of age on the day of the elections and not otherwise disqualified by law, may register.”Based on Comelec data, 1,376,067 overseas Filipino voters registered worldwide for the May 2016 elections, 1,326,728 of them land-based and 49,339 seafarers.In the 2013 mid-term elections, 737,759 overseas voters registered.WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/comelec-resumes-voters-registration/295145/
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EDSA P2P buses suspended over video of ‘violation’
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['Shower Thoughts']
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6/1/2017 0:00
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point (P2P) bus service operated by Froelich, which takes passengers only at terminals without picking up or alighting passengers along EDSA, has been suspended until further notice.In its Facebook post on Friday, January 6, the express bus service said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board imposed the suspension on its services to and from SM North, Trinoma, Eton Centris, Megamall and Glorietta 5.It apologized to affected commuters and thanked them for their continued patronage during its 12-month run.In another Facebook post quoting its CEO Chris Bauer, the service attributed the “unfortunate incident” to a now viral “video and an unreasonable complaint from a certain netizen.”While it did not name the said netizen, the post was referring to the video uploaded by veteran broadcaster Alex Santos showing a P2P bus plying along EDSA in Quezon City without license plate and registration, which he said has no right to travel.He urged the Department of Transportation to act immediately.BacklashBut the backlash was quick as Santos’ post was bombarded by comments from some P2P commuters who were inconvenienced by the suspension.Some claimed that since the bus unit is brand new, its license plate and registration are still being processed.Some commenters also accused Santos of ignoring the plight of the commuters, while some questioned the legality of filming while driving.Bauer of P2P bus service said: “The chain reaction of these accusations, compared with misunderstandings and certain overreactions caused a massive inconveniences for more than 10,000 public commuters.”Bauer assured to step up efforts to resume operations and clear its name.He vowed to deploy buses to riders “free of charge” and reimburse the unused return tickets and monthly passes.The premium P2P buses are spacious airconditioned buses with TV monitors and restrooms in some bus units, offering a convenient, albeit pricier, alternative to passenger buses in a bid to relieve congestion along EDSA.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/06/edsa-p2p-buses-suspended-over-video-of-violation/
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Blind army soldier to join heroes run
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2016-10-18 21:43:59+00:00
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SECOND Lieutenant Jerome Jacuba lost his eyesight when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off during a combat operation in Maguindanao in southern Philippines in May this year.Still confined at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center (AFPMC) in Quezon City, he asked his commanders recently to allow him to join the Heroes Run organized for the benefit of the families of fallen and injured soldiers who gallantly risk their lives in answer to the call of duty.To be held on October 30, the 5th Heroes Run is the biggest get-together for men and women of the AFP well as the general running public on their quest to aid the fallen and injured soldiers’ dependents.It is an annual fund-raising event spearheaded by the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc.Jacuba said despite his condition, he will run in the 5-kilometer category.He cannot see anything except for glimpses of light.Jacuba said he is determined to run and be an inspiration, not just to his fellow soldiers, but to the people.“Joining the Heroes Run is a self-reaffirmation that I can still do something for the Philippine Army and for the families of my fellow soldiers in spite of my present circumstances. I also would want to set a good example to my daughters,” he pointed out.Jacuba is a loving father to two young daughters.His youngest child, turning two years old this year, was only 22 days old when he last saw her.“I will be running because I want to inspire the people and tell them that anyone can be a hero,” he said.Jacuba’s brother Pfc. Joevanny Jacuba, also an enlisted Army personnel, will be assisting him when he joins the run.According to Col. Benjamin Hao, Army spokesman, it has been six months since Jacuba lost his eyesight and he still have scars from the IED shrapnels, and grains of sand are still embedded on his skin.“But, with the fortitude he has shown, his heart and soul is healing fast,” Hao said.There was a brief but powerful encounter between President Rodrigo Duterte and Jacuba when the President visited the AFP Medical Center in July.It was a moving sight when the President embraced Jacuba as he thanked him for the sacrifices he has done for the country.Hao said Jacuba had finished a 6-week short course on Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA).The Army man can now use basic computer features, such as Word, Excel and Power Point.He is using a laptop, installed with NVDA features, given to him by the President.The 5th Heroes Run 2016 will be held simultaneously in Manila, Iloilo and Davao on October 30 and in Baguio City on November 13.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/blind-army-soldier-join-heroes-run/291919/
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Armed Forces chief, 5 envoys get CA’s nod
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-02-08 22:09:58+00:00
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THE Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the promotion of Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Eduardo Año and 29 other military officials but deferred the confirmation hearing of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. because of issues regarding his citizenship.There was no opposition raised against Año‘s promotion but members of the CA committee on national defenseheaded by Rep. Roy Loyola asked him about his plans for the AFP and position on the order of President Rodrigo Duterte for the military to take part in the anti-illegal drugs operations of the government.Año, responding to the question on how he intends to lead the AFP in nine months, said he would ensure the continuity of the six-year campaign plan of the military that was crafted by his predecessors.The military, he added, will also make a priority operations against foreign terror groups in the country and the campaign against communist rebels.“I will make sure that the AFP transformation road map would be in accordance with the campaign plan,” Ano told the CA panel members.On the war on drugs, the AFP chief said they have not received any formal order from the President but based on his understanding, the military will just serve as a support force for the lead agency, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).He noted there is no authority for the AFP to conduct anti-drug operations but they are willing to contribute to the efforts of the PDEA.The CA committee on national defense also confirmed the promotions of 29 senior military officials of the AFP.Meanwhile the foreign affairs committee of the CA headed by Lacson also confirmed the appointments of five officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) but rescheduled the confirmation hearing of Yasay.Among those who got the CA’s nod wee Eduardo Eco Kapunan Jr. as Ambassador to Republic of the Union of Myanmar; Bienvenido Villamor Tejano as Ambassador to Papua New Guinea; Abdulmaid Kiram Muin as Ambassador to Republic of Timor-Leste; Evan Pumaren Garcia as Permanent Representative of the Philippines to United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and Celia Anna Mallari Feria as Ambassador to Portugal.Yasay’s confirmation hearing was reset to February 22 in order to allow the CA House panel to conduct its preliminary vetting on the DFA secretary’s citizenship.Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, of San Juan City (Metro Manila) said they want Yasay to tell the truth about his supposed US citizenship.The issue has been hounding the DFA secretary since last year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/armed-forces-chief-5-envoys-get-cas-nod/311184/
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Atienza lauds ruling on IRA
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-11 00:07:49+00:00
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Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Partylist Rep.Lito Atienza welcomed the Supreme Court ruling that the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) for Local Government Units (LGUs) would now include all taxes collected from other government agencies apart from the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), especially the Value Added Tax (VAT). “We welcome the Supreme Court’s decision interpreting the basis for the ‘just share’ of LGUs to include all national taxes collected from all government agencies aside from the BIR. This is a long-delayed interpretation of the Constitutional guarantee on local autonomy. Section 6, Article X of the 1987 Constitution states that local government units shall have a just share, as determined by law, in the national taxes which shall be automatically released to them. As it is, LGUs only get their 40 percent share from national internal revenue taxes,” Atienza said. Atienza, as then-Mayor of Manila, had repeatedly tried to convince the Government to give LGUs their just share in the National taxes collected in their respective areas such as the VAT, customs tariffs, excise taxes, and fees collected by the Philippine Ports Authority and airports. He pointed out that the landmark decision should now weaken the argument of the proponents of federalism —which promises bigger revenues for LGUs.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/atienza-lauds-ruling-on-ira-2/418122/
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SC urged to intervene in row over ‘Ilocos 6’
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-09 18:15:05+00:00
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The Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa) has urged the Supreme Court (SC) to intervene in an apparent feud between the House of Representatives and the Court of Appeals (CA) over the continuing detention of six employees of the Ilocos Norte provincial government.In a statement, Philconsa over the weekend asked the SC to “defend, preserve and protect the Constitution,” particularly by urging the High Court to act on a letter of three CA justices seeking an advisory opinion on the “unexpected, unorthodox reaction” of the House leadership after the appellate court issued a writ of habeas corpus in favor of the “Ilocos 6” and ordered their release on bail.Philconsa chairman Manuel Lazaro and president Ferdinand Martin Romualdez called on the SC to resolve the CA justice’s letter as an administrative matter and issue a decision to settle the conflict.“This is the judicial process/vehicle to enable the Supreme Court [to] resolve the clashing postures, in order to avert a constitutional crisis,” Philconsa explained.It said the SC is mandated under the Constitution to act “as the final arbiter of constitutional questions/legal controversies.”The SC has a duty to “interpret and allocate the jurisdictional boundaries of the rights and obligations of the parties involved when a writ of habeas corpus is issued,” Philconsa added.It maintained that the House is duty-bound to abide by whatever decision the SC will render on the matter.“In the remote event the House still refuses to honor and execute the resolution/decision of the Supreme Court in the administrative matter, the President shall undoubtedly execute or implement the decision of the Supreme Court, as mandated by his oath of office to preserve and defend the Constitution and execute its laws,” Philconsa said.The “Ilocos Six” have been detained since May 29 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City for their alleged refusal to shed light on the reported misuse of P66.45 million in tobacco levy funds to buy vehicles under the watch of Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.Through their counsel, former Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza, they were able to convince the CA to issue a writ of habeas corpus in their favor and order their release on bail.In response, the House leadership threatened to hold three CA justices in contempt, arguing that their issuance of the cited writ constituted an intrusion into the exclusive power of Congress to conduct investigations in aid of legislation.The CA justices are Associate Justices Stephen Cruz, Edwin Sorongon and Nina Antonio-Valenzuela.The six Ilocos Norte provincial workers are Pedro Agcaoili (Provincial Planning and Development Office chairman); Josephine Calajate (provincial treasurer); Eden Battulayan, Encarnacion Gaor and Genedine Jambaro (Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff); and Evangeline Tabulog (provincial budget officer).
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-urged-intervene-row-ilocos-6/337457/
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China will be ‘good neighbor’ — Zhao
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-09-29 00:03:50+00:00
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CHINESE Ambassador Zhao Jianhua said China would continue to be the Philippines’ “good neighbor and trusted partner” as he confirmed reports that preparations were underway for President Xi Jinping’s visit to Manila.In a speech during the 69th founding anniversary of the People’s Republic of China, Zhao said China “stands ready to make the fresh golden age of China-Philippines relations brighter and richer than ever before.”“First, China and the Philippines enjoy a multi-faceted partnership. There have been quite frequent high-level exchanges. President Xi Jinping and President [Rodrigo] Duterte have met five times on bilateral and multilateral occasions,” he said.The envoy added that Beijing counts on the Philippines to bring China-Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) cooperation and East Asia regional cooperation “to a new high.”“Second, China and the Philippines reap rich fruits of cooperation. In 2017, our trade volume topped $50 billion, which made China the Philippines’ No. 1 trading partner and import origin and the fourth largest export market,” he said.Zhao ticked off projects funded by China, including he construction of drug rehabilitation centers and two bridges in Manila, and the Chico River pump irrigation project. The two governments, he added, also pushed for the completion of the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam, Subic-Clark Railway, Philippine National Railways South Long Haul, and the Safe Philippines projects that are worth over $7 billion.“Third, China and the Philippines bring benefits to our peoples. Since President Duterte took office, China has provided all in all RMB 1.284 billion of grants to the Philippines. For the first seven months in 2018, the Philippines has received more than 760,000 Chinese tourists, achieving a 40 percent year-on-year increase,” he said.“A friend in need is a friend indeed. Whenever the Philippines encounters natural disasters, China has always been among the first to extend a helping hand. In Marawi, China is doing what we can to assist infrastructure building such as roads, bridges, and markets,” Zhao said.“Fourth, China and the Philippines contribute to regional stability. When counter-terrorism campaign started in Marawi, China lost no time in delivering a batch of military assistance to the Philippines. Our two countries have been working closely to combat illicit drugs, terrorism and cyber-crime,” he added.He also said that China and the Philippines had created the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) and Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC) and explored cooperation in fisheries, maritime affairs, joint search and rescue, marine scientific research and environmental protection.“What we have done showcase that our two countries have the sincerity, wisdom, and capability to properly manage the differences and focus on cooperation, in the purpose of turning South China Sea (SCS)into a sea of peace, friendship and prosperity,” Zhao said. The Philippines and China have conflicting claims in the SCS or West Philippine Sea (WPS).Zhao said that the planned joint exploration in the SCS or WPS is still being discussed.“I think both sides have realized that this will first and foremost maintain stability and peace in the SCS,” he said.In an interview, Zhao confirmed that preparations were being conducted for Xi’s planned visit to the Philippines.“The plan is that he will come to the Philippines for a state visit but the specific date and month have not been finalized yet. So, we’re in close coordination with the Filipino side to prepare for the most likely visit.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/china-will-be-good-neighbor-zhao/446188/
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Opposition to challenge death bill
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-11-01 20:41:19+00:00
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Pro-life and human rights campaigners in the House of Representatives are determined to challenge Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s plan to have his bill bringing back the death penalty passed before the Christmas recess.“The Speaker has thrown down the gauntlet on the death penalty. We will put up a fight,” House senior deputy minority leader and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said in a statement on Tuesday.“The death penalty is the absolute and irreparable deprivation of human rights. It flouts the natural and unassailable right to life,” Atienza added.“Congress cannot repeal the right to life of every human being, of every Filipino,” Atienza, former three-term mayor of Manila, said.He was responding to Alvarez’s plan for the House to approve on third and final reading the return of death sentences for heinous crimes before Congress adjourns for the holidays.“As far as the House is concerned, we will approve it [the reinstatement of the death penalty] before the Christmas break,” Alvarez told reporters.The Speaker said the House would leave it up to the Department of Justice to specify the mode of putting convicts to death.“If they want to hang them, shoot them by firing squad, it’s up to them. The criminals would be dead either way,” he added.The death penalty did not work before simply because only a handful of executions were actually carried out, Alvarez said.In reply, Atienza said, “There’s no point in performing another experiment on the death penalty that is bound to fail at the horrible sacrifice of more human lives.”He added that the country already experimented on the death penalty in the past, and it failed to deter crime.“The certainty of capture and punishment of criminals, regardless of the severity of the penalty itself, is the best deterrent to other would-be offenders,” Atienza said.He also denounced the death penalty as “infected with economic prejudice and human error.”“It is bad enough we already have a virtual death penalty in place, with the unabated summary executions of alleged suspects sans the benefit of a full and fair trial,” Atienza said.In accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish to revive executions, Alvarez’s bill seeks to mete out death sentences to offenders convicted of drug felonies, murder, rape, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, bribery, plunder, parricide, infanticide, destructive arson, piracy and treason.Atienza prefers that the same offenses be punished with imprisonment for 40 years, or until the convict reaches 70 years old, without the benefit of possible early release.Congress abolished the death penalty in 2006 as a result of mounting flaws, including the belated discovery of the wrongful execution of Leo Echegaray.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/opposition-challenge-death-bill/294224/
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‘Lawin’ damage estimated at P658M
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['Anthony Vargas']
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2016-10-22 22:39:26+00:00
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THREE days after Super Typhoon “Lawin” left a trail of death and destruction, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said agriculture and infrastructure losses in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Cordillera regions have reached nearly P658 million.Agricultural damage was placed at P75.9 million and infrastructure losses at P581.9 million.The Department of Social Welfare and Development as well as local government units provided assistance to affected families amounting to P6.1 million.The Philippine Red Cross, meanwhile, sent a caravan with equipment and relief items as well as personnel trained in relief operations.The NDRRMC reported that:– 1,327 houses were destroyed by the typhoon;– a total of 28,710 families were affected, displacing a total of 142,531 individuals from their homes;– 22,814 families or 92,002 individuals were moved to 643 evacuation centers;– 118 villages were flooded in the four regions;– a total of 80 road sections and 19 bridges were not passable due to floods and landslides; and– power interruptions were experienced in 160 cities and municipalities in the typhoon-ravaged areas.The NDRRMC said at least eight persons were reported dead in the Cordillera Administrative Region due to landslides brought by Lawin, which packed winds of 150 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 185 kph.Seven of the fatalities were identified as Gene Genese, 40; Janie Borja, 35; John Carlos Hatap, 19; Joshua Helia, 19; Jessie Helia, 19; Jay-Ar Chawagan, 15 and Jeramel Alfaro, 17.Red Cross caravanThe Red Cross caravan headed to Northern Luzon on Saturday was composed of a rescue van, Doosan wheel loader, dump truck, 6×6 multi-role truck, a 4,000-liter fuel tanker and a 10,000-liter water tanker, a “hot meals on wheels” van, a rescue van, two Humvees, two ambulance units, and two 10-wheeler trucks loaded with emergency relief items good for 1,500 families.A total of 1,141 corrugated galvanized iron sheets and other shelter repair materials were also earmarked for distribution to families whose roofs were blown off by Lawin.Initial assessments made by Red Cross teams found that in affected areas, particularly in the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela, 80 percent of houses and community infrastructure had roofs blown off.“There have been three devastating typhoons that have struck Northern Luzon one after the other,” said Sen. Richard Gordon, the Red Cross chairman.Red Cross staff and volunteers, with personnel from the county delegations of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, have been deployed to some of the affected areas.Aside from monitoring and assessment, Red Cross rescuers and emergency responders conducted rescue operations amid Lawin’s wrath.Based on initial ground reports, Red Cross staff and volunteers rescued 82 individuals (28 in Isabela, 3 in Ilocos Sur and 51 in Mountain Province) from flooded homes and areas.Welfare desks were put up in Cagayan and Nueva Ecija and provided hot meals to families in evacuation centers in Cagayan and Mountain Province.A report from the Red Cross Operations Center showed that almost 3,000 people were provided various forms of assistance.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawin-damage-estimated-p658m/292629/
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We don’t use social media for partisan or political purposes – Palace
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-01-03 23:06:43+00:00
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The Duterte administration does not employ trolls or people who spew hate speech or insults online or use Facebook for partisan purposes, a Palace official said on Wednesday.Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque made the statement in connection with the US network’s MSNBC report taking Facebook to task for training campaign teams around the world, including that of President Rodrigo Duterte, on how to maximize the use of Facebook in political campaigns.The raining resulted in Facebook publishing lies peddled by the camps and supporters of the candidates themselves, as well as the presence of plenty of pro-administration Facebook pages and Facebook accounts.“We have today an Assistant Secretary for Social Media who as you know is Assistant Secretary [Margaret] Mocha Uson. We continue to utilize social media in promoting the accomplishments and the messages of the administration. Obviously, we don’t use it for partisan or political purposes because there’re no elections until 2022,” Roque said.“If trolls are paid by the government, they wouldn’t have attacked me in the first place,” he added.Roque was referring to tirades made by blogger Rey Joseph Nieto, who called for his resignation over his remark that the supporters of the President–including Nieto–should throw hollow blocks at critics of the government.Nieto is under contract as head of strategic communications for the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs.Prior to Nieto’s call, Roque had said in an interview with Uson that as Palace spokesman, he will throw hollow blocks at those who will besmirch the name of President Rodrigo Duterte.This comment by Roque is what prompted Nieto to say that hollow blocks should instead be thrown at journalists.Uson and Nieto have also been very open in expressing their sentiments that former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is the legitimate Vice President in their Facebook accounts and blogs even if Marcos lost to now-Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo by 263,473 votes.Uson and Nieto are also among the President’s supporters who call Robredo as a fake Vice President.Still, Roque maintained there are no trolls in the government ranks.“I can assure you that there is no budgetary line item for payment of trolls in the social media as far as this administration is concerned. [And] we find trolls of this nature also on the other side of the political fence defending the prior administration, attacking this administration,” he said.“And again, I can only point to myself as living proof that there cannot be any official funding or even sanction on the activities of pro-Duterte trolls because had this been the case, then we would have prevented the vicious attacks against me,” Roque added.Under Section 4, Article 3 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble and petition the government for redress of grievances.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dont-use-social-media-partisan-political-purposes-palace/372084/
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Village chiefs told: Account for financial records, assets
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['Jing Villamente']
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2018-02-12 00:46:20+00:00
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Interior Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año has ordered all incumbent punong barangay (village chiefs) to conduct an inventory of village financial records and pieces of property under their custody from the start of their term of office up to the present.Año issued the directive to ensure smooth transition from outgoing officials to newly elected or reelected ones on June 30.Under the order, a Barangay Inventory Team (BIT) shall be created in each village to be headed by the punong barangay.Its members shall include at least two kagawad (councilmen), a secretary, a treasurer, a bookkeeper or city or municipal representative and at least two civil society organization representatives, preferably from a faith-based organization or members of the Barangay Development Council.Part of the functions of the BIT is to ensure completeness of all barangay property, financial records and documents (BPFRDs).The BPFRDs include legislative and administrative records, transcript or minutes of meetings, list and status of complaints filed before the lupong tagapamayapa (mediation board), updated registry of village inhabitants, list or inventory of current local or international development assisted projects and all other documents containing village transactions.The BIT shall also see to it that all pieces of property of the barangay, supplies and finances that are entrusted to concerned officials are properly accounted for and turned over accordingly.To ensure compliance with the order, Año enjoined all city and municipal mayors in the country to create, through an Executive Order, a city or municipal audit and transition team for villages not later than February 28.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/village-chiefs-told-account-financial-records-assets/379607/
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Robredo planning to visit Marawi
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-06-25 21:17:24+00:00
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Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is thinking of going to strife-torn Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, this Monday.The Vice President made the announcement over her radio show “BISErbisyong Leni,” which airs every Sunday on dzXL.“We’ll try to go inside Marawi, but if it can’t happen, we’ll just go somewhere near Marawi, in Iligan [City]…in nearby places,” Robredo said.Marawi City has been under siege by Islamic State-linked terrorist Maute Group since May 23.Iligan City, the capital of Lanao del Norte, is the nearest city to Lanao del Sur.“We’ll go there to attend to the needs of our people,” Robredo said.The Vice President’s staff members, who were in Marawi City last week, turned over a water filtration device for evacuees in the Saguiaran evacuation site in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur.Her staff also promised to coordinate with the Department of Social Welfare and Development in sending more food aid, as well as doctors, so that the evacuees’ health can be assessed.Robredo’s staff members, which include her spokesman Georgina Hernandez, were able to make it to Marawi City from the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol, inspecting sites where temporary learning centers will be established.“My staff members made it inside Marawi but because of the case of a foreign journalist who was hit by sniper fire, there have been changes about allowing people to come into Marawi. If I won’t be allowed in Marawi for now, I’ll go in an area nearby,” Robredo said.She was referring to Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist Adam Harvey, who was hit by a sniper on June 15 while taking photographs of children in the provincial capitol where government agencies and journalists are assembled because it is supposedly a non-conflict area.Harvey survived the incident and a bullet was eventually removed from his neck.Robredo was supposed to visit Marawi City on May 29 but security concerns restrained her from going in.Instead, she visited wounded soldiers in Iligan City on the same day.LLANESCA T. PANTI
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/robredo-planning-visit-marawi/334837/
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Heavier penalties vs news fakers urged
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-08 18:54:00+00:00
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GOVERNMENT officials who give false information or spread “fake news” should be meted with heavier penalties than ordinary people who commit the same act, a lawmaker said on Sunday.Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th came up with the proposal several days after a Senate hearing on “fake news” where several senators grilled Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson in relation to her previous posts in social media containing incorrect information.Aquino said government officials should be more responsible for statements that they make in public including those posted on the Internet.“Freedoms have limits. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit mayroon tayong batas kontra libel at laban sa anumang pagbabanta ng ibang tao [ it is for this reason why we have laws against libel and threat against other people],” he explained.Aquino said it is high-time that platforms and netizens behind the spread of fake news, misinformation and black propaganda online should be punished in order to protect the people from abuse.Sen. Joel Villanueva has filed Senate Bill 1492 or the Anti-Fake News Act of 2017, which seeks to penalize any person who maliciously offer, publish, distribute, circulate and spread false news or information or cause the publication, distribution, circulation or spreading of the same in print, broadcast or online media.Covered by the proposal is false information that causes or tends to cause panic, division, chaos, violence or hate or peddles a propaganda to blacken or discredit one’s reputation.Any person who will be found guilty of committing the act will be punished by a fine ranging from P100,000 to P5 million and imprisonment of one to five years.The proposal also penalizes mass and social media sites that would fail or refuse to remove false information on their respective sites.“Public servants should be held to a higher standard,” Aquino said, adding that both majority and minority senators agreed to fight fake news through legislation.He became a victim of false information when he and other members of the opposition were accused of being involved in the terrorist Maute Group’s attack on Marawi City.It was Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd who disclosed a supposed meeting between members of the opposition and the Alonto and Lucman clans of Marawi City weeks before the siege that began on May 23.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/heavier-penalties-vs-news-fakers-urged/355333/
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Phivolcs’ Solidum appointed to DOST
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-03-01 22:06:21+00:00
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Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum Jr. will soon leave his post to join the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) as an undersecretary.In a news conference in Malacanang, Science Secretary Fortunato de la Peña announced that Solidum will be the DOST undersecretary for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.De la Peña said he has recommended that Solidum continue to head the Phivolcs as officer-in-charge (OIC).He added that two people, ideally, are supposed to serve the functions of DOST undersecretary and Phivolcs chief but he decided to keep Solidum in Phivolcs because of a clamor in the agency.“Dr. Solidum brings with him years of experience in disaster risk reduction and management particularly in the field of geological hazards like earthquakes and tsunamis,” the DOST said in a statement.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/phivolcs-solidum-appointed-dost/314885/
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DAR seeks P10-B budget for 2018
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-08-08 00:41:33+00:00
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The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is seeking a P10.28-billion budget for 2018.The sum is 0.7 percent higher than DAR’s 10.14-billion budget for 2017.“[Using this proposed budget, DAR under the Duterte administration will try to give sufficient provision to support our farmers and further develop our agriculture sector],” Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano told the House Committee on Appropriations on Monday.The P10.28-billion proposed budget under the 2018 National Expenditure Program (NEP) includes, among others, a P1.59-billion allocation for general administration and support as well as P693.4 million for support to operations, which include funding for policy formulation, planning, monitoring and agrarian reform information and education.DAR’s Land Tenure Security Program has a P2.86-billion budget, Agrarian Justice Delivery Program (P935.7 million) and Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Development and Sustainability Program (P1.87 billion) under the 2018 NEP.According to a statement issued on Monday, DAR has been able to distribute 4.74 million hectares to 2.8 million agrarian reform beneficiaries from 1972 to March 2017.“This year, DAR targets to distribute a total of 48,588 hectares to 46,253 agrarian reform beneficiaries. From January to June 2017, DAR has already covered a total of 11,356 hectares,” Mariano said.The Agrarian Reform department has a beginning balance of 602,306 hectares this year.For 2018, it aims to distribute 53,841 hectares of land which, according to the statement, will benefit 46,072 agrarian reform beneficiaries.The remaining 499,877 hectares are for distribution in 2019 and beyond.Meanwhile, Mariano urged lawmakers to pass the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill.“At present, DAR’s main function of distributing land is covered by Executive Order 129-A, Series of 1987. This gives DAR continuing power to acquire, administer, distribute and develop agricultural lands for agrarian reform purposes even after the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program [CARP] expiration in 2014,” he said.“However, there remain several limitations in our current legal mandate. One glaring example is the exemption and exclusion of otherwise productive agricultural lands for coverage. This is why we take this opportunity for Congress to also help the department in passing a new agrarian reform law that will expand the mandate of the DAR and facilitate the coverage of the remaining agricultural lands not yet covered by the past agrarian reform program,” Mariano added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dar-seeks-p10-b-budget-2018/343127/
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Survey on teachers ‘dubious, ambiguous’
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-03-30 00:02:06+00:00
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THE Alliance of Concerned Teachers-Philippines (ACT) has denounced what it describes as an unfair and a malicious survey being conducted by Light and Grace Market Research Services among public school teachers in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) through the endorsement of the regional Department of Education (DepEd).“The DepEd’s permission to subject teachers to the survey and use the agency’s machinery for its conduct without due consultation with our regional chapter, the ACT NCR Union, is an outright violation of the Collective Negotiation Agreement [CNA] signed between the ACT NCR Union and the agency’s regional office. Section 3 of the CNA provides for the organization of the Committee on Representation wherein all matters that involve teachers’ participation shall be discussed. The union shall be rightfully represented in the committee,” the group said in a statement on Wednesday.The teachers’ alliance said the survey’s nature and content are highly dubious.According to the ACT, attached communications to the survey forms do not satisfactorily explain the survey’s intent and do not divulge the entity that had commissioned the study.As such, it said, the DepEd’s approval of its conduct becomes more questionable.“Why did the agency consent to the conduct of an ambiguous survey project, especially at a time when teachers reel from burdensome workload of grade submission, Learning Information System and preparation for recognition and graduation rites?” the group asked.It said the survey “accused ACT as not helpful to teachers, having its own political agenda, tending to be too progressive and militant, serving only a few and focusing on less pressing issues.”The ACT noted that the Education department should be held accountable for being complicit in maligning legitimate teachers’ organizations.“We demand that DepEd call for the immediate stopping of the conduct of the survey. All forms, accomplished and otherwise, should be recalled and destroyed.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/survey-on-teachers-dubious-ambiguous/389324/
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Lawmaker backs push for more telco players
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-08 18:54:22+00:00
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A LAWMAKER has voiced his support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan of bringing new players to the telecommunications or telco sector in an effort to improve its services.Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. on Sunday said the lack of effective competition in the sector is the main cause of the poor quality of services despite the high prices.The statement came after the recent resignation of Secretary Rodolfo Salalima of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DITC).According to Campos, he is counting on Salalima’s replacement to find the legal and regulatory frameworks that would open up the telecommunications sector to more players.He said the DICT is seeking the creation of a national broadband network that will provide an Internet connection speed of at least 10 megabytes per second (mbps) to all households by 2020 at a lower price than today’s average monthly bill of P1,299.“We should have multiple players persistently racing to beat each other in delivering superior Internet services at reduced prices,” Campos added.Citing the ranking of the Philippines as the slowest in Southeast Asia year in and year out, he said there should be a reclassification of Internet services as a basic telecommunications provision in order for regulators to impose upgrades on their services.According to the ranking, the Philippines has an average connection speed of 5.5 mbps, a far cry from the average of Thailand (16 mbps), Vietnam (9.5 mbps), Malaysia (8.9 mbps) and Indonesia (7.2 mbps).RALPH VILLANUEVA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmaker-backs-push-telco-players/355334/
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DoF plan to hike road user’s tax hit
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-09-01 00:05:30+00:00
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VEHICLE owners on Friday rejected the plan of the Department of Finance (DoF) to increase the Road User’s Tax as part of the Package 1B of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law, which seeks raise funds to enable the government to spend big on infrastructure and human capital.Augusto Lagman, president of the Automobile Association Philippines, said that instead of adding another burden to vehicle owners, the government should introduce ways to make transportation more accessible to all.“Since government has not provided us with an efficient mass transport system, the only alternative for commuters is to save up enough money to afford his own vehicle, new or used. Government should not make it any more difficult and expensive for them to do so,” Lagman said in a text message.Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd earlier expressed hope that Congress would pass all packages of the comprehensive tax reform program (CTRP) of the government by the end of this year, including Package 1B of Train 1B.The DoF said Package 1B, if approved, could generate P106.7 billion in revenues by the end of 2021.Train 1B covers a proposed tax amnesty, bank secrecy laws and Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC) adjustments.Lagman said an increase in the MVUC would mean additional burden to the people already having difficulties coping with high prices of basic goods, including fuel.“Until such time that we already have a good mass transit system, government might even have to encourage programs that will make it easier to procure private vehicles. Transportation is a tool of overall productivity,” he said.Under the DoF proposal, the MVUC on medium passenger cars, or those that have a gross vehicle weight of 1,601 kilos to 2,300 kilos, would go up to P6,552 from P3,600.Current rates were set in 2004, as the fourth tranche of fees mandated by Republic Act 8794 of 2000, or the MVUC law that took effect in 2000.From 2000 to 2016, over P135 billion have been collected from the road user’s tax. The Commission on Audit has raised red flags on the use of the funds several times.At present, the fund is exempt from the scrutiny of lawmakers.The DoF was said to be preparing an executive order that would pave that way for the imposition of the MVUC increase, but Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua has denied this.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dof-plan-to-hike-road-users-tax-hit/436665/
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P450M earmarked for Spratly seaport
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-11-19 21:08:54+00:00
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The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is spending P450 million to build a new seaport in Pag-asa Island in the Spratly archipelago, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the House committee on appropriations, said over the weekend.“Funding for the project has been included in the House-approved 2017 General Appropriations Act, under the DOTr’s aggregate P3.98-billion spending program for the maritime sector,” Pimentel said.The new port will vastly improve accessibility to the area and bolster the country’s claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), according to a DOTr report submitted to Congress.Located 518 kilometers northwest of Puerto Princesa City, Pag-asa belongs to the Kalayaan Island Group on the western section of the Spratly archipelago.China is claiming the entire Spratly archipelago and its many ridges.But a tribunal of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in July that Philippine territories in the West Philippine Sea could not be overlapped by any possible entitlement of China.“We support the port development project, which will surely help encourage human settlement in the remote Philippine island that now has less than 400 residents, mostly fishermen,” Pimentel, also a member of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, said.The lawmaker said the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources should now consider putting up a research station in Pag-asa.He also urged the Department of Energy to find ways to provide the 37.2-hectare island a renewable and stable source of electricity.At present, only a 75-kilovolt-ampere generator set supplies some of the island’s electric supply.A low-lying landmass surrounded by shallow coral ranges, Pag-asa has been occupied by the Philippines since 1970.Then President Ferdinand Marcos established by decree in 1978 the Municipality of Kalayaan over the Kalayaan Island Group under the Province of Palawan.Pag-asa is the lone barangay of Kalayaan, which is the country’s smallest municipality.At present, Pag-asa is guarded by a small military detachment led by an officer with the rank of lieutenant. The Philippine Navy also has the Naval Station Emilio Liwanag in the island.Pag-asa used to be a purely Philippine military installation until the government allowed civilians to settle in.The island has an unpaved 1.3-kilometer airstrip, a one-classroom primary school and a five-bed clinic.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/p450m-earmarked-spratly-seaport/297351/
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Bautista leaves resigning, going on leave to God
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-09-15 23:42:29+00:00
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EMBATTLED Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres Bautista is not about to give up his post or file a leave of absence despite a pending impeachment complaint against him before the House of Representatives for alleged unexplained wealth.Bautista, in a radio interview, on Friday said it is the sign he has received while soul-searching and praying for guidance as his marital problem with wife, Patricia, has already affected his family and the Comelec as an institution.He added that he has read a book, which says that God answers a prayer only in three ways, “either yes, not yet or I have a better plan for you.”On whether he should file a leave of absence or resign, Bautista said, “Parang ang sagot sa akin [it appears that the answer to me] not yet.”But, according to the Comelec chief, it still remains to be seen as events unfold on his impeachment case, saying he continues to ponder and pray on what to do for the welfare of his family and the country.The House Committee on Justice will tackle the impeachment complaint against Bautista next week to determine if it is sufficient in form and substance.The complaint , filed by Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, was for Bautista’s “failure to file his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth in accordance with the requirements of the Constitution, glaring disproportionality between his income as Comelec [chairman] and his 2016 SALN, reported receipt of referral fees or commissions from the Divina Law Office and incessant pattern of arbitrary, unilateral or unauthorized acts in breach of collegiality to the great prejudice of the public.”The pieces of evidence presented by the complainants were based on documents submitted by Bautista’s estranged wife to the National Bureau of Investigation, alleging, among others, that the Comelec chief has amassed P1 billion in ill-gotten while serving in the government.Part of the evidence were certified copies of Bautista’s 35 bank accounts with the Luzon Development Bank, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. peso account document and the Comelec chairman’s 2016 SALN.Mrs. Bautista also alleged that her husband received some P500,000 in referral fees from technology provider Smartatic Corp. through the Divina Law, where Bautista’s close friend and lawyer Nilo Divina is senior partner.Bautista maintained that he has no ill-gotten wealth and what he declared in his 2016 SALN were truthful, saying the allegations were “complete falsehood.”After the filing of the impeachment complaint, all six other members of the Comelec en banc called on Bautista to either go on leave or step down from his post.The six, Commissioners Christian Robert Lim, Luie Tito Guia, Ma. Rowena Amelia Guanzon, Al Parreño, Sheriff M. Abas and Arthur Lim, signed a statement, saying “the time for him to let go has come.”“The undersigned Comelec commissioners, having at heart the best interests of the service, and motivated by a deep sense of duty to our people, are constrained to come out in the open to strongly and urgently urge [Chairman] J. Andres D. Bautista, to go on LEAVE OF ABSENCE for such period as may be necessary or RESIGN for his own sake, for the sake of his career, and most important, for the sake of his family, particularly his four innocent children,” the statement said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bautista-leaves-resigning-going-leave-god/350891/
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PSG bars reporters briefly from Palace
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-05-02 00:05:47+00:00
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The Presidential Security Group (PSG) temporarily barred some reporters from entering Malacañang as security tightened during Labor Day on Tuesday.Reporters and crew of television networks, including state-run PTV4, were among those stopped at the Palace gates despite having vehicle passes.The reporters were eventually allowed to enter after members of the Malacañang Press Corps. made several calls to PSG chief of operations Potenciano Camba.In an interview, Camba apologized for the incident, saying stricter security was being implemented after the PSG received reports of an attempt to hold protest rallies near Malacañang.“Because it’s Labor Day, we are anticipating protest rallies [here in] Mendiola so [we placed the area on heightened alert],” Camba told Palace reporters.“[If ever we have caused inconvenience, we are so sorry],” he said.Camba added that there was no order to bar the media from entering Malacañang.“[There is none. We just haven’t talked with the PCOO regarding a lot of mediamen who will enter the premises],” he said, referring to the Presidential Communications Operations Office.“We have a heightened alert, and our leadership has declared a red alert, effective yesterday. So our security procedures [were ramped up today because] we’re expecting protest rallies in Mendiola [starting now until this afternoon),” Camba added.He said the PSG was also not expecting reporters to be in Malacañang on a holiday."[We contacted the PCOO because we did not expect that more members of the [Malacanang Press Corps] will work in Malacañang that day, so we clarified it with the PCOO],” Camba added.In a separate interview, PSG chief Lope Dagoy also apologized for the “misunderstanding.”“[T[There had been a misunderstanding, because we declared a red alert because there were reports of threats so we are just making sure] Dagoy said.The PSG chief added that he immediately called Camba upon learning about the “ruckus.”“[O[Our soldiers were just not expecting a lot of mediamen to go there. There had been a ruckus so I called up Col. Camba] Dagoy said.“[T[To your colleagues I say we are so sorry, we don’t intend this to happen] he added.The Malacañang Press Corps, the guild of reporters covering the Palace and President Rodrigo Duterte, is yet to issue a statement on the incident.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/psg-bars-reporters-briefly-from-palace/396198/
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Diesel lower by 25 centavos
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['Aberon Voltaire Palaña']
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2017-03-27 22:21:27+00:00
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In separate advisories on Monday, nine oil companies–Petron, Pilipinas Shell, Phoenix Petroleum, Eastern Petroleum, Seaoil, Unioil, PTT Philippines, Flying V and Jetti– announced that they will roll back diesel prices by P0.25 per liter, effective March 27 and March 28, Tuesday.Petron, Pilipinas Shell, Petron and Flying V will also lower kerosene prices by P0.15 per liter.Petron, Eastern Petroleum, Seaoil and Flying V will implement the price adjustments at 12 midnight of Monday.Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroluem, Unioil and Jetti will effect the price changes at 6 a.m., Tuesday.There is oversupply of petroleum because of low demand in the international market, according to Melot Obillo, Department of Energy director for Oil Industry Management Bureau.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/diesel-lower-25-centavos-2/319535/
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PACC blasts Morales for shielding Aquino
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-06-26 00:06:25+00:00
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THE Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on Monday blasted Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales for her attempt to shield former President Benigno Aquino 3rd from being charged with a graver offense in connection with the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).The anti-corruption body chaired by Dante Jimenez said the Ombudsman virtually cleared Aquino when she recommended the filing of charges for usurpation of powers against the former president and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.The PACC said the usurpation charge was a mere “slap on the wrist.”“It is a token indictment that reeks of partisan and selective justice. The two former public officials should be charged for a more serious offense considering the huge amount of public funds involved in the case,” the PACC said in a statement.The group insisted that there was sufficient factual evidence to support the filing of graft and corruption charges against Aquino.It cited the ruling of the Supreme Court that certain practices in the implementation of DAP, such as the transfer of funds from the executive department to the legislative branch, is unconstitutional.The PACC accused the Ombudsman of ignoring “sufficient factual evidence” showing irregularity in an effort to shield Aquino.The commission said Aquino and Abad acted in evident bad faith in interpreting an otherwise plain constitutional provision to favor certain senators or to illegally fund certain projects.It said charges of technical malversation, malversation or plunder should have been filed against Aquino and Abad instead of usurpation of power.By choosing to file a “lower offense,” Morales tied the hands of the next Ombudsman from filing heavier cases against the two officials.“What a grave disservice to the people who desire nothing but a clean government from top to bottom,” the commission said.The PACC said it was not the first time Morales, who is retiring in July, showed her bias in refusing to indict Aquino. She also filed charges of usurpation of authority against Aquino in connection with the botched “Oplan Exodus” in Maguindanao in January 2015 that killed 44 elite Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.Families of the SAF men filed reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide charges against Aquino, former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and ex-SAF director Getulio Napenas but the Ombudsman downgraded the charge to usurpation of authority.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pacc-blasts-morales-for-shielding-aquino/412484/
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DoH to address BPO health issues
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2017-10-07 22:46:02+00:00
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The Department of Health (DoH) plans to educate business process outsourcing (BPO) employees on health issues as some studies reveal people working in the industry suffer from various diseases.In partnership with multinational company One Johnson and Johnson (J&J), the DoH want to address the health challenges of the BPO industry, said to employ about 1.3 million employees as of 2016.“BPO employees represent a significant portion of our country’s workforce today, thus it is imperative that we address every health risk that they face in their work including lack of sleep, job-related stress which they try to counteract with unhealthy lifestyles, among others,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial in a recent news briefing.“These are all risk factors that can lead to serious health conditions, such as respiratory tract infections, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health diseases,” she added.She noted that the BPO industry is still not reached by the Philippine Health Agenda. J&J president and Managing Director to the Philippines Jeffrey Go in the same news briefing said the partnership with the DoH will make people working in the BPO industry be aware of their lifestyle.“Increasing incidences of respiratory diseases, lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular diseases and diabetes and even depression. Our goal in the BPO health program is to start the conversation with every BPO agent to help them live a healthier and more vibrant life,” Go said.A study made by the International Labor Organization Asia-Pacific entitled “Business Process Outsourcing in the Philippines: Challenges for Decent Work” in 2016 showed “high levels of stress common in the BPO sector, particularly in contact centers.” Call center agents entertain 78-100 calls per day and respond to at least 91 percent of the calls within 22 seconds, and then were given five to six minutes to address clients’ requests, the study also showed.In the same study, health problems experienced by employees include headache, fatigue, back pain and voice problems which are made worse by working night shifts since most BPO operations serve the American and European markets causing disruption in work-life balance and psychological well-being.The study further revealed the higher incidence of HIV/AIDS compared to other sectors of the labor workforce.This was supported by the study made by the University of the Philippines Population Institute in which it said,“Philippine workers in contact centers, compared to workers in other sectors, faced a higher probability of exposure to HIV/AIDS; the stress they experienced in the workplace, among other factors, could encourage risky sexual behavior.”In an International Labour Office-funded study by the Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University validated the prevalence of risky behaviors among call center agents, including early sexual activity, infrequent condom use and promiscuity.The BPO Healthcare Program will be implemented starting in the last quarter of this year and will comprise different activities aimed at ensuring that every BPO agent has access to quality healthcare information either through their doctors or nurses, or through digital platforms directed at them. The program will be sustained through 2018 with the ultimate vision of engaging every single BPO agent throughout the country.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doh-address-bpo-health-issues/355106/
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MILITARY, POLICE BOOST CIVIL RELATIONS DRIVE
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-04-09 19:08:43+00:00
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THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have formed a committee that will coordinate and synchronize the military’s civil-military operations and the police’s community relations.Top AFP and PNP officials signed over the weekend a letter directive creating the Joint AFP-PNP Civil Relations Committee (JAPCRC) that is expected to better implement peace and development programs particularly in conflict-affected communities.The committee, officials said, was patterned after the existing Joint AFP-PNP Intelligence Committee and will support the proposed Revised National Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center Organization.“This serves as a venue for us to strengthen mechanisms for the integration and collaboration of our efforts for joint civil relations operations, with the end view of realizing the Filipino’s aspirations for peace, security, stability and progress,” according to Chief Supt. Noel Constantino, acting PNP Director for Police Community Relations.The JAPCRC aims to ensure efficient, responsive and coordinated civil relations efforts in support of national security and development objectives.It will also recommend areas where the AFP or the PNP shall take the lead or play a supporting role in the conduct of joint civil relations activities.Another function of the committee is to coordinate the civil relations aspects of all AFP-PNP law enforcement, internal security and counter-terrorism efforts.Functions of the committee will be replicated at the area, regional and provincial levels.Among the activities to be conducted under the joint effort are strategic crisis communications; creation of joint quick response teams during emergencies; conduct of joint training activities, medical, dental, veterinary and engineering civic action projects; and joint humanitarian civic assistance.Gen. Eduardo Año, AFP chief of staff, said public support and good community relations are crucial to successful performance of military and police functions.The AFP and the PNP, he added, acknowledge this and have long sought the support and assistance of the civilian populace in the performance of their different but inter-related mandates.“It is imperative that the AFP and PNP work closely and support each other in addressing all threats to national peace and security and, at the same time, it is necessary for both organizations to maintain their legitimacy among the people they serve,” Año pointed out.“Through the creation of the JAPCRC, we hope to further establish a stronger and more active relationship with our people and stakeholders in building a better and peaceful nation,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/military-police-boost-civil-relations-drive/321844/
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30% STL revenue lost to illegal gambling
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-09-23 20:33:29+00:00
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Illegal gambling operations in various part of the country have taken a toll on the earnings of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office that would have been used to help provided medical assistance to Filipinos, according to PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz.He said the PCSO is losing 30 percent of its potential income from Small Town Lottery (STL) to illegal gambling.Corpuz said authorized agent corporations (AACs) are having difficulty meeting their presumptive monthly retail receipts (PMRR) obligations, thus affecting government revenues.During a Senate hearing last Tuesday on the proposed creation of the Philippine Charity Office (PCO), some AACs complained that illegal gambling continues to flourish in their areas of operation preventing them from fully meeting their obligations to the government.There are 72 AACs currently operating all over the country that provided a revenue increase for PCSO amounting to P8.8 billion from January to August.One of the AACs, Ramloid Corp., which operates in Laguna, which reported that it is only collecting P4 million daily from STL operation because about P1.2 million was lost to illegal gambling.Lucky V Prime Enterprises Corp., an AAC from Albay, is supposed to remit to PCSO P2.5 million daily but only managed to meet 70 percent of its PMMR in August, also because of the continuous operation of illegal gambling in its area of operation.Similar cases have been reported in the provinces of Batangas, Bulacan, Negros Occidental and Pangasinan.The continued operation of illegal gambling was raised earlier by PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan who called on Philippine National Police leadership to address the issue.“We have to face the illegal gambling crisis, and double our efforts in the conduct of operations against illegal gambling to arrest syndicates, particularly those who are using STL as a front to cover their illegal business,” Balutan said.He said legitimate STL collectors should be arrested if they ran illegal bookies in their areas of operation.“The PCSO, together with our STL AACs hopes to finally eradicate the jueteng, which seems to be the biggest challenge of STL operations,” Balutan added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/30-stl-revenue-lost-illegal-gambling/352317/
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Teachers not ‘waterproof’
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-07-29 22:00:19+00:00
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A teachers’ group has asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to clarify in a public statement that public school teachers are not required to report to work during class suspension.According to the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition, they are receiving complaints from some teachers in localities that have declared a suspension of classes from inclement weather.The group said it is really illogical to require teachers to report for work since the work of a teacher is to teach.“And if there is no one to teach, what will she do in the school? Teachers, just like our students need to be safe in the comfort of our homes in a rainy day. We are not waterproof,” Benjo Basas, the group’s national chairperson, said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/teachers-not-waterproof/341362/
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Senate OKs school feeding program bill
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-02-06 00:06:33+00:00
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THE Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to establish a national feeding program for public school students in a bid to eradicate malnutrition among Filipino children.Senators were unanimous in voting for the approval of the bill that will institutionalize the school feeding program in public schools and day care centers.The Food and Agriculture Organization in its study showed that about 16 million Filipinos were undernourished.Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th, the sponsor of Senate Bill (SB) 1279 or the “Masustansiyang Pagkain Para Sa Batang Pilipino Act” said that while the Department of Education (DepEd) has a school-based feeding program currently in place, the government allocation only covered some 500,000 students or about P4.8 billion in 2016.When a child’s weight is below the recommended mass for his or her age and height, he or she has acute malnutrition.“The government spent only 0.52 percent of its annual national budget on nutrition. The global average is 2.1 percent. We need to allocate more to be at par with international standards,” Aquino said.Sen. Grace Poe, author and co-sponsor of SB 1279, said if the bill is enacted into law, the government would allocate funding to ensure the continuous implementation of the feeding program.For this year, Poe said, the DepEd and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) allocated P5.3 billion and P3.43 billion, respectively, to implement the feeding program.“It is definitely one of the safety nets for the poor at a time when prices of basic goods and food are increasing. It is a measure to save the pain inflicted by the burdensome demands that we have now,” Poe said.Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, said the bill would also benefit farmers and fisherfolk because the ingredients that would be used in the program would be sourced from local producers and suppliers.Zubiri also said under the new program, children will no longer be given porridge.“The menu for this program would be intensively studied with consideration to many factors such as the age range and cultural eating preferences of schoolchildren,” he explained.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-oks-school-feeding-program-bill/378384/
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Delayed release of Pag-IBIG benefits hit
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-03-18 00:02:17+00:00
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The Home Development Mutual Fund, more popularly known as Pag-IBIG Fund, should expedite its system upgrade so that benefits due its members could be given on time.Rep. France Castro of Alliance of Concerned Teachers party-list made the appeal on Friday, citing that the system upgrade or the migration of documents to a new records system that started in July 2016 has been affecting the processing of Pag-IBIG benefits, such as calamity loans and retirement and maturity claims.“Pag-IBIG had announced that the [migration of documents] would only take weeks to a month. However, up to this date, regional offices still cite the migration of records as a reason for the non-processing of claims. Almost two years had passed and this issue still continues to inconvenience Pag-IBIG members and deprive them of their benefits,” Castro said in a statement.He noted that such delay means that a public school teacher who applied for maturity claim in September 2017 is yet to receive the benefits due her.“To augment their meager salaries, public school teachers, rank-and-file government employees and the bulk of the low-income working class always opt to apply for loans or any other means just to make ends meet,” Castro said.“We do not oppose Pag-IBIG’s efforts to improve its system as this is necessary to address the long-standing system inefficiencies in records consolidation such as failure to update records of payment. That’s why we demand that the management of Pag-IBIG hasten their system upgrade and address other issues in the soonest possible time to immediately provide members their benefits,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/delayed-release-of-pag-ibig-benefits-hit/386926/
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Gueverra to name new acting prosecutor-general
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-06-29 00:01:07+00:00
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JUSTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra has granted the request of acting Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan to be relieved as head of the National Prosecution Service (NPS).Gueverra said Catalan asked to be relieved from his post as acting prosecutor general so he could focus on his job as Makati city prosecutor.Catalan was appointed acting prosecutor-general after his predecessor, Claro Arellano, was appointed undersecretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).“City Prosecutor Catalan Jr. did not resign. He just asked to be relieved from his concurrent duty as acting prosecutor-general so that he may focus on his full-time job as CP for Makati city,” Guevarra said in his text message sent to reporters.The Justice chief said he will appoint a new acting prosecutor general on Friday, June 29.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/gueverra-to-name-new-acting-prosecutor-general/413671/
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Senators junk proposal to limit cell towers
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-10-25 00:04:48+00:00
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SENATORS Grace Poe and Francis Escudero had rejected the proposal to allow only two telecommunication companies (telcos) to put up cell site towers in the country.Poe described as “stupid” the plan of Presidential Adviser on Information and Communications Technology Ramon Jacinto to limit to two the number of private companies that could be allowed to build cell towers.Poe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services, conducted a hearing on the government’s search for a third telco service provider on Monday.Information and Communications Technology Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio Jr., said the government might announce a “provisional” third telco on November 7.“Dito sa cell towers, mayroon kasing isang nag-suggest sa Presidente (Rodrigo Duterte) yata o sa DICT na dapat ay isang kompanya o dalawang kompanya lang ang puwedeng magpatayo ng cell towers. Kalokohan ‘yon (With regard to the cell towers, someone suggested to the President or to the DICT to allow just one or two companies to set up cell towers. That’s stupid),” Poe said during the public hearing.“Dapat kung sinong puwedeng magtayo ng cell towers para naman walang monopolya nito. Kung maraming cell towers, mas gaganda ang signal natin (Anyone must be allowed to put up cell sites to prevent monopoly. Our signal will improve if there will be more cell towers,)” she said.Escudero also expressed concern on the issue of using a common tower managed by the government. He said this might create a monopoly or oligopoly in the internet service.Poe said the entry of a third telco would introduce “fresh competition.”Those who want to compete as the third telco must fulfill the following requirements: present P1 million for bid documents; put up a P700 million participation security; and provide at least P14 billion in performance security.Jacinto allegedly suggested to the President to mandate two independent tower companies registered with the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) to build and share their towers.Under Jacinto’s suggestion, these same towers will also be used by other telcos as well as the prospective new major player within the first four years of its implementation.However, telcos opposed Jacinto’s proposal. Globe Telecom and Smart insisted the proposal would violate their congressional franchise.China Telecommunications Corp., Philippine Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (PT&T), NOW Telecom Inc.,Telenor Asa Group, Udenna Corp. (Converge ICT), LCS Group of Companies and TierOne Communications, and Mobitel Holding have expressed interest to become the Philippines’ third telco.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-junk-proposal-to-limit-cell-towers/456671/
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Invest in PH, OFWs urged
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-12-04 21:38:00+00:00
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FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday urged Filipinos working in Hong Kong and Macau to invest their earnings in the Philippines to secure the future of their families back home.Cayetano made the call on Sunday during separate town hall meetings with members of the Filipino Community in Hong Kong and Macau.“Over the years, you and our other kababayans abroad have been investing in the future of our country,” he told those who attended the meetings at the St. Joseph the Worker Church in Macau and at the Duke of Windsor Auditorium in Hong Kong.“Your remittances serve as investments not only in education and housing but also for the future of your loved ones back home,” Cayetano said as he thanked the close to 219,000 Filipinos working in Hong Kong and the 30,000 in Macau for their remittances.Cayetano said he expects more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to take advantage of the economic boom and start investing their savings in the Philippines, citing the 6.9 percent growth in the third quarter of the year.The DFA chief also urged overseas Filipinos to continue to acquire new skills to enable them to have access to better-paying jobs.“I encourage you to attend regular skills enhancement and language trainings here in Hong Kong or Macau and even back in the Philippines as this will surely open better employment opportunities for you,” he said.“President (Rodrigo) Duterte knows very well the important role our overseas workers play and this is precisely the reason why he wants us to not only look after your interests and welfare but to also provide you with comfort and convenience,” he added.Starting in January next year, OFWs can apply for passports that will be valid for 10 years. This would lead to a more efficient processing of multi-year work contracts for overseas workers.“This is one of the reforms that responds to your needs as overseas workers and I assure you that the Duterte administration will strive hard to ensure that all your rights and interests are protected,” Cayetano said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/invest-ph-ofws-urged/366658/
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Robredo denies violating gag order on poll protest
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-04-25 00:03:57+00:00
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Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo has denied violating a gag order issued by the Supreme Court (SC) in connection with a poll protest filed against her by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying she was merely addressing Marcos’ alleged lies.The Vice President made the denial in a compliance filed by her legal counsels Romulo Macalintal and Bernadette Sardillo, saying she did not disclose any sensitive information regarding an ongoing recount of votes from Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental and Iloilo in past media interviews.“If any of our actions has offended the sensitivities of the honorable tribunal, we express sincere regret. There was no intention to violate the tribunal’s orders. We were constrained to answer the frivolous media pronouncements made by the losing candidate, Marcos Jr., and his [spokesman], lawyer Vic Rodriguez. Since the start of the revision [recount of ballots], the Marcos camp has been releasing misleading statements designed to cast doubt on the integrity of the recount proceedings and condition the mind of the public,” Macalintal said.He was referring to a claim of the Marcos camp that audit logs were missing from ballot boxes even if Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution 10057 states that the envelope containing Initialization Report, Precinct Statistical Report and Precinct Audit Log Report should be delivered to election officers, not placed in ballot boxes.It was on the first day of the recount of votes on April 2 when Marcos cried foul over the missing audit logs as well as the presence of wet ballots.Later in the afternoon of May 2, Macalintal answered Marcos’ accusations and assured the public that the absence of audit logs is not an anomaly and that wet ballots won’t compromise the recount because all ballots cast in the 2016 elections have ballot images, which the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), can order to be printed.Still, Marcos’ sister, Gov. Imee Marcos of Ilocos Norte, repeated the same accusations of her brother on April 3.The former senator’s spokesman Rodriguez also claimed last week that the Comelec had favored Robredo by issuing a September 2016 resolution stating that a 25 percent threshold of shaded oval in the ballot should be used in the manual counting of votes.But based on the records of the poll body and the Supreme Court, the Comelec issued the September 2016 resolution on the 25 percent threshold for valid votes based on an August 2016 request of the SC asking the Comelec on what should be the threshold for the manual counting of votes.“Any statements made and interviews given before the media [by the Robredo camp] were all done in defense of the unfounded media releases made by Marcos and his [spokesman],” Robredo’s compliance document read.The Robredo camp pointed out that they had to respond to stories, which were aired and published in various media organizations, quoting “insider from the tribunal” regarding the status and other sensitive information on the recount.“It would appear that this alleged insider met with the reporters of media outlets such that the same story was reported at the same time. Thus, any statements made were in defense of the rights, honor and integrity of the Vice President of the Philippines and the entire recount proceedings,” Robredo’s counsels said.“In all the media interviews since the start of the recount, counsels and representatives of Vice President Robredo have never revealed any sensitive information. Counsels and representatives of protestee Robredo have not violated the sub judice rule. Thus, counsels and representatives of protestee Robredo humbly prays for the indulgence and understanding of the honorable tribunal,” they added.Robredo beat Marcos by 263,473 votes in the 2016 polls.Marcos, however, is claiming that Robredo won by fraud and subsequently filed a poll protest.The ongoing recount only covers three provinces chosen by protestant Marcos since rules of the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal state that the one who filed the protest should choose three provinces “best exemplifying poll fraud.”Robredo has denied rigging the May 2016 polls for Vice President to win, saying she won the elections fair and square and the truth is on her side.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/robredo-denies-violating-gag-order-on-poll-protest/394651/
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PH to witness historic lunar eclipse on July 28
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2018-07-06 00:01:26+00:00
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The longest total lunar eclipse of the century will be visible in the Philippines on July 28, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Thursday.The eclipse will occur from 1:13 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. or approximately six hours.“The entire event will also be seen in Antarctica, Australia, Asia, Africa, Russia except North, Europe, and East of South America,” Pagasa said.The total lunar eclipse will be fully visible in Metro Manila.A total lunar eclipse occurs when the moon passes directly behind the earth.The penumbral eclipse will begin at 1:13 a.m., when a dark shade starts to appear on the moon.The shade will grow larger and the moon will start to turn reddish during the partial eclipse at 2:24 a.m., up until the maximum eclipse, the best time to observe the moon, at 4:21 a.m.Observers may use binoculars to magnify the view of the moon better.“Lunar eclipses are safe to watch and observers need not use any kind of protective filters for the eyes anymore,” the weather bureau said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-to-witness-historic-lunar-eclipse-on-july-28/416325/
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Saudi, Qatar lay off hundreds of OFWs
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-02-06 00:02:44+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is closely monitoring Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia and Qatar amid ongoing political and economic developments in the two countries that led to the dismissal or retrenchment of hundreds of employees.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd confirmed the mass layoff on Monday, saying that it was reported to him by a labor team headed by Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Hans Cacdac, who just arrived from the Middle East.Bello said they were more concerned with the retrenchment of workers in Qatar, wherein some 644 Filipinos have been laid off as an offshoot of the diplomatic spat between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other Middle East countries.“In a way the problem is getting worse. In fact, an OFW organization visited me last week to inform me about incidents of stoppage of work, separation from work, cautioning me about fielding new deployment in Qatar because of worsening diplomatic relations between Qatar and the Middle East countries but not to the extent of suspending deployment,” Bello added.The Labor chief said the Philippine Labor Office is helping the 644 dismissed workers find new jobs. Those who wish to go home would be repatriated and assisted through the DOLE’s reintegration program.Labor Undersecretary Ciriaco Laguznad 3rd, a member of the Cacdac-led team that visited the Middle East, attributed the loss of jobs in Saudi Arabia to the “Saudization” program of the government that gives priority to its nationals.DOLE did not say how many OFWs were laid off in Saudi Arabia, the top OFW destination for the past two years.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/saudi-qatar-lay-off-hundreds-ofws/378370/
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House vows to restore obligations-based outlay
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-08-11 00:04:18+00:00
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THE House of Representatives will move to restore the proposed P3.7-trillion budget for 2019 to an obligations-based budget from an unprecedented cash-based budget, which will require all government agencies to spend their obligated budgets within the year or lose the funds.The House appropriations panel chairman, Rep. Karlo Nograles of Davao City, made the guarantee on Friday afternoon.An obligations-based budget allows agencies to retain their obligated budgets for projects at the end of the year even if the projects have yet to be finished. Likewise, an obligation-based budget also allows agencies to obligate funds for projects and pay them using next year’s budget.“We will revert to an obligations-based budget. This is not just what Congress wants. Members of the Cabinet who have faced us here thus far are also apprehensive of the cash-based budget. The requirement of a cash-based budget does not reflect the realities of governance,” Nograles said in a statement.Among those who expressed opposition to the cash-based budget were Chairman Prospero de Vera of theCommission on Higher Education and Secretary Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). They said restricting the validity of obligated budgets until December of each year would hamper the implementation of the Free College Education Law and the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.“Our job in Congress is to ensure the passage of a budget that is in line with the vision of the President, a budget that benefits all Filipinos, especially those in the regions. In a cash-based budget, we are being shortchanged,” Nograles added.It was Nograles who first called the DBM’s attention to massive cuts in the budgets of the Department of Education, Department of Health and DPWH. Their allocations were reduced by P77 billion, P35 billion and P95 billion, respectively.“The ongoing budget deliberations in the House of Representatives have opened our eyes to the drawbacks of the proposed cash-based budgeting system. Many projects do not get completed on time for various valid reasons, like justifiable delays in procurement, legal challenges, fund release problems, and even the weather.We recognize that the DBM wants more spending efficiency, but this can be achieved through other means,” Nograles said.“This is the complete opposite of the ‘Build, Build, Build’ thrust of the Duterte administration. The people expect more infrastructure, more assistance from government. Instead, the budget presented by the DBM is all ‘Slash, Slash, Slash,’ which would result in fewer roads, fewer classrooms, fewer government hospital facilities,” Nograles added.The massive budget cuts worried lawmakers, as this could result in lower budgets for their respective districts and constituencies ahead of next year’s polls.The matter prompted the House to hold an all-member caucus on Wednesday to settle the issue.House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. of Camarines Sur revealed after the caucus that all lawmakers had decided to reject the cash-based budget unless the DBM would be able to justify it.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-vows-to-restore-obligations-based-outlay/428820/
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Compulsory insurance coverage for OFWs PUSHED
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2017-02-04 01:10:33+00:00
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Government agencies joined forces to push for public awareness of the mandatory insurance for millions of overseas Filipinos workers with the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Insurance Commission during the commission’s 68th anniversary celebration. The information on the coverage and benefits for agency-hired OFWs will be incorporated during their Pre-Employment Orientation Seminar and Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar provided by the POEA and OWWA. The insurance policy shall be effective for the duration of the migrant worker’s employment contract and shall cover accidental death, natural death, permanent total disablement, repatriation cost, subsistence allowance, money claims, compassionate visit, medical evacuation, and medical repatriation. The insurance policy shall be secured at no cost to the worker.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/compulsory-insurance-coverage-ofws-pushed/310397/
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Arsenic poisoning a risk for 50 million in Pakistan
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['James O Sullivan']
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24/08/2017 0:00
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far more than previously thought, according to a new study.Pakistan is aware of the growing problem, with arsenic levels rising in some areas as people increasingly and indiscriminately draw from the country’s underground aquifers, said Lubna Bukhari, who heads the government’s Council for Research in Water Resources.“It’s a real concern,” she said. “Because of lack of rules and regulations, people have exploited the groundwater brutally, and it is driving up arsenic levels.”The authors of the study developed a map highlighting areas of likely contamination based on water quality data from nearly 1,200 groundwater pumps tested from 2013 to 2015, and accounting for geological factors including surface slope and soil contents. They determined some 88 million people were living in high-risk areas.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/24/arsenic-poisoning-a-risk-for-50-million-in-pakistan/
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Outreach for child offenders
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2017-12-26 00:01:27+00:00
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ABOUT 212 children in conflict with law and under the custody of the Residential and Rehabilitation Division of the Social Services Department in Quezon City got to celebrate Christmas day with their families on Monday.An open house party, to which the children’s families, relatives, and friends were invited, was held in the 41-year-old Molave Youth Home’s activity area.“This is a part of our structured program for the children. Whatever celebrations are being held outside, we replicate here. Last December 14, the Special Education Program had a Christmas party. There have also been groups that have hosted parties here for the children, said Marissa Casabuena, acting residential and rehabilitation division head.She added that as early as the first week of December non-governmental organizations have conducted outreach programs to support child offenders.The Molave Youth Home which was built in 1973, houses around 200 young boys, 70 percent of whom still have pending cases in court.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/outreach-child-offenders/370631/
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1.4B people risk disease from lack of exercise — WHO
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['Agence France-Presse']
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2018-09-06 00:02:00+00:00
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PARIS: More than 1.4 billion adults are putting themselves at heightened risk of deadly diseases by not getting enough exercise, doctors warned, with global activity levels virtually unchanged in nearly two decades.With richer nations enjoying an increasingly comfortable, sedentary lifestyle, a study by the World Health Organization said a third of women and a quarter of men worldwide are in the firing line for killer conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer unless they up their physical activity.“Insufficient physical activity is a leading risk factor for non-communicable diseases, and has a negative effect on mental health and quality of life,” said the study of world exercise levels published Wednesday by The Lancet Global Health Journal.The WHO recommends each adult do at least 150 minutes “moderate-intensity” exercise — such as brisk walking, swimming or gentle cycling — each week, or 75 minutes “vigorous-intensity” activity — such as running or team sports.The study tracked activity levels of 1.9 million people in 168 countries across the world during 2016.Researchers found there had been no improvement in physical activity levels since 2001, despite numerous public health initiatives extolling the benefits of exercise.More than a quarter of the world’s adults (1.4 billion people) were insufficiently active, according to the data.“We definitely haven’t done enough” to encourage people to exercise, the WHO’s Regina Guthold, lead study author, told Agence France-Presse.“We have seen basically no progress.”The study authors highlighted several worrying trends, including a stark divide in exercise rates between poor and rich nations, and between men and women.Wealth, gender gapsLevels of insufficient activity to guard off non-communicable killers, including dementia and cardiovascular diseases, are more than twice as high in high-income countries compared to developing nations.Guthold said the link between the lifestyle in wealthier nations — more time indoors, longer office hours, more easily accessible high-calorie foods — and lower exercise levels, was part of a “clear pattern” of poorer health coming with urbanization.“As countries urbanise, people who used to be, say, farmers, and got a lot of physical activity through their work all of a sudden live in an urban environment where they might be without work or move to a sedentary job, so societies need to compensate,” she said.In four countries — Kuwait, American Samoa, Saudi Arabia and Iraq —more than half of adults were classified as insufficiently active.In Kuwait, an oil-flush gulf state where temperatures regularly top 45 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit), a whopping two-thirds (67 percent) of adults weren’t exercising enough.Melody Ding of the University of Sydney, who worked on the paper, said there were a variety of reasons why some countries were more active than others, including “biological, psychosocial, institutional, cultural and environmental barriers.”One bright spot on the global exercise map was southeast Asia, where women were equally as active as men in the only region where inactivity has decreased since 2001.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/1-4b-people-risk-disease-from-lack-of-exercise-who/438541/
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AMLC forfeited P911M in 2017
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-04-22 00:07:25+00:00
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The Anti-Money Laundering Council has civilly forfeited criminal proceeds totaling P911,869,247.40 as of year-end 2017, according to the executive summary of an annual audit report of the Commission on Audit (CoA) on the AMLC for 2017.The sum includes P48,856,022.69, which was “Forfeited and remitted to the Philippine Government,” P100,879,947.48 which was “Forfeited and Turned Over to the Ombudsman,” P721,825,058.50 which was “Forfeited and Returned to the Victims” and P40,308,218.73 which was “Forfeited but Pending Execution.”“Since 2001, the AMLC has been filing cases for the freeze and forfeiture of criminal proceeds, the total of which increase[d]” to P8,165,268,608 as of year-end 2017 from P7.26 billion as of year-end 2016, according to the executive summary of the audit report.The P8.16 billion includes the P911.87 million that was civilly forfeited as well as P5.02 billion that was the “Total Pending Civil Forfeiture and Freeze Orders,” P26.79 million that was the “Total Amount Subject of Other Forfeiture Actions,” P1.68 billion that was the “Total Amount Lifted/Returned to the Victims/Investors” and P520.8 million that was the “Total Amount Involved in Lapsed Freeze Order.”According to the same executive summary, the AMLC has ordered frozen “all the bank accounts and other assets owned and controlled by the Maute Group including P52 million in funds recovered by Philippine troops from a Maute/Abu Sayyaf-controlled area.”The Maute Group and the Abu Sayyaf Group are terrorist bands that operate mainly in the country’s southern Mindanao region.A bank inquiry on the bank accounts is ongoing, according to the executive summary.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/amlc-forfeited-p911m-in-2017/394166/
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Marine protected areas in Palawan to rebuild fish stocks
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['Imelda Fiesta']
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26/10/2016 0:00
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due mostly to an ordinance under Republic Act 7611.Collaborative management is the key to effective and sustainably-funded MPAs. Roles, responsibilities and benefits are shared between national and local authorities, communities, the private sector and other resource users.Realizing that sustainability means business viability, the initiative works with the local seafood and tourism sectors to finance and manage MPAs and sustainable fishing initiatives.“The ease and speed by which Aborlan protected its waters was due to a three-year initiative by local provincial, municipal and village governments, the Environmental Legal Assistance Center, Western Philippines University and WWF,” says WWF-Philippines President and CEO Joel Palma.The move heavily involves local fishermen and communities in the management of marine resources by helping them gain exclusive rights to fisheries located in or near MPAs and by working with them to improve the health and productivity of their fisheries.An example would be Seven Lines, a coral reef system in Aborlan. “Seven Lines supplies fish to smaller coral reefs in the region. This means fisherfolk don’t need to travel far for fishing,” says Aborlan Municipal Agriculture Officer Cacatian. This means that even if certain areas are off-limits to fishers, the spillover effects of protection will seed large areas with life.The project aims to expand the network of critical marine areas that are protected, effectively-managed and sustainably financed in the Coral Triangle.“Through well-managed MPAs, coastal communities can realize that conservation is the surest way to secure tomorrow’s fish,” concludes Palma.As of 2016, the projects of WWF and its allies are protecting 904,000 hectares of MPAs in the Philippines.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/10/26/marine-protected-areas-in-palawan-to-rebuild-fish-stocks/
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Catholic Church praying for more priests, vocations
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['Giovanni Batista Cjd']
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9/11/2017 0:00
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The Catholic Church has expressed hope for more young men and women to consider vocations to the priesthood and religious life.According to Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, he is fervently praying for more young men and women to consider becoming a priest or a nun.“I am praying for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life especially as the local Church prepares for the observance of the Year of the Clergy and the Religious, which begins on December 3, the First Sunday of Advent,” Bagaforo said over Church-run Radio Veritas.“I am praying for our youth to be gifted with the calling to serve the Lord and His Church,” he added.The observance of the Year of the Clergy and the Religious is part of the Church’s preparation for the celebration of the 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines on March 16, 2021.According to a report in 2014-2015, the number of Catholics around the world was estimated at about 1.3 billion or 17.7 percent of the world population.The number of young people who enter the religious life, however, continues to decline in Europe.In Africa and Asia, the report added, more than 1,000 seminarians are expected to enter the priesthood by next year.The Holy Father Pope Francis is set to discuss the topic Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment during the Synod of Bishops in 2018 as he expresses hope for more young people to enter the priesthood and religious life.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/09/catholic-church-praying-for-more-priests-vocations/
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DILG allows insurance companies to transact business sans permits
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-04-30 01:55:05+00:00
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THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has reminded all local government units (LGUs) to follow the law that allows duly-licensed insurance companies to transact business anywhere in the country even without permits.In a statement on Saturday, Catalino Cuy, DILG Officer-in-charge and undersecretary, cited Republic Act no. 10607 or “An Act Strengthening the Insurance Industry,” which states that insurance companies, with a valid Certificate of Authority issued by the Insurance Commissioner, should not be hindered from doing business transactions by LGUs.“We would like to continue to streamline business processes at the local levels that is why our LGUs must always foster a business-friendly environment,” said Cuy.“We therefore advise LGUs to honor the Certificate of Authority issued to insurance companies because it is their passport [in] doing business anywhere in the country,” he added.Cuy emphasized that any local legislator imposing restrictions on any insurance company with a valid company certificate shall be deemed “null and void.”According to Section 193 of RA 10607, no insurance company that is issued with a valid certificate to transact their businesses anywhere in the country by the insurance commissioner, “shall be barred, prevented, or disenfranchised” from issuing any insurance policy or from transacting any insurance business.“Any local ordinance or [LGU] regulatory issuance imposing such restriction or disenfranchisement on any insurance company shall be deemed null and void ab initio,” it stated.Cuy has advised this directive to all local chief executives or to abide with the provision when issuing business permits to insurance companies.Besides mayors, Cuy also directed all provincial governors, vice governors, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Regional Governor and DILG regional directors to disseminate the memorandum circular to all LGUs to strictly comply with the order within their respective jurisdictions.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dilg-allows-insurance-companies-transact-business-sans-permits/324729/
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Eastern PH placed under storm signals
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2016-11-24 22:15:43+00:00
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SEVERAL areas in the eastern part of the Philippines on Thursday were placed under storm signals as tropical depression Marce continued its approachState weather forecasters said Marce was posited some 160 km east-northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, with maximum winds of 45 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 55 kph.It was last seen moving west-northwest at 17 kph.Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal 1 was hoisted over the following areas, which can expect up to 60 kph winds within the next 36 hours: Romblon, Cuyo Island, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Bohol,Cebu, including Bantayan and Camotes Islands, Siquijor, Negros Oriental, Negros Occidental,Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Surigao del Norte, including Siargao Island, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Misamis Oriental and Camiguin.Marce is expected to traverse Visayas over the remainder of the week and exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility early Monday morning.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/eastern-ph-placed-storm-signals/298240/
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Improve services before raising fare, PNR urged
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-06-19 21:51:41+00:00
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The state-run Philippine National Railways (PNR) must first improve its services before implementing any fare increase but without burdening commuters to raise funds for the purpose, Sen. Francis Escudero said on Monday.The PNR announced last week that starting July 1, the minimum fare would be raised from P10 to P15 for the first 14 kilometers. Then, there would be an additional P5 for every zone traveled or seven kilometers per zone.When asked whether he supports the PNR’s planned fare hike, Escudero said, “They should first improve their services before increasing fares.”“They can either borrow, ask for NG [national government] subsidy or enter into a PPP [public-private partnership] to do this. But I think it is simply unfair to make people pay for something that is yet to come,” he added.PNR General Manager Jun Magno said the fare increase has been delayed for more than 20 years.But Escudero said the delay is not enough justification to pursue the fare hike.“Other than a fare increase, they should be more creative and innovative in looking for ways and means to first improve their services before beginning to consider a fare increase,” the senator added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/improve-services-raising-fare-pnr-urged-2/333666/
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CoA: P1M paid to radio reporter illegal
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-07-22 00:02:39+00:00
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THE Commission on Audit (CoA) found that the P1 million paid by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC) to a radio reporter lacked legal basis.“Expenditures amounting to P1,050,000 were bereft of legal basis,” CoA said in its 2017 audit report on the CWC, an attached agency of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.The cash advances were allegedly “paid to a DZMM reporter to cover the activities of the CWC’s celebration of National Children’s Month (NCM) and featured in TV networks and print media,” it said. The reporter was not named.According to the audit report, the scope of work to be provided by the reporter included arranging CWC’s radio and television guestings; ensuring availability of CWC officials and/or technical staff to the guestings; compiling news reports/articles and submitting these to CWC for their reference; distributing NCM materials such as posters, whistle with how to use card, and briefer to press/media personnel who attended NCM activities; and inviting press people to various NCM activities.However, CoA said no contract was executed and no public bidding was conducted on the procurement of service as mandated under Republic Act (RA) 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act.“Non-compliance with COA Circular No. 2012-003 and RA 9184 questioned the regularity, validity and legality of the expenditure. Thus, a Notice of Disallowance No. 2018-184-01(2017) dated February 1, 2018 was issued for the above irregular expenditure,” CoA said.CoA said the persons liable for the deal should return the money.In a statement, DZMM said, “DZMM Radyo Patrol 630 takes allegations of unethical practices by any member of our news organization seriously” and expects its journalists “to adhere to the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct at all times.”DZMM said it would conduct an investigation based on the CoA report.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/coa-p1m-paid-to-radio-reporter-illegal/422109/
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DBM to release P490M for Boracay road rehab
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-05-03 00:34:49+00:00
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The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will release P490 million for the rehabilitation of the Boracay Circumferential Road.Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the fund would be released to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).“The DBM has allotted P50 million for the improvement of Boracay Circumferential Road in the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and will augment an additional P490 million to fast-track project completion,” he said.Diokno said the fund release would accelerate the construction of the 5.2-kilometer (km) road that would strictly follow the 6.10-meter carriageway standard on both sides.“It involves equipment manpower and materials. They are confident they will have a soft opening within four months,” he added.Citing information from DPWH, Diokno said the project would incorporate an improved drainage and sewerage system along the main road to contain flooding.It will also be divided into three sections. The first phase will start from Cagban Port to Rotonda (1.4 km), the second from Rotonda to Barangay Balabag (1.9 km), and the third from Barangay Balabag to Barangay Yapak (1.9 km).Earlier, the DBM released P448 million to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) to help workers affected by the temporary closure of Boracay Island.The fund will cover 17,735 registered formal sector workers in Malay, Aklan.The six-month closure of the island officially started on April 26, putting the villages (barangay) of Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak in Boracay under a state of calamity.The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday said it distributed P5 million in transportation and financial aid to more than 2,000 workers.DSWD Region 6 Director Rebecca Geamala said there would be enough funds for those who seek aid.The agency also suspended some of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4P’s) conditions and extended cash-for-work programs for other affected individuals including informal settlers.MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO AND GLEE JALEA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dbm-to-release-p490m-for-boracay-road-rehab/396540/
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PDEA agents arrest 11 drug suspects
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['Rj Carbonell']
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2017-11-28 21:28:57+00:00
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The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) presented to the media 11 suspected drug personalities who were arrested in a hotel buy-bust in Taguig City where P340,000 worth of “date rape” drugs were confiscated.The suspects were about to have a sex orgy when the authorities barged in.“This is a stern warning to those who use these kind of drugs. There will be a time when we will smite you,” PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said in a press briefing on Monday night.Seized during the operation were gamma-Butyrolactone or GBL, weighing 530.8 milliliters, worth P300,000, 20 tablets of ecstasy worth P40,000, two plastic sachets of shabu worth P500, and a bottle containing white capsules.GBL is commonly referred to as a “club drug” or “date rape” drug usually used by young people at bars, rave parties, and clubs, and is often placed in alcoholic drinks. Euphoria, increased sex drive, and sleepiness are the reported effects of GBL abuse.“They use a dropper and they put at least two drops or more in the drinks. After that, the drugs take effect. Using syringes they inject the liquid ecstasy in the veins, so that the effect will be stronger,” PDEA Special Enforcement Service (PDEA-SES) Director Levi Ortiz said.At about 10 a.m. on Sunday, PDEA-SES conducted an entrapment against Edmond Remegio, 33, and Malik Coronel, 33, inside Seda Hotel, Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.Also arrested for drug use were Manuel Valdes, 34; Jose Carlo Torres, 38, an engineer; Mario Aclan, 27, a make-up artist; Angelo Padasas, 28, an office staff; Jevel Ucero, 22, a student; Carlo Kasala, 25, a physician; Legui Brylle Gonzales, 28, an account manager; and Bryan Dizon, 20, a software developer.“Actually, they were caught in Room 609. They were already in their underwear. They were about to have a sex orgy. One of them even admitted to being HIV positive,” Aquino said.Remegio and Coronel will be charged with violation of Article II of Republic Act 9165 or The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, Section 5 (Sale of Dangerous Drugs), Section 26 (Conspiracy to Sell) and Section 11 (Possession of Dangerous Drugs).The suspects who were allegedly caught using the drugs will be charged for violation of Section 15 (Use of Dangerous Drugs).The suspects are under the custody of the PDEA-SES.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pdea-agents-arrest-11-drug-suspects/365518/
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War games off limits to media
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-05-07 00:15:29+00:00
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For the first time in years, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) banned media from covering the field exercises during the 34th iteration of the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) war exercises between the Philippines and the United States.Lt. Liezl Vidallon, Balikatan public affairs director for the Philippines, on Sunday said “higher ups” decided to shut out the media from the amphibious landing exercise to be held in San Antonio, Zambales.The decision came out following reports that Beijing has installed anti-ship missiles and air-to-air missile systems in the West Philippine Sea including Subi (Zamora) Reef, Mischief (Panganiban) Reef and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) Reef.Two field exercises were supposed to be open for the media — the live firing in Crow Valley, Tarlac on May 15 and the amphibious landing in Zambales on May 9.Last week, the military announced that the Tarlac exercise will be off-limits to the media.On Sunday, Vidallon said the Zambales exercises will also be closed to the media, citing guidance from the military’s leadership.She did not give further details.It will be the first time that Balikatan field exercises have been closed to media.Last year, the amphibious landing in Zambales and the exercise in Casiguran, Aurora were open for media coverage.Journalists were also allowed to cover the exercises in Cagayan last year.Zambales is 241 kilometers away from the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc).The military had kept its silence on the maritime dispute in the past months, saying the matter is best left with the Department of Foreign Affairs.Vidallon advised reporters to wait for the press release to be issued by the public affairs division of the Balikatan regarding the number of troops from the Philippines and US that will participate in the joint drills.Most of the activities for the Balikatan will be held in Northern Luzon, including the provinces of Zambales, Tarlac, Aurora and Cagayan.A joint press conference will be held today by Philippine and US military officials.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/war-games-off-limits-to-media/397292/
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Senate backs tax exemption for small traders and earners
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-07-07 21:10:00+00:00
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A provision in the proposed tax reform package that seeks to exempt micro businesses and marginal income earners from income tax is expected to help small business to grow and encourage the self-employed and professionals to comply with their tax obligations, according to a senator.Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, who heads the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, on Friday said he considers the provision as a very good proposal since it would not involve imposing tax on small businesses, giving them a chance to grow and provide employment opportunities.Under current tax regulations, marginal income earners are self-employed individuals deriving gross sales or receipts not exceeding P100,000.Among them are farmers and fisherfolk selling directly to consumers, small sari-sari (variety) stores, small eateries (carinderia or turo-turo) and drivers or operators of a single tricycle.Currently, marginal income earners are exempted from paying business taxes such as value-added tax and percentage tax but are still subject to income tax.Micro businesses with assets below P3 million may be exempt from income tax, pursuant to the existing Barangay Micro Business Enterprise Law but they need to register first at the City Office of the Treasurer in their area.“By automatically exempting, in effect, marginal income earners and micro businesses from income tax, we would finally afford them equal protection and benefits that the minimum wage earners have long been enjoying,” Angara noted.The proposed tax bill, which had been approved by the House of Representatives, also made distinction between compensation income earners and the self-employed or professionals.The Department of Finance seeks to impose a one-time flat tax on self-employed and professionals so as to encourage these hard-to-tax individuals to voluntarily and timely comply with their tax obligations.The proposal is seeking to simplify the tax system that would encourage taxpayers to pay the correct taxes, raising revenue collection.Angara said he will study various proposals on how to reform the tax regime for the self-employed and professionals so that they would ultimately benefit the small businesses.The tax reform package proposal has been certified as urgent by President Rodrigo Duterte, and the Angara committee is committed to speed up the process but without sacrificing the quality of the tax law.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-backs-tax-exemption-small-traders-earners/337153/
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Congress urged to pass tax reform bill as one package
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-23 22:18:33+00:00
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Sharing her “sad experience with tax reform,” former president and now Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has cautioned Congress against passing the Duterte administration’s CTRP (Comprehensive Tax Reform Program) provisions separately instead of as a package.When she asked lawmakers in 2008 to pass a revenue measure to fund her request for a supplemental budget, she said they did so but only tax-eroding provisions in 2009 and did away with the portion that would have offset the revenue loss.As a result, the government lost P14 billion in revenues, Arroyo recently told members of the House ways and means committee headed by Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua during a hearing on the proposed CTRP.Under the Constitution, a supplemental appropriations bill should be supported by funds available in the National Treasury or by funds to be raised through a corresponding revenue proposal.The first package of the CTRP that was approved last March 14 aims to lower personal income tax (PIT) rates, while at the same time, providing for a corresponding set of revenue-enhancing measures, among them the adjustments in the excise taxes on fuel and automobiles and the expansion of the VAT base but keeping exemptions for seniors and persons with disability.Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd of the Department of Finance said the decision of the committee to pass tax reforms as a package is a step closer for Congress to help the Duterte administration fund its ambitious agenda to sustain the high-growth momentum, dramatically cut poverty and transform the country into a high middle-income economy by 2022.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/congress-urged-pass-tax-reform-bill-one-package-2/318836/
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PH could eclipse China, Iran, Pakistan as world’s top executioner
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-01-03 22:28:31+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s wish to put five to six malefactors to death every day, or more than 2,000 every year, once granted by Congress, would sink the Philippines into “an unprecedented era of darkness and medieval savagery,” House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza warned on Monday.“If the President had his way, our predominantly Catholic country could go down as the world’s new top executioner, ahead of non-Catholic countries such as China, Iran and Pakistan,” Atienza said.He denounced the planned restoration of the death penalty as “anathema to our celebration of life.”“We Filipinos celebrate life. In fact, we celebrate life so much that despite our usual troubles, we’ve been persistently rated among the happiest people in the world,” Atienza said.“We do not want to be brutalized by constant bloodshed. We Filipinos loathe killings, whether judicial or extrajudicial, as much as we detest violent crime,” according to the lawmaker.He said, “It is bad enough we already have a virtual death penalty in place, with the unabated summary executions of alleged suspects sans the benefit of a full and fair trial.”At least 1,634 convicts were executed in 25 countries around the world in 2015, according to Amnesty International, which is yet to release its 2016 figures.Excluding China, only three countries – Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia – were responsible for nearly 90 percent of the executions.Iran executed 977 convicts by hanging in 2015, while Pakistan put 326 to death, also by hanging.Saudi Arabia killed 158 by beheading.The number of executions in China is regarded a state secret.But separate estimates by Amnesty International and the Cornell Law School put the number of annual executions in China by lethal injection anywhere from as low as “more than 1,000” to as high as “at least 2,400.”Atienza earlier equated the death penalty “to a Band-Aid remedy being applied to a gravely ill patient in the emergency room.”“Our criminal justice system is like a very sick patient that needs immediate surgical treatment. If we are to save the patient, we have to cut off the rampant tumor of corruption. A Band-Aid solution such as the death penalty simply won’t work,” he said.Both the Senate inquiry into extrajudicial killings and the House probe of the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prisons have shown that the criminal justice system — from law enforcement to corrections — has been overwhelmed by corruption, the opposition lawmaker said.“The real problem is clearly corruption. The problem is not with the severity of the punishment for crime. In fact, corruption is the primary reason why many felons are not getting caught, and not getting punished, and this in turn has only abetted even more crime,” Atienza pointed out.Congress is set to resume session on January 16 with the bill reinstating death sentences for heinous crimes on top of the agenda for plenary approval.The House committee on justice earlier recommended the immediate passage of the bill.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-eclipse-china-iran-pakistan-worlds-top-executioner/305020/
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August declared as Asean Month
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-09 21:36:02+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte on July 31 signed Proclamation 282, declaring the month of August of every year as “Asean Month.”The signing coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), as well as the Philippines’ chairmanship of the association in 2017.The proclamation amended Proclamation 1008, Series of 1997, declaring August 7 to 13 of each year as Asean Week.Duterte said the proclamation recognizes the “need to further promote and heighten awareness on the Asean, and instill in the minds of the Filipino people the importance, value and meaning of the Asean in achieving and maintaining regional peace and sustainable development.”The President urged government agencies and their employees to initiate and implement programs to help generate awareness and public support in promoting the observance of Asean Month in the various offices, schools, local government units and private institutions.The Asean was founded on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, to promote economic, social and cultural development of the region through cooperative programs, to safeguard the political and economic stability of the region and to serve as a forum for the resolution of intra-regional differences.YMMAN JAKE M. BIACO, THE MANILA TIMES COLLEGE INTERN
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/august-declared-asean-month/343400/
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CEB launches cadet pilot training program
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['Benjie Vergara']
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2017-10-24 22:53:06+00:00
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Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) is in need of 240 aspirants for its Cadet Pilot Training Program.Successful candidates will then be sent to Flight Training Adelaide (FTA) in Australia for a free 56-week training program.“The Cebu Pacific Cadet Pilot Program will enable ‘everyjuan’ to achieve the dream of becoming a pilot. This program will allow us to train homegrown Filipino pilots with best-in-class international standards. The candidates need not worry about shelling out money for tuition to flying school to achieve their dream,” CEB president and CEO Lance Gokongwei said during the launching of the program on Tuesday.He added that Cebu Pacific will shoulder the cost first and expose candidates to one of the best pilot training facilities in the world.Through this program, the airline aims to have continued access to a pool of highly skilled aviators that would support their growth.The entire program will be financed by Cebu Pacific, with successful cadet-pilots guaranteed employment with the airline upon graduation.The cadet-pilots will then pay for the cost of the program through salary deduction over a maximum of 10 years.CEB will be investing a total of $25 million over a five-year period for the training program.According to Capt. Sam Avila 2nd, CEB vice president for flight operations, flying training fees for this program are as high as P2 million to P3.8 million for a 12-month training, and the license and certification fees are additional costs.Avila said there is an urgent need for pilots globally: the Americas—85,000; Europe—50,000; Middle East and Africa—30,000; and Asia-Pacific—90,000.He, however, added that about 50 percent of pilots aspiring to fly an Airbus or Boeing aircraft or who are willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill their ambition have not been able to do so because of excessive training fees abroad.Avila said active airline pilots in the world in 2017 number 290,000, and in 2027 the figure will reach 440,000.Globally, he added, there are at least 70 new pilots produced every day and 100 pilots will become new captains.“Cebu Pacific started with a humble ambition—to enable ‘everyjuan’ to fly. From four McDonnel Douglas DC-9-30 aircraft in 1996 and a handful of flights between Manila, Cebu and Davao, we now fly to 37 domestic and 25 international destinations using a fleet of 59 aircraft. In keeping with our commitment to make ‘everyjuan’ fly—by making air travel more available and more accessible to a greater number of Filipinos through our low fares and direct flights–we want to give ‘everyjuan’ the opportunity to achieve their dream to fly as commercial pilots for Cebu Pacific,” Gokongwei said in a speech.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ceb-launches-cadet-pilot-training-program/358467/
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DoJ junks Faeldon’s plea to dismiss drug charges
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-10-19 20:20:54+00:00
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Criminal charges against former Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon in connection with a P6.4-billion shabu shipment will proceed after the Department of Justice (DoJ) panel of prosecutors junked his motion to dismiss.The panel ruled that it has jurisdiction to conduct preliminary investigation concerning the criminal raps filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) against him.It said it was well within its jurisdiction to determine whether the charges filed against Faeldon would fall under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act or Republic Act (RA) 9165.Section 90 of RA 9165 states that violation of the law will be tried and heard exclusively by the Regional Trial Court designated by the Supreme Court.“[T]his panel finds no cogent reason to deviate from the earlier positions of the [DoJ] that it has jurisdiction to conduct preliminary investigation over drug cases involving public officers and employees including those who have a salary grade of 27 and higher, especially so that such position was affirmed by the Supreme Court in the said en banc case [Sen. de Lima vs Juanita Guerrero], and as to this date, remains unreversed,” the panel of prosecutors stated.In Thursday’s hearing, Faeldon personally subscribed to his counter-affidavit before the panel.The former commissioner is being accused of conspiring to import illegal drugs and coddling drug traffickers, both of which are violations under RA 9165.Faeldon is also facing charges of graft, obstruction of justice and negligence, which are criminal offenses under the Revised Penal Code.In his counter-affidavit, the former Customs chief argued that the allegations against him by Norman Balquiedra, PDEA Seaport Interdiction Unit chief, are baseless and are “mere imaginations.”“His allegations, being mere imaginations or worse hallucinations, are wholly insufficient to sustain the view of herein respondent’s culpability, even remotely or indirectly, as his imaginations cannot be considered as proceeding from his personal knowledge,” his counter-affidavit stated.According to Faeldon, Balquiedra failed to show proof of his direct participation in the P6.4-billion shabu shipment.“Because even in his dreams, this Balquiedra could not even pin, let alone prove, my direct or even indirect participation in the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling, he desperately charged me instead with ‘conspiring’ with my co-respondents, all of whom were former BoC employees, in importing the said contraband,” he said.Faeldon added that the charges against him were the handiwork of Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who made the move via his alleged errand boy, former PDEA-National Capital Region (NCR) Director Wilkins Villanueva.“Balquiedra is a pakawala [spy] of [Villanueva], having worked for the latter at the PDEA-NCR, which Villanueva previously headed.“Villanueva in turn, was well-known at the PDEA, as Sen. Lacson’s errand boy,” he stated.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doj-junks-faeldons-plea-dismiss-drug-charges/357543/
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Ex-PCSO official pleads not guilty to plunder rap
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2016-10-27 20:33:16+00:00
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Ma. Fatima Valdes, a former official of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, has pleaded not guilty to the plunder charge filed against her before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan in connection with alleged misuse of the PCSO’s confidential and intelligence funds from 2008 to 2010.Valdes, who was among those charged along with former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2012, had been at large but resurfaced last October 11 and was arraigned on Thursday before the Sandiganbayan’s First Division.Following her return, her arraignment was twice deferred after she was admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in Makati City (Metro Manila).In asking the court to let her post bail for her provisional liberty, the defense cited her age and medical condition.It also asked the court’s permission to let her adopt the proceedings conducted for bail petitions filed by several former respondents.Plunder, being an offense punishable by life imprisonment, is not bailable as a matter of right but bailable at the court’s discretion when evidence is not strong.The defense has also filed an urgent motion asking the court to allow Valdes’ detention at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) pending resolution of her bail petition, and considering her age and medical condition.Based on the urgent motion, Valdes’ son, who accompanied her, asked upon arrival at the airport if it would be possible for her to be brought to the hospital.It said that even before the flight landed, she “has already been complaining to her son that she was not feeling well.”The National Bureau of Investigations (NBI) personnel “could not decide” whether Valdes should be brought to the hospital, so they brought her to the bureau’s office on Taft Avenue in Manila, and her family brought her cardiologist there instead.After examination, the doctor and later the NBI’s medico-legal officer recommended that Valdes be brought to the hospital and she was then brought to the MMC where she “is still under the custody of the NBI.”“Operatives of the NBI are with her in the hospital 24/7,” the defense said in the urgent motion.In asking the court to allow Valdes’ detention at the hospital, it said her continued stay there “would allow her doctors to continuously monitor her medical condition and will allow such doctors to immediately perform the appropriate medical treatment, as may be necessary. This would not be possible if [she] will be aplaced in a normal detention facility.”The possibility of her escape “is likewise non-existent since she is currently under the custody of the NBI and would be contrary to the essence and purpose of her voluntary surrender.”In September 2015, the court acquitted the following on demurrer: former PCSO directors Manuel Morato, Raymundo Roquero and Jose Taruc 5th as well as former Commission on Audit chairman Reynaldo Villar.But it struck down Arroyo’s move to dismiss the plunder case on demurrer.The court also denied the demurrers to evidence filed by Benigno Aguas, a former PCSO budget and accounts manager, and former PCSO Chairman Sergio Valencia.Last July, the Supreme Court dismissed the plunder case filed against Arroyo for lack of evidence.It also granted Aguas’ demurrer.Former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte remains at large.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ex-pcso-official-pleads-not-guilty-plunder-rap/293433/
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Groundbreaking rites set for P30-billion Cebu-Cordova bridge
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['Viva Manila', 'Victorino Villaflor', 'Edgar De Dios']
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9/2/2017 0:00
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No less than President Duterte is expected to witness the groundbreaking ceremony of the P30-billion Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, the third bridge that will link mainland Cebu to the island of Mactan.Duterte is scheduled to fly to Cebu on March 2 to witness the groundbreaking of the project that took years to materialize. It is one of the biggest infrastructure projects of the Duterte administration outside of Manila.Spanning eight kilometers, the CCLEX will connect Cebu City to the Municipality of Cordova and will serve as an alternate route in going to and from the Mactan Cebu International Airport.The bridge, named Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway, will be built, managed, and operated by Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corporation (MPTDC)The third bridge will have a direct link to the Mactan-Cebu International Airport, cutting off travel time for those coming from mainland Cebu going to the airport.It will span eight kilometers from the mouth of the Guadalupe River to Shell Island and then Cordova. The project includes the construction of a toll plaza and causeway. The project is set to be completed in 2020.Former Cordova mayor Adelino Sitoy, who is the current head of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), said he will bring the President to the South Road Properties (SRP) so he can get a view of Shell Island and the flag that will be used in the groundbreaking.The Cebu side of the CECLEX will be in Cebu City, crossing the Mactan Channel to Shell Island in Cordova town, on the Mactan side.Sitoy said President Duterte will be accompanied by some Cabinet members who also expressed interest in attending the ceremony. He said the President still has no itinerary for his Cebu visit.This will be President Duterte’s third visit to Cebu since he assumed office. The President had visited in August last year the soldiers at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command in Camp Lapu-Lapu, Lahug, Cebu City, and last month had made a brief stopover dinner at the Mactan-Benito Ebuen Airbase in Lapu-Lapu City with Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III after visiting super typhoon Yolanda-affected families in Tacloban City.The four-lane CECLEX is intended to decongest traffic on Mactan-Mandaue Bridge and the Marcelo Fernan Bridge, and will be located around 7.5 kilometers south of the two existing Mactan-Mandaue bridges. (With a report from PNA)
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/09/groundbreaking-rites-set-for-p30-billion-cebu-cordova-bridge/
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Dael installed as Tandag bishop
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['Catherine A. Modesto']
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2018-06-15 00:02:25+00:00
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Most Reverend Raul B. Dael was installed as bishop of the Diocese of Tandag on Thursday at the San Nicolas de Tolentino Cathedral in Surigao del Sur.Dael was the third bishop appointed at the diocese of Tandag.Born in Jasa-an, Misamis Oriental, he was ordained as a priest on June 7, 1993.He studied Philosophy at Xavier University and theology at the Saint John Vianney Seminary.In 1997 and 2000, Dael earned a licentiate in theology at the Ateneo de Manila University.From 2003 to 2009, he studied spirituality at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.In 2016, he was appointed as vicar of the clergy of the archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dael-installed-as-tandag-bishop/408132/
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Roque to meet Panatag fishers
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-06-09 23:38:45+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque will meet with fishermen who were reportedly harrassed by some personnel of the Chinese Coast Guard in Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.“(I) will meet with fisherfolks on Monday possibly,” Palace spokesman Roque told The Manila Times in a text message.Asked if Duterte will also meet with the local fishermen in Panatag, Roque said, “Ako lang (Just me), to find out (what really happened).”This was in response to a television report showing a video of Chinese coast guard personnel asking for fish from Filipino fishermen in the shoal.In the video, the Filipino fishermen interviewed complained that the Chinese get their best catch whenever they pass by Panatag Shoal.Roque had asked for an authentication of the video.“[I] didn’t see actual bullying,” he said. However, he added that if the harassment of fishermen will be confirmed, it will be a ground for a protest.The Department of Foreign Affairs said it will act on the incident once it has verified it.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the department would ask the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Coast Guard about the incident before taking action.“We will verify first from our military and from our coast guard and we will address it,” Cayetano told The Manila Times after attending the Russia Day celebration Friday night in Makati City.A television report cited two separate incidents wherein supposed members of the Chinese Coast Guard asked for fish from Filipino fishermen in Panatag.Scarborough Shoal or Bajo de Masinloc, which is 124 nautical miles from the coast of Zambales province, is within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.An international arbitration ruling in 2016, which invalidated China’s claim to almost the entire sea, declared that China and the Philippines have “traditional fishing rights” in Scarborough.The shoal is a potential flashpoint in the disputed sea, as maritime experts say Beijing is eyeing to build another artificial island there to fully cement its control of the vital waterway.The DFA last week said the Philippines had asserted its maritime rights numerous times in bilateral consultations, face-to-face meetings and in letters to Chinese officials.CATHERINE S. VALENTE and Jefferson Antiporda
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/roque-to-meet-panatag-fishers/406547/
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Vizcaya bettor bags P33-M lotto pot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2016-10-28 20:31:08+00:00
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A lone bettor from Nueva Vizcaya won the P33.3-million Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s (PCSO) draw last Thursday night.PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said the lucky winner placed his bet on the winning combination 42-37-33-11-13-03 at a lotto outlet in Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya using standard pick.Balutan added that the bettor can claim his prize amounting to P33,331,276 at the PCSO main office in Mandaluyong City (Metro Manila).Aside from the lone jackpot winner, nine lotto bettors also bagged the second prize amounting to P70,000 for correctly guessing five number of the six-number combination right and 819 lotto players will be getting P820 each as third prize.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vizcaya-bettor-bags-p33-m-lotto-pot/293615/
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Oil firms adjust prices
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-16 19:50:26+00:00
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Oil companies adjusted the prices of diesel, gasoline and kerosene on Monday, a week after implementing a rollback in the prices of petroleum products.Flying V left the price of diesel unchanged, although it raised the price of gasoline by 20 centavos per liter and decreased the price of kerosene by 15 centavos per liter, effective at 12:01 a.m.Caltex, Eastern Petroleum, PTT Philippines, Pilipinas Shell and Seaoil did not adjust the price of diesel this week.But Phoenix Petroleum slashed the price of diesel by 40 centavos per liter, effective at 6:00 a.m.The same companies, however, jacked up the price of gasoline by 20 centavos per liter.Caltex, Pilipinas Shell and Seaoil reduced the price of kerosene by 15 centavos per liter effective at 6:00 a.m.JORDEENE LAGARE
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/oil-firms-adjust-prices/356898/
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NFA should ban private traders from importing rice – lawmaker
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-02-23 00:01:33+00:00
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Private traders should be banned from importing rice thru the state-run National Food Authority (NFA), a lawmaker said on Thursday.Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte of Camarines Sur proposed the ban two days after he moved to summon the 13 rice traders whom Rep. Manuel Luis Lopez of Manila accused of manipulating rice prices.These traders were identified by Lopez as Evergreen, Rising Sun, GRC, CGG, Expo, Arns, Working Gold, Leoneco, PMT, Hype Rice, LM Rice Cereal, MML Grain Center and Grandio.“The NFA Council should discontinue its long-standing policy of allowing private traders to import rice given that certain unscrupulous individuals have cashed in on this system to corner the bulk of domestic supply and unduly jack up prices of our staple food,” Villafuerte said in a statement.“We need to fix this to protect both farmers and consumers,” he added.Under the current system, the NFA has the sole power to import rice but the NFA Council allows private traders to purchase stocks from abroad through the NFA.Villafuerte said the ban would be wise, citing Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol saying during a congressional probe that there are private traders who import rice of lower quality then mix it with locally produced varietaies so they can sell the staple at higher prices.“Consumers must never be at the mercy of avatricious traders who are allowed to import stocks though the NFA. Having said that, the NFA must regain full control of rice imports in accordance with its mandate of buying, warehousing and distributing stocks to consumers at the cheapest price possible,” he added.During the same congressional probe, the NFA announced that it only has 106.86 metric tons of supply, which is good for 1.7 days since the 1,321.51 metric tons good for 42 days are in the hands of households while 857 metric tons–good for 27 days–are in commercial establishments.Rep. Ariel Casilao of party-list Anakpawis called on Congress to probe the status of NFA rice stock in Northern Samar that is currently at 13,442 sacks.“The declining stocks would be a big problem to poor farmers and fisherfolk as they can only afford to buy lower-priced rice in the market,” Casilao said in another statement.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/nfa-ban-private-traders-importing-rice-lawmaker/381980/
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