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Duterte cuts power firms’ tax liabilities
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-05-06 01:14:07+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has reduced and condoned real property taxes, interests and penalties assessed on power generation facilities of certain independent power producers (IPPs).Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) 19, which directs the reduction of the 2015 and 2016 liabilities for real property tax on property, machinery and equipment that the IPPs used for the production of electricity under the build-operate-transfer scheme with government-owned-and-controlled corporations (GOCCs).The liabilities are reduced to “an amount equivalent to the tax due if computed based on an assessment level of 15 percent of the fair market value of said property, machinery and equipment depreciated at the rate of 2 percent per annum.”“If any real property tax payments for 2015 and 2016 have been made by IPPs in excess of the reduced amount… such excess shall be applied to their real property tax for the succeeding years,” the EO said.“All interests on such deficiency real property tax liabilities are also hereby condoned and the concerned IPPs are relieved from payment thereof,” it added.Under Section 234 of the Local Government Code of 1991, GOCCs engaged in power generation and transmission enjoy a number of exemptions and privileges with respect to real property taxes, including an assessment level of 10 percent on all its lands and property as well as an exemption from pollution control.The new EO, however, noted that “various” local government units (LGUs) have said IPPs, which are not GOCCs, are “not entitled to the exemptions/privileges of GOCCs” regarding real property taxes—with some LGUs “threatening” actions against IPPs.Such a move, the document said, “would trigger massive direct liabilities” to GOCCs since a “substantial part” of the real property taxes charged against IPPs has been contractually assumed by the National Power Corporation and other GOCCs.“The President of the Philippines may, when public interest so requires, condone or reduce the real property tax and interest for any year in any province or city or a municipality within the Metropolitan Area,” the EO said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-cuts-power-firms-tax-liabilities-2/325798/
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Arroyo visits PH weaving, embroidery exhibit in Madrid
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-06-05 00:02:38+00:00
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Former president Gloria Arroyo visited the Philippines’ Piña-Seda exhibit at the historical Real Fabrica de Tapices in Madrid, Spain.The Philippine Embassy in Madrid and the Real Fabrica de Tapices, through the joint efforts of the National Museum of the Philippines, the Office of Senator Loren Legarda, the Local Governments of Kalibo, Aklan, and Lumban, Laguna of the Philippines, launched the Piña-Seda: Hibla ng Lahing Filipino Travelling Exhibition, Lecture Series, Weaving and Embroidery Demonstrations and Workshops on May 24, 2018 at the Real Fabrica de Tapices.The exhibit, which will run until June 21, 2018, aims to increase public awareness and interest in Filipino traditional textiles and to deepen the appreciation of local weaving traditions and provide venues for the promotion of intangible heritage related to processing and weaving textiles, and knowledge exchanges. It also seeks to highlight the skills, knowledge and efforts of local weavers in preserving and upholding Filipino traditional weaving heritage.Weaving demonstrations at the 300-year old Real Fabrica de Tapices will also be held as well as embroidery workshops and lecture series focusing on the Philippines’ weaving traditions, and the history, social significance, and artistry of the piña-seda, arguably the Philippines’ most famous indigenous textile.Arroyo witnessed a weaving and embroidery demonstration.In his welcome remarks, Real Fabrica de Tapices Director General Alejandro Klecker de Elizalde expressed satisfaction over the exhibit and its programs, and noted the forthcoming 500th anniversary of Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines and the interlinked history of Spain and the Philippines which led to exchanges in culture.Ambassador Philippe Jones Lhuillier cited the contribution of the weavers and embroiderers in the preservation of the piña-seda and called them “underrated artisans” deserving of acknowledgment.The lecture series on Philippine Traditional Textiles and Indigenous Knowledge will be conducted by researchers from the National Museum of the Philippines, including Assistant Director Ana Labrador, researchers Anna India de la Cruz and Lyn Liza C. Silva. The weaving demonstrations will be led by Nelia Rogano from Kalibo, Aklan, and workshops by Magdalena Rosales and Marilyn Tobias from Lumban, Laguna.Legarda, advocate of indigenous arts and culture, initiated the establishment of the first permanent textile exhibition at the National Museum of the Philippines in 2010. Her office, along with the National Museum, has been leading the promotion of Philippine textiles by bringing the exhibit to various Philippines embassies in Europe.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/arroyo-visits-ph-weaving-embroidery-exhibit-in-madrid/404503/
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Extended prison terms in lieu of death penalty eyed
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['Paul Parenas']
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15/04/2017 0:00
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Northern Samar Rep. Raul Daza has asked Congress to consider increasing the prison terms and scrapping parole privilege for persons convicted of heinous crimes, which are more acceptable alternatives to the death penalty.Daza filed House Bill 4872 to increase the duration and effect of penalties of reclusion temporal and reclusion perpetua even as the House of Representatives unanimously approved the death penalty measure.In his proposal, Daza called for amendments to the Revised Penal Code by increasing the prison term for reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment from maximum of 20 years to minimum of 30 years and maximum of 40 years.Under the bill, persons convicted of reclusion perpetua shall not be eligible for parole under the Indeterminate Sentence Law.HB 4872 also seeks to adjust prison sentences for crimes punishable with reclusion temporal from 12 years and one day to 30 years.Maximum prison term for reclusion temporal is currently set at 20 years.Daza was among the 52 lawmakers who thumbed down the death penalty bill that was presented for third and final reading last month.“While our country needs strong and effective deterrents against criminality, especially the scourge of illicit drugs, the death penalty has been empirically shown to be an ineffective one,” he explained.The veteran lawmaker said stiff penalties outside death for drug related and heinous crimes “is imperative both as a deterrent and for the effective dispensation of justice.”HB 4872 remained pending before the House Committee on Justice, which strongly recommended approval of the death penalty measure.The death penalty proposal is expected to face rough sailing in the Senate which will debate on the measure starting next month.Daza’s no parole proposal may yet see the light only if senators reject the death penalty bill.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/15/extended-prison-terms-in-lieu-of-death-penalty-eyed/
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Pinay missing in 6.4 magnitude Taiwan quake
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2018-02-08 00:05:36+00:00
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A FILIPINA is among those missing in the magnitude 6.4 quake that shook the east coast of Taiwan on Thursdtay morning, reports reaching the Department of Foreign Affairs said.The reports, citing the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), said the unnamed Filipina is reportedly missing in Hualien.MECO said it is sending a team to the area.Two people were killed and at least 200 others were injured in the earthquake that struck Hualien in the east coast of Taiwan.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pinay-missing-6-4-magnitude-taiwan-quake/378816/
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Sotto: Ethics complaint ‘welcome thing’
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-05-10 22:00:19+00:00
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SENATE Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd on Wednesday said he views an ethics complaint filed against him by various organizations as another blessing in disguise and he sees no problem with it.“I haven’t read the complaint but we live in democracy, we have freedom of speech, we have freedom of expression, we have freedom of the press, we have freedom to waste our time. So it’s a welcome thing,” Sotto added, referring to the complaintThe ethics complaint was filed also on Wednesday by representative of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific and the World March of Women-Pilipinas, Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan, Purple Action for Indigenous Womens’ Rights, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Woman Health Philippines and Sentro ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas.The complaint stemmed from the senator’s verbal slip about the marital status of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo during her confirmation hearing last May 3.“He epitomizes the segment of the misogynist and macho sector of society that considers women who are without men as less of value,” the complainants said.They added that Sotto, as a legislator, has undermined national policies that have underpinned The Solo Parents Welfare Act, the Magna Carta of Women and other laws.The complaint was filed after the majority leader met with members of the Federation of Solo Parents Luzviminda Inc. and vowed to support the proposal to amend Republic Act 8972 or the Solo Parents Welfare Act.Sotto, in an interview, said he has not yet read the complaint but added that he would immediate inhibit himself as chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics once he receives and reads the complaint.“It might be another blessing in disguise because then automatically I will inhibit myself and then I will take leave from the committee on ethics and that will solve my dilemma with Sen. [Leila] de Lima because Sen. [Panfilo] Lacson will take over,” he said.De Lima, who is detained on drug-related charges, is also facing an ethics complaint filed by members of the House of Representatives and a lawyer.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sotto-ethics-complaint-welcome-thing/326499/
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VP’s office reaches out to Marawi evacuees
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-06-18 19:32:09+00:00
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The Office of Vice President (OVP) Maria Leonor Robredo over the weekend turned over a water filtration device for evacuees staying at a temporary shelter in Saguiaran, Lanao del Sur.The evacuees came from Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, which has been under attack by terrorist Maute Group since May 23, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to declare martial law and suspend the writ of habeas corpus that allows warrantless arrests in Mindanao.The OVP’s Angat Buhay partner Physicians for Peace provided the water filtration device.“The Vice President has already visited Marawi before the Marawi [clashes], and we are looking at providing them [evacuees] livelihood thru weaving. We already raised funds to help in weaving production and we were supposed to turn [them] over but the Marawi incident happened. While we are proceeding with that aid for livelihood, we’ll ensure the basic needs first,” Robredo’s spokesman, Georgina Hernandez, said in an interview.“We already sent food aid but the feedback we got is that the food supply is still not enough. We will 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,” Hernandez added.She said the OVP is mulling sending sewing machines since fighting between government troops and the bandit group forced those displaced to leave in haste, preventing them from bringing enough clothes to the evacuation center.“They thought they would only be staying in the evacuation center for two days. That’s why they are very emotional right now, and they need sewing machines to sew their clothes and hopefully in time for Eid’l Fitr. We want them to have a semblance of normalcy thru sewing,” the spokesman added.Hernandez and other OVP staff were earlier briefed by Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, also military spokesman, and Lanao del Sur Vice Gov. Mamintal Bombit Alonto Adiong Jr. to discuss relief efforts and plans for rehabilitation led by local government units during their meeting at the Lanao del Sur provincial capitol.Also over the weekend, international rural and indigenous peoples’ groups from Peoples’ Coalition for Food Sovereignty (PCFS) and International Indigenous Peoples’ Movement for Self-Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL) joined the National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission in Marawi City to express grave concern on the situation of the mostly Moro people in the area amid continuing firefights and bombings.“There is a need for solidarity among peoples amid these crises to ensure that people’s human rights are upheld especially that rural, Moro and indigenous peoples are displaced and further victimized,” Beverly Longid of IPMSDL said in a statement.“We appeal for a stop to this indiscriminate aerial bombardment. These bombs do not discern from the Maute attackers and the innocent peoples still in the area. These bombings might as well be directed against the indigenous and Moro peoples as government forces do it indiscriminately and have also directed their nozzles at lumad [indigenous people] communities in other parts of Mindanao,” Longid added.Malacañang has welcomed the Commission on Human Rights’ statement that there are no right abuses reported in Mindanao from the declaration of martial law in the region.“This should put the fears and anxiety of some quarters against martial law to rest. As we have said in previous occasions, public safety is foremost in the President’s mind in light of the continuing rebellion in Marawi and martial law is a necessary response to address the prevailing reign of terror and its potential spillover to the rest of Mindanao,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said also in a statement.LLANESCA T. PANTI
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vps-office-reaches-marawi-evacuees/333517/
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Police, soldiers to get pay hike this month
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-01-03 22:30:05+00:00
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Government civilian employees and members of the police and the military will get the second of four programmed salary increases beginning this month, one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic managers said on Tuesday.“There will be another round of salary increaseS this year, both for civilian [workers] and [members of the] military and policemen,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said during a news briefing in Malacanang.The salary hike, according to Diokno, is part of the government’s program to double the compensation of policemen and soldiers by 2018.“We would be able to comply with the desire of the President to double their take-home pay by January of 2018,” the Budget chief said.Diokno added that he already submitted to the Office of the President a copy of a bill that seeks to raise the regular pay of the government’s security forces.“This [bill] would only require [a] joint resolution from both the Senate and the House. And going by the behavior of Congress, they won’t object to a salary increase because it’s a popular move,” he said.On January 1 this year, Diokno added, the government implemented the second tranche of the salary adjustment, which was under the Salary Standardization Law passed by Duterte’s predecessor, then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd.The first tranche of the adjustment already took effect on January 1 last year, while the two subsequent and final tranches would begin on January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2019, respectively.“We are now on our second tranche of a four-tranche salary adjustment, okay? As you know, we gave the salary increase last year. There will be another round of salary increases this year, both for civilian [workers] and [members of the] military and policemen,” Diokno said.“They’re part of the four-tranche system that we are implementing,” the Budget chief added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/police-soldiers-get-pay-hike-month/305011/
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Release ride-hailing guides before Dec, LTFRB urged
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-10-23 22:11:18+00:00
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The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) should release before the year ends the revised guidelines governing the operation of TNVS (transport network vehicle services) such as Uber and Grab.This appeal was made on Monday by Sen. Grace Poe after she received a letter dated September 29 from LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra 3rd explaining the delay in releasing the revised TNVS guidelines.“In the interest of public service, the LTFRB should release the guidelines before the end of the year, preferably before the holiday rush,” according to Poe, chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Services.“To delay the release of those guidelines will affect, not just the daily commute of those who rely on TNVS, but also those who rely on it for a living,” she said.Delgra said during the agency’s consultations with stakeholders, “It became clear that there were more issues than just accountability, fare surging and vehicle specifications initially brought forth that needed to be comprehensively discussed and addressed.”“From the consultative meetings with TNCs [transport network companies], the issues pertaining to insurance, fleet management, minimum hours of operation, a common supply base for TNVS and trade dress, among others, surfaced,” he added.Delgra said additional issues were also raised by the TNVS community such as financial assistance, booking fees of TNCs, “dual citizenship” and fare setting.Despite this and other issues, Poe said the LTFRB should complete the revised guidelines at the soonest possible time, having failed to meet its self-imposed deadline.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/release-ride-hailing-guides-dec-ltfrb-urged-2/358252/
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3 vie for Philippine Navy chief post
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-01-02 23:01:59+00:00
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has submitted a shortlist of three senior Philippine Navy officers who are vying for the post of Navy flag officer in command.A military source on Tuesday disclosed that the AFP Board of Generals has already passed a list of recommendations to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who will be checking the list of candidates before submitting it to President Rodrigo Duterte for approval.The candidates are Rear Admiral Robert Empedrad, the acting Navy chief; Rear Admiral Rommel Ong, the Philippine Navy Inspector General; and Rear Admiral Joby Bacordo, the Naval Sea Systems commander.Empedrad is a “mistah” (classmate) of Philippine National Police chief Ronald de la Rosa, who both belong to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Sinagtala” Class of 1986.Ong and Bacordo, meanwhile, are members of the PMA “Hinirang” Class of 1987, and classmates of Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, the Quezon City Police Director, and Brig. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, the commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, among others.According to the source, Lorenzana was pushing for Empedrad to be the next Philippine Navy chief, “for obvious reason.”“But he [Empedrad] is not the most qualified. In fact, there are questions on his qualification because he did not command any Naval Force,” the source, who requested anonymity, told reporters.A Naval Force is equivalent to an Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado was replaced by Empedrad in December last year for “insubordination” over a frigate deal of the Philippine Navy, as mentioned by Lorenzana.The Defense chief accused Mercado of sitting down on the frigate deal and disregarding the weapons system already provided by the Hyundai Heavy Industries by allegedly lobbying for a France-based company.The source said Lorenzana wanted Empedrad to officially head the Philippine Navy since “he is their main [man] in the frigate program.”“So they can implement it the way they want it and to silence the Philippine Navy, who is contesting and [has] issues [over the frigate deal]. That is why they relieved Mercado,” the source said.“Either Bacordo or Ong. They are definitely more qualified. Selection should be based on merit and qualification,” he added.The source said there were “rumblings” within the Philippine Navy, with officers urging their PMA classmates and other friends not to let themselves fall into the “manueverings” of Defense Undersecretary Raymundo Elefante, who is in charge of materiel and finance of the agency.The source showed a text message, indicating that Elefante was hiding something in the frigate deal and insisted that the program will not benefit neither the Philippine Air Force nor the Philippine Army.“It is really sad. Empedrad will further divide the Navy and will not be able to stabilize the situation. I just hope that they will look into the qualifications based on summary of information and curriculum vitae and not just seniority,” the source said.“The Navy is hoping and praying that Secretary Lorenzana and the President will change their minds,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/3-vie-philippine-navy-chief-post/371867/
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DoH records lower firecracker injuries
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2017-12-26 00:02:25+00:00
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The Department of Health (DoH) Epidemiology Bureau said there were only 14 firecracker-related injuries reported—61 percent lower than that in 2016—since it started monitoring these cases on December 21.The 14 firecracker-related injuries were recorded in sentinel hospitals, including 10 from Metro Manila. Among the 10, seven of the cases came from Manila while Pasig, Las Piñas and Quezon City reported one case each.This was 22 cases or 61 percent lower than the 37 cases reported for the same period in 2016 or 73 percent lower than the five-year average from 2012 to 2016.The first of the 14 cases was that of Jaime Mangahas, 62 of Barangay Pag-asa in Quezon City. He lit a whistle bomb on Christmas day but failed to release it early enough so it blasted on his hand. He nearly lost his right index finger. Mangahas was rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center early Monday morning and was released shortly before 8 a.m.Majority of the 13 other cases involved males aged 11 to 58 years old, including 12 active users. The illegal firecracker “piccolo” caused nine of the injuries.In Basista, Pangasinan, a blast injury resulting in amputation was caused by “Boga,” which produces a cannon-like sound.As of press time, there have been no recorded deaths, fireworks ingestion and stray bullet injuries.Earlier, Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo said he expected a lower number of cases this year since President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 28 last June 20.EO 28 stipulates that the use of firecrackers must be confined or limited only to community fireworks displays to minimize the risk of injuries and casualties.The Health department has been on Code White since December 21 to heighten response to firecracker-related injuries during the Christmas season and especially during the coming New Year celebration.Code White refers to the readiness of hospital manpower, such as general and orthopedic surgeons, anesthesiologists, internists, operating room nurses, eye doctors, and eye, nose and throat, as well as head and neck specialists, to respond to any emergency situation.Quezon City passed in November an ordinance banning the use of firecrackers in public places. Violators will be charged a fine of P5,000 or a one-year imprisonment, depending on the court’s discretion.wirth GLEE JALEA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doh-records-lower-firecracker-injuries/370632/
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DOLE issues pay rules for Chinese New Year
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2017-01-13 20:53:28+00:00
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Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) urged private sector employers to observe proper pay rules for the Chinese New Year on January 28.Under Proclamation 50, President Rodrigo Duterte declared Chinese New Year as a non-working holiday.“No work, no pay” shall apply if the employee did not work on the 28th.But if the employee worked, he will be paid an additional 30 percent of his daily rate for the first eight hours of work.An additional 30 percent will be added if the employee worked for more than eight hours.Meanwhile, if an employee worked on a non-working holiday on his rest day, he will be paid an additional 50 percent of this daily rate for the first eight hours of work.Another 30 percent of his daily rate will be added if he exceeded eight hours of work.MICAH VARDELEON
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dole-issues-pay-rules-chinese-new-year-2/306813/
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Court junks disbarment raps vs Ombudsman
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-03-28 22:01:27+00:00
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The Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday junked outright the disbarment charges filed against Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, an impeachable officer under the 1987 Constitution.The SC said the Ombudsman can be removed only by impeachment and cannot be charged with disbarment during her incumbency.Morales was charged with disbarment by former Manila city councilor Greco Belgica who asked to strip her of her license as a lawyer for clearing former President Benigno Aquino 3rd in connection with the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which was allegedly used to bribe senators and congressmen to impeach then-Chief Justice Renato Corona.Belgica asked the SC to disbar Morales after she allegedly violated the lawyer’s oath and the canon of professional responsibility when she approved earlier this month a resolution absolving Aquino of the charges for technical malversation, usurpation of legislative powers and graft.It was only then-Budget Secretary Florencio Abad who was given a “slap on the wrist” by Morales after he was indicted for usurpation of legislative powers for unlawfully issuing National Budget Circular No. 541, which was used to carry out the acceleration program.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-junks-disbarment-raps-vs-ombudsman/319656/
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Human Rights Watch warns vs abuses
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-05-26 21:10:37+00:00
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THE New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday said the declaration of martial law in Mindanao threatens to widen the scope of abuses under the Duterte administration.On Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law and suspended the writ of habeas corpus after the armed Islamist Maute Group attacked Marawi City in Lanao del Sur province and killed 13 soldiers and burned several buildings, including a hospital and a school.Maute fighters reportedly took a priest and several others hostage.The HRW noted that the imposition of martial law amid Duterte’s “war on drugs,” in which more than 7,000 people have been killed since June, raises grave concerns of ever-widening human rights violations in the country.“Duterte’s martial law threatens military abuses in Mindanao that could rival the murderous ‘drug war’ in urban areas,” Phelim Kine, HRW-deputy Asia director, said.“It’s crucial that the country’s security forces abide by international law at all times and hold rights violators to account,” Kine added.The international human rights watchdog said placing Mindanao under martial law empowers the Philippine military to supersede civilian authorities in enforcing the law.In 1972, then-President Ferdinand Marcos imposed martial law and suspended habeas corpus throughout the Philippines, which facilitated widespread abuses by the military and other security forces, including detention without charge, torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.These abuses did not end when martial law was lifted in early 1981. The 1987 Philippine Constitution, which was drafted after Marcos’ overthrow during a “people power” revolution in 1986, places restrictions on the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, as well as on their implementation.Article VII, Section 18 of the Constitution, empowers the President in the event of “invasion or rebellion” to impose martial law and suspend habeas corpus for up to 60 days.A majority of members of both houses of Congress can revoke—or extend—the proclamation or suspension without the President’s approval.Also under Section 18, the Supreme Court may review a case brought by any citizen contesting the factual basis for martial law, and must hand down its decision within 30 days.The Constitution also provides some important due process protections during martial law, Human Rights Watch said.A state of martial law does not suspend the Constitution, nor replace the functioning of the civil courts or Congress.It only permits military courts to try civilians when civil courts are unable to function.Suspension of habeas corpus applies only to people judicially charged for rebellion or offenses linked to invasion, and those arrested or detained must still be charged by the courts within three days or be released.The HRW said Maute and the Islamist armed group Abu Sayyaf threaten the security of people in parts of Mindanao.Both groups have pledged support to the Islamic State.The imposition of martial law throughout Mindanao for at least 60 days, however, could also affect the Philippine armed forces’ handling of other armed conflicts on the island, including with the communist New People’s Army and various Moro insurgent groups, according to HRW.Expanding the military’s legal authority in these conflicts, it said, opens the door to increased human rights violations against civilians, including leftist activists, indigenous leaders and environmental activists, who have long been targets of military abuses.“The Philippine government has a responsibility to protect the population from armed militants, but gaining the backing of affected people means abiding by the rule of law,” Kine said. “Martial law is not a free pass for abuse.”NEIL A. ALCOBER
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/human-rights-watch-warns-vs-abuses/329472/
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Leptospirosis outbreak declared in 10 more villages
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2018-07-08 00:03:21+00:00
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The Department of Health has added 10 more villages to the list of areas with a leptospirosis outbreak, bringing the total number of affected villages to 28.The city of Caloocan was added to the list because the disease was reported in two of its villages.“Yung mga barangay na naapektuhan ay nadagdagan pa. Mula 18 noong huli akong nagpahayag ay nasa 28 na. Nadagdagan ng 10 at nadagdagan ng isang siyudad (The number of affected villages had increased from 18 to 28),” Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said in a radio interview on Saturday.“Ang lugar na maraming tao at bahain, ‘yan ang pinakamalaking factor sa pagkalat, pagdami ng lepto cases,” he added.Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by contact with floodwater, mud or food contaminated with the urine of rats.Duque said 58 people have died of the disease since January.Among the symptoms of leptospirosis are high fever, headache, muscle pain, eye redness, tea-colored urine, cough, diarrhea and vomiting.If left untreated, leptospirosis may cause kidney failure, brain damage, massive internal bleeding, and death.On Thursday, the Health department declared a leptospirosis outbreak in some villages in the cities of Quezon, Taguig, Pasig, Parañaque, Navotas, Mandaluyong and Malabon.Duque said his department has ensured that hospitals are prepared and well-equipped to treat leptospirosis cases.He urged Filipinos to avoid wading in flood waters.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/leptospirosis-outbreak-declared-in-10-more-villages/417204/
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SC asked: Act on Marcos poll protest
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-28 22:03:23+00:00
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The camp of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has asked the Supreme Court (SC), sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to act on his election protest amid a “well-funded and concerted” destabilization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.In a 25-page comment/opposition to the motion for reconsideration filed by former Camarines Sur lawmaker and now Vice President Maria Leonor Rodredo on the tribunal’s resolution finding his election protest to be sufficient in form and substance, Marcos, through his lawyer George Edwin Garcia, asked the electoral tribunal to proceed with his case by setting it for preliminary conference and ordering the retrieval of ballot boxes so his case can finally move forward.Garcia said it has been nine months since Marcos filed his protest and the tribunal is yet to schedule the preliminary conference.In those nine months, he pointed out, destabilization efforts against the Duterte administration have been continuously waged.“In those nine months, several plots on destabilizing the government have surfaced which are contrary to public interest. There is clearly a well-funded concerted effort to undermine the Duterte administration. Just recently, Robredo’s video message on the alleged extrajudicial killings caused quite a stir among our patriotic countrymen,” Garcia said in a statement.According to the Marcos lawyer, the electoral tribunal “should not tolerate the duplicity of Robredo who has been insisting the she won the vice presidential race but has been opposing every move to prevent the truth from coming out.”Garcia said, “Robredo cannot have it both ways. She cannot keep claiming that she won the elections fair and square and yet, behind everyone’s back, she keeps finding ways to stop the truth from coming out. The evidence of Marcos is probably the same evidence that Robredo has by now. If this is the case, one cannot help but wonder why she does not want the proceeding to move forward.”In refuting Robredo’s claim that Marcos’ election protest should be dismissed because the latter failed to allege the sufficiency of his evidence on election fraud, Garcia said the issue of sufficiency in form and substance had been settled by the electoral tribunal “not just once but twice.”“The sufficiency of the form, substance and content of the election protest filed by protestant Marcos was judiciously affirmed by this honorable tribunal in two instances already. First, when it resolved to issue the summons (dated 12 July 2016) against protestee Robredo, and second, when it denied the special and affirmative defenses of Robredo as contained in [a] resolution promulgated on January 24, 2017,” he noted.Garcia said the ruling on sufficiency in form and substance has become final because Robredo did not move for a motion for reconsideration on a July 12, 2016 resolution of the tribunal in which it made a categorical declaration that Marcos’ election protest is sufficient in form and substance.“It is now too late for protestee Robredo to question this finding because she did not move for the reconsideration of the pronouncement of honorable tribunal’s relevant to the sufficiency of this election protest. Hence, this finding is now final,” he stated.Since the sufficiency in form and substance had already been settled twice, Garcia said, public interest dictates that the electoral tribunal should now set the case for preliminary conference to give way to the reception of evidence, the reopening of the ballot boxes and the manual recount, judicial revision, technical examination and forensic investigation of the paper ballots and/or the ballot images and other paraphernalia used in the May 2016 elections.“The term of an elective office is short. There is the contestants’ personal stake which generates feuds and discords. Above all is the public interest. A title to public elective office must not be left long under a cloud. The efficiency of public administration should not be impaired [by delays],” according to the Marcos lawyer.Ultimately the issue in Marcos’ protest is quite simple, Garcia said.“The issue here is simple: Do we want the truth to come out or not? More than nine months have already gone by and all protestee Robredo has done is to file one dilatory motion after another. If [Robredo] has nothing to hide, then she should do everything in her power to encourage, rather than hinder this election protest to move forward. The millions of voters who trooped to the polls nine months ago deserve no less. They want the truth to come out. The sooner the better,” the lawyer added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-asked-act-marcos-poll-protest/319658/
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Pass expanded maternity bill, House urged
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-06 00:04:07+00:00
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SEN. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday appealed to members of the House of Representatives to pass the Expanded Maternity Leave bill that would allow mothers to spend more time with their babies.Angara, one of the authors of Senate Bill 1305 which was approved on third and final reading in March 2017, said the enactment of the measure would provide mothers longer period to care and breastfeed their babies.SB 1305 seeks to increase maternity leave from 60 days to 120 days. It also aims to grant an additional 30 days for solo working mothers.“To lengthen maternity benefits is to safeguard our nation’s future,” Angara said in a statement.Under SB 1305, 30 days of the proposed 120-day maternity leave are transferrable to alternate caregivers including the child’s father, the mother’s common-law partner, and relatives up to the fourth degree of consanguinity.The measure also entitles adoptive parents of minor children to 30 days of parental leave.House Bill 4113 that seeks to expand maternity leave from 60 days to 100 days, had been awaiting approval on second reading since January 2017.Angara, in emphasizing the importance of providing mothers more time to breastfeed their babies, cited the 2013 World Health Organization report which showed that the Philippines had a breastfeeding rate of only 34 percent for infants younger than six months.Based on the 2015 Nutritional Status of Filipinos, one in every three Filipino children aged five years old and younger is stunted.Angara noted that mother’s milk is second to none in terms of its nutritional and economic value. While doubling the number of paid maternity leave days would incur costs to businesses and may affect productivity, its social and familial benefits would far outweigh the costs, the senator said.“Every mother—or every parent for that matter—should be afforded ample time and opportunity to care for their children. We should not pass the chance for us to take care of them,” he added.The country is now celebrating the National Breastfeeding Awareness Month and this year’s theme is “Breastfeeding: Foundation for Life.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pass-expanded-maternity-bill-house-urged/427143/
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Phaseout of old jeepneys to take 3 years—LTFRB
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['Nelson Badilla']
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2017-03-05 20:28:35+00:00
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The phaseout of 15-year-old jeepney units will take three years to implement, according to the Land Transportation and Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).But LTFRB Commissioner Aileen Lizada over the weekend said the phaseout, part of a public transportation modernization plan of the Duterte administration, is not an immediate concern of the LTFRB.Lizada’s statement was the LTFRB’s stand on information being circulated by George San Mateo of the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operators Nationwide (Piston) that the government will abruptly end the life of public utility jeepneys 15 years and older.San Mateo said there would be another round of suspensions of operations if the government pursued the phaseout.According to Lizada, public utility buses instead would be immediately phased out.She told The Manila Times that the LTFRB had issued a memorandum to managements of bus companies that they should stop operating 15-year-old bus units.Lizada said they will reject outright renewal of the bus companies’ franchises if they state in their application that they will field 15-year-old units.Actually, all old units of different types of public utility vehicles are included in the phaseout plan.Lizada said the government, the LTFRB in particular, is not singling out jeepney drivers and jeepney operators as San Mateo has “[been] erroneously insinuating.”She added that the regulatory board has not issued a memorandum directing the jeepney drivers and jeepney operators to immediately stop the operations of old jeepney units.The LTFRB is conducting a series of consultations with different jeepney drivers and jeepney operators to explain the “omnibus modernization plan” of the government for the public transportation system.Lizada said the Duterte administration is concerned with the economic plight of jeepney drivers and small jeepney operators.NELSON S. BADILLA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/phaseout-old-jeepneys-take-3-years-ltfrb/315569/
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PhilHealth denies P6B debt to Phapi
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-11-14 00:04:24+00:00
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The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has denied the allegations of Rustico Jimenez, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPi) that it owed private hospitals some P6 billion in unpaid claims from 2011 to 2017.Philhealth said it has paid more than P212 billion since 2014 when it started reimbursing claims using the case-based payment system for some 21 milion claims.“In October this year alone, we have paid more than P36 billion for a total of 4 million claims by health care providers filed for the services they rendered to our members nationwide and even those abroad,” Philhealth said in a statement.It added that for this year, it has “a total of 1 million in pending claims on record, of which close to 800,000 claims or some 70 percent amounting to P7.3 billion are well within the 60 days processing time as provided for by law.”PhilHealth also denied Jimenez’s allegations that it reimburses hospitals from five months to one year because based on records as of October 2018, its average turnaround time of claims processing nationwide is 33 days from the time that claims are received at regional offices or branches.“It is rather unfortunate that despite our constant communication with PHAPi through visits and even during their gatherings and conventions, Dr. Jimenez still comes out with ‘rehashed’ issues on alleged unpaid claims,” PhilHealth said.“In May this year, PhilHealth and PHAPi even arrived at an amicable resolution and even signed a joint statement for the purpose,” it added.It expressed dismay over PHAPi’s threat to withdraw the accreditation of some of their members, or to deny patients of their PhilHealth benefits.PhilHealth said it has invited PHAPi for a dialogue to clarify their concerns.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/philhealth-denies-p6b-debt-to-phapi/467112/
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PCSO releases P10-M fund for ‘Urduja’ victims
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-12-19 21:28:21+00:00
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The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), a corporate agency under the office of President Rodrigo Duterte, on Tuesday said it is releasing on Wednesday P10 million from its yearly calamity fund that can be used to aid the victims of Typhoon Urduja that battered some provinces in the Visayas.The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is monitoring the rising number of casualties that according to reports have already reached 40 dead and more than two dozen missing.Badly hit by landslides and flashfloods are the provinces of Samar, Leyte and specially Biliran, where majority of the fatalities and missing persons were reported.PCSO Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said the board will tackle during its regular meeting also on Wednesday the release of the fund for the typhoon victims.“We initially approved the immediate release of P10 million to buy medicines and water for the typhoon victims.We have a yearly calamity fund of P100 million approved by the Department of Budget and Management for natural and man-made disasters. For 2017, we’ve more than P95 million left. So we can use that for the typhoon victims,” PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said.Balutan added that he will also recommend to the PCSO board to forego a portion of the budget for the Yuletide fellowship of PCSO employees to buy medicines and water.That portion, he said, can also be used to defray hospitalization expenses of individuals injured in the typhoon.“We immediately come to the aid of calamity victims and this is our priority as a charitable government agency,” Balutan said.Just recently, he led the opening of the PCSO’s branch office in Biliran to bring closer to the people President Rodrigo Duterte’s free medical services and health programs.Aside from Biliran, Balutan said there are also PCSO branch offices in Tacloban City, Leyte; Calbayog City, Western Samar; Maasin City, Southern Leyte; and Catarman, Northern Samar where people in dire need can go to seek financial medical assistance.“I have instructed all our branches in the typhoon-affected provinces to open their offices 24 hours a day to cater to patients and deliver medical services to the affected residents. Same instruction I gave to all other branch offices in the Visayas to come to the aid of calamity victims,” he added.Balutan said the PCSO has been coordinating with the Office of the President to inform Duterte about the availability of funds that the government can use to buy medicines and to defray the hospitalization of typhoon victims.Meanwhile, Corpuz and Balutan welcomed the arrival of former Quezon City congressman Jesus Emmanuel Suntay and Sandra Cam in the PCSO board.Suntay and Cam, a lawyer and a jueteng (an illegal numbers game) whistleblower, respectively, were appointed by the President.The other member of the board is former Davao City barangay (village) chief Marlon Balite.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-releases-p10-m-fund-urduja-victims/369575/
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Pampanga gov eyeing bigger jails
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['Marzan Rodesan']
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20/05/2017 0:00
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Authorities here are exploring ways on how to address jail congestion in line with the intensified campaign against illegal drugs and other crimes in the province.Governor Lilia G. Pineda said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is currently scouting for bigger lots for the construction of new district jails to alleviate the suffering of inmates inside existing prison cells.“We have funds for this, we only need lots,’” the governor said.She added that the inmates, regardless of the crimes they have committed, also deserve fair and humane treatment, including their right to have clean and decent lodging.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/20/pampanga-gov-eyeing-bigger-jails/
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Duterte offers help to typhoon-hit Japan
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-07-11 00:07:35+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has offered to send rescue team to Japan, which is reeling from massive floods and mudslides triggered by heavy rains.At least 156 were reported dead and dozens missing.“(I am) offering Pinoy soldiers, including engineers and doctors, to help in rescue and rehabilitation efforts in typhoon-ravaged Japan,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. quoted Duterte as saying during the Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday.“(The Philippines) will also send medicines to Japan,” he added.Japan and the Philippines are known to have one of the closest partnerships in the region, with Tokyo helping Manila build its first subway system and supporting the peace process with Muslim rebels.The Philippine government, through Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, had extended sympathies to Japan and the families of the victims.“In these difficult times, as rescue and emergency response operations continue, the Philippines stands in solidarity with our Japanese brothers and sisters and remains ready to extend a helping hand,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-offers-help-to-typhoon-hit-japan/418131/
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Housing council asks P3B for Marawi shelters
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['Charissa Mae Nemis']
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2017-08-20 21:05:48+00:00
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The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has requested P3 billion to build temporary shelters (P1 billion) and permanent shelters (P2 billion) to house some of the 5,000 displaced families in war-torn Marawi City in Lanao del Sur.The requested budget will be apart from the regular budget, HUDCC Chairman Eduardo del Rosario said in a recent interview with The Manila Times.“We are requesting the Office of the President to provide a budget for this emergency situation,” according to del Rosario.Four months of clashes between government forces and Maute Group terrorists linked to the Islamic State have forced around 400,000 displaced residents to live in hot and cramped evacuation centers and tents and share common toilets with inadequate water.“It will be single-detached [houses] with their own CRs (comfort rooms or toilets). ‘Yun ang desire ng mga nasa evacuation centers noong nagpunta kami doon [That’s the desire of those staying in evacuation centers when we visited]. Ayaw din nila ng row houses, yung dikit dikit [They also don’t want connected row houses]. Ayaw din nila ‘yung 4-in-1 houses na talikuran, gusto daw nila single-detached [They also don’t want 4-in-1 houses, they want single-detached ones] so we will provide what they want,” del Rosario said.Starting September, an initial 1,100 temporary shelters will be built on an 11-hectare land provided by the Marawi City government, he added.The site development, he added, is ongoing and being undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways, and by the first week of September, the National Housing Authority will take over for the construction of the houses.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/housing-council-asks-p3b-marawi-shelters/345738/
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Youth commission chief Aiza Seguerra resigns
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-03-14 00:03:29+00:00
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MALACAñANG on Tuesday confirmed that National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairman Aiza Seguerra has tendered her resignation.In a news briefing, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Office of the Executive Secretary has received the resignation letter of Seguerra.He, however, added that he does not know the reason behind the resignation since he is yet to talk to Seguerra.In a Facebook post, Seguerra said she met with President Rodrigo Duterte on March 5 to tender her resignation.According to the former child movie and television star, the President was very understanding and supportive of her decision to leave government service.“He was like a father. He listened, understood and he encouraged me. I told him how much I valued his trust and how this experience made me appreciate public service and our public servants,” Seguerra said.Also a recording artist, she was appointed to her post in August 2016.Duterte also appointed Seguerra’s partner, Liza Dino, as the chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines.The two openly endorsed Duterte during the campaign period.During her term as the NYC chief, Seguerra batted for minors as young as 15 years old to be tested for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) without the consent of their parents.Seguerra also pushed for the resumption of the Sangguniang Kabataan elections that were supposed to be held last year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/youth-commission-chief-aiza-seguerra-resigns/385965/
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Defense chief: Reds delusional
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-04-16 22:16:43+00:00
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DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Sunday blasted the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) for claiming that the United States was behind the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) attack on Bohol last week that left 14 people dead including a leader of the terrorist group and four government troops.“The CPP, as before, has become delusional and can no longer distinguish between what is fact and what is fantasy,” Lorenzana said in a statement.The CPP also questioned statements issued by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and called the military operations “overkill.”“The Philippine Air Force dropped nine bombs in Barangay Napo, Calenti and Banahao in Inabangan forcing at least 1,200 local residents people to evacuate,” it said.“The AFP media office, known for spinning fake news stories, has produced a highly dubious story of no less than 60 fully armed men who traveled three hundred kilometers by boat from Sulu to Bohol, unhampered by the whole AFP establishment, then upstream to a place unknown to them with only a general plan to ‘target tourists,’” the CPP added.But the Defense chief said the group has become a victim of its own propagandizing and has rendered itself inutile and an unreliable source of the truth.“It is not and has never been credible. Definitely, transparency is not a value they have. Just like the Plaza Miranda bombing which they hatched, executed, denied, and eventually admitted, the CPP is likely to create scenarios and will pass off these lies as the truth in order to push its selfish, anti-people and anti-government motives, such as extortion, kidnapping and intimidation,” Lorenzana noted.He said if there is a fake organization composed of individuals pretending to be patriots and nationalists-, it is these “communist terrorists.”On Tuesday, government forces clashed with heavily armed members of the ASG spotted in a town in Bohol on Tuesday, a day after security officials confirmed the existence of a terror threat in Central Visayas.The officials said the fighting erupted in the village of Ilaya in Inabanga town where civilians reported to the police the presence of Abu Sayyaf bandits who arrived in several speedboats.The firefight occurred two days after the United States Embassy in Manila issued a travel advisory warning its citizens against travelling to Cebu and Bohol because of the threat of kidnapping.Intelligence reports said the armed men were led by ASG sub-leader Muammar Askali alias Abu Rami, whose group was initially monitored in Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.The terrorists reached Inabanga on Monday night.The military confirmed that Askali was among the attackers killed in the clash.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/defense-chief-reds-delusional/322499/
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Russian envoy shrugs off warnings on PH arms deal
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-07-30 00:03:10+00:00
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RUSSIA has dismissed claims that the Philippines would violate sanctions imposed by the United States (US) against a blacklisted Russian firm if it proceeds with the purchase of arms from the company.Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev said the warning that the Philippines would face sanctions from the US was illogical and “russophobic” since the issue being discussed involved trade relations between two independent nations.The Philippines in October last year agreed to purchase 750 pieces of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) launchers worth P400 million from Rosoboronexport, Russia’s leading exporter of military equipment.Rosoboronexport was one of the firms blacklisted by the US last year. Because of the US move, any entity that conducts significant transaction with the Russian firm could be penalized. This was part of the law passed in theUS to punish Russia for its annexation of Crimea, and for supporting the Syrian government and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections.Reuters, in a recent article, raised the possibility of the Philippines facing sanctions if the country would finalize the deal of purchasing RPG from Rosoboronexport.“If there were some kind of award for the most irrational russophobic statement, I am confident that it would always go to Reuters,” Khovaev said at the sidelines of the conference of Russian Ambassadors in Moscow recently.Khovaev called the claims illogical because restrictions against Rosoboronexport were introduced in accordance with the internal legislation of the US and not international law.“So if we follow their line of reasoning, it would appear that the very same American laws should work in the Philippines,” he pointed out.The Russian ambassador maintained that the deal is between the Philippines and Russia alone, so the principle of “exterritoriality,” a holdover law from the colonial times wherein laws of the parent state would also apply to its colonies, no longer applies.Khovaev reiterated that Russia’s cooperation with the Philippines would be in full compliance with all existing international arms control laws and would contribute to the regional peace and stability as the arms deal aims to fight terrorism.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/russian-envoy-shrugs-off-warnings-on-ph-arms-deal/425046/
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Ex-Muslim commission chief, 2 others in graft case
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-01-17 19:41:51+00:00
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The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a graft case before the Sandiganbayan against two then-National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) officers and another individual in connection with a housing contract for pilgrims in 2014.Facing one count of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act are then-NCMF Secretary Yasmin Lao; then-NCMF Chief of Staff Norodin Lomondot; and Ahmed Khalil, who was identified in the charge sheet as then-director of sales and marketing of Al-Rayah Hotels.The Ombudsman alleged in the charge sheet that Lao and Lomondot, “conspiring and confederating with one another and with” Ahmed Khalil, “g[a]ve Al-Rayah Hotels/Faisal Mohamel Arishi unwarranted benefits, advantage or preference by causing the execution of the Housing Contract for Filipino Pilgrims in Makkah Al-Mukarramah for 1435H/2014 Hajj Season with Al-Rayah Hotels/Faisal Mohamed Arishi for the housing accommodation for 3000 pilgrims in Al Khozai Tower at Al Mansour, Makkah al-Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia despite the following” supposed “irregularities.”According to the charge sheet, “Al Khozai Tower and Al-Rayah Hotels” supposedly “were not accredited with/had not been issued the necessary permit by the Ministry of Hajj” when the contract was entered into.Also, Al Khozai Tower was supposedly “then still under construction” and “the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Hajj were” supposedly “not followed.”The Ombudsman also alleged that “[t]here were other service providers offering hotels that were suitable and ready for occupancy.”The Ombudsman recommended P30,000 bail for each of the three accused.REINA C. TOLENTINO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ex-muslim-commission-chief-2-others-graft-case/374903/
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Language commission offers to help DepEd
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['Catherine A. Modesto']
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2018-07-29 00:03:46+00:00
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The Commission on Philippine Language or Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) has offered to help the Department of Education (DepEd) introduce the culture of research in kindergarten.The offer came after Education Secretary Leonor Briones announced on Wednesday that DepEd would review the K-to-12 curriculum after two years of implementation.KWF chairman Virgilio Almario, also a National Artist for Literature, said they are “willing to help DepEd secure research a spot in the academe.”According to Almario, one of the problems identified through a study they conducted on the Philippine education system is that research has a weak spot in its curriculum.The culture of research, he said, is introduced only in high school.“Research develops children’s ability to ask and answer questions. The trend now is that kids don’t know how to ask or don’t learn how to inquire. They have to learn how to ask. The inquiry and investigation are the values to cultivate a culture of research,” Almario said in Filipino.Former president Benigno Aquino 3rd signed the K-to-12 law in 2013 that added Grades 11 and 12 to the traditional 10-year basic education system.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/language-commission-offers-to-help-deped/424484/
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‘Bato’ faces probe over free Vegas trip
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2016-11-11 20:49:59+00:00
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The Office of the Ombudsman is conducting a fact-finding investigation in connection with a recent all-expenses paid trip to Las Vegas, Nevada of Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered the probe.De la Rosa went to the United States in order to watch Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s boxing match against Jessie Vargas on November 6.The PNP chief has reportedly said Pacquiao paid for the trip and no government funds were spent for it.“The Ombudsman is conducting a fact-finding investigation regarding the alleged travel perks received by the PNP chief when he went to Las Vegas,” Acting Director Rawnsle Lopez of the office’s Public Information and Media Relations Bureau said in a text message.According to Lopez, the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (Moleo) was told to head the inquiry.The “[i]nvestigation will look into possible criminal and administrative liability[ies],” she said.Under the law, the Ombudsman may conduct an investigation motu proprio (on its own or even without a lodged complaint) on “any act or omission of any public officer or employee, office or agency, when such act or omission appears to be illegal, unjust, improper or inefficient.”REINA TOLENTINO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bato-faces-probe-free-vegas-trip/296072/
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Voters’ registration resumes on Nov. 7
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-10-31 20:38:34+00:00
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THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will resume next week the registration of voters in preparation for the 2017 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections.Based on Comelec Resolution No. 10166 promulgated on October 25, 2016, the registration period for the 2017 village elections will be from November 7, 2016 to April 29, 2017. Voters can register even on Saturdays and holidays except on December 24 and 25, and April 13 and 14, 2017.Comelec Chairman Juan Andres Bautista said over the weekend that the voters registration process is mandated by law.Section 8 of Republic Act (RA) 8189 or The Voter’s Registration Act of 1996 provides for the system of continuing registration of voters.The law also provides that the personal filing of application of registration of voters shall be conducted daily in the office of the Election Officer during regular office hours.Bautista explained that the intent of the law is to give qualified Filipinos the opportunity to register and exercise their right to suffrage.Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the registration will last for more than five months so ensure wider voters’ participation. The poll body expects more than one million new voters in 2017.“We are expecting more than 55 million voters for next year’s elections, with the inclusion of SK voters aged 15-17 years old,” Jimenez said.“We can now formally begin our preparations for the 2017 elections now that the bill on the postponement of the 2016 elections has been signed into law,” he added.The law postponing the 2016 Barangay and SK elections was approved by President Rodrigo Duterte on October 15, 2016.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/voters-registration-resumes-nov-7/294050/
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DILG orders absentee mayors to explain
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-09-22 00:05:51+00:00
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The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Friday issued show-cause orders to 16 mayors who were reportedly absent from their areas during the onslaught of Typhoon “Ompong” last week.In a statement, DILG Undersecretary Bernardo Florece signed the show-cause orders to nine mayors from Cagayan Valley and seven from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya said in a text message to The Manila Times that they could not yet release the names of the 16 mayors.“Sorry, we can’t make the names public yet because it would be a violation of due process. We will wait until the end of investigation,” he added.The show-cause orders issued to each 16 mayors stated that DILG Officer in Charge-Secretary Eduardo Año advised all of them to be present in their respective areas once Ompong made landfall to ensure immediate government response and to aim for “zero casualties.”Malaya said under Oplan Listo, mayors are required to make preparations before, during and after any calamity.He added that these 16 mayors might be disciplined, suspended or removed from their post for gross negligence, dereliction of duty or misconduct in office.“Since they are elected public officials, we assure them that they will be given due process but if the investigation comes to the conclusion that they have been negligent or derelict in the performance of their duties, we will not hesitate to recommend appropriate sanctions against them,” Malaya said.Despite having alleged absentee mayors in Cagayan Valley and the Cordillera Administrative Region, he noted that most of the mayors from these regions performed well in bracing for Ompong.“While some mayors were reportedly absent, we are glad that the vast majority of the mayors performed well in the performance of their duties in accordance with Oplan Listo. In fact, there were few casualties outside of Itogon, Benguet,” Malaya said.Based on the latest data from the Philippine National Police (PNP), the typhoon left 88 persons dead.Rescuers are currently in landslide areas caused by torrential rains brought by Ompong in search of buried bodies, hoping to find survivors.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dilg-orders-absentee-mayors-to-explain/443767/
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DoLE issues rules on payment of June 12 wages
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-06-11 19:42:00+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has issued an advisory prescribing the proper payment of wages for Monday’s observance of Independence Day, June 12, a regular holiday.Based on the pay rules issued by the DoLE, private sector workers who will report for work today are entitled to get 200 percent or “double pay” of their regular salaries for the first eight hours.For work done in excess of eight hours, employees are entitled to an additional 30 percent of hourly rate.If the employee did not work, he or she shall be paid 100 percent of his or her salary for that day.If it falls on the employee’s rest day and he or she still reported for work, he or she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his or her daily rate of 200 percent.If the employee worked more than eight hours on his or her rest day on 12 June, he or she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his or her hourly rate on the day.“Employers should comply with general labor standards, particularly with the proper payment of wages because it contributes to the increased productivity of their workers and their business,” the DoLE said.President Rodrigo Duterte issued Proclamation 50 last year declaring, among others, Independence Day as regular holiday.In commemoration of the 119th anniversary of the proclamation of Philippine Independence, the DoLE will also hold today nationwide job and business fairs in 14 regions throughout the country.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said a total of 680 participants will be bringing with them 123,330 local, overseas and government jobs.The top local jobs with the most number of vacancies are: Customer Service Representative – 5,455; Production Worker/Factory Worker/Production Helper – 5,210; Production Machine Operator – 5,200; Sales Associate Professional/ Sales Clerk/ Sales Representative – 1,208; Call Center Agent – 1,139; Police Officer (PO1) (Caraga) – 800; Service Crew – 642; Cashier – 572; Quality Control Inspector – 520; Merchandiser – 471; Marketing Assistant – 354; Kitchen Staff – 281; Salesman – 248; Accounting Assistant – 206; Intelligence Officer (Government) (Cordillera Administrative Region) – 183; Retail and Sales Agent – 180; Technical Support Representative – 170; Sewer – 150; Company Driver – 129; and Staff Nurse – 110.For those seeking overseas employment, the top vacancies are: Hotel and Restaurant Services (Service Crew /Beautician /Receptionist/ Steward/ Waiter/ Waitress/ Bartender/ Barista/ Cashier/ Singer/ Dancer) – 2,764; Construction Worker (general) – 1,055; Professional Nurse – 710; Company Driver – 508; Laborer – 426; Cook (general) – 371; Physical Therapist – 309; Carpenter – 267; Mason – 247; Cleaner – 208; Car Driver – 205; Office Clerk – 200; Medical Technician – 168; Plumber – 162; Welder – 155; Pharmacist – 150; Household Service Worker – 130; Electrician – 116; Salesman – 101; and Production Machine Operator – 95.The 2017 Independence Day is observed with the theme, “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Sama-Samang Balikatin.”WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dole-issues-rules-payment-june-12-wages/332232/
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Pump prices up after rollback
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-02-27 00:05:19+00:00
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Oil companies have raised the prices of petroleum products, two weeks after implementing a rollback.Eastern Petroleum, Flying V, Phoenix Petroleum, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, and Seaoil hiked the price of diesel by 85 centavos per liter, effective on Tuesday at 6 a.m.The same companies also raised the price of gasoline by 65 centavos per liter, also from 6 a.m.Flying V, Pilipinas Shell, and Seaoil, meanwhile, increased their prices of kerosene by P1.15 per liter, effective today at 6 a.m.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pump-prices-rollback/382937/
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PH to host 2018 East Asian Sea meet
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-05-07 00:03:22+00:00
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Amid the crisis in Boracay, the Philippines is set to host to the 2018 East Asian Sea (EAS) Congress that aims to address ocean and coastal area degradation through the sustainable management and use of marine resources, seas, and oceans, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Sunday.The regional conference will be held from November 27 to 23 at the Iloilo International Convention Center, with the theme “25 years of Partnership for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda.”The event is organized by the DENR and the Partnerships in Environmental Management of the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).“True to its commitment to conserve and protect the marine and coastal resources of the country and the region, the Philippines is honored to host the East Asian Seas Congress 2018 through the DENR and the Provincial Government of Iloilo,” Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said.According to him, the government is expecting a “very dynamic exchange of knowledge, commitments to partnerships and joint action among all participants” in the meeting.Cimatu said the issue of protecting the ocean’s health has brought deeper meaning to the country with the closure of Boracay to pave the way for its rehabilitation caused by environmental degradation.“Boracay is a case in point of how neglect and blatant disregard of environmental laws lead to destruction of our land and seas and all the natural resources and biodiversity in them,” he pointed out.The 2018 EAS Congress seeks to align the implementation of the Sustainable Development Strategy for Southeast Asia, and other sub-regional and regional strategies and action plans with Sustainable Development Goal No. 14 on life below water, which targets the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, seas, and oceans.“The conference draws from the commitments and calls for action of last year’s United Nations Ocean Conference held in New York, USA, where 193 countries unanimously agreed on measures to reverse the decline of ocean’s health,” the DENR said in a statement.Stakeholders from national and local governments, the UN system, intergovernmental organizations, bilateral and multi-lateral projects, and international financial institutions are expected to attend. Representatives of non-government and civil society organizations, academic institutions, the scientific community, and the private sector were also invited to take part in the event.This year’s EAS Congress is the sixth in a series of triennial ocean conferences in the region.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-to-host-2018-east-asian-sea-meet/397288/
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Telcos warned over poor services
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-02-08 22:08:35+00:00
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The House minority bloc has threatened to push for the revocation of the franchise to operate of the country’s two biggest telecommunication companies (telcos)–Smart and Globe–over poor network services.House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez of Quezon and his deputy, Rep. Harry Roque of Kabayan party-list, gave the warning on Wednesday in connection with the Smart franchise approved by Congress last December.The Smart franchise virtually killed potential competitors with equal incentives for existing and future telcos and the looming renewal of Globe’s franchise before Congress.Suarez noted that instead of improving connectivity, network providers continue to disappoint their customers with their poor services which include: missing and delayed text messages, dropped calls, weak signal, slow Internet, unresponsive technical support, exaggerated and erroneous billings, unexplained deduction on prepaid load and misleading advertisements“A franchise carries with it the responsibility of operating and managing the public utility, to the service and satisfaction of the public. We cannot let these firms make exponential profit while services continue to deteriorate. Corporate greed has no place in the operation of public utilities,” Suarez said in a statement.Roque argued that Smart and Globe could already be violating the respective franchises granted to them by Congress because the companies offer differing services to postpaid and prepaid subscribers, with the prepaid subscribers getting the worse service as compared with their postpaid counterparts.“If there is an outage, the postpaid subscribers are entitled to a refund. But if you are a prepaid subscriber, you get none. If you lose your mobile phone, postpaid subscribers can acquire their same mobile number again at no cost. But if you are a prepaid subscriber, you are not entitled of the same benefit,” he said.“Why such difference in services offered when the bulk of the subscribers are on prepaid subscription? These companies should explain why Congress should not revoke their franchises. Imagine, we have poor mobile signal here in Congress when these companies get their franchise from Congress. These companies’ ways are so appalling,” Roque, a lawyer, added.Suarez said these telecommunication companies religiously charge their customers, both postpaid and prepaid, despite the lack of acceptable level of service, with postpaid subscribers getting billed monthly regardless of the fact that they are unable to make and receive calls for a month because of signal issues and lack of sufficient technical support.He noted that prepaid subscribers who avail of text, call and Internet promos, thinking that it would save them money, on the other hand, end up losing more because of intermittent signal and limited connectivity.“In the absence of any urgent measures to be taken by these companies, we will be filing the appropriate resolutions to determine the source of the problem, and to identify clear and urgent solutions,” Suarez said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/telcos-warned-poor-services-2/311183/
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Population – a problem but also a blessing
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['Ros Feliciano', 'Paul Parenas', 'Dale Jose C. Gozar']
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17/07/2017 0:00
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compared to Europe’s average of 1.58, but suffered a significant decrease in 2016. In England and Wales, the birth rate was 1.83 in 2014, but decreased to 1.82 in 2015.Closer to home, our neighbor to the north Taiwan had the world’s lowest fertility rate at 0.9 baby per woman in 2011 and has since offered all sorts of incentives to its young mothers. As for mainland China, it adopted a one-child policy in the 1970s but ended it in 2015 as the elderly population ballooned. Last year, births increased by 1.31 million but this is far short of China’s hopes for 3 million babies annually in the next five years.Considering all these developments in other nations, we should welcome the report of the Philippine Population Commission that 2 million Filipinos are due to be added to the national population this year. The government’s economic development plans for the next five years of the Duterte administration should be able to provide jobs for these new additions to our population, especially in the rural areas where agriculture holds the greatest prospects for development in the country today.Our increasing population may pose an economic problem to the government, but it is also a blessing for our country as it takes an increasingly important place in the world of nations.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/17/population-a-problem-but-also-a-blessing/
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Surrender now while you can
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['Just Me']
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9/1/2017 0:00
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With plans to make public his list of narco-politicians, President Duterte is planning to summon the mayors implicated in illegal drug operations and confront them about their suspected criminal activity.Determined to weed out the bad eggs in government, the President said he would ask the mayor to tell the truth about their suspected drug links or else resign from their post.The tough-talking President warned the suspected narco-mayors not to dupe him, saying he would deprive them of “supervisory powers over the police” as well remove their security. He said these officials linked to drugs will suffer the same fate as the shabu dealers.“For as long as I am President. Itong malalaking shabu dealers, mamamatay talaga ito. And the next batch would really be tatawagin ko ‘yung mga mayors [For as long as I am President, these big-time shabu dealers will really die. And the next batch would be the mayors. I will summon them],” he said in a speech.“The next batch would really be… Tatawagin ko ang mga mayors. i-lock ko. Kami-kami lang. Sabihin ko talaga sa kanila…Ganun kakapal pakita ko sa inyo.. hanapin mo pangalan mo dan mayor. (Expletive) pag nandyan ang pangalan, talagang may problema ka. Talagang papatayin kita (The next batch would really be the mayors. I will summon them, lock the door in a room so it will just be us. I’ll ask them: Look for you name on the thick narco list, mayor. [Expletive] if your name is included, you have a problem. I will really kill you),” the President said in a speech during the oath-taking of new government officials in Malacañang.“Either you resign or make a clean breast of everything, come up with a clean nose and we’ll talk,” said the President, who has thick list of names of politicians tagged in the illegal drug trade.Meanwhile, senators pressed the leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday to account for the killing of the alleged bagman of suspected drug lord Kerwin Espinosa.Lawmakers were dismayed to learn that Ferdinand Rondina, 38, who had personal knowledge of policemen and government officials involved in drug payoffs, was shot at close range while watching TV at a barbecue stall owned by his sister, making him another casualty in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. (With a report from Hannah L. Torregoza)
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/09/surrender-now-while-you-can/
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DoJ taps new acting chief prosecutor
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-06-30 00:02:51+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) has tapped a new acting chief prosecutor.Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday designated Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon as acting prosecutor general of the National Prosecution Service (NPS),after the resignation of Jorge Catalan who wanted to go back to his original post.In a one-page department order, Guevarra appointed Fadullon to replace Catalan, who wanted to focus his workas city prosecutor of Makati City.The Justice secretary said Fadullon’s appointment would take effect June 30, until a new prosecutor general is appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte.Fadullon said: “I thank the Secretary for the designation as Acting PG (prosecutor general). I ask for your prayers as I begin to face the task at hand. Moving forward, there are a lot of concerns that we have to look into and address as far as the national prosecution service is concerned.”“Among them are the spate of killings of prosecutors that have remained unresolved. In the meantime, we will focus all efforts towards professionalizing the NPS and increasing the efficiency of our prosecutors. Hopefully, this will renew the trust of the people in the NPS, the DoJ and the entire justice system,” Fadullon said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doj-taps-new-acting-chief-prosecutor/414149/
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Appeal for a review of new jeepney plan
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['Pastor Du Ijang', 'Alas.Kador Nga']
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19/10/2017 0:00
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both sides seem to be judging the success of the transport strike by the inconvenience it caused the riding public. The real purpose of the demonstration, we believe, was to appeal to the government to restudy its “Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) which would replace jeepneys 15 years old and above with new vehicles powered by less polluting engines and equipped with such amenities as CCTV cameras, automatic fare collection systems, dashboard cams, and wi-fi.PISTON officials said on the first day of the transport strike that they are seeking a dialogue with President Duterte on their concern that the modernization plan would displace many drivers and operators. The program as it has been devised is too costly, they said. Small operators will not be able to carry on and earn enough to repay the loans they need to acquire the new units. The government should not modernize public transport in favor of large companies and monopolies which will be providing the new units to replace the old jeepneys, they added.If they can get to meet with President Duterte and get him and Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to review the plan, that would be success enough for the transport strike. If they can get the government to grant a little more assistance on funding and relief from such unnecessary requirements as CCTV cameras and wi-fi, that would be most welcome to the operators and drivers.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/19/appeal-for-a-review-of-new-jeepney-plan/
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Group bats for new Mining Act
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-03-08 00:05:09+00:00
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Anti-mining group Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM) is urging the government to replace Republic Act 7942 or the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 with a law that is “pro-Filipino and pro-environment.The group said the existing law has paved the way for plunder of the country’s mineral wealth, as well as mining-related environmental destruction.According to ATM national coordinator Jaybee Gerganera, these are on top of adverse health impacts, displacement of people and human rights abuses across the country.“Our country didn’t benefit from RA 7942,” he said at a news conference in Manila to mark the Philippine Mining Act’s 23rd year.The ATM has been pushing for the Alternative Minerals Management Bill (AMMB) as RA 7942’s replacement.“Mining is about the country’s benefits from its minerals,” Gerganera said.He cited rational management of minerals nationwide that the AMMB would bring to the country.In calling for RA 7942’s repeal, the ATM also cited several mining-related disasters in the country over the years.“Marcopper Mining Corporation [in] Marinduque stopped operations in 1996 due to tailings spill and is considered the poster child for one of the worst mining disasters in the world — two rivers declared biologically dead and acid mine water ranging from pH2 to pH3,” the group said.Marcopper was then co-owned by a Canadian firm that had operated in the Philippines for over 30 years.The ATM said another mining firm, the Palawan Quicksilver Mine Inc. in Palawan province, has allegedly subjected residents to constant exposure to mine tailings.The group added that water in Dizon Copper-Silver Mines Inc.’s abandoned pit in Zambales is “highly acidic with a pH level of 2, while the neutral level is pH 7.”“Manila Mining Corporation [in] Surigao del Norte had a tailings spill incident in September 1995” and “in 1999 released 700,000 tons of tailings that buried 17 homes and 40 hectares of land, including 20 hectares of agricultural land,” it said.The ATM is a coalition of organizations and groups that aim to challenge aggressive promotion of large-scale mining in the Philippines.The alliance further aspires to shift the policy framework on extracting minerals in the Philippines from simply “extracting and profiting from mining minerals” to “mineral management toward national industrialization.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/group-bats-for-new-mining-act/384654/
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SC lets expanded Small Town Lottery operation
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-05-28 19:33:14+00:00
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ATTEMPTS to stop the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) from expanding the operation of Small Town Lottery, the only legitimate numbers game in the country, were quelled after the Supreme Court (SC) ruled in favor of the state-run charity institution.PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan over the weekend said the SC en banc has dismissed a petition filed by the Taal Balisong Gaming Corp. (TBGC), a local gaming corporation in Batangas province, questioning the legality of STL operation in the country.The TBGC filed a case against the PCSO, claiming that its board “grossly violated” the petitioner’s right to equal protection of the law and “unduly stifled” competition in the STL business when it allowed another operator to operate in the province.The petitioner was referring to the Batangas Enhanced Technology Systems Inc., an authorized agent corporation or AAC of the PCSO in the province, that is expected to match the Presumptive Monthly Retail Receipts (PMRR) of the TBGC.The PCSO was the one that set the PMMR, which local gaming operators and AACs must comply with and remit.The TBGC also questioned the legality of Section 44 of the Implementing Rules and Regulation (IRR) of the expanded STL.Section 44 of the Small Town Lottery IRR provides that all existing STL authorized agent corporations as of October 1, 2016 shall have the “right to match” the PMRRs offered by other interested applicants in their areas of operation if the PCSO opens the areas to other applicants.The SC, in its resolution dated March 21, 2017, moved to dismiss the petition of the TBGC and upheld the legality of Section 44 of the Small Town Lottery IRR.“The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the expansion of STL operation in the country,” Balutan said as he welcomed the ruling of the court.The PCSO general manager noted that they would continue to expand and defend the only legal numbers game in the country to help in the generation of funds that the government could use in providing medical assistance to Filipinos.The PCSO has approved a total of 91 ACCs of which 47 started operation on May 15.The state-run charity agency expects to collect around P27 billion in revenues this year with the continuous expansion of the STL.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-lets-expanded-small-town-lottery-operation/329761/
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PCSO’s 6-Digit Game produces 2 millionaires
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-04 20:57:35+00:00
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The 6-Digit Game draw of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Tuesday, October 3, produced two millionaires.The winning numbers were 2, 3, 0, 5, 2 and 3.Tickets bearing these numbers were bought from lotto outlets located in Bacoor, Cavite, and San Juan City, Metro Manila.The two winners each will receive P 1,918,997.00.The 6-Digit Game is played every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.Lotto draws are televised live daily over PTV 4 at 9 p.m.The PCSO said it would be able to constantly provide charity services to all Filipinos nationwide with the public’s continued support of its products, including lotto.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcsos-6-digit-game-produces-2-millionaires/354540/
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DENR chief Lopez‘s fate known today
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-05-02 21:13:50+00:00
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Whether the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) will confirm Regina Lopez’s appointment as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be known today, Wednesday, but two senators already expressed support for her.Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto 3rd and Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao on Tuesday said they would vote in favor of Lopez’s confirmation because they want to have an environmentalist leading the DENR.Pacquiao, who heads the CA committee on environment and natural resources, said Lopez’s chances of being confirmed by the commission remain “50-50.”“Meron ayaw, meron gusto, iba iba eh hindi naman natin makuha kung ano ang desisyon nila [There are those who are for her confirmation and some are not, they have different views and it is up to them],” he added, referring to members of the CA.When asked if he would vote in favor of Lopez, Pacquiao said there is no reason for him not to because he considers the DENR secretary as his partner in protecting the environment.“Why would I not support her? We’re together. Were both environmentalists,” he added.Lopez faced the members of the CA committee on environment on Tuesday for her to shed light on various issues raised by those opposing her appointment.The DENR secretary assured the CA committee that she would not do anything illegal in the department.“I want to assure the commission that I’m a law-abiding citizen. I will never do anything in the DENR that is against the law,” Lopez said.The CA committee terminated its deliberations on Lopez’s appointment and will meet today to decide if it would endorse her nomination to the floor.Sotto said that he would vote for the confirmation of Lopez because he believes that she would be “good” for the department.He noted that there are no corruption issues hounding Lopez.“Among the issues against her is that she does not know how to sing? Is that enough to disqualify a Cabinet member?” Sotto said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/denr-chief-lopezs-fate-known-today/325202/
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Manila, Abu Dhabi ink pact on OFW protection
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-09-29 21:38:03+00:00
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THE governments of the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates have signed a labor cooperation agreement that would reinforce protection for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on labor cooperation was signed recently by Philippine Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd and UAE Minister of Human Resources Saqr Ghobash in Abu Dhabi, the state’s capital.“The labor agreement between the Philippines and the UAE would greatly benefit the more than 100,000 Emirates-based Filipino workers,” Bello said on Friday.The UAE, a federation of seven emirates, is home to some 159,000 Filipino migrant workers, the second-biggest next to Saudi Arabia with 238,000 among Middle East countries where bulk of the estimated 2.2 million OFWs are based.Bello said the MoU would strengthen friendly relations between Manila and Abu Dhabi through cooperative undertakings that promote mutual benefit and provide adequate protection to OFWs.The key areas of cooperation involve collaborative administration of the contract employment cycle including the use of information technology and exchange of information, strengthening regulations to combat trafficking in persons and regulating recruitment agencies to enforce fair and transparent recruitment practices.“Transparency to address contract substitution, among others, will be addressed by this agreement,” Bello said.Under the MoU, an identical job offer and eventual employment contract will be signed by officials of the Philippine and UAE governments.“This will ensure the effective implementation of the contract,” Bello said.The MoU provides that the Philippine government shall ensure observance of recruitment laws, procedures and regulations, including physical and mental fitness of workers, as well as the provision of information on laws, policies, norms, cultures and practices in the country and in the UAE.This compliance includes effective verification of job offers and contracts and assistance to OFWs in distress by the embassy or consulate of the Philippines and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.Also, the UAE government shall ensure enforcement and implementation of the employment contract and uphold the rights of OFWs.In the UAE legal system, there is a Labor Code and Law on Domestic Workers that enumerate the rights and entitlements of workers, including OFWs.The MoU includes an Annex on the Protocol on Domestic Workers that highlights recruitment and admission of OFW domestic workers to the UAE, in accordance with the laws and regulations of both countries.Among the rights guaranteed under the protocol, through a Standard Employment Contract under the newly-approved UAE Law on Domestic Workers, are: treatment of the worker that preserves personal dignity and physical safety; due payment and non-withholding of wages; provision of 12 hours of daily rest and one full day of weekly rest; decent accommodation; medical treatment; retention of identity documents such as passports; and non-payment of costs for repatriation.“With the MoU, OFWs in the UAE will have stronger protection, and the firm assurance from both governments that protection will be the first order of the day,” Bello said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/manila-abu-dhabi-ink-pact-ofw-protection/353570/
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Enrile wants to fix Train Law
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['Neil Jayson Servallos']
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2018-10-21 01:13:27+00:00
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FORMER Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile on Saturday criticized several policies of the Duterte administration such as the tax reform law that has led to an uptick in inflation, vowing to fix them if elected anew to the Senate.Enrile, who is seeking a comeback to the Senate in 2019, said he was concerned with the economy following the implementation of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.The 94-year-old politician said the situation has gone “beyond the control” of President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic managers.“We must find solution para ang taumbayan di masasaktan, kung alam nila na ganun at wala silang suggestion mahirap yun (We must find solution for the people not to get hurt; if they [economic managers] knew it was like that and do not have suggestions, it would be difficult),” Enrile said in a radio interview.Enrile said that while he was not completely opposed to the Train Law and Train 2 or Trabaho Bill, he would revise sections so that the poor would not bear the brunt of increasing prices.“Hindi ko haharangin pero isasuggest ko mga babaguhin para din masasaktan sapagkat pag pinatawan mo ng buwis ang enerhiya at babagsak pa ang valor ng peso di mo mareresolve ang inflation (I will not oppose the bill, but I will suggest changes to avoid hurting people because if you impose taxes on energy and if the value of the peso further slides, inflation will not be resolved), Enrile added.The senatorial candidate added that the current situation of increasing prices would be worsened by “rushing” the shift to a federal form of government.He said that he wanted to join the discussions as soon as possible as there were several amendments that needed to be made to the draft charter.Enrile claimed that nobody so far had reviewed the charter the way he had.Enrile filed his certificate of candidacy on October 17 for the second time during the filing period last week as the first time was marred by a mistake on his form.His 2019 senatorial bid was met with criticisms amid his pending case before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan 3rd Division, which junked his pleas to dismiss the plunder case against him.Enrile was charged with plunder together with former senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada at Sandiganbayan over alleged misuse of their pork barrel or Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), the lump-sum funds previously allocated to legislators.The Supreme Court allowed Enrile to post bail in August 2015 due to his old age and medical conditions.Enrile, however, downplayed these criticisms and said he was “innocent.”“Di nila mapapatunayan na ako ay tumanggap (They will never prove that I received money),” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/enrile-wants-to-fix-train-law/454956/
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PH Embassy extends help to Pinay convict
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['Michael Joe T. Delizo']
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2016-12-30 19:37:44+00:00
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A Filipino woman in Kuwait who was convicted for allegedly pledging allegiance to the Islamic State jihadist group and plotting an attack is receiving legal assistance from the Philippine government.Citing Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Pedro Villa, Arab News said the 32-year-old woman has told her lawyer to insist that she was a victim in the case.“We fully respect the decision of the Kuwaiti Court and the judicial process. On the other hand, we will file an appeal through our legal team before the Kuwait Court of Appeals for the commutation of her sentence,” Villa was quoted as saying.News agency Agence France-Press earlier reported that the woman was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Kuwaiti court, which had found her guilty.The decision is not yet final and may still be appealed.The woman entered the Gulf state last June as a housemaid and was arrested in August.Local security forces monitored her e-mail accounts and discovered that she was in communication with the militant’s affiliate in Libya and was using a different name to supposedly evade the monitoring, according to Kuwait’s Ministry of Interior.Kuwaiti authorities said their surveillance showed that the woman used the Telegram messaging application on her mobile phone to contact her Somali husband in Libya who has an alleged link to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and the Levant.They alleged that she had only been waiting for the chance to conduct a suicide bombing attack in Kuwait.Villa visited the Filipina at the Sulaibiya Central Jail on Tuesday and assured her of the embassy’s assistance.“We would like to thank the Kuwait authorities at the Sulaibiya Central Jail for giving her due process and protecting her rights under the Kuwait law and for guaranteeing her safety,” he said. “We highly appreciate that they are taking care of her and all other Filipino inmates.”Villa reminded Filipinos to be wary and extra cautious when chatting with strangers online who might have some terror link to spare them from further legal trouble as Kuwait has strict cybercrime laws and authorities can easily trace online activities with its advanced monitoring system.In Russia, representatives of the Philippine Embassy in Moscow are also assisting another Filipino woman, a theft convict, for her early release.In a belated news release, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said a team, led by the embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Officer Christian Glenn Baggas, traveled to Penal Colony No. 13 in the Republic of Mordovia on December 12 and 13 to visit the woman.Part of the Russian Federation, Mordovia is located 600 kilometers from Moscow.Baggas spoke with the Filipina and provided her with some toiletries and personal items, the DFA said.The official was also said to have met with prison officials with whom they were able to work out the Filipina’s early release and safe transport back to Moscow.Upon her release, the DFA said the embassy will continue to provide assistance to ensure her safety and well-being while in Russia until she returns to the Philippines.It added that the embassy constantly updates the Filipina’s friends and family regarding her situation and her early release.MICHAEL JOE T. DELIZO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-embassy-extends-help-pinay-convict/304428/
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PCSO supports bill vs illegal numbers games
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-11-09 00:03:19+00:00
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Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan has expressed support for House Bill 5026, which aims to eradicate illegal numbers games in the country, as this would stop the source of funds politicians use to buy votes.HB 5026, authored by Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez, declares PCSO’s Philippine Lotto and Small Town Lottery (STL) as the sole recognized legal numbers games.“Jueteng and other illegal numbers games are sources of funds that politicians use to buy votes and money for their campaign sorties and they are using dummies to operate this kind of illegal number games,” Balutan said.“If the bill turns into law, it will be a big boost against our fight against all illegal numbers games such as jueteng, masiao, last two-digits, and the likes,” he added.Balutan said PCSO has a list of names of local chief executives abetting various sorts of illegal number games ranging from jueteng, masiao or the “last two-digits” numbers games.The PCSO chief said it was difficult to eradicate the illegal numbers game because it was widespread in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.|“Let us support STL and stop illegal numbers games that are affecting PCSO’s legal and charitable games,” Balutan said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-supports-bill-vs-illegal-numbers-games/464570/
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Philippines eyes military deal with India
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-01-27 00:03:12+00:00
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The Philippine government is eyeing a military-to-military cooperation with India such as acquisition of defense equipment for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Friday.Lorenzana was among the entourage of President Rodrigo Duterte, as the country’s leader went to India for the ongoing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-India Commemorative Summit.“We are looking at a military-to-military cooperation including defense equipment that we can purchase from them. This is my first time to visit India,” he said, adding that his succeeding visit “will be more substantive.”New Delhi was supposed to provide two frigates for the Philippine Navy through its shipbuilder, the Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineering Ltd., but was disqualified after the Technical Inspection Acceptance Committee of the Department of National Defense found them financially incapable.The insufficiency of the Indian company’s net financial capacity was not in compliance with Republic Act 9184, or the Government Procurement Act.The second lowest bidder, the South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries, was awarded by the Defense department a contract to provide the two warships.The department is facing controversy over the supplier of the combat management system (CMS) of the warships.The furor prompted the sacking of Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado as the flag officer in command of the Philippine Navy.Lorenzana explained that India lost the deal after it was scrapped during the second round of pre-qualification process.“The contract eventually went to the second lowest calculated bid submitted by Hyundai,” he said.The acquisition of the two missile-capable frigates is worth P18 billion.Of this amount, P16 billion was allocated to the construction of the ships and P2 billion for their munitions.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/philippines-eyes-military-deal-india/376579/
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Lawmaker wants more pro-LGBT bills passed
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-09-22 20:08:57+00:00
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A lawmaker is pushing for passage of several pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) bills that are still pending in Congress in light of the recent passage of House Bill (HB) 4982 or the Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) Equality Act.Northern Samar Rep. Edwin Ong, in a statement on Friday, said the passage of several pro-LGBT bills and programs will underline the importance of human rights in the legislature.Ong cited HB 2952, which seeks to establish an LGBT help and protection desk in all Philippine National Police stations nationwide, and HB 5584, which defines domestic violence and providing protective measures on hate crimes against members of the LGBT community.HB 2952 is authored by Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto, while HB 5584 is authored by Malabon City Rep. Federico Sandoval 2nd.Ong also wants the House of Representatives to pass HB 4307, which establishes and funds alternative education for LGBTs in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan and HB 1451, which prohibits discrimination against teachers who are unwed mothers and single parents who at the same time are members of the LGBT community.HB 4307 is authored by San Jose del Monte City Rep. Florida Robes and HB 1451 is authored by 1-Ang-Edukasyon Rep. Salvador Belaro Jr.“[The passage of the SOGIE Equality Act in Congress shows that human rights is in the agenda of the current leadership of the 17th Congress. I am standing by it, that LGBT rights are human rights],” Ong said in the statement.RALPH VILLANUEVA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmaker-wants-pro-lgbt-bills-passed/352221/
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Govt scraps rail deal with Korean firm
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2017-11-06 22:32:18+00:00
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The Department of Transportation (DoTr) on Monday terminated its contract with South Korean firm Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI), the maintenance provider of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) 3.“It cannot be overemphasized that what is at stake here is the welfare and interest of the riding public. This office could not just sit back and wait while watching BURI trifle and flirt with the lives of the commuting public, with its sub-standard performance,” DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade said in a statement.Tugade scrapped the contract on November 3, 2017, on the following grounds: failure to put in service and subsequently ensure the availability of contractually obligated number of trains; failure to put in operation reliable and efficient trains; failure to implement a feasible procurement plan for spare parts; and failure to comply with contractual requirements of a complete and up-to-date computerized maintenance management system.Tugade approved the establishment of a Maintenance Transition Team that would temporarily take over maintenance work.Meanwhile, the DoTr is looking for a new maintenance provider.It said the MRT 3, which plies the North Avenue-Taft Avenue-North Avenue route will absorb technical personnel from BURI whose roles are vital in MRT 3 maintenance work.The Philippine National Railways and the Light Rail Transit Authority, operator of Light Rail Transit 2, said they are committed to provide sufficient technical support and expertise to ensure smooth transition of MRT 3 maintenance work.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-scraps-rail-deal-korean-firm/361114/
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Duterte to ban over-the-counter sale of bullets, ammunition
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['D P', 'Victorino Villaflor', 'One Eyed Monster', 'Raymond Azarcon', 'Andy Wolf', 'Jeez Louise']
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20/05/2017 0:00
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President Duterte will seek a revision of the firearms law in the Philippines to regulate strictly the sale of bullets, ammunition and firearms to ensure these do not end up in the hands of the enemies.“I will no longer allow ‘yung mga tindahan (those stores) to sell bullets over the counter that cannot be done. Hindi tayo matatapos nito (We will not finish this [rebellion]). We’re just supplying ammunition to the enemy,” the President said during the 25th Association of Firearms and Ammunition Dealers of the Philippines (AFAD) Defense and Sporting Arms Show at the SMX Convention Center here Friday evening.Referring to the New People’s Army (NPA), President Duterte said the armed group of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) can afford to buy bullets and ammunition because they are earning money from extortion or the revolutionary tax.“Most of the plantation owners and the miners are really paying, ‘yan ang totoo talaga (that’s really the truth),” he said.“They have the money. So we have to control. Kung may magpabili ka ng armas, make sure kung sino (If there are those who purchase ammunition, make sure who they are).”It was recalled that in 2013, then President Benigno Aquino III signed Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation, which recognizes the rights of qualified citizens to self-defense through the use of firearms under certain circumstances.President Duterte said he wants stricter measures and that he would give incoming Interior Secretary Eduardo Año the guidance on the sale of ammunition and firearms to ensure that no firearm would ever land in the hands of an enemy of the state.According to the President, 20 rounds of ammunition should be enough for a whole day of firing.The AFAD, the governing body of gun sellers in the Philippines, held its national gun show outside of Metro Manila for the first time. The four-day Defense and Sporting Arms Show officially opened Friday and runs until May 22, with the participation of 40 gun sellers.The President underscored the need to revise some of the rules, “not to make it hard for you to make money but to protect first and foremost the Republic of the Philippines.”“We can do business but let us make sure that it does not fall into the hands of the enemies. Because it could then make it doubly hard for us, instead of investing on the life of one soldier in a fight, if you give them the firepower and the firearms. I would need about five soldiers to suppress one enemy. Mahirap ‘yan (That’s difficult),” he said.He asked dealers to encourage their clients to register their firearms legally and rightfully as it would be difficult for them to buy bullets.“Because, we know very well that some of those ammunition that are purchased are in the hands of the NPAs. As one way of controlling and even ‘yung high-powered, hindi na talaga dapat ipagbili ‘yan (those high-powered [firearms] should no longer be sold). No more,” President Duterte stressed.He said even security guards of plantations and mining companies in the mountains can be issued only with shotguns.“May problema tayo, eh (You see we have a problem). We are facing a rebellion and it’s a threat that is really very, very clear,” he said.The President said the mining companies and banana plantations do hire security guards. “I sympathize with you guys, so let us try to sort out something here,” he added.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/20/duterte-to-ban-over-the-counter-sale-of-bullets-ammunition/
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Joma confident of keeping asylum status
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-12-11 22:32:29+00:00
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Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison on Monday dismissed statements that he may lose his asylum status once the CPP and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), are declared terrorist groups.Sison responded to the statements of analyst Ramon Casiple and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano last week that the exiled communist leader’s asylum status in The Netherlands will be lifted once a regional trial court officially tagged the CPP-NPA as terrorist organizations.“The two gentlemen, Cayetano and Casiple, are grossly ignorant of Dutch and international law and jurisprudence pertaining to my situation and the cases I have won in The Netherlands,” Sison said in a statement.He cited the Raad van State (Council of State), the highest administrative court in The Netherlands, which ruled that he is a “political refugee.”“[It] recognized me as a political refugee in 1992 under the Refugee Convention on the basis of the fact that I was persecuted and subjected to torture, cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment by the Marcos fascist regime and its military organization which continues to exist,” Sison said.According to him, the Raad van State also ruled in 1995 that he was protected by Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, “which prohibits the Dutch government from deporting me to the Philippines or a third country and putting me at risk of persecution, torture and inhumane and degrading treatment.”Sison also recalled that his name was removed from the terror list of the European Union after the European Court of Justice ruled in 2009 that he has the “right to be priorly informed of the charge, the right to counsel and the right to judicial review.”“The court further found no evidence of any complicity on my part in any act of terrorism,” he said.Sison boasted that he enjoys “the solidarity and support of progressive political parties, organizations, personages and academic friends in The Netherlands and other EU countries.”Last week, Duterte signed Proclamation 374 declaring the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/joma-confident-keeping-asylum-status/368103/
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Jeepney drivers to get P5,000 fuel vouchers
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2018-07-12 00:06:46+00:00
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Government officials signed on Wednesday a joint memorandum circular for the implementation of Pantawid Pasada Program under which almost P5,000 in fuel subsidy will be given to each jeepney driver.The cash cards will be distributed as part of the implementation of the tax reform for acceleration and inclusion (Train) law. Some 180,000 drivers will benefit from the program.The circular was signed by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi; Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno; Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Chairman Martin Delgra 3rd; and Land Bank of the Philippines President Alex Buenaventura.The government allotted P977 million for the program’s implementation for the remaining six months of 2018. For next year, the program has a budget of P3.86 billion.“The directive now is for us to issue 10,000 cards in the next three days starting tomorrow,” Buenaventura told reporters. The distribution of cash cards, amounting to P833 per month, will start on July 12, Thursday.Those who will be issued cards in September will be given thrice the amount.“It takes time to issue cards,” Buenaventura said.The LTFRB approved a P1 jeepney fare hike last week. The fare increase covers the National Capital Region, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon.The government’s public utility vehicle modernization program is expected to be implementation in 2019. Under the program, jeepney drivers and operators are required to buy new oil efficient and air-conditioned jeepneys.Buenaventura said jeepney franchise holders would have bigger income. Operators will pay a monthly amortization of P24,000 for each vehicle.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/jeepney-drivers-to-get-p5000-fuel-vouchers/418490/
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VP camp mulls renewing bid to junk Marcos protest
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-02-17 20:58:27+00:00
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The camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is contemplating to file a Motion for Reconsideration (MR) after the Supreme Court (SC) denied the Vice President’s motion to dismiss an electoral protest filed by former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against her.Lawyer Romulo Macalintal, the lead counsel of the Vice President, on Friday noted that filing an MR is in order because Marcos’ allegations–massive vote-buying, pre-shading of ballots, script change in the transparency server that affected results, malfunctioning vote counting machines, pre-loaded secure digital cards, misreading of ballots and “abnormally high undervotes for the position of Vice President–do not support any ground to open the ballot boxes.The SC also sits as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, which decides on poll protests involving presidential and vice presidential contests.“A motion for reconsideration, that is our remedy. I am still thinking of filing because we just received this yesterday, and I have not yet talked to the entire legal team of Vice President Robredo. What we are saying is, the rules itself on the [electoral tribunal] state that if the allegations are not very, very specific, if [they are] too general, if [they are] too broad, [they are] not the kind of protest that we will let to proceed. Otherwise, it is as if you are allowing the party to fish for evidence,” Macalintal said in a television interview.He was referring to Rule 17 C.D. of the electoral tribunal that reads, “An election protest should state a detailed specification of the acts or omissions complained of showing the electoral frauds, anomalies or irregularities in the protested precincts.”“Fishing for evidence is not allowed in our laws. We are asking the other camp, where is your evidence? By allowing Marcos’ protest to proceed, the Supreme Court is saying, let’s wait for the evidence,” Macalintal said.Robredo beat Marcos in the 2016 vice presidential race by 263,473 votes.“There’s no danger in filing a Motion for Reconsideration,” Macalintal said.Pre-trial conferenceIf Robredo files the MR and the electoral tribunal denies the motion, a pre-trial conference will commence where both the Robredo and Marcos camps will be asked to present their respective protests.Retrieval of the ballot boxes will also happen during the pre-trial conference, a process that could last up to two years, according to Macalintal.Macalintal clarified that their camp is not afraid of any recount because Robredo is the true winner of the 2016 vice presidential contest.“We are not afraid of this poll protest case. We are confident that after all these processes, Vice President Robredo will still emerge as the winner,” he said.“We don’t have problems because we always trust the Supreme Court and the members of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. We believe in their integrity, in their competence, and in their fairness in deciding this case,” Macalintal added.Meanwhile, Robredo has warned of corruption in the government if Marcos gets appointed as the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).Robredo also on Friday noted that while President Rodrigo Duterte has the last word on naming Marcos to the Cabinet, accommodating the former senator will bring risks than benefits.“It is always the President’s privilege, who to appoint in his Cabinet, but my concern here is that the Marcoses have not paid for what they did to the country. There have been several decisions already asking them to pay whatever they got from the people, but all of these judgments are not satisfied yet,” the Vice President, a lawyer, said.Robredo was referring to the estimated $10 billion in ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses, of which $4 billion was already recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.Jewelry collectionThe Marcoses accumulated the $10 billion during the martial law regime of the former senator’s father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos.Just this week, the Supreme Court also affirmed the Sandiganbayan’s January 2014 ruling ordering the forfeiture of Marcos Jr.’s mother and former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ jewelry collection dubbed as “Malacañang Collection” worth $110,055 to $153,089.The “Malacañang Collection” was seized by authorities in the aftermath of the February 1986 EDSA “people power” revolt.“The DILG is a strategic office because you will be given the opportunity to engage all local government units [LGUs], all local chief executives, all officials of LGUs. It is an opportunity to gain ground,” the Vice President, whose late husband Jesse Robredo also served as DILG secretary from June 2010 until his death in a plane crash in August 2012.Robredo said that her office is always in danger because Marcos is after it.“It will always be under threat, not really from people, but it’s just Bongbong Marcos and his supporters. However, I can’t allow that to disturb me from what I do in the office,” she added.Also on Friday, the Vice President visited Barangay Poblacion in San Francisco, Surigao, as well as Caraga General Hospital, to inspect areas affected by an earthquake that rocked the province a week ago.On romance, Robredo said, “I’ve been linked to so many people. One of them is even my gay friend in Naga [City] and our pictures were even made into a collage and made it look that he was my boyfriend. But I just ignore these things. People who know the relationship I’ve had with my husband won’t believe these. I don’t have any plans of seeing anyone ever.“I’m old. I don’t think I’ll ever find a man like my husband. I’ve been blessed with 25 years to be in a very good marriage, so there is no need to see anyone, especially now that I am swamped with work, I’m living a very public life, I’m with people 24/7. There’s no chance for that,” Robredo, who is 51 years old, added.LLANESCA T. PANTI
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vp-camp-mulls-renewing-bid-junk-marcos-protest-2/312824/
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Bello orders study on new tax measure
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-10-13 23:33:34+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has created a Technical Working Group (TWG) to study the proposed Tax Reform and Inclusion (Train) Act amid mix reactions on the tax measure’s impact on workers’ income.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd has issued Administrative Order (AO) 460 constituting the TWG to study the proposed tax measure and conduct a series of consultations among labor and employers’ groups, the academe and economic experts and other stakeholders.The TWG is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Employment and Policy Support and composed of the heads of the Institute for Labor Studies (ILS), Legislative Liaison Office (LLO), National Wages and Productivity Commission, Bureau of Local Employment, Bureau of Labor Relations, Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns, Legal Service and Planning Service as members.The ILS also serves as the Secretariat responsible for the inter-agency coordination and monitoring while the LLO is tasked to regularly report on the status of the proposed legislation.The House of Representatives has approved House Bill (HB) 4774, its version of the proposed tax measure, while its counterpart Senate Bill 1409 is pending consideration.The Department of Finance (DoF) said the Senate version aims to benefit 99 percent of Filipinos by increasing their take-home pay through income tax cuts and by providing social protection measures, such as targeted cash transfer programs for the country’s poor and vulnerable sectors.The Train provides complete exemption for the first P150,000 annual taxable income and retains the P82,000 tax exemption for 13th month pay and other bonuses.It sets the maximum additional tax exemption for up to four dependents at P100,000, giving a worker with four dependents an approximate tax-free monthly income of P25,000.The original DoF proposal for Train outlined in HB 4774 aims to lower personal income taxes while raising an additional P157 billion in net incremental revenues during the first year of its implementation in 2018.The House version approved a P134-billion package.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bello-orders-study-new-tax-measure/356261/
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Navotas City child-friendly LGU
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-23 21:42:47+00:00
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The Regional Committee for the Welfare of Children (RCWC) has conferred the 2016 “Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance” (SCFLG) to Navotas City in recognition of its programs and projects for children.In a statement on Wednesday, the city government said that under Mayor John Rey Tiangco, Navotas has ensured children’s rights to survival, development, protection and participation in terms of planning, budgeting, legislation and delivery of services.“Our children are the hope and future of our city. We should always protect and advocate for their rights and well-being,” Tiangco said.According to the mayor, the child-friendly seal resulted from combined efforts of the city government’s employees, officials and stakeholders.The SCFLG is given to local government units (LGUs) that pass the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit done by the Inter-Agency Monitoring Task Force composed of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Education and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/navotas-city-child-friendly-lgu/346337/
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POEA execs probed for illegal recuitment
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-11-21 22:10:32+00:00
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TOP officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) are being investigated for their alleged involvement in illegal recruitment.Labor Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, who is also the POEA officer-in-charge, said being investigated are the office of the POEA administrator, deputy administrators, directors and other officials and employees assigned in sensitive positions related to the processing of documents and the issuance of overseas employment certificate (OEC), among others.Security guards and janitors tapped by illegal recruiters to deliver documents are also being probed.Olalia is head of the committee tasked by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd to investigate POEA officials who are in cahoots with illegal recruiters.“A total revamp, up and down, side to side will be implemented this week, regardless of who appointed them, whether career or presidential appointee,” Olalia said in a news briefing.First to go will be the officials and personnel holding sensitive positions and those with consistent derogatory record.“They are still there. But we have already removed two officials holding sensitive positions. They ought to be removed. They are not deputy administrators, they are directors,” he added.After the investigation, Olalia said administrative and criminal cases will be filed against the erring officials and employees.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/poea-execs-probed-illegal-recuitment/364214/
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More rains seen as typhoon nears
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['Jing Villamente']
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2018-07-08 00:02:32+00:00
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METRO Manila and other areas in Luzon can expect heavy rains on Sunday and Monday as the country braces for the entry of typhoon “Gardo” (international name: Maria), the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Saturday.The typhoon was spotted on Saturday afternoon 1,995 kilometers east of Central Luzon with winds of 185 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of 225 kilometer per hour. It was moving slowly northwest at a speed of 15 kilometer per hour.Pagasa expects the typhoon to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Monday.It said the southwest monsoon will bring more rain in Metro Manila and the western section of Luzon and Visayas.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/more-rains-seen-as-typhoon-nears/417202/
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4 Pasay Bus Terminals get closure notice
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['Joviland Rita']
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2017-07-21 21:32:43+00:00
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METRO Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief of staff Jojo Garcia on Friday named four bus terminals recommended for closure along Edsa-Pasay over violation of the nose in, nose out policy and other city ordinances, after the first three terminals closed in Quezon City on Wednesday. MMDA supervising officer for operations Bong Nebrija and the Pasay City Business Permit and Licensing Office inspected all bus terminals in the city on Friday. The nose in, nose out policy orders transport buses to enter and exit the terminals by its noses to avoid impeding traffic flow in the passing lanes. Given notice of closure were: Saint Rafael/Saint Jude and A. Bragais/Pamar terminal (no compliance with any requirements); Ferdinand Bus Line and Mark Eves/Fortune Star terminal (complied only with the nose in, nose out system). The operators were given 15 days to comply with the requirements.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/4-pasay-bus-terminals-get-closure-notice/339694/
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Duterte not willing to name ‘narco-pols’ in 2019 polls
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-10-13 00:04:57+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte said he was not keen on revealing the names of politicians involved in the illegal drug trade in the country, as the filing of certificates of candidacy (CoCs) for local and national posts in the 2019 midterm polls started.“No, I will not,” Duterte said in a media interview in Davao City early Friday morning, when asked if he would make public the identities of so-called narco-politicians running in the 2019 elections.“It’s not a good policy to let know the — to telegraph your intention or what you know about the otter fellow, especially in matters of breaking penal laws. No, I will not. We will not in government,” he added.Duterte made the statement after the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) sought the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) help to disqualify politicians who are allegedly involved in corruption and illegal drugs from the midterm polls.During the Palace press briefing on Friday, Interior Assistant Secretary Jonathan Malaya said that the DILG would release its list of suspected narco-politicians after the filing of CoCs next week.The Comelec scheduled the filing of CoCs from Oct. 11 to 12 and Oct.15-17, 2018.“We are going to forward to Commission on Elections all of those lists for their proper disposition. It’s up to the Comelec how they will handle that concern,” Malaya said.He said the DILG is hopeful that they will be disqualified.“[Acting Interior Secretary Eduardo] Año mentioned that we would want them to be disqualified, but there are legal impediments as mentioned by some election lawyers,” he added.In July, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said the number of politicians linked to illegal drugs rose to 93 in April from 86 in December 2017.The PDEA released the names of 207 village officials included in the drug list in April, in time for the May 14 village and youth council elections.On October 3, Año recommended the disqualification of candidates for the 2019 elections who are connected to the narcotics trade.Comelec spokesman James Jimenez, however, said it was “too premature” at the moment to bar candidates linked to illegal drugs from joining the 2019 polls.“There are grounds for disqualification, and membership in any list is not a ground for disqualification, unless you are convicted by final judgment,” Jimenez said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-not-willing-to-name-narco-pols-in-2019-polls/451468/
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Guerrero, de la Rosa get new posts
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-05-04 00:02:07+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has formally appointed former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Rey Leonardo Guerrero as administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority.Guerrero will replace Marcial Amaro 3rd, who was sacked by the President in January because of his excessive foreign trips.Guerrero’s term will expire on July 11, 2022.Duterte also appointed former Philippine National Police chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa as director general of the Bureau of Corrections, an agency under the Department of Justice.The bureau’s interim director general, Valfrie Tabian, was named deputy director general.The president also appointed six new prosecutors in the Department of Justice.They are Roderick Rojas Aquino, Associate City Prosecutor (Prosecutor I) in San Fernando City at La Union, Wallad Abdani Padate, Assistant Regional Prosecutor (Prosecutor II) of SOCCSKSARGEN, Jennifer Angeles Balboa-Cahig and Nikki Rose Esperanza as Deputy City Prosecutors (Prosecutor III) of Baybay City, Leyte and Bacoor City, Cavite, respectively.Duterte also appointed Edgar Ambagan and Ma. Victoria Cabrera as prosecutors of Tagaytay City while Joven Maramba was named prosecutor for Dagupan City.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/guerrero-de-la-rosa-get-new-posts/396604/
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Vitangcol posts bail, says charges ‘baseless’
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2016-12-01 21:37:45+00:00
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Former Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) General Manager Al Vitangcol 3rd on Thursday dismissed graft charges filed against him last week as “baseless.”The cases stemmed from an alleged extortion try on representatives of Czech company Inekon Group in connection with a contract or transaction for supply of Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs), and an alleged request for the Inekon representatives to forge a joint venture deal with a group in connection with the contract or transaction for the train system’s maintenance service.“[I have said this before, we already showed documents but the Ombudsman is very selective. There are documents that they look into, and some that they do not want to look into…],” Vitangcol told reporters in an interview after he posted bail on Thursday when asked on the alleged extortion attempt.“[I have said before that what he was saying is a lie],” he said, referring to then-Czech Ambassador to the Philippines Josef Rychtar who exposed the matter to the public.The Manila Times’ Chairman Emeritus Dante Ang was the first to report about the meetings held between Inekon officials and Vitangcol, who left office in 2014.The Office of the Ombudsman filed two charge sheets on November 23 accusing Vitangcol and Wilson de Vera of violation of Section 3(b) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.Vitangcol posted a total of P60,000 bail for his provisional liberty after the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division where the cases are pending.The court has recalled the arrest warrant as to de Vera after the latter posted P60,000 bail on Tuesday.De Vera pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was conditionally arraigned on Thursday for purposes of a travel clearance, which he is seeking from the court for a trip to the United States from December 20 to January 6 for business purposes.In filing the cases, the Ombudsman alleged that Vitangcol, through de Vera, attempted to extort money in 2012 from representatives of Czech company Inekon Group in connection with the contract or transaction for the supply of Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) or supposedly in exchange for the selection of Inekon as supplier of the LRVs.The Inekon representatives turned down the alleged request or demand for $30 million so the sum was supposedly reduced to $2.5 million, which the Inekon representatives also refused.According to the charge sheet, the alleged request or demand for the money was supposedly made by de Vera on July 9, 2012 at Rychtar’s Makati City (Metro Manila) residence.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vitangcol-posts-bail-says-charges-baseless/299424/
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China navy launches latest generation destroyer
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['Erwin Rc']
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28/06/2017 0:00
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especially in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety.Beijing has also long nurtured resentment against Japan over its past invasion of China, and their dispute over a group of tiny, uninhabited islands in the East China Sea has at times threatened to break out into open confrontation.India, meanwhile, also shares a disputed border with China and has grown increasingly concerned over the Chinese navy’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean, facilitated in part by Beijing’s close alliance with New Delhi’s arch rival Pakistan.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/28/china-navy-launches-latest-generation-destroyer/
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Document protecting Asean workers hailed
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-11-15 22:05:47+00:00
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A document on the promotion of the protection and rights of migrant workers in Southeast Asia would complement pending bills to improve the benefits of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Sen. Joel Villanueva said on Wednesday.He cited the creation of a separate department for migrant workers that will cater to all concerns of the OFWs, reducing or eliminating bureaucratic red tape in OFW assistance.Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the adoption of the document during the country’s 2017 chairmanship of the Asean was significant because of the “economic and social importance” of the OFWs in Philippine society.“I am proud that the Philippines was able to steer Asean toward an agreement, which will further promote and defend the rights of our OFW heroes, no matter where they are stationed within the region,” he added.Led by President Rodrigo Duterte, the region’s leaders on Tuesday signed the Consensus on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit in Manila.The document strengthens social protection, ensures humane and fair treatment and provides access to legal and health services to the region’s migrant workers, 212,435 of whom are Filipinos.The Department of Foreign Affairs said over 180,000 Filipinos work in Singapore as household helpers, nurses and caregivers.The Filipinos in Malaysia work as engineers, cashiers, hotel and restaurant crew, factory workers and household service workers.Data from the Commission on Filipino Overseas show the number of OFWs in the region: Brunei Darussalam (19,000); Cambodia (9,000); Laos (1,200); Myanmar (2,000); Thailand (15,000); and Vietnam (5,000).“This agreement will definitely benefit our OFWs. Truly, there is a need to do so especially since we are in an era where our countrymen have increasingly chosen to work abroad,” Villanueva, chairman of the Senate Committee on Labor, said.He added that the agreement is a “testament” to the commitment of the region to improve the labor standards and protect the rights of workers in the region in line with Asean integration.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/document-protecting-asean-workers-hailed/362963/
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Chinese officials affirm help for rehab facilities
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['Jing Villamente']
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2016-12-22 20:18:24+00:00
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The Chinese government through its embassy in Manila has affirmed its commitment to help the Philippine national government’s drug rehabilitation efforts.Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary for Operations John Castriciones, designated focal person for an inter-agency task force and concurrent chairman of the Task Force Agila created by DILG Secretary Ismael Sueno, said a lean delegation from the Chinese Embassy visited his office last week and personally reiterated the Chinese government’s assurance to help in the rehabilitation drive.“They were represented by Charge d’ Affaires He Xiangqi and also by the National Police Attache’ Fu Yunfei of the People’s Republic of China. They informed us that they are very much interested to donate a facility for drug rehabilitation,” Castriciones added.The DILG undersecretary said a previous agreement has been entered into and signed between the Chinese Minister of Commerce and Philippine Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd, when the two met in China.“They will be sending over a delegation [that will inspect] possible areas where they can build the rehabilitation facility that they will finance,” he added.Areas being considered to house the Chinese-funded drug rehabilitation centesr are a 10-hectare land in Rosario, Cavite, and another 10-hectare property in Tagaytay, as well as a four-hectare area in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya among others.Castriciones said the embassy officials during their meeting expressed that they are more keen on acquiring property that are near Metro Manila.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/chinese-officials-affirm-help-rehab-facilities-2/303261/
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Diesel prices down, gas up
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-07-17 00:07:28+00:00
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OIL companies cut the price of diesel but jacked up the cost of gasoline as crude prices tumbled in the global market on Monday.At 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Caltex, Eastern Petroleum, Flying V, Petro Gazz, Phoenix Petroleum, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, Seaoil and Unioil reduced the price of diesel by 15 centavos per liter, but increased the price of gasoline by 30 centavos per liter. The price of kerosene was unchanged.The oil firms announced changes in their pump prices as reports said Brent crude lost 30 cents to close at $75.03 per barrel, while US light crude dropped 50 cents to end at $70.51 a barrel.Last week, oil firms hiked the prices of diesel and gasoline by 35 centavos per liter and 40 centavos per liter, respectively, and the price of kerosene by 70 centavos per liter.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/diesel-prices-down-gas-up/420093/
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Man arrested for raping daughter
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-10-21 00:57:08+00:00
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A MAN who raped his daughter a year ago was arrested in Binondo, Manila at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday night. Elements of the Eastern Police District (EPD) mobile force battalion intelligence operatives arrested Leonardo Catalan, 54, resident of No. 063 Sto. Niño St., Tawiran Ext., Brgy. Santolan, Pasig City at about 8:30 p.m. in front of PhilTrust Bank near Binondo Church, San Fernando St., Brgy 282. Catalan was arrested for allegedly raping his own daughter “Girlie” (not her real name), then 13, sometime in 2015. Catalan refused to answer the accusation in court but instead left his house and stayed in Manila. “Girlie” was temporarily placed in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development but was later released to her mother, an overseas Filipino worker, who returned to the country from Lebanon after she was informed of the incident. The suspect was arrested by virtue of warrant of arrest issued by Judge Florian Gregory Abalajon of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 261 for qualified rape.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/man-arrested-for-raping-daughter/454927/
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US envoy lauds PH, corporate efforts on Down’s Syndrome
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-02-19 19:50:41+00:00
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The United States ambassador to the Philippines has lauded the efforts of the Philippines and retail and property giant SM Prime Holdings Inc. in pushing for inclusivity of children with Down’s Syndrome.Joining the Happy Walk for Down’s Syndrome held at the SMX at the Mall of Asia in Pasay City (Metro Manila) on Sunday, Sung Kim said he was inspired by the energy of the children in the event as he praised moves of the Philippine government and the private sector on children with Down’s Syndrome, a congenital disorder with mental retardation and physical abnormalities.“This is a wonderful event. I am really honored to spend some time with these kids. I’m really inspired by these children because there’s so much energy. I would like to commend everyone and SM for organizing these very special event,” Kim added.Gamely participating in the activity booths set up by children with Down’s Syndrome, the US ambassador promised to take part in next year’s Happy Walk event.“This has been going on for quite a while and I look forward to participating again next year,” he said.Elmer Lapena, president of the Down’s Sydrome Association of the Philippines (DSAPI), said their children who have the condition have started to “level up” in terms of taking the first step in becoming productive members of society.“This levelling up is to push society to embrace our children for them to become productive members of society. We have many kids now who are working or going to school and we hope more of them could be accommodated,” he added.Lapena’s son Jeremy, who has Down’s Syndrome, is employed as a sales assistant at a bag store.“My son currently works and he mingles well with co-workers and customers. Many look for him when he’s not around and so it just goes to show that he can work and be part of the community. Our dream is full integration of our children in society and we are starting to see that happen,” he said.Lapena expressed gratitude that more and more people have been participating in their Happy Walk event, which takes them around the Mall of Asia.“Last year was special because 3,000 people came to the event. We expected only 1,500 last year but more than 3,000 took part. This year, more than 4,000 people attended and we feel very honored to be given this importance,” he said.Lapena explained that the Happy Walk events have been instrumental in showing to children with Down’s Syndrome and their parents that they can be achievers in their own way.Happy Walk for Down’s Syndrome is the kick-off event in the celebration and observance of the National Down’s Syndrome Consciousness Month and is spearheaded by DSAPI and SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime.The Happy Walk for Down’s Syndrome was started by Lapena and several other parents who had children with the condition.They started their advocacy to raise awareness on the disorder on Roxas Boulevard in Manila in 2002 until SM offered to host their event at the Skydome of SM North Edsa.When the gathering proved to be too big for the 1,200-seater Skydome, then SM Prime President Hans Sy and SM Cares, the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Supermalls, offered them the much bigger SMX at the Mall of Asia.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/us-envoy-lauds-ph-corporate-efforts-downs-syndrome/313111/
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No human cases of avian flu yet – DoH
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2017-08-25 22:27:58+00:00
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The Department of Health (DoH) on Friday said there have been no confirmed human cases of avian influenza in the affected towns of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija since the Department of Agriculture (DoA) announced an outbreak there.The DoH was able to identify 34 “suspect” cases of bird flu, 30 of which came from Pampanga and four from Nueva Ecija. As of August 24, all of them turned out negative for avian flu.The suspected cases showed flu-like symptoms and were immediately placed in isolation as a precautionary measure to avoid further human-to-human infection. They were also given Oseltamivir capsules for treatment.There are still seven cases being monitored for possible infection and are isolated in Jose B. Lingad Medical Center for testing.Socorro Lupisan, DoH director for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, said, “Tansmission from birds to humans is very, very low, but if you get the disease, the mortality rate is high. Dpending on their health condition, only about 30 to 50 perent (of patients) will recover.”The H5N6 virus affects the respiratory system and patients with other health complications such as asthma, diabetes or low immune system may develop a severe infection that may lead to respiratory failure, Bureau of Animal Industry veterinarian Joy Lagayan said.DoH epidemiologic surveillance and health workers have been deployed to investigate and report suspected human cases within the next 24 to 48 hours.The DoH designated Jose B. Lingad Memorial Medical Center in San Fernando, Pampanga and Paulino Garcia Memorial and Research Medical Center in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija as referral hospitals for assessment of suspected cases and collection of specimens for laboratory analysis.Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial said poultry products are safe to eat and consume as long as they are well cooked. She clarified the public misconception regarding the disease and demonstrated it by eating chicken and egg in a news briefing along with Lupisan and Bureau of Animal Welfare and Industry veterinarian Joy Lagayan.“It cannot be transmitted through eating. It is transmitted by respiratory route or by direct contact and you have to have exposure to wild fowls or birds,” she said.The DoH and the DoA are working together to ensure that poultry and its byproducts are safe for consumption, Ubial said. “I call on everyone to be vigilant, follow the advisories issued by concerned government agencies and to be equipped with the right information about the disease,” she added.The influenza strain was confirmed and identified to be avian influenza type A, subtype H5, N6 known to be transmissible to humans. Since the virus was first detected in 2013, the first-ever human transmission was recorded in 2014 in China. From 2014, 20 human cases have been reported and there were two deaths. The last known human case of avian influenza A (H5N6) transmission was recorded in China on December 1, 2016. Past outbreaks of H5N6 strain were reported in Southeast Asian countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam as well as in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Greece.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-human-cases-avian-flu-yet-doh/346730/
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Church seeks heaven’s help for priests
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-02-06 22:29:06+00:00
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THE Catholic Church has deemed it necessary to seek divine intervention to address the shortage of priests in the country.The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippnes (CBCP) president, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas, has issued a circular calling on all clergy, superiors of religious communities and heads of secular institutes in the archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan to pray the Oratio Imperata for new and idealistic priests who will bravely spread the truth and the words of God amid a rash of unnecessary killings and alleged persecution of the Church.“To be prayed after Communion before the Post-Communion Prayer in all Masses in the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan from February 11, Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, until March 25, Solemnity of the Annunciation,” Villegas said of the Oratio Imperata.“Hatred, violence and oppression have wounded us, send us courageous priests and seminarians to be heralds of truth, justice and grace. Misery, poverty and distress afflict so many, send us generous priests and seminarians to set your people free from the shackles of sin,” the prelate added.Villegas called on the flock to pray for people who have the calling and vocation to become servants of God.“Fear, discouragement and restlessness trouble multitudes, send us priests and seminarians who can show your face of hope for the world,” he said.Villegas aired a similar call last year, from January 10, 2016 to March 23, 2016.Church records show that there are more than 8,000 priests serving 74 million Catholic believers in the country or one priest for every 8,000 plus parishioners.Oratio Imperata or Obligatory Prayer is commonly issued to seek divine intervention during times of natural calamities and also during times of war, plague and disruption of public peace in society.A month after the May 9, 2016 elections, Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle issued a special prayer for President Rodrigo Duterte and other incoming elected government officials to have the wisdom and courage to lead the country to prosperity and progress under a culture of peace, justice and respect for human life.Earlier, Villegas also released a prayer for peace or the Oratio Imperata for Peace, which seeks divine intervention for a peaceful settlement of the problem in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).The CBCP and Duterte have not been seeing eye-to-eye on a number of issues, particularly on the President’s plan to reimpose death penalty and extrajudicial killings.Aside from illegal drugs, the Church is apparently also among Duterte’s favorite whipping boys, even branding it as the “most hypocritical” institution.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/church-seeks-heavens-help-priests/310869/
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Church leaders seek release of 2 colleagues, peace talks consultant
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['Blackie Hawkie']
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11/8/2017 0:00
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Church leaders sought yesterday the help of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II for the release of their two colleagues and a peace talks consultant who were arrested by the military last May and at the height of the Marawi City siege last month.The request for the release of Bishop Carlo Morales of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, peace talks consultant Rommel Salinas and Pastor Kama L. Sanong of the Manobo Association Evangelical Church was contained in a letter sent to Aguirre yesterday.To dramatize their request for assistance, several members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Ecumenical Bishops’ Forum and the Promotion of Church People’s Response yesterday staged a rally at in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) compound in Manila.Aguirre said the case filed against Morales is still with the prosecutors who will conduct the needed preliminary investigation to determine if a case would be filed in court.He said he has asked the National Prosecution Service (NPS) to update him on the status of the cases against Morales, Salinas, and Sanong.The church leaders told Aguirre that Morales, a respected leader and clergy, “has been leveled with a fabricated charge of illegal possession of explosives by the Armed Forces of the Philippines” when taken into custody by the military in Ozamiz City on May 11, 2017.They also said that Morales chose not to leave Salinas, a peace consultant for the GRP-NDFP Peace Talks, when accosted at the AFP check point.They pointed out that Salinas, at the time of his arrest, was covered by the Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantees (JASIG) given to peace talks consultants.The so-called grenade found inside the bag of Salinas was a “planted” evidence, they said.Quoting Morales and other witnesses, the church leaders told Aguirre that “after some time at the police station, there was an obviously staged incident where the state forces dramatized finding a grenade in the bag of Salinas, but this was after the bag was out of the custody of Salinas.”In the case of Morales, they stressed that “the bishop is not connected with the bag, or any contents therein.”They said that Pastor Sanong was arrested last July 11 in his home in Kalamansig, Sultan Kudarat by elements of the Marines Landing Battalion and the Philippine National Police (PNP).They pointed out that the arresting law enforcers planted a .38 caliber pistol and a rifle grenade which was “used as evidence to file a fabricated, trumped-up case of Illegal Possession as basis for Pastor Sanong’s arrest.”
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/11/church-leaders-seek-release-of-2-colleagues-peace-talks-consultant/
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Japan turns over 2 doppler radars
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-02-04 22:03:18+00:00
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TWO doppler radars funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have been turned over to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).“The radar project under JICA grant-aid scheme targets the improvement of meteorological radar system in the Philippines which is guaranteed to boost Pagasa’s capabilities in weather monitoring and forecasting,” Pagasa Administrator Vicente Malano said during the turn-over ceremony.The two radars will be stationed in Aparri, Cagayan and Guiuan, Eastern Samar.The radar project also serves as part of the 3.35-billion yen official development assistance of JICA for the state weather bureau to boost the country’s disaster resiliency.According to JICA chief representative Susumu Ito, the first doppler radar was given in 2012. It was set up in Virac, Catanduanes.“Incidentally, Southeast Asia was among the most disaster-prone sub-regions in the Asia Pacific. This means we need to further step up our resiliency against disasters,” Ito said.“By sharing Japan’s resources and expertise to Pagasa, as we have done since the 1970s, we hope to help Pagasa and local communities step up its response work,” he added. Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the doppler radars “will serve as early warning systems to guide” the local government units and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council of Aparri and Guiuan.Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Kazuhide Ishikawa commended the partnership between Pagasa and JICA.“Disaster risk reduction is one of the most important areas of cooperation as both Japan and the Philippines are disaster-prone countries,” Ishikawa said. “It is with this spirit that Japan decided to assist the Philippines by enhancing the capability of Pagasa to effectively minimize and prevent damages that tropical cyclones and other severe weather phenomena may cause.”In 2007, JICA dispatched technical experts and consultants to the country to conduct a preliminary study on the improvement of Meteorological Radar Systems in the Philippines.The project was approved and implemented in July 2010 with the main objective to upgrade the observational capability of Pagasa’s weather radar network for monitoring and now-casting of weather related disturbances.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/japan-turns-2-doppler-radars/310568/
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PH food study begins as population grows
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-02-18 21:26:19+00:00
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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), an agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, has allocated $300,000 for the conduct of a study on food production and food consumption in the face of rapid population growth in the Philippines.The study will focus on determining food requirements of Filipinos 50 years from today and which needs will be answered through the National Food Consumption Quantification Survey, a major advocacy of the Department of Agriculture under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.“With this study, we will be prepared for the future and hopefully we will be able to prepare programs to ensure that our grandchildren will have enough food to eat,” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.The study will provide answer to the following questions:• What food do Filipinos prefer to eat?• How much of this food do they consume?• Where and how do we produce this food?• How much of this food do we need to produce for Filipinos 10, 20 or 50 years from now?• Up to what point will the land and aquatic resources of the country be able to supply the food needs of a bigger population?• How do we produce food using less land and water?• How do we wean Filipino consumers from their dependence on food commodities that require large areas to grow?Pinol said even if the country achieves rice sufficiency by 2020 as programmed, maintaining the level of food security will be fleeting and temporary unless the massive population growth is checked.The other innovation following the FAO study is the National Color-Code Agriculture Guide Map, which will help farmers determine what crops are suitable to their areas.“People have to understand that the 30-million hectare land area and the width of the seas within the country’s EEZ [Exclusive Economic Zone], including the 25-million hectare continental shelf east of Luzon called the Philippine Rise, are finite,” Piñol explained.“There will be a point in the life of this nation when the land and the seas will no longer be able to produce enough food for Filipinos,” he said.Current population of the Philippines is 105.9 million as of February 2018, based on the latest United Nations estimates.The Philippine population is equivalent to 1.4 percent of the total world population.“We may achieve rice sufficiency by 2020 but it will be temporary and fleeting as I expect population to overtake the capacity of the country to produce food the traditional way. This is something that our leaders must understand and appreciate that the need to manage population is not an affront on a religious dogma but part of the struggle for the survival of the nation,” Piñol said.He believes farmers can only produce as much food as there are lands to till and fishermen could only catch as much fish as there are seas to sail.Beyond that, according to Piñol, not even the best agriculturist could ensure that there will be enough food for everybody.The FAO study is expected to start before the end of the year as documents covering the loan grant are completed and signed by the Philippine government and the world food body.FAO’s global vision is for a world free from hunger and malnutrition where food and agriculture contribute to improving the living standards of all especially the poorest, in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.Its assistance to the Philippines is shaped by the Country Programming Framework, which focuses on four priority areas: improving food and nutrition security; enhancing agricultural production and productivity; sustaining management of natural resources; and promoting agricultural adaptation, climate change mitigation and disaster risk reduction.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-food-study-begins-population-grows/381169/
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‘Arrest of ‘tambays’ not a prelude to martial law’
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2018-06-20 00:13:32+00:00
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Malacañang insisted on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to arrest ‘tambays’ (loiterers) is not a prelude to martial law.Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said the President saw “no reason yet” to declare martial law nationwide.“No, because the problem on ‘tambays’ has been going on for a long time and it is a problem of the local government. But for me, that is a remote possibility,” said Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. in a radio interview aired over dzMM on Monday night.“It is not his goal to break the law, he knows criminal law because he was a fiscal for 10 years before being a mayor [of Davao City],” he added.National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar said more than 5,500 people have been arrested since July 13 as part of intensified police operations against “tambays.”Eleazar yesterday said the Philippine National Police (PNP) has complied with the President’s order to be strict against loiterers, whom he branded as “potential trouble for the public.”He explained that police efforts against loiterers were anchored on local ordinances setting a curfew for minors and banning drinking sprees in public places and going out half-naked.Duterte issued the order in a speech last Wednesday, during the oath-taking of newly promoted uniformed personnel.Roque said Duterte had ruled out declaring martial law nationwide.“What the President said is clear—martial law in the Philippines will become very complicated, he has absolutely no intentions right now unless there will be reasons to do so. As of now, the President sees none,” he added.Roque said those arrested by the PNP over the past days did not follow local ordinances on gambling and drinking in public.Some lawmakers have criticized the President’s order to arrest loiterers. Akbayan party-list Rep. Tom Villarin said it was reminiscent of martial law.Sen. Francis Pangilinan, meanwhile, pointed out that vagrancy is no longer a crime.He explained that loitering was a criminal offense under Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code, which defined vagrants as “any person found loitering about public places or wandering about the streets without visible means of support.”This provision of the law was, however, amended when then president Benigno Aquino 3rd signed a law in 2012 decriminalizing vagrancy in response to widespread concerns that the Revised Penal Code had been used to justify arbitrary arrests against the poor.WITH RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/arrest-of-tambays-not-a-prelude-to-martial-law/410323/
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BI offers ‘visa upon arrival’ to Chinese
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-08-19 20:57:35+00:00
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IN a bid to attract more tourists and foreign investors, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is now offering “visa-upon-arrival [VUA]” privilege to nationals from China.Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente on Friday said that interested Chinese, particularly businessmen and plain tourists, may enter and stay in the country for as long as 30 days without the hassle of securing first an entry visa from the Philippine Embassy in China. Their stay in the country may also be extended up to a maximum period of six months.Morente said the program is open to Chinese who are members of tour groups organized by tour operators accredited by the tourism department; businessmen endorsed by local and foreign chambers of commerce and other government agencies; and athletes and delegates to conventions and exhibitions.The new program was contained in Department Circular 041 issued by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd.“Through this scheme we aim to facilitate the expeditious entry and admission of Chinese nationals into the country and thus attract more tourists and investors from China,” Morente said.The program will be implemented at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and in eight other international airports (Clark, Mactan, and Kalibo) and seaports (Manila, Puerto Princesa, Subic, Laoag, and Caticlan) throughout the country.Applicants should be holders of valid passports and return tickets, and they should not be in the BI’s blacklist or subject of an Interpol red notice. Each of them shall be charged a visa fee of $25 and P10 legal research fee.The rules also provide that applications for VUA should be filed at least 10 working days before their arrival.If the applicants are qualified, the BI commissioner shall issue an order approving the VUA and the same shall be presented by the Chinese passengers to immigration officers upon their arrival in the country.Copies of the order shall also be furnished to the BI port operations division whose personnel (immigration officers) shall implement the visa on the travel documents of the Chinese passengers during the conduct of arrival formalities at the port of entry.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bi-offers-visa-upon-arrival-chinese/345504/
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Duterte suspends logging in Zamboanga Peninsula
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-01-09 20:47:36+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has suspended logging activities in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said on Tuesday.The President, according to Roque, gave the order during a Cabinet meeting held at Malacañang on Monday afternoon.“The President ordered several logging concessions in the Zamboanga Peninsula to be suspended. This after he was apprised of concerns of indigenous populations that they have been displaced by logging operations of some companies,” he told reporters.The Zamboanga Peninsula covers the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur as well as Isabela City and Zamboanga City.The President “also observed that it is widespread logging that is responsible for the flash floods that Mindanao experienced only this month of December [in light of the] two typhoons,” Roque said.The two typhoons that hit Mindanao during the Christmas holidays were Urduja and Vinta.Roque said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has committed to probe the logging activities in the region but that the suspension of such operations would not affect the looming investigation.“The President has ordered the suspension without prejudice to the probe,” Roque said.Former President Benigno Aquino 3rd in 2011 issued Executive Order (EO) 23, which banned cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests and established an anti-illegal logging task force.EO 23, however, allows the government to issue or renew tree-cutting permits for clearing of road right-of-way by the Department of Public Works and Highways, site preparation for tree plantations, silvicultural treatment and similar activities, provided that all logs derived from the permits will be turned over to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for proper disposal.The order also provides that tree-cutting associated with cultural practices pursuant to the indigenous Peoples Right Act may be allowed only subject to strict compliance with existing guidelines of the DENR.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-suspends-logging-zamboanga-peninsula/373278/
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Senators oppose PCGG abolition
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-05-17 00:03:04+00:00
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THE Senate minority bloc will oppose any measure to abolish the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) since it claimed that it could be a part of a ploy to revise history about the ill-gotten wealth of the Marcoses.Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senators Antonio Trillanes 4th, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, and Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday said there is no need to abolish the PCGG.Voting 165-7, the House of Representatives on Tuesday abolished the PCGG. There are six pending measures in the Senate “strengthening” the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) by amending its Charter.The Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon, had finished conducting public hearings on measures abolishing the PCGG filed by Senators Panfilo Lacson, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Loren Legarda, Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Francis Escudero, and Trillanes.“I will oppose it. I am taking the position that there will be difficulties if we abolish PCGG and OGCC (Office of the Government Corporate Counsel) but I want to see how the report comes out,” Drilon said in an interview.“There’s definitely no need to abolish the PCGG. We will not allow that measure to prosper here in the Senate because if we abolish PCGG it is as if we also abolish historical accountability and absolve the Marcoses of plunder,” Hontiveros said.“Unless they can show that the functions of the PCGG can be effectively performed by other agency, we should maintain the PCGG in my view. But I am willing to listen to the debate,” Drilon said.Gordon also rejected the plan to abolish the PCGG.“At the moment I don’t think you should abolish it. That is my disposition because you need a special team to go after these people. That’s the quickest way to forget it,” he said.Aquino said that if the Duterte government is serious in eradicating corruption, “it should work to strengthen the PCGG, rather than move to abolish it.”He said that in its 30 years of existence, the PCGG has recovered $3.6 billion or P170 billion. Bernadette E. Tamayo
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-oppose-pcgg-abolition/399230/
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No more stragglers in Marawi – AFP
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-11-18 23:58:59+00:00
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All Islamic State-linked Maute stragglers hiding in the main battle area of Marawi City have been neutralized by ground troopers, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said.Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP public affairs chief, said Task Group Ranao deputy commander Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. informed him of the situation of remaining stragglers in Marawi City.“That was exactly my question to Col. Brawner and he said that they see that all stragglers in Marawi were already neutralized,” Arevalo told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.However, if there will be stragglers still holding out in the battle zone, Arevalo said the terrorists might not be aware that the war in Marawi was already over.“We are hopeful that they will find this out in due time and they will either turnover their firearms or give up or they will suffer the same fate of their [fellow terrorists],” he said.Arevalo explained the absence of firefight in the main battle area indicated that there are no more Maute stragglers in Marawi City.Following this claim, the military is now “focused” for the “further clearing operations” inside the main battle area to achieve the necessary preparation for the reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts of the government.“Based on our observation, there are no more enemies as what I have said. We would like to assume that they all have been neutralized,” Arevalo said.Earlier this month, government authorities arrested terrorist Muhammad Ilham Syahputra, an Indonesian, when the latter attempted to escape the main battle area by swimming over Lake Lanao.The military said Syahputra admitted that he was among those who took part in the Marawi siege, as well as the attack at Piagapo last April.The foreign terrorist also admitted that he was invited by slain IS leader Isnilon Hapilon last year to lay siege and conduct bombings in some areas of Mindanao.After Syahputra’s detention at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Philippine National Police Chief Ronald de la Rosa said Malaysian terrorist Amin Baku became the newly-designated “emir” of the IS for Southeast Asia, replacing Hapilon.But the AFP, through its spokesman Maj. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., refuted the claims made by the police chief, saying Baku was believed to be dead by ground commanders including Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the Western Mindanao Command chief.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-stragglers-marawi-afp/363736/
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Anti-Distracted Driving Law’s new IRR to take effect July 6
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2017-06-21 21:43:45+00:00
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The new Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Anti-Distracted Driving Law are set to take effect on July 6 after 15 days of publication starting June 21, Wednesday.Under the new IRR, use of mobile communication devices will be allowed if it is aided by a device such as, but not limited to, speakerphone, earphones and microphone.Use of electronic entertainment or computing device to play games, watch movies, surf the Internet, compose messages, read e-books, perform calculation and other similar acts will be considered a violation.This rule applies while driving or the vehicle whether diplomatic, public or private is in a momentary stop at an intersection.Also under the IRR, holding gadgets while driving will be deemed as a violation, which will be penalized P5,000 for the first offense, P10,000 for the second offense, P15,000 and suspension of driver’s license for three months for third offense and P20,000 and revocation of driver’s license for the fourth and succeeding offenses.Emergency phone calls in cases of immediate health care assistance or reporting to a law enforcement agency a crime, accident, natural calamity, bomb threat or terrorist action, animal activism and infrastructure failure are exempted.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/anti-distracted-driving-laws-new-irr-take-effect-july-6/334110/
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‘Paeng’ exits, new typhoon to enter Tuesday
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['Jove Moya']
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2018-09-30 00:02:39+00:00
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The weather bureau said on Saturday that the country will continue to enjoy fair weather as typhoon “Paeng” (international name: Trami) is no longer affecting the country.At 3 a.m. yesterday, the eye of typhoon Trami was located 680 kilometers north east of Basco, Batanes, with maximum sustained winds of 160 kilometers per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 195 kph.It was moving north northwest at 15 kph.The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said cloudy skies with scattered rain showers will prevail over Bicol, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Marinduque, Romblon, Northern Samar, and the rest of National Capital Region.Meanwhile, the tropical depression spotted outside the PAR was last seen 2,245 km east of Visayas, with maximum sustained winds of 60 kph, and gustiness of 75 kph.It is expected to enter the Philippine territory on Tuesday, and will be named “Queenie.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/paeng-exits-new-typhoon-to-enter-tuesday/446679/
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Ban lottery outlets near schools – Briones
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['Neil Alcober']
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2016-10-29 21:36:19+00:00
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EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones has asked President Rodrigo Duterte and other cabinet officials to prohibit online lottery outlets from operating near schools.“I brought it up in the cabinet [meeting] because there is a previous policy which allows local government units to set up online lottery. Personally, I am not for it, but it is an existing policy which is being implemented,” Briones said in an interview.The DepEd chief stressed that online gaming centers should not be located near schools or areas where students congregate.“I do not believe that gambling could be a major source of revenue for the government, but it is a policy,” Briones, a former national treasurer, said.“There would be a number of young people buying tickets as well,” she added.She said Duterte agreed with her that online lottery outlets should not be allowed near campuses.“Those who are sponsoring online lotteries were also there when we had a cabinet meeting. They had a presentation on how much they will earn and how much money can be generated, and then I expressed my views that I am not for looking gambling as a major source of revenue for government,” Briones said.“But in the discussion it was considered that it can be a source of revenue for local government, and so on. I said that in case you just need to make sure that [online lottery] centers where they can buy tickets should not be near schools because they would offer opportunities to kids to this,” the DepEd chief added.Duterte earlier vowed to stop the proliferation of online gambling.He asked the state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to cancel the licenses of online gambling operators.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ban-lottery-outlets-near-schools-briones/293788/
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Train Law effects on prices ‘transitory’ – Budget secretary
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-01-10 22:01:35+00:00
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Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday said the 2018 General Appropriations Act includes allocations for mitigating measures intended to offset the slight, “transitory” uptick in prices caused by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.In this year’s national budget, a total of P28.8 billion has been earmarked for the Tax Reform Cash Transfer Project, the loan facility subsidies for the Public Utility Vehicle (PUV) Modernization Program and the implementation of the National ID System.“We laud the passage of Package 1A of Train insofar as it supports the administration’s socio-economic agenda,” Diokno said in a statement.The Train Law “will raise the necessary revenues for our much-needed Build Build Build program and social services initiatives,” he added, referring to the government’s huge infrastructure program.“Nevertheless, we are aware of the short-term and transitory effects of [the law] on consumer prices, which is why the government incorporated these mitigating measures in the 2018 budget,” the Budget chief said.In particular, Diokno noted, P24.5 billion is set aside for unconditional cash grants to the poorest 50 percent of households identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development through the National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction.This allocation is lodged in the budget of the Land Bank of the Philippines.For 2018, over 10 million Filipino households will receive P200 a month to offset the slight increase in prices because of higher excise taxes imposed by the new law.“The unconditional cash grants will more than offset the short-term inflationary impact of Train,” Diokno said.“This is in response to critics who say that [the law] is anti-poor because the informal sector and already tax-exempt wage earners will be faced with higher excise taxes,” he added.“So aside from increasing the take-home pay of many workers with the reduced income tax rates, we will also augment the incomes of the poorest 50 percent of households. More so, in 2019 and 2020, we will raise the subsidy to P300 per month per household,” the Budget secretary said.Even as the Train Law is seen boosting inflation by 0.85 to 1.2 percentage points in 2018 and by 0.4 to 0.55 percentage points by 2019, according to him, this is projected to be countered by the lowering of rice prices through rice policy reforms.The proposed removal of quantitative restrictions on rice could lower inflation by about 1.14 percentage points annually.“The inflationary effects of [the law] are projected to be temporary, aside from being countered by lower rice prices with the removal of quantitative restrictions. This is why the BSP [Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas] maintained its inflation target at 2 to 4 percent, and approved by the DBCC [Development Budget Coordination Committee] last December 2017,” Diokno said.In the long-term, he added, the law should even lead to lower prices as it will result in better productivity and lower transportation costs with superior infrastructure.Meanwhile, about P2.3 billion is allocated for the loan facility to be extended to PUV drivers to replace old public utility jeepneys with safer, more comfortable and more economical PUVs.For the National ID System, P2 billion is earmarked.The allocation is within the budget of the Philippine Statistics Authority and will ensure that public resources are delivered to their intended beneficiaries.The system will limit leakages in the delivery of social services programs, particularly the cash transfer programs of the government.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/train-law-effects-prices-transitory-budget-secretary/373445/
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30 drug surrenderers complete rehab program
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-04-02 21:52:24+00:00
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Thirty surrenderers, seven of them women, were cited over the weekend after completing a six-month community-based rehabilitation program of the Caloocan City (Metro Manila) goverment in coordination with city parishes.The former drug users underwent the rehabilitation program through the Community-Assisted Rehabilitation and Recovery Out-Patient Training System (Carrots) initiated by the Caloocan Anti-Drug Abuse Council (Cadac).Completion rites were held at Doña Alegria Hall in La Consolacion College in the city.Wth the theme “Ikaw Ako, Tayo ang Simula ng Pagbabago” Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan said they had taken their cue from an Italian priest, Fr. Luciano Falloni, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, North Caloocan, who said the drug problem can be addressed by “healing not by killing.”Malapitan and Archbishop Pablo David partnered together and gathered doctors and other stakeholders who treated the surrenderers as out-patients and members of the academe and religious teachers who conducted values formation classes.The city shouldered medicines and food for the surrenderers.The 30 former drug users who surrendered in September last year were among the 59 surrenderers who voluntarily gave themselves up to the community-based Carrots program to help them get away from substance abuse.“They are the consistent former drug users who tested negatively from the weekly surprise drug tests,” Noland Sison, Caloocan City Public Information officer, told The Manila Times.The “graduates” were taught soap and candle-making, made to join field trips and other detox activities such as bonsai therapy for them to have some sense of accomplishment if they saw their pet plants grow,” Sison said.They were treated in three participating parishes in the city–San Roque Cathedral which is just in front of the Caloocan City Hall, Our Lady of Lourdes in Camarin and Our Lady Luhan in Bagong Barrio.Sison said Bishop David had promised that all churches will open their doors for Carrots.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/30-drug-surrenderers-complete-rehab-program/320574/
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QC oks gas station operation
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-12 00:02:37+00:00
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The Quezon City Council has granted a special use permit to a petroleum dealer, allowing it to construct and operate a gasoline station in North Fairview. A City Resolution introduced by Councilor Donato Matias states that Antonieta Eudela is being issued a special permit to construct and operate a Petron Gasoline refilling station in Sitio Seville, Barangay North Fairview. The issuance of the special permit for gas refilling station is in accordance with provisions of the Quezon City Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/qc-oks-gas-station-operation/418466/
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DOLE issues pay rules for Bonifacio day
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-11-28 21:57:29+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has come up with the correct pay rules for the November 30 regular holiday for strict compliance by the country’s private employers and businesses.November 30 is a national public holiday to commemorate the birth of Andres Bonifacio, who is considered as the father of the Philippine revolution against Spanish colonization.DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd on Monday issued Labor Advisory No.16, Series of 2016, setting the salary guidelines for workers who will report for during the work holiday.Bello said proper observance of pay rules on regular holidays and special non-working days is good for business as it will lead to more productive and competent employees.“I urge our private sector employers to observe the pay rules and core labor standards applicable on that day for our workers’ welfare and protection,” he addedThe Bonifacio Day pay rules are as follows:• If an employee did not work, he/she shall be paid 100 percent of his/her salary for that day. The COLA (cost of living allowance) is included in the computation of holiday pay. Sample computation: [(Daily rate + COLA) x 100 percent];• If an employee worked, he/she shall be paid 200 percent of his/her regular salary for that day for the first eight hours. The COLA is also included in the computation of holiday pay. Sample computation: [(Daily rate + COLA) x 200 percent].• If an employee worked in excess of eight hours (overtime work), he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on that day. Sample computation: [Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200 percent x 130 percent x number of hours worked];• If an employee worked during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her daily rate of 200 percent. Sample computation: [(Daily rate + COLA) x 200 percent] + (30 percent [Daily rate x 200 percent)]; and• If an employee worked in excess of eight hours (overtime work) during a regular holiday that also falls on his/her rest day, he/she shall be paid an additional 30 percent of his/her hourly rate on that day. Sample computation: (Hourly rate of the basic daily wage x 200 percent x 130 percent x 130 percent x number of hours worked).
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dole-issues-pay-rules-bonifacio-day/298905/
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Bill creating ‘one-stop shop’ for power projects approved
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-01-06 23:02:43+00:00
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A HOUSE panel has approved a substitute bill creating an Energy Virtual One-Stop Shop (eVOSS), which streamlines the process of securing the necessary permits for power generation projects.The House Committee on Energy unanimously adopted the bill, which guarantees the consumer’s access to quality and secure electrical power at a reasonable cost through measures that ensure supply meeting demand in a timely manner.The bill helps power project proponents by improving the ease of doing business, as well as bringing down steep transaction costs associated with the numerous requisites for such projects.It also improves the transparency and accountability in the process of approving power projects as a means to deliver efficient and effective service to the public.By eliminating duplication, redundancy and overlapping mandates in the submission and processing of requirements, the bill would help ensure timely completion of energy projects.The Department of Energy (DoE) will be mandated to supervise the eVOSS, which is an online system that allows the single submission and synchronous processing or required data and information.The eVOSS will also provide a single decision-making avenue for actions on applications for permits and certifications.It recognizes the legal effect and validity of electronic documents submitted in relation to applications for permits and certificates for power generation, transmission, sub-transmission or distribution projects.An online payment system for applications and a secure paperless processing system will be used for convenience of project proponents.A unified permitting process, uniform templates for electronic documentary requirements and simplified manner of compliance with mandated processing time, as well as the updating and monitoring of electronic documentary requirements, are among its advantages.An eVOSS Coordinating Council will be created, with the Energy Secretary as the chairman and the Information and Communications Technology Secretary as the vice chairman.Members will also include the Secretaries of Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Trade and Industry, as well as the Energy Regulatory Commission chairman and the administrators of the National Electrification Administration, Securities and Exchange Commission and National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.The council will also include one representative each from the generation, transmission and distribution sectors and end-users.These representatives shall be nominated by the sector concerned and chosen by the DoE to serve for a term of three years.From the current appropriations of the DoE, P50 million will be allocated for the initial implementation of the law.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bill-creating-one-stop-shop-power-projects-approved/372734/
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US, EU: Policemen of the world or just plain bullies?
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['Wilbert Santos', 'Andoy Familar', 'Happy Folger']
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21/07/2017 0:00
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It wasn’t so long ago that the Philippine government would squirm or shake in fear whenever the United States or the European Union would issue another moralistic statement about the wrongs our country was doing and how we should follow their lead, being the mighty powers that they are in the world.Thank goodness those days are over and the Philippines now has the political audacity to disregard as foolish and impractical all these moralistic “suggestions” from the US-EU, especially in the touchy area of human rights. In the age of Duterte, the days of bullying a sovereign nation like the Philippines are over.The country’s president of one year, Rodrigo Duterte, was the one who broke the spell Filipinos were all under simply by calling out the US and EU on their double talk, their hypocrisy, and total lack of empathy for a new government struggling to carve out a better life for its 100 million citizens.The refined foreigners didn’t care for Duterte’s colorful language and took literally everything he said without regard for whatever was lost in translation, the culture-bound elements of his statements. Did they seriously expect our President, a former lawyer and prosecutor, to hold a public event chopping up criminals and feeding them to the fishes in Manila Bay? Therein lies the rub. Because Filipinos, unlike the foreigners, are smart enough to understand Duterte.Earlier, the US Congress held a public hearing on the “human rights consequences of the ‘war on drugs’ currently underway in the Philippines.” Its panel witnesses were foreign representatives of human rights groups. The Philippine government was not invited. I guess balance and fairness are concepts alien to the US Congress.The bipartisan Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission said that Duterte promised to kill “drug pushers, hold-up men, and do-nothings… and dump all of [them] into Manila Bay, and fatten all the fish there.”I don’t know which is more offensive or disrespectful – the fact that the US government is lambasting a sovereign country with a working democracy, or that it thinks there are fish in Manila Bay eager to eat criminals. Sorry to disappoint, but our Manila Bay fish are vegetarian.I also detect an insinuation that President Duterte only appeals to a certain crowd, as the commission pointedly noted that he was elected by 38.5 percent of the vote. While this may be the actual percentage on election day last year, Duterte has since amassed support from the voters of the other candidates. Here’s the ultimate proof: His 82 percent approval rating, sweeping through all economic classes.It boggles the mind why the US with all its huge problems – high unemployment, weakened economy, increasing federal debt, failing infrastructure – would waste time and resources just so it could browbeat a poor country like the Philippines. Is it coercing us into becoming again America’s lackey in Asia? Or is this just a simple displacement of the hate it feels for its own president Donald Trump, who just happens to have said a few nice things about Duterte?The commission said the hearing will provide policy recommendations to ensure “accountability for human rights violations.” It may call for the reduction of military aid to the Philippines and the blocking of exports of US-made guns and armaments. In fact, Senators Ben Cardin and Marco Rubio have already filed a bipartisan bill to this effect.The Philippine government has no problem with this; there are many gun purveyors around the world. China even gave our government rifles and ammunition for free. It is the American gun manufacturers and their employees who will suffer from any curtailment of sales and the ensuing bad publicity.The European Union parliamentarians were also here recently to visit a detained senator whom the Philippine government views as a narco-politician. This visit leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It shows the EU at the height of its conceit such that it values the opinion of a suspected protector of drug lords over that of Philippine authorities.But Filipino citizens shouldn’t fret. The EU parliament has no real power, actually, and their members are considered second-rate, mediocre politicians (the good ones go to the national parliaments of each EU country). They probably need the publicity to get re-elected as fewer and fewer Europeans are voting in the EU parliament elections.The EU parliamentarians’ visit was, again, supposedly to look into the human rights situation in the Philippines. Yawn. We know better. These people are just willing tools of the US and EU lobby against President Duterte, funded by former Filipinos who want nothing more than to bring down their former motherland. Bullies. Don’t you just hate them.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/21/us-eu-policemen-of-the-world-or-just-plain-bullies/
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CBCP calls for end to killings
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['Felipe F. Salvosa Ii']
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2017-09-12 22:09:29+00:00
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The governing council of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Tuesday called for a stop to the senseless killings of teenagers, amid public outrage over the deaths of Kian de los Santos (17), Carl Angelo Arnaiz (17) and Reynaldo de Guzman (14).“We are appalled by the remorselessness by which even the young are executed. The relentless and bloody campaign against drugs that shows no sign of abating impels us your bishops to declare: In the name of God, stop the killings! May the justice of God come upon those responsible for the killings!” the CBCP Permanent Council said in a statement following a meeting in Manila.“Kian, Carl, Reynaldo…they were young boys, enjoying life, loving sons of parents who doted on them. Now an entire nation knows them by name because their lives have been snuffed out so cruelly, their dreams and aspirations forever consigned to the sad realm of ‘what could have been but never will be,’” said the statement signed by the CBCP president, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas.The CBCP statement followed that of Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle on Sunday, in which the prelate said the Philippines “cannot be governed by killing.”Taking Tagle’s cue, the CBCP also called for the pealing of church bells at 8:00 p.m. during a 40-day period from September 23 to November 1, and to light candles in homes, cemeteries and other public places, “in remembrance of the souls of those killed.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cbcp-calls-end-killings/350291/
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Train 2 to displace workers—Aquino
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-05-01 00:05:34+00:00
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THOUSANDS of employees may end up without jobs once the government implements the second tax reform package that would lead to the removal of the tax incentives granted to some companies, Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th warned Monday.Aquino said if the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act implemented in January triggered an increase in the prices of basic goods, the TRAIN 2 would put the employment of many Filipinos on the line.The proposed tax law seeks to rationalize the tax incentives being given to various businesses, including the removal of tax incentives given to accredited firms of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)“After the increase in prices of goods and services, the government will put the jobs of many Filipinos in peril by removing incentives to some businesses,” Aquino said.The senator stressed that if the tax incentives being given to PEZA-accredited firms are removed, many companies would be forced to close shop, leaving many Filipinos jobless.Investors planning to put up shop in economic zones may also be discouraged once the second part of the government’s tax package is enacted.Aquino called on the government to further study the impact of the Train 2, noting that Filipinos are still trying to cope with the effects of the package one of the Train law.The first Train package reduced personal income taxes but increased excise tax for fuel, automobiles, sugar-sweetened beverages and imported coal and expanded the value-added tax base.While Aquino acknowledged that the Train increased the take-home pay of ordinary workers, the additional pay is not enough to cover the rise in prices of basic goods in the market.In a recent Pulse Asia survey, 98 percent of 1,200 respondents claimed that the prices of basic goods they usually purchase have increased since January because of the tax reform law.About 86 percent of the respondents said they were strongly affected by the increase in prices of goods, 13 percent were “somewhat affected,” and only one percent said they were not affected at all.Instead of pushing Train 2, Aquino said the government should first consider reviewing the package 1 especially after the country’s inflation rate for March hit 4.3 percent which was beyond the projection of two to four percent.Aquino filed Senate Resolution 704 calling on the appropriate Senate committees to conduct a review of the Train Law.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/train-2-to-displace-workers-aquino/396021/
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Classes as usual amid Mayon threat
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-01-20 23:18:10+00:00
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DESPITE challenges posed by Mayon Volcano’s high level of unrest, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday said education in the area continues, adding that it has closely coordinated with concerned offices to ensure that learners, teachers and personnel are safe and well-informed.Since January 13, the Education department, through its Regional Office, led by Director Ramon Fiel Abcede, has implemented interventions and has been closely monitoring the situation.Based on the January 17 report of DepEd Region 5, of the 33 schools used as evacuation centers, 445 classrooms were occupied by 8,583 families or 33,064 individuals.There are 17 schools within the seven-kilometer permanent danger zone.To minimize class interruptions, a number of schools have been holding double-shift classes.The DepEd is fast-tracking release of funds to affected school divisions of Albay, Legazpi City, Ligao City and Tabaco City for speedy construction of 208 temporary learning spaces to enable the 16,791 affected learners to continue attending classes.It is working with local government units (LGUs) to provide alternative evacuation centers for affected residents.“We look forward to the time when LGUs will build permanent evacuation centers so schools need not be mobilized for this purpose and classes will not be disrupted,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said.DepEd is also planning to stockpile learning resources near areas that are prone to natural disasters to faacilitate continuation of classes after a calamity.Among the needs of affected learners and personnel are monobloc chairs with armrest; raincoats, boots and umbrellas (assorted sizes); face masks; plastic envelopes; plastic storage bins; hygiene kits; rechargeable flashlights; door mats (recycled tires); and whiteboard and markers.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/classes-usual-amid-mayon-threat/375474/
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NPA rebels torch daycare in North Cotabato
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-11-15 18:52:04+00:00
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THE New People’s Army (NPA) burned a daycare center in Magpet, North Cotabato, according to belated reports reaching the Philippine Army on Thursday.Lt. Col. Ehrlich Noel Paraso, commander of the Army’s 19th Infantry Battalion, said 25 NPA rebels swooped down on the daycare center at Purok 6, Barangay Mahongcog in Magpet on Monday, tying the hands of the teacher—whom he refused to identify—and seized the identification card, which they also burned.The communist insurgents put the school on fire because they failed “to extort P50,000” from the barangay (village) officials, Paraso said.Paraso also said witnesses saw the NPA rebels wearing military uniforms and introduced themselves to local residents as members of the 39th Infantry Battalion, which was why they were able to enter the village.He said no civilians were reported injured or killed during the incident.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/npa-rebels-torch-daycare-in-north-cotabato/468163/
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Arroyo amenable to separate voting on Cha-cha – lawmakers
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-08-01 00:02:00+00:00
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Speaker Gloria Arroyo has ordered her colleagues at the House of Representatives to work closely with the Senate in approving a federal constitution via a Constituent Assembly even if it means the two chambers will vote separately, lawmakers said on Tuesday.Representatives Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental and Magnolia Antonino of Nueva Ecija said Arroyo does not see the need to postpone the 2019 polls to pave the way for Charter Change.“Speaker Arroyo has said that 2019 elections will push through. That is her desire. That should put the concerns of a no-election scenario to rest. The Speaker has also said that the House will work closely with the Senate in pushing for the approval of federal constitution. She is inviting the Senate to [convene in] a ConAss and hopes that we can make this first step in moving efforts to amend the Constitution forward,” Benitez, a member of PDP-Laban like Arroyo, said in a news conference.“We want to work hand in hand with the Senate. If it means accepting their condition of voting separately [on a proposed federal constitution]…at this stage, we are accepting that stand so that we can move forward in approving the draft federal constitution,” he added.Arroyo’s position was contrary to the stance of her predecessor, former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who called for the postponement of the elections next year.The 1987 Constitution allows the House and the Senate to amend the Charter by constituting themselves as Constituent Assembly. The 1987 Charter, however, does not explicitly state whether the House and Senate should vote jointly or separately when it comes to amending the Constitution.Senators are opposed to joint voting because that would render their votes useless, considering that the House has 292 members.Antonino said Arroyo wants a smooth relationship with senators.“We want to constitute ourselves as ConAss, and we want to have a dialogue with our senators. We do not want to clash with the senators,” Antonino said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/arroyo-amenable-to-separate-voting-on-cha-cha-lawmakers/425514/
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Focus on people, not cars in transport policy
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['Jove Moya']
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2018-09-15 00:02:59+00:00
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Several members of the Civil Society Organizations Philippines (CSO PH) urged the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Friday to focus more on people mobility than on vehicles in crafting a transport policy.The CSO PH made the call in response to the passing of revisions in the National Transport Policy (NTP), which was approved on June 27, 2018.Members of Move Metro Manila, Alyansa ng May Kapansanang Pinoy Inc. (AKAP-Pinoy), Komyut PH, Alt Mobility, Environmental Laws Society of Ateneo (ELSA), and Affiliated Network for Social Accountability in East Asia and the Pacific (ANSA) demanded that all transportation systems hear and cater not only to the needs of operators and drivers, but also commuters.“We want the government to hear our pledge; to veer away from making more cars, they should focus more on people mobility, not car mobility, Komyut PH representative Rebecca Padilla said.AKAP-Pinoy Board Member Maureen Ava Mata said that the NTP must introduce innovative efforts for the PWD (Persons with disabilities) commuter sector.“We are not after special mobiles for members of the PWD; we are after innovation and for public transportation systems to include us in their priority list,” Mata told The Manila Times.The NTP is system adopted by NEDA that aims to unify all transport-related projects in the Philippines. The policy prioritizes accessible social services that would aid the problem of road congestion in the country.This policy seeks to provide a national transport system that is “safe, secure, reliable, efficient, integrated, intermodal, affordable, cost-effective, environmentally sustainable, and people-oriented.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/focus-on-people-not-cars-in-transport-policy/441603/
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Nograles eyed as Cabinet secretary
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-10-31 00:02:07+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte is considering appointing Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles as Cabinet Secretary, to replace Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr. who will run for Bohol governor in next year’s mid-term elections, Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Tuesday.Panelo said Nograles is “being considered” but nothing is yet set in stone.“The announcement will be made by the President himself, as to the other members of the Cabinet who will replace those who filed their Certificate of Candidacy,” he added.Panelo said there are others who are being considered by Duterte, but Nograles is “one of those leading.”“Let’s just wait for the President to announce. It’s the President’s call,” he told reporters.Nograles heads the House appropriations committee. He is in his third and final term.Duterte’s son, former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte, is running for Nograles’ seat in next year’s elections.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/nograles-eyed-as-cabinet-secretary/460035/
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Stop making ‘shady stuff’ vs Sereno, complainant told
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2017-12-19 20:59:36+00:00
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THE chairman of the House Committee on Justice has called on Larry Gadon to refrain from saying “shady” statements against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.Gadon, a lawyer, is the complainant in an impeachment case against Sereno before the House of Representatives.In a news conference on Monday, he said he will push the Justice committee to issue a subpoena against Sereno to force her to face the panel.“I told him not to by-pass the committee and Congress because, at times, he is already saying stuff like it is final.This is where we are facing difficulties, because he is saying shady statements [and as a result], we are being criticized,” Rep. Reynaldo Umali said in a radio interview with dzMM on Tuesday.“As you can see, what he is saying is not happening. Actually, during the last hearing, I told him to let [the committee] work and let the wheels of the impeachment proceedings roll with less pronouncements from him,” the committee chairman from Oriental Mindoro added.Umali slammed the possibility of issuing the subpoena against Sereno.“The issue [of the subpoena] is already settled, I already explained [my earlier statement], that is only hypothetical. Majority Leader [and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Farinas] has already voiced his opinion on this. As for us, we will not tackle it anymore,” according to Umali.“I think the hearing is already rolling smoothly, we do not need to put anything extra here so things will be clearer,” he said.Last month, Gadon said he heard information that a businessman is allegedly offering P200 million to each senator for the acquittal of Sereno when the impeachment complaint reaches the Senate.Senators, however, just shrugged off the “hearsay.”Gadon accused Sereno of culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption, betrayal of public trust and other high crimes.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/stop-making-shady-stuff-vs-sereno-complainant-told/369565/
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Duterte administration ‘worse’ than Marcos’
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['Ashley Jose']
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2018-02-25 00:03:41+00:00
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An activist nun and a former president of the exclusive St. Scholastica’s College in Manila on Saturday said President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration is worse than that of then-President Ferdinand Marcos.Sister Mary John Mananzan made the comparison on February 25, the 32nd anniversary of a popular uprising in 1986 that came to be called EDSA Revolution.“[The] EDSA [Revolution] is a brief shining moment in history where Filipinos [overthrew] a dictator but now we are threatened by something worse than martial law,” she said.Marcos declared martial law in 1972 that resulted in gross violations of human rights.“It is worse than [Marcos’] martial law, look at our leaders [today], I have never experienced so many intellectually, morally and behaviorally challenged government officials,” according to Mananzan.She accused the Duterte administration of breaking down the moral fiber of Filipinos.“[There is] is a breakdown of rational governance, it has become normal to tell a lie, [peddle] vulgarity and [report] fake news. What has become of Filipinos?” Mananzan said.“We are seeing an erosion of our moral fiber as a people, life and law, especially today with Charter change [Cha-cha] that they want to ram down our throats,” she added.Through Cha-cha, amendments to the 1987 Constitution would pave the way for a change in the system of government from parliamentary to federal.Mananzan said she believes that the current Charter is not perfect but added that she is against the method for amending it.“Our Bill of Rights will be removed, the authority of the people will only be elections, the content is what we are against and the process, Con-Ass [Constitutional Assembly]? Look at the quality of our congressmen, how can you trust them?” she added.Duterte’s allies in the House of Representatives have proposed the Con-Ass, wherein lawmakers and senators vote as one, with the majority winning.The House of Representatives has more than 200 members and the Senate, more than 20.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-administration-worse-marcos/382447/
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Govt to pay farmers who helped curb bird flu virus
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-20 21:05:25+00:00
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FARMERS from San Luis, Pampanga, whose chickens, ducks and quails were culled as part of efforts to contain the spread of the avian influenza virus would be compensated starting on Tuesday, August 22, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said on Saturday.“On Friday, August 18, following clearance from the Department of Budget and Management, the Agriculture department central office downloaded to DAF Region 3 P31 million in calamity funds to cover the payment,” Pinol said in a post on his Facebook account.“The amount will be the first in a series of releases to be made by government through the Agriculture department to cover the losses of the farmers,” the Agriculture chief added.Piñol visited the town of San Luis last Tuesday to hand the first checks to farmers as a proof of President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to help poultry, duck and quail raisers recover from the calamity.He said an estimated 300,000 birds will be covered by the first tranche of payment.“In addition to the compensation for the birds which were culled, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries is also preparing grants and loans through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council for farm workers who will be jobless because of the closure of the farms,” Pinol added.The Agriculture department earlier assured farmers that they would be compensated to be able to help them recover.Piñol said the culling of virus-infected fowl ended on Saturday.“By the end of this day, the tedious and difficult task of culling almost half a million chicken, quails and ducks in San Luis, Pampanga, and its periphery will be over,” he added.According to Piñol, a total of 214,506 birds (chicken, ducks, quails) involving 29 farms inside the seven-kilometer controlled radius whose owners volunteered to support the clean-up were culled on Saturday.“The last remaining farm inside the 1-kilometer contained radius is expected to be cleared today by volunteers, mostly members of the 48th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army,” he said.“An estimated 500,000 fowls within the seven-kilometer and one-kilometer radius would be culled by the end of the day today,” the Agriculture chief added.“With San Luis, Pampanga cleared by today, our bio-security teams will now focus on Jaen and San Isidro, Nueva Ecija and complete the clean-up operations,” Piñol said.As requested by the Agriculture department, the military’s Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) also on Saturday deployed a contingent to San Isidro to cull chickens there.According to Lt. Col. Isagani Nato, Nolcom spokesman, 137 military personnel from the 7th Infantry Division were sent to San Isidro Municipal Hall in Neuva Ecija at 6 a.m.He said a request for additional troops in the flu-infected province came from the Bureau of Animal Industry, an agency under the DA, after it confirmed that San Isidro and Jaen are infected with the bird disease.In Pampanga, troops have culled a total of 27,055 of the 600,000 chickens infected with bird flu.An estimated 40,000 to 70,000 infected fowl are yet to be culled by military troops with assistance coming from the DA, the Office of Civil Defense in Central Luzon and San Luis, Pampanga’s Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.Almost 30,000 poultry heads were depopulated in all poultry farms within the quarantine zone in the first two days of operations starting August 17.The culling was done by 303 military personnel from the Nolcom.According to Pinol, at least 600,000 poultry heads have to be culled to prevent spillover of the disease outbreak.NEIL A. ALCOBER AND
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-pay-farmers-helped-curb-bird-flu-virus/345737/
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Transport groups to hold 3-day strike
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2017-03-22 21:43:14+00:00
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TRANSPORT groups are planning to hold a three-day strike nationwide to protest the planned transportation modernization program that will see the phaseout of rickety passenger jeepneys.Jun Magno, president of the Stop and Go Transport Coalition, said they have yet to decide when to hold the transport strike.“We still have to set the right date for this three-day transport strike,” Magno said during a news conference in Quezon City.He added that President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed willingness to talk with transport groups concerning the modernization program, but they have not received any notice from the government for a dialogue.“When will that dialogue be held? The modernization (program) will be implemented soon, and yet we have not received any notice from them, no schedule. Totally, we got zero,” Magno told The Manila Times.Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board Spokesperson Aileen Lizada said that the planned transport strike is illegal and a nuisance to the public.“They are doing it the wrong way. They inconvenience the pubic,” Lizada said.She gave assurances that the government will provide free rides to commuters if the transport strike pushes through.Under the jeepney modernization program, the Department of Transportation will phase out old jeepneys and replace them with better managed fleet with environment-friendly engines.Transport groups such as Stop and Go and the Pinagkaisang Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide however said that the implementation of the program will lead to “corporatization” and strip small jeepney operators and drivers of their livelihood.The government had said that it will provide assistance to operators and drivers to allow them to adapt to the new system.The Transportation department said early this month that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board will need two to three months to come up with the final version of the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/transport-groups-hold-3-day-strike/318595/
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JBC begins search for new chief justice
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-06-26 00:01:04+00:00
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The search for a new chief justice of the Supreme Court formally begun on Monday when the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) officially opened nominations for the post made vacant with the ouster of Maria Lourdes Sereno.The deadline for filing and completing all requirements is on July 26, 2018.Among the possible candidates are senior SC justices who will be automatically nominated, subject to their submission of a written acceptance of nomination on or before July 26.The five most senior magistrates are Acting Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, Presbitero Velasco, Jr., Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, and Lucas Bersamin.However, Velasco, who is retiring on August 8, said he will no longer vie for the post.Under the law, applicants for chief justice must be natural-born citizens and should possess “proven competence, integrity, probity and independence.”Also, they must be at least 40 years old, have served as a lower court judge or had been engaged in the practice of law in the country for 15 years.Those with pending criminal cases are disqualified, as well as those who have been found guilty in an administrative case where the penalty imposed is suspension for a period at least 10 days or a fine of at least P10,000.The JBC is chaired by the acting chief justice, with Sen. Richard Gordon, Rep. Reynaldo Umali and Justice Secretary Menardo Gueverra as ex-officio members.The other regular members of the JBC are retired SC Justice Joe Catral-Mendoza, Executive Committee head,Jose Mejia representing the academe, Milagros Fernan-Cayosa representing the IBP, and retired Judge Toribio Ilao, representing the private sector.The JBC has also listed eight candidates for the post to be vacated by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr.Velasco will retire on August 8.The list is composed of six justice of the Court of Appeals, the administrator of the Supreme Court and a former law dean.CA Justices Jose Reyes, Ramon Garcia and Amy Lazaro-Javier got seven votes, while SC Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez, justices Apolinario Bruselas Jr., Rosmari Declaro-Carandang, Apolinario Bruselas and Ramon Hernando each got six votes. Also in the list is former Ateneo Law Dean Cesar Villanueva.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/jbc-begins-search-for-new-chief-justice/412476/
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Former train GM pleads ‘not guilty’ to graft raps
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-08-02 21:18:59+00:00
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Former Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) General Manager Al Vitangcol 3rd pleaded “not guilty” to graft charges he is facing during his arraignment before the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division on Wednesday.The preliminary conference, where the parties will mark documentary evidence that they intend to present during trial, is scheduled for August 30 and 31 while the pre-trial is scheduled for September 28.Vitangcol and Wilson de Vera, who are out on bail, were charged with violation of Section 3(b) of Republic Act (RA) 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) in two separate charge sheets filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in November.One case—docketed as SB-16-CRM-1207—stemmed from an alleged extortion try on representatives of Czech company Inekon Group in connection with the contract or transaction for the supply of Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) in 2012, while the other—docketed as SB-16-CRM-1208—stemmed from an alleged request for the Inekon representatives to forge a joint venture deal with a group in connection with the contract or transaction for the train system’s maintenance service.De Vera pleaded not guilty in a conditional arraignment last year for purposes of a travel clearance, which he sought from the court.The Office of the Ombudsman earlier conducted a fact-finding investigation that was prompted by news reports on the alleged extortion try.The Manila Times Chairman Emeritus Dr. Dante Ang was the first to report about the meetings held between Inekon officials and Vitangcol, who left office in 2014.In filing the charges last year, the Ombudsman’s office alleged that Vitangcol, through de Vera, attempted to extort money from Inekon representatives in connection with the contract or transaction for the supply of LRVs or supposedly in exchange for the selection of Inekon as supplier of the LRVs.The Inekon representatives turned down the alleged request or demand for $30 million so the sum wassupposedly reduced to $2.5 million that they also refused to give, it said.Also, the Ombudsman’s office alleged that Vitangcol, with the conspiracy of de Vera, requested or insisted to the Inekon representatives to forge a joint venture agreement with a group including de Vera for a 60-40 percent sharing agreement between Inekon and the group, respectively, in connection with the contract or transaction for the maintenance service of the MRT 3.The Inekon representatives turned down this alleged request or demand, it said.Vitangcol has dismissed the charges as “baseless” and said what the Office of the Ombudsman filed “is just a purely harassment case against me.”Earlier, he filed a motion to quash, arguing that the cases fall under the Regional Trial Court’s jurisdiction because these do not allege bribery or any injury to the government.Vitangcol cited RA 10660, which amended Presidential Decree 1606 and which took effect on May 5, 2015.The Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division later denied his motion, saying “Section 5 of RA 10660 provides that the aforesaid amendment vesting jurisdiction in the Regional Trial Court shall apply only to cases arising from offenses committed after RA 10660 took effect.”Vitangcol also argued that that the facts charged in SB-16-CRM-1207 do not constitute an offense because it accused him of attempted extortion when there is no such offense.The court, however, said the offense charged is not for “attempted extortion” but for allegedly “demanding, or requesting or attempting to extort money.”Vitangcol filed a motion for reconsideration, which the court denied last May.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/former-train-gm-pleads-not-guilty-to-graft-raps/342051/
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‘Agaton’ forces Chinese cargo vessel to dock in Samar
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['Ashley Jose']
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2018-01-03 23:00:22+00:00
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A Chinese cargo vessel, Jing Ming no.16, heading to Chile made an emergency docking on Tuesday in Pambujan, Northern Samar because of rough seas and strong winds brought by tropical depression “Agaton.” Supt. Felix Diloy, chief of Northern Samar Provincial Police Office, said they received the distressed call at about 12:30 p.m. and alerted the Coast Guard. He said the ship was carrying nine crew but only eight were identified based on identification cards – Hans Febie, Xu Xi, Yin Yui Qjin, Lu Wei Long, Chen Xi Chuen, Lun Xi Long, Wunens Jin and Ho Sai Cheong. Commander Lawrence Roque, Coast Guard–Eastern Visayas spokesman, said their personnel started rescuing the crew from the vessel at about 6 p.m. because his team needed to check the safety of the waters first. All nine crew were rescued in less than hour and has been taken to the municipal’s health unit for checkup.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/agaton-forces-chinese-cargo-vessel-dock-samar/372079/
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