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Tighter cargo watch set to meet BoC target
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-10-01 20:22:38+00:00
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BUREAU of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has issued marching orders meant to achieve the agency’s P468 billion collection target for 2017.“Intensify our daily collection efforts with the end view of meeting our revenue target for calendar year 2017,” Lapena said in a memorandum addressed to all district and deputy collectors, importers and brokers.The Customs chief ordered the proper collection of duties and taxes and the proper valuation of shipments as specified by Republic Act (RA) 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) of 2016 and related existing rules and regulations.“Thoroughly scrutinize and be vigilant in the examination of documents submitted including but not limited to bills of lading, sales invoices, packing lists and others presented in the determination of value to ensure that declarations are supported by authentic and genuine contracts and documents,” he said.Lapeña reminded port collectors to exercise vigilance and caution in examining certificates of origin (CO) and to devise a system for an effective and expeditious action and verification of such certificates.At the same time, he warned brokers and importers against submission of fake or falsified documents, which was the common practice in the past, saying anyone caught would be prosecuted.Lapeña said submission of falsified documents is a violation of Articles 171 and 172 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 1401 of the CMTA.As of September, the bureau’s total collection stood at P261.81 billion.The BoC needs to collect an additional P206 billion or P50.1 billion from September to end-December to meet its assigned target of P468 billion.Meanwhile, agents of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) and Enforcement and Security Services (ESS) arrested over the weekend a male employee of the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and two cohorts for alleged corruption.Lapeña identified the suspects as MICP Security Guard 2 Allan Pangkalinawan, who is assigned to the Pier Inspection Division and his cohorts Bryan John Cruz and Efren Jaramillo Jr., who are not Customs employees.ESS Director Yogi Ruiz said the suspect was paying Cruz and Jaramillo P2,000 per day to guard containers.A video showing the two suspects assisting the guard in releasing shipments was taken by the agents as proof of the trio’s activity.Lapeña also directed the CIIS to investigate the incident.“We will build a strong case against them. For now, Pangkalinawan will be relieved from office. [We cannot yet detemined where he gets] P2,000 [that he pays his cohorts daily]. If found guilty of illegal acts, he will be removed from the service,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/tighter-cargo-watch-set-meet-boc-target/354011/
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Duterte may sign ‘endo’ order – Palace
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-04-30 21:26:02+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte may sign the promised executive order (EO) that will end the illegal practice of contractualization of workers on Labor Day, Malacañang said on Monday.Palace spokesman Harry Roque said whatever will be signed will be the fruit of the meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd last night.“Magpupulong si Secretary Bello at tsaka si Presidente (Secretary Bello and the President will meet) for whatever may be released tomorrow in Cebu,” Roque said in a news briefing on Monday.“I can confirm that there might be an EO that may or may not be signed, depending on their meeting tonight,” he added.Duterte will be in Cebu on Tuesday to lead the 116th Labor Day celebration.Labor groups expected the President to sign an executive order ahead of Labor Day celebrations to fulfill his campaign promise to workers.Last week, Bello said Duterte had decided not to sign an EO after consultations with him and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.“The consensus was that instead of the President signing an executive order on the issue of contractualization, he will certify as a priority bill, the bill that is now pending in the Senate on the security of tenure,” Bello told reporters.Under the bill, employees hired for an indefinite period will be deemed regular once the six-month probationary period is over.Labor groups had decried the practice of some employers to end contracts on the fifth month and renew it for another five months to avoid granting workers regular employee status.Sign itBayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate urged the President to sign an executive order (EO) drafted by labor unions against contractualization.“Malacañang should stop its ‘wishy washy attitude’ on the issue of endo and job contractualization,” Zarate said, referring to the practice of employers to end the contract of workers after five months.“Itigil na sana ng Malacañang ang ‘paasa’ mode nito sa mga manggagawa lalo pa at araw nila bukas (Malacañang should stop giving false hope to workers.) Malacañang should instead just sign the EO drafted by the labor unions or deal with the consequences afterwards,” Zarate said.“On Labor day, it would be best for President Duterte to sign the EO drafted by labor unions and set as priority legislation bills like House Bill 7415 that would truly eradicate endo not just in the private sector but in the public sector as well,” he added.To totally ban contractualization, Congress has to repeal Article 106 of the Labor Code, the lawmaker said.“But in the absence of a repealing law, the executive (department) – Malacañang via the DOLE – can expressly repeal Dept Order 174 that still legalizes job contractualization,” Zarate said.With REINA TOLENTINO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-may-sign-endo-order-palace/396041/
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DepEd starts integrating social health insurance modules in schools
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-07-29 22:01:54+00:00
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THE Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) has partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to integrate the social health insurance module in the basic to tertiary education curriculum.The program was introduced to students in the tertiary level of Sultan Kudarat Educational Institution in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, in 2015 where it gained favorable feedback.On the other hand, the program for basic education was introduced to Rizal High School in Pasig City in the same year.This year, PhilHealth, through its regional offices, started rolling out the program and PhilHealth Regional Office 12 under its Regional Vice President Miriam Grace Pamonag, has initially conducted the training to DepEd 12 MAPEH Division and District Coordinators led by DepEd 12 Regional Education Program Supervisor Norman Valeroso.Pamonag said PhilHealth cannot do it all alone.“I always believe in the power and authority of teachers in terms of influencing the minds of the young learners. I for one can attest because when my son was still young, he used to assert that his teacher said this and that and it is what is right. Indeed, there is no better way of introducing this program in order to become a lifestyle of the entire citizenry than having it done among the young,” she said.Valeroso said DepEd is willing to give its all out support for the benefit of students and the nation as a whole.Issues on its sustainable implementation were taken up during the forum and it was agreed upon during the meeting that both parties shall conduct regular monitoring and evaluation to carry out the program successfully.The Education department assured PhilHealth that it has already institutionalized its standard monitoring and evaluation from the division down to the district level, and that it can be utilized for the project.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-starts-integrating-social-health-insurance-modules-in-schools/341368/
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Group seeks closure of education programs
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-10-03 22:15:32+00:00
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A GROUP of education reform advocates has renewed its call for the closure of the teacher education programs of schools that performed poorly in the licensure examination for teacher (LET) in the last eight years.The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd) said at least half of the country’s 1,800 teacher education institutions (TEIs) performed below the national passing rate.“Many of our TEIs are of low quality because less than half are performing above the average, so more than half are performing below the national average. That’s already putting the bar fairly low because the national average is not that high,” PBEd executive director Love Basillote said.“It’s actually the lowest performing licensure exam in the country . . . at least the biggest popular one is the lowest average at 31 percent,” Basillote added.The group noted that 22 TEIs consistently scored below the 20 percent mark. Of this number, 13 had zero overall passing rates.“Other major recommendation is also to close down those programs that have been performing consistently badly, and our standard for bad is less than 20 percent of their graduates passed the licensure exam,” Basellote said.“We are also calling on the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) to disclose the licensure examination for teachers so that experts can scrutinize it whether really it’s a good screening or not,” she added.PBEd research director Dylan Dellosa said the licensure examination for teachers should be reformed.“We must open it up to validity testing and item analysis, involve TEIs in test development, and revive the three-strike rule for takers,’” Dellosa said.PBEd also offered longer-term solutions in teacher development. One is selective TEI admissions for only the top 20 percent of the graduating high school batch to enter teacher education programs. Another is portfolio-based training and certification, where students and teachers build their competencies and expertise through a lifelong system of building credentials, a practive being implemented in Singapore and Finland.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/group-seeks-closure-education-programs/354342/
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Senators: Criminalize premature campaigning
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-10-29 00:06:54+00:00
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SENATORS Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Richard Gordon, and Leila de Lima have pushed a measure that seeks to criminalize premature campaigning.Pimentel, Gordon, and de Lima authored Senate Bill 2064, under Committee Report 492, which aims to severely punish premature campaigning.The measure also redefines the term “candidate.” Pimentel, chairman of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms and People’s Participation, will sponsor SB 2064 when regular sessions resume on November 12, 2018.In its committee report, the panel seeks to restore the provision found in the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines that prohibits campaigning before the election period had set in.“A person shall be considered a candidate the moment he files his certificate of candidacy (CoC) within the period provided by the Commission on Elections,” the report said.This means that any form of partisan political activity by a candidate prior to his filing of CoC or before the start of the official campaign period will be considered “premature campaigning and therefore unlawful.”Premature campaigning is an election offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years, as well as disqualification from holding public office and deprivation of the right of suffrage under Section 80 and Section 264 of the Omnibus Election Code of the Philippines.Under the existing law, RA 9369, a person seeking an elective position is considered a candidate only during the entire campaign period.The said law in effect decriminalized “premature campaigning,” SB 2064 pointed out.“The unfair repercussions of this rule are far and wide. It propagates political inequality as it unduly favors rich or popular candidates over poor or less popular candidates,” Gordon said.“It also negates transparency and accountability as it shamelessly excludes such premature campaigning from the regulation of campaign finance and the limitations on election campaign and expenditures,” he added.“The barrage of political advertisements on TV and radio and the obvious electioneering or campaigning by many candidates way before the start of the official campaign period in the last elections were too much to be ignored,” the senator said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-criminalize-premature-campaigning/458777/
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UN: World must slash meat consumption to save climate
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['Agence France-Presse']
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2018-10-12 00:03:37+00:00
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PARIS: The world must drastically reduce its meat consumption in order to avoid devastating climate change, scientists said Wednesday in the most thorough study so far on how what we eat affects the environment.As humanity grapples with tough choices to offset a rapidly heating planet, the research suggests that the Western world would need to slash its meat intake by 90 percent to avoid crippling Earth’s ability to sustain an anticipated 10 billion people by 2050.Food production — which produces damaging greenhouse gases from livestock, ruins enormous swathes of forests and uses unsustainable amounts of water — is a major contributor to climate change.A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature offers the most comprehensive look yet at just how badintensive agriculture is for the planet.Without a huge drawdown in the amount of meat consumed, its authors said, the food industry’s already vast impact on the environment could increase by as much as 90 percent by mid-century.That, coupled with a sharp projected rise in global population, would devastate mankind’s ability to effectively feed itself — and dash any realistic hope of curbing runaway global warming.The scientists called for a “global shift” towards more plant-based diets, slashing food waste and improving farming practices with the aid of technology to cope with the burden.“No single solution is enough to avoid crossing planetary boundaries,” said Marco Springmann of the Oxford Martin Program on the Future of Food and the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, who led the study.“But when the solutions are implemented together, our research indicates that it may be possible to feed the growing population sustainably.”The stark message comes just days after the publication of a landmark UN report in which some of the world’s most eminent climate scientists warned that governments must fundamentally change course in order to keep global warming under 1.5 C by the end of the century.Experts argue that cutting meat consumption is one obvious way that citizens can do their bit for the climate, even as world leaders are locked in discussions over what precisely should be done to rein in the effects of a warming planet.Ditch the steakLivestock farming poses a triple threat to Earth’s atmosphere, as animals produce huge amounts of the greenhouse gas methane, coupled with the loss of carbon-absorbing forests that are felled to accommodate their grazing areas.In addition, immense amounts of water are needed to sustain the livestock — 500 grams (a pound) of beef is estimated to require close to 7,000 liters of water.Wednesday’s report said halving the amount of food that is wasted or lost to poor management alone could reduce the environment fallout by 16 percent.It pointed to better education, industry reform and improved efficiency as ways towards tackling the problem.“When it comes to diets, comprehensive policy and business approaches are essential to make dietary changes towards healthy and more plant-based diets possible and attractive for a large number of people,” Springmann said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/un-world-must-slash-meat-consumption-to-save-climate/451000/
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Riyadh extends amnesty for illegal workers
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-07-03 21:15:12+00:00
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THE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has agreed to extend until July 24 its amnesty program for all foreigners working illegally in the country, giving undocumented Filipinos more time to be included in a mass repatriation to be undertaken by the Philippine government.Lawyer Raul Dado, executive director of the Department of Foreign Affairs’ Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs, on Monday said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is expecting new registrants to come forward as a result of the extension.As of June 30, according to Dado, there were 12,000 applicants for repatriation, with more than 6,000 of them being processed for the trip home.Of the six-thousand, 1,080 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are waiting for tickets in Riyadh, while 1, 217 are waiting for tickets in Jeddah.“The timetable for the [repatriation of the] 6,000 plus is as soon as possible, as all host- government requirements are complied with, and all private obligations of the overseas Filipino workers are settled,” Dado said.The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has urged Filipinos who are illegally staying in the kingdom to immediately avail of the amnesty by completing all necessary procedures in order to be issued their final exit visa and leave as soon as possible.“As per policy and the standard information campaign, the embassy will register as many [OFWs who] would like to register,” Dado added.The undocumented Filipinos were reminded by the embassy that the validity of the final exit visas being issued by the Saudi Immigration Office (Jawasat) for Amnesty Applicants is valid for 60 days and those amnesty applicants with expired final exit visas were advised to wait for further announcement from the embassy.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of KSA, in an advisory, reminded the Philippine Embassy to urge undocumented OFWs to avail of the amnesty before the end of the deadline to avoid legal problems.“Any violator of the residence permit and work regulations would be arrested after ending the grace period, the regulation will be implemented…,” the advisory stated.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/riyadh-extends-amnesty-illegal-workers/336385/
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More than 1,000 HIV cases reported in June
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2017-08-28 21:29:27+00:00
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A recent report on Filipinos carrying the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) said 1,013 cases were recorded in June, making it the second time in a row that cases have breached the 1,000-mark since May.According to the HIV and AIDS Registry of the Philippines (HARP) report of the Department of Health (DoH), the month of June recorded 1,013 newly-reported cases, which is almost eight percent lower than the 1,098 cases in May.Among the newly-reported cases are 125 suffering from acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). There were 29 deaths from HIV/AIDS in the same month.Sexual contact continues to be the main mode of transmission with 969, most of which are from male-having-sex-with-male (MSM) with 818.Homosexual contact had the highest number with 554, followed by bisexual contact with 264, while heterosexual contact led to 151 cases.The report identified 91 individuals who acquired HIV through paid or transactional sex.It said 54 males and one female were infected after they paid for sex. Twenty-four men, on the other hand, acquired HIV after accepting payment for sex.There were also 25 cases of infection acquired through injected drug use, seven cases of mother-to-child transmission and 12 cases had no data.Majority of the cases were recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) with 360, followed by Calabarzon {Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) with 173, Central Luzon with 114, Central Visayas with 85 and Davao Region with 41.A total of 72 overseas Filipino workers were also found to have acquired HIV/AIDS, majority of whom were infected through sexual contact.For January to June 2016, the DoH reported a total of 5,401 new HIV cases, including 641 AIDS cases, and 216 deaths.Since 1984, there have been 45,023 HIV cases, including 4,306 AIDS cases, and 2,185 deaths.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/1000-hiv-cases-reported-june/347295/
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DFA rolls out passport on wheels
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-01-15 21:38:20+00:00
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THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Monday formally launched its Passport on Wheels (POW) program that will make passport applications more accessible to Filipinos.The program was launched at Villar SIPAG in Las Piñas in recognition of the contribution of Sen. Cynthia Villar as co-sponsor of the bill extending the validity of Philippine passports to 10 years.Villar was guest of honor during the event, wherein 1,500 applicants were served.Initially, the DFA will deploy four POW trucks that will go around Metro Manila and key areas daily.Each POW vehicle has the capacity to process over 500 applicants daily.“What is commendable about the POW project is that it brings the passport processing facility closer to the people. It dispenses with the need to schedule an appointment with DFA Consular Service online to apply for new passports or to renew old ones,” Villar said.POW will be manned and operated by trained DFA personnel who will process passports, together with APO personnel as encoders.Cayetano said POW trucks will serve Manila residents on Thursday (January 18).
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dfa-rolls-passport-wheels/374526/
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Bill granting PhilHealth coverage OK’d
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-07-31 00:02:25+00:00
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A measure that seeks to grant persons with disabilities (PWD) automatic membership in the Philippine Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) is a step closer to being a law after the Senate passed it on third and final reading on Monday.Voting 18-0, senators approved Senate Bill 1391 or the Mandatory PhilHealth coverage for disabled persons. The proposed law would benefit at least 1.4 million Filipinos.Sponsored by Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros, the measure seeks to expand the benefits given to PWDs through the Magna Carta for Persons with Disabilities.Under the measure, the premium contributions of all PWDs will be paid by the national government, while the contributions of those employed will be shared by the employer and the national government.Premium payments will be sourced from sin tax collection.PhilHealth will shoulder all or some of the PWDs expenses when they get hospitalized.“With this law, Philhealth will now be able to automatically cover PWDs for them to have better access to health care,” Hontiveros said in a statement after the passage of the measure.Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito said the bill would provide PWDs the needed aid to sustain their medical needs, including treatments and medicines that they need.The counterpart bill in the House of Representatives was approved in the committee level in April.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bill-granting-philhealth-coverage-okd/425044/
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Vehicle with ‘8’ protocol plate in road rage incident recovered
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-11-16 15:01:30+00:00
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A VEHICLE bearing the “8” protocol plate used by a civilian in a road rage incident in Angeles City, Pampanga this week was recovered by the Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) on Friday morning.Chief Supt. Roberto Fajardo, director of PNP-HPG, said the Toyota FJ-Cruiser, owned by Jojo Valerio, was retrieved by a tracker team along Quirino Highway in Novaliches, Quezon City at 3 a.m., with Valerio’s girlfriend at the wheel.The roof and parts of the front bumper of the SUV that were originally white were covered with a black sticker and the “8” protocol plate was changed back to its regular license plate AVA8781, Fajardo said.He said Valerio, who was involved in a traffic altercation, whose video went viral, had the intention to confuse authorities, noting that changing the color of his vehicle even violated the law.The PNP-HPG is still looking for the missing “8” protocol plate that Valerio had used.“Of course, if you’re a criminal, you will hide, destroy, or burn it. Hopefully, he surrenders [the protocol plate],” Fajardo said.The “8” protocol plate is reserved only for members of the House of Representatives.Valerio was arrested on Thursday morning but was later released after he posted bail.He works as an entertainer who tried to pass himself off as a relative of one of the members of the House.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vehicle-with-8-protocol-plate-in-road-rage-incident-recovered/468642/
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Atienza extols late Manila mayor Lopez
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-01-18 22:29:36+00:00
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Buhay party-list lawmaker and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza paid tribute to former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez, citing the latter’s achievements as an outstanding public servant.“Whether in his professional life or as a socio-civic leader in Tondo [Manila], Mel always showed his sincere love of country. During the dark days of martial law, we were among those who stood up and spoke against the [Marcos] dictatorship,” Atienza said during his privilege speech extolling the former mayor’s record as a public servant.Atienza and Lopez were both running for Manila councilors under the Liberal Party (LP) and were on the stage during the 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing in Quiapo, Manila.“Mel and I, together with other LP candidates, were on the stage when the first grenade landed in front of us.But by God’s grace, we were spared, suffering only minor injuries. But instead of being cowed into submission, Mel led the opposition in Manila to inform the people and keep them enlightened on the need to fight for the restoration of genuine democracy. Against all odds, Mel continued fighting the [Marcos] administration during the 1978 and 1980 elections, even if we all knew that we did not stand a chance against the government machinery,” Atienza, himself a former mayor of Manila, said in a statement.Both were also part of the 59 opposition assemblymen in the 1983 Batasang Pambansa who refused to be silenced amid a parliament dominated and controlled by the government’s Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) members.“During the February 15, 1986 proclamation of Marcos as President, the opposition MPs [Members of Parliament] met and agreed to walk out during the proceedings. Mel said we would not be part of the sham and obviously-rigged elections. Not even the threat of expulsion made him change his stand. This is what we need to remember–the kind of statesmanship and patriotism that Mel Lopez embodied and showed during his more than 50 years in public service. Many may claim to have contributed to the restoration of freedom and democracy after 1986 but we must not forget the contributions of Mel Lopez. To do so would be a travesty and an injustice to the memory of an exemplary man,” Atienza said.He has filed House Bill 4737 seeking to rename a portion of Radial Road 10 within the City of Manila as Mayor Gemiliano Lopez Boulevard, “so the people shall remember the sacrifices made by the good mayor, and more important, the principles he stood for.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/atienza-extols-late-manila-mayor-lopez/307586/
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Lacson blasts Alvarez attack on Senate
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-01-08 21:46:45+00:00
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SEN. Panfilo Lacson on Monday chided House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez over his recent attacks against the Senate noting that Senators think and act more independently.Lacson, one of the few senators who reacted to Alvarez’s sudden assault, noted that the Senate works differently from the lower House and nobody could dictate on senators.“Regarding Speaker Alvarez’s assault on the senate, it is at the very least uncalled for and smacks of unparliamentary conduct,” said Lacson, who is part of the Senate majority bloc.Alvarez last week criticized the upper chamber for its supposed inability to act on pending bills swiftly, calling the Senate “mabagal ang kapulungan” (slow chamber).This incensed Lacson.“We think and act more independently as individuals,” Lacson said. “Nobody, not the Senate president and even the President of the Republic can dictate on us,” he added.Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon recently linked the assault of the speaker to efforts to weaken and demean the Senate.“Our records will show that 413 bills were referred to the Senate by the House in this present Congress. We have acted and approved 116 of them or about 28 percent. So, it is not true that we are sitting on these bills,” Drilon said in an interview.“You know, this is not my role because I am the minority leader but I am citing this in fairness to the institution that is being attacked. Given all of these, the more I am convinced that there is another agenda,” he said.“Beyond the criticisms, unfounded as it is, of the pace of the Senate that would act on these measures, I think this is part of the effort para pababain ang tingin ng tao sa Senado, para pagdating doon sa Charter change, kung ibig nilang burahin ang Senado sa pamahalaan ay madali na (I think this is part of the effort to influence the public to look down on the Senate so that during Charter change discussion, it would be easy to abolish the Senate.”Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, however, dismissed Drilon’s concerns and allayed fears that the chamber will be abolished.“If we go federal, then we can still be bicameral. So, there’s no worries. The advocacy of the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Laban is federal. Hence, bicameral. The Senate is still needed as the upper house which will now be the venue for the voices of the regions,” he added.with Bernadette Tamayo
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lacson-blasts-alvarez-attack-senate/373107/
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Dec 26, Jan 2 special non-working days
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2016-12-14 20:43:13+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has declared December 26 this year and January 2 next year, which both fall on Monday, as special non-working days nationwide.The declaration was made through Proclamation 117 signed by Acting Executive Secretary Menard Guevarra by authority of President Duterte.The proclamation said the two dates were declared holidays so that the public will have “full opportunity” to celebrate the holidays.The President had already announced December 25 (Christmas Day) and January 1 (New Year’s Day) as regular holidays all throughout the country.“The declaration of 26 December 2016 and 2 January 2017, both falling on a Monday, as special (non-working days), will give the people full opportunity to celebrate the holidays with their families and loved ones,” the proclamation read.“Whereas, a longer weekend promotes domestic tourism and enables employers to plan their work scheduleseffectively and efficiently, resulting in improved productivity,” it said.The Department of Labor and Employment was directed to issue an appropriate circular to implement the proclamation for the private sector.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dec-26-jan-2-special-non-working-days/301718/
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President Duterte in ‘tip-top condition,’ says aide
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-09-13 00:03:41+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte is in tip-top shape, his top aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go assured the public on Wednesday amid persistent rumors about the Chief Executive’s health.Go made the statement after Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th called on Duterte to release his health records.Go said there was nothing to worry about the President’s health condition.“For the nth time, inuulit ko po (I repeat), he is okay, he is in tip-top condition, wala po dapat ikabahala (there’s nothing to worry about),” Go said in a media interview.He added that the President is well enough to finish his term.Trillanes urged Duterte to release his health records after the President issued a proclamation revoking the amnesty granted him in 2011 by former President Benigno Aquino 3rd.“Palagay ko meron itong karamdamang malubha, wala na ito sa maayos na pag-iisip kaya ako nananawagan na i-produce nila ang health records ni Mr. Duterte at delikado sa kamay ng siyang kagaya niya na mamuno sa ating bansa (I think he has a serious health problem. He is no longer in a proper state of mind, so I am calling on the administration to produce Mr. Duterte’s health records. It is dangerous for him to lead the country with his condition),” he said.|The 73-year-old President had admitted suffering from ailments, including back pains and migraines after a motorcycle accident, and Buerger’s disease or the inflammation of blood vessels caused by his past smoking habit.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/president-duterte-in-tip-top-condition-says-aide/440762/
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Govt to launch new OFW ID system
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-07-04 22:25:56+00:00
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THE government is set to launch an identification card specifically tailored to make it easier for overseas Filipino. workers (OFWs) to avail of government services while in the Philippines, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd announced on Tuesday.In a media conference in Malacañang, Bello said OFWs will no longer need to secure an Overseas Employment Certificate (OEC) before their work deployment.Instead, he said, OFWs will be given a “free” identification card, known as the ID of the Department of Labor and Employment or iDOLE.“With the introduction, my dear friends, of the iDOLE, we will be doing away with the OEC,” Bello told reporters, referring to a requirement for OFWs departing from the Philippines to their employment destination.“Because under this program, all bona fide OFWs will be given iDOLE. That is the ID of the Department of Labor and Employment, at no cost to the OFW and this will serve as your OEC,” he added.Bello said the OFW IDs can be claimed from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).“So they don’t have to go to the POEA every time they come home to get their OEC. All they have to do is show their ID, the iDOLE, and that will serve as their license to go abroad, come back here, and then go back anytime,” he said.Bello said the DOLE is also eyeing to adopt a system that the iDOLE can serve as the OFW’s passport.“Maybe given another six months, we . . . will talk to Department of Foreign Affairs and, of course, the Department of Justice, through its agency which is the Bureau of Immigration,” he said.“That to me is a major gift of the President to our OFWs who we always call as the bagong bayani (new heroes) . . . The President has seen to it that their life is more comfortable, more secured, and their stay abroad are properly attended to,” Bello added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-launch-new-ofw-id-system/336499/
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Court reinstates PNB exec
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2016-11-27 20:48:48+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals (CA) which ordered the reinstatement of a high-ranking official of the Philippine National Bank (PNB) who was criminally and administratively charged for alleged irregularities in granting loans.The SC en banc denied the petition for review on certiorari filed by the PNB as it affirmed the decision of the CA dated May 29, 2009 with regards to the case of Cayetano Tejano, Jr.Tejano served simultaneously as the Vice President for PNB’s Cebu Branch and Chairperson of the Branch Credit Committee during the time when the bank was still owned and controlled by the government.On February 24, 1994, PNB charged Tejano and eight other bank officers and employees with violation of the anti-graft law, grave misconduct and gross neglect of duty, among others.The complaint stemmed from alleged irregularities in granting loans to several corporate clients of PNB. The bank’s hearing committee earlier found Tejano administratively liable for the cited irregularities. It eventually meted the penalty of forced resignation without benefits.Tejano brought his case before the Civil Service Commission (CSC), which junked his plea, prompting him to elevate his case to the appellate court.The CA reversed the CSC ruling and remanded the case to the CSC for further proceedings.The CSC then found that Tejano was guilty of simple neglect of duty only and imposed the penalty of suspension from the service for three months as penalty.The CSC also ordered Tejano’s reinstatement without backwages.This prompted the PNB management to bring the case to the High Court.JOMAR CANLAS
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-reinstates-pnb-exec/298742/
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Duterte declares state of calamity in NLuzon
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-09-28 00:08:39+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has declared a state of calamity in four regions of northern Luzon that were pounded by Typhoon “Ompong” (international name: Mangkhut).Duterte, upon the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), signed on September 25 Proclamation 593 placing Regions 1, 2, 3 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) under a state of calamity due to “widespread destruction, substantial damage and deaths” caused by Ompong.“The declaration of a state of calamity will hasten the rescue, recovery, relief and rehabilitation efforts of the government and the private sector, including any international assistance,” the proclamation read.The declaration will be the basis for the imposition of price control measures and will provide the national government, as well as local government units (LGUs), ample latitude in the use of of funds for recovery and rehabilitation efforts, and delivery of basic needs and services.Under the proclamation, all departments and other concerned agencies were directed to implement and execute rescue, recovery, relief and rehabilitation work.The state of calamity will remain in force until lifted by the President.Ompong left more than 100 people dead and damaged crops and infrastructure worth P18 billion.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-declares-state-of-calamity-in-nluzon/445948/
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PCSO adds P2.5B to charity fund
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-11-21 22:09:16+00:00
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The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) transferred P2.514 billion of its operating fund that was not used this year its charity fund.The move is in accordance with Republic Act which provides that “All balances of any funds in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office shall revert to and form part of the charity fund provided for in paragraph (B), and shall be subject to disposition as above stated.”The PCSO generates its own fund and allocates it to three areas – 55 percent for prize fund, 30 percent for charity fund, and 15 percent for the agency’s operating expenses.The P2.514 billion added to the charity fund will serve more Filipinos in need of financial assistance with health related problems nationwide.The agency said this move is a manifestation that the PCSO is upholding President Rodrigo Duterte’s social reform agenda for universal health care coverage and “continuously lives up to its mandate of raising and providing funds for health programs, medical assistance and services, and charities of national character.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-adds-p2-5b-charity-fund/364213/
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CALOOCAN TAXPAYER faces tax evasion case
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-01 00:22:19+00:00
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The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed a tax evasion case before the justice department against Pepito Gutierrez Baes of Caloocan City for allegedly evading payment of P4.92 million in taxes for 2010. The BIR alleged that Baes had been issued notices of the tax liabilities, however, he failed to file any protest or to submit additional documents to refute the assessments, thus making them “final, executory, and demandable.” The bureau even garnished P296,195.66 from Baes’ bank account. Thereafter, the trader even asked for a compromise deal by asking that he be allowed to pay 10 percent of his basic assessed income and value added taxes with a promise to pay his deficiency expanded withholding tax in full. Unfortunately, after depositing his third installment, Baes failed to pay the remaining balance of P4.92 million, according to the BIR which asked the DOJ to conduct the necessary preliminary investigation and file the charges in court.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/caloocan-taxpayer-faces-tax-evasion-case/335825/
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Why we must rally on Sept. 21
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['Papa Ethan', 'Rose White', 'Boien Reyes']
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15/09/2017 0:00
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and his order to plant evidence on suspects who wouldn’t resist arrest so the police could kill them. Or the loud justifications of his henchmen and trolls that the teenagers’ murders were supposedly just punishment because they were pushers, runners or addicts.Only time, science and our outrage could perhaps compel authorities to produce the whole story behind the body of yet another teenager discovered in a river in Bulacan. Our obligation as citizens compel us to join his grief-stricken family to demand a full and impartial investigation.We must confront and denounce President Duterte and his war on drugs that has turned out to be an orgy of summary executions and a massacre of due process and the rule of law.We must confront and denounce Duterte for refusing a full, public and fair investigation of his narcopoliticians list, and the flagrant refusal of his son and son-in-law to fully cooperate in the investigation of their involvement in the shabu shipment intercepted at Customs.We must confront and denounce Duterte for betraying the public trust.Let’s come together on Sept. 21 at the Luneta and elsewhere as Filipinos, against killings and the reemergence of a dictatorship.Note: In his personal capacity, this columnist and blogger is a convenor of the Movement Against Tyranny, the organization leading the Sept. 21 rally at the Luneta.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/09/15/why-we-must-rally-on-sept-21/
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Aid given to OFWs stranded in NAIA
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-08-25 00:03:27+00:00
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Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)stranded by the runway closure at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport over the weekend received P5,000 financial aid and assistance upon arrival in Saudi Arabia, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).In a statement, the DFA said some 300 OFWs who arrived on board a special Philippine Airlines flight from Manila were assisted by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah upon their arrival in Saudi Arabia on Thursday.The Philippine Embassy and Consulate General will also issue certifications and make representations with foreign employers if needed to explain the delay in the return of their Filipino employees.The DFA has released almost P2.8 million in financial assistance to OFWs who were stranded at the NAIA after the Chinese passenger plane Xiamen Air Flight MF8667 skidded off its main runway on August 16, closing the airport for 36 hours.A total of 381 affected workers received the cash assistance on Thursday, bringing to 559 the total number of beneficiaries who have been served since Wednesday.The DFA released the cash assistance in all three NAIA terminals only until 10 p.m. Friday. Stranded OFWs who are still in Manila may still claim the P5,000 cash assistance at the DFA Office of Migrant Workers Affairs but only until the end of office hours on August 31, while those abroad can do so at any Philippine Embassy or Consulate General until September 30, 2018.Ambassador to Riyadh Adnan Alonto said that upon arrival at the airport, the OFWs were provided with meals. The embassy also provided a bus to transport 15 of the workers to Jeddah.“Ou kababayan (fellowmen) were thankful for the assistance rendered to them,” Alonto said, adding that most of the workers were returning from their vacations in the Philippines.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/aid-given-to-ofws-stranded-in-naia/434163/
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The Parojinogs of Ozamiz
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['Pablo Aballe Dublin', 'Lily Cagas', 'Ms. Venice']
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4/8/2017 0:00
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Ozamiz, a sleepy little city off the coast of Panguil Bay in northern Mindanao, has become famous for being the fiefdom of the Parojinogs, a family who has been linked to various criminal activities in over three decades. The Parojinogs ran the city like it was their “feudal state,” President Rodrigo Duterte said.Duterte was obviously speaking broadly, in terms of the control and influence this powerful family wielded over the city of only 142,000 residents. But strictly speaking, the Parojinogs were far from being feudal lords with vassals working off their hacienda. They were, for all intents and purposes, an organization in the mold of the Sicilian mafia and its continental export, the American mafia.Last Sunday, the reign of the Parojinogs came to an abrupt end in a shoot-out with police authorities who were serving six search warrants on the properties of Ozamiz Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog, Sr. and other family members. The officers serving the warrants were fired upon, forcing the police to retaliate, said Chief Supt. Timoteo Pacleb, Northern Mindanao police chief.Fifteen people died in the pre-dawn raid, including Mayor Parojinog and his wife and brother. Post-raid videos showed the high-powered weapons used by the Parojinog security team, which even had their own barracks inside the compound. Parojinog and his men later tested positive for gunpowder burns.“He’s a high-value target on illegal drugs,” said Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido, the city’s chief of police. Recovered from the Parojinog residences were assault rifles, grenades, cash, and methamphetamine or shabu. The distribution of this illegal drug formed the core business of the Parojinog, according to the police.The Parojinogs had long been on President Duterte’s “narco-list,” which named about 1,000 public officials involved in the illegal drug trade, including mayors and congressmen, judges and policemen. In July, 2016, Duterte named the Parojinogs as among the top drug lords and linked the family to Herbert Colangco, a detainee at the New Bilibid Prison and a member of the drug triad.The Parojinogs denied the charges although Mayor Parojinog later admitted that his daughter Nova Princess Parojinog-Echavez was the girlfriend of Colangco, but he insisted – like any good father – that he was against her relationship with a notorious criminal.Everyone knows Colangco, of course, as the convicted robber who turned Bilibid into “Roxas Boulevard” by bringing in prostitutes and liquor. His detention center was a virtual resort with top amenities that included, of all things, a recording studio.Colangco’s alleged protector: none other than former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who is now detained at Camp Crame. The European parliamentarians and other foreigners who have been coming to the Philippines to demand the release of De Lima should start reading real Philippine news.Colangco’s girlfriend, Princess, was among those arrested last Sunday. She dominated much of the social media chatter after the police operations. Slim, pretty, and an apparent lover of Hermes bags, the 36-year-old vice mayor figured in a tussle with lady police operatives who were searching her residence.Caught while grabbing a piece of paper from her bag, she refused to give it up and tried to swallow it. Police said the paper was a drugs transactions list.Just like the Western mafia, the Parojinogs were said to be involved in a host of criminal activities, which they officially deny. In the Italian mafia, the main unit was called a “family” the head of which was the capo, don, or godfather. But while they identified as a family, the members were not necessarily related.In contrast, the Parojinog is a large extended family whose patriarch Octavio Sr. organized the Kuratong Baleleng into a vigilante group helping the Philippine military with its counter-insurgency drive in Mindanao in the 1980s.The military was so pleased with the Kuratong’s gains against the communist New People’s Army that it supplied the group with high-powered firearms such as M-16s and grenade launchers. In 1988, the military disbanded the group. With a cache of arms and a large group of militia men with nothing to do, Octavio Sr. decided to parlay his assets into a more lucrative world.Soon the Kuratong was engaged in various illegal activities including extortions, hold-ups, kidnappings, illegal gambling, and murder. It became well-known for its series of bank robberies. From Mindanao, it expanded its criminal operations to Visayas and Luzon.Many people associate the Kuratong Baleleng with the gun battle with police in May, 1995 in Quezon City, in which 11 of its members died. The police operation was led by Panfilo Lacson, now a senator, and his Presidential Anti-Crime Commission.Instead of being hailed as a success in stopping the notorious bank robbers, Lacson’s group was charged with a “rub-out.” Apparently even then, there was a segment of Philippine society that could be offended by the death of criminals to the extent of disregarding the success of a police operation.In 2000, the Parojinogs turned their attention towards politics. Reynaldo Sr. ran for mayor in 2001 and won by a landslide. His brothers also held local government positions either as provincial board members or city councilors. Princess has been vice mayor since 2013, although she became mayor from 2010-2013 after her father faced term limits.Despite their long hold on Ozamiz, the Parojinogs hardly made a dent in its development. Ozamis is still a third-class city with income of less than P320 million a year and a population that is hardly growing. The family’s “Robin Hood” style of governance bought the homage and allegiance of many of its constituents.It’s time for a change in Ozamiz, and hopefully its residents will now embrace real democracy instead of the mafiosi practices of the Parojinogs.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/04/the-parojinogs-of-ozamiz/
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Palace: No Chinese flag planted on PH sandbar
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-08-24 20:25:23+00:00
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Malacañang on Thursday denied claims that a Chinese flag has been planted on a sandbar near Philippine-controlled Kota Island in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).Quoting a “very reliable source,” Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said there was no Chinese flag on the sandbar, a Philippine territory.“According to the source that I referred to, there was none, there was no flag ring that time… I inquired about that and apparently, as of this stage, there is no flag,” Abella told reporters during a news conference.“But it seems that the place, in itself, is subject to many passers-through and, in fact, there are [pieces of] evidence of people who do park there. And many, but these are not military but mainly these are citizens who maybe, but this is not verified, mainly, these are citizens and not white or gray ships,” he said.Abella issued the statement after Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said the Chinese flag mounted on a steel pipe was discovered near Kota Island around the third week of July.“A Chinese vessel allegedly erected the said three-meter high Chinese flag on a sand cay which is known to be within a Philippine-controlled area,” Alejano said in a statement.He called on government officials, particularly those in the Department of Foreign Affairs, to be transparent on issues regarding disputed waters in the South China Sea.“While the Philippines is pursuing bilateral engagements with China, the government has the responsibility to inform the public [by] providing appropriate and careful information meant for public consumption,” Alejano said.“The Filipino people are entitled to know to make sure that Philippine national interests are not set aside. Besides being an issue of territorial integrity, it also has immediate security and economic implications, which definitely mean something to our fellow Filipinos living in the area,” he added.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano had assured lawmakers that the department will inform the public if there is a cause of concern or alarm over the situation in the South China Sea.“So let me assure [that] despite the lack of details that we give you, we will tell you if there is an alarming situation, or if the public is in danger, or if we are going to take or step up certain actions that need the public’s support or knowledge,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-no-chinese-flag-planted-ph-sandbar/346583/
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‘Traslacion’ 2017 on FB Live eyed
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['Hein S']
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2/1/2017 0:00
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‘To allow Black Nazarene devotees who are unable to physically join the annual ‘traslacion’ on January 9 in some way still be part of the annual ritual, Monsignor Hernando “Ding” Coronel, Rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene or Quiapo Church yesterday bared plans to have the procession carried via Facebook Live.“We will try if we can FB live it. Even the replica procession and novena procession if possible,” Msgr. Hernando “Ding” Coronel, Rector of the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene (Quiapo Church), said in a press briefing yesterday.He said they are thinking of using social media so that other devotees, such as those abroad can still participate in the event.“There is really that hunger and thirst from people to be part of this,” said Coronel.He cited that the nine-day “Simbang Gabi” (dawn masses) was also live streamed via the FB account of Quiapo Church.“Many participated in our Simbang Gabi masses…most of whom are Filipinos abroad,” said Coronel.“In their comments, they were sharing how they were touched by the Nazarene although they were miles away,” he added.And because of the favors granted to them, Coronel said devotees are looking for ways on how they can participate in the event from wherever they are to give thanks to God.Coronel said FB live is not only for those abroad, but even those because of some sickness or old age cannot be physically present in the event.“We encourage those able to still attend. This is for those who are sick who want to participate but cannot do so,”“We are giving them this opportunity because as I said many Filipinos want to be part of this even those abroad,”The annual procession of the Black Nazarene draws millions of devotees every year.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/02/traslacion-2017-on-fb-live-eyed/
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Poll watchdog seeks better election infra
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['Catherine A. Modesto']
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2018-08-31 00:02:24+00:00
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Election watchdog Democracy Watch called on the government to invest in “adequate” election infrastructure as it welcomed the declaration of President Rodrigo Duterte that there would be “clean and orderly” polls next year.The group’s secretary general, Claudette Guevara, said switching to an automated election system was a “great stride.”To further improve the electoral system, she said the government must provide the Commission on Elections infrastructure, manpower and new tools.The group said one way to improve the poll system was to invest in the retooling and building of an adequate IT infrastructure and developing the human resources for the Comelec so it could fulfil its mandate.“Such investments are also investments in our political stability,” Guevarra said in a statement.“Transparency is a key principle in ensuring credible elections as it helps establish trust and confidence in the process by guaranteeing that the results reflect the true will of the people,” she added.She said the 2016 elections was one of the most credible polls, an observation that was validated by a Pulse Asia survey wherein most of the respondents believed that the May 2016 polls were credible.Moreover, 89 percent of the respondents perceived the 2016 election results as “believable”, and 92 percent said it was “fast”.“On May 2016, more than 44 million Filipinos trooped to their respective polling precincts and made their voices heard through a process that has long been a cornerstone of our democracy. The faster conduct resulted in less instability and greater confidence in the process,” Guevara said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/poll-watchdog-seeks-better-election-infra/436226/
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CHR raids ‘hidden cell’ inside MPD Station 1
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['Fred Garcia', 'Ken Charbonneau', 'Cheap Tuesdays', 'John Puruntong', 'Prison Planet']
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27/04/2017 0:00
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Twelve individuals were found inside a “secret lock-up cell” at the Manila Police District Station 1 in Tondo, Manila after members of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) conducted a surprise visit.The CHR reportedly received information that there exists a “secret holding cell” inside the station and that the police were extorting money from relatives of inmates in exchange for their freedom, said Gilbert Boiser, director of the CHR investigation office.The alleged “secret room” was found hidden behind a book shelf. The room is dark and narrow and there is only one urinal inside.P/Supt. Robert Domingo, chief of MPD Station 1, for his part, denied the allegations and said the area is only a “holding room” of the station’s drug enforcement unit and that the 12 individuals were detained inside because they have yet to undergo inquest proceedings.Domingo said the detainees were placed inside the “holding cell” because the regular detention cell is already “congested.” The 12 individuals, he added, will be moved to the station’s regular cell after undergoing inquest procedures.Domingo also bared that the 12 individuals were arrested early morning of April 27 during their ‘One-Time-Big-Time’ Operation for possession of illegal drugs. The operation was conducted for security of the delegates of the on-going Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Manila, he said.The CHR condemned the act and said the detention cell should be well ventilated and have proper beddings for the detainees. Boiser said that they are planning to file a case against the officials of MPD- Station 1.Domingo,on the other said, he is prepared to face charges.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/27/chr-raids-hidden-cell-inside-mpd-station-1/
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Anak Mindanao rep resigns
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['Bibiane Adirte']
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3/10/2017 0:00
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Anak Mindanao (AMIN) Partylist Rep. Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman on Monday announced her resignation from her post in the House of Representatives.In a privilege speech, Turabin-Hataman said she intended to go back “home” and to “her people”– not as a reperesentative, but “as one of them.”Turabin-Hataman said she will refocus her time to community services, especially among the youth in conflict areas in Mindanao.A second termer partylist representative, Turabin-Hataman also served as executive director of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMP).She is the wife of Regional Gov.Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).“This was no easy decision, and perhaps the craziest I’ve done so far. But those who know me, and know my soul, have long suspected I was longing to be back home,” she said.Turabin-Hataman said she did not regret a single moment of being an Anak Mindanao representative.“Some of those who knew my decision said I can always go back, we are only required to be here on specific days. But going back does not only mean being with them physically. It also means, for me, being heard when I speak, not as a person of influence or power, but as me,” she added.Amihilda Sangcopan, the party-list’s chief-of-staff from the 12th to the 14th Congress, has been nominated to take Hataman’s place. Anak Mindanao has earned two seats in Congress. The Rep. Makmod Mending Jr. is AMIN’s other partylist representative.“The impact of what happened brought me to so many questions and self-reflections, thoughts of where I am and where I am most needed,” Turabin-Hataman said.Before ending her speech that surprised many colleagues, she made a last plea to “pass the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law,” of which she is one of the co-authors.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/03/anak-mindanao-rep-resigns/
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Social media fosters Philippine nationalism
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['Nathanael Flores']
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9/5/2017 0:00
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In the battleground that is social media, the pro-Duterte netizens are winning the war. Their opponents are the anti-reformists and foreign bullies; their weapons are nationalist posts, videos, and their huge mass base. As they fight the establishment types, they have rekindled the flames of nationalism.This was clearly seen with the unofficial visit last week of United Nations Rapporteur Agnes Callamard, a critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tough campaign against illegal drugs. It didn’t help that she was severely misinformed and imbibing information only from anti-government groups: she actually believes that shabu (crystal methamphetamine) does not lead to violence or to brain damage.On learning of the inane tweets by Callamard, social media exploded. Filipino netizens urged the government to kick her out and declare her persona non-grata. Other chose to pick on her looks and compare it with the typical messy appearance of drug users. “Get out of my country,” and “Stop destroying the Philippines” were common themes.As Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Teddy Locsin sarcastically put it via Twitter: “Agnes Callamard did in one day what Jose Rizal used his whole life including his death to pull off: give Filipinos a sense of their country.”Callamard’s claim that the anti-drugs program doesn’t work sounds too much like what the anti-Duterte groups have been saying, leading to theories that her visit was organized precisely to embarrass the President. Unfortunately for them it created the opposite effect. It just galvanized Filipinos to support Duterte and his programs even more.Callamard’s persistence in criticizing Duterte is suspicious. She is merely a reporter or researcher for extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, and not for illegal drugs. The government has repeatedly stated that it does not sanction extrajudicial killings and that it operates under the rule of law. There is an official group in Geneva led by Senator Alan Peter Cayetano explaining to the UN the real facts about the anti-drugs program, in order to counter the ‘fake numbers’ being propagated by the opposition groups.So why is Callamard here in the Philippines? She was supposedly invited to a drug forum organized by the anti-Duterte lawyers of self-confessed murderer and assassin Arturo Lascañas. Of course this is a free country, they can do that. However, it is a fair question to ask: did the Commission on Human Rights, headed by former Liberal Party director-general Chito Gascon, pay for the airfare, hotel, and other expenses of Callamard? If true then the CHR, a government body receiving Filipino taxpayers money, just showed that it is bent on derailing the national government’s anti-drugs campaign. This is just wrong.For people living in the Philippines, who are witness to the violence and criminality that go with the use of illegal drugs especially shabu, the administration’s decision to prioritize its eradication is a timely and welcome development. There are 4.7 million drug users in the country, and many Filipinos have a personal story of a friend, relative, or acquaintance who used drugs and suffered tragic ends.Callamard, the New York Times, and other critics probably don’t know about these stories, having been cocooned in their New York offices or condos. Did they read about the four-month-old baby girl in Cebu who was raped by an illegal drug user “who was not in his right mind”? Or the 8-year-old student in Cavite who was gang-raped and killed by four drug addicts who then threw her body in the river? These are violent acts committed by psychotic individuals whose minds have been destroyed by shabu.As Filipinos share these stories online, they are united by a common desire to change society so that these criminal acts are lessened if not totally eliminated. What has emerged is a strong desire to save, to protect, to preserve, the homeland. This is genuine nationalism and not the jingoistic version that Europeans are so afraid of, following their experience with Adolf Hitler.The Philippines is not in Europe or America and foreign critics should not hold their prejudices against our nation. Having almost 400 years of colonial rule, amid the greedy hold of oligarchs on the economy, nationalism was continually suppressed. It is one reason, scholars said, why the country has not truly developed unlike its nationalistic Southeast Asian neighbors.That social media would prove to be the catalyst for a nationalist resurgence should come as no surprise to those familiar with the work of historian and political scientist Benedict Anderson.In his groundbreaking book, “Imagined Communities,” Anderson defined a nation as “an imagined political community,” adding that a nation is “imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion.”This is precisely what is happening in social media, with Filipino netizens not having met each other but identify with one another through their common interest in the country’s problems. Social media, in particular Facebook, has served as the platform by which Filipinos from everywhere can talk about matters of national interest.If Filipinos can unite this way, not just online but also in the actual political and economic sphere, then the Philippines can truly be the nation that Jose Rizal and other revolutionaries had dreamed of having.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/09/social-media-fosters-philippine-nationalism/
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Junjun Binay seeks dismissal of graft case
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-05-20 21:01:37+00:00
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FORMER Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr. is asking the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division to reconsider its resolution to proceed with the trial of graft and falsification charges lodged against him and several others in connection with the alleged anomalous construction of the Makati City Hall Parking Building.The anti-graft court, which earlier found probable cause to proceed to trial, affirmed the earlier findings of the Office of the Ombudsman, which filed the charges in February last year.The case stems from alleged irregularities surrounding the awarding of a contract to build the Makati City Hall Parking Building to Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.Binay, son of former vice president and long-time Makati mayor Jejomar Binay, is being accused of conspiring with several former Makati City officials in rigging the bidding process and falsifying documents to facilitate the awarding of the contract.Lacking evidenceHe argued, however, that the findings of the Office of the Ombudsman that the Sandiganbayan upheld “lack any hint of evidence.”The former Makati City mayor said there were no overt acts that would constitute the crimes alleged against him, and that he was being charged as a conspirator in a scheme “without concrete bases that will show acts in unison” with it.Moreover, the Sandiganbayan failed to consider that the alleged falsification of an Affidavit of Publication could be committed without his participation, Binay said.Presumption of regularityHe argued further that at the time the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) decided to award the contract to Hilmarc’s, “there were no instances on hand to show any irregularity in the proceedings, considering that there was nothing in the BAC Resolution and the Disbursement Vouchers which appeared to be irregular on their face.”“In particular, the bid documents presented to Accused Binay Jr. included the requisite notarized Affidavit of Publication, attesting to the fact that the Invitation to Bid was indeed advertised,” Binay’s motion for reconsideration read.Binay said he could not be held liable for relying on the notarized document, “which carried with it the presumption of due execution and authenticity.”Also, “the element of ‘undue injury’ is absent considering that the alleged overpricing of the construction was never established,” he said.Overlapping chargesThe Makati City Hall Parking Building was constructed in five phases with one design phase spanning 2007 to 2013, covering the respective terms of Binay and his father.When the cases against the younger Binay were filed in February last year, the older Binay enjoyed immunity from suit as he was vice president at the time.Graft, malversation, and falsification cases against Binay Sr. and several others were thus filed after his term as vice president ended. These were consolidated with the ones earlier filed where the younger Binay was charged as a respondent.The younger Binay is among the respondents in the malversation case and two counts of graft filed against his father and several others. The Sandiganbayan, however, has yet to rule on whether there is basis to try these cases.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/junjun-binay-seeks-dismissal-graft-case/328260/
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‘Wrongful’ executions likely under Duterte
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-01-09 22:38:30+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to send more than 2,000 malefactors to the gallows within 12 months could easily result in hundreds of wrongful executions, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza warned on Monday.“The last time the country experimented on the death penalty, the wrongful execution rate was around 15 percent. We expect this rate to shoot up, considering the administration’s apparent plan to quickly put to death a lot of people inside a very short period,” Atienza said.Duterte earlier vowed daily executions once Congress restores the death penalty.“Restore it and I will execute criminals every day—five or six. That’s for real,” Duterte said.Atienza, however, also warned that “the country’s criminal justice system, with all its flaws and imperfections, is severely ill-equipped to handle another experiment on the death penalty.”“We have a corrupt and bungling police force. Both our prosecution service and trial courts are prone to sleaze and haphazardness. We have an overworked Public Attorney’s Office. And even the Supreme Court is weighed down by mounting docket pressures,” he said.These factors when combined would make the next experiment on capital punishment “highly dangerous,” Atienza added.Congress is set to resume session next week with the bill bringing back death sentences for heinous crimes on top of the agenda for plenary approval.The House Committee on Justice earlier endorsed the swift passage of the bill, in accordance with Duterte’s wish to immediately reinstate death sentences.Atienza said the country’s law enforcement and prosecution arms still abound with illegal methods and rotten practices, including arbitrary arrests and searches, torture, intimidation, evidence-planting and the filing of defective charge sheets.“The problem is aggravated by our lack of scientific methods in criminal investigation, which makes it difficult to disprove fabricated evidence.Unlike other countries, we lack forensic specialization,” he added.“We have a high rate of judicial errors because our trial courts are manned by fallible mortals, and many judges are overloaded with work, susceptible to recklessness, or simply inept,” Atienza said.When capital punishment was in force from 1993 to 2006, the lawmaker said some 65 percent of death verdicts, upon automatic review by the Supreme Court, were found to be erroneous, resulting in acquittals, retrials or the imposition of lighter sentences.And during the administration of President Joseph Estrada, Atienza added, at least one of the seven convicts actually put to death was later found to have been mistakenly executed.Then Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban shocked the nation in 2006 when he belatedly revealed that the case against Leo Echegaray suffered from a fatally defective charge sheet, and that a “judicial error” had caused the house painter’s unfounded execution in 1999.“The fact is, the Department of Justice, the Public Attorney’s Office, the trial court, and eventually even the Supreme Court failed to spot the defective charge sheet in Echegeray’s case,” Atienza said.In other cases wherein the defendants were found guilty of a capital offense despite a defective charge sheet, the Supreme Court, upon automatic review, either acquitted the accused, ordered a retrial, or reduced the sentence to 40 years in prison with eligibility for early release after 30 years.Within a month after Panganiban’s stunning revelation, Congress passed a law abolishing the death penalty.“Here lies the big difference between killing a convict and putting him behind bars for life. If we imprison a convict and he is later exonerated, we can still set him free. We can still rectify the error.“In death sentences, we cannot correct the mistake once the convict has been executed,” Atienza said.He added that the death penalty clearly does not serve any purpose that is not already being served by the punishment of life-long imprisonment.“Modern nations around the world have long recognized that the certainty of swift capture and punishment of felons is the best deterrence to other would-be offenders, and that extended prison terms are already adequate in serving the ends of justice and in protecting society,” Atienza said.He added that 140 nations have already abandoned the death penalty as a cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, while only 25 nations are actually carrying out executions.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/wrongful-executions-likely-duterte/306000/
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Workers oppose higher SSS monthly contribution
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-02-27 22:09:05+00:00
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ORGANIZED labor has called on the new leadership of the state-run pension fund Social Security System (SSS) to set aside a planned increase in monthly contribution of its members while internal reforms are being worked out.Associated Labor Unions (ALU) spokesman Alan Tanjusay on Monday said they strongly oppose the plan of the SSS to raise the monthly contribution rate of its 14 million members by 1.5 percent starting May 2017.ALU is the largest labor federation in the country.“It’s not a good time to increase the monthly contribution rate at this time because the value of the highest daily minimum wage of P491 has sunk to only P363 a day. Any additional deductions to employee’s take-home pay will make him or her and that of their family’s life even more difficult to cope with daily needs,” Tanjusay said.Government estimates show that a family of five needs at least P490 a day in 2014 in order for them to survive.The ALU, however, estimates that today a family needs at least P1,400 a day in order to stay a little above the poverty threshold.Tanjusay said the SSS should institute internal austerity and collection efficiency reforms before charging its paying members the additional increase in contribution.“SSS top executives right now are enjoying excessive salaries, bonuses and perks while collection efficiency is very poor. If we institute these reforms, we’ll be surprised at the amount of money we can save,” he added.Aside from austerity reforms, the SSS can also ask for government subsidy to make the pension fund liquid, Tanjusay said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/workers-oppose-higher-sss-monthly-contribution/314493/
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7 Filipino sailors kidnapped off Nigeria
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-09-26 00:01:50+00:00
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SEVEN Filipino seamen aboard a Swiss-owned vessel were kidnapped by armed men off the coast of Nigeria on September 22, 2018, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Tuesday.The DFA said the Filipinos were among the 12 crewmembers of MV Glarus who were taken by the unidentified men.The Philippine embassies in Abuja and Berne are coordinating with Nigerian and Swiss authorities to determine the whereabouts of the victims.Ambassador to Nigeria Shirley Ho Vicario said five other Filipinos and two foreign nationals on board the vessel were not taken.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano directed the Office of Migrant Workers Affairs to notify and extend assistance to the families of the seven abducted seafarers.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/7-filipino-sailors-kidnapped-off-nigeria/445211/
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40,000 workers benefit from mediated disputes
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-04-24 20:14:07+00:00
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An alternative dispute settlement mechanism of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has proved its effectiveness in settling labor conflicts involving monetary and collective bargaining benefits amounting to more than P2 billion.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd on Monday said it was a record expeditious settlement of labor disputes using the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanism that benefited 39,691 workers within eight months or from July 2016 to March 2017.Called the Single Entry Approach (SEnA), it is a system that prescribes a 30-day mandatory conciliation-mediation service to effect a speedy, impartial, inexpensive and accessible settlement procedure of all labor issues or conflicts, thus preventing them from ripening into full-blown disputes.“Alternative dispute resolution is our strategy in ensuring speedy delivery of labor justice. DoLE stands firm on sustaining industrial peace through the fast settlement of labor disputes,” Bello said.In a report to the DoLE chief, Executive Director Shirley Pascual of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) said 27,226 requests for assistance (RFAs) on SEnA were settled, resulting in P1,382,516,848.23 in monetary benefits to 32,017 workers.“Through SEnA, we settled 27,226 RFAs from a total of 44,863 cases we handled. Some of the reported cases involved illegal dismissal, underpayment of wages, non-payment of overtime pay, holiday pay and 13th month pay and non-coverage of social protection benefits,” Pascual reported.On the preventive mediation (PM), she said the NCMB resolved 332 cases of 404 handled cases, resulting in P59,577,925 million in monetary benefits to 2,509 workers.“One of the recent settled cases involving unfair labor practices is that of Maynilad Water Services and its workers. The case was settled last March 22 and resulted in estimated total benefits of P50 million to 200 employees,” Pascual added.Also, some of the companies/employers with high settlement of money claims include Kepco SPC Power Corp. with P130 million in monetary benefits to 96 workers; Novartis Health Care Phils. Inc. with P34 million to 137 workers; Capitol Medical Center with P20.52 million to 600 workers; and Pepsi Cola Philippines Inc. with P13 million in monetary benefits to 110 workers.The NCMB chief also reported that 121 cases on notices of strike/lockout (NS/L) were settled with monetary benefits amounting to P545,314,519 million to 4,914 workers.She said the decrease in work-disruptive industrial disputes resulted in 310,521 man-days saved.The NCMB also reported that 10 cases out of 17 handled cases on actual strikes/lockout were settled and resulted in P26,945,47 in monetary benefits to 211 workers.On the voluntary arbitration (VA), it handled 363 cases and disposed of 67 VA cases, resulting in P145.8 million in monetary benefits to 40 workers.Bello also reported that the case involving RubberWorld Philippines Inc. and Lingkod Manggagawa Sa Rubberworld, Adidas-Anglo, which started in 1994 because of a severe financial crisis and resulted in termination of workers, is nearing settlement.“After 22 years, the labor dispute involving Rubberworld and its workers will soon be resolved. Both parties are attending conferences to finally settle their differences,” he said.WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/40000-workers-benefit-mediated-disputes-2/323871/
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Brigada Eskwela gets better turnout
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['Neil Alcober']
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2016-12-03 21:06:24+00:00
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THIS year’s Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week of the Department of Education (DepEd) was able to generate more than P4.7 million worth of donations in kind from private companies and various groups.Margarita Consolacion Ballesteros, director for External Partnerships Services at DepEd, revealed that the education department has generated resources amounting to P4.76 million compared to the previous P3.62 million.This is a 31.5-percent increase from last year’s amalgamated sum from infrastructures and other donations, and from volunteer man hours.There was also an increase in the number of volunteers as statistics showed that there were 11.62 million volunteers who contributed to the successful implementation of Brigada Eskwela from May 30 to June 4, 2016. This is an improvement of 31.8 percent compared to last year’s 8.82 million.“Education is everybody’s business,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said in her speech during the 2016 National Brigada Eskwela Awards at Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium in Dumaguete City.“We are all responsible for the kind of education we share with our learners, the kind of citizens we mould. This is not only the responsibility of the Department of Education. It is all our responsibility,” she added.During the national kick-off ceremony at Santa Cruz Pingkian High School in Nueva Vizcaya last year, Brigada Eskwela volunteers and coordinators gave their utmost support in providing a safe, disaster-ready, and conducive learning environment to all its learners.With the theme “Tayo Para Sa Paaralang Ligtas, Maayos at Handa Mula Kindergarten Hanggang Senior High School,” stakeholders from various sectors partnered with DepEd to offer their unwavering participation for the success of the event.For the first time, DepEd-Negros Island Region became the convening venue for this year’s National Brigada Eskwela Awards held on November 29 held at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium in Silliman University.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/brigada-eskwela-gets-better-turnout/299810/
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Lawyer’s complaint vs fastfood chain ‘valid’
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-20 23:05:37+00:00
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After making a previous ruling that it has no jurisdiction on the complaint aired by a senior citizen and election lawyer Romulo Macalintal that McDonald’s recently concluded promotional discount “is not senior citizens friendly,” the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has ruled in favor of Macalintal’s appeal.In a clarificatory letter dated March 16, Assistant Secretary Ernesto Perez of the DTI Consumer Protection Group told Macalintal that “after a careful review of the facts presented and further inquiries by this office, we are of the view that you have indeed raised a valid complaint against the special promo [of McDonald’s] and which will be the proper subject of investigation by DTI’s Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau [FTEB].”The DTI also agreed with Macalintal that in case of promo items, it is the obligation of McDonald’s to advise senior citizens (SCs) that they can choose between the promo price or the regular price after deducting 20 percent SC discount and 12 percent VAT exemption, whichever is higher or favorable to the senior citizens.Thus, it affirmed Macalintal’s position that the P49 promo price should only be P42.24 for SCs and that notice should have been made preferably in the coupon for the SCs’ immediate information, and that the coupon should have no expiration date.On Macalintal’s complaint that while the cup of coffee on the McDonald’s promo coupon pictures a “large cup” of coffee but only a “small cup” is actually given the customers, the DTI said it is “not too late for DTI-FTEB to conduct an investigation” of false, deceptive and misleading advertisement as penalized under Republic Act 7394 or the Consumer Act of the Philippines.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawyers-complaint-vs-fastfood-chain-valid/318271/
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SKorea cargo ship with 16 Pinoys missing off Uruguay
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['Agence France-Presse']
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2017-04-01 23:54:12+00:00
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SEOUL: A South Korean cargo ship has gone missing in waters off Uruguay after making a distress call, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Saturday.The Stella Daisy with eight South Korean and 16 Filipino crew members on board disappeared Friday after sending a text message that it was sinking, the ministry said.“It remains unknown whether the crew escaped to safety,” a ministry official was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency.A search operation by Uruguayan coast guards was underway, it added.The Stella Daisy is a large ore carrier (VLOC) that can carry more than 260,000 tons.AFP
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/skorea-cargo-ship-16-pinoys-missing-off-uruguay-2/320465/
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Justice Martires bids farewell to Supreme Court, judiciary
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-30 00:01:51+00:00
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OUTGOING Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice and incoming Ombudsman Samuel Martires is set to bid goodbye to the high court and the judiciary.Martires will attend his last flag ceremony as associate justice on Monday, deliver his speech, and say farewell to court officials and personnel.Martires said he loved the judiciary so much that it became his life for the past 17 years.The new ombudsman will file his early retirement before the Supreme Court en banc, and it is expected to be discussed by the justices on Tuesday.He said he would seek retirement from the judiciary before taking his oath as the new graftbuster of the country.“If the en banc will approve my retirement on Tuesday, I will take my oath and assume on Wednesday,” Martires told The Manila Times.Martires started his judiciary career from the regional trial court of Agoo, La Union. He was later named to the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court and then to the high court.Martires spearheaded the effort to force then-chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to take an indefinite leave of absence amid accusations that she did not file her statements of assets and liabilities. Sereno was later disqualified from her post via a petition from the solicitor general.Martires will be the third SC justice named to the ombudsman post, after the late Conrado Vasquez Sr. and Conchita Carpio Morales.He will be the sixth ombudsman in history and the first Sandiganbayan justice to became ombudsman. Jomar Canlas
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/justice-martires-bids-farewell-to-supreme-court-judiciary/424731/
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Court’s right to handle de Lima case disputed
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-04-24 20:14:43+00:00
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A MOTION for reconsideration (MR) was filed by the legal counsel of detained Sen. Leila de Lima before the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court (QC-MeTC) Branch 34 that questions the jurisdiction of the court to handle her “disobedience to summons” case filed by congressional leaders.Fhillip Sawali, de Lima’s chief of staff and part of her legal team, said once the MR will be granted by QC-MeTC Branch 34 Judge Ludmila de Pio-Lim, charges filed by the Department of Justice, will be dismissed.The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, House Majority Floor Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and House justice panel chairman Reynaldo Umali, who said the senator has violated Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code or “disobedience to summons.”“[Judge de Pio-Lim] actually committed that she will resolve the MR and had given the prosecutor from the Department of Justice [DoJ] to comment on the MR within 10 to 15 days after April 21. The MR will then be submitted for resolution with or without the prosecutor’s comment once the given days have expired,” Sawali told The Manila Times on Monday.A court staff, who requested anonymity, disclosed to this newspaper that a hearing on the MR was held on April 21 with Teddy Rigoroso, the lawyer of de Lima, and DoJ representatives present.If the fiscal is able to comment on the motion of reconsideration on or before the 10 to 15-day deadline, the tentative schedule for the trial will push through with the resolution already released by de Pio-Lim but failure to do so will prompt the court to release a resolution dismissing the case filed against de Lima.According to Sawali, a first MR was filed by Rigoroso on February 21 but he said de Pio-Lim found the MR “out of time” as it was received by the court on February 25.“Based on a technicality, [the judge] said it was out of time but based on [Rigoroso’s] record, it was written there that it was filed on the 21st of February.”He then reiterated that the judge will be working out on the MR, wherein de Lima also questioned the “personality” of Alvarez, Fariñas and Umali to file a complaint against her.De Lima’s petition is pending before QC-MeTC Branch 34, awaiting the resolution to be issued by de Pio-Lim.The dismissal or continuation of de Lima’s case will be based on the MR.On March 13, de Lima, all the way from her cell at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center at Camp Crame in Quezon City, went to QC-MeTC for her arraignment but refused to enter a plea.The trial of de Lima was set for April 26.Alvarez will “no longer be required” to attend the trial, with Umali replacing him on the witness stand as it was agreed last Friday.The Manila Times tried to reach Alvarez for clarification or confirmation through text messages and phone calls but to no avail.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/courts-right-handle-de-lima-case-disputed/323842/
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Interior department releases FOI Manual
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['Jing Villamente']
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2016-11-26 20:24:54+00:00
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Heeding President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to make government transactions transparent to the public, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) recently came out with its own Freedom of Information (FOI) Manual, making it one of the first government agencies to comply with the presidential order.However, an organization of campus journalists on Saturday criticized Malacañang for not allowing private media organizations to cover the launch of the Freedom of Information online portal and manuals on Friday, saying it contrasts the principle of transparency that the FOI serves.During the ceremonial signing of the FOI Manual, Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno encouraged the DILG officials and personnel to use the manual as basis in disclosing information to the general public.“Through the manual, the DILG upholds the right of its clients to access the official records, documents and transactions of the agency,” Sueno said.“I hope that through this medium, we will be able to promote an open, transparent and accountable government,” he added.The DILG’s FOI manual prescribes the appropriate timeline for the processing of a requested information based on their nature and mechanisms for acknowledgement upon receipt of a request.A system of grievance redress and appeal was included for requests that have been denied or in the case of a delay in the processing.Earlier, the President signed the landmark Executive Order No. 2, series of 2016 that mandates all executive agencies to prepare within 120 calendar days upon the effectivity of the order their respective manuals. The FOI manual should indicate the person or office responsible for receiving requests for information, the location and contact information of the office head, as well as prescribed forms to be used for requesting information and schedule of applicable fees, among others.Media barredHowever, a group of campus journalists on Saturday slammed the Palace for not allowing private media organizations to cover the launch of an FOI online portal and manuals on Friday.“Malacañang’s decision is worrying as it casts doubts on the government’s sincerity in implementing a genuine FOI mechanism. It goes against the Duterte administration’s supposed commitment to uphold transparency and the free flow of information,” Jose Mari Callueng, national president of College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP), said.The decision to allow only members of the state-owned media the Heroes Hall in Malacañang where the launch took place came from Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdia, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar said.The event was held on the same day President Duterte’s executive order on the FOI took effect.“We remain in high hopes that the government will be true to its commitment to transparency and accountability. Implementing an FOI order is already a progress for the Filipino people. Let us not take a step backward,” Callueng said.According to Callueng, it will be useful for anti-corruption advocates and journalists to follow the transactions of government agencies, especially on the use of public funds and other matters concerning the executive branch.“The FOI EO can also be used by students to open the books of state universities and colleges to monitor the collection of tuition and other school fees as well other sources of income. Findings can be used to stop the collection of unjust and exorbitant fees,” Callueng added.He, however, stressed the need for a comprehensive legislation on FOI that will require all three branches of government to open their transactions and papers to the public.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/interior-department-releases-foi-manual/298540/
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Court junks Enrile, aide’s bid for justice’s inhibition
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-09-15 23:41:10+00:00
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The Sandiganbayan’s Special Third Division has thumbed down a plea of former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and of his former aide Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes that Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang inhibit herself from a plunder case filed against them and several others in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.In a resolution promulgated on September 14, the court denied the respective motions filed by Enrile and Reyes “for utter lack of merit.”The ruling said in part that “the accused-movants merely point to adverse and alleged erroneous resolutions penned by the chairperson. As earlier discussed, these do not constitute a valid or just ground for a voluntary inhibition.”“Insofar as the accused-movants’ insinuation that the chairperson may be partial because she was an appointee of former President [Benigno] Aquino [3rd], the same is sheer speculation, which miserably falls short of the required ‘clear and convincing evidence’ to warrant the grant of a motion for voluntary inhibition predicated on bias and prejudice,” it added.“Indeed, if all members of the bench were to be compelled to recuse themselves on the ground that unconscious powers residing beneath them could probably hold sway, then nobody would be sitting on any bench in any court right at this very moment,” it said in part.Tang, who was appointed as the Sandiganbayan’s presiding justice in 2013, concurrently leads the court’s Third Division where the case is pending.Enrile’s camp had claimed that there was “extraordinary speed” in the conduct of proceedings during his arraignment and the hearing on his plea for a bill of particulars.But the court said that except for claiming such, he “has not presented clear and convincing evidence that the court acted with bias or prejudice when it denied his motion for a bill of particulars, his motion for reconsideration thereof and his motion to suspend arraignment in one setting.”Meanwhile, Reyes earlier filed a manifestation and motion saying that she was adopting Enrile’s plea for Tang’s voluntary inhibition.Reyes’s camp alleged that Tang allowed her “to be prejudiced in a proceeding in which she did not participate and was not heard at all, in violation of the fundamental tenets of due process of law,” when specific findings of culpability were made against her in a March 2, 2016 resolution wherein the court denied Napoles’ plea to reconsider the denial of her bail petition.Napoles is Janet Lim-Napoles, alleged architect of the pork barrel scam.The camp argued that Tang “grievously erred” in applying to Reyes the part of the 2015 Supreme Court (SC) decision — wherein the SC granted Enrile’s plea for a bill of particulars — regarding the validity of the charge sheet, while “prohibiting” Reyes from invoking and availing herself of the benefits of the SC’s order in the same decision for the prosecution to provide a bill of particulars and from questioning the bill of particulars that provided details on the charge.But the court said that “[t]o begin with, while the afore-cited resolutions were written by the chairperson, the same were decided by the court as a collegial body.”“Moreover, the argument that the court’s resolutions are erroneous does not constitute a just and valid ground for the inhibition of the chairperson. To be sure, an erroneous ruling can be remedied and corrected,” it added.The court agreed with the prosecution that the proper remedy, if Reyes firmly believed that the rulings were erroneous, is to question the rulings before the SC.It said it expressly said in its ruling that it was not passing judgment on the defendant’s culpability or non-culpability in resolving Napoles’ plea to reconsider the denial of Reyes’ bail petition.“Clearly, there was no prejudgment of accused Reyes’s guilt. She will have the opportunity to present her defense and cross-examine the prosecution witnesses during trial at which time, their credibility would be put to the crucible,” the court added.Enrile is one of three former senators namely, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, whom the Office of the Ombudsman charged along with Napoles and several other individuals in 2014 in connection with the PDAF scam.Both Revilla and Estrada are detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City, while Enrile is out on bail after the Supreme Court granted his bail petition on humanitarian grounds.Enrile’s co-accused Napoles and Reyes are detained at a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.Two other respondents, Napoles’s employee John Raymund de Asis and nephew Ronald John Lim, remain at large.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-junks-enrile-aides-bid-justices-inhibition/350890/
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Batangas bettor bags P24.8M lotto jackpot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-01-03 23:07:04+00:00
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A lone bettor from Batangas City hit the P24.8 million lotto 6/42 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during Tuesday night’s draw.PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said the winner was able to correctly guess the six-number combination of 17-16-19-29-04-14.Balutan said the lucky bettor bought the ticket at a lotto outlet at JPA-AMA building in Kumintang Ilaya, Batangas City.Meanwhile 47 lotto players will be getting P14,700 each as second prize after they got five of the six-number combination correctly.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/batangas-bettor-bags-p24-8m-lotto-jackpot/372088/
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LPA to bring cloudy skies, rains over eastern Mindanao
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2018-03-22 23:54:31+00:00
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The trough of a low pressure area (LPA) will bring cloudy skies with scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms over the eastern section of Mindanao, the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Thursday. The weather system was located at 2,300 kilometers (km) east of Mindanao and likely to bring possible flooding or landslides. “The LPA is still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but we will further monitor if it will intensify into a typhoon,” weather specialist Shelly Ignacio told The Manila Times. Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon will cause the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley Region, and the provinces of Ilocos and Aurora to have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated light rains. Bicol Region and Quezon province will have cloudy skies with scattered rains and isolated thunderstorms due to the tail-end of a cold front. Metro Manila and the rest of the country will be partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers caused by localized thunderstorms, Pagasa added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lpa-to-bring-cloudy-skies-rains-over-eastern-mindanao/387912/
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Marawi rehab gets P730M from US, P5M from China
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-09-06 21:47:44+00:00
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Malacañang on Wednesday announced P730 million in assistance from the United States and P5 million from China for ongoing relief operations and eventual rehabilitation of besieged Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, in southern Mindanao.“We welcome the assistance of the United States to finance emergency relief and recovery efforts for the areas affected by the Marawi rebellion,” Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.He acknowledged that the devastation wrought by the Islamic State-linked Maute terrorists was “extensive,” and that “the recovery and rebuilding of Marawi cannot be done overnight.”“It is a multi-year rehabilitation effort, which requires the full support and cooperation of everyone to help the city rise as a prosperous city again, as promised by the President,” Abella said.“We look forward to the end of the rebellion and eventually, the chance to bravely face the challenges and opportunities of reconstruction together with our friends and allies here and abroad,” he added.On Tuesday, US Ambassador Sung Kim announced that the US will provide P730 million in humanitarian aid for relief and rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City, which would be made available to the Philippines through the United States Agency for International Development.Of the total US donation, Kim said P153 million will be used to deliver basic relief supplies such as drinking water, hygiene kits and shelter materials for evacuees.The remaining P577 million, meanwhile, will be used to help fund rehabilitation efforts in the conflict-stricken city, he added.Kim noted that the crisis in Marawi City is “the most urgent challenge” facing the Philippines.”“And of course, all of this work is done in close coordination with our colleagues in the Philippine government. Our military cooperation remains an important component of our assistance,” he said.Kim added that an additional P22 million would also be provided by the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section for education and information programs for students and women in Marawi City.In June, Washington vowed to provide more military assistance to the Philippines, with Manila announcing it would welcome any form of assistance from allied countries.The American government gave two Cessna C-208B planes to the Philippine Air Force in July.Kim said the US is “deeply committed” to its partnership and would readily support its allies facing challenges.He added that fighting terrorism should be a shared responsibility between the Philippines and the US.“We will continue to look for additional military and non-military ways to support the Philippines’ counter-terrorism efforts, and I expect to announce more measures and initiatives in the near future,” Kim said.The US donation is among the largest foreign aid packages for the war-torn city, with Australia giving $20 million (P1 billion); Japan, $2 million (P100 million); European Union, P49 million; and China, P20 million.Col. Edgard Arevalo, public affairs chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), also on Wednesday said the additional P5 million in check given by China, through Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua, will now be part of earlier donations for government troops killed and wounded in Marawi City.Zhao on Tuesday went to the AFP general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to personally hand over the check to AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año.In a news conference also on Wednesday, he said Beijing has vowed to donate P15 million to Manila that will be distributed to soldiers fighting Maute extremists in Marawi.Aside from cash donations, the Chinese government has also promised 3,000 rifles, including sniper rifles.According to Zhao, the 3,000 rifles will be arriving by the end of September.Last week, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said rocket-propelled grenades from China are expected to arrive in the Philippines and fast boats that will be used in securing the Sulu Sea will be in Manila before the year ends.In June, the Chinese government gave the Philippines 3,000 guns and six million pieces of ammunition amounting to P370 million.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/marawi-rehab-gets-p730m-us-p5m-china/349055/
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OFWs should not pay travel tax – Bello
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-11-06 00:03:06+00:00
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AIRLINE companies continue to collect travel taxes and terminal fees from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in violation of existing laws, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said on Monday.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said the collection of said fees was “illegal” because under Presidential Decree 1183 and Republic Act (RA) 8042, or the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipino Act of 1995, as Amended by RA 10022, OFWs are exempted from paying travel tax and terminal fees.Bello said departing OFWs only need to present their overseas employment certificates (OEC) and working visas to avail of the exemption.“I am wondering why they continue to collect. In fact we already wrote them a letter that they should not collect. This is illegal extraction and they may be liable [under the law]. So we are writing them again to remind them of this exemption of OFWs,” he said in a news briefing.Bello also reminded the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) to remit to the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) P500 million, the money collected from OFWs since 2015.“They (airline companies) have to account to us how much they collected for the last three years and how much they have remitted to CAAP. We will also ask the CAAP to account to us how much has been remitted to them by the airlines, and then ask them to remit this amount immediately OWWA,” he said.Bello said while some OFWs were given refunds, many failed to get a refund either because they had no time to process their claim or they did not know that they can get their money back.The labor chief instructed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and OWWA to coordinate with CAAP on the implementation of a mechanism for the automatic exemption of OFWs from paying travel tax and terminal fee.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ofws-should-not-pay-travel-tax-bello/462731/
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Removal of ‘comfort women’ statue opposed
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-01-11 18:29:50+00:00
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A purported plan by the Philippine government to remove a statue honoring “comfort women” along Roxas Boulevard in Manila supposedly at the request of the Japanese government earned more critics at the Kamuning Bakery’s Pandesal Forum on Thursday.The Gabriella party-list said taking down the statue would not make the “comfort women” issue go away.“The issue of the ‘comfort women’ is an issue of human rights. We denounce the resurgent militarism and fascist restoration in the Japanese goverment that is bent on erasing the memory of our ‘comfort women,’ to the extent of blackmailing goverments with sanctions over the emergence of the memorial statue,” Joms Salvador, Gabriela’s secretary general, told the press at the forum.Salvador and Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas said Japanese foreign ministry officials are exerting influence over Filipino diplomats in an attempt to gloss over the organized rape of Filipino women by Japanese troops in the Second World War.“Japan made their comfort zones in many places in the country, taking our lolas [grandmothers] as their sex slaves. The significance of that statue is our stand against that atrocities [committed against] our ‘comfort women.’ We are a nation victimized by that dark period through systematic violence,” Brosas added.“If Japan really wants this issue to be settled and help us all move on forward, it should officially recognize the horrors of state-sponsored sexual slavery and apologize to the victims. Raising petty issues about statues won’t make this issue go away,” Salvador said.“There’s no quest for justice if there were no atrocities committed then,” she added.Out of the hundreds of Filipino comfort women in the last war, only 20 of them are still alive and aged 80 and above, according to Gabriela records.Only five of these women are actively pleading for justice.All 20, however, are challenging President Rodrigo Duterte to demand a thorough apology, reparations and recognition from Japan through their movement Lila Pilipina that works with Gabriela and other women’s organizations.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/removal-comfort-women-statue-opposed/373698/
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Australian journalist shot in Marawi City
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-06-15 21:46:02+00:00
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An Australian journalist covering the siege in Marawi City was shot in the neck on Thursday and was taken to Iligan City for treatment.Adam Harvey, reporter for the Australian Broadcasting Company, was the first member of the media to be hit by a terrorist sniper.He later posted an image of an x-ray showing the bullet lodged in his neck on Twitter.“Thanks everyone — I’m okay. Bullet is still in my neck, but it missed everything important,” he said in another Twitter post.Harvey was inside the provincial capitol compound where local and foreign journalists have congregated during the more than three weeks of fighting, the government’s crisis management committee spokesman, Zia Alonto Adiong, said.Although the compound is secured by the military, it is only about two kilometers from the pockets of the city that the gunmen control.“I want to appeal to everyone you should be very careful because in our assessment the vicinity of the 103rd (military camp), the vicinity of the capitol is within the line of sight of the enemy,” local military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera told reporters.The incident prompted Malacañang to caution journalists covering the clashes in Marawi City.“There’s no story more valuable than one’s life,” Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella said.Abella asked reporters to be “objective” but not to risk their lives.He said reporters should prioritize their security and safety.“While I understand that you would not shirk your duty in the pursuit of any story, bear in mind that there’s no story more valuable than one’s life. Take the necessary precautions and stay safe while covering conflicts,” he added.Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), also called on reporters covering the siege to stay in safe zones.He warned however that some areas declared as safe zones are within the line of sight of snipers.with AFP
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/australian-journalist-shot-marawi-city/332913/
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Big drug dealer under NBI custody
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2016-12-28 22:00:56+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has confirmed that high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian has been transferred from the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila) to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) headquarters in Manila late Tuesday nightJustice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd on Wednesday said he allowed the transfer after it was confirmed that there were threats against the life of Sebastian inside his cell at Building 14 of the maximum security compound in the NBP, the national penitentiary.“It was upon the request of his [legal] counsel and [Sebastian’s] wife. I also ordered an investigation to identify those behind the threat to his life,” he told reporters in an interview.The DOJ, however, refused to give additional details in order to secure the safety of Sebastian while its probe of drug trading in the national penitentiary is pending.Last October, Sebastian was confined at the Muntinlupa Medical Center after sustaining stab wounds in a supposed riot at Building 14.Killed in the stabbing incident was Chinese drug lord Tony Co and also wounded were three other high-profile inmates.Sebastian is seen as a potential witness in the alleged drug trade inside the national penitentiary.He had testified before the House Committee on Justice, tagging Sen. Leila de Lima as the protector of illegal drugs inside the NBP.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/big-drug-dealer-nbi-custody/304088/
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Guidelines on Kuwait deployment out soon
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-05-20 21:29:11+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will soon come out with the new guidelines to be followed in the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd signed over the weekend Administrative Orders 254-18 and 254A-18, lifting the ban on the deployment of newly-hired skilled and semi-skilled workers, as well as household service workers to Kuwait and the issuance of the guidelines for the processing and deployment of domestic workers or household service workers (HSWs), relative to the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that protects HSWs.Bello created a cluster committee, headed by Undersecretary Jacinto V. Paras, to craft the new guidelines.Paras said he would immediately convene a meeting with officials of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to tackle the formulation of the new guidelines.“There is a need to reflect in the new guidelines what the President imposed as conditions that will provide maximum guarantee for the safeguards and security of OFWs against abuses and maltreatment of workers by their employers,” Paras told The Manila Times.The MoU signed by Bello and Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano with their Kuwaiti counterparts allows HSWs a minimum of seven hours of sleep a day and one rest day per week. Filipino workers should also be allowed to hold their passports, own and use their cell phones and cook or buy their own food.Paras said domestic workers will have to undergo training before they are allowed to leave.All recruitment agencies would be required to have their own training center accredited by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/guidelines-on-kuwait-deployment-out-soon/400114/
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Invest in your ‘own’ Overseas Filipino Bank
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-10-20 21:38:27+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) is encouraging Filipino migrant workers to invest in the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFB), “their” bank, and become part-owners of it.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd on Friday said interested OFWs may opt to use their credit line with the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to buy shares of stocks when the bank becomes operational.“It will be wise for them to invest in the bank because they actually own the bank. As the Secretary of Labor and under an executive order, I can nominate one to represent DoLE, another one to represent OWWA and the other one is for the overseas-based Filipinos. We will increase the representation of the overseas Filipino workers [OFWs] by buying more shares that will entitle them to two or three board seats,” he added.Bello said the Land Bank of the Philippines(LBP) has agreed that the interest rate in the loan packages will only be 2.5 percent per annum, far lower than that of the other banks, to give the OFWs a venue for their investment.Branches of the OFB, according to the Labor secretary, will be put up in all Philippine Overseas Labor Offices to reach more overseas Filipinos and provide them with quality and efficient foreign remittance services.The OFB, Bello said, will ease the financial burden of millions of OFWs with the bank’s efficient and low remittance service rates and profitable investment offers.The bank, which is not only limited to OFWs, is also dedicated to provide financial products and services tailored to the requirements of all overseas Filipinos, and focused on delivering quality and efficient foreign remittances services pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 44 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte early this week.Through the EO, the Philippine Postal Savings Bank will be acquired by the LBP and will be converted into the OFB.The bank will provide priority support to the growing financial needs of overseas-based Filipinos, who contribute to the country’s foreign exchange income, currency stability, employment and overall economic growth through their remittances.It will be managed by a board of directors headed by the LBP president as chairman, LBP-designated president as vice chairman, four LBP-designated directors or officers as members and members representing DoLE, OWWA and a private-sector member representing overseas Filipinos.Creation of the Overseas Filipino Bank is one of President Duterte’s three promises to migrant Filipino workers during the presidential campaign.The other two were the creation of a Department of OFW and the provision of free airfare by consuls general to abused overseas workers who want to go home.Bello said the OFB will complement the OFW’ Integrated DoLE System (iDoLE), which will also be operational soon.The iDoLE-OFW ID card will serve as a debit card and an ATM card for the OFB as well as a beep card for Light Rail Transit 1, LRT 2 and Metro Rail Transit 3, among other purposes.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/invest-overseas-filipino-bank/357662/
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Private hospitals set up dengue fast lanes
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2018-03-07 00:05:45+00:00
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The Department of Health (DoH) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with different hospital associations on Tuesday to provide a “one-stop-shop” for those who contracted dengue or inoculated with Dengvaxia.The fast lanes will be set up in all member-hospitals of the Philippine Health Association and Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc., Association of Hospital Administrators and Philippine Medical Association.Under the agreement, one doctor will be assigned to a dengue patient at a time unless there are other patients who are in simultaneous emergency situations; dengue fast lanes will be set up in conspicuous areas and the Health department will provide identification cards for those who were given Dengvaxia shots.The hospital bills of dengue patients will be covered by PhilHealth under its “No Balance Billing” program. If the patient is found to be suffering from other medical conditions not covered by PhilHealth, expenses will be covered by the Health department’s Medical Assistance Program.Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd said the fast lane agreement was signed to help regain the trust of parents of vaccinated children.“We felt that this is a confidence-building measure to ensure the children-vaccinees are given priority,” he explained.Previously, only government hospitals had dengue fast lanes to attend to the medical needs of Dengvaxia inoculated children.Duque earlier visited the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center and San Lazaro Hospital in Manila and the Quirino Memorial Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City to check their readiness in attending to the needs of dengue patients.The government suspended the dengue immunization program after Sanofi Pasteur, the make of Dengvaxia, warned that the vaccine could cause severe dengue in those who have not been exposed to the virus. Some 830,000 children were inoculated with the vaccine.The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and the Public Attorney’s Office are investigating the cases of several children who died weeks after being administered with Dengvaxia.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/private-hospitals-set-dengue-fast-lanes/384511/
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Duterte on trolls: I have followers
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-07-25 22:24:04+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has denied a report that his administration was using government funds to hire people to defend him on social media even after his election victory.In a news conference after he delivered his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, Duterte admitted paying online trolls but said this only happened during the campaign season, not after he was elected.“I spent P10 million? Me? Maybe in the elections. In the elections, more than that… And they were all [paid] during the campaign. Pero ngayon, hindi ko na kailangan [But now, I do not need it]. I do not need to defend myself from attacks. I’ve stated my piece during my inauguration and during the campaign. I am not anymore eligible for reelection,” he said.“Meron akong mga followers [I have followers],” the President added, mentioning Margaux “Mocha” Uson, whom he appointed as assistant secretary for the Presidential Communications Operations Office.“But Mocha has been with me during the campaign. She offered her services for free,” he said.Duterte issued the statement in response to results of an Oxford University study, which claimed that his team employed “keyboard trolls” during the May 2016 electoral campaign and has kept them on the payroll after his victory.“[In] the Philippines, many of the so-called ‘keyboard trolls’ hired to spread propaganda for presidential candidate Duterte during the election continue to spread and amplify messages in support of his policies now he’s in power,” the study said.It also claimed that Duterte’s team spent at least $200,000 and employed a staff of 400 to 500 people to defend the President from his critics online.Duterte’s online machinery, according to the study, is composed of his party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, his campaign’s social media manager Nic Gabunada, volunteer groups and paid citizens.“Social media has become a valuable platform for public life. It is the primary medium over which young people, around the world, develop their political identities and consume news. However, social media platforms—like Facebook and Twitter—have also become tools for social control,” the study said.Duterte, a reluctant presidential candidate, had been swept to power partly by strong support from social media netizens.Meanwhile, the President denied that his administration was involved in any rigging of results of popularity surveys by major pollsters Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations (SWS).“This Pulse Asia, this Social Weather, [I paid them to raise my ratings]? [Ask them If I gave them even one peso]. .. And [ask also] Rappler and everything. I will step down tomorrow. I can assure you. I will not do that because I do not need this office,” he said.During his SONA, Duterte claimed that Rappler, a local online news organizaton, is “owned” by Americans
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-on-trolls-i-have-followers/340598/
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Bill seeks free education for ‘special’ children
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-05-03 20:23:54+00:00
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A bill that seeks to provide free education for children with “special educational needs” has been filed at the Senate.Senate Bill (SB) 1298 or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) aims to implement “zero-reject policy” in public schools as the bill mandates all public schools in the country to have their own SPED (Special Education) center and program.The bill filed by Sen. Joel Villanueva also seeks to provide these public schools additional resources for special education including the establishment of SPED centers, hiring of SPED teachers and other SPED services.Villanueva said all kinds of students, regardless of their status or disabilities, must be in school.To date, there are 34,000 public schools in the Philippines but only 600 of them have SPED centers and SPED programs.A study conducted by the World Health Organization says 15 percent of the population in a community have special needs but only 2 percent are being given government support.Under SB 1298, parental consent must first be given before the conduct of initial evaluation on a child with special educational needs and the use of an “Individual Education Program” or IEP, a unique curriculum designed for a specific disability.Autism, intellectual disability, developmental delay, orthopedic impairments, deafness and blindness are among the disabilities covered by the measure.The proposed bill aims to strengthen “mainstreaming” in schools that incorporate children with special needs in regular classrooms.This can be done through a skills upgrade of teachers, increase of SPED facilities and improvement of SPED programs, according to Villaneuva.He, however, clarified that it would still be the parents’ call to subject their children to the program.NEIL A. ALCOBER
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/325344-2/325344/
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VP’s supporters continue drive to raise protest fee
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['The Yellow-Bellies', 'Dadda Schuetz', 'Jan Rune', 'Magnetic Levitation']
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15/08/2017 0:00
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a tricycle driver, OFW, housewife, laborer, artist, entrepreneur and industry leader, in protection of his/her vote,” former human rights commissioner Paulynn Sicam said in a statement.Aside from the Sicam and Yuson, other prime movers of the fund-raising campaign include former Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, former PAG-Ibig Fund Chief Executive Officer Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, award-winning singer Celeste Legaspi-Gallardo, and Ateneo de Manila University Press director Karina Bolasco.
|
Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/15/vps-supporters-continue-drive-to-raise-protest-fee/
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UAE offers amnesty program
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-02 00:02:34+00:00
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THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday urged undocumented or overstaying Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to take advantage of the amnesty program being offered by the Gulf state.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the DFA, along with the Department of Labor and Employment and other concerned agencies, would assist those who would avail themselves of the program.There are about 10,000 Filipinos under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and 20,000 under the Consulate General in Dubai who are eligible under the program.Consul General in Dubai Paul Raymond Cortez said those who will avail themselves of the amnesty program will not be fined or penalized and will not be banned from re-entering the gulf state.Cayetano thanked the UAE government for giving more than 30,000 Filipinos the opportunity to either correct their immigration status or return to the Philippines.The three-month amnesty started on August 1 and will end on October 31, 2018.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/uae-offers-amnesty-program/425752/
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Duterte to soldiers: Kill terrorists
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-08-27 00:09:49+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to destroy and kill extremists as he slammed anew the ideology of terrorists.Duterte issued the directive after he met wounded soldiers on Saturday in Jolo, Sulu.“I assure you that you have my full support as you conduct intensive military operations against these terrorist groups, particularly those who subscribe to the extremist ideologies of the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda,” he said.“That is just a bankrupt, inutile ideology. All they know is to kill and destroy. Destroy and kill. So, my order to you: destroy and kill also. Why must we be on the losing end?” Duterte stressed.The President then pinned medals on 21 wounded soldiers who clashed recently with the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul town.Awarded were Sergeants Wilmar Salde, Jonathan Mamalompong, Alejandro Bautista, Agripino Pagauitan, Randy Menor; Corporals Jeffrey Zippagan, Jeramil Canipas, Edward Tamangen Jr., Arnel Walay, Raffy Jay Hernal, Joel Wawoc; Privates First Class Delim Cawas, Arnold Daria, Raib Pannal; Privates Leo Molina, Ronnie Galinggan, Jonel Ramiscal, Jackson Ramos, Ruben Ruping Jr., Jobert Galas and Jake Venezuela.Duterte also told the soldiers not to surrender because they will be “trashed” by the terrorists.“Do not allow them to take your guns while you are alive. If you are cornered and you do not have ammunition anymore, do not get caught. They will take you to their camp, they will treat you like a dog and they will face you to the camera and slit your throat,” Duterte said.“My soldiers are brave and are ready to die. If you do not have any more bullets, the last magazine, you just eat it,” he added.The President said the government will no longer take communist rebel surrenderees.“They are all boastful. Even me, they are trying to scare… idiots. This Communist Party of the Philippines chairman Jose Ma. Sison, he said I am comatose. Idiot. You do not have a Navy, you do not have an Army, no helicopter. No [Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit] CAFGU, no Air Force. All they do is ambush,” Duterte said.“But, next time around, we will raise the bar higher. There will be no more surrenders. Son of a bitch. You will fight until you die. We will not accept surrenders. We are going in circles,” he added.More troopsOn Friday, 240 newly commissioned second lieutenants of the Philippine Army were deployed to fight terrorism and communist insurgents across the country.Army spokesman Lt. Col. Louie Villanueva said over the weekend the new batch of officers were assigned to various Army field units “to strengthen leadership at the tactical level which is essential in quelling the various threats besetting the country, particularly insurgency and terrorism.”Army acting commanding general, Maj. Gen. Chad Isleta, led the send-off ceremony for the new Army officers.“They [new officers] were also taught and equipped with knowledge on the rule of law, human rights and International Humanitarian Law, which are essential in the discharge of their duties and accomplishment of their assigned missions,” Villanueva said.WITH AND AL JACINTO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-to-soldiers-kill-terrorists/434993/
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Skills training for Muslim youths, IPs
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-03-11 20:54:15+00:00
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STATE skills training agency Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will give free skills training to thousands of Muslim out-of-school youth in Mindanao and indigenous peoples in Cordillera and Caraga regions starting this year.TESDA Director General Guiling “Gene” Mamondiong said the agency has allotted at least 60,000 scholarship slots for the Muslim youth in far-flung areas in Mindanao as well as the indigenous peoples.“As far as Moros or Muslims and indigenous peoples in this country are concerned, these people are victims of injustices and to correct these injustices, we are giving emphasis to our exclusive program for them,” Mamondiong said in an interview over the weekend.“We have allocated 60,000 [scholarship] slots exclusively for them. This is the first time that the government is providing skills training for Muslim brothers,” the TESDA chief added.Mamondiong, however, admitted the agency is having difficulty in reaching out these peoples since most of them are living in remote areas.“There is difficulty of convincing them to avail of this opportunity because skills training are very foreign to them. So, we have to reach out for the families, the villages, and talk to them the importance of skills training,” he stressed.“Communications are so hard in those areas, so we have to partner with non-government organizations, especially the religious leaders,” the TESDA chief added.Mamondiong said TESDA has partnered with the Madrasah school system for them to be able to integrate the skills training for the Muslim out-of-school youths.“We are trying to do this through the Madrasah system because all the villages have Madrasah [schools], so we have to integrate the skills training into the madarasah so that we can penetrate them,” he said.The madrasah education is a system of education that emphasizes Arabic literacy, Islamic values (universal moral values based on Islam), and the Islamic religion.Mamondiong also said the agency has created a joint technical working group to see if all of the Madrasah schools have enough facilities to offer techical-vocational courses.“We have to procure [equipments] for them because madrasah schools handled by the community members do not have enough school facilities, and they maintain the schools through their contributions. They do not receive any assistance from the government,” he added.The state skills training agency has also partnered with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) to empower indigenous peoples through technical education and skills development, Mamondiong said. The training program is geared toward transforming them into competitive and productive individuals, especially in their respective ancestral domains.“We just signed a memorandum of agreement with the NCIP and we committed to provide 15,000 scholarship slots for indigenous people inside and outside of the Cordillera and Caraga regions,” Mamondiong said.“If you look at the statistics, the unemployment rate in those regions is very high. They [indigenous people] are left out in the development plans of our country for so many decades similarly with the Muslims in the South,” the TESDA chief added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/skills-training-muslim-youths-ips/316647/
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DAR chief to beneficiaries: Selling, leasing lots illegal
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-13 23:42:55+00:00
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AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Rosalina Bistoyong on Friday warned agrarian reform beneficiaries who engage in the illegal selling or leasing of their lots that they would face penalties and will be disqualified as beneficiaries of the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).“We urge those who were forced to lease or sell their lots to hold their ground. Violation of such law would be tantamount to necessary penalties including charges and disqualification from the program,” Bistoyong said.The DAR chief on Thursday led a massive campaign dubbed as “Kampanya Kontra-Ariendo” in La Castellana, Bacolod City in Negros Occidental.The campaign is aimed at lessening rampant engagement of some of the agrarian reform beneficiaries in illegal sale, transfer and lease of their awarded lands or the local practice of ariendohanay.Bistoyong reported that based on the data gathered by Negros Occidental South, the province was able to cover and distribute a total of 10,537 landholdings comprising 169,219.599 hectares to 73,406 agrarian reform beneficiaries.“Unfortunately, out of 73,406 agrarian reform beneficiaries, only 28 percent or 20,751 of 73,406 agrarian reform beneficiaries were properly documented and profiled by the DAR”, she said.To address the rampant arriendohanay, according to Bistoyong, DAR Negros Occidental 2 has intensified its campaign to remind the farmer-beneficiaries of the condition under the CARP that prohibits any sale, transfer, lease or any other form of conveyance by the beneficiaries of awarded lands within 10 years.This DAR-initiated campaign came into force after the data showed that as of October 4, 2017, a total of 639 landholdings comprising 16,598.1286 hectares were illegally leased, sold, conveyed and transferred by 8,145 agrarian reform beneficiaries.The DAR Negros Occidental 2 is intensifying the documentation and profiling of agrarian reform beneficiaries and the implementation of the three major final outputs—land tenure services, agrarian legal services and technical advisory for support services.“There is no reason for the agrarian reform beneficiaries to lease out their land since the DAR already provides support services to make their land productive and provide them with a decent source of sustainable livelihood,” Bistoyong said.“The study revealed that among the major reasons the agrarian reform beneficiaries engage in arriendohanay system include lack of financial production capital, farm tools and equipment, sufficient knowledge, strategies and skills in farm management, business and milling transactions,” she added.“The practice of ariendo is illegal and a willful and deliberate obstruction in the delivery of the agrarian reform program,” Bistoyong said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dar-chief-beneficiaries-selling-leasing-lots-illegal/356265/
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DA to import up to 17,000 MT of galunggong
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-08-16 00:01:18+00:00
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THE Department of Agriculture (DA) will import 17,000 metric tons of galunggong (round scad) to curb the increasing prices of fish and ensure food security.Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol signed a Certificate of Necessity on Wednesday allowing accredited traders to import fish.The Agriculture department said the importation of galunggong is in accordance with Section 61 of Republic Act 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Code, as amended by Republic Act 10654, and Fisheries Administrative Order No. 195, series of 1999.Galunggong, a staple for most Filipinos, is the only fish the country is allowed to import. The price of galunggong is considered a barometer of the economy.It is covered by the DA’s order on suggested retail price (SRP) on basic commodities. Its market price must not exceed 10 percent of its SRP of P140 per kilogram.The imported fish will ensure sufficient supply during the holidays with domestic production shut down due to the closed fishing season, which will run from November until March.Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that galunggong production dropped 9.5 percent in the first half of the year due to strong winds and rough seas as well as the high cost of fuel, which discouraged fishing voyages.The imported galunggong shall be unloaded in Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) accredited cold storage facilities and shall be sold wholesale in Navotas Fishport.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/da-to-import-up-to-17000-mt-of-galunggong/430856/
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Malacañang names new Pag-IBIG Fund OIC
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-03-06 21:08:08+00:00
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The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) or the Pag-IBIG Fund got a new officer-in-charge (OIC) after President Rodrigo Duterte accepted the resignation of the agency’s former chief.Acmad Rizaldy Moti will assume the post to “ensure uninterrupted delivery of public service,” according to a memorandum issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea dated February 28.Moti will replace former HDMF president and chief executive officer Darlene Berberabe, who earlier resigned from her post.“Acceptance of resignation was made effective last February 20. Berberabe was just on a holdover capacity since her term already expired last year,” Medialdea said.Berberabe served as Pag-IBIG Fund chief for over six years, having been appointed in 2010 by then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd.Moti was HDMF’s deputy chief executive officer for home lending operations since 2013.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/malacanang-names-new-pag-ibig-fund-oic/315763/
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Ban foreign acts, films – ex-Quezon City councilor
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-01-11 23:22:54+00:00
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A multi-awarded singer and composer on Wednesday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to effect a temporary ban on foreign acts and shows, except cultural exchange programs, to give local artists a fighting chance to resuscitate the country’s ailing music industry.Anthony Castelo, former Quezon City Councilor District 4 and now president of the Dakilang Lahi Foundation composed of local artists, coursed his proposal through folk icon and international performer Freddie Aguilar, recently named by Duterte as Presidential Adviser on Culture and the Arts.“Major acts like that of James Taylor, Madonna, Barry Manilow and others cause a huge dollar drain to the country. Imposing a temporary ban on these performances will give an opportunity for our own local artists to regain supremacy in their own country where they have been drowned and dwarfed by imported acts,” he said on Wednesday.Castelo made the call in the aftermath of Taylor’s decision to cancel his pre-secheduled show as the American singer criticized Duterte’s war on drugs.The former councilor described the American singer’s remarks as “irresponsible.”“James Taylor’s remarks against the war on illegal drugs were irresponsible. This incident behooves us to rethink our policy on allowing foreign artists to lord over our equally, if not better talented, local artists,” he said.Aguilar, according to Castelo, may move to “protect our artistic and cultural heritage from assault by excessive proliferation of foreign culture through live shows, radio, television and films in our country.”“This continuing cultural and economic attrition on our country has a direct powerful negative effect on the Filipino psyche, attitude and behavior,” he said.Proof of this, Castelo noted, was the fact that the public had shown passivity and “numbness” to such attacks when Madonna “dishonored” the country’s flag in her previous performance.Taylor, on the other hand, should have been more discerning and circumspect in attacking the war on drugs as it is something he was “not fully aware of.”These artists, Castelo said, should not be welcomed in the Philippines.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ban-foreign-acts-films-ex-quezon-city-councilor/306442/
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Customs bureaus of PH, China tackle illicit trade
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-06-20 22:11:19+00:00
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BUREAU of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and members of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of the General Administration of China Customs on Tuesday started their initial discussions on the two countries’ initiatives and counter measures against illicit trade.Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Neil Estrella said the two bureaus discussed core areas of cooperation and exchange of information, among other matters that would make their campaign more effective.“Also included in our discussions were the entry into the country of illegal drugs from China, how they entered the country and what to do to prevent it from happening again,” Estrella added.When asked how illegal drugs were able to enter the country through Customs, he said “different shippers were used with possible connivance [of] corrupt Customs personnel.”Estrella refused to elaborate so as not to jeopardize ongoing investigation to pinpoint those responsible.He was referring to the 605 kilos of shabu seized by elements of the CIIS in a pre-dawn operation in two warehouses in Ugong, Valenzuela City, last month.The haul has an estimated street value of P6.4 billion.Customs records show that the cargo was declared as cutting board, footwear, kitchenware and mould and paid P40,033 in duties and taxes.The illegal drugs were hidden in five one-inch thick metal cylinders, wrapped in another one-inch thick rubber, making it impossible for sniffing dogs to detect or for x-ray machines to penetrate.Each metal tube contains more than 100 kilos of shabu worth at least P1 billion.The shipment was uncovered through an information provided by Zhang Xiaohui, director of International Enforcement Cooperation Division of Anti-Smuggling Bureau, General Administration of China Customs.During their meeting, a delegation from the China Customs expressed confidence that the Customs officials ofboth countries will double their efforts toward a more effective information-sharing and intelligence work focused on anti-smuggling operations.The Customs officials of both countries also exchanged inputs on how to strengthen and improve communication strategies to put a stop to international illicit trade.Faeldon told the Chinese delegation that Philippine Customs continues to be on guard against smuggling and that international cooperation is significant in this campaign.Quan Li, chief of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Xiamen Customs, led the courtesy call to the Office of the Commissioner together with Xiang Yang Di, deputy director of the First Investigation; Xenchu Xu, head of the Third Section of Anti-Smuggling Bureau of Xiamen, Gaoqui Airport Customs; and Xhixing Wang and Lingzhi Peng, members of Xiamen Customs’ Anti-Smuggling Bureau.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/customs-bureaus-ph-china-tackle-illicit-trade/333872/
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House panel OKs P1.1-B Dengvaxia assistance fund
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-05-23 00:10:25+00:00
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appropriations panel of the House of Representatives has approved the proposed P1.16 billion supplemental budget for the Dengvaxia Assistance Fund that will be used to aid those who have been injected with the anti-dengue vaccine.The Department of Health revised its original proposal of P1.5 billion to P1.16 billion by removing the P270-million allocation for the distribution of medical kits to those who received Dengvaxia, and reducing the budget for active case-finding from P300 million to P148 million.The funding for the assistance for admitted patients and outpatients was increased to P945 million from the previous proposal of P776 million.Meanwhile, P67.5 million will be used for the deployment nurses, health education and promotion officers.“This fund will cover all the 900,000 individuals injected by the Dengvaxia vaccine who got or will become sick, regardless if their illness which manifested after their Dengvaxia immunization is Dengvaxia related or not,” Health Undersecretary Rolando Domingo told the appropriations panel chaired by Rep. Karlo Nograles.“The P945 million accounts for 81 percent of the supplemental budget. It could cover as much as 40,000 admitted patients and cover the cost for the outpatients,” Domingo added.He said the medical assistance would be made available beyond 2019.“Our estimate is that we will have 5,000 to 10,000 admission of Dengvaxia-vaccinated patients every year. Even if we double that admission estimates to 20,000 per year, the P900 million budget would still be more than enough,” Domingo said.“The average cost per admitted patient is P13,000 to P14,000. In severe cases like leukemia, it could go as high as P500,000, and we have 20 cases of that thus far. An outpatient case would just cost around P750. Still, we can’t spend everything until 2019, so we want it to be used in an extended period,” he added.Nograles said the bill would be amended to allow the health department to spend the Dengvaxia budget beyond 2019.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-panel-oks-p1-1-b-dengvaxia-assistance-fund/400476/
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‘Bato’ prefers local over senatorial position
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-01-19 20:36:13+00:00
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Does “Barangay Captain Bato” ring better than “Senator Bato”?In an interview over CNN Philippines, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa on Friday admitted that he prefers to run for a local position rather than a national one.De la Rosa was speculated to be planning to run for senator in the 2019 elections but denied that he was.If he went to politics, the PNP director general said, he would aim for barangay (village) captain in Barangay Bato in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur, in Mindanao in southern Philippines.The national police chief’s nickname came from Barangay Bato, his hometown.“Siguro, kung sasali ako sa pulitika, baka tatakbo akong barangay captain sa Barangay Bato… Mas direkta yung tulong at serbisyo sa mga kababayan mo [Maybe, if I entered politics, I would run for village chief of Barangay Bato.. Your help and service to your countrymen would be more direct],” he said.De la Rosa, however, is still not shutting the door on gunning for senator.“Sa totoo lang, ako ay open sa lahat. But sa ngayon di ko iniisip yan dahil focused ako sa three-month extension and after this, magbu-Bucor [Bureau of Corrections] pa ako [Truth is, I am open to anything. But at this time, running for anything is out of my mind because I am focused on my three-month extension as PNP chief and, after this, I will take over the Bureau of Corrections]” he said.In a survey by independent polling firm Laylo Research Strategies conducted from November 11 to 19, de la Rosa ranked 12th among possible senators.He was supposed to retire next week but President Rodrigo Duterte extended his term as PNP chief for 90 days.De la Rosa will then serve as Corrections chief.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bato-prefers-local-senatorial-position/375379/
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Duterte names ex-MMDA chief as political adviser
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-07-11 20:31:30+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman and defeated senatorial candidate Francis Tolentino as his adviser on political affairs.Tolentino’s appointment paper dated June 27 was released by Malacañang on Tuesday.Duterte previously said he was thinking of giving Tolentino back his old post once the year-long ban for candidates in the May 2016 elections had expired.Tolentino failed to make it to the Senate’s Magic 12 in last year’s polls.During the campaign, Duterte had endorsed Tolentino’s senatorial run.Tolentino also contributed P3 million for Duterte’s political ads.When the controversial “Playgirl” performance in Laguna hit the headlines last year, Duterte defended Tolentino, citing the MMDA chief for having the decency to resign in the wake of the controversy.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-names-ex-mmda-chief-political-adviser/337833/
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Reward up for killing drug-linked PNP men
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-11-08 00:10:15+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has promised to reward policemen who will kill their superior officers involved in the illegal drug trade.Duterte made the offer after commending the policemen behind a buy-bust operation that led to the killing of Police Supt. Santiago Rapiz in Barangay Miputak, Dipolog City on Monday. Rapiz was in the list of police officers linked to illegal drugs.“I am going to reward that policeman. Any policeman who will kill his superior because the superior is into drugs,” Duterte said during a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang.“I will give you a prize and a trip to Hong Kong,” he added.Rapiz, a logistics officer of the Zamboanga del Norte police, was reportedly involved in the recycling of seized drugs. He was also accused of being a “protector” of suspected drug lord Melvin “Dragon” Odicta, who was killed in Malay town, Aklan in August 2016.The President said he would not tolerate policemen involved in illegal drugs, reiterating that he has offered P3 million for the arrest of so-called “ninja cops” or those who recycle drugs.“Patayin ninyo, 3 million (You kill them, I’ll give you P3 million),” Duterte said, adding that police officials linked to drugs are unlikely to surrender.“T** i*** mga pulis. Papatayin ko talaga kayo. Do not give me that human rights? Police nandyan ka sa droga?” he added.Duterte said the illegal drugs problem was “already a national conflagration,” citing the involvement of police, mayors and barangay (village) captains in the narcotics trade.“The police are there and everybody else, pati ‘yung mga mga mayors. Bantay kayo. (including mayors. You watch out). And I also warned the barangay captains. I will get to you. One way or the other maaabutan ko talaga kayo. ‘Pag mag-abot tayo, sorry na lang. (If I’ll catch you, I’m sorry) That’s it,” the President said.In August, the President offered a P5-million reward to anyone who could bring to him a slain police scalawag.Local and international human rights groups have criticized Duterte for encouraging policemen to kill those involved in the illegal drugs trade.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/reward-up-for-killing-drug-linked-pnp-men/464187/
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Palace dismisses US senators’ call for PH aid review amid ‘mass atrocities’
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['Orod Ii', 'Plug Ur Mouth To Ur Brain.', 'Sketch Republic']
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27/12/2016 0:00
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Malacañang shrugged off calls made by three U.S. senators for the State Department to review its process of extending aid to the Philippines amid what they call “a campaign of mass atrocities” by the government of President Rodrigo Duterte.Senators Edward Markey, Marco Rubio, and Christopher Coon, in a letter dated December 22, said the president’s so-called war on drugs or Project Tokhang “appears to be a campaign of mass atrocities thinly disguised as a response to a public health emergency.”It was addressed to assistant secretary William Brownfield of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella declined to comment on the matter on Tuesday, December 27, simply saying that “they (three US senators) are entitled to their own opinions.”Markey, Rubio and Coons expressed concern about reports of “at least 2,000 extrajudicial killings” and “another 3,800 deaths” that they said resulted from “inadequately investigated homicides believed to be connected to the campaign.”They also slammed Duterte’s plan to “to kill another 20,000 to 30,000 people, many simply because they suffer from a drug use disorder” instead of doing ways to “address the systemic problems related to the country’s drug crisis, invest in treatment programs, or approach the epidemic with an emphasis on the health and well-being of the Philippine people.”The senators called on Washington to review and scrutinize its financial aid to the Philippines, especially the $32-million funding for training and other law-enforcement assistance pledged by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to ensure that “no foreign assistance is being provided to support egregious acts against humanity.”Duterte had consistently denied his government’s involvement in extrajudicial killings, defending the police operations as legitimate.He had also lambasted the U.S. for its criticisms on Duterte’s human rights record, having already declared it can live without U.S. aid following its rapprochement with China, which expressed readiness to provide assistance.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/27/palace-dismisses-us-senators-call-for-ph-aid-review-amid-mass-atrocities/
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Sandigan junks fertilizer fund raps vs former energy chief
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-08-11 00:02:45+00:00
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The Sandiganbayan has junked graft charges against former Energy secretary Carlos Jericho “Icot” Petilla and his mother, incumbent Palo, Leyte Mayor Remedios Petilla in connection with the 2004 fertilizer fund scam on grounds that it took the Ombudsman almost five years to file the case.The anti-graft court’s fourth division noted that the Ombudsman’s office took four years, nine months and 16 days to investigate the case before filing the appropriate criminal charges on April 6, 2018.The Sandiganbayan said this is a violation of the Ombudsman’s constitutional mandate to “act promptly on complaint filed in any form or manner against public officials or employees of the government.”“The state must prove that the delay in the investigation and prosecution of cases was reasonable, or that the delay was not attributable to it. In these cases, however, the prosecution failed to convince the court of the reasonableness of the delay that the Office of the Ombudsman had taken,” the Resolution read.The Petillas, in a motion to dismiss, argued that more than 12 years have passed since the investigation on the fertilizer fund scam, with Task Force Abono organized in 2006 taking up 7 years and 4 months to conduct a fact finding investigation on top of the preliminary investigation by the Ombudsman.In the charges filed by the Ombudsman, the Petillas, as governors of Leyte, entered into a total of P4.8 million contracts with Castle Rock for the purchase of a total of 750 gallons of liquid fertilizer.“It (Ombudsman’s office) should be strict with regard to the period for filing pleadings before it, in accordance with its Rules of Procedure,” the Resolution added.Other respondents cleared of the same charges were Rodolfo Badiable and Marilyn Castillo.“While several accused timely filed their respective counter affidavit sometime in September and October 2013, it still took the Ombudsman more than three years and nine months therefrom to approve the Resolution issued by the Special Panel on Task Force Abono Cases dated July 19, 2017,” the Resolution read.The Sandiganbayan also lifted the hold departure order against the Petillas and the release of cash bonds posted for their provisional liberty.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sandigan-junks-fertilizer-fund-raps-vs-former-energy-chief/428811/
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Delayed tax bill passage won’t affect infra rollout
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-07-09 18:14:25+00:00
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THE head of the Senate economic affairs committee over the weekend said delay in passage of the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train) will have little effect on the ambitious infrastructure program of the Duterte administration.Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the committee, noted that the proposed tax reform measure being pushed by the government is only one component in the P8-trillion “Build Build Build” program.“In fact in my own estimate, it will only generate probably 20 percent of the P8 trillion,” Gatchalian said in an interview.The senator added that while the Senate is committed to passing the Train bill as soon as possible, it also has a responsibility to thoroughly study the measure and make sure that it would be beneficial to the government and the public.He, however, said that unless concerned government agencies provide the Senate needed data and documents that would help senators study the proposal, it would be difficult for them to pass the bill.Gatchalian added that last-minute inclusion of the P10 excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in the House of Representatives’ version of the Train bill could also cause delays in the Senate because they also need to study it.Former lawmaker Rene Diaz, now chairman of the Center for Strategic Initiatives, last week said the Senate needs to fast-track the passage of the Train bill so that the government’s development plans could be achieved at the soonest possible time.The proposed tax reform measure aims to lower personal income tax, adjust excise taxes on fuel and automobiles and broaden the value-added tax base by limiting exemptions to raw food and other necessities such as health and education while keeping the current zero-tax privileges of senior citizens and persons with disability.It seeks among others increase in excise tax being imposed by the government on regular gasoline and other products to P10 per liter.For diesel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other products that are currently exempted from excise tax, a P6 per liter excise tax would be imposed that could result in an increase of P6 per liter on these petroleum products by 2019.According to Gatchalian, even if Congress passed the Train bill, it could only generate about P400 to P500 billion, which is too small compared to the required P8 trillion for the five-year infrastructure program.“So the big source for the program will have to come from loan and ODA [official development assistance],” he said.The senator added that even if the passage of the bill was delayed, the government could still enter into grants and loans being offered by different countries like China but the administration must make sure that the loans are not disadvantageous to the government.In order to speed up committee deliberations on the proposed tax law, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara had asked the concerned government agencies to submit a list of priority projects, financing sources and timelines so that the Senate would have an clear picture of the government’s infrastructure goals.Angara, chairman of the ways and means committee, said his committee needs the list so that “we can be on the same page regarding infrastructure goals.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/delayed-tax-bill-passage-wont-affect-infra-rollout/337454/
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4 European countries eyed as OFW destinations
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-05-31 00:04:13+00:00
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THE country’s largest organization of licensed recruitment services providers is eyeing at least four European countries as job markets for Filipino workers.Philippine Association of Service Exporters, Inc. (PASEI) president Elsa Villa on Wednesday said the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and Austria are experiencing manpower shortages because of their ageing population.“The European labor market is huge and the economies of many European countries are exhibiting spectacular growth, with some already feeling the pinch of labor shortages due to declining and ageing population. We at PASEI believe that Filipino workers can get a bigger share of the foreign migrant workers demand in the region,” Villa said in a statement.Villa, who will be attended the 107th Session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland as employer delegates, said the time is right for the Philippines to explore the labor markets of Europe.After the ILO conference, Villa would lead a 22-man mission that will visit European countries to showcase the professional capabilities and skills of Filipino workers.“The issues we continue to face in some OFW markets, such as those in the Middle East and in the United States, for example, because of its tighter immigration policies necessitate that we look for other OFW destinations. Worker migration for Filipinos is already a way to a brighter future, so as licensed overseas employment providers, we ought to do our share in searching for employment opportunities,” she said.The first stop of the 22-member strong mission will be the Czech Republic. Czech companies have signified their intention to hire more Filipinos this year, according to information reaching PASEI, in such industries as electricity, gas and water; wholesale and retail; hotels and restaurants; and construction.The mission will be in Poland from June 10 to 14. From June 15 to 19, the PASEI mission will be in Germany, Europe’s powerhouse economy which is in need of more healthcare workers. The last leg of the marketing mission is Austria, which has reported skills shortages in milling machinists, technicians and mechanical engineers; black toppers; metal turners; data processing technicians; power engineers; roofers; and graduate nurses.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/4-european-countries-eyed-as-ofw-destinations/402687/
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‘Village officials should be subjected to ‘Tokhang’ ‘
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-03-13 00:01:49+00:00
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Barangay (village) officials involved in illegal drugs should be subjected to Operation Tokhang before the holding of local elections, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa said Monday.“Bago mag-barangay elections, na-Tokhang na dapat yang mga kapitan na yan, nakausap na (village officials linked to drug activities should be subjected to Operation Tokhang),” de la Rosa said.He estimated that some village officials may be involved in illegal drugs since about 12,000 out of 42,000 villages did not activate their Barangay Drug Abuse Council (Badac).“How can we fix the drug problem if Badac is not activated? It is either the village chief is scared to fight drug syndicates or they are part of the syndicate,” he said in Filipino.The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Department of the Interior and Local Government admitted that the non-activation of local drug council was bothersome since Badacs are supposed to “lead the fight against illegal drugs.”De la Rosa said administrative charges should be filed against village officials who did not activate their drug councils.He urged voters to shun village chiefs who are involved in drug-related activities.The DILG said villages were given 30 days to activate Badac or officials will be charged.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/village-officials-should-be-subjected-to-tokhang/385728/
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Eco group presses stop to plastic pollution
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-09-17 00:34:14+00:00
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AN environmental group has asked the government, industry and the citizenry to help put a stop to the dumping of plastic wastes into waters that is destroying the world’s oceans.The EcoWaste Coalition made the appeal in observance of the National Cleanup Month and the International Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday.To prevent plastics and other discards from spilling from land to tributaries, which can lead to the contamination of marine ecosystems, the group advocating for a zero waste and a toxic-free Philippines called for the genuine enforcement of Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act.The group pressed for the active implementation of RA 9003 as the Manila Bay Coastal Cleanup and Brand Audit organized by various green groups gets underway from September 11 to 20 at the Freedom Islands in the cities of Las Piñas and Parañaque.The nine-day cleanup and audit was organized by the Break Free from Plastic Movement, EcoWaste Coalition, Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, Greenpeace, Mother Earth Foundation, Samahan ng mga Nananambakan sa Dumpsite Area, Samahan ng Muling Pagkabuhay Multi-Purpose Cooperative, and other groups.“As we help in picking up the garbage along the polluted coastline of Manila Bay, we want to call attention to the urgent need to enforce RA 9003 in all local government units and component barangays [villages] to curb global plastic pollution that is killing the oceans,” Aileen Lucero, the group’s national coordinator, said.RA 9003, among its long list of prohibitions, forbids and penalizes littering, open burning, open dumping, the manufacture, distribution or use of non-environmentally acceptable packaging materials, and the importation of toxic wastes misrepresented as “recyclable.”“The national and local governments, businesses and industries and all other waste generators, including the households, must strive for the ‘adoption of best environmental practices in ecological solid waste management excluding incineration’ as required by RA 9003 and as recommended by the United Nations,” Lucero said.“A national legislation banning single-use plastic bags and mainstreaming eco- alternatives is one of the key environmental policies that the country needs to adopt,” she added.According to the Metro Manila Development Authority, the metropolis produces 9,499 tons of waste per day with per capita generation estimated at 0.265 to one kilo/person daily.Metro Manila’s waste is comprised if biodegradable (44.32 percent), recyclable (31.64 percent), residuals (23.68) and special (0.36 percent) wastes. Plastics constitute 17.86 percent of waste generated in Metro Manila based on MMDA’s Waste Analysis and Characterization Study.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/eco-group-presses-stop-plastic-pollution-2/351156/
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Samar clash not an ambush – military
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-02 00:03:07+00:00
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday said the misencounter in Samar last week between soldiers and policemen was not an ambush as claimed by Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde.Lt. Gen. Rafael Valencia, the AFP Inspector General, said based on the reenactments conducted by the military and police, the incident was not an ambush.“All the elements of an ambush are not present. That is the point of view only of the [Philippine] Army,” Valencia told reporters in an interview.The clashes in Sta. Rita, Samar killed six policemen and injured nine others.The police, military and the Departments of National Defense and Interior and Local Government conducted their own investigations.Valencia is the head of the joint AFP-PNP board of inquiry (BoI) along with his counterpart in the PNP, Police Director Fernando Felix.“Once we sit with the PNP, they may have documents or pictures or facts, but from our point of view, the elements of ambush were not there as far as the data and information that are with us [are concerned],” he stressed.Valencia said there would have been an ambush is the soldiers were prepositioned and if their targets were moving.“At that time, the targets were not moving, actually it was the Army troops who were moving,” he said.Based on the narration of Army personnel, Valencia said soldiers saw armed men, not knowing that they were policemen.“Two Army troopers went up to see if there were other people but when they took a peek, the two saw armed men, which prompted them to deploy troopers,” Valencia said.“The area was deeply forested and when the two soldiers verified that there were armed men, soldiers fired the first shots. That was the general situation,” he added.Better coordinationMalacañang on Sunday said it expected better and closer coordination between the police and military after the Samar incident.“Closer coordination can be expected between the AFP and the PNP in future ground combat operations,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said in a text message sent to reporters.“It is an unfortunate incident, which should not happen again,” Roque added.Last Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte said no one should be blamed for the “unintentional” misencounter because it was unwanted.Dempsey Reyes and Ralph U. Villanueva
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/samar-clash-not-an-ambush-military/414930/
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Cebu Pacific under fire over viral video
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2017-06-17 23:28:49+00:00
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THE Department of Transportation (DOTr) will investigate budget carrier Cebu Pacific after a video showing passengers in panic and a woman fainting probably from heat inside the plane went viral.“Please be informed that the DOTr, through its Undersecretary for Aviation Capt. Manuel Antonio Tamayo, has already instructed the Civil Aeronautics Board to look into this and act accordingly,” the agency said in a statement.The management of Cebu Pacific Air on Saturday apologized for the incident.“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience these incidents may have caused and appeal for understanding,” the budget carrier said.A video posted on Facebook and uploaded on GMA News showed passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 575 bound for Cebu in panic, while forcing airline personnel to let them deplane.The video, which got more than 1.8 million views and posted by Gin Durano on Facebook, shows a woman fainting, probably from heat inside the plane as the air-conditioning system malfunctioned.Passengers can also be heard asking Cebu Pacific personnel to open the windows. A female voice can also be heard requesting passengers to remain seated.Later on, a female voice probably from a female flight attendant, was heard asking for a “doctor on board” or any medically qualified person to attend to an emergency.“Babies are crying, old people are complaining and there’s a woman who got suffocated and now she has oxygen on because she can’t breathe. We’ve been here for more than an hour inside the plane. Freaking damn hot! They didn’t even do anything until the woman passed out. I Super Love You Cebu Pacific!” Durano said in her Facebook post.The DOTr said Civil Aeronautics Board Chief Legal Officer Wyrlou Samodio has directed Cebu Pacific to investigate the matter thoroughly and submit an incident report within one hour from notice.“Should DOTr-CAB find out that Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 575 went beyond the prescribed two-hour period to deplane its passengers due to long tarmac delays, Cebu Pacific shall be held liable for the penalty prescribed under the regulation,” the DOTr said.“Further, if found to have violated the regulation, the pilot shall likewise be held liable as he has the obligation to order the deplaning. CAB shall endorse the case of the pilot to CAAP [Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines] for appropriate action, since the latter exercises jurisdiction over airmen,” it added.In a separate statement, Cebu Pacific said its flight 5J 575 bound to Cebu from Manila encountered a delay from debris that had to be cleared from the runway late on Friday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.“During that time, one passenger fainted, prompting emergency medical assistance,” the airline said.“Following reports from our crew that the cabin temperature was warm, Cebu Pacific decided to change the aircraft for the comfort of our passengers,” the airline added.Cebu Pacific pointed out that its cabin crew and ground personnel assisted all passengers and handled the transfer to the replacement aircraft.“The flight departed Manila at about 7:32 p.m. and landed safely in Cebu at 8:52 p.m.,” the airline said.WITH BENJIE L. VERGARA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cebu-pacific-fire-viral-video/333370/
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Coming soon: Clark-Shanghai flights
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['Simon Templar']
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10/3/2017 0:00
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China Eastern, China’s second largest carrier in terms of passenger volume, will launch its Clark-Shanghai flights in the coming months, the state-run Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) announced Friday.The development was disclosed after China Eastern toured the Clark International Airport (CRK) facilities last Wednesday and finalized plans to augment its flight network and to use CRK as one of its hubs.“The entry of another major airline will further increase passenger traffic,’’ said CIAC President and CEO Alexander Cauguiran during the briefing of China Eastern officials.“This will definitely boost CRK’s operations as we are also looking at thousands of business travelers who may now choose Clark to fly China Eastern,” he added.Janette Cordero, the airline’s representative in the Philippines, said this is the first time that China Eastern will fly via Clark.She added that the airline is “encouraged by the marketability of Clark airport and the increasing number of its local destinations.”Cordero also said the airline is also planning to establish an exclusive airport lounge at CRK, being a legacy carrier with interstate routes which offers first-class and business-class seating, and a frequent-flyer program.China Eastern’s initial route will connect Clark to its main base in Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport, where all international and several domestic flights to and from Shanghai are hosted, Cordero explained.Cauguiran, meanwhile, said the Clark-Shanghai route will also be connected to numerous cities in Europe, Asia and North America.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/10/coming-soon-clark-shanghai-flights/
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BuCor ready to secure land leased by Tadeco
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['Oliver Vicente', 'Jasmine Anne Cortez', 'Jun Garcia', 'Mary Kuyno', 'Monique Cruz', 'Mitch Ilano']
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14/06/2017 0:00
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The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) is ready to take over 5,308 hectares planted to banana should the agency’s joint venture agreement (JVA) with Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc. (Tadeco) be struck down as illegal.This was disclosed by BuCor Director Benjamin delos Santos, who said that, once the JVA becomes inoperable, “we have to secure the Tadeco premises to prevent looting.”But Delos Santos admitted that BuCor did not have “capability and expertise to manage the plantation.”The first JVA between BuCor and Tadeco was signed in July 1969. A 25-year contract was then signed in September 1979, which was renewed for another 25 years in May 2003.But the JVA was challenged by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez last March, when he filed a House resolution seeking an investigation in Tadeco’s annual payments for both lease and profit sharing, while claiming that the agreement was grossly disadvantageous to the government.A fact-finding committee of the DOJ, which supervises BuCor, had earlier found infirmities in some provisions in the BuCor-Tadeco deal.Under the JVA, the government will receive a payment of payment of P26.542 million annually from Tadeco for using the Davao Penal Colony’s 5,308 hectares of land, or at P5,000 per hectare.It said the rent was based on the “guaranteed production share of the BuCor, and the contract has mandated a 10-percent automatic increase every five years.”Delos Santos pointed out that discussions on increased production sharing and income had actually started last January between the BuCor and Tadeco.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/14/bucor-ready-to-secure-land-leased-by-tadeco/
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Free rides on govt buses today
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-02-05 19:53:31+00:00
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Free rides on government buses and 6×6 trucks will be available to the public today, Monday, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) in response to a strike by public utility vehicles (PUVs).Meanwhile, rides on private buses can be availed by passengers of on a minimal fare.The STOP & GO Transport Coalition earlier announced a “Tigil-Pasada” on February 6 in protest against a proposed phaseout of jeepneys and other public utility vehicles of PUVs, among other isues.The No to Jeepney Phase Out Coalition and PISTON transport groups have expressed their support to the mass action but clarified that they will not be able to join because they will be holding an organizational meeting.The two transport groups also made an invitation to STOP & GO head Jun Magno to organize a wider protest and possible Tigil-Pasada on another date, according to George San Mateo, president of PISTON.San Mateo said Magno accepted his invitation.The LTFRB said 4,800 military and police officers and non-uniformed officers and employees of the LTFRB, Department of Transportation, Philippine Coast Guard, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Department of Public Works and Highways and Office for Transportation Security will be deployed to ensure public safety.It reminded PUV operators that the no-strike policy is still in effect in accordance with Memorandum Circular 2011-004.“The PUV operator shall not resort to cessation of service as a sign or demonstration of protest vs any government decision or action under pain of suspension or cancellation of the authority to operate granted by the board nor shall the PUV operator tolerate, allow or authorize personnel to join others committing acts prejudicial to the riding public, including but not limited to, paralyzing transport services by intimidation, coercion or violence,” as stated in the memorandum circular.Applicable penalties shall be imposed by the board for failure of PUV operators to comply, the LTFRB warned.The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is bracing itself for today’s suspension of PUV operations, meeting with MMDA, Land Transportation Office-National Capital Region (Metro Manila), Traffic Management Group-NCR, Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety, PISTON STOP & GO and other concerned offices and groups.The preparation also includes deployment of sufficient numbers of policemen to different areas where operators and drivers will stage their protests to ensure peace and order.“They will be deployed as early as 5 a.m. on Monday to at least 16 convergent points in Quezon City to monitor the situation, especially stranded passengers. These areas include Muñoz, Balintawak, Commonwealth-Litex, Commonwealth-IBP Road, Philcoa, Quezon Avenue-Centris, Welcome Rotunda, Tandang Sora-Commonwealth, Quirino Highway-Zabarte Road, Santolan-Crame, Aurora Boulevard-Annapolis and Timog-Tomas Morato,” Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, QCPD director, said over the weekend.WITH
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/free-rides-govt-buses-today/310693/
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Duterte to send off PH athletes to Asian Games
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-08-08 00:01:01+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte will send off next week athletes who will represent the Philippines in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, his top aide Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said on Tuesday.Go confirmed that Duterte would lead the send-off ceremony on August 13.“To the entire Philippine delegation, President Duterte and the whole country will always be behind you,” the President’s special assistant said.“We know that you can do it, and you will make our country proud as long as we keep on fighting. We have the heart to do it,” he added.On Sunday, Go separately met with the chairmen of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) and the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) as well as with the owners of some basketball teams to ask them to reconsider their decision not to send a team to Indonesia.After an emergency meeting on Sunday, the basketball associations said they will be fielding a team to the Asian Games.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-to-send-off-ph-athletes-to-asian-games/427716/
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House committee asked to uphold Sereno’s rights
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2017-10-23 22:14:05+00:00
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THE spokesman for Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno has submitted to the House Committee on Justice a motion that will guarantee Sereno’s rights to cross-examine witnesses, to be given counsel and to be provided with pieces of evidence on charges seeking her removal from the Supreme Court (SC).Lawyer Josa Deinla already sent a letter on September 28 and another one on October 3 to the justice committee seeking the same rights for Sereno.The Chief Justice is facing an impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Larry Gadon but the letters were disregarded by the panel because the letters were not in the form of “motions.”Sereno, according to Deinla, can defend herself from allegations against against her but Sereno, she said, had chosen to exercise her right to counsel based on the Constitution.“Kayang-kaya ni Sereno na ipagtanggol ang sarili nya, walang question dun but kagaya nung sinasabi ko, sa ilalim ng ating Constitution, lahat ng mga mamamayan ay may karapatan na dipensahan ang sarili through counsel at ito ang pinipili nyang gawin [Sereno can defend herself, no doubt about it, but like I said, under the Constitution all the citizens have the right to defend themselves through counsel and this is what she had chosen to do],” Deinla said in an interview with reporters on Monday.“Hindi pwedeng ipagkait, hindi pwedeng may ibang magdesisyon para sa kanya. Walang sinasaad na exemption sa ating Constitution, di sinasabi dun na kahit Chief Justice ka ay hindi na pwede ang right to counsel [This cannot be taken from her, no one can decide for herself other than herself. The Constitution does not have an exemption on this rule, the Constitution does not state that even if you are already a Chief Justice, you cannot have the right to counsel],” the spokesman added.“Hindi po ito isang kapritso o paraan ng pag-iwas mula sa mga alegasyon dahil mismong nakasaad sa ating Saligang Batas na pangunahing karapatan ng isang inaakusahan na sya ay katawanin o alalayan ng isang abogado sa anumang imbestigasyon o paglilitis [This is not a caprice or a way to stay away from the allegations because it is stated in the Constitution that one of the primary rights of the accused is to have a legal counsel in any investigation or trial],” Deinla said.Gadon a ‘troll’Sereno’s spokesman tagged Gadon as a “troll” after Gadon recently said that Sereno, Commission on Elections Chairman Juan Andres Bautista and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales are “yellow viruses” in the government and that the impeachment complaints against the three of them are efforts to flush them out.Yellow is the color of the Liberal Party (LP).The three officials are appointees of then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd, the LP standard-bearer in the 2010 elections.”Ang pinupunto naman talaga ni Gadon dito ay dahil yung pagkakaroon ng ibang opinion ni Chief Justice, ang bottomline nya dito ay gusto nyang patalsikin kasi iba yung opinion mo. Yun ang sinasabi nya. So sino dito ang sumisira sa prinsipyo ng check and balance sa ating gobyerno, di ba si Gadon [What Gadon is pointing to here is that because the Chief Justice has different opinions from the administration, he wants her unseated. So who is destroying the principles of checks and balances in the government? Isn’t it Gadon himself]?” Deinla said.She added that Gadon’s allegations and ideas are not well thought of and that Gadon’s statements are only meant to shock and be sensational for the media, and they should not be paid attention and resources by Congress.“He keeps on coming up with justifications for his impeachment [charges against Sereno], none of which is acceptable under the Constitution, none of which is deserving of the attention and the resources of the Philippine Congress,” Deinla said.In his complaint, Gadon accused Sereno of culpable violation of the Constitution for falsifying various documents; misdeclaration of her statements of assets and liabilities; manipulation of screening of applicants to the judiciary at the Judicial and Bar Council; corruption for using public funds to finance a “lavish lifestyle,” such as staying in posh hotels overseas and purchasing an expensive SUV as her service vehicle; and betrayal of public trust for alleged favoritism and acts usurping powers reserved to the en banc or the full Supreme Court, such as appointing court personnel and allowing new staff to travel abroad, and other high crimes for obstructing justice by instructing a Muntinlupa City court not to issue a warrant of arrest against Sen. Leila de Lima on drug charges; failure to pay taxes on attorney’s fees; and embellishment of her credentials.Probable cause for the impeachment complaint will be determined once the House resumes sessions in November.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-committee-asked-uphold-serenos-rights/358255/
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‘Railroading’ of death penalty bill slammed
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-12-05 22:13:09+00:00
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The death penalty is a” band-aid solution being applied to a gravely ill patient in the emergency room,” according to House Senior Deputy Minority leader and Buhay party-list group Rep. Lito Atienza.“Our criminal justice system is like a very sick patient that needs immediate surgical treatment. If we are to save the patient, we have to cut off the rampant tumor of corruption. A simple band-aid solution such as the death penalty won’t work,” Atienza said in a statement on Monday.“Both the Senate inquiry into extrajudicial killings and the House probe on the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prisons have clearly demonstrated that the pillars of our criminal justice system — from law enforcement to corrections — have been overwhelmed by corruption,” he added.“The real problem is clearly corruption. The problem is not with the penalty, or the severity of the punishment for crime,” Atienza pointed out.The opposition lawmaker made the statement shortly after the House Committee on Justice’s sub-committee on judicial reforms approved a bill reviving the death penalty for heinous crimes.Atienza accused the House majority of laying the groundwork for the “railroading” of the bill’s passage.“They are trying to bulldoze the passage of the bill because the Speaker already assured President Rodrigo Duterte that the House will send the bill to the Senate before the Christmas break,” he said.Duterte earlier said he wants to put to death at least 50 convicts every month.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/railroading-death-penalty-bill-slammed/300194/
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Marawi, Sandigan justices top SC vacancy nominees
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-07 21:12:46+00:00
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A Muslim justice from Marawi City was one of two topnotchers on a shortlist of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) for a vacancy in the Supreme Court (SC).Court of Appeals (CA) Justice Japar Dimaampao and Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Alexander Gesmundo got seven votes each from the seven-member council.A law professor, Bar reviewer and tax expert, Dimaampao was a former prosecutor and judge of the Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court before he entered the Court of Appeals.Gesmundo is also a law professor and was a former Bar examiner.He was also a former Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government and became Assistant Solicitor General before joining the judiciary.Also on the shortlist are CA Justice Jose Reyes with 6 votes.CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes notched 5 votes along with CA Justices Apolinario Bruselas and Ramon Hernando.CA Justices Rosmari Carandang and Amy Lazaro Javier got 4 votes each.They are contesting the position of SC Justice Jose Catral Mendoza, who is set to retire on August 13, 2017 upon reaching 70, the mandatory age of retirement for justices.The 1987 Constitution states that President Rodrigo Duterte has 90 days from the time of vacancy to make his third appointment in the SC.Duterte’s first two appointees in the High Court are Associate Justices Noel Tijam and Samuel Martires.The President will have two appointments in the SC this year with the retirement of his former classmates and fraternity brothers in Lex Talionis at the San Beda College of Law in Mendoza and SC Justice Bienvenido Reyes.The seven-man council, which is constitutionally mandated to screen and vet nominees to the President for vacant posts in the judiciary and the Offices of the Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman, is headed by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, with ex-officio members Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd, Sen. Richard Gordon and Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali.Retired SC Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez is the head of the Executive Committee.Regular JBC members are lawyer Jose Mejia who represents the academe; Milagros Fernan-Cayosa, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines; and retired judge Toribio Ilao, the private sector.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/marawi-sandigan-justices-top-sc-vacancy-nominees/337158/
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‘No grace period’ for smoking ban
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-07-17 21:43:11+00:00
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Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial on Monday said there will be “no grace period” for the implementation of the nationwide smoking ban.In a news conference in Malacañang, Ubial advised public establishments and vehicles to be ready to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order (EO) 26 setting a smoking ban by Saturday, July 22.EO 26 sets strict guidelines on designated smoking areas (DSAs) and bans smoking altogether in schools and recreational facilities for minors.“It’s July 22 and it will be implementable because it is an Executive Order… we would like to address full compliance of all facilities in maintaining the indoor spaces and public places. So even if it’s outdoor, if it’s a public place, and public conveyances should be smoke-free,” Ubial told reporters.“We are expecting that there might be some non-compliance but I hope that our people would see the light of complying with the Executive Order because there will be sanctions,” she said.Ubial suggested that establishments just put up DSAs outdoors since indoor ones, with their many requirements, are much harder to put up.“We’re advising establishments to actually, hopefully, just establish outdoor designated smoking areas because it’s easier to comply with that,” she said.Ubial added that local government units (LGUs) will take the lead in monitoring compliance with the EO.She said they are required to form task forces that will check if public establishments and public vehicles all have DSAs.“The local government units are actually the ones to implement the Executive Order. So they will be the ones to ensure that all public places have a designated smoking area,” according to the Health secretary.“We know that there might be some LGUs that will not comply with this but we are working doubly hard for the DILG and the LGUs to eventually put this in full force,” she said, referring to the Department of the Interior and Local Government.Ubial added that those who observe violations of the EO should report to LGUs who have jurisdiction over the establishment involved.She said individual violators will be fined P500 to P10,000, depending on their number of offenses.Owners of establishments caught violating the EO will face a fine of P5,000 or imprisonment of not more than 30 days, Ubial added.“We will leave that up to jurisprudence if they will file cases against the violators but it will be implemented on July 22. It’s effective on July 22, there is no grace period,” she said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-grace-period-smoking-ban-2/338935/
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‘Just pray’: Palace assures Nazarene devotees’ safety
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-01-06 23:03:59+00:00
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Malacañang on Saturday assured the public of their safety, saying security measures are in place to secure millions of devotees who will join the annual Feast of the Black Nazarene in Manila on January 9.In a radio interview, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said local government units and security forces will be working together to maintain peace and order and to ensure the safety of those participating in the annual religious event.“Ilang taon na itong ginagawa sa Maynila. Ang ating mga barangay captain, barangay tanod, ating kapulisan ay sanay na po sila diyan sa traslacion [It has been done for years in Manila. Our village executives, village officials and police force are used to traslacion],” Andanar told government-run dzRB radio.Traslacion or translacion (transfer in English) refers to the procession that will carry the image of the Black Nazarene from the Rizal Park (Luneta) in Manila, to the Quiapo Church in Quiapo, also in Manila.“It takes a leap of faith. Basta ang assurance lang po ay sanay na po ‘yung mga ating local governments diyan [Our assurance is our local governments are used to it]. Just observe and pray during that day,” Andanar said.Millions of devotees from different parts of the country will participate in the procession and other activities during the annual Black Nazarene Feast on Tuesday.The devotees will walk barefoot as the life-sized image of Jesus Christ carrying a cross is paraded on streets around the Quiapo Church.Participants often try to touch Jesus’ image, which is believed to be miraculous, with white towels or with their hands.The administration of Quiapo Church on Monday said 18 million devotees were expected to flood the streets of Manila during the traslacion from the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta to the church where the image of the Nazarene would be placed.The theme of this year’s event is based on a Bible verse from the book of Corinthians: “Pag-ibig ang buklod ng ganap na pagkakaisa [Love binds us in the fullness of unity].”Earlier, Malacañang said there is no security threat to the staging of this year’s feast of the Black Nazarene.“Well, I don’t think there’s any extraordinary threat. We will exercise the same kind of diligence that we have done in the past,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said during a news briefing.“This is already the second Nazareno for this administration and we know how to maintain peace and order in the Nazareno festivities,” he added.The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy more than a thousand troops to beef up security measures for this year’s feast.The AFP has formed the Joint Task Group “Nazareno” to help the Philippine National Police maintain order during the religious event.The group, composed of personnel from the Army, Air Force, Navy, the Northern Luzon Command, the Southern Luzon Command and the AFP Reserve Command, is expected to secure the traslacion from among others chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear explosives.“At the same time, our forces will remain alert in thwarting threat groups that may take advantage of the celebration,” Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado said in a statement.In an earlier news briefing, Metro Manila Police chief Oscar Albayalde said they are on full alert and all security units are “100 percent” prepared for the traslacion.He added that they have not received any threat prior to the traslacion.The procession will be monitored by 5,613 policemen from the National Capital Region Police Office, one company from the Special Action Force and plain-clothed units.A gun ban will be implemented from January 8 midnight to January 10 midnight while a liquor ban will also be imposed the night before the religious event.Metro Manila (National Capital Region) will also be a no-fly zone for aircraft and drones.WITH REPORT FROM
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/just-pray-palace-assures-nazarene-devotees-safety/372738/
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14th month pay bill pushed
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-08-12 00:01:57+00:00
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SENATE President Vicente Sotto 3rd on Saturday clarified that not all private companies will be covered by his bill that seeks to grant employees in the private sector 14th month pay.He issued the clarification amid objection from private companies to the passage of Senate Bill 2 requiring employers to grant 14th month pay to “all nongovernment employees.”“Meron akong exemption sa batas. Basahin muna nila ‘yung batas bago sila umangal [I put an exemption in the law. They should read it first before they complain],” Sotto said in a radio interview.“Kasi kung ‘di mo naman kaya at kung ‘di ka naman kumikita di mo naman kailangan magbigay [You’re not obliged to give if you do not have the capacity or you’re not earning much],” he said. They are not obligated. The Bureau of Internal Revenue would know if they are losing money.”The grant of a 13th month pay was mandated under Presidential Decree 851 issued on December 16, 1975 by then president Ferdinand Marcos Sr.“We want to amend it and provide 14th month pay. Usually, the 13th month pay is given before Christmas,” Sotto said. “Pero mas kailangan ng kababayan natin ang pang tuition fee, ‘yung bago mag June, ‘yung middle of the year [But our people need money before June or middle of the year to pay for the tuition of their children],” he said.“Kung p’wede ‘yung 13th month bago mag June ibigay at ‘yung 14th month ay duon sa bago mag Pasko ibigay [So if it is possible, the 13th month pay must be given before June and the 14th month pay must be granted before Christmas],” he added.Sotto, who filed SB 2 on June 30, 2016, said he would push for the passage of the bill in September.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/14th-month-pay-bill-pushed/429297/
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Oil firms impose hefty price cut
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-06-03 01:08:46+00:00
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Oil companies imposed a hefty price rollback on Saturday, days after the government announced that it will import 240 million liters of diesel from Russia.Petron, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, Seaoil, and Total reduced the prices of diesel and gasoline by 90 centavos per liter and P1.20 per liter, respectively, at 6 a.m.Petron, Pilipinas Shell, and Seaoil also cut the cost of kerosene by P1 per liter.Phoenix Petroleum on Friday lowered the price of diesel by P1 per liter and gasoline by P1.40 per liter.The price adjustment came as a surprise because oil companies usually increase or lower their pump prices on Tuesdays.The price rollback was announced as global oil prices retreated on Friday. Reports said Brent closed at $76.79 a barrel, down 77 cents. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $65.81 per barrel, down $1.23.Last week, Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said the plans to import 240 million liters of diesel from Russia to ease rising prices.“The figure is too small. What we are saying is [the importation] will be for stockpiling, as a support to the minimum inventory requirement, so [it is]more of energy security,” Fuentebella told reports.He said importing fuel from Russia would push oil companies to lower the prices of diesel.“The rippling effect is, the most important one, to enhance competition,” Fuentebella said.Oil companies are required to maintain a minimum inventory requirement (MlR) of in-country stocks equivalent to 30 days of crude and products for refiners, 15 days of products for importers/bulk suppliers and seven days of liquefied petroleum gas stocks for LPG players.“We are looking at other countries. Russia is just an option. PNOC-EC expects to receive the first shipment by end of June,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said, referring to the Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation.The Department of Energy said the decision to buy fuel from Russia was meant to “enhance competition among existing oil industry players and stabilize domestic oil prices.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/oil-firms-impose-hefty-price-cut/403859/
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Court divided over photobomber condo
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-04-03 20:06:50+00:00
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Supreme Court (SC) justices are set to deliberate and vote on the controversial case of the Jose Rizal shrine’s photobomber, the Torre de Manila condominium built by the DMCI.The case of the Knights of Rizal against the DMCI and the City of Manila under GR No. 213948 is included in the agenda in Baguio City for the SC’s first en banc session in the summer capital.According to unimpeachable sources of The Manila Times in the High Court, two opposing drafts were already presented to and circulated among the 15-man tribunal.One proposal is to remand the case to the Manila City Hall for reevaluation of licenses being issued to the DMCI since the SC is not a trier of facts.Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada and the City Council will reevaluate again permits given to Torre de Manila, on whether it conformed with the required zoning height under the law.Another view is giving victory to the condominium builder by declaring that a petition of the Knights of Rizal be dismissed because there is no law that prohibits the construction of the building.This means that no grave abuse of discretion was committed by the City of Manila when it allowed the building of Torre de Manila.The ponente of the case is Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza and the dissenter is Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.Associate Justice Marvic Leonen has also presented his views about the issue.The SC is scheduled on Tuesday to tackle the case again and possibly put it into voting, unless the magistrates decide to call the case again or reset hearings on it.Another SC source said the case is already “ripe for voting.”During several deliberations of the SC justices, there were contentions on whether to adopt the position of the government lawyers by demolishing the building or cutting it consistent with allowable zoning height under the law near the Rizal Park (Luneta) area in Manila.In a 46-page memorandum from the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), signed by then Solicitor General Florin Hilbay, the government chief lawyer argued that the DMCI has violated national and local laws.The builder “should not be allowed to take advantage of its own illegal acts. Plainly, from the facts of the case, there can be no doubt that the DMCI had no right to begin construction of the Torre de Manila on July 5, 2012, the day it obtained its building permit,” the memorandum read.The OSG even accused the DMCI of “having full knowledge of the defects in its permits, amid the public clamor, without due regard to resolutions from the City Council of Manila. In the face of opposition from the National Museum and National Commission for Culture and the Arts, unmindful of a Senate investigation, the DMCI proceeded with undue haste to construct the Torre the Manila.”A zoning permit of the City of Manila on June 19, 2012 provides that Torre de Manila has a proposed floor area of 97,549 sq. m. and a land area of 7,475 sq. m.The Supreme Court has already ordered the DMCI to adopt safety measures for the building despite the fact that its construction was halted by the tribunal.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-divided-photobomber-condo/320782/
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Lawmakers to look into Tadeco deal next week
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-05-05 22:51:05+00:00
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The House of Representatives will start its probe of the controversial 2003 Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) between the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) and the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. (Tadeco) on May 9, a lawmaker said on Thursday.Rep. Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis party-list the Makabayan bloc of lawmakers, of which he is a part, had filed a House resolution that seeks distribution of 5,202 hectares of land leased by Tadeco to agrarian reform beneficiaries.Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano is a former Anakpawis congressman.“While the session is in recess, we have gathered a lot of information that will be of use for the May 9 probe of the Tadeco deal. These 5,202 hectares of land should be distributed to agrarian reform beneficiaries,” Casilao told reporters.The Commission on Audit earlier released a memorandum recommending the junking of the BuCor-Tadeco deal for violating the 1987 Constitution, which states that “alienable lands of the public domain shall be limited to agricultural lands… and private corporations or associations may not hold such alienable lands of the public domain except by lease, for a period not exceeding twenty-five years, renewable for not more than twenty-five years, and not to exceed one thousand hectares in area…”The land leased by Tadeco covers 5,308.36 hectares of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) — exceeding the 1,000-hectare limit.The DPPF has a total land area of 30,000 hectares with a prison reservation of 8,000 hectares.“We will know soon if there are other questionable transactions involving Tadeco. If there are landgrabbing incidents, and if so, these should also be distributed to the farmers. At least 30,000 farmers could potentially benefit from this land,” Casilao said.Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte earlier filed a graft complaint against his congressional colleague Antonio Floirendo over the BuCor-Tadeco deal, with Alvarez saying such joint venture pact is disadvantageous to the government.The same COA team also found out that the BuCor’s deal with Tadeco inked on December 26, 1969 was also in violation of Section 2, Article 12 of the 1935 Constitution because Tadeco was allowed to use 3,000 hectares of the DPPF lands even if the 1935 Charter states that “no private corporation or association may acquire, lease, or hold public agricultural lands in excess of 1,024 hectares.”“This Tadeco issue is not about the fight between Speaker Alvarez and Congressman Floirendo. This is about the farm workers in Carmen, Panabo and Tagum City [Davao del Norte] who stand to benefit from this land,” Casilao said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmakers-look-tadeco-deal-next-week-2/325718/
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DND chief: Govt faces 3 top security issues
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-03-29 22:41:28+00:00
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COMMUNIST insurgency, dispute in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) and terrorism in southern Mindanao are among the top security challenges the country is facing, according to Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.Speaking before the general membership meeting of the Consular Corps of the Philippines (CCP) at the Makati Shangri-La hotel on Wednesday, Lorenzana said the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has been working hard to deal with these problems.The CCP is a fellowship of career-professional and honorary consuls of foreign countries in the Philippines whose objective is to foster greater understanding, friendship, corporate social responsibility and cooperation among their counterparts in the Philippines.It is a member of the World Federation of Consuls.According to Lorenzana, he was often asked why the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing the New People’s Army (NPA) are still in existence when most of the rabid communists in the world such as China and Vietnam have already changed and are more capitalistic now than many capitalist countries.“We do not know the answer but they continue to do a lot of damage to the countryside, to the economy, to the peace and order by their extortion, which they call revolutionary taxation but we call it simple extortion,” he said.The DND chief branded the CPP-NPA “communist terrorists.”“I call them terrorists because what is the difference [between them and] the Abu Sayyaf [Group]? They both intimidate people to get money. They keep burning equipment of companies, of firms that do not give money that they are asking for [and] they are also into kidnapping of local officials, barangay [village] officials, soldiers and policemen,” he said.Depsite these atrocities, Lorenzana added, the government has been trying to find a solution to the communist insurgency, citing the resumption of peace talks with the communist leaders in Oslo, Norway, “in a couple of days.”On a unilateral ceasefire recently offered by the CPP, President Duterte said he wants a “bilateral” truce instead, according to the Defense secretary.On the dispute in the South China Sea, Lorenzana recalled that on July 12, 2016 when a ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on a memorial filed before it by Manila was announced, he being a former military man told a meeting of the Duterte Cabinet to send the Philippine Navy to the contested waters to drive away the Chinese from there.He said his idea was rejected by the President, who cautioned them against being “arrogant” with the victory against Beijing before the arbitral court.On the issue of terrorism, Lorenzana said what he fears is that terrorists could bring the mayhem to Manila and other heavily populated areas in the country.“If there is one subject matter that keeps me awake at night, it is this one [terrorism],” he added.Nevertheless, he reiterated the military’s aim to crush the Abu Sayyaf and Maute terrorist groups in six months to one year to stop their kidnappings and terroristic activities in Mindanao.Both groups are linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria or ISIS.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dnd-chief-govt-faces-3-top-security-issues/319867/
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Another complaint filed vs Bello
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-23 00:06:15+00:00
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ANOTHER corruption complaint was filed against Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd before the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC.)It was the second complaint filed against Bello this month.PACC Commissioner Manuelito Luna said the case was filed by Amanda Lalic-Araneta, the president of the MMML Recruitment Services, Inc.Also charged were Jesus Cruz, former officer-in-charge of the International Labor Attache Bureau, and former Labor undersecretary Dominador Say.“[The people involved] allegedly cancelled the license of the recruitment agency [of Araneta] without sufficient grounds and the disposition was delayed, apart from claiming that there was bribery,” Luna said.“Like the first complaint against the secretary, we will assign this to a commissioner for study and fact-finding inquiry,” he added.Luna said Araneta asked to be enrolled in the Witness Protection Program “to protect her and her family from reprisals.”On Wednesday, the PACC took cognizance of the graft complaint filed against Bello and Say by Monalie Dizon, who claimed to be the secretary-general of the Kilusang Pagbabago National Movement for Change.Dizon accused Bello and Say of extorting money from Azizza Salim, who shelled out P6.8 million in exchange for Say’s reversal of the cancellation order issued by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration against Salim’s Azzizah International Manpower Services.Luna on Sunday said the complaint filed by Araneta was strong since she had personal knowledge of the charges against Bello.“This is more serious than the first one. She has personal knowledge because she personally gave the money to Bello amounting to P100,000 and the latest iPhone model as a Christmas gift in December 2016,” Luna told The Manila Tmes.In her complaint, Araneta said she also gave an iPhone to one of Bello’s staff, Lalaine Valencia, and 8 more iPhones to other Labor officials.“She has many more revelations in her affidavit but I cannot disclose them now as we are still validating,” Luna said.Among the items being validated in Araneta’s claim that Cruz asked her to produce P10 million to P15 million “so that LLLM’s license to recruit would not be cancelled, and the pending cases against the agency would not be investigated.”“It was not consummated but the mere suggestion that she was asked to give money, there’s a case against Cruz, not Bello.” Luna added. “So we will conduct fact-finding investigation on this, we will summon several personalities to validate this. We will give serious attention to this.”Bello had denied any wrongdoing and dared his accusers to file a case against him in court.In a statement on Sunday, he vowed to continue providing full protection to workers.“We have taken initiatives to pursue effective implementation of the right to security of tenure and eliminate practices that circumvent the law prohibiting illegal contractual arrangements,” he said.Bello said the Labor department aims to regularize 300,000 employees this year.RALPH EDWIN U. VILLANUEVA AND WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/another-complaint-filed-vs-bello/422339/
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SC sacks judge for misconduct
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-05-01 00:04:50+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed from the service a judge in Agusan del Sur in southern Mindanao for serious misconduct.In a full court decision, the SC found Judge Hector Salise, acting presiding judge of Branch 6, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Prosperidad, and executive judge of Branch 7, Regional Trial Court, Bayugan City, both in the province of Agusan del Sur, guilty of serious misconduct.The court dismissed Salise from the service “with forfeiture of retirement benefits, except leave credits, and with prejudice to re-employment in any branch or instrumentality of the government, including government-owned and controlled corporations.”Records showed that the judicial audit team found that for Branch 6, RTC, Prosperidad, the court allowed substituted service of summonses in a breach of Section 61 of the Rule on of Nullity of Void Marriages and Annulment of Voidable Marriages.In a case for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage, Salise prematurely rendered a decision granting the petition, “without ruling on the petitioner’s motions to dispense with the presentation of her last witness and to admit her Formal Offer of Exhibits, and even though the case was still set for hearing in a month’s time.”He also issued a resolution dated September 5, 2014 in a case that was never docketed in Branch 6 for failure to pay the required docket fee.The court staff only came to know about this when someone filed a motion for reconsideration of the resolution sometime in September 2014.For Branch 7, RTC, Bayugan City, Salise may be considered to have railroaded roceedings for a number of cases for declaration of nullity of marriage.In another civil case, he rendered a decision granting a petition barely eight months since the case was filed on July 14, 2014, without conducting mandatory pre-trial, and, worse, without petitioner presenting his evidence before the court.In separate case, Salise proceeded with the hearing of the case and later penned a decision granting the petition although the court did not acquire jurisdiction over the person of the respondent as the summons was returned to the court unserved.The court said, “Judge Salise violated the Code of Judicial Conduct ordering judges to ensure that his or her conduct, both in and out of court, maintains and enhances the confidence of the public, the legal profession and litigants in the impartiality of the judge and of the judiciary.”“He simply used oversight, inadvertence and honest mistake as convenient excuses. He acted with conscious indifference to the possible undesirable consequences to the parties involved. Misconduct is a transgression of some established and definite rule of action, more particularly, unlawful behavior or gross negligence by the public officer,” the SC added.“To hold a judge administratively liable for serious misconduct, ignorance of the law or incompetence of official acts in the exercise of judicial functions and duties, it must be shown that his acts were committed with fraud, dishonesty, corruption, malice or ill will, bad faith or deliberate intent to do an injustice.”According to the court, “litigants are entitled to no less than that.”“They should be sure that when their rights are violated, they can go to a judge who shall give them impartial justice. They must trust the judge; otherwise, they will not go to him at all. They must believe in his sense of fairness; otherwise, they will not seek his judgment,” the SC said.“Without such confidence, there would be no point in invoking his action for the justice they expect. Judge Salise’s acts indubitably violated said trust and confidence, seriously impairing the image of the judiciary to which he owes the duty of loyalty and obligation to keep it at all times above reproach and worthy of the people’s trust.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-sacks-judge-for-misconduct/396197/
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Clipping of powers fine with Defense chief
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-04-18 22:17:38+00:00
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THE Department of National Defense (DND) on Tuesday said it welcomes the approval of Executive Order 18, which restricts the authority of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in approving government contracts.The order, which was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on April 7, repeals Executive Order (EO) 235, streamlining the rules and procedures for defense contracts.Director Arsenio Andolong, chief of the DND’s Public Affairs Service, said it was the department that initiated the repeal of EO 235 to give the Defense secretary authority to increase the ceiling of the procurement projects that can be undertaken at the level of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), based on its operational and day to day requirements.Under EO 235, the Secretary of National Defense may only delegate to the AFP the authority to approve procurement projects that are below P50 million.Beyond this amount, procurement projects must be elevated to the DND for approval.With AFP projects amounting to hundreds of millions of pesos based on actual requirements, Andolong said the P50 million cap has become unrealistic and makes the procurement process cumbersome.He noted that EO 18 will enable the Defense department to fast-track its procurement process, especially for materials that are badly needed by operating units in the field.“We assure the Filipino people that all processes in the DND are in accordance with the law, particularly Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003 and RA 10349 or the Revised AFP Modernization Act,” Andolong said.The President earlier said that since the issuance of EO 235, the Defense department and the AFP have identified other reform measures to promote transparency in procurement transactions.“It has been observed that the implementation of EO 235 resulted in bureaucratic impediments and unnecessary delays in the procurement of important defense projects,” EO 18 read.EO 18 mandates the Defense chief “to identify and institutionalize measures that will effectively monitor the operations of the separate Bids and Awards Committees, which may be created pursuant to the Government Procurement Law to ensure and promote transparency, impartiality and accountability in government transactions.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/clipping-powers-fine-defense-chief/322881/
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Five states ‘ideal’ in federalism shift
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-06-28 22:04:26+00:00
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The Philippines should just have five federal states in order for it to succeed in its planned shift to federalism, an Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) official said on Wednesday.Lawyer Randolph Parcasio, consultant to ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, made the pitch during a public hearing on the situation of autonomous regions as a prelude to federalism conducted by the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.“Each federal state must be able to stand on its own. If we will have 15 or 14 regional or federal states, there will be rich and poor states, and as such, we will need an equalization fund. We can’t afford to have such rich and beggar states,” Parcasio told lawmakers.“It would be ideal if we will have five federal states: Mindanao, Visayas and three in Luzon. This way, every state can stand on its own,” he said.The three federal states in Luzon will be Metro Manila, Calabarzon-Bicol Region and Northern Luzon-Central Luzon, including Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) .“This is an initial step. In the event that members of a certain federal state feel that they are already economically viable to form a separate federal state, then the law should allow them to apply to become one, much like how municipalities apply to become cities,” Parcasio said.He is one of the three resource persons who attended the hearing from the ARMM. The other two were also lawyers: Ishak Mastura, chairman of the ARMM Board of Investments; and Anwar Malang, secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry in ARMM.The resource persons from CAR are: Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan, also the chairman of the Cordillera Regional Development Council; Director Milagros Rimando, vice Cchairman of the RDC-CAR; and Marlo Iringan, an engineer and regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government-CAR.The Duterte administration is pushing for a Constitutional Assembly wherein lawmakers of the House of Representatives and the Senate will amend the Constitution and install a federal form of government that would be composed of 11 independent states under a federal government.Each federal state will have the authority to craft its laws, as well as manage its resources, but would still have to split its income, with 25 percent going to the national government and 75 percent to the concerned region since the national government will retain its full jurisdiction on foreign affairs, national defense, police and monetary policy.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/five-states-ideal-federalism-shift/335369/
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Digital gender-gap audit for Philippines launched
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-04-07 21:24:09+00:00
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A DIGITAL gender report card that measures the Philippines’ progress in closing the digital gender gap was launched by the Foundation for Media Alternatives (FMA) on Thursday.The scorecard was developed by the World Wide Web Foundation along with partner organizations from 10 countries.According to FMA Executive Director Liza Garcia, an overall score of a country will be based on 14 indicators grouped into five main categories– Internet access and women’s empowerment, relevant content and services, online safety, affordability and digital skills and education.At the launching in Quezon City, Garcia presented the processes and results of the scorecard for the Philippines, which gained a 50 percent overall score.Out of 10 points, the Philippines only got a score of 4 for Internet access and women’s empowerment, indicating that women in some poor areas of Manila, for example, have used the Internet in seeking information on their rights and to voice out their opinions online.For the category of relevant content and services, the country also got a score of 4.“The government makes some information about reproductive and sexual health rights and services available but it is often not easy to locate,” the report card read.It said only 5 percent of women have access to mobile financial services.For online safety, the Philippines got a 7 since specific laws are in place for victims of online or web violence.It was noted that law enforcement officers have undergone training on investigating cyber violence against women resulting in arrests in a few cases.Laws and practices of law enforcement agencies have prompted the Philippines to at least get an almost perfect score for the third category of the scorecard.For affordability, the country got a score of 6 since the Philippines “has the second lowest Internet speed” in the region at 3.2 megabytes per second.“In 2015, the Philippines committed resources to establish free nationwide [wi-fi] in public places. A new national broadband plan is due to be adopted… next year,” the scorecard stated.The Philippines got 5 points for digital skills and education, the last category of basis for the scorecard, since 79 percent of the country’s public primary and secondary schools lack Internet connectivity.According to Garcia, the Philippines’ scorecard can be a “tool” to hold the government accountable in meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming for the SDG gender and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) targets.SDG is composed of 17 goals, which set the global development agenda until year 2030, and SDG 5 or gender equality was among the goals that is centralized to the gender-equitable access to ICTs.“The scorecard may [also] be used to identify and eventually address gaps in data about women and ICTs in the Philippines [and] overall, the results of the scorecard showed that there is still an existing digital divide in the Philippines and there is still much to be addressed in terms of policies,” Garcia said.In response to the score of the Philippines in the scorecard, FMA has initiated to identify concrete steps that the national government can take to address the challenges identified.A 5-point action plan is a primary step that would be able to determine what solutions can be able to fill the gaps with the Philippines’ score in the report card.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/digital-gender-gap-audit-philippines-launched/321588/
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Journalists seek firearms license
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-07-07 21:11:45+00:00
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Journalists on Friday trooped to the National Press Club (NPC) in Intramuros, Manila to secure licenses to own and carry firearms–a program supported by the government–to ensure their safety.Leading the event was Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), who explained that the one-day event was a one-stop shop to secure License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) and Permit to Carry Firearms Outside Residence (PCFOR).“Many journalists are complaining of difficulty in securing a firearm license. That’s the reason why we have this activity, a one-stop shop to apply for your LTOPF and PCFOR. One thing more, we now have a liaison officer who will help us with the Firearms and Explosive Office based in Camp Crame [in Quezon City],” Egco said.Journalists also took the neuro-examination and drug tests right at the NPC building, aside from applying for National Bureau of Investigation clearance.Undersecretary Marvin Gatpayat of the Presidential Communications and Operations Office said President Rodrigo Duterte is concerned about the safety of journalists.“In fact, his very first Administrative Order 1 was the creation of PTFoMS. He values the security of the media. So far, under the Duterte administration, we have only one validated media-related killing,” said Gatpayat, referring to the December 2016 murder of Larry Que, owner of a Catanduanes-based newspaper.Currently there are 800 registered NPC members but there are thousands more, especially in the provinces.Most of the media killings are in the countryside.Egco, in his six-month accomplishment report to the President last May, said the latest survey of The Press Freedom Index showed the Philippines ranked 127th, a sharp 11 notches improvement from its previous position in 2016 at 138th.The Philippines’ latest ranking is the fourth steepest improvement among 180 countries worldwide.The task force, Egco said, has significantly improved media workers’ security under the Duterte administration, owing largely to pro-active measures that are now in place, including the activity on Friday.The former senior reporter of The Manila Times said journalists, in the discharge of their duties, are often faced with threats, harassment and physical assault.Aside from Que’s murder, the task force reported eight shooting incidents, eight cases of threat, one detention, one request for continued Witness Protection Program coverage, two physical attacks, a complaint and an arrest involving journalists.Jaime R. Pilapil
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/journalists-seek-firearms-license/337155/
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Palace: Probe councilor’s threat to ‘shoot’ news photographer
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['Nelson Badilla']
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2017-04-26 20:09:57+00:00
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A councilor of Las Piñas City (Metro Manila) is in hot water after he allegedly threatened to shoot a news photographer.Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), told this reporter on Wednesday that he had directed his chief of staff, lawyer Bong Arollado, to send separate letters to Las Piñas City Mayor Imelda Aguilar and the City Council informing them about the alleged threat of District 2 Councilor Danilo Hernandez to “shoot” Jason Drew, the photographer working for the tabloid Pilipino Mirror, while the latter was doing his job during a car accident last week in Las Pinas City.Hernandez was involved in the accident, according to Drew.The councilor was “drunk” at the time, photographer said .Egco said Hernandez should explain the incident.The PTFoMS made the move after National Press Club (NPC) President Paul Gutierrez of People’s Tonight brought up the issue with Egco.Gutierrez said the NPC was “alarm[ed] over the alleged threat of Las Piñas City District 2 Councilor Danilo Hernandez to shoot a news photographer.”“We find this incident alarming as it showed that the ‘culture of impunity’ that has resulted in so many tragedies involving members of the press remains ingrained in the minds of those in position of authority,” he pointed out.Gutierrez said he learned of Drew’s encounter with Hernandez when reporter and NPC member Jojo Sicat told him about the incident.Sicat said Drew chanced upon the car accident past midnight last April 22 along the Alabang-Zapote Road and, thus, he took pictures of the incident.The photographer also asked some questions from those who were involved in the accident so that he could write captions for pictures that he would submit to his editor.Surprisingly, “Hernandez, who was allegedly drunk, started cursing and badmouthing [Drew] while also threatening to shoot him,” Sicat told Gutierrez.“Sino ka ba, putang ina, kapag hindi ka tumigil, babarilin kita, puro kayo programa ng programa, wala naman kayo naitutulong [Who are you, son of a whore, if you don’t stop what you are doing, I will shoot you. All you know is to have [news] programs but you are not doing any help],” Hernandez was said to have angrily told Drew.Sicat said Drew did not react, but instead left the area “with Hernandez… bragging about his being a city councilor of Las Piñas.”The councilor allegedly further warned Drew, “Magkikita pa tayo, putang ina mo [We’ll see each other again, you son of a whore]!”On April 24, Drew tried to find out if Hernandez is indeed a city lawmaker over the phone.The man on the phone whom the victim talked to was Hernandez who, according to him, merely laughed at him while they were talking.Egco said PTFoMS has legal jurisdiction over the matter as stipulated in the Administrative Order No. 1 of the task force.He added that PTFoMS will get to the bottom of the incident to give Drew justice.Egco vowed to strongly support Drew in case he files appropriate charges against Hernandez.NELSON S. BADILLA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-probe-councilors-threat-shoot-news-photographer/324222/
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Duterte OKs more rice imports
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-09-26 00:10:10+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an administrative order (AO) removing non-tariff barriers and streamlining procedures on the importation of rice and other agricultural products in a bid to curb inflation.The President cited the “urgent need” to tame the prices of basic agricultural commodities in signing AO 13 on September 21.“Non-tariff barriers and certain administrative constraints, procedures and fees unduly add to the costs of importation and limit supply, which in turn, push up the prices of agricultural commodities to the detriment of Filipino consumers, especially the poor,” Duterte said.AO 13 also seeks “to ensure the availability of basic necessities and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times without denying legitimate business a fair return on investment.”The administrative order mandates the National Food Authority (NFA) and Sugar Regulatory Administration, in coordination with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), to “undertake immediate measures to remove administrative constraints and other non-tariff barriers on the importation of agricultural products.”AO 13 will also streamline procedures and requirements in the accreditation of importers and minimize the processing time of applications for importation, and exempt traders that are already accredited.The order seeks to facilitate the importation of certain agriculture products beyond their authorized minimum access volume, and liberalize the issuance of permits and accreditation of traders who want to import rice.The AO authorizes the NFA Council to approve additional rice importation beyond the the minimum access volume commitment, which refers to the amount of imports allowed to enter the country with lower tariffs.Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture (DA) was ordered to issue the certificate of necessity to allow the importation of fish to augment the 17,000 metric tons of fish imports distributed in markets.The Bureau of Customs was directed to prioritize the unloading and release of agricultural imports.Duterte has authorized the formation of a “surveillance” team composed of the DTI, NFA, National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police to monitor importation and distribution of agricultural products.Albay Rep. Joey Salceda earlier said the order would be a strong first step to liberalizing rice imports and may slow inflation.Data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority early this month showed inflation hitting 6.4 percent in August, the fastest in over nine years.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-oks-more-rice-imports/445219/
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Unemployment remains high – ECOP
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-12-12 22:00:50+00:00
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EVEN as it posted the strongest economic growth in Asia at 7.1 percent in the third quarter of 2016, the Philippines’ unemployment rate in remains high owing to abusive behavior of some emplloyers who continue to circumvent the law prohibiting contractualization.“Some 25 million to 35 million of the [country’s] 42 million workforce remain on contractual status or underemployed because of abusive capitalists who are still into the illegal practice of endo [end of contract] despite the fact that it is prohibited by law,” said Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr., honorary chairman of the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), in a weekly news forum at the Aristocrat Restaurant in Malate, Manila.Ortiz pointed out that endo is being resorted to by some big businesses to avoid regularizing their workers, which carries the provision of full benefits, including leave credits, 13th month pay, SSS and PhilHealth perks, among others.He, however, noted that more than 25,000 contractual workers have already been regularized since the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) started its two-tiered campaign to cut endo by 50 percent before the year ends and totally stop it by end-2017.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said many big establishments that employ thousands of contractual workers have started complying even as he admitted that “putting a stop to endo or illegal contractualziation will not be that easy.”Progressive labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) said the owner of a chain of department stores is the number one violator of illegal work contracting.BMP Chairman Leody de Guzman told The Manila Times earlier that the biggest chain of department stores employs some 49,000 contractual wokers at any given time.The other violators, he added, are food chains and telecommunication and food manufacturing firms.Contractualization, or endo or “555” is a precarious work arrangement where workers are hired only for 5 months and are rehired for another 5 months to avoid regularizing them to improve margin of profit.Labor contractualization is prohibited under the Constitution and existing laws, particularly Article 280 of the 44-year-old Labor Code of the Philippines.Labor groups are pushing amendment of the Labor Code and revocation of DOLE Department Order 18-A, and to criminalize the practice of contractualization.According to de Guzman, there is a need to amend Articles 106 to 109 of the code, which grants the Labor secretary the power to regulate, restrict or prohibit contractual employment.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/unemployment-remains-high-ecop-2/301391/
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6 senators take drug test
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-07-31 00:10:20+00:00
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SIX senators as well as 351 officials and employees on Monday underwent a random drug test to show the Senate’s commitment to a “drug-free” environment.Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto 3rd, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri as well as Senators Gregorio Honasan 2nd, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino 4th, Antonio Trillanes 4th, and Loren Legarda volunteered to undergo the drug test.Sotto gave assurances that the results of the test would be confidential.He announced the random drug testing after the flag-raising ceremony. He also informed the 1,700 Senate employees that their monthly grocery allowance had been increased to P15,000 a month.“As part of the Senate’s commitment to a drug-free environment and workplace and pursuant to our revised policy guidelines, there will be a random mandatory drug testing to be conducted today, immediately following the flag-raising ceremony. This will be conducted by the Senate medical and dental service,” he said.“For the first time, the Senate will be using a five-panel test to screen all types of illegal drugs (which is) a more sensitive and comprehensive drug test compared to the two panel test,” Sotto said.The test can detect not just shabu and marijuana but also cocaine, heroin, and so-called party drugs.“We must set the example. That’s why to show my support for the mandatory drug testing program of the Senate,I have decided to undergo drug testing today,” Sotto said.“I will be the first in line. I have asked my BFF (best friend forever) Sen. Gringo Honasan to be second in line. Let us lead the way in ensuring that we have a healthy and drug-free workplace, workforce in the Senate,” he said.Trillanes, on the other hand, challenged President Rodrigo Duterte to also take a drug test.“Ang una dapat si Duterte mismo para malaman ng taumbayan na ‘yung mismong namumuno ng war on drugs ay hindi impluwensyado ng drugs [President Duterte himself should lead so that the people would know that the very person who leads the war on drugs is not under the influence of drugs],” Trillanes said in an interview.Republic Act 9165, authored by Sotto, provides that officers and employees of public offices shall undergo random drug testing.Any officer or employee found positive for drug use face suspension or termination subject to the pertinent provisions of the Civil Service Law.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/6-senators-take-drug-test/425052/
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Product safety monitoring of school supplies pushed
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-05-20 00:10:56+00:00
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A consumer and environmental protection group on Saturday called on authorities to intensify the monitoring of school supplies.The EcoWaste Coalition pressed government regulators to keep an eye on school supplies to ensure that these do not contain hazardous substances.The group made the suggestion following the on-the-spot inspection on May 18 of retail outlets selling school supplies in Caloocan City by Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) representatives.“We surely support the government’s effort to check business compliance with the suggested retail prices (SRPs) for notebooks, writing pads, pencils, ballpens, crayons, erasers, sharpeners and rulers as contained in the DTI’s shopping guide for school supplies,” Thony Dizon, chemical safety campaigner of the EcoWaste Coalition, said.“However, the current list of school supplies being monitored should be expanded to include other must-have back-to-school items such as bags, shoes, water color sets and others. Also, the monitoring should cover compliance with the SRPs as well as product safety requirements,” he said.“Consumers should be assured of access to affordable as well as quality and non-toxic school supplies that will not pose health risk to children,” he said.The group on May 18 procured school bags from four retail establishments in Caloocan City and had them screened for lead, a substance that is highly toxic to a child’s brain, using a portable X-Ray Fluorescence device.The bags, sold for P130 to P309 each, do not provide basic labeling information about their manufacturers, much less about their chemical composition, the group observed.Of the eight school bags bought and analyzed, six were found to contain lead in the range of 679 to 3,588 parts per million (ppm).Lead is prohibited in the manufacture of school supplies as per DENR Administrative Order 2013-24, or the Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead Compounds, which also bans the use of paints with lead content above 90 ppm in the production of toys and a wide array of children’s products after December 31, 2016.In the US, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act requires that “all children’s products must not contain a concentration of lead greater than 90 ppm in paint or any similar surface coatings.” This rule also applies to all accessible component parts of a children’s product.Studies have shown that lead exposure early in life can result in serious and irreversible damage to children’s developing brains, and cause decreased intelligence, poor reading and language skills, hearing loss, aggression, attention deficit disorder and other behavioral problems.“For our children’s health, we need to get rid of all preventable sources of childhood exposure to lead, including lead-tainted consumer products such as school supplies and toys,” the EcoWaste Coalition pointed out.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/product-safety-monitoring-of-school-supplies-pushed/399852/
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Diesel, gasoline prices rolled back
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['Aberon Voltaire Palaña']
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2017-03-06 21:07:00+00:00
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In separate advisories, Pilipinas Shell, Petron, Eastern Petroleum, Phoenix Petroleum, PTT Philippines, Unioil, Seaoil, Total Philippines and Flying V on Monday announced that they will roll back the price of diesel by P0.10 per liter and the price of gasoline by P0.55 per liter.Pilipinas Shell, Petron, Seaoil and Flying V said they will also lower the price of kerosene by P0.20 per liter.The price adjustments will be implemented either at midnight of Monday or early morning of Tuesday.Department of Energy monitoring for Metro Manila as of February 28 showed that diesel prices ranged from P28.75 to P34.65 per liter with a common price of P31.65 per liter; gasoline from P40.15 to P49.25 with a common price of P47.43 per liter; and liquefied petroleum gas in P11-kilogram cylinder from P500 to P760.Year-to-date adjustments are net increase of P1.39 per liter in gasoline and P1.45 per liter in diesel.The latest price changes resulted from average price movements for the previous five trading days in the global market.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/diesel-gasoline-prices-rolled-back-2/315762/
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