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Mayor Sara, Davao City to be feted for clean air initiatives
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['Romeo Lavilla Jr.']
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1/11/2017 0:00
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Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will be honored as Clean Air Champion by non-profit organization Clean Air Philippines, an official from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.Speaking at Monday’s Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM Annex, DENR official Melvin Dapitanon of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) said Carpio’s conferment will coincide with the recognition of this city as a Model City for Clean Air.November is Clean Air Month.Since 2013, the city has enjoyed a rating of “good” to “fair” air quality, Dapitanon said.The rating is based on the metrics established by the Clean Air Act, or Republic Act 8749.In the city, the EMB maintains four manual stations and two real-time monitoring stations.The manual stations are located in Barangays Ilang, Toril, and Maa, as well as one on V. Mapa St.The two real-time monitoring stations are located at the Francisco Bangoy International Airport.The Clean Air Act establishes a certain threshold for urbanized cities, with the city still boasting of a “fair” air quality.In 2015, haze from Indonesia made its way to Davao City’s airshed, and covered the city in a thick amount of haze for at least a week.“At that moment, the city’s air quality was at the threshold of the ‘fair’ air quality,” Dapitanon said.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/01/mayor-sara-davao-city-tobe-feted-for-clean-air-initiatives/
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3 more Sayyaf killed in military clashes
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['Al Jacinto']
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2017-02-08 22:05:57+00:00
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ZAMBOANGA CITY:Government troops hunting down Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists had killed three more gunmen in fighting on Capual Island off the southern Philippine province of Sulu, officials announced on Wednesday.Army Captain Jo-ann Petinglay, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command, said a total of eight rebels were killed in the fighting since February 7.She added that the bodies of all slain rebels had been recovered by soldiers and that four of the gunmen have been identified as Karra Kinod, Asbiali Ijiram, Bari Rabah and Hassan Angkong.The casualties were followers of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Alhabsi Misaya, who managed to escape from military operations.“Pursuit [operations] launched by Marine troops against the group of Misaya resulted in another round of armed confrontation, increasing the number of enemy casualties to eight,” Petinglay said, adding that military forces also recovered eight automatic rifles and two grenade launchers, including munition and camouflage uniforms from the island.Petinglay said soldiers continue to search for Misaya and other leaders of the Abu Sayyaf who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.“The Joint Task Force Sulu continues to conduct scouring and pursuit on the evading Abu Sayyaf members. Naval blockade and maritime security patrol off the waters of Capual Island are continuously being conducted,” she added.Major General Carlito Galvez, chief of the Western Mindanao Command, has ordered security forces to rescue some two dozen Abu Sayyaf hostages, mostly Asian sailors seized from Basilan province and in Sabah in Malaysia last year.“Military operations are currently being intensified to contain the Abu Sayyaf Group and facilitate the possible rescue of hostages in the hinterlands of Sulu,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/3-sayyaf-killed-military-clashes-2/311181/
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P48-B subsidy won’t help poor – lawmakers
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-05-18 21:09:48+00:00
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A P48-billion government subsidy under the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) bill package won’t save the poor from looming new taxes on fuel and sugar- sweetened beverages, among others.Rep. Sarah Elago of Kabataan party-list and Rep. Arnolfo Teves of Negros Oriental gave the warning after congressional leaders announced that the Train bill will be approved on Wednesday next week.The Train bill grants income tax exemption to those earning P250,000 and below a year but increases taxes on diesel, gasoline, aviation fuel, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, bunker fuel oil and sugar sweetened beverages, among others.The P48-billion subsidy, which is 40 percent of the expected P120-billion revenue out of additional fuel taxes, will fund the social benefits program that will grant qualified beneficiaries a social benefit card and allocation for granting fuel vouchers to qualified transport franchise holders.This government subsidy, however, is only good for three years since the increased fuel taxes will be staggered also in three years.How qualified beneficiaries of the social benefits program will be determined is not provided under the proposed Train bill.“The subsidy is not reassuring because how can we be assured that this subsidy will reach those who are really in need of it? The best reassurance that the government could give is to show the people that it is taking steps in ensuring efficient tax administration and collection, and that the benefits of these taxes are enjoyed by the people,” Elago told reporters.“As it is, the public is already having a hard time benefiting from the services funded by our taxes, and the lowered income tax is being held hostage by this Train bill by adding taxes on fuel and sugar-sweetened beverages, as well as on remittances and scrapping tax breaks for cooperatives, a heavy burden to the poor and the struggling middle class,” she added.Elago is a part of the Makabayan bloc, which groups party-list representatives from Kabataan, Bayan Muna, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Gabriela and Anakpawis.Makabayan bloc lawmakers have filed a bill lowering the income tax rates from 32 to 25 percent but decided against being co-authors of the Train bill because of the additional taxes provided for under the measure.“This bill is a good thing and a bad thing at the same time because of the new taxes. This is why I call on our colleagues to reject the Train bill. The priority of the administration should be efficient tax collection and fighting graft and corruption,” Elago said.“I will vote against it because I don’t believe this will spare the poor. The increase in fuel prices only means that the prices of basic commodities will also go up,” Teves said.Elago said efficient tax collection by the Bureau of Customs means P230 billion more in government revenues.The Duterte administration, he added, should not secure support for the Train measure by threatening the public that the bill’s non-passage will jeopardize the government’s planned P1 trillion worth of infrastructure projects for the duration of the Duterte presidency.|“The public should not be blackmailed into thinking that infrastructure projects cannot be funded without new taxes. The poor and the middle class should not bear the brunt of the inefficient tax collection system,” Elago said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/p48-b-subsidy-wont-help-poor-lawmakers-2/327889/
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Ombudsman’s office to close more ‘illegal’ dumps
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2016-10-17 21:32:25+00:00
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The Office of the Ombudsman is eyeing completion next month of closures of all 50 “illegal” dumps, which were the subject of a complaint earlier filed before the office.Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Gerard Mosquera, who leads the office’s environmental team, told reporters on Monday that they have closed down 29 dumps in six regions.“Fifty LGUs [ocal government units] were charged for violation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. We have been conducting public hearings over the last six months. So we go to the illegal [dumps] and we physically close [them]. So far we have closed down a total of 29 illegal [ones] in six regions across the country.So we have 21 to go, and we will complete all closures of all 50 [sites] by November of this year,” Mosquera said in an interview at the sidelines of an inter-agency workshop on high-profile environmental crimes.According to the official, they have been to Region III, Region IV-A, Region V, Region VI and Region VII.“Next week, we will be in Regions 11, 12 and 13 in Mindanao. We will have our public hearings in Davao so we will close a total of seven illegal [dumps] next week,” Mosquera said.The Environmental Ombudsman Team investigates complaints filed against any public official, employee, office or agency mandated to protect the environment and conserve natural resources.It can also recommend imposition of the appropriate penalties and/or filing of cases.The office is conducting a fact-finding investigation of allegedly illegal dumps as part of a national campaign to ensure compliance with Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, which prohibits the use of open dumps for disposal of solid waste.In February, the National Solid Waste Management Commission filed a complaint, which prompted the Environmental Ombudsman to give local officials 30 days to submit an explanation as well as a Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ombudsmans-office-close-illegal-dumps/291742/
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Agri damage from ‘Ompong’ hits P26.7B
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-09-25 00:02:41+00:00
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The damage wrought by typhoon Ompong on agriculture reached P26.7 billion, with Cagayan Valley bearing the brunt, sustaining P13.8 billion in losses, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the figure is the highest since the destruction of super typhoon Yolanda in 2013.Citing data from the DA’s Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Operation Center, Piñol said also hard hit were Region 1 (Ilocos) and the Cordillera Administrative Region, which incurred losses of P5.8 billion and P3.9 billion, respectively.Almost half of the three regions’ rice crop valued at P14.5 billion was damaged.The volume of production loss was placed at 765,484 metric tons (MT).Corn production losses amounted to P8.17 billion.According to Piñol, most of the affected crops were on their reproductive stage, which were reported as partially damaged.Meanwhile, high-value crops production losses, affecting 54,972 hectares in CAR and the provinces of Rizal, Cagayan and Isabela, reached P3.4 billion.As for livestock, losses were placed at P45.6 million, affecting 1,403 farmers and growers, while the fisheries sector incurred a total damage amount of P2.3 million, affecting 163 fisherfolks.Piñol admitted that the DA has insufficient funds to rehabilitate the areas wrecked by Ompong.“The fund is not enough which is why we’re creating a master plan which we will submit to the Office of the President [on September 25] because we are hoping that we will be able to appeal to Congress to allocate funds,” he said.The agriculture chief said the DA might ask for a supplemental budget.“The initial estimate is P5 billion as an immediate intervention,” he noted.Piñol met with 20 governors of provinces affected by Ompong to lay out a Master Plan for Rehabilitation and fast-track the repair and recovery of damaged farms and fisheries facilities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/agri-damage-from-ompong-hits-p26-7b/444856/
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Duterte reaches out to Misuari
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-06-17 23:38:02+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte expressed hope that Nur Misuari, the founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), would take part in drafting the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).“We will try to pass the BBL. I hope Chairman Misuari can be convinced to join the talks,” Duterte said.He added that Misuari’s inputs would be vital in case some of the provisions are contested by the MNLF, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or other groups.The BBL seeks to abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and replace it with a Bangsamoro region.Duterte had repeatedly stressed the crucial role of the BBL in maintaining peace in Mindanao.“Are we ready to fight just like the Middle East? Look at Marawi. If the area will be made into a larger area of conflict, you really think we would be happy to see war in our country?” he said.“A communal war is more cruel and it would be better [to fight against] other bloods, but an internecine within is really very deadly. And that is why I said, the time for [BBL is ripe,] at the very least that’s the MILF is asking for,” Duterte added.“If we cannot reach a settlement, I am in the middle. I will have a hard time. Who will I shoot? The soldiers of the Republic of the Philippines or the soldiers of the MI(LF) and MN(LF) and the rest of the revolutionary groups here?” he said.“That is why it is very important that we get together. We will try to pass the BBL with no catch,” Duterte added.The Senate and the House of Representatives passed their respective versions of the BBL in May.The President received a copy of the draft Bangsamoro State Constitution prepared by a 19-member All Moro Convention.Michael Mastura, president of the All Moro Convention and head of the drafting team, gavethe copy during the Eid’l Fitr celebration held at the SMX Convention Center on Saturday.Another copy will be given to the Constitutional Committee that is is currently working on a federal Constitution.He also encouraged the MILF, led by its chairman, Al Haj-Murad Ebrahim, to join and observe how the government is crafting federalism.“If nothing really works out of BBL, then give us time because I do not want to fight. I do not wage a war against my own countrymen,” he stressed.Duterte urged Murad to wait for the passage of the final version of the BBL, assuring him that what is not included in the BBL can be added in the federal scheme of things.“Ilagay na natin (Let’s include it there). But it must be something like alongside the Philippine Constitution,” Duterte said.WITH PNA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-reaches-out-to-misuari/409524/
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PH envoy presents credentials to Queen
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-03-14 21:47:50+00:00
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In keeping with tradition and royal protocol, Ambassador Antonio Manuel Lagdameo formalized his assumption of the duties as envoy to the Court of St. James by presenting his credentials to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.Lagdameo and his wife, Maria Linda, were received by the Queen in a private audience where they exchanged views on the long history of friendship and cooperation between the peoples of the Philippines and the United Kingdom.The members of the ambassador’s retinue, Deputy Chief of Mission Gilberto Asuque, Consul General Senen Mangalile, Minister Myla Grace Ragenia Macahilig and First Secretary Kristine Leilanie Salle were presented to Her Majesty by Lagdameo.As part of the royal pageantry surrounding the ceremony, the ambassador and his entourage were conveyed from his official residence in Belgravia to Buckingham Palace by Alistair Harrison, Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, aboard two state landaus, or horse-drawn carriages, from the Royal Mews.They were escorted by a royal limousine and mounted elements and motorcycle riders of the Metropolitan Police as they passed through the Palace gates, witnessed by throngs of people massed around the Queen Victoria Memorial.After the Palace ceremony, Lagdameo hosted a vin d’honneur at Haymarket Hotel on Suffolk Place for officials of the UK government, members of Parliament, ambassadors and high commissioners of Asean and neighboring countries and select representatives of the business sector and the Filipino-British community.Julian Evans, Vice Marshal of the Diplomatic Corps, offered a toast to President Rodrigo Duterte and recalled that Lagdameo has been through this ceremony before.The ambassador has the rare privilege of having presented credentials to the Queen twice, having been assigned to London as ambassador from 2009 to 2010.In his reply, Lagdameo offered a toast to Her Majesty and broadly outlined his plan to further enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.“The Joint Plan of Action between the Philippines and the UK gives us a robust template for further deepening our political, economic and cultural relations, and we intend to harness that,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-envoy-presents-credentials-queen/317208/
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Teener killed in ParaÑaque
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['Nelson Badilla']
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2017-04-01 23:50:28+00:00
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~A robbery-snatching suspect was shot dead by a gunman in a motorcycle on Friday night in Parañaque City (Metro Manila). Senior Supt. Jose Carumba, Parañaque City police chief, said victim Lance Hormigos, 17, was in front of a bakery along Bagong Silang Street in Barangay Baclaran when the gunman shot him twice at about 10 p.m. The suspect fled on a motorcycle driven by a waiting companion. Carumba said Hormigos has been previously arrested and detained for snatching.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/teener-killed-paranaque/320457/
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Revenue from tax bill to fund free tuition
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-09-22 20:09:50+00:00
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Revenue gain from the Senate version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) measure will fund implementation of the free-tuition law that needs P51 billion, according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, chairman of the sub-committee of the Senate Committee on Finance tackling the budget of the public education sector, on Friday said the Senate’s Train bill “specifically allocated the revenue gain from the proposed tax reform measure to the implementation of the Free Tuition Law.”CHEd Chairman Patricia Licuanan said the commission’s proposed budget of P12.4 billion for 2018 does not include the needed funding for the implementation of free tuition in state universities and colleges [SUCs], pending the Implementing Rules and Regulations [IRR] of the law.“Maybe you can start looking [for funds],” Licuanan told the sub-committee.The needed P51 million budget will fund free tuition in all 112 SUCs; 18 local universities and colleges (LUCs); technical-vocational (tech-voc) schools; tertiary education subsidy; and the national student loan program.She gave the following breakdown: P22.6 billion for free tuition and other school fees, P7 billion for tech-voc education, P21.6 billion for tertiary education subsidy, P.05 billion for the national student loan program, and P100 million for administrative costs.During the budget hearing of CHEd on Thursday, Licuanan said the IRR is expected to be out in October, and that the funding requirement is approximately P51 billion to cover the free tuition in 111 SUCs and the University of the Philippines, 16 accredited LUCs (local universities and colleges), tech-voc institutions and financial support to poor students.The Senate Committee on Ways and Means, headed by Angara, listed the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education in the earmarking provision of Train or Senate Bill 1592 to ensure its funding and sustained implementation.“We want to ensure that whatever is collected from this measure actually goes to more accessible healthcare and education, more affordable food and the feeding program, efficient public transportation, as well as increased job opportunities,” he said.The Senate added P10 million to the capital outlay budget of each SUC—totaling approximately P1.2 billion—to fund the improvement of their infrastructure and facilities.Angara said such increase was approved by the finance committee chairman, Sen. Loren Legarda, and decided together with Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito, Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joel Villanueva, Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay.“Our SUCs are expecting an increase in enrollment due to the free college tuition law. Ang dagdag na pondo na ito ay para masiguro na may sapat, matibay at magandang imprastruktura at pasilidad ang ating mga kolehiyo at unibersidad para sa mga benepisyaryo ng free tertiary education [This additional funding will ensure that there will be enough and better infrastructure and facilities in our colleges and universities for the beneficiaries of free tertiary education],” he added.“The Train [bill] will help build not only the country’s physical infrastructure, but also its human infrastructure. When the poor have access to education, healthcare and social services, they gain better opportunities, leading to better incomes for their families,” Angara said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/revenue-tax-bill-fund-free-tuition/352223/
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Longest day of 2017 to occur on June 21
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['Elshamae Robles']
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2017-06-06 22:28:17+00:00
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The Philippines and other countries in the northern hemisphere will experience the longest day of the year during the summer solstice on June 21.“Philippine nights are at their shortest and daytimes at their longest during the summer solstice,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said.According to the website timeanddate.com, the nights in the country are at their shortest and daytimes are at their longest during the summer solstice that will occur on June 21 at 12:24 p.m.The sun is expected to rise at 5:25 a.m. and set at 6:22 p.m. as daytime lasts for 12 hours and 56 minutes.“This is the time when the sun attains its greatest declination of +23.5 degrees and passes directly overhead at noon for all observers at latitude 23.5 degrees north, which is known as the Tropic of Cancer,” the weather bureau said.The event marks the start of the southward movement of the sun in the ecliptic.During the summer solstice, the northern hemisphere is tilted toward the sun to its maximum extent, Pagasa explained.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/longest-day-2017-occur-june-21-2/331304/
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‘House-approved budget pork-free’
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-11 20:11:48+00:00
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There is no “pork barrel” in the proposed P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018 approved by lawmakers, Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said on Wednesday.On September 26, the House of Representatives approved House Bill 6215 or the 2018 General Appropriations Act on third and final reading.“Just like last year, this year and the next years, I reiterate my position that the national budget is and will be free of any pork barrel,” Nograles, who heads the House Committee on Appropriations, said in a statement.The Supreme Court (SC) declared the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel fund as unconstitutional in November 2013.Nograles said Congress is strictly complying with the SC ruling.“[There is none of that (pork barrel) in the budget because all of the programs are itemized and specifically defined and described in the budget book]. The budget process and deliberations have been very transparent and the budget book is open to everyone’s scrutiny,” he added.According to Nograles, lawmakers cannot participate in the budget’s implementation.“Once the budget law is passed by Congress, then we turn it over to the executive to execute. Legislators cannot regulate the release of funds or influence how the executive department would utilize the budget. Nothing in the budget law allows Congress or any of its members to play any role in the execution or implementation of the budget,” he said.REINA C. TOLENTINO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-approved-budget-pork-free/355957/
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Duterte defends granddaughter
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-12-18 21:29:13+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has downplayed criticisms hurled against his granddaughter Isabelle, who recently held a photo shoot in Malacañang.Isabelle, daughter of Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, earned public censure over the lavish photo shoot using the Presidential seal as her backdrop.“It was published that she had her picture taken [in the Palace]. What’s up with that? Kadugo ko ‘yan eh (She is my blood). It’s a small matter. She just used Malacañang. I wasn’t even there,” Duterte said in his speech during the birthday celebration of Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao over the weekend.“But even if I was there, my granddaughter wanted her picture taken…all of those who visit there (Malacañang) take their photos there. You know, she is going to be 18 years old,” Duterte added.Critics have chastised Isabelle for flaunting expensive dresses and using the President’s residence and office for her birthday photoshoot that happened days after a Social Weather Stations survey showed that 2.7 million families have experienced involuntary hunger at least once in the past three months, up from 2.2 million families who experienced the same thing last June.In a post in microblogging site Twitter, Isabelle urged her critics to busy themselves with more important issues rather than nitpicking.“I hope you do something useful with the freedom you are given, other than making hateful comments and carry so much unnecessary weight on your shoulders,” Isabelle said.Palace spokesman Harry Roque earlier defended the gesture of the President’s granddaughter by arguing that she did not do anything illegal.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-defends-granddaughter/369387/
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P433-M budget for OVP approved
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-15 20:13:49+00:00
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The House of Representatives appropriations committee on Tuesday approved in less than two minutes the proposed P433-million budget of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) for 2018.As courtesy to a former member of the House, Robrero got the approval for the budget, which is three percent more than the P428.6-million outlay in 2017, without the need to present it before the committee.In an interview after the hearing, the Vice President said the OVP has raised its 2018 budget for capital outlay and personnel services to help the office achieve its new mission and vision.“When I was elected as Vice President, there are many positions that have been previously created but remained vacant. So we have to fill that up,” according to Robredo.She said savings from lower maintenance and other operating expenses will be used for the salary of additional manpower.The Vice President added that they need to hire more people to streamline operations and achieve their goals, as the OVP veers away from purely ceremonial functions to a more advocacy-heavy government agency.“We are thankful [to the committee on appropriations]. Even if we are prepared to defend our budget proposal, we took it as a sign of trust by the committee in the Office of the Vice President,” Robredo said.“Our advocacy is more engagement with the private sector,” she added.JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/p433-m-budget-ovp-approved/344653/
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BI foils escape attempt of 57 illegal Chinese
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-12-01 21:39:18+00:00
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FIFTY-seven of the 1,240 Chinese who were arrested over illegal online gambling have tried to escape from their temporary detention cell inside the Fontana Leisure Park in Clark, Pampanga but majority were either captured or voluntarily returned with 27 still unaccounted for.The Bureau of Immigration (BI) spokesman, lawyer Antonette Mangrobang, disclosed the incident happened on Thursday around 3 a.m. but 35 of the Chinese decided to return with the help of the Chinese Embassy.“They voluntarily returned after their managers were contacted by the Chinese Embassy. The Chinese Embassy told their managers that their cases were being ironed out with the Immigration bureau,” Mangrobang toldThe Manila Times .She said a manhunt for the 27 missing Chinese by joint immigration and police operatives is underway, adding that none of them can get out of the country because all of the 1,240 who were arrested were placed under the BI’s hold departure order list.The incident was earlier disclosed by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre in an interview with radio dzMM, saying “a Chinese syndicate [in cahoots with corrupt immigration personnel] manipulated the escape of 70 [of the] arrested Chinese [who] were [later captured] or returned though 27 were still unaccounted for.”But a highly-placed immigration source in Clark told The Manila Times in a phone interview that “they did not escape, they were allowed to escape,” hinting that money changed hands but the source did not elaborate.He said the Chinese detainees are housed inside the Fontana Convention Center and are free to roam the center, adding that there were only 18 immigration intelligence officers who are guarding the more than 1,000 Chinese.“Actually, on the day they were arrested, many of them have already been released. Another 600 more are set to be released anytime from now. They filed a petition for bail,” the source added.Mangrobang confirmed that some 600 more Chinese have filed a petition for bail, saying “their papers are now pending with the Board of Commissioners for approval.”The 1,240 Chinese were rounded up by authorities last November 25 for illegally working in an online gambling den inside Fontana Leisure Park, owned by Jack Lam, a Chinese, who, according to the DOJ secretary is the biggest operator of online gaming in the Philippines.Aguirre said Lam does not have a permit to operate from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), which means that he is not paying the government a single centavo.He also disclosed that Lam, through an emissary, retired Police General Wally Sombero, tried to bribe him and Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo.Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said there would be no whitewash in deportation proceedings against the more than 1,000 Chinese even as reports said bribes were being offered for their release.“They will undergo deportation proceedings and their cases will be decided on the merits and the evidence to be presented,” Morente added.He promised a speedy resolution of the foreigners’ cases in order to allay suspicions or allegations of irregularities, saying those found liable for violating immigration laws, particularly those who overstayed or violated the conditions of their visa, will be deported immediately.The BI legal division has filed immigration charges against the 1,240 Chinese for “overstaying, working in violation of the limitations and conditions of their visa and engaging in an unlicensed online gaming business.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bi-foils-escape-attempt-57-illegal-chinese-2/299425/
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Corrections bureau gets new OIC
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-17 21:39:14+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday tapped an official of the Bureau of Corrections to temporarily run the affairs of the agency after the resignation of BuCor Director General Benjamin de los Santos a week ago.Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd issued Department Order 477 designating BuCor Administrative Division chief Rey Raagas as officer-in-charge (OIC).Raagas shall be given authority to look after the day-to-day operations and “other ministerial duties that are essential so as not to disrupt public service.”“This designation shall be in addition to his duties and responsibilities,” the order read.De los Santos resigned over reports about the revival of the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa City.Aguirre himself on July 3 divulged that the illegal drug trade had returned to the NBP and some of the inmates tested positive for use of illegal drugs.He is pushing for the appointment of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Chairman Dionisio Santiago as the next head of the BuCor.Aguirre said he will ask Presidentb Rodrigo Duterte to transfer Santiago to the Corrections bureau.Santiago assumed as DDB chief only last week.He was BuCor chairman from 2003 to 2004.Santiago was also a former Armed Forces chief and head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/corrections-bureau-gets-new-oic-2/338933/
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Climate change threat to food security – Dar
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-06-15 21:47:11+00:00
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CLIMATE change will threaten food security if the country fails to manage water use efficiently, William Dar, president of the InangLupa Movement Inc., warned on Thursday.Dar said most countries, including the Philippines, can expect reduced crop yields by 2050 and the only way to avoid this is for the country to come up with methods to maximize the use of water resources and develop high value crops.Speaking during the forum on the “Effects of Climate Change on Food and Water sustainability” Dar noted that food security is directly related to water availability.The conference was organized by the Center for Philippine Futuristics Studies and Management Center in partnership with The Manila Times and the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU).InangLupa is a social movement working for a science-based climate smart and competitive Philippine agriculture for social and economic empowerment of smallholder farmers.According to Dar, water supply in the country is severely affected by climate variability.He said decreasing rainfall, severe crop water stress and significant yield reduction brought by prolonged dry spells due to El Niño events have been occurring more frequently.“These are exacerbated by the frequent occurrence of above normal rainfall leading to floods and crop losses,” he said.The Philippines, based on The World Risk Index 2016, ranks third on the list of countries most at risk of disasters.Dar said that by 2025, the country’s water demand will be 85,401 million cubic meters (mcm) but available supply is estimated at 60,586 mcm.To avoid lower crop yield, the government needs to manage the use of water more efficiently, develop and plant more high-value crops needing less water and tap resources from surface and ground water, Dar said.It is also important to develop climate-smart commodities and technologies in agriculture that would lessen the impact of the extreme weather events brought by climate change.Among the innovative climate smart agriculture solutions are drought mapping to identify hotspots of higher climatic risk and aid planning, implementation of a more effective water-resource infrastructure through systematic construction of infrastructure for surface irrigation and aquifer replenishment, increased nutrient and water productivity through improved agronomic practices, strengthening water users’ groups to promote more effective farmer management of resources through farmer to farmer water sharing, and promotion of agricultural diversification with market-oriented crops that are suitable for the different drought risk conditions.Dar also raised the need to improve the management of watershed and agroforestry areas and develop an integrated systems master plan for coping with the water-related problems in each of the provinces and in the region as a whole.Falino Lansigan, dean of the college of arts and science at UPLB, meanwhile cited some issues and challenges like inadequate national agricultural extension programs and mainstreaming and sustainability of climate adaptation initiatives.There is also the need for effective coordination and governance among agencies involved, including training programs and extension activities, among others.“Climate change is now a reality. Climate mitigation and adaptation options and measures are needed including soil and water management,” Lansigan said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/climate-change-threat-food-security-dar/332914/
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DepEd expects more enrollees in senior HS
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-05-06 23:45:52+00:00
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THE Department of Education (DepEd) is expecting more junior high school or Grade 10 completers to enroll in senior high school this coming school year.DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Dina Ocampo said she is confident that 100 percent of junior high school graduates will enroll in senior high school or Grade 11 for the school year 2017-2018.DepEd records showed that about 1.517 million students enrolled in senior high school during the program’s full implementation in the last school year. The agency’s records also show that the number of students who finished Grade 10 was pegged at about 1.483 million, which means that it even exceeded the target number of enrollees.“We’re expecting again the same kind of enrollment. We’re expecting something like that again especially now that more people know about senior high school,” Ocampo told The Manila Times.Ocampo said DepEd has uploaded learning resources at the agency’s learning portal so students can access the needed learning materials.“We also have some challenges in terms of the supply of tools and equipment, but we are happy to know that the delivery by the various suppliers, most of them are doing alright. So there are more equipment that are getting delivered to schools, particularly for Science and Mathematics,” the DepEd official said.Ocampo also said the hiring of additional teachers is ongoing.“I think the hiring of new teachers is ongoing at the divisions. I don’t have that information in terms of data but that has been going on since January,” she said.“Early registration is also ongoing. Soon we will know which schools are densely populated so that school administrators would know which schools still needs more resources,” the DepEd official added.The senior high school program was fully implemented in the last school year and is expected to produce its first batch of graduates by 2018.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-expects-enrollees-senior-hs/325894/
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Lawyers’ group to sue Trillanes for sedition
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-11-09 19:18:18+00:00
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A group of lawyers on Thursday said they would be filing various criminal charges, including sedition, against Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th for encouraging soldiers to kill President Rodrigo Duterte in a speech delivered more than a month ago.According to the group headed by former congressman Jacinto Paras, Trillanes lied about the President’s supposed multimillion-peso bank deposits and called on the military to use their M-16 rifles and shoot Duterte.It was referring to the October 3 privilege speech delivered by Trillanes wherein he accused Duterte of having at least P2 billion in credits and deposits in numerous banks.The senator said that starting 2006, Duterte had 13 bank transactions involving P50 million every six months and 21 transactions amounting to P40 million each.In October 2013, an average of P193 million in daily transactions was allegedly made in Duterte’s bank accounts.The senator in his speech then quoted the statement of Duterte telling soldiers to shoot him if they can find more than P40 million in his bank accounts.“Kung makikita ito ng mga sundalo, M16 machine guns ang gagamitin sa iyo kase marami ito kase mauubos ang magazine kung P40 million ang hinahanap [If the soldiers will see these (bank records), they will use M16 machine guns on you because this is a lot, the magazines would be emptied. That is if they are just looking for P40 million]” Trillanes said in his speech.Paras said the senator lied about the supposed bank records of President Duterte because no less than the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) denied that it was the source of the bank records.The AMLC in a letter in September denied being the source of the documents and having provided the Office of the Ombudsman with any report in relation to Duterte’s bank transactions.It said the figures cited by Trillanes were misleading and wrong because alleged debits and credits representing inflows and outflows of funds were added together.“By concocting all these lies and showing spurious documents, he has encouraged, or he has called on the military to kill the President,” Paras said in a breakfast forum at Serye Restaurant in Quezon City.Lawyer Manuel Luna, the legal counsel of the group, said they would initially file cases of inciting to sedition and proposal to commit coup d’etat against the senator.“The mere expression which does not fall under freedom of speech is already inciting to sedition. If you attempt to cause the public to endanger the President or the government that is already inciting to sedition… He [Trillanes] has crossed the line,” Luna added.Apart from the two cases, the group said it will also charge Trillanes for violation of Section 14C of Republic Act 9160 or the Anti-Money Laundering Act for malicious reporting, and Section 3e of the Anti-Graft Law for causing undue injury to the government.It added that among the pieces of evidence that they would be using against Trillanes were his privilege speech, his speech at the University of the Philippines, photographs showing him in several rallies and statements he made to the media.“We respect that he is a senator but he has gone out of line and we are doing this because we have a civic duty to protect the government,” Luna said.He added that they are not doing this because they are supporters of Duterte, noting that they would do the same even if the people had elected a different President.WelcomeTrillanes welcomed the plan of the lawyers’ group to sue him for sedition over his supposed threat on the life of the President, noting that it is a chance for him to get the court’s permission to open the bank accounts of Duterte.“No matter how absurd these cases may seem, I actually welcome them… as part of my legal defense,” he said.“I would be able to ask the court to subpoena his [Duterte] bank documents as an exemption to the Bank Secrecy Law,” the senator added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawyers-group-sue-trillanes-sedition/361709/
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Include CPR in school curriculum – Angara
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-07-08 00:01:30+00:00
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SEN. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Saturday urged all private and public schools to include in their curriculum training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).He authored Republic Act 10871, or the “Samboy Lim Law,” which aims to make lifesavers out of the Filipino youth.“Everyone can be a lifesaver, including our youth. All it takes is training, and the schools are the best venue to equip students with the lifesaving skills,” Angara said.He lauded the Department of Health (DoH) for leading mass demonstrations of hands-only CPR in time for the National Disaster Resilience month.The DoH aims to educate local government units on hands-only CPR to equip them during calamities and disasters.Studies have shown that the survival rate of a victim doubles when CPR is administered, the senator said.“It is an emergency procedure applied when someone’s heart stopped beating to help keep and maintain the blood flow to the heart and brain,” he said.Angara crafted the measure after retired professional basketball player Samboy Lim suffered a heart attack in 2014 during an exhibition game.Physicians who attended to him later said that his recovery would have been better had CPR been administered within three minutes after the heart attack.“Equipping our youth with the necessary knowledge and basic skills to respond to certain health emergencies can save lives,” Angara said.“We instill in their consciousness not only the importance of being healthy but also the importance of saving lives,” he added.RA 10871 mandates schools nationwide to incorporate CPR in their curriculum and make it a compulsory requirement prior to graduation.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/include-cpr-in-school-curriculum-angara/417199/
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Sandigan inhibits from BI plunder case
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-04-06 00:04:08+00:00
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The Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division has inhibited from hearing a plunder case filed against former Bureau of Immigration (BI) deputy commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles and Wenceslao Sombero Jr. in connection with alleged receipt of money in exchange for release of supposedly illegal Chinese workers.The case was designated by raffle on March 28 to the anti-graft court’s Fourth Division along with the graft case and bribery case filed against Argosino, Robles and Sombero, as well as the case filed against Argosino, Robles, Sombero and Jack Lam a.k.a. Lam Yin Lok wherein they were accused of violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 46.In a letter dated March 28 addressed to Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, Associate Justice Alex Quiroz requested the Fourth Division’s inhibition from hearing the cases “as the undersigned is an acquaintance of one of the accused therein.”“The inhibition, when granted, will deter suspicions of impropriety or partiality,” Quiroz, the chairman of the Fourth Division, said.The Sandiganbayan en banc (full bench) approved the request.Under the court’s rules, inhibition by the chairman or all three members of the division would mean a re-raffling of the case to another division.The cases will be designated to another division of the court by raffle today.The Office of the Ombudsman filed the cases on March 23.The Ombudsman alleged in the charge sheet accusing Argosino, Robles and Sombero of plunder “[t]hat on or about 27 November 2016, or sometime prior or subsequent thereto, willfully, unlawfully and criminally amass, accumulate and acquire ill-gotten wealth in the aggregate amount of” P50 million “through a series or combination of overt or criminal acts, or similar schemes or means, such as by receiving, directly or indirectly, a sum of money from any person and/or entity by reason of their [then-]office or [then-]position as [then-]Deputy Commissioners of the Bureau of Immigration, and by taking undue advantage of their official position, authority and influence as such [then-]Deputy Commissioners to unjustly enrich themselves at the expense and to the damage and prejudice of the Filipino people and the Republic of the Philippines…”According to the charge sheet, the money which totaled P50 million—the threshold amount for plunder—wasallegedly “delivered to and received by the accused Argosino and Robles on two instances at the City of Dreams Manila, an establishment in Parañaque City, that is,” P20 million “at or about 2:00 a.m. of 27 November 2016 and” P30 million “at or about 5:45 a.m. of the same day” which were allegedly “both from accused Sombero…”No bail was recommended by the Ombudsman in the plunder case.In the charge sheet accusing Argosino, Robles and Sombero with violation of Section 3(e) of Republic Act 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practice Act), the Office of the Ombudsman alleged that Argosino and Robles, “conspiring and confederating with one another and with” Sombero who was “[then-]President, Asian Gaming Service Provider Association Inc., willfully, unlawfully and criminally demand and receive” P50 million “from [then-]businessman Jack Lam a.k.a. Lam Yin Lok a.k.a. Yin Lok Lam, through… Sombero, “as a consideration to release 1,316 Chinese nationals who were then arrested and detained at Fontana Leisure Park, Clark Field, Pampanga… thereby causing undue injury in the amount of” P50 million “to Jack Lam and/or the persons or entities from whom said amount was sourced.”It recommended P30,000 bail for each accused in the graft case and P20,000 bail for each accused in the bribery case.In the case wherein Argosino, Robles, Sombero and Lam were accused of violation of PD 46, the Ombudsman recommended P10,000 bail for each accused.The court is duty-bound to determine whether there is probable cause to order an accused’s arrest and to hold him for trial.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sandigan-inhibits-from-bi-plunder-case/390654/
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Philippines, US to begin drug demand reduction programs
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-09-08 22:38:01+00:00
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The Philippines and the United States have announced plans to begin drug demand reduction programs under the existing Letter of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement.Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano and US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim signed an amended letter of agreement, which commits more than P102 million in additional funding from the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.This funding will support Philippine initiatives to develop drug reduction programs focused on public health and community-based interventions.The signing of the amendment marks a new step in US-Philippine partnership, a statement said.Under this agreement, the two countries will collaborate on areas ranging from treatment and prevention to policy development to support a comprehensive public health program focused on reducing the demand for drugs.The Philippines and the United States share concerns about the dangers posed by substance abuse disorder and this latest collaboration, according to the statement, “reflects a mutual interest in improving efforts to limit the effects of illicit drugs.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/philippines-us-begin-drug-demand-reduction-programs/349473/
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Troops ‘cleaning’ Marawi
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-08-21 21:52:57+00:00
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Soldiers and policemen are ‘clearing’the besieged city of Marawi and cleaning the streets and every mosque laid waste by the Islamic State-linked Maute Group terrorists.In a statement on Monday, Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., chief of the Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said around 80 soldiers and policemen are armed with other “weapons” instead of rifles.Government security forces have been wielding broomsticks, grass cutters, bolos and paint brushes while roaming the city streets, which the military has declared “clear” of lawless elements.Galvez said the street-cleaning activity, initiated by Joint Task Force Tabang and dubbed as Kapalimpiyo tano ko Kalilintad (Let’s Clean for Peace) was held in Barangay Emie, Matampay, Sarimanok, Marawi and Malalat.“These activities intend to prepare the area for the upcoming return of the evacuees to their respective homes.We hope the clean-up will somehow alleviate how they feel when they go back to a place which was torn by war and fighting,” he added.Galvez reiterated that uniformed troops will “continually” be involved in any clearing operation, even if the three-month old war has ended.“We know that people are already asking when they can come back to their homes. We hope they will understand that their soldiers and policemen are doing their best to end the fighting soonest so that they can finally go home,” he said.But Brig. Gen. Joselito Bautista, Joint Task Force Marawi commander, said that the clean-up will focus next on the mosques within the main battle area in the city.This initiative will “immediately cater to Moslem believers” once ground commanders and troops gave the green light for the evacuees and displaced persons to return to their respective homes inside the war-torn city.Religious icons including mosques were also cleaned by around 15 policemen and a team of soldiers who also did minor repairs in the Saad Huzam Almusairi Masjid located within Lilod village.The fighting in Marawi has been going on since May 23 and martial law is still in place not only in Marawi but in the entire Mindanao after Congress passed a resolution approving President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration extending it until the end of the year.As of the latest military count, at least 583 Maute terrorists have been killed in and 640 firearms have been seized by military forces.According to military reports, 129 soldiers and 45 civilians have been killed by the extremists while rescued civilians number 1,728.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/troops-cleaning-marawi/345896/
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Aguirre to NBI: Probe ex-UP student’s killing
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-09-04 21:57:00+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate the death of Carl Angelo Arnaiz, who allegedly shot it out with Caloocan City policemen who had accosted him for allegedly robbing a taxi driver.Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd made the directive after the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) took over the case.“The written order was issued today [Monday] but I already issued a verbal order to that effect last Saturday,” Aguirre said.Aguirre also ordered the NBI to probe the killing of a former chief prosecutor in Mandaluyong City.Under Department Order 575, he directed NBI Director Dante Gierran to conduct a probe and case build-up on the death of Pablito Gahol, who was ambushed and gunned down by motorcycle-riding men last September 2.The Arnaiz family asked for the help of PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta over the police’s version of events that led to the killing of the 19-year-old former University of the Philippines student on August 18.The alleged assailants are Police Officer 1 Jeffrey Perez and PO1 Ricky Arquilita.PAO Medico Legal Dr. Erwin Erfe noted that many bullets entered Arnaiz’s body.It appeared from initial findings that the teenager was tortured before he was killed as his wrists were swollen and bore handcuff marks and his eyes were bruised.It also appeared that Arnaiz could be kneeling when he was shot several times in the chest.But the Caloocan City police said Arnaiz held up taxi driver Tomas Bagcal on C3 Road in the city, hit the driver on the head with a gun, took his wallet and immediately ran away.The taxi driver then asked for help from the policemen patrolling the area to apprehend Arnaiz but the young man allegedly opened fire on them, prompting them to fire back.The police said the wallet of the taxi driver containing P450 and the taxi were recovered from the crime scene.‘Police response’They added that shabu and marijuana were recovered from Arnaiz.The police’s claims were refuted by the family of the victim.The two policemen said to be involved in the killing of Arnaiz have been sacked by Manila Police District chief Oscar Albayalde, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald de la Rosa told a news conference also on Monday.Perez and Arquilita of the Caloocan City Police were transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.De la Rosa called on the public to not be “too quick in condemning our policemen,” saying the Arnaiz case is “very different” from that of slain senior high school student Kian Loyd de los Santos who was also allegedly killed in Caloocan City last month by three members of the city police.According to de la Rosa, the killing of Arnaiz was a “case of police response” wherein Perez and Arquilita supposedly came to the rescue of “a taxi driver [being held up] by Arnaiz.”“So I told the policemen, find the taxi driver so you have proof [that he was held up],” he said.De la Rosa added that Arnaiz “had a shootout with the policemen,” which led to his death.According to him, “no one” was able to identify the student’s body until his parents came to the morgue on August 28 and identified him.The PNP chief said he has no problem with a PAO report that Arnaiz’s body showed signs of “torture” before his death.Two days before Arnaiz was killed, de los Santos was also killed in an anti-crime police operation in Caloocan City’s Barangay 160.‘Killing machines’Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara also on Monday urged the government to compel policemen to observe the rule of law and stop them from becoming “killing machines” in their effort to pursue the war on drugs.Angara and Sen. Joel Villanueva deplored the killing of Arnaiz.“It looks like a repeat of the Kian killing and in the same area reportedly. The PAO reports an execution-type of killing with bullet wounds in the back. This is simply unacceptable,” Angara said.“We should teach our police proper law enforcement and that their role is to bring suspects to justice and not be executioners,” he added.Angara said, “We don’t need killing machines. We need speedy fair and efficient justice machines that people can trust, and don’t fear.”“Recently, our nation went in mourning for the death of [de los Santos] in the hands of our police. And yet again, we have witnessed another injustice as a young life was once again claimed by our policemen,” Villanueva said.Senators from the Liberal Party (LP) also expressed outrage over the Arnaiz case.The party said the continuing denial of the PNP of its involvement “in the tide of extrajudicial killings, a spillover of the [Duterte] administration’s anti-drug war, now rings more hollow amid the emerging pattern of how the victims are killed.”The PNP should act on the two cases with dispatch and transparency, and bring to the bar of justice the perpetrators, said Senators Franklin Drilon, Francis Pangilinan, Antonio Trillanes 4th, Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th and detained Sen. Leila de Lima.“Otherwise, its credibility would even be in deeper pits and the institution would face the risk of being perceived as no different from criminal syndicates. The PNP should start with the Caloocan policemen,” according to the LP senators who comprise the Senate minority bloc.AND BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/aguirre-nbi-probe-ex-students-killing/348635/
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Angara wants free dialysis for poor patients
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-08-27 00:06:09+00:00
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Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has filed a measure that seeks to provide free dialysis treatment for poor Filipinos suffering from kidney disease.In his Senate Bill 1329, Angara wants all national, regional and provincial government hospitals to establish a dialysis ward or unit that will offer free dialysis treatment to indigent patients.Based on records of the Department of Health, there are over 50,000 kidney patients nationwide, up from 25,000 in 2016.Kidney disease can be prevented but it is the seventh leading cause of death among Filipinos.Angara, a member of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, said the current situation made it imperative for the government to ensure that dialysis treatment would be accessible especially to poor patients living in rural areas. He said poor patients living in the provinces suffer more because of the expenses incurred in traveling to urban cities to seek dialysis treatment.He lamented that because of the high cost and inaccessibility of treatment, some patients die without undergoing dialysis.A patient with kidney disease needs to undergo hemodialysis treatment thrice a week, or 144 sessions in one year.The cost for each dialysis treatment is around P2,500 in government hospitals, and P4,000 in private facilities.The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) only covers 90 dialysis sessions annually which means patients would need to pay for 54 sessions a year or at least P135,000.“In our proposed measure we want to make dialysis sessions free for indigent patients,” Angara said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/angara-wants-free-dialysis-for-poor-patients/435000/
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BoC eyes P14M from auction
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-09-15 00:04:53+00:00
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THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) expects to generate P14 million additional revenue for the government as it sets for public auction 30 container vans of various seized, imported goods.“We expect to generate some P14 million in additional revenues from the public auction,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said on Friday.The public auction is scheduled on September 17 and 21 at 10:00 a.m. at the Collector’s Conference Room, 3rd floor, Port of Manila (POM) Building.According to the POM Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, it will bid out a total of 12 lots — five lots on September 17 and seven lots on September 21.First to be bid out on September 17 are 23 40-footer containers of insulation flat panels with a total floor price of P5,361,852.16, one brand new unit XGMA payloader and one brand new unit XGMA forklift pegged at P1,346,940.00, and another six 40-footer containers of plywood with a floor price of P1,205,256.89.Also on the bloc is a another 40-footer container loaded with approximately 900 packages of Westinghouse rice cookers valued at P284,394.50, and three brand new units of steel cabins for construction equipment with a floor price of P186,760.On September 21, POM will bid out seven lots of various goods, including the P2,520,000-worth of two used units of international 10-wheeler tractor heads, and P1,253,476.34-worth one used excavator.Other merchandise to be auctioned include P421,694-worth of various assorted items, such as a Shure Wireless System, card reader, notebook keyboard, cellphone screen guard, coin purse, power inverter, solar module, assorted bags, microphone jack, CCTV, and capacitors.POM will also bid out a 40-foot container of machine- glazed paper with a floor price of P431,412.67; a container-full of empty glass bottle valued at P181,723.76; a container of lamp pole pegged at P375,279.20; and one used Mercury Cougar XR7 model 1969, body only, amounting to P6,297.36.Lapeña said that interested bidders may inquire at ACDD-POM with hotline numbers 0977-615-7648 or 0929-569-4915.Meanwhile, the BoC-Port of Subic destroyed P15 million worth of prohibited used clothing or ukay-ukay, used tires, and other abandoned goods in Guiguinto, Bulacan.Subic District Collector lawyer Ma. Rhea M. Gregorio on Friday said the items were shredded and disposed of at the facilities of Epy Eco Auction and Waste Disposal Services (EPY ECO), the accredited service provider of the Port of Subic for the condemnation of contrabands and abandoned goods.Republic Act 4653 prohibits the importation of ukay-ukay and used tires. Letter of Instruction No. 1086, s. 1980 also prohibits the importation of used tires.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/boc-eyes-p14m-from-auction/441614/
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An erasable boundary?
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['Ako Madamosiya 毛むくじゃら']
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20/03/2017 0:00
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provided there is mutual respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each other.Bullies of any kind, whether persons or countries, respect power and determination. At the rate our sovereignty and territorial integrity is being eroded in the Spratlys and at the Scarborough Shoal, it is clear to me that there will be more violations of our rights as a nation. We must now determine once and for all when and where do we draw the line? Cowardice is not a virtue. As our national anthem states we must be ready to die for our [email protected]
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/20/an-erasable-boundary/
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Lorenzana, Mattis discuss terror in Washington meeting
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-09-21 00:07:35+00:00
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Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana discussed terrorism and other defense issues with US Defense Secretary James Mattis when he visited the latter in Washington on Wednesday.Dana White, Pentagon chief spokesperson, said the highlight of the meeting was terrorism, a major issue faced by both countries for years.“The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, to include their commitment to fighting terrorism and reaffirmed US military advisory support to assist the Philippines in combatting ISIS and other violent extremist networks,” White said in a statement that was also sent to Manila-based reporters.She was using another acronym for Islamic State, an international terrorist organization.Mattis thanked Lorenzana for the Philippines’ contribution to maritime security through trilateral patrols with Malaysia and Indonesia in the Sulu and Celebes seas.The trilateral maritime patrol was launched by the three countries last year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lorenzana-mattis-discuss-terror-in-washington-meeting-2/443431/
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Lawmaker believes politics behind husband’s killing
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-05-30 00:02:15+00:00
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The widow of former La Union representative Eufranio Eriguel said politics was behind her husband’s killing.“Congressman Franny’s murder is politically motivated. There is no other angle. Congressman Franny’s leadership is inclusive, and the mastermind of this murder probably thinks that to take Congressman Franny down would mean dismantling the union of the leaders. [But] sowing fear upon the people through intimidation and violence should never be the basis for voting our leaders, but rather, to vote freely and based on personal preference should be the basis for voting our leaders,” Rep. Sandra Eriguel said.She also decried the decision of the Philippine National Police to recall her husband’s security detail days before he was shot dead.“Our police security detail were pulled out one by one. This is despite the fact that Congressman Franny survived an attempt on his life [in a bomb attack in April 2016]. We pleaded with Police Senior Supt. Genaro Sapiera, the then Provincial Director of La Union Provincial Police Office, not to pull out all of our security detail due to active threats on our lives. Congressman Franny personally pleaded to him. But Sapiera insisted that it was on orders of Police Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula, the Regional Director of PNP-Regional Office 1, to pull out all police security detail,” Mrs. Eriguel said.She added that on May 7, 2018, the Barangay (village) captain of Capas, Agoo, La Union also wrote to then Chief of Police of Agoo Police Station, Chief Inspector Alfredo Padilla, Jr., requesting for security assistance but Padilla did not act on his request.“Without our police security detail, each one of us became vulnerable to any attack. But Congressman Franny never wavered in any fight. He would rather take it head on and show to his opponents that they cannot take him down,” Mrs. Eriguel said.The former lawmaker was slain on May 12, two days before the village and youth polls. He was giving a speech in a meeting de advance for candidates when he was shot repeatedly.“I firmly believe that if it were not for the orders of RD Sapitula to pull out our police security detail and the ineptness of former Agoo COP Padilla for failing to act on the letter of Barangay Capas for security assistance, the shooting incident may have been prevented and my husband could be alive today. As legislators, we must look into the actions of the PNP days before the brutal and cowardly murder of my husband. We can prevent this type of murder being committed again. This must end here,” Mrs. Eriguel said.The La Union lawmaker urged the PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation to speed up their investigation to unmask the people behind the attack.“As long as they remain unidentified, my life and the life of my children will always be at risk. We cry for justice,” she said.Eriguel, who also served as Mayor of Agoo, La Union, was laid to rest in his hometown on May 26.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmaker-believes-politics-behind-husbands-killing/402274/
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LTO suspends memo on temporary license plates
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['Dale Mubarak']
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25/02/2017 0:00
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The Land Transportation Office (LTO) has suspended its memorandum requiring vehicle dealers to secure uniform temporary license plates.LTO chief Edgar Galvante on Thursday announced the suspension during a meeting with car and motorcycle dealers.He said the suspension will be effective for three months.During the meeting, the dealers asked for more time so they could comply with the specifications the LTO had set for the uniform temporary license plates.The requirement, they argued, likewise affected their efforts to expedite the processing of their clients’ documents.The LTO memorandum, which became effective February 15, mandated dealers to adhere to a specified font, design and the material for the temporary license plates for uniformity and ease of visual recognition.This was also to ensure that only registered motor vehicles are operating on roads.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/02/25/lto-suspends-memo-on-temporary-license-plates/
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Diokno opposes Train suspension
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['Mayvelin U. Caraballo']
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2018-05-10 00:04:03+00:00
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Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Wednesday stressed the need to implement the tax reform law amid warnings by some senators that congress may recommend the suspension of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act (Train) law.“Suspending the law is to me out of the question. It has to be implemented,” Diokno told reporters.While admitting that there “might be some transitory increases in the prices [of goods],” Diokno pointed out that the government had “provided some mitigating measures in the law itself that will help those who will be affected by the transitory increase in prices from this year.”Last month, growth in consumer prices accelerated anew to 4.5 percent from 4.3 percent in March on the back of higher beverage, tobacco, utility and transport prices.This pushed inflation rate to 4.1 percent, exceeding the 2.0-4.0 percent target for 2018.“In fact, the assistance will be increased next year and by 2020. So suspending the law will do more harm than good,” the Budget chief said, referring to the unconditional cash transfer and other social mitigation programs.Diokno said seven million households were given P2,400 in the first quarter this year under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program. On top of that, three million indigent senior citizens have started receiving social pensions.Senators Sherwin Gatchalian, Joseph Victor Ejercito, and Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th have called for the review of the Train law because it pushed prices of goods up, burdening the poor.Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said his department will “listen carefully to Sen. Gatchalian’s sentiments.”The Train is the first package under the government’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, which exempts those earning an annual taxable income of P250,000 and below from paying the personal income tax. However, it imposed new taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages and non-essential cosmetic procedures.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/diokno-opposes-train-suspension/397823/
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AFP: Only Omar Maute alive, 6 other brothers dead
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-09-08 22:42:15+00:00
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday said it has “reason to believe” that Omar Maute remains in the fight in Marawi City while six of his brothers have been killed during a clash in the area.During a Mindanao Hour news briefing, AFP spokesman Restituto Padilla Jr. said he got word from Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, chief of the AFP Western Mindanao Command, that only Omar is leading the terrorist group’s battle against government troops in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur.“They have reason to believe that only one of the Maute brothers remains in the fight, and this is Omar. The rest are believed to have been killed,” Padilla told reporters.The Maute brothers were among terror leaders known to have plotted attacks in Marawi City, just before firefights erupted on May 23.Padilla said there are a total of seven Maute brothers who are part of the terrorist group behind attacks in the city.“Sa aming pagkakaalam, mga pitong magkakapatid ‘yan, lahat po ay involved sa grupo. At sa akin nga pong nasabi kanina, ang paniniwala po ng ating mga tropa sa baba ay nag-iisa na lang ‘yung tumatayong nagdidirekta diyan ng bakbakan. At ‘yung iba ay napatay na [To our knowledge, seven siblings are involved in the group. Just like what I said earlier, our troops on the ground believe that only one of them is leading the fight. The others have been killed],” he added.But the AFP spokesman said the remains of the supposed Maute brothers would have to subjected to DNA testing for them to be absolutely certain about the deaths.“But just the same, we need to, with finality and certainty, recover their bodies and subject them to DNA testing before a categorical statement can be issued. But information on the ground, along with those revelations from hostages who have gone out of the area, and other information available to the troops point to this development,” Padilla added.Last week, the military reported that the other key leader of the Maute Group, Omar’s brother Abdullah Maute, was killed in an air strike last month.Abdullah is believed to be the military commander strategizing for the local terrorist group on the ground.The military previously reported that Omar was also likely killed in the battle zone.But it later said that Omar turned out to be alive.Malacañang earlier announced a P5-million bounty for the “neutralization” of each of the Maute brothers.As of 7 p.m. Thursday, government placed the death toll in the Marawi fighting at 843, among them 653 terror suspects, 145 government troops and 45 civilians.Meanwhile, Padilla said the battle area in Marawi City has been reduced to 20 hectares after days of “fierce” close-quarter battle.“So 20 hectares of land area is where the enemy has been circulating around, and still continuing their fight. Fighting has been very fierce. It has been at close-quarter battle in the area,” he added.|“But our forces are determined and are focused to seek to end this rebellion as soon as possible,” according to Padilla.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/afp-omar-maute-alive-6-brothers-dead/349481/
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DoJ issues lookout bulletin vs suspected drug traders
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-31 23:46:31+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) has issued an immigration lookout bulletin against suspected illegal-drug traders.Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd ordered Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to place Peter Go Lim aka “Jaguar,” Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa, Peter Co, Marcelo L. Adorco, Max Miro, Lovely Adam Impal, Ruel Malindangan and Jun Pepito in the lookout bulletin.The suspects were listed in the bulletin “in connection with the cases of violation of Section 26 [b] in relation toSection 5 [sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals] of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act.”The cases were filed against the eight suspects before the Justice department.Co is detained at the national penitentiary New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa City while Espinosa has been admitted to the DoJ’s Witness Protection Program.Impal was named by Espinosa as his supplier of illegal drugs and has been detained since January 2017 after being arrested in a buy-bust in Iligan City, Lanao del Sur.Lim months ago was named by President Rodrigo Duterte as a top drug supplier.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doj-issues-lookout-bulletin-vs-suspected-drug-traders-2/341722/
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Teen pregnancy on the rise; 4 out of 10 girls are mothers
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2016-10-22 22:32:53+00:00
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Teenage pregnancy remains a problem in the Philippines where four of 10 teenagers are mothers, according to Klaus Beck, country representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).Beck cited a study that showed that at least P33 billion in earnings is lost annually due to teenage pregnancy, which is also the main cause of maternal death.Combating young pregnancy, Beck said, is literally a matter of life and death.“The Philippines is the only country in Asia and the Pacific where we have not seen a decrease in teenage pregnancy in the last two decades. In fact, we are seeing an increase,” he said.The most recent study conducted in 2013 showed that 57 in 1,000 girls aged 15 to 19 were pregnant. In 2008, the ratio was 53: 1,000.“Whenever a girl’s potential goes unrealized, we all lose,” Beck said Thursday during the launch of UNFPA’s State of World Population (SWOP) Report for 2016.The official urged parents to provide age-appropriate sex education, which can start as early as age five.He said the more young people know about sex, the less they will do it.Cariza “Aiza” Seguerra, head of the National Youth Commission (NYC), agreed, saying the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood-Reproductive Health law which encourages the practice of responsible and safe sex was not enough.Seguerra said this was because the youth below 18 years old need parental consent to gain access to the services provided by the law.“Who would go and tell their parent that they want to get a condom?” Seguerra said.Seguerra encouraged parents to communicate openly with their children.She added sex and health education should start in the family.The UNFPA said the world’s future depends on 10-year-old girls.Experts identified 10 as the pivotal age for girls because it is the start of their puberty.InvestmentThe agency said developing economies stand to win an extra $21 billion if they improve girls’ health and sex education.Girls in developing countries are less likely than boys to complete schooling because of forced marriage, child labor and female genital mutilation, risking the opportunities presented by their largely young populations, said the study, launched in London.“Over the next 15 years alone, developing countries together stand to gain or forfeit at least $21 billion, depending on whether or not they invest in the well-being, education, and independence of their 10-year-old girls today,” it said.WITH AFP
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/teen-pregnancy-rise-4-10-girls-mothers/292634/
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PNP, CIDG chiefs get subpoena powers
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-03-10 00:07:08+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has given the Philippine National Police additional powers by authorizing the PNP chief, as well as the director and deputy director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), to issue subpoenas and subpoenas duces tecum to help them in their investigations.A subpoena is a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in court under a penalty for failure.A subpoena duces tecum, on the other hand, is a writ commanding a person to produce in court certain designated documents or evidence.The authorization given by the President came from Republic Act (RA) 10973 that he signed recently.RA 10973 amends the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Law.The PNP and the CIDG are under the jurisdiction of the Interior department.The new law provides that a subpoena should state the nature and purpose of the investigation and be served to the person whose attendance at a congressional hearing is required.Failure to comply with a subpoena or a subpoena duces tecum issued by the PNP will result in the filing of a case of indirect contempt under the Rules of Court with the Regional Trial Court.Prior to the passage of this new law, the authority of the PNP chief was limited to directing and controlling tactical as well as strategic movements, deployment, placement and utilization of the PNP or any of its units and personnel, including its equipment, facilities and other resources; and issuing detailed implementing policies and instructions regarding personnel, funds, property, records, correspondence and such other matters that may be necessary to carry out the functions, powers and duties of the police organization effectively.The new law came a little over a month after the PNP relaunched its anti-drug operation Double Barrel, vowing that the operation would be less bloody.Under Lower Barrel of the operation, the police convince drug suspects to surrender to authorities.Upper Barrel is a drug buy-bust of suspects who cannot be convinced to turn themselves in.The President pulled out the PNP from anti-drug operations in October 2017, replacing it with the Philippine DrugEnforcement Agency (PDEA).The PNP, however, was again tapped to assist the PDEA in November 2017 because Duterte was not satisfied with the PDEA’s output.As the lead agency in the anti-drug war, the PDEA was able to conduct 1,341 anti-drug operations from October 10 to November 10, 2017, resulting in the arrest of 404 drug suspects and the confiscation of dangerous drugs worth P53.83 million.Government records say at least 3,800 drug suspects were killed in legitimate police operations, but local and international human rights groups have pegged the drug-related deaths under the Duterte administration to as much as 13,000 and all of those killed were without pending charges or did not undergo trial.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pnp-cidg-chiefs-get-subpoena-powers/385065/
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Hungary offers to help automate PH farming
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-29 22:44:19+00:00
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Seeing the Philippines as an agricultural country, Hungarian Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Péter Szijjárto said his country could be a big help to Filipino farmers by automating farming in the countryside.“Hungary too is primarily an agricultural country and our export over gross domestic product [GDP] is more than 90 percent. Meaning we are dependent on external economy,” he told The Manila Times recently in an exclusive interview.Szijjarto said while Germany is the economic backbone of Europe, central Europe where Hungary is located is the backyard of the continent.“We produce products for exports,” he added.Hungary exports parts of Mercedez Benz cars, Szijjarto said.According to the Hungarian official, the Philippines could improve its exports by employing machines that will make it easier to grow and process agricultural products.He said Hungary has the strictest food regulatory policies in Europe, with its Constitution banning, for example, genetically modified organism (GMO), and such policies have made the country’s agricultural products more in demand.Szijjárto brought with him eight businessmen who are closing negotiations in exporting meat products and agricultural machines and technology.He said their meat products include pork, beef and poultry.Hungary also makes farming tools for harvesting and hauling.At present, the Philippines exports fresh fruits and vegetables to Hungary.Szijjarto said he hopes for more products to enter their ports in the future once agricultural automation is implemented.He said Manila is exporting more to Budapest..Hungary has a 10-million population compared to the 110 million of the Philippines.“What is more attractive is the 6.8 percent growth of Philippines, the highest in Asia,” the Hungarian official said, adding that this growth was the main reason why Hungary has reopened its embassy in Manila after 22 years since it closed it down in 1994.Szijjarto earlier disclosed that Hungary has made available $510 million for funding business ventures of Hungarians in the Philippines and Filipinos in Hungary.Hungary was one of the first foreign donors who rushed to help victims of super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 that struck Leyte province in the Visayas the hardest.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/hungary-offers-help-automate-ph-farming/319869/
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House bill unlikely to send kids to jail
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-05-22 21:08:09+00:00
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The House justice committee is unlikely to reduce the age of criminal liability from 15 to nine years old under a measure that, initially, is the second highest priority of the Duterte administration next to the death penalty bill.Rep. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro, committee chairman, made the prediction on Monday, or a day before a scheduled vote on the proposed measure authored by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte and Deputy Speaker Frednil Castro of Capiz.But it is also unlikely to send children to jail in light of approval of the death penalty bill, according to another lawmaker.“I was briefed by the Committee Secretariat [this morning], and I was told that the option being pursued is to enhance the existing [Juvenile Justice] law. I don’t know the details yet, but I will know more about it within the day,” Umali told reporters.“Not reducing the age of criminal liability is a possibility, but I don’t want to preempt the decision of the committee,” he said.While reducing the age of criminal liability is a priority measure of the Duterte administration, the bill has failed to get the support of government agencies in charge of children’s welfare namely the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and its attached agency the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC), the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Health (DoH).The DSWD is headed by Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, while the Secretary of Education is former NationalTreasurer Leonor Briones. The Health department is led by Secretary Paulyn Ubial.Of these three, only Briones’ appointment has been approved by the Commission on Appointments, a body composed of lawmakers who have the power to reject presidential appointees.Lawmakers welcomed the House justice panel’s softening stance on the bill detaining children in conflict with the law.“There has been a proposal by child advocates that Congress should instead provide more funds for the implementation of the Juvenile Justice law instead of lowering the age of criminal responsibility. We proposed that ages 9 to 15 should have a comprehensive intervention package as required by law. If the justice committee approves a measure with those provisions, it will be a victory of reason,” Rep. Tom Villarin of Akbayan party-list said in a text message.“In the event that happens, it would be a cause for jubilation not only or the child rights advocates but also for the members of the majority coalition [in the House] who believe in providing our justice system with reformation measures rather than retribution,” Rep. Rodel Batocabe of Ako Bicol party-list said.Representative Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao is not convinced that majority of his colleagues will still support jailing of children, especially in light of the approval of the death penalty bill.“There has been little support to the measure in the first place, and I would say it was enough that majority of the lawmakers showed their support to the administration during the death penalty vote,” Baguilat said.But for Castro, an author of the bill, hope springs eternal.“I am not aware [that this bill will not be pursued anymore]. The chairman of the committee can only hear and preside. The final call is on the members of the committee on what the bill should be,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-bill-unlikely-send-kids-jail/328627/
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ERC chief suspended for insubordination
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-08-03 19:33:50+00:00
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Malacañang has suspended Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar for four months for insubordination.In a news conference, Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said the Office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea decided on Wednesday to suspend Salazar after he defied a Malacañang order.“As of this time, the Office of the Executive Secretary, in his decision dated August 2, 2017, finds Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman and CEO Jose Vicente Salazar guilty of insubordination,” Banaag told reporters.“Thus, Mr. Salazar is meted out the penalty of suspension for a period of four months without pay. So that’s insofar as Commissioner Jose Vicente Salazar is concerned,” she said.President Rodrigo Duterte asked Salazar and other ERC officials to resign last year after ERC Director Francisco Villa Jr. committed suicide, citing pressure from other ERC officials to approve allegedly corrupt deals.In May, Malacañang placed Salazar under a three-month preventive suspension amid pending administrative charges against him.The suspension stemmed from a complaint against Salazar that he deceived Malacañang in filing his travel authority and designating somebody without proper authority as officer-in-charge while he was abroad.The document, which was signed by Medialdea on May 2, revealed that Salazar is facing “serious dishonesty, gross neglect of duty and grave misconduct” on account of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001.Banaag said the new suspension order has been imposed on Salazar after he designated Ronaldo Gomez as ERC’s officer-in-charge and executive director even after Malacañang assigned Commissioner Geronimo Santa Ana as OIC during his absence.“There was a time the Office of the Executive Secretary endorsed or appointed [as] OIC Mr. Santa Ana. And then after that, Commissioner Salazar appointed [Mr.] Gomez for his leave of absence. So this is the insubordination part,” she explained.“So the Office of the President has jurisdiction over Mr. Salazar and for his disobedience for insubordination, for not obeying the appointment, the previous appointment released or given by the Office of the Executive Secretary to OIC Santa Ana [and] for appointing another person as OIC,” Banaag said.She added that other administrative charges were filed against Salazar but details are not available yet as such charges are still under investigation.“For investigations, of course, we cannot divulge… so as not to preempt [whatever would happen]. But then, for the insubordination part, the issue that was decided upon [was that Mr. Salazar should be penalized],” Banaag said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/erc-chief-suspended-insubordination/342243/
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House approves bill on PWDs
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2018-09-07 00:02:32+00:00
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The House of Representatives approved on second reading a bill that seeks to provide health care coverage for all persons with disabilities (PWDs).House Bill 8014 was approved via voice vote during the plenary session on Wednesday.The bill requires all PWDs to be covered by the National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).Senate Bill 1391, its counterpart measure, was approved on July 30.Ako-Bicol party list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, author of the House bill, said there were over 15 million Filipinos with disabilities. However, not all of them were included in PhilHealth’s insurance program.“The provision of accessible healthcare to Persons with Disability manifests the state’s resolve in achieving the development goals enshrined in the development agenda of the present administration,” Batocabe said.“We must act urgently so that our PWDs could receive the necessary health care and support from the government,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-approves-bill-on-pwds/438855/
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DepEd will no longer accept Pagcor classrooms
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['Neil Alcober']
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2016-10-21 21:43:54+00:00
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THE Department of Education (DepEd) under the watch of Secretary Leonor Briones will no longer accept classrooms donated by state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor).“I will not dishonor the previous executives who accepted them [classrooms donated by Pagcor] because they were there already but not during my watch,” Briones said on Friday, maintaining her anti-gambling stance.“Maybe if I’m removed [from office], then they can come back,” the DepEd chief added.Briones, a former national treasurer, noted that she already returned the balance of unspent money that was given by Pagcor.According to her, the shortage of classrooms is a function of efficiency.“It’s not because we need them very badly because we are being provided by the government and there are many donors as well. The only problem with different kinds of donors who donate classrooms is that they have different standards, but the DepEd has a particular standard. The donors also have their own ways of doing things, which are not necessarily the same with classrooms built by the DepEd,” Briones explained.The DepEd chief also wants to remove online lottery outlets located near schools or areas where students congregate.“I brought it up in a Cabinet [meeting] because there is a previous policy that allows local government units to set up online lottery. Personally, I am not for it, but it is an existing policy that is being implemented,” Briones said.“I do not believe that gambling could be a major source of revenue for the government, but it is a policy,” she added.NEIL A. ALCOBER
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-will-no-longer-accept-pagcor-classrooms/292470/
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AFP assures safety of hostages still its main consideration
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['Isang Lahi']
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17/01/2017 0:00
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) assured yesterday that the safety of hostages is still the main consideration in the conduct of any operation against the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG).In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Air Force Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, gave the assurance that the welfare of the kidnap victims still the main concern of combatants on the field when dealing with the armed extremists.The AFP gave its assurance following President Duterte’s statement over the weekend to “bomb extremists still holding hostages.”The President was quoted as saying that the loss of civilian lives in such an attack by the military could be considered as “collateral damage.”The Abu Sayyaf is known to be holding 27 local and foreign captives.“Even though the President issued a strongly-worded statement, when we apply this our main consideration is still protecting the lives of the hostages,”Padilla told reporters.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/17/afp-assures-safety-of-hostages-still-its-main-consideration/
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Imee: Fariñas eyeing Ombudsman’s post
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-13 21:17:20+00:00
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Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos on Thursday bared what could be behind Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas’ alleged undue interest in continuing to cause the detention of six workers of the provincial government.Fariñas, according to Marcos, is eyeing to become the Ombudsman after his third and last term in Congress ends.She recalled how she reconciled with Fariñas in 2010 only to again have a falling out with him later on because of the lawmaker’s request for his daughter to succeed his post in the First District of Ilocos Norte.The governor also on Thursday filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) seeking the freedom of the employees or the “Ilocos 6” from detention at the House of Representatives.Marcos faced the media after filing the petition, telling them that the issue “started from local politics, so we should just bring the fight back to Ilocos Norte.”The “Ilocos 6” have been detained at the House since May after being cited in contempt by lawmakers for their refusal to shed light on alleged misuse of P66.45 million in tobacco funds to buy vehicles under the watch of the incumbent governor.In the 67-page petition, Marcos asked the SC to take jurisdiction over the case, stop the House of Representatives from conducting a legislative inquiry and issue a writ of amparo to stop a subpoena against her and forcing her to testify in Congress.The petition named as respondents Fariñas, House majority leader and Ilocos Norte First District representative; House committee chairman and Surigao del Sur Second District Rep. Johnny Pimentel; and House Sergeant-at-Arms Roland Detabali.The “Ilocos 6” are the other petitioners: Pedro Agcaoili, Provincial Planning and Development Office chairman; Josephine Calajate, provincial treasurer; Eden Battulayan, Encarnacion Gaor and Genedine Jambaro, Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff; and Evangeline Tabulog, provincial budget officer.‘Fishing expedition’They prayed for the Supreme Court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) halting a probe by the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability.In the issues raised, the petitioners asked the High Court to order the release of the six employees and assume the writ of habeas corpus case pending before the Court of Appeals (CA), whose earlier order for their release was ignored by the House.On the writ of amparo plea, they asked the same “to protect the actual and threatened violations and infringement of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights to liberty and security of person.”The petitioners pointed out that the inquiry in the House of Representatives became political as they cited absences of preliminary determination on the propriety of the subject of legislative inquiry before the House Committee on Rules, and determination on jurisdiction by the investigating committee in violation of the requirements under Section 21, Article VI of the 1987 Constitution.They accused the House of doing the probe “not in aid of legislation” as it should be but rather a “fishing expedition to determine the guilt of respondent Fariñas’ political enemies” in violation of petitioners’ right to due process.There has been a rift between Marcos and Farinas, former partymates in the Nacionalista Party (NP).Marcos, however, did not issue a Certificate of Nomination and Acceptance (Cona) to Fariñas for the 2016 elections–a required document to make Fariñas the official NP candidate for the congressional seat of the First District of Ilocos Norte.“The legislative inquiry has been purged of any legitimacy when the respondents blatantly violated basically everything that is legal — the provisions of the 1987 Constitution, the Rules Governing Inquiries and the lawful orders of the Honorable Court of Appeals,” the petitioners said.They pointed out that the “Ilocos 6” were suffering already from alleged torture and intimidation.“The conditions of confinement are degrading and inhuman–effectively a continuing psychological torture inflicted…They were not provided food and mattresses and beddings. The detention [cell] was a stockroom with very poor ventilation and turned hastily into a detention room,” the petitioners said.On the plea for the writ of amparo, they cited as bases the alleged “prolonged interrogations, indefinite detention, coerced confessions, presumption of guilt and torture” employed by respondents in earlier hearings.“The ‘Ilocos 6’ remain in detention at the House for over one month already” while Marcos “has been threatened with arrest and incarceration in a ‘detention chamber’ by the respondents if she refused to participate in proceedings where her failure to answer questions in a matter satisfactory to respondents will lead to a similar fate of indefinite detention,” the petitioners said.“While ostensibly the writ of amparo pertains to situations relating to extralegal killings and enforced disappearances, the applicability of the same to the situation faced by petitioners in this case is supported by the underlying intent and premise considered by the honorable court at the time that the remedy was conceived and promulgated,” they added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/imee-farinas-eyeing-ombudsmans-post/338156/
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Napoleses seek court nod for US trip
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-10-20 01:42:15+00:00
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Jo Christine and James Christopher Napoles, children of pork barrel scam prime suspect, have asked the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division to let them travel to the United States on November 15 to face charges filed in courts there.A US grand jury indicted Lim-Napoles; her children Jo Christine, James Christopher and Jeane; Reynald Luy Lim; and Ana Marie Lim on Tuesday for alleged money laundering.A motion filed before the Sandiganbayan stated that Jo Christine and James Christopher “most respectfully ask that they be allowed to travel to the United States of America on November 15, 2018 and to stay in the United States of America while they are defending the civil and criminal cases filed against them.”The Napoles siblings said that similar to the case before the Sandiganbayan, they “are required to personally appear during arraignment, hearings on motions, and trial in the US” or the rights and privileges available to them as accused would be waived.The siblings assured the anti-graft court that they would return to the Philippines not only to bolster their innocence, but also to perform their duties as accused in this case.”Jo Christine and James Christopher are among the individuals facing charges of graft and of malversation through falsification before the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division — which is enforcing a hold departure order against the accused — over Malampaya funds in 2009 to 2010.They are also among the individuals charged with graft along with former Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.Lim-Napoles is detained at a Bureau of Jail Management and Penology facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City over plunder and graft charges in connection with the PDAF scam.According to the motion, the undersigned law office received a letter dated Oct. 11, 2018 from Jo Christine and James Christopher Napoles’ US lawyers.“The reason we are contacting you is to seek your assistance in gaining permission from the prosecutors and/or courts in the Philippines for them both to travel to the United States to appear and defend the criminal indictment and also the civil forfeiture case. Specifically, we are seeking for you to obtain permission on their behalf to travel and reside in the United States while they are defending the two cases,” lawyer Patrick Hall wrote.“In order to defend the criminal case, both James and Jo Christine would be required to appear in the United States and be arraigned on the criminal indictment. That case would then be scheduled for motions and a trial date. Given the complexity of the case and the nature of the charges, we would anticipate that it would take a minimum of 12 months to defend the case at trial, during which time James Napoles and Jo Christine Napoles would most likely be either detained without bond or restricted not to travel outside of the United States. In other words, the United States courts would most likely not permit their return to the Philippines until the case was concluded,” he said in part.Meanwhile, according to the letter, the civil forfeiture case is not set for trial until January 2020.“Thus, at a minimum, we would be seeking permission for them both to travel to the United States until that trial is concluded. Nonetheless, we would like to defend the criminal case first and we are seeking your input on how best to obtain permission for them to come to the United States to defend the charges,” Hall said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/napoleses-seek-court-nod-for-us-trip/454554/
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Boracay workers to get cash aid
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-05-24 00:04:39+00:00
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Displaced workers in Boracay will receive financial assistance of P4,200 every month for six months, the Department of Labor and Employment said Wednesday.Workers on the island will also be given access to job opportunities suitable to their skills, through job matching, referral, and placement services for local or overseas employment, employment coaching, and labor market information.They will also undergo training to enhance their skills, competitiveness, and employability.The Labor department said the financial support given to workers was equivalent to 50 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in Region 6, or P4,205.50.For workers who do not receive regular wage, the financial support is equivalent to 25 percent of the prevailing minimum wage or P2,102.75, and shall be non-conditional to be provided in lump sum covering three months.A separate emergency employment program is also available for 3,954 informal sector workers with an allocation of P52 million.To benefit from the program are transport workers, haulers, vendors, and indigenous peoples who will be temporarily employed for 30 days to do coastal clean-up, as well as clearing and reforestation in mangrove sites.Workers employed in Boracay and other parts of Malay, Aklan whose employment was interrupted during the period of temporary closure and 30 days prior, or those who do not receive regular wage by reason of the temporary suspension, permanent cessation of operations, or permanent closure of their employer’s business establishments, can apply for the program.Applicants may submit their duly accomplished application form along with photocopies of their certificate of employment, any government-issued ID and proof of Land Bank of the Philippines account to the BEEP Operations Center-DOLE Satellite Desk, DOLE Regional Office VI, or any of its Field Offices.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/boracay-workers-to-get-cash-aid/400674/
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Up to Duterte to convene National Security Council
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-05-13 21:20:43+00:00
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Convening the National Security Council (NSC) is a prerogative of President Rodrigo Duterte and in the meantime, other options in coordinating the country’s security efforts are available, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said on Sunday.Esperon came out with the statement after Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo urged Duterte to convene the security council following recent activities of China in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).“NSC convening is call of PRRD,” he told reporters in a text message, referring to President Duterte.“We have alternative coordinating mechanisms for security [such as the] Security, Justice, Peace Cabinet Cluster presided by the cluster chairman,” Esperon added.Last week, Robredo urged the Duterte administration to convene the NSC to come up with a response to the situation in the disputed Kalayaan (Spratly) archipelago.She went to the general headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Quezon City, wherein she was briefed by Armed Forces chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.According to sources, the vice president was briefed on the situation in the West Philippine Sea and internal security operations of the military such as counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency.The briefing came after China installed missile systems on the reefs that belong to the Philippines, including Subi (Zamora) reef, Mischief (Panganiban) reef and Fiery Cross (Kagitingan) reef.Aside from the security, justice and peace cluster, Esperon noted that select cabinet officials would be included in a cluster to be presided by Duterte as part of the NSC’s executive committee.Esperon also said that the National Intelligence Board, which he heads, was part of alternative solutions on the security situation, along with undersecretaries from various government agencies.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/up-to-duterte-to-convene-national-security-council/398619/
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State university teachers urge gov’t to stop killings
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-09-10 19:54:21+00:00
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Faculty members of government-run University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, have called on the Duterte administration to “stop the killings” related to its ongoing campaign against illegal drugs, citing the recent deaths of three teenagers.“We are deeply concerned about the mounting number of unresolved and unexplained cases of killings related to the ongoing war against drugs,” the University Council said in a recent statement.The council is composed of regular faculty members with ranks of professor, associate professor and assistant professor.It expressed its “strongest indignation” over the recent killing of Kian Loyd delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo de Guzman and other minors whose deaths are “a reflection of the brutal method that law enforcers use, emboldened and encouraged [as they are] by the President’s protection and rhetoric that perpetuate impunity and the climate of fear.”De los Santos was fatally shot in an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City.Arnaiz was shot five times after being accused of robbing a taxi with his friend, de Guzman. who was also later found dead.The University Council said “the campaign against drugs should not be a bloody war against the poor who have little or no capacity to protect themselves” and should instead stop the source–”narco-politicians and powerful individuals”–behind the drug trade.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/state-university-teachers-urge-govt-stop-killings/349888/
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‘P10-M intel funds missing from SBMA’
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['Felipe Soriano']
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8/6/2017 0:00
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‘As the congressional inquiry into the leadership of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) opened here last Tuesday, it was revealed that some P10 million in intelligence funds of the SBMA is missing.Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas were driving deep into the leadership dispute between SBMA Chairman Martin Diño and SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma when Diño raised the matter of intelligence funds of the Freeport.Diño told the congressional hearing that P10 million in cash from the SBMA’s intelligence fund could not be accounted for.The lawmakers noted that since the two top SBMA officials were at loggerheads, daily transactions have been severely affected.Among the congressmen who attended the hearing were Rep. Joet Garcia of Bataan; Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil of Pangasinan; and Rep. DV Savellano of Ilocos Sur.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/08/p10-m-intel-funds-missing-from-sbma/
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Therapeutic scheme for drug users in Bataan jail
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['Mika', 'Ros Feliciano']
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3/12/2016 0:00
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In a bid to help cure the imprisoned drug users, the Bataan Provincial Jail is preparing a scheme which the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is set to launch as the “Therapeutic Community Modality.”Superintendent William Tauli, provincial jail warden of Bataan, revealed yesterday that the scheme is a brainchild of BJMP Director Serafin Barretto, who initiated the program to make the penal system not just an institution for reform, but an instrument of rehabilitation.“Actually, our Boss, director Barretto was the one who created this idea and he wanted to spearhead this all over the country to help the government in curing and rehabilitating the drug pushers and users to make them live again in a normal way of life,” pointed out Tauli.He said that he had already discussed the program with Gov. Abet Garcia who also appreciated the idea and now supports it.During the launching of the Therapeutic Community Modality program, Tauli said there will be speakers coming from the BJMP who will conduct lectures for selected policemen, personnel from the Departments of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and of Health (DOH), and others stakeholders.“Then, they (participants) will spearhead it down to the barangay level, which in turn, the barangay officials will also do the same lectures to the surrendered pushers and ushers,” pointed out Tauli.He said this scheme is expected to be beneficial especially to the big number of arrested drug suspects since the assumption of President Duterte to power last June.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/03/therapeutic-scheme-for-drug-users-in-bataan-jail/
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Marcos jewelry trove ill-gotten wealth – SC
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-02-13 22:28:20+00:00
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The Supreme Court (SC), led by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, has ruled that the “Malacanang Collection” of Marcos jewelry is part of the ill-gotten wealth cases against late strongman President Ferdinand Marcos and his family.In a 21-page resolution of the SC First Division, dated January 18, 2017, Sereno affirmed findings of the Sandiganbayan Special Division and no error was committed by the anti-graft court.The High Court ruled that the “assailed partial summary judgment of the Sandiganbayan dated January 13, 2014 and resolution dated June 11, 2014 rendered by the Sandiganbayan in Civil Case No. 014 are affirmed.”Justices Mariano del Castillo, Bienvenido Reyes, Estela Perla-Bernabe and Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa concurred with the ruling.The Sandiganbayan, in its partial summary judgment, stated that the “Malacanang Collection” was part and subject of the forfeiture petition; the motion for summary judgment was proper; and the forfeiture of the collection was justified pursuant to Republic Act 1379 or the Forfeiture of Ill-Gotten Wealth Law.The SC junked the contention of former First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos and her daughter Irene Marcos Araneta that they were deprived of due process and there was no trial or hearing and that they were shamefully never given an opportunity to show that the questioned jewelry may have been acquired though other means.“Needless to say, the various pleadings petitioners have filed in this case and in other cases involving the Marcos properties were countless occasions when they could have proven that the ‘Malacanang Collection’ had indeed been lawfully acquired as claimed. They alleged that they were denied due process by not being given any opportunity to prove their lawful acquisition of the ‘Malacanang Collection.’ This allegation cannot be given credence for being utterly baseless,” the resolution read.“All in all, in the absence of any compelling legal reason, there is no basis to overturn, or carve an exception to, existing jurisprudence on the matters raised in the present case,” it said.The SC noted that the “Sandiganbayan correctly held that the forfeiture was justified and that the Malacanang Collection was subject of forfeiture.The legitimate income of the Marcoses had been pegged at “$304,372.43.”“Petitioners failed to satisfactorily show that the properties were lawfully acquired; hence, the prima facie presumption that they were unlawfully acquired prevails,” the High Court said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/marcos-jewelry-trove-ill-gotten-wealth-sc/312057/
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‘Mindanao lawmakers back Alvarez, Fariñas’
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-04-04 00:05:50+00:00
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At least 60 lawmakers from Mindanao support the leadership of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, Rep. Maximo Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said on Tuesday.Rodriguez downplayed a report published in The Manila Times that some Mindanao lawmakers are working to oust Alvarez and Fariñas. These lawmakers, according to Times sources, have been talking with lawmakers from Northern Luzon to convince them to elect former President Gloria Arroyo as speaker and Rep. Lord Allan Velasco as majority leader.Arroyo used to be one of the 12 deputy speakers of the House, but Alvarez kicked her out when she opposed the bill restoring death penalty for drug-related crimes, a priority legislation of the Duterte administration.Velasco, on the other hand, is the son of Supreme Court Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco.“I don’t hear any support for that [leadership change], and I doubt that will prosper. Among us Mindanao lawmakers, we are around 60, we are solidly behind Speaker Alvarez and Majority Leader Fariñas,” Rodriguez said.Fariñas did not comment on the veracity of the report but said he is not worried over the report on a plot to oust him.“You should ask them, not me. If the report is true and they succeed, good luck to them,” Fariñas said in a text message to The Manila Times.The Times tried to reach Alvarez but he did not respond.Administration lawmakers Albee Benitez of Negros Occidental, Rufino Biazon of Muntinlupa City and Rodito Albano of Isabela also belied the report.“Those are hearsay. I haven’t heard my colleagues mouth resentment about our leaders,” Biazon said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/mindanao-lawmakers-back-alvarez-farinas/390282/
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‘Joma needs psychiatric help’
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-08-09 21:37:00+00:00
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Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) founding chairman Jose Maria “Joma” Sison should be consulting a professional psychiatrist to treat his hallucinations over “reports” that the military is planning to assassinate him, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Eduardo Año.“I believe Sison needs professional psychiatric help to treat his hallucinations. His statement is another figment of his imagination,” Año said in a statement on Wednesday.This was his response to the latest statement released by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) citing AFP sources that the military is plotting the assassination of Sison as well as the overthrow of President Rodrigo Duterte’s government.The communist leader said he believes the NDFP statement.Sison added that he has been receiving “same reports” from similar sources for weeks already.“If I remember it right, that was also his story back in 1999 during the time of President [Joseph] Estrada [1998-2001] when he also alleged that a hit team was sent to The Netherlands,” Año said.Sison has been on self-exile in The Netherlands for almost three decades.Ano said the supposed assassination team was sent by Estrada himself and then-Philippine National Police chief Panfilo Lacson.He added that Estrada and Lacson, according to Sison in 1999, were using former members of the communist hitmen group Alex Bongcayao Brigade and the rejectionist faction of the CPP to go after the communist leader.“Exactly the same plot as narrated by Sison. Sison is not only a criminal and master of deception but a congenital liar,” Año said.It was the nth time for the AFP chief to exchange tirades with Sison.The CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s Army, has been launching attacks against soldiers in the countryside, prompting the President and Presidential Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza to cancel the fifth round of peace talks with the NDFP.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/joma-needs-psychiatric-help/343401/
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Last day for filing of SOCEs
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-06-13 00:02:02+00:00
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CANDIDATES who ran in last month’s village and youth polls have until today to file their statements of election contributions and expenditures (SOCE).Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesman James Jimenez on Tuesday warned all candidates to comply with the law against or risk perpetual disqualification from holding public office.“We have always said that the barangay (village) is where the public directly experience our government.Therefore, our frontline public officials must be sterling exemplars of upright, law-abiding citizens to the public whom they pledge to serve,” Jimenez said.Section 14 of Republic Act 7166 requires candidates and political parties to submit “full, true and itemized” SOCEs.“No person elected to any public office shall enter upon the duties of his office until he has filed the statement of contributions and expenditures,” the law states.Those who fail to submit their SOCEs face an administrative fine from P2,000 to P60,000. Offenders shall beperpetually disqualified from holding public office.Winning candidates who overspent during the campaign period may also be removed from office.A total of 1,070,991 candidates vied for 671,168 positions in the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections.Jimenez said SOCEs should be personally signed since under the Comelec’s Omnibus Rules on campaign finance, an incomplete SOCE is considered not filed.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/last-day-for-filing-of-soces/407416/
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Give drug users ‘chance to reform’
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2016-10-12 22:51:06+00:00
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Drug dependents should be given a chance to live a life free from drug addiction, according to Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo.Robredo made the statement after her consultation with medical professionals, faith-based groups, non-government organizations and recovered drug dependents on how the Office of the Vice President can help and speed up implementation of drug rehabilitation programs in the country, particularly the community-based drug rehabilitation initiatives at the level of local government units (LGUs).“What has been happening is a cause for concern. The bottomline here is that everyone should be given a chance to reform. We just cannot stand on the side and not do anything,” she said.The Vice President was referring to the government’s anti-drug war, which has left at least 3,500 suspected drug dependents dead since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office last June 30.Robredo said it is worrisome that the Department of Health has identified only 10 percent of the 734,000 who surrendered as eligible for institutional drug rehabilitation, while the Dangerous Drugs Board said it is actually one percent.“What happens to the 99 percent? We don’t need to spell it out,” she added.Robredo’s office gathered suggestions from the various sectors in attendance at the end of the activity.The suggestions would be consolidated by Robredo’s team to form a template for a community-based drug rehabilitation program to be piloted in 11 LGUs.Those involved in the consultation, who refused to be named because of safety concerns, said drug dependents are not all criminals, and that many of the drug dependents don’t want to turn themselves in because they are afraid that they will be killed, making it more difficult to bring them to rehabilitation.Robredo shared their sentiments, noting that the anti-drug war should not get in the way of implementing an effective drug rehabilitation program.“I become a little impatient [when it comes to the drug rehabilitation policy] because we can’t just look at one-size-fits-all solution. The community-based rehabilitation is where we want to help, so we asked for your help in gathering all the best practices that will mentor the local executives on how they can go about those who surrendered, something that will include public health perspective, make the response evidence-based,” the Vice President said.“As it is, the LGUs’ programs depend on chance. What we want to do is complement existing programs and improve them. If we keep on planning [on new programs], by the end of the year, the number of those who died could outnumber those for rehabilitation. We can’t deal with this with killings. We can do something now and adjust along the way,” Robredo added.House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez of Quezon said those who surrendered should instead be employed by the government as collectors of the state-run Small Town Lottery or STL.“This will give them a chance to be productive. The DSWD could also intervene in their transition to ensure that they won’t go back to their old ways,” Suarez added, referring to the Department of Social Welfare and Development.“In this situation, they get employed, and the government will also earn revenues,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/give-drug-users-chance-reform/290913/
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Ex-Japanese premier unveils Fukuda plaque
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-10-02 00:04:41+00:00
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FORMER Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on Monday said the Philippines, where the Fukuda Doctrine was born, is an “important country” for Japan.He made the remark during the unveiling of the Fukuda Doctrine memorial plaque at the Manila Hotel.Fukuda’s father, the late former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda, announced the doctrine on August 18, 1977 at the Manila Hotel to conclude his visit to Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries, including the Philippines.The Fukuda Doctrine became the cornerstone of Japan’s Asean diplomacy. The memorial plaque was installed to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the doctrine, which articulated three guiding principles — Japan will never become a military power; Japan will build ‘heart-to-heart’ relations with Asean countries; and Japan and Asean are equal partners.“The Philippines where the Fukuda Doctrine was born, is a major Asean country with a population of over 100 million people. It is an important country for Japan,” Yasuo said.“Dr. Jose Rizal, the Filipino hero, who visited Japan 130 years ago, in 1888, predicted the future of our countries as, ‘Japan and the Philippines will develop close ties in the future,” he said.The unveiling of the plaque was witnessed by Takeo’s children and grandchildren; former ambassador Sakutaro Tanino, who took part in drafting the Fukuda Doctrine; former Minister of Justice Seiken Suguira; Keiko Atsumi, from the InterAction Center which Takeo created; and Kiyoaki Aburaki of the Japan Federation of Economic Associations, among others.“All of us thought fondly of the events of over 40 years ago, on Aug. 18, 1977, when Takeo Fukuda announced the Fukuda Doctrine at this hotel,” Yasuo said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ex-japanese-premier-unveils-fukuda-plaque/447287/
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SC admits errors in disbursement of funds
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-10-28 00:03:36+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) has admitted that there appeared to be violations in the disbursement of its funds and loans from the World Bank (WB) under former chief justice Artemio Panganiban. However, it cleared the former chief magistrate of any accountability.The SC, however, ordered the investigation of Evelyn Toledo-Dumdum in relation to the P14.3 million contracts she entered into as administrator of the court’s Program Management Office (PMO) with events specialists Artes International Inc.In a full court resolution penned by Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin, the high court ordered the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit (CoA) to investigate Toledo-Dumdum and determine if she should be held accountable for the alleged violations covered by the report of the Office of the Chief Attorney (OCAt) in 2012 on the court’s contracts with Artes.“Based on the OCAt’s Report dated June 20, 2012, violations of law in the disbursement of funds of the Court as well as of funds derived from the loans extended by the World Bank appear to have been committed,” the court said.It said laws on procurement, auditing and official accountability were also contravened.The high court said that while such violations would have resulted in the nullification of contracts between the tribunal and Artes, the court would have still authorized payments of unpaid balances “based on the equitable principle of quantum merit in order not to be guilty of being unjustly enriched.”“The Court would then consequently move to seek from the concerned individuals the reimbursement of whatever amounts it would have thereby paid. That would not happen now because Artes, meanwhile, expressly released the Court from any further monetary liability upon its claim,” the SC said.The court ruled that Toledo-Dumdum undeniably committed splitting of contracts in order for her to have the authority to sign contracts below P1 million.On Dec. 21, 2005, or shortly after his assumption of office, Panganiban announced his “judicial philosophy of safeguarding the liberty and nurturing the prosperity of the people under the rule of law.”Aligned with his philosophy, the National Forum and the Global Forum among others, were conceptualized and launched.The PMO engaged Artes to assist the ad hoc committees created to organize the forums.Artes claimed P1,162,850 for the two forums, and P2,261,460 as balance of the contract price for the retirement ceremonies of Panganiban.In an undated letter-quotation, Executive Producer Helen Abao offered the services of Artes for the retirement ceremonies of Panganiban on Dec. 6, 2006 at the “Supreme Court Hall” for the price of P401,520, to which letter Toledo-Dumdum affixed her signature.The disbursement voucher in favor of Artes showed that it was to be charged to the counterpart funds of the Judicial Reform Support Project (JRSP), a project funded by the WB in partnership with the Philippine government.On Nov. 27, 2006, Toledo-Dumdum requested from Panganiban the authority to provide additional funding for additional court-related activities.The SC said it found nothing on the records to establish that Panganiban was privy to the contracts entered into by Toledo-Dumdum with Artes.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-admits-errors-in-disbursement-of-funds/458326/
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Lawmaker raises alarm on ‘culture of death’
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-11-12 21:44:17+00:00
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Rep. Lito Atienza of Buhay Party-list raised concerns over what he called the creeping “culture of death” that is enveloping the country amid daily killings in the past several months.“Many of these killings may be drug related and some of them are not. We don’t know which is which. We are allowing the nation to tread on a system where the rule of law is not respected,” Atienza said.Atienza, a senior deputy minority leader at the House of Representatives, cited the case of slain Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr.“The killing of Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. in his jail cell is a very clear picture of what can happen to anyone.He may have been guilty of a drug-related crime but the policemen went into his cell to finish him off. No amount of good intentions will justify breaking the rule of law. No mere allegation is enough to justify killing anyone,” the lawmaker said in a privilege speech.He also cited as examples the killings of a couple suspected of being involved in the drug trade inside their home in Pateros, the fatal shooting of Mayor Samsudin Dimaukom, suspected of transporting illegal drugs, at a checkpoint in North Cotabato and the slaying by two ranking police personnel of anti-crime crusader Zenaida Luz in Mindoro, among others.“Obviously there’s a breakdown in law and order. We can no longer distinguish between the criminals and the uniformed men who are themselves the lawbreakers,” Atienza said.While expressing support for President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drugs campaign, Atienza urged him to address the spate of killings, noting that resolving it is consistent with efforts to restore social order.“We want him to succeed, but unless the President re-directs the present trend, he might not succeed. Theeconomy cannot possibly grow amidst a culture of death. Violence only begets more violence. The President will find it very difficult to restore order unless this creeping culture of death is prevented from further establishing itself,” he said.“We are very concerned with what is going on because the common vision that we all share in this Congress of a good life for every Filipino will not be accomplished. No amount of good governance that is not anchored on the rule of law has any chance to succeed,” Atienza added.He warned that a culture of death will be a stumbling block to progress.“Unless this situation is corrected by President Duterte and PNP (Philippine National Police) Chief Dela Rosa, the administration’s programs will find it difficult to take root. Where will economic development and prosperity come in? Order needs to be restored, as well as confidence in our police force. More and more, people are getting skeptical over the end result of all these killings,” the lawmaker said.Restoring the death penalty, Atienza added, will not solve the problem of drugs and criminality. What is needed is for the country to reform the criminal justice system because the certainty of arrest and punishment is still the best deterrent to crime.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmaker-raises-alarm-culture-death/296192/
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Senate BBL Bill Legal – Drilon
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-06-03 01:10:39+00:00
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SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri believe that the Senate’s version of the Bangsamoro Basic Law is “more compliant” with the Constitution than the bill passed by the House of Representatives.Drilon on Saturday identified at least 10 major differences between the two measures that must be ironed out during the bicameral conference committee meeting.Zubiri, chairman of the Senate subcommittee on BBL, who sponsored the passage of Senate Bill 1717, said the bicam meeting to reconcile the conflicting would be held from July 9 to July 13.The Senate contingent in the bicam is composed of Senators Juan Edgardo Angara, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel, Sherwin Gatchalian, Joel Villanueva, Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Risa Hontiveros, Francis Pangilinan, Drilon, and Zubiri.The Senate and the House passed their respective BBL measures that will abolish the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and replace it with the Autonomous Region for the Bangsamoro (ARB) before Congress adjourned on May 30.“I strongly believe that our version is more compliant to the provisions of the (1987) Constitution,” Drilon said in a radio interview.“For example, in one of my amendments I said that all those residing in the Bangsamoro (region) are citizens of the Philippines. That’s one of the requirements to make it constitutional,” he said.Asked whether the Senate version must prevail over the House version, Drilon said, “It is up to the [Senate] majority [bloc]. I don’t have the control.”“I think our version, with due respect to Congress, will pass the test of constitutionality if someone questions it before the Supreme Court,” Zubiri said in another radio interview.“They (senators) always add the phrase ‘within the framework of the 1987 Constitution,’ in the almost 150 amendments that they introduced to address issues on constitutionality,” he added.Drilon said the Senate’s version maintains the 39 municipalities in North Cotabato as part of the territorial jurisdiction of the ARB. The House version deletes the 39 municipalities as part of the core areas that comprise the ARB.“This could be a sticky point that both chambers should be able to smooth out when it goes to the bicameral conference committee for reconciliation,” he added.He proposed various amendments to the Senate version “in order to make sure that the measure will not suffer the same fate as the Memorandum of Agreement on the Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD),” the proposed BBL crafted under the Arroyo administration.The Senate adopted the changes to the powers to be given to the Bangsamoro proposed by Drilon, deleting provisions pertaining to the “reserved, concurrent and exclusive powers” of the Bangsamo government and removing the powers to conduct inquiries, in aid of legislation, and subpoena powers of the Parliament to be headed by a chief minister.The House version retained the provisions on reserved, concurrent and exclusive powers.In the version of the House of Representatives, the province of Palawan is included in the list of areas considered as historically part of Bangsamoro territory.The Senate also added a provision stating that the Bangsamoro people are citizens of the Philippines pursuant to Article 4 of the Constitution, an amendment pushed by Drilon. The said provision is absent in the House version.Drilon said the Senate and the House must “work hard” to reconcile their differences pertaining to the share of the national government of taxes collected in the Bangsamoro, other than tariff and customs duties.The House proposed 25% share for the national government and 75% for Bangsamoro, while the Senate wanted a 50-50 sharing.Also among the “sticky issues” that both chambers will have to reconcile is the prohibition on political dynasties, which is highly opposed by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC).The Senate version prohibits a party representative from being related within the second degree of consanguinity or affinity to a district representative or another party representative in the same Parliament. There is no counterpart provision in the House version.The Senate also provided a qualification on the “block grant” which states that when the national government incurs an unmanageable public sector deficit, the President of the Philippines is authorized, upon the recommendation of the Department of Finance (DoF) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) secretaries to make the necessary adjustments in the block grant. The House version does not contain such a provision.The Senate version also prevents the Bangsamoro Parliament from including the procurement of firearms, ammunition and explosives in its annual appropriations law. The House version does not contain such a provision.The Senate proposed detailed provisions on the Bangsamoro Regional Police, including the selection of a regional director by the chief minister from a list of nominees submitted by the Philippine National Police Senior Officers Placement and Promotion Board.In the House version, it is the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who will appoint the regional director.The Senate also removed a provision for the creation of Shari’ah Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), which will recommend nominees to the Shari’ah Courts. The House retained the provision.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-bbl-bill-legal-drilon/403886/
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Police exec in chopper deal reinstated
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-10-24 00:10:55+00:00
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SUPREME COURT RULING SETS PRECEDENTTHE Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed a ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) ordering the reinstatement of a police colonel involved in a supposed helicopter scam, giving way to jurisprudence that the reinstatement of a dismissed public officer shall be immediately executory pending appeal.Police Supt. Ermilando Villafuerte was ordered by the SC to be reinstated to the service after being cleared in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) allegedly anomalous purchase of second-hand helicopters in 2009 and 2010.In the ruling approved by then-Chief Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, the full court held that the appellate court was right when it ruled that the Office of the Ombudsman was wrong in finding Villafuerte liable for PNP’s contract with supplier Hilario de Vera of Manila Aerospace Products Trading Corp. (Maptra).The SC en banc ruling dated Sept. 18, 2018 was penned by Associate Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, a copy of which was obtained by The Manila Times.The ruling effectively denied a plea of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) questioning the CA decisions made on Jan. 28, 2015 and Aug. 3, 2015.It said there was no proof of conspiracy on Villafuerte’s part.The assailed Ombudsman order also ordered the dismissal of 12 other PNP officials and personnel: Chief Supt. Herold Ubalde, Chief Supt. Luis Saligumba, Supt. Roman Loreto, Senior Supt. Job Nolan Antonio, Director George Piano, Senior Supt. Edgar Paatan, Senior Supt. Mansue Lukban, Chief Inspector Maria Josefina Vidal Recometa, Senior Supt. Claudio Gaspar Jr., and Senior Police Officers 3 Ma. Linda Padojinog, Avensuel Dy and Ruben Gongona.Still six others were also ordered suspended for six months without pay: Senior Supt. Joel Crisostomo Garcia, SPO3 Jorge Gabiana, PO3 Dionisio Jimenez, and non-uniformed personnel Erwin Chavarria, Emilia Aliling and Erwin Paul Maranan.The CA had granted petitions for review separately filed by police superintendents Roman Loreto and Villafuerte.The PNP programmed to purchase three fully equipped helicopters with an approved budget of P105 million in 2009.The Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) of the PNP awarded the contract to Maptra for the purchase of Robinson R44 helicopters in February 2010 until an investigation revealed later that the helicopters bought were not brand-new, contrary to requirements of the PNP procurement program.The Ombudsman found the petitioners and several officers of the PNP guilty of serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and ordered their dismissal from the service with forfeiture of all benefits and precluding them from employment in any branch or service of the government including government-owned and -controlled corporations.Their motions for reconsideration were denied, prompting them to seek redress with the appellate court.In its rulings, the CA pointed out that the Ombudsman made sweeping conclusions against Loreto and Villafuerte, whose silence supposedly amounted to participation in an alleged conspiracy.This prompted the PNP-CIDG to seek redress with the high court.The SC decision denied the PNP-CIDG’s appeal as it affirmed the rulings of the appellate court.It affirmed the CA decision holding that Villafuerte was neither part of the team that inspected the procured helicopters nor were he and Loreto signatories in disbursement vouchers for payment of the choppers.“To be sure, the cleansing of our ranks cannot be done at the expense of a fair and just proceeding,” the SC ruling stated.“All told, the court is not prepared to punish respondent Villafuerte for merely discharging the ministerial functions of his office as member of the BAC Secretariat, especially when such acts were made pursuant to the instructions of his superiors.”“Accordingly, this decision shall be immediately executory insofar as the reinstatement of [Villafuerte] to his former position is concerned, which shall be without loss of seniority rights and with payment of backwages and all benefits which would have accrued as if he had not been illegally dismissed, following Section 58 of the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service,” the court said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/police-exec-in-chopper-deal-reinstated-2/456069/
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PBA coaches want more games in ‘awesome’ Philippine Arena
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-01-08 18:10:15+00:00
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“Awesome,” “amazing,” “first-class.”These were the words used by champion Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) coach Tim Cone to describe the Philippine Arena, which hosted two holiday season PBA games highlighted by the much-anticipated “Manila Clasico,” a match-up between Cone’s Gin Kings and the Star Hotshots.“Amazing, amazing,” gushed Cone, who guided the Gin Kings to an 86-79 victory over rival Star Hotshots in front of a 20,000-strong crowd.“Let me say this is an awesome facility. I’m so impressed with this facility. It’s so massive.”Cone, who was born in the United States and went to college in George Washington University in Washington, D.C., was awe-struck by the Philippine Arena, which he compared to other famous indoor stadiums in the US.“I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve been to a lot of stadiums in the United States, and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” the coach said.“Even just pulling up and seeing the size of it… I’ve seen Staples [referring to Staples Center in Los Angeles, home of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers], I’ve seen the one in Denver, I’ve seen a lot of coliseums, I’ve seen nothing like this,” he added.“It’s really a first-class facility. I can play here every day,” said Cone, who has coached in the PBA for over 25 years.The sentiment was echoed by Mahindra Coach Chris Gavina, who coached the Floodbusters to a 97-93 victory over Blackwater Elite, and hoped that the PBA could schedule more games in the Philippine Arena.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pba-coaches-want-games-awesome-philippine-arena/305826/
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Duterte irons out party kinks
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-08-10 00:10:45+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte presided over a closed-door meeting of the ruling party PDP-Laban, which he chairs, on Thursday night in Makati City to smooth out problems that arose from the ouster of its officials from their posts at the House of Representatives.Ronwald Munsayac, chairman of PDP-Laban’s Public Information Committee, shared a photo of him with PDP-Laban President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd ahead of the closed door meeting on Facebook on Thursday.“Last photo before the very important meeting and before the PSG confiscates my phone,” Munsayac said, referring to the Presidential Security Group.Also in the photo were Quezon City Rep. Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo, who is reportedly bidding to be PDP-Laban’s official candidate for Quezon City mayor in the 2019 polls, and Kathryna Yu, Pimentel’s fiancee.Yu heads PDP-Laban Cares, the humanitarian arm of the party.A week ago, Pimentel claimed in a party meeting that the PDP-Laban was in its “golden age” even if its secretary general, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte, was ousted as Speaker of the House and was replaced by PDP-Laban member Rep. Gloria Arroyo of Pampanga.After Alvarez’s ouster from the top House post, a PDP-Laban faction held its own elections and “ousted” Pimentel and Alvarez as their leaders.Rogelio “Vic Vic” Garcia of Region 12 and Willy Talag claimed to have replaced them as party president and secretary general, respectively.Garcia was Duterte’s classmate at the San Beda College of Law.Pimentel, who was also replaced as Senate President in May, dismissed Garcia’s group, calling them “rogue” PDP-Laban members.Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. also said earlier this week that he has joined Hugpong ng Pagbabago (Alliance for Change), the political party of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go also took his oath as Hugpong member over the weekend.Early on Thursday, Roque confirmed that Duterte would meet with his partymates but refused to disclose more details.“Well of course he wants to unify the party and he will clarify that he remains chairman of the party,” Roque said in a news conference.I do not know if there are factions really but he will speak to the entire PDP-Laban political party,” he added. “As far as the President is concerned, he is chair of PDP-Laban and there is only one PDP-Laban.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-irons-out-party-kinks/428527/
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Senator slapped with wiretapping, ethics raps
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['Joviland Rita']
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2017-10-02 21:12:32+00:00
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Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguire 2nd on Monday filed a criminal complaint against Sen. Risa Hontiveros before the Pasay Prosecutor’s Office for alleged violation of Republic Act 4200 or the Anti-Wiretapping Law.He later proceeded to the Senate to also file an ethics complaint against the senator.The complaint before the Pasay Prosecutor’s Office was made in connection with Hontiveros publicizing a photowhere Aguirre was shown supposedly exchanging text messages with “Jing” during her privilege speech on September 5 at a Senate hearing on the killing of Kian Loyd de los Santos allegedly by members of Caloocan City police.The senator was apparently referring to Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption lawyer Jacinto Paras.In her privilege speech, Hontiveros said enlargement of the photo would reveal that Aguirre was plotting to file cases against her and that Aguirre is commanding Paras “to expedite cases against her.”On September 25, Paras filed several complaints against Hontiveros before the Office of the Ombudsman, including violation of the Anti-Wiretapping Law, obstruction of justice and kidnapping.Aguirre said Hontiveros did not accidentally take the photo, contrary to the senator’s claim.He added that he can prove it with an expert’s opinion.Aguirre named Cristopher Malinao from the Federation of Philippine Photographers Association as his witness in the criminal complaint.Instead of the Office of the Ombudsman, the National Prosecution Service and the civil courts, he said, shall have jurisdiction over the offense committed by Hontiveros since it was not made in the performance of her official duties.“I could not do anything because that is what the law says. It is the law that determines jurisdiction. What I could say is that the DoJ [Department of Justice] will treat these cases [in the prosecutor’s office and the ethics committee] fairly and with justice, so Sen. Risa has nothing to fear,” Aguirre added.He said the senator had invaded his privacy.“Text messages are private communications. Any unauthorized intrusion into such exchanges is illegal and betrays the Constitution. I condemn to the highest degree this shameless violation of a citizen’s right to the privacy of communications,” Aguirre added.The Senate, he said, was needlessly dragged into the alleged wiretapping.“I am sad because the people who violated my right to privacy of communications and the people who subsequently trumpeted it, did so in the very hallowed halls of the Senate itself,” Aguirre pointed out.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senator-slapped-wiretapping-ethics-raps/354142/
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Duterte endorses highest civilian award’s conferment on Miriam
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-12-05 21:27:19+00:00
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THE late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago deserves President Rodrigo Duterte’s official endorsement for conferment of the Quezon Service Cross, the highest civilian award in the Philippines, in recognition of her “exemplary” contributions as a public servant, according to Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara.Santiago was 71 years old when she died on September 29, 2016 from stage 4 lung cancer.Angara and Sen. Grace Poe have filed Resolution 508 and Resolution 517, respectively, recognizing Santiago’s “selfless service to the nation.”In a recent letter to Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, Duterte requested Congress to approve the posthumous conferment of the award on Santiago.The President said Santiago “used her considerable talents for the service of the people and our nation while exhibiting remarkable passion, courage and integrity.”He added that the late senator “inspired generations of Filipinos to aspire for excellence and remain steadfast against any challenge and adversity.”The President called Santiago “an agent of positive and meaningful change in the country” for having “authored and sponsored laws that strengthened our fiscal position, promoted reproductive health, preserved the environment, safeguarded our women, enshrined human rights, enhanced our education system, gave greater access to information communications technology, protected against cybercrime and asserted Philippine sovereignty.”“We are glad to receive here in the Senate the formal nomination of President Duterte to bestow our beloved Senator Miriam the Quezon Service Cross. We are also thankful that the President acted favorably on the request of Sen. Grace and this representation for her nomination,” Angara said on Tuesday.Created in 1946, the Quezon Service Cross is awarded to a person “for exemplary service to the nation in memory of the late President Manuel L. Quezon.”The Senate and the House of Representatives must approve Santiago’s nomination for the award, which has only been given to five people since its creation.The past recipients of the award were former Interior secretary Jesse Robredo (November 2012), former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. (August 2004), former President Ramon Magsaysay (July 1957), former President Emilio Aguinaldo (June 1956) and former ambassador Carlos P. Romulo (April 1951).
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-endorses-highest-civilian-awards-conferment-miriam/366846/
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Govt to import diesel in August
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-07-20 00:01:00+00:00
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THE government plans to import diesel from Russia and non-member countries of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in August or September, according to Philippine National Oil Company-Exploration Corporation (PNOC-EC) President and Chief Executive Officer Pedro Aquino Jr.“Kung maayos lahat (If everything goes well), [we are] looking at around August or first week of September,” Aquino said in a phone interview on Thursday.In a board resolution issued in May, the Department of Energy authorized state-firm PNOC-EC to sell imported petroleum products to independent dealers and to individual public consumers to spur competition among industry players and curb price hikes.The department had set a June deadline to bring in cheaper diesel.Aquino issued the statement after the PNOC-EC board approved on Tuesday the policy governing the procedure on diesel importation including the quantity, documentary requirements, and timeframe, among others.“We will still evaluate kung ilan talaga ‘yung kailangan (how much is really needed). Initially our plan is to import 240 million liters,” he said .The budget set for the importation is P2 billion per shipment. “Kung magba-buffer kami (If we will have buffer stock), that’s about P4 billion,” Aquino added.The PNOC-EC has received about five unsolicited proposals even before opening its door to bidders.Bidders will be given one week to submit their offers to the PNOC-EC.The imported diesel may be stored in Subic.Aquino said the primary objective of the project is to subsidize jeepney and bus drivers.“We don’t want to appear we’re competing with the other oil companies,” he said.Aquino said diesel importation will end once the price of crude oil in the global market reaches the $50 a barrel level.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-to-import-diesel-in-august/421230/
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House panel sets aside P6.5B for Mindanao railway line
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-13 19:21:08+00:00
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The House appropriations committee has earmarked an initial amount of P6.58 billion to jumpstart the Mindanao Railway Project (MRP).Committee member and Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel over the weekend said the amount is part of the items in the Rail Infrastructure Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in the proposed 2018 national budget.He described the MRP as “an enormous project that will require a lot of incremental funding and take several years to complete by phases.”“What is important is that the project is finally taking off, and not just being kicked around anymore,” according to Pimentel, also a member of the House transportation committee.He said the P6.58 billion will jumpstart Phase 1 of the MRP–the 105-kilometer line linking Tagum City, the provincial capital of Davao del Norte, via independent Davao City, to Digos City, the provincial capital of Davao del Sur.The railway will eventually be extended and run through the cities of Butuan, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Iligan, Surigao and Zamboanga.The MRP will cover around 2,000 kilometers, and may well cost up to P120 billion to build, with Phase 1 alone costing P36 billion.“There’s no question the railway will ease considerably the transfer of people and goods, and propel in a big way Mindanao’s overall social and economic development,” Pimentel said.The lawmaker added that he is also counting on the MRP to spur thousands of construction-related and support jobs that are bound to benefit low-income families.Phase 1 of the railway is expected to cut travel time between Tagum and Digos from 3.5 hours to 1.3 hours, once the trains start operating in 2022, according to the DOTr.Some 120,000 passengers are anticipated to hop on the train every day in its first year of operation.The railway will have a single track at the start but will have provisions for additional tracks plus electrification.Phase 1 will have eight stations: Tagum, Carmen, Panabo, Mudiang, Davao Terminal, Toril, Santa Cruz and Digos.A 10-hectare depot will be put up in Tagum.Six five-car passenger trains will be deployed every hour.The trains will also have 15 freight cars and three spare cars.JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-panel-sets-aside-p6-5b-mindanao-railway-line/344254/
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Jinggoy Estrada seeks court nod for medical exam
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-01-08 18:12:03+00:00
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Former Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada is asking permission from the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division to undergo an X-ray and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of his left knee at a hospital in San Juan City (Metro Manila).Estrada is detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame in Quezon City over plunder and graft charges filed against him and several others in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.In an urgent motion filed on Friday, the defense said he was seen by Dr. Jose Syquia at his place of detention on December 30 “due to complaints of pain on his left knee which is worse when rising from a seated position.”“The same pain is still currently felt despite rest and medications. As recommended by Doctor Syquia, if there be no improvement, accused should undergo X-ray and MRI of his left knee in order to further evaluate his condition,” it said in the motion, to which a medical certificate dated December 30, 2016 was attached.The defense recalled that the court had previously allowed Estrada to undergo therapy sessions at the same hospital because of pain on his left shoulder upon the advice and recommendation of a doctor.It thus asked the court “to permit the accused to undergo MRI and X-ray at Cardinal Santos Medical Center as soon as possible; and for the above prayer, the usual escort and security conditions at accused’s expense.”Estrada is one of three former senators namely, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, who were charged in 2014 along with alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and several others in connection with the PDAF scam.Revilla is also detained at the PNP Custodial Center, while Enrile is out on bail after the Supreme Court granted his bail petition on humanitarian grounds.Meanwhile, Napoles is serving a life sentence at the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City (Metro Manila) after a Makati City (Metro Manila) court found her guilty in a serious illegal detention case filed by pork scam witness Benhur Luy.REINA TOLENTINO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/jinggoy-estrada-seeks-court-nod-medical-exam/305828/
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Customs losing millions of pesos to undervaluation
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-06-26 21:27:34+00:00
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THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) is losing some P48 million a month in duties and taxes from rampant undervaluation, a form of technical smuggling, clearly undermining Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon’s strengthened anti-smuggling campaign aimed at cleansing the allegedly graft-ridden bureau and generate much-needed revenues.Documents obtained by The Manila Times showed at least 102 import entries whose payments were undervalued from P18,000 to P100,000 per container, depending on the container van being 20-footer or 40-footer. Each entry contains up to more than 30 containers.The import entries were entered either through the Manila International Container Port (MICP) or the Port of Manila (PoM), BoC’s flagship ports.The undervalued shipments were being brokered by two favored Customs players, whom The Manila Times source identified only as a certain “Veste” and a certain “Kimberly.”“Malaki and diperensiya sa bayaran ng duties and taxes [There’s a big difference in the payment of duties and taxes]. For regular players, they pay between P35,000 and P60,000 per container and P60,000 and P150,000 for 40-foot container,” Faeldon said.“But Teves and Kimberly only paid P16,000 to P27,000 for a 20-footer container and P35,000 to P50,000 for a 40-foot container,” he added.Each of them, the source said, has an average of at least 600 containers or a total of 1,200 containers a week.“At an average of only P10,000 per container, they are depriving the government at least P12 million in taxes a week or P48 million a month,” Faeldon said.Among those in the documents were Entry Nos. 64922, 64926, 64933, 64934, 64936, 64937, 64941 and 64943, which contain tiles from China and paid only P25,000 in taxes per 20-footer container.They were entered through the PoM.Entry Nos. 149223, 149234,149238,149252,150421,150446 and 150459 were only assessed P24,000 per container.They arrived at the MICP and also contained ceramic tiles from China.The other entries were general merchandise, construction supply, yarn, fire bricks and footwear.When asked who the backers of the two favored players are, the source said “they were name-dropping the name of the so-called Davao Group and Polong,” obviously referring to presidential son Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte.Faeldon earlier issued Customs Special Order 45-2016 creating the Command Center (Comcen), whose primary purpose is to provide the Office of the Commissioner situational awareness of the various collection districts and other operational concerns, particularly on trade facilitation.Comcen also acts as the coordinating facility of the bureau’s Operations Group in the proper collection of Customs duties and taxes, enforcement of tariff and Customs laws, prevention and suppression of all forms of Customs fraud and other economic frauds in all ports of entry.Other functions include monitoring and supervision of daily operations of the principal ports of entry and sub-ports.Earlier, Faeldon also issued CSO No.44-2016, creating the Special Studies and Project Development Committee (SSPDC), a superbody tasked to curb rampant smuggling and other Customs frauds in an effort to arrest dwindling revenue collections.As specified in Faeldon’s order, the SSPDC has “primary authority over any acts involving smuggling, illegal importation, Customs fraud or other acts, including violation of the provisions of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, Revised Penal Code and other related Customs and tariff laws, rules and regulations committed by any individual, groups and juridical entities.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/customs-losing-millions-pesos-undervaluation/335043/
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Summary-execution probe findings rejected
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2016-12-15 21:57:28+00:00
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THE findings of two Senate committees that there were no state-sponsored extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration were based merely on weak logic and inadequate evidence, Sen. Francis Pangilinan said in his dissenting opinion on Thursday.While he agrees with the findings of the committees on justice and on public order and dangerous drugs that there is urgent need to undertake reforms in law enforcement and strengthen the justice system, Pangilinan added that he disputes the factual conclusion that there was no proof that the killings were sanctioned by the government.In his 10-page dissenting opinion, he noted that the committees downplayed increasing incidence of extrajudicial killings under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.“It arrived at this conclusion by inaccurately relying on the murder and homicide statistics submitted by the Philippine National Police [PNP] and the Philippine Statistics Authority,” the senator said.But Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate justice and human rights committee, is standing by the committee report on the investigation of the spate of drug-related killings in the country and even challenged critics to show proof that there is a state policy sanctioning the killings.Gordon said he is willing to reopen hearings and continue the investigation.Ther senator added that the committee was able to establish, based on evidence provided by resource persons and witnesses, that there have been thousands of killings with impunity taking place every year in the country over at least the last two decades.The Senate inquiry, however, showed that there is no evidence that there is a state-sponsored policy to commit killings in the eradication of illegal drugs.But Pangilinan in his dissenting opinion said the probers seemed to have disregarded crucial pieces of evidence submitted by the PNP.He noted that to shed light on circumstances surrounding the death of alleged drug suspects, he requested the PNP to submit copies of the suspects’ drug test results and the Scene of the Crime Operatives reports.The PNP documents were submitted to the joint committee on September 22, 2016 but, according to Pangilinan, the committee report made no reference to the material documents.He said premature termination of the committee investigation left factual and legal questions unanswered.“Given the dreadful daily death count in the media and the very real threats to the life of criminal suspects or even those merely caught in the crossfire in the war on drugs, the Senate has the duty to leave no major questions unanswered,” Pangilinan added.Gordon, in a statement, insisted that the committee did not receive evidence from the senators who filed resolutions or proof that that the killings were state-sponsored.He said If there was evidence that was presented that could connect it, then he is willing to look into it.“However, since the framework of the investigation was clear and we did not receive any evidence, you cannot squeeze blood from us,” Pangilinan said.Gordon advised the critics that to make an allegation stand, it must be supported by evidence.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/summary-execution-probe-findings-rejected-2/301915/
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AFP gets new ‘psyops’ chief
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2016-12-02 20:46:22+00:00
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BRIGADIER General Ronnie Evangelista has been designated as the new commander of the Civil Relations Service (CRS), the unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that conducts psychological operations against threat groups.In a change of command ceremony at the CRS headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Brig. Gen. Rhoderick Parayno relinquished the post as CRS commander and turn over the command to Evangelista.Parayno has been appointed as the new commander of the 2nd Infantry Division that is in charge of internal peace and security operations in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon).Known as the home of the jungle fighters, the division headquarters are located in Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal.Prior to his designation as CRS commander, Evangelista was the commander of the Army’s Special Forces Regiment Airborne Special Operations Command. He used to be the deputy commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command and served as the AFP assistant chief of staff for comptrollership.A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1986, Evangelista was a recipient of three Distinguished Service Stars. He also received multiple awards and decorations, such as Gawad sa Kaunlaran Medals, Bronze Cross Medal and numerous Merit and Commendation medals.Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, the AFP vice chief of staff, who graced the ocassion, explained that changes in leadership among key positions in the AFP are vital to ensure dynamism within the military ranks.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/afp-gets-new-psyops-chief/299665/
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Senators oppose book tax
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-09-25 00:06:49+00:00
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SENATORS Juan Miguel Zubiri and Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Monday vowed to oppose the proposal to tax books and other reading materials under the proposed package 2 of the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.Train 2, also called Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities (Trabaho) bill passed by the House of Representatives, aims to “expand the tax base by repealing 123 special laws on investment tax incentives.”House Bill 8083 or Trabaho Bill repeals Section 12 of Republic Act 8047 or the Book Publishing Industry Development Act of 1994 authored by the late Senate President Edgardo Angara, is repealed.This means that incentives, including VAT [value-added tax] and customs-duty exemption, on importation of raw materials for book publication will be removed, which may result in higher prices of books.RA 8047 ensures that “books, magazines, periodicals, newspapers, including book publishing and printing, as well as its distribution and circulation, shall be exempt from the coverage of the expanded value added tax law.”This also guarantees the duty-free importation of books, as well as raw materials to be used in local publishing provided that a publisher or distributor is registered with the National Book Development Board, and their book development activities are included in the Investment Priority Plan (IPP).Zubiri said that as RA 8047 encompasses all types of publications, its repeal would affect the prices not only of books for leisure, but books for educational use as well, including instructional materials for teachers.“The tax exemption on these items should remain, as books are an integral part of education and learning. We should keep books as affordable and accessible as possible,” the Senate majority leader said.“The internet cannot replace the value of reading and the literacy skills that accompany it. Books should remain tax-free, period,” Zubiri said.“I will oppose the provision that will tax books and other reading, learning, and instructional materials and software,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-oppose-book-tax/444864/
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Hazard lights not an excuse for illegal parking – MMDA
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['Yolanda Santos']
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12/6/2017 0:00
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The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) warned motorists that flashing hazard lights is not an excuse for parking in prohibited areas and streets.MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos said a good number of motorists think that they can get away with being apprehended for illegal parking when their hazard lights are switched on.“Unless there is a real emergency, turning your hazard signal is not an excuse to stop and park, even temporarily,” said Orbos.At present, clearing streets of illegally parked vehicles remain a big struggle for the MMDA.After numerous clearing operations in a particular area, the same illegally parked vehicles clog the streets once the clearing crew leaves, to the consternation of MMDA chairman Danilo Lim.“Like for example, NIA Road, we have been clearing the area for 10 times already, but we find ourselves clearing illegally parked vehicles again and again,” said Lim.Lim reiterated barangay officials have the responsibility of maintaining areas previously cleared by the agency.“We cannot do other important tasks anymore; resources go to waste if we will keep on returning to areas that supposedly under the care of barangay captains,” said Lim.The MMDA have filed complaints against eight barangay chairmen who tolerate illegal parking and illegal vending on roads cleared by the agency.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/12/hazard-lights-not-an-excuse-for-illegal-parking-mmda/
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Power back in Ilocos villages
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['Philippines News Agency']
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2018-09-30 00:01:32+00:00
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Electricity has been restored in 465 villages in Ilocos Norte, or about 95 percent of the 557 areas hit by Typhoon Ompong (Mangkhut) two weeks ago, the Ilocos Norte Electric Cooperative (INEC) said.Felino Herbert Agdigos, INEC general manager, said in a press briefing that the cooperatives’ linemen were working overtime to fully restore electricity in the province.The typhoon damaged crops and toppled electric posts when it slammed into Northern Luzon early this month.Areas where electricity was restored include some sitios and villages in the municipalities of Batac, Badoc, Pinili, Currimao and Nueva Era.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/power-back-in-ilocos-villages/446675/
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QC bans Sale OF tB MEDicine
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-02-04 01:09:14+00:00
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THE QUEZON City government has prohibited the selling of anti-tuberculosis drugs in pharmacies and drugstores within the city without doctor’s prescription or over-the-counter purchase. Mayor Herbert Bautista signed Ordinance No. 2545 or the “No prescription, no dispensing of anti-TB drugs policy.” This gives the local government control over the sale of prescription medication, including anti-tuberculosis medications. The ordinance, authored by Councilor Eufemio Lagumbay of District 3, also “makes it imperative” to equip personnel of pharmacies and drugstores with the necessary skill and competence to help patients with tuberculosis “get access to the correct and complete treatment of TB.” It cited the effects of self-medication or indiscriminate use of anti-TB drugs which could lead to multi-drug resistance and other public health complications. The city’s health department and its Business Permits Licensing Office were tasked to implement the ordinance as provided under the measure.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/qc-bans-sale-tb-medicine/310396/
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Judy to Duterte: You didn’t keep faith with me
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2017-08-23 21:47:38+00:00
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ON her last day of office, former Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Judy Taguiwalo expressed her sadness over the lack of President Rodrigo Duterte’s support for her 14-month term.The Commission on Appointment (CA) denied Taguiwalo’s appointment on August 16 with no valid explanation.At least 13 lawmakers in the commission voted to reject Taguiwalo’s nomination.“Mr. President, I kept faith with you. I am just saddened because I don’t think you kept faith with me until the end,” Taguiwalo said in a final speech she delivered at the Social Welfare’s central office on Tuesday.“But still, thank you for allowing me to serve the Filipino people as a member of your Cabinet, for showing the Filipino people ang kaliwa ho, kayang maglingkod ng tapat, ng may malasakit, na walang katiwalian at may pagmamahal sa bayan [that a member of the Left can serve honestly with love for the country],” she added.Taguiwalo was a former political prisoner identified with leftist militants who suffered under martial law that was declared by then-President Marcos in 1972.Duterte said in a Palace news conference on Monday night “that is the job of Congress as part of the checks and balances in this government. We can’t do anything if [the] appointment is rejected.”On Tuesday, the department’s employees, all clad in black, held a “send-off” for the former secretary to express their gratitude for Taguiwalo’s service.Since she took office last May 2016, Taguiwalo improved the distribution of relief goods and financial assistance to calamity victims, as well as the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the conditional cash transfer program initiated by the Aquino administration that has benefited 4.4 million poor Filipino families.Taguiwalo is the third Cabinet official appointed by President Duterte to be rejected by the Commission on Appointments.The previous two were Perfecto Yasay Jr. as Foreign Affairs secretary and Gina Lopez as Environment secretary.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/judy-duterte-didnt-keep-faith/346342/
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P257B needed for health care program
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-11-14 00:03:36+00:00
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THE Department of Health (DoH) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) are ready to implement the Universal Health Care Program (UHCP), which would need at least P257 billion on its first year of enforcement.Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd made the assurance on Tuesday during the hearing on the proposed P141.4 billion budget of the Department of Health (DoH).The Senate and the House of Representatives (HoR) have yet to reconcile conflicting provisions in their respective version of the Universal Health Care measure. President Rodrigo Duterte had certified the bill’s passage as urgent.Asked by Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd if the DoH and PhilHealth are ready to implement the UHCP, Duque said, “Yes sir. We are ready to implement it but this is no magic bullet.”“This not a panacea. The first year of implementation will show some kinks in the implementation,” the DoH chief told the Senate Committee on Finance sub-committee “F” headed by Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito.“But we have to learn the lessons that the gaps will be present from the first year of implementation. And so the only problematic area that I can see is the lack of funding for year one. We need at least P257 billion to run the UHC on its first year,” Duque said.He added that the government would have to “tweak and expand” the system to address possible weaknesses and gaps.“Right now we can already see that the difficulty will be implementing this in the rural, geographically-isolated disadvantaged areas as well as the rural areas,” Duque said.He appealed to the senators to help restore the P16 billion that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) slashed from the DoH. The amount was intended to fund the Health Facilities Enhancement Program (HFEP).Ejercito shared Duque’s concern that the budget cut might affect the UHCP implementation. “There is a danger of overcrowding next year if the budget for HFEP is not restored,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/p257b-needed-for-health-care-program/467102/
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Duterte against divorce bill – Palace
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-03-20 00:03:47+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte, whose marriage to his first wife Elizabeth Zimmerman was annulled in 2000, does not support the passage of the divorce bill, Malacañang said on Monday.Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. issued the statement in a press briefing at the Camarines Sur Polytechnic Colleges Auditorium in Nabua, Camarines Sur.“Ayaw niya po sana magkomento [pa] pero since nagbotohoan naman sa kamara, ang President po ay tutol sa divorce ([Duterte] does not really want to comment but since the voting is over, the President is against divorce),” Roque said. “Ang sabi po niya kawawa po yung mga anak at kung magkakaroon ng divorce mawawalan po ng karapatan na magsampa ng kaso yung mga asawa na pinabayaan ng mga asawa nila matapos sila mag divorce (The President said the children will suffer if divorce [will be legal]. Also, the spouses will not be able to file charges against their husbands if their divorce is finalized.).”This is the first time Roque issued a statement on the divorce bill.“Ang una nyang [Duterte] sabi sa akin, no comment na lang tayo pero since nagtanong kayo at tapos naman ang botohan sa kamara eh yan po ang kanyang paninindigan (He told me before not to comment but since you asked and the voting is already over, that is his stand on the issue),” Roque said.The House of Representatives passed House Bill 7303 entitled “An Act Instituting Absolute Divorce and Dissolution of Marriage in the Philippines” last week.The bill, authored by 20 lawmakers, aims to “ensure an inexpensive and affordable court proceedings in securing an absolute divorce decree.”Under the bill, separation for at least five years, legal separation by judicial decree for at least two years, psychological incapacity, gender reassignment surgery, irreconcilable differences and joint petition of spouses will merit a divorce.It also provides priority for Overseas Filipino Workers with respect to court hearings, as well as a mandatory six-month cooling-of period for petitioner spouses.Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza welcomed Duterte’s stand on the proposed divorce law.“We welcome and fully appreciate President Duterte’s stand against the divorce law. The President has saved the Filipino family with his strong position against divorce, which has been passed on second reading in the Lower House. We strongly agree with the President that divorce would be very detrimental to mothers and children,” Atienza said.Atienza had expressed his strong opposition to House Bill 7303 during plenary deliberations.“Through ayes and nays, I, together with a miniscule number of lawmakers voiced our opposition to the bill but our collective voices were ultimately drowned out by the majority of Congressmen for the passage of the bill on second reading,” he added.“We admire the President’s display of strength and character. He did not allow himself to be stampeded by the mob on this critical issue. His strong leadership will forever be remembered for saving the Filipino family and future generations. I am sure that with his strong position against divorce, this bill will most likely be relegated to the archives,” Atienza said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-against-divorce-bill-palace/387227/
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UP postpones entrance exams
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['Jove Moya']
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2018-09-13 00:01:45+00:00
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THE University of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT) scheduled on September 15 and 16 has been postponed because of the entry of typhoon Ompong.Ompong entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility at 3 p.m. Wednesday.University officials postponed the UPCAT to prevent exposing students and UP personnel to risks from the typhoon. There were 100,639 examinees accepted for this year.UP has yet to set the new schedule for the UPCAT.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/up-postpones-entrance-exams/440758/
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Watchdog warns against lead-laden fake cosmetics
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2016-12-11 21:29:41+00:00
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Excessive lead has been found in fake cosmetics by a product watchdog.Ecowaste Coalition over the weekend said it detected lead reaching 3780 parts per million (ppm) in 11 bogus MAC lipsticks.This exceeds the Asean Cosmetic Directive’s limit of 20 ppm maximum lead in cosmetics.The coalition said it used a portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) device to detect excessive lead in MAC imitation lipsticks.Nearly all the identified branded fakes exceeding 20 ppm were from “MAC Zac Posen” lipstick collection.Only “MAC Charlotte Olympia” and “MAC Vivaglam” were not from this collection.The fake “MAC Zac Posen’” variant “Girl About Town” (No. 08) had 3,780 ppm total lead; “Embrace Me” (No. 05) had 2,719 ppm; “Rudy Woo” (No. 12) had 2,443 ppm; and “Kinda Sexy” (No. 14) had 923 ppm.“Lead exposure has been linked to learning, language and behavioral problems, decreased fertility in both women and men, hormonal changes and abnormal menstrual cycles, and delayed onset of puberty in girls and deferred development of testes in boys,” the EcoWaste Coalition said.It may also put at risk pregnant women, leading to miscarriage, premature birth and reduced fetal growth, it added.Lead exposure can also harm their baby’s brain and central nervous system, the coalition said.“Some consumers knowingly pick branded counterfeits like ‘MAC’ because these are cheaper than the real ones, and also because these are supposedly closer to the original products in terms of quality. But, as our investigation shows, branded fakes can be notoriously toxic,” according to Thony Dizon, coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect.Dizon said these cosmetics sold by unathorized retailers at bargain prices are “obviously falsified and substandard.”Ecowaste Coalition urged consumers to be vigilant in the cosmetics they buy to avoid exposure to lead’s hazardous effects.MICAH M. VARDELEON
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/watchdog-warns-lead-laden-fake-cosmetics/301186/
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Mindoro bettor wins P27-M lotto jackpot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-01-25 21:21:34+00:00
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A bettor from Oriental Mindoro has won the P27.7-million Superlotto 6/49 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said the lucky winner bought the ticket with the winning combination of 10-29-02-27-16-05 from a lotto outlet in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro using standard bet.Aside from the lone jackpot winner, 65 other individuals won the second prize and will be getting P11,520 each while 1,994 will get P300 each for guessing four of the six-digit combination correct.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/mindoro-bettor-wins-p27-m-lotto-jackpot-2/308711/
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Top police officials inspect Kerwin’s cell
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['Jose Raquel']
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30/10/2016 0:00
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Top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) inspected security measures at the Leyte provincial jail as drug kingpin Kerwin Espinosa is expected to be detained.PNP Eastern Visayas Chief Supt. Elmer C. Beltejar led the inspection of the prison facility on Friday in Kauswagan village, this town.Espinosa was arrested in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 17 after an overseas worker tipped off authorities about his presence in United Arab Emirates.Beltejar said that although Espinosa’s deportation might take a month to process, the PNP is already considering options on where to detain him.Espinosa’s father, Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa, Sr. was detained at Leyte sub-provincial jail in Baybay City, a 20-minute drive from his hometown.He was arrested on October 5 on charges of illegal possession of firearms and drugs, the same charges filed against son.Kerwin Espinosa has been in and out of jail for a number of times on several charges.Beltejar told reporters that the 15 vehicles owned by Espinosa’s and kept by individuals were turned over to Albuera police station.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/10/30/top-police-officials-inspect-kerwins-cell/
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Ex-Cebu mayor faces graft case
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-02-17 20:40:56+00:00
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~The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a graft case before the Sandiganbayan against former Mayor Valdemar Chiong of Naga City, Cebu for allegedly issuing a mayor’s permit in 2014 an energy firm despite lack of certification from the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). In a charge sheet filed on February 9, the Ombudsman accused him of violating Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act). The Ombudsman alleged that on April 7, 2014 Chiong granted Petronas Energy Philippines, Inc. a permit to operate in Naga City without the necessary Fire Safety Inspection Certification from the BFP. The Ombudsman recommended P30,000 bail for Chiong as the case was designated by raffle to the Sandiganbayan’s Sixth Division on February 15.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ex-cebu-mayor-faces-graft-case/380890/
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Labor chief lifts ban on OFWs’ direct hiring
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-05-17 20:49:26+00:00
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Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd has lifted the suspension of the issuance of overseas employment certificates (OECs) to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are seeking exemptions from the ban on direct hiring.Through Administrative Order (AO) 155-A, Series of 2017, Bello directed the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) and the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices (POLOs) to resume the processing and issuance of OECs, which are one of the requirements under the rules and regulations of POEA on the recruitment and employment of OFWs to ensure protection and proper documentation.AO 155-A supercedes AO 155, which Bello issued earlier ordering a stop to the processing and issuance of OECs for all directly hired OFWs until further orders.He lifted the suspension after conclusion of investigation of reported involvement of POEA employees in alleged irregularities in the processing of documents for directly hired workers.Fixers in a POEA division supposedly have been extorting about P15,000 to P17,000 from each applicant to process the latter’s exemption documents.Bello said he has ordered the reshuffle of some directors in the POEA and will continue to reorganize the ranks of division chiefs.“We must ensure that our OFWs are protected when they leave the country. We should prevent them from being victims of anomalous schemes,” he added.Section 123 of the 2016 Revised Rules and Regulations on the Recruitment and Deployment of OFWs of the POEA states, ‘No employer shall directly hire an overseas Filipino worker for overseas employment.’Section 124, however, provides the exemption to include those employers who are close relatives of the OFW, members of the diplomatic corps, international organizations, heads of state, government officials with the rank of at least deputy minister and other employers permitted by the Labor secretary.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/labor-chief-lifts-ban-ofws-direct-hiring-2/327673/
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Duterte wishes Pacquiao good luck
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2016-11-02 21:54:51+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte wishes Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao good luck in his scheduled boxing match against Jessie Vargas on November 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Speaking to reporters in Davao City on Tuesday night, the President said he prayed that Pacquiao will stop Vargas during the early rounds.“[I’m no] boxing expert but I hope… If it does happen, it does happen. [It should be in the early rounds],” Duterte told a news conference.“[Because if it goes beyond seven to eight rounds, he could tire out. He might lose his punching power. I hope he can do it within the first two rounds. Manny can hit him, knock him down],” he said.Pacquiao will battle Vargas for the WBO welterweight championship in his comeback fight, after which he may be in line for a bout against the unbeaten Terence Crawford.Crawford (29-0) holds multiple titles at light welterweight (140 pounds), and will defend them against John Molina Jr. on December 10.Duterte, a friend and a fan of the Filipino champion, said Pacquiao was always good to him even before the latter became a global superstar.He disclosed that while he was still Davao City mayor, Pacquiao always offered him a couple of tickets for him to watch the fight live abroad.“[Every time he fights, he would always say, ‘I have two tickets for you, Mayor.’ We’ve been friends even before he became popular],” Duterte said.“[I’ll pray for you. I told him I don’t have time and I have no money to spend to go watch the fight abroad. I told him, ‘I’ll pray for you’],” the President added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-wishes-pacquiao-good-luck-2/294443/
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Lawmakers oppose call to extend martial law
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2017-12-08 22:23:04+00:00
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MEMBERS of the House of Representatives are not pleased with a proposal of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that martial law in Mindanao should be extended for another year.On Friday, Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, AFP spokesman, said in a news briefing in Malacañang that the basis for the extension of martial law are the “many threats that [Filipinos] still face on the island of Mindanao.”Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate said in a statement that the extension will only lead to more human rights violations.“[Martial law] extension means a spike in human rights violations on the island. As of now, numerous extrajudicial killings, forced evacuations, massacres and food blockades are happening in numerous provinces in Mindanao,” Zarate added.“It seems that the AFP and the PNP [Philippine National Police] want [unlimited] martial law that they can extend whenever they want, even if the affected people, especially displaced residents of [the city of] Marawi [capital of Lanao del Sur] and other provinces are totally opposed to it,” he said.“We said it before and we will say it again and again: There is no basis for extending martial rule in Mindanao; it [will] only cause hardships and sufferings to our people,” Zarate added, citing human rights violations documented by civil society and human rights organizations after martial law was implemented in Mindanao in an effort to quickly eradicate the Maute terror group, which occupied Marawi for months.He said the proposed extension of martial law might be used as a “smokescreen” so that awarding of projects for rehabilitation operations in Marawi would be made without public bidding.“[The extension] can be used to short-circuit and even do away with the rules on the bidding and procurement process, which can potentially open windows for graft and corruption,” Zarate added.Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice said terrorism should not be used as a reason for declaring martial law under any circumstance.“In a democracy, civilian supremacy is a must. Preventing terrorism should never be an excuse for military rule,” Erice told The Manila Times in a text message.“The preservation of democratic rights should be a factor in military and police intelligence and ground operations,” he said.Martial law in Mindanao is expected to be lifted this month.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmakers-oppose-call-extend-martial-law/367467/
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Relief packs for women pushed
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['Paul Parenas']
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15/07/2017 0:00
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Senator Juan Edgardo Angara has pressed for the mandatory distribution of “dignity kits” for women in evacuation centers, citing that many displaced Marawi City residents are women and children.Each “dignity kit” must contain 22 personal care items, including bath soap, laundry soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, underwear, sanitary napkins, shampoo, face towel, bath towel, slippers, tissue roll, cotton balls.The senator issued the call after a United Nations agency pegged at 18,000 the number of women gravely affected by the ongoing armed skirmishes in the capital of Lanao del Sur.A count by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) puts at 11,500 the number of pregnant women on top of “over 7,000” mothers who have recently given birth.”This, the senator said, should prompt the government to customize assistance for the most vulnerable evacuees.“Even during normal times, nursing mothers, babies, pregnant women must have the best of care. In wartime, their plight is exacerbated when they’re uprooted from their homes. The worse the situation is, the more responsive the government’s help must become,” Angara stressed.Disaster aid, he further said, must adopt a “women and children first policy” and this is best manifested through the distribution of women and baby kits.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/15/relief-packs-for-women-pushed/
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Dec 29 last day to swap old banknotes for new ones
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['Aric John Sy Cua']
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2017-12-28 19:58:50+00:00
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The public has only until Friday, December 29, to exchange their old banknotes for new ones, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).BSP Managing Director Carlyn Pangilinan on Thursday said the BSP already extended the deadline three times for those with the discontinued New Design Series (NDS), which has been in use from 1985 to 2010.The first deadline was New Year’s Eve 2016, the second March 31 and the third June 30.The BSP said it extended the deadline for the fourth and last time because of “insistent public demand.”Despite Tuesday being a government office holiday, it was open from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for people to replace their old bills.The Bangko Sentral acknowledged that there were queues before its offices in Manila and Quezon City from Tuesday to Wednesday.It gave official forms to those in the long lines, allowing them to return on January 3, 2018, but clarifying the date is not another deadline extension but an accommodation of those who were at the offices but were not served.“We remind the public that the deadline for exchanging the New Design Series banknotes for New Generation Currency [NGC] banknotes is on Friday, December 29, 2017,” Pangilinan said.The BSP said information on the NDS demonetization process was disseminated to various newspapers and radio and television networks.The information was also posted on the Bangko Sentral’s official website, shown in movie theaters, given to retailers through brochures and pamphlets and distributed to partner networks through SMS messages for the past three years.Those who still have the old bank notes may exchange them on Friday at the BSP Cash Department in Manila and Quezon City or in BSP regional offices, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., bringing two valid ID cards with them.The NDS was introduced in 1985 and was called the BSP Series in 1993.It was later succeeded by the NGC, which was introduced by then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd and then-BSP Governor Amado Tetangco Jr. on December 16, 2010.The NDS was no longer legal tender beginning January 1, 2016 and is set to be fully demonetized on Monday.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dec-29-last-day-swap-old-banknotes-new-ones/371012/
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DepEd hit for removing teachers’ local allowances
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-02-17 20:58:56+00:00
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HUNDREDS of public school teachers from Metro Manila on Friday afternoon stormed the central office of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Pasig City to denounce the agency for scrapping their local allowances.The teachers, most of them clad in black shirts, demanded the resignation of Secretary Leonor Briones for signing the Joint Circular 1, Series of 2017 issued by the Education department, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) removing the allowances given by local government units to DepEd-hired teachers as expenses chargeable to the special education fund, effectively prohibiting these allowances.“We would also to take this opportunity to question Secretary Briones in signing the joint circular without any consultation [with] the mainstream teachers organization and utmost disregard of our welfare. The situation had left us no recourse but to march in the streets and air our grievances collectively to get the attention of our DepEd officials and the Duterte administration,” Mabelle Caboboy, chapter president of Quezon City Public School Teachers Association and Alliance of Concerned Teachers National Capital Region (Metro Manila) Union, said.“Nationally-paid teachers will lose their local allowances. In effect, this joint circular will take back the allowances sourced from the special education fund which local government units have been giving for nearly 20 years, enabling to augment the take-home pay of public school teachers in their jurisdiction,” Caboboy added.Citing the Joint Circular 1, Series of 1998, she noted that the “payment of existing allowances of teachers are among the expenses chargeable to the special education fund, or the additional 1 percent tax on real property.The 1998 circular implemented provisions of the Local Government Code of the special education fund, classifying allowances under “operation and maintenance of public schools” that the law allows as proceeds of the special education fund.“We decry the DBM, DepEd and DILG’s move of slashing the benefits of teachers in the face of the government’s refusal to grant immediate substantial salary increases and income tax relief. We demand that the DepEd, DBM and DILG amend the new special education fund guidelines to reinstate local allowances as allowable special education fund expense,” Caboboy said.NEIL A. ALCOBER
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-hit-removing-teachers-local-allowances-2/312825/
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Rogue police seeks NBI custody again
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-01-25 21:26:46+00:00
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The Pubic Attorney’s Office has pleaded before a local court that Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Santa Isabel, who is tagged in the kidnapping and killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, be returned to the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame in Quezon City.In an urgent motion, the PAO also asked the Angeles City (Pampanga) Regional Trial Court Branch 58 to allow a reinvestigation of Santa Isabel’s case.“The Information was hastily filed without giving him the chance to file his counter- affidavit together with the documents to refute the baseless complaint filed against him,” the policeman said.This means that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will review again the charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide against him.“Since accused herein is a member of the Philippine National Police, detained at the institution’s detention facility, he fears for his life’s security as the same is in imminent danger as he continuously receives death threats,” the document read.“Accused [Santa Isabel] will be safer in the custody of the NBI than with the PNP considering that this case not only involves him but also several high-ranking and powerful officials who are still connected with the PNP organization,” it was pointed out.The policeman manifested that he does not feel secure inside Camp Crame after he implicated several senior officials in the case, including his superiors PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group – Pampanga (AIDG) head Superintendent Rafael Dumlao and Senior Supt. Allan Macapagal of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group.“Accused herein invokes his right to due process and humbly asks this Honorable Court to accord him such fundamental right under our laws. It is clear from the records that accused SPO3 Santa Isabel was not given the chance to attend the scheduled hearings and submit his counter-affidavit simply because the DOJ hastily rendered a resolution finding probable cause against him. As such, he should not be deemed to have waived his right to a preliminary investigation,” it was noted.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/rogue-police-seeks-nbi-custody/308715/
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Lone Davao bettor wins P45-M mega lotto pot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2016-11-08 20:31:05+00:00
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A lone bettor from Davao is now a multimillionaire after hitting the Mega Lotto 6/45 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Monday night amounting P44.6 million.PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan said the lucky winner who correctly guessed the winning combination 11-31-24-17-39-16 bought the ticket from a lotto outlet in Panbo City, Davao del Norte.The still unidentified winner bet P40.00 and is expected to get a total of P44,650,100.Twenty-six individuals won P40,290 each after getting five of the six-number combination.At least 1,534 other lotto players will be getting P540 each as third prize.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lone-davao-bettor-wins-p45-m-mega-lotto-pot/295471/
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Surigao del Norte SP declares DepEd 13 head ‘persona non grata’
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['Isang Lahi']
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10/3/2017 0:00
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For failing to attend an emergency meeting in the immediate aftermath of the devastating February 10 earthquake, the acting regional director of the Department of Education (DepEd 13) has been declared “persona non grata” by the Surigao del Norte provincial council.The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) approved Resolution No. 51 that censured DepEd 13 Director May D. Eclar for failing to answer a call to an emergency meeting last February 17 by Surigao del Norte Governor Sol F. Matugas after a 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck the province last February 10, and the occurrence of aftershocks.“To immediately look into the welfare of the public education sector, among other sectors, with serious questions on the integrity of public school buildings, the trauma suffered by both teachers and students alike and their safety above all, and on the resumption of classes, an emergency meeting was called for by Governor Matugas, inviting DepEd 13 Acting Director Eclar along with all School Division Superintendents and other DepEd officials in the afternoon of February 17, 2017,” the SP resolution said.However, the SP resolution added, “Director Eclar did not heed the invitation on the flimsy reason that she was busy when asked by Governor Matugas of her absence and even failed to personally coordinate with the local chief executive of the province of Surigao del Norte on matters relating to issues and concerns of the public education sector within the jurisdictional responsibility of Governor Matugas.”“The attitude of Eclar in the light of the predicament of the province, and despite the marching order of His Excellency President Duterte and DepEd Secretary Leonor Briomes during their visit in the province, bespeaks of her arrogance and indifference to the plight of Surigaonons thus renders her attitude undesirable,” the SP resolution said.“Wherefore, premises considered, be it resolved as it is hereby resolved to declare Acting Director Eclar of DepEd Caraga Regional Office as an unacceptable person, and therefore, a persona non grata in the province of Surigao del Norte,” the SP resolution added.
|
Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/10/surigao-del-norte-sp-declares-deped-13-head-persona-non-grata/
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Former SAF commando tops Napolcom validation interview
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['Jing Villamente']
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2016-12-11 21:28:19+00:00
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Police Supt. Wildemar Tan Tiu, a civil engineering graduate and a member of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Sambigkis Class of 2003, is this year’s topnotcher of the Police Executive Service Eligibility (PESE) validation interview administered by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) for the third-level ranks in the Philippine National Police (PNP).Tiu, also deputy chief of the Permit to Carry Firearm Outside of Residence (PTCFOR) Unit under the Office of the Chief of the PNP, placed first among the 259 senior police officials who passed the validation interview.Napolcom Vice Chairman and Executive Officer Rogelio Casurao announced that the 10th PESE Conferment Rites will be held on December 12 at the DILG-Napolcom Center in Quezon City, with DILG Secretary and Napolcom Chairman Ismael Sueno as guest of honor and speaker.Aside from being a licensed civil engineer, Tiu also has master’s degrees in Public Administration and Business Administration.He is also a recipient of numerous awards and commendations in his 16 years of police service.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/former-saf-commando-tops-napolcom-validation-interview/301195/
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SC sanctions lawyers over forged documents
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-07-21 21:34:27+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) penalized two lawyers for allegedly notarizing several forged documents. In a full court ruling promulgated by Deputy Clerk of Court Anna-Li Papa-Gombio, the SC found Roger Reyes and Romeo Bernaje guilty for violation of the Notarial Law and the Code of Professional Responsibility. Reyes’ notarial commission was revoked with perpetually disqualification as notary and suspended from the practice for two years. Bernaje was reprimanded for the same reasons. In a complaint by Ernesto Wee, he said that in December 2005, Marichi Ramos bought on instalment his van which transaction was done after payment was made in full.In 2009, Ramos offered to buy Wee’s Nissan Frontier pick-up truck. However, Wee found out that Ramos had already sold the same to a car dealer named Ricardo Uy who subsequently sold it to a certain Harjender Gill. But the documents contained Wee’s name and forged signature, and were notarized by Reyes. Only the deed of sale executed by Uy in favor Gill was notarized by Bernaje.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-sanctions-lawyers-forged-documents/339696/
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'Join Pope’s Share The Journey campaign'
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['The Manila Times']
|
2017-09-26 20:44:51+00:00
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Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle is encouraging Filipinos, parishes and church organizations to join Pope Francis in launching the “Share the Journey” campaign on Wednesday, September 27.“We invite all of your parish, diocesan and national organizations to accompany Pope Francis by launching our global campaign in your countries on this same day,” Tagle said on Tuesday.The global migration campaign “Share the Journey” is the Caritas’ two-year campaign for action and awareness-raising that will promote the “culture of encounter” between Catholics and to help those people who leave their homes in search of a decent and safe life for their families.“Our campaign gives us an opportunity to remind ourselves and others of certain truths. The Church is called to exercise the hospitality of God toward migrants and refugees,” the Filipino cardinal said.The campaign has more than 160 Caritas members around the globe and will run until the end of 2019.It will sponsor events and provide opportunities for migrants and communities to meet and share their stories.The campaign is supported by ACT Alliance, a group of 146 churches and faith-based organizations worlwide, and a handful of other religious and civil society groups.“Look them in the eyes, listen to why they leave their homes, how their journey has been, see the real people behind the numbers and scary stories,” Tagle said.The cardinal added that this is the right time for all to be united.In Manila, the launch of the “Share the Journey” campaign will be held at the Adamson University auditorium in Manila at 4:30 p.m. today.ASHLEY JOSE
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Manila Times
|
https://www.manilatimes.net/join-popes-share-journey-campaign/352967/
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PH Navy to receive new radar system
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-08-19 20:55:14+00:00
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The Philippine Navy will be receiving a self-sustained, unmanned Lighter-Than-Air systems coming from the United States government in a formal turn-over ceremony set on August 22.According to Capt. Lued Lincuna, Philippine Navy spokesman, the unit will be receiving the Tethered Aerostat Radar System (TARS) donated by the US government.The ceremonies will be held at the Naval Education and Training Command in San Antonio, Zambales with US Deputy Embassy Chief of Mission to the Philippines Michael Klescheski and Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Adm. Joseph Ronald Mercado gracing the event.TARS is expected to enhance the Navy’s capability when it comes to Maritime Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance “by effectively detecting maritime and air traffic” within the Philippines’ coastal waters using sensors, Lincuna said.“Moreover, it will also be utilized in the conduct of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response operations,” he added.The radar system also include a weather station providing telemetry data to the ground station for the monitoring of ambient temperature, pressure, wind speed and other pertinent parameters in its operation.It will be the first time for the military to receive such system coming from the American government, despite President Rodrigo Duterte’s continuous tirades against the United States.
|
Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-navy-receive-new-radar-system/345502/
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DOST-TAPI holds inventors contest, exhibits in Ilocos
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['The Manila Times']
|
2017-11-12 22:54:44+00:00
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THE Department of Science and Technology-Technology Application and Promotion Institute (DoST-TAPI), through its Regional Office 1, will conduct the 2017 Regional Invention Contest and Exhibit (RICE) from November 14 to 16 at the Robinsons Place–Ilocos in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte. To recognize Filipino inventor’s creativity, hardwork and efforts in showing their capabilities, a total of 234 entries from the secondary schools, State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and private individuals and institutions in Region 1 will be exhibited and judged during the event. There are 201 entries from the secondary schools and 14 entries from the SUCs. The entries will be judged according to the originality of the technology, creativity/methodology, the market potential and usefulness and presentation and demonstration bythe participants. Three regional winners will be selected per category and will be announced and awarded during closing ceremonies on November 16.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dost-tapi-holds-inventors-contest-exhibits-ilocos/362353/
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De Venecia urges farmers to go organic
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['Anna Mae Junio']
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18/04/2017 0:00
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Rep. Christopher de Venecia of the 4th District of this province has urged farmers in his district to shift to organic farming.Speaking at a recent dialogue with members of the San Fabian Agri-preneurs Association in Barangay Lipit Tomeeng led by Barangay Chairman Jacobo Disu, De Venecia said organic farming is far better than the conventional method of farming.He said the conventional method employs chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides that are harmful not only to the body but also to the soil, making it toxic and less fertile in the long run.The young solon assured the farmers that he will bring experts to San Fabian to teach them vermiculture so that they can learn to produce their own organic fertilizer.
|
Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/18/de-venecia-urges-farmers-to-go-organic/
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‘Nando’ exits, LPA sighted off Mindanao
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['The Manila Times']
|
2017-09-24 19:47:08+00:00
|
As tropical depression Nando exited the Philippine territory, a new low pressure area (LPA) was spotted in the eastern section of Mindanao, the state-run Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Sunday.The LPA’s trough was forecast to bring cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over the Surigao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Davao Occidental.Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will experience partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies apart from isolated rainshowers mostly in the afternoon or evening because of localized thunderstorms.Nando, which brought heavy rains over Zambales and Bataan over the weekend was last located 625 kilometers west of Sinait, Ilocos Sur, with maximum winds of up to 45 kilometers per hour and gustiness of 60 kph.It is forecast to move west-northwest at 24 kph and will have no effect on any areas of the country anymore, Pagasa said.GLEE JALEA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/nando-exits-lpa-sighted-off-mindanao/352580/
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8th suspect in Davao blast yields
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['Fernan Marasigan']
|
2016-11-10 21:29:49+00:00
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A MEMBER of a terrorist group in southern Mindanao tagged as among the suspects in the September 2, 2016 Davao City night market bombing that killed 15 people and injured dozens gave up to authorities on Thursday.The surrender of Jerico Javier de Roma alias Kokoy, a resident of Mandanas Compound, RH10, Cotabato City, brought to eight the number of Davao blast suspects in government custody.The military said there were more than a dozen people involved in the incident.Col. Benjamin Hao, Army spokesman, said de Roma, 25, is a member of Dawah Islamiyah Fi Lanao Cotabato Chapter (Maute Group).The suspect was the driver of the group that detonated the bomb, leaving 15 persons dead and 70 others wounded.The military earlier arrested TJ Tagadaya Macabalang, Wendel Apostol Facturan and Musali Mustapha.In a follow-up operation, members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency arrested Mohammad Lalaog Chenikandiyil alias Datu Boi; Jackson Mangulamas Usi alias Abu Mansor/Jam; Zack Villanueva Lopez alias Haron; and Ansan Abdulla Mamasapano alias Abu Hamsa.The military had claimed that the group was allegedly planning to stage bombings in other parts of Mindanao similar to the Davao City night market blast.The group allegedly targeted areas in Mindanao, Maguindanao or Davao.The planned bombings, Hao said, was revealed by the intelligence community and “other sources.”“Everything is possible because these are terrorist groups. But just the same, our job is to make sure to stop them from their plans. But those are possible plans,” he pointed out.
|
Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/8th-suspect-davao-blast-yields/295876/
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NEcija accident victims’ kin to receive P200K each
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2017-04-20 22:08:36+00:00
|
The Passenger Accident Management & Insurance Agency (PAMI) will release P200,000 to families of each casualty in a bus accident in Nueva Ecija last Saturday.The Leomarick bus fell into a ravine in Carranglan town, killing at least 33 passengers and injuring more than a dozen others.The release will be made at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Field Office at Bayombong Extension Office in VICS Compound, Barangay Santa Rosa, Bayombong in Nueva Vizcaya at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 22.The second release will be made on April 25, also at 2 p.m.Family members of the casualties should present a marriage contract, if married, with a valid ID.If single, a birth certificate and a valid ID must be presented.“Release will only be made upon compliance [with the requirements] to ensure that the rightful surviving heirreceives the assistance,” the LTFRB said, after it had a meeting with PAMI and the bus operator.PAMI will also go to hospitals to distribute financial assistance to those who were confined for injuries.The LTFRB will issue a preventive suspension order to four buses of Leomarick Trans.The bus driver, Rolando Mangaoang, was found negative for methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu after a drug test was conducted, according to LTFRB spokesperson Aileen Lizada.“Based on the operations manager of Leomarick, this is the first accident Rolando Mangaoang was involved in,” Lizada said.The bus was carrying 72 passengers en route to Candon, Ilocos Sur.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/necija-accident-victims-kin-receive-p200k/323169/
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Uber to pay P190-M fine this week – LTFRB spokesman
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2017-08-27 20:04:07+00:00
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Ride-sharing operator Uber has promised to pay this week the P190-million fine that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) had imposed on it for operating colorum vehicles in defiance of a board order.Colorum vehicles do not have franchises.The promise was made, according to LTFRB spokesman Aileen Lizada, although, “we have no official communication from them… So [we will wait until Tuesday this week what their action is].”The board had said “the online ride-sharing services of [Uber Systems Inc.] will be restored when it has paid the amount of fine.”The fine resulted from Uber’s suspension for operating colorum units.On Sunday, the franchising board noted that that it would be the “first time” in its history that a suspension was converted into a fine.As such, “We have to tread on it very clearly [so there would not be interpretation on where we are coming from in converting the suspension],” Lizada said in an interview over radio dzMM.On Friday, the board directed Uber to pay P190 million in exchange for lifting the suspension order against the ride-sharing company.It said the P190 million is equivalent to Uber’s daily average income and the remaining days of its suspension.In a text message to reporters, Lizada said, “Uber has a range of about P7 to P10 million based on 150,000 riders per day. So the remaining days of suspension is 19, times P10 million, that’s P190 million.”Uber itself asked the LTFRB to convert its one-month suspension into a fine for it to be able to resume operation, even offering up to P10 million compensation to the board.“The board thus rule[d] to grant the prayer of [Uber] to lift the order of suspension imposed in its order of 14 August 2017 and in lieu thereof, impose[d] a fine of P190,000,000, the amount of which when paid will be remitted to the national treasury” the LTFRB said in its order.Uber has commited to remit daily P19,949,600 in financial assistance to its transport network vehicle services operators and drivers until the day when ride-sharing services are restored.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/uber-pay-p190-m-fine-week-ltfrb-spokesman/347115/
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Duterte congratulates Verzosa for Tokyo win
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2016-10-28 20:32:06+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has congratulated newly-crowned Miss International 2016 Kylie Verzosa for her victory on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan.Speaking to reporters after his arrival in Davao City from an official visit to Japan, the President said he would like to meet the beauty queen.“I’d like to congratulate the Miss International. Mabuhay ka at [May you live long and] I’d like to meet her just to congratulate her personally,” Duterte said during a news conference.Duterte had a chance to meet Verzosa earlier this week, with the pageant taking place in Tokyo.Verzosa, a 24-year-old pre-school teacher from Baguio City, is the sixth Filipina to win the Miss International title. She was crowned Binibining Pilipinas International in April this year.The President said he feels “happy” about Verzosa’s win because it gives Filipinos something to be proud of.“Of course, I am happy. I am always happy if our beautiful women win all the titles [in pageants]— kasi Filipino tayo eh [because we are Filipinos],” Duterte added.“It gives us — konting hambog [a sense of pride] — it lifts the [spirit]. Parang mayabang tayo na, o kita mo! Magaganda ang mga — magaganda ang maraming Pilipina [We can be proud and say, see, many Filipinas are beautiful],” he added.But Duterte could not help taking a jab at his critics, particularly the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).“Pero lahat kayo diyan sa Human Rights commission, mga panget [But all of you in the CHR are ugly],” the President said, which drew laughter from the audience.Past and present members of the commission, including current Chairman Chito Gascon and former chief Leila de Lima, have been critical of Duterte’s approach to crime, blaming him for human rights violations and extrajudicial killings.CATHERINE S. VALENTE
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Manila Times
|
https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-congratulates-verzosa-tokyo-win/293617/
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House panel to resume Dengvaxia probe
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['Glee Jalea']
|
2018-11-12 00:02:31+00:00
|
The House committee on good government and public accountability will resume its inquiry on the Dengvaxia mess on November 20 and 21, Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo said Sunday.Romualdo, the head of the panel, said they will “tie up loose ends” and get “a more complete picture” on how the government procured the P3.5 billion worth of dengue vaccine.“I thought that in order to come up with a very complete and comprehensive report, we need to reopen and ask a few questions to some resource persons to tie up the story, and really see what happened,” Romualdo said in an interview.The committee, which was formerly headed by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, already held several joint hearings with the House committee on health headed by Quezon Rep. Angelina Tan.Romualdo said the panel will likely invite former president Benigno Aquino 3rd, former Health secretary Janette Garin, and former Budget secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad.“We will invite all former or incumbent officials, from those in the bottom to those in the top of the government hierarchy, who played a role in the registration and procurement of Dengvaxia and the planning and implementation of the vaccination program…but we don’t intend to invite them all together,” he said.The government suspended the anti-dengue vaccination program in 2017 after French pharmaceutical company Sanofi Pasteur admitted that children who never had dengue but received the vaccine have higher risks of contracting severe cases of the disease.The Department of Health had said 900,000 children were inoculated with the vaccine.
|
Manila Times
|
https://www.manilatimes.net/house-panel-to-resume-dengvaxia-probe/466159/
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