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Govt should have ‘share’ from Grab, Uber income
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-07-18 22:57:32+00:00
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The government wants to have a share from the income of ride-sharing companies, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said on Tuesday, amid an impending crackdown on Grab and Uber drivers.This came about after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) ordered transport network companies Grab and Uber to prohibit unaccredited drivers in their pool from operating beginning July 27.In a news conference, Tugade said Grab and Uber should get franchises from the LTFRB to ensure safety and qualifications of drivers.“’Yung trabaho na ‘yun [These jobs] are clothed with public interest. And because [they are] clothed with public interest, the regulatory functions of certain agencies and government must come to fore,” Tugade told reporters.“It will go into the normal franchising flow . . . [The government should have a share in what they earn],” he said.According to Tugade, less than 10 percent of 56,000 vehicles operating under Grab and Uber are registered with the franchising board.He said the Transportation department wants to establish a cap in the number of Grab and Uber vehicles plying the roads once it has established compliance in securing permits.“We wanted to have compliance. Once we have the compliance, then we can establish a cap,” Tugade added.He then justified the LTFRB’s order, saying that transport network companies should follow regulations or face sanctions.“Ang sinasabi lang ho ng LTFRB is, ‘Pwede ba, mag-rehistro naman kayo?’ What makes you so different with the other public utility vehicles? [The LTFRB is asking you to register. What makes you so different from other public utility vehicles?],” Tugade said.“Kung hindi sila mag-apply… pahuhuli ko lahat ‘yan [ If they don’t apply . . . I will have them arrested],” he added.Recently, the LTFRB fined Grab and Uber P5 million each for violating the terms and conditions of their accreditation, such as the inclusion in their platforms of drivers who do not have franchises to operate.By July 26, Grab and Uber drivers without franchises will be fined P120,000 and their vehicles impounded for three months.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-share-grab-uber-income/339135/
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PCSO sees successful lottery tech systems upgrade
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-02-27 00:01:16+00:00
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Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan on Monday said the agency is confident it can bid out this year the P10.906-billion Nationwide Online Lottery System (NOLS) project to upgrade the more than 20-year-old equipment being used for Lotto games draws.He said the bidding for the project was stalled since last year by court cases filed by the Philippine Gaming Management Corp. (PGMC), a Malaysian-controlled firm. But he said there’s a “light at the end of the tunnel” after receiving information PGMC will withdraw the courts cases.“I’ve been informed that PGMC will withdraw all their cases in the courts, also at the request of the PCSO so that we can proceed with the bidding for the NOLS,” Balutan said.The project aims to establish a centralized technology system for PCSO’s lottery games draws for Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.At present, PGMC is the service provider for Luzon, while Pacific Online Systems Corp. (POSC) conducts draws for Visayas and Mindanao. Both firms are listed at the Philippines Stock Exchange.But their Equipment Lease Agreements (ELAs) are going to expire in the middle of this year.In July 2017, Presiding Judge Maximo de Leon of the Makati City Regional Trial Court, Branch 143, granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of PGMC against the NOLS bidding participated in by at least 17 firms who bought bid documents.The court action dismayed officials and employees of PCSO because they said the state-of-the-art lottery systems would give the agency a bigger market share that will help PCSO generate more funds for government. The NOLS is also cheaper than the current lottery lease system.Balutan said the lottery systems and technology upgrade would also enhance the capability of the more than 10,000 lotto outlets nationwide that are supervised by PCSO.“We have to have state-of-the-art systems and technology for our lottery games,” Balutan stressed.He also pointed out that the bidding would be the first ever in the history of PCSO.“Because previously, it was just an ELA, merely equipment lease agreement. There was no bidding done when they were tapped in 1996. Their [PGMC and POSC] ELAs will terminate by July and August this year, respectively,” he said.“Through this bidding, we can upgrade the quality of the system and equipment and games so that our nationwide lotto system can be modernized, because we have fallen behind with the lotto systems in other countries,” Balutan added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-sees-successful-lottery-tech-systems-upgrade/382934/
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Maranao execs decry dumping of rogue cops into Marawi
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['Cest Moi Toujour', 'Paul Parenas']
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6/7/2017 0:00
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The two Mandaluyong City cops who were caught on video hitting two barangay ordinance violators arrived here on Wednesday on disciplinary deployment but strife-gripped Maranao officials received them coldly and urged higher authorities to stop dumping rogue cops in Mindanao.“Erring cops should be sued administratively. What they need is to face accountability not temporary punishment. It’s quite offensive to treat us like a trash bin for abusive cops. And to use the Marawi Crisis as a (place for) punishment is both insensitive and disrespectful,” Lanao del Sur Assemblyman Zia Alonto-Adiong said in his Facebook post.Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police director, turned over PO1 Jose Jolious Iguiron Tandog and PO1 Chito Pagdanganan Enriquez to Lanao del Sur OIC-police director Senior Supt. Jhon Guyguyon at the provincial police headquarters here around 2 p.m. Wednesday.Tandog and Enriquez arrived at the ARMM’s regional police office at Camp S. K. Pendatun in Parang, Maguindanao on Tuesday, according to Director Sindac.Last March, at least 109 supposedly rogue cops from Metro Manila were deployed in Basilan province purportedly to exert labor in rescue operations in the flood-hit city of Lamitan.ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman had cried foul over such deployment, saying it bespoke of transforming the autonomous region into a “dump site” for rogue cops.Tandog and Enriquez were caught on video that went viral on social media manhandling two residents they arrested last week for drinking outside their own house in Mandaluyong City in purported violation of a barangay ordinance.An irate Director General Ronald dela Rosa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), ordered the deployment of Tandog and Enriquez in this war-torn city in order to test their aggressiveness against marauding local terrorists that have been fighting security forces since May 23.“It’s a double whammy. If they (rogue cops) die here, national officials will honor them as fallen heroes. If they repeat the brutality in our city, resident Maranaos will as usual be blamed instead,” a city government official told the Manila Bulletin.Both Marawi and Lamita cities are component areas of the ARMM.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/06/maranao-execs-decry-dumping-of-rogue-cops-into-marawi/
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DoH records 449 cases of firecracker injuries
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2018-01-06 23:03:20+00:00
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The Department of Health’s (DoH) Epidemiology Bureau has recorded 449 firecracker-related injuries during the surveillance period that ran from December 21 last year to January 5.Out of the 449 cases recorded in sentinel hospitals, 243 came from Metro Manila.Of the 243 registered in Metro Manila, 114 cases came from Manila; 29 from Quezon City; 17 from Valenzuela City; 16 from Pasig City; 14 from Marikina City; 13 from Caloocan City and Mandaluyong City; 6 from Las Piñas City and Navotas City; and 15 from other municipalities.The Ilocos Region recorded 46 cases; Calabarzon with 44 cases; Western Visayas with 41 cases; Central Luzon with 26; and Bicol Region with 15.The total number is 182 cases or 29 percent cases lower than the figures recorded during the same period in 2016 and 48 percent lower than the five-year average from 2012 to 2016.At press time, there have been no recorded deaths and fireworks ingestion.One stray bullet case was recorded in Caloocan, according to the Philippine National Police.Majority or 79 percent of the victims were males with ages ranging from 11 months to 69 with most of the cases involving 13-year-old boys.Two-hundred-forty-six of them were active users of fireworks.“Piccolo” remains as the top cause of the injuries, injuring 149.Other firecrackers used were “boga” and “5-star.”Majority or 367 of the cases sustained blast injuries without need for amputation; 76 had eye injuries; and 18 were blast injuries with need for amputation.Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd reminded the public to immediately seek medical attention if there are still any untreated firecracker injuries.He said there may be a likelihood that they may get infected by tetanus if they did not go to the hospital to have their injuries treated.“It is quite possible that there were many more firecracker injuries in the past than those actually recorded and reported because many such victims did not go to health facilities for treatment of their injuries,” Duque added.“It would surely mean an increase in our injury tally, but I urge all our countrymen who have suffered these injuries to come in for treatment. Tetanus infection is a serious health problem that should be prevented or dealt with as soon as possible,” he said.The DoH said health professionals in emergency rooms or out-patient departments of all government hospitals are trained and equipped to address the risks of tetanus infection in injuries from pyrotechnics and other causes.In June last year, President Rodrigo Duterte issued Executive Order 28, which confined the use of firecrackers to community fireworks display areas to minimize risk of injuries and casualties.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doh-records-449-cases-firecracker-injuries/372736/
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Repatriation OFWs in Kuwait hastened
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-03-23 23:09:33+00:00
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UNDOCUMENTED Filipinos in Kuwait who want to return to the Philippines have until April 12 to register in order for them to avail of the two-month extension the Kuwaiti government granted last February, the Department of Foreign Affairs announced Thursday.DFA issued the deadline after the Philippine Embassy reported a drop in the number of undocumented Filipino workers registering for repatriation after Kuwait announced the extension that would end on April 22.The Kuwaiti government in February agreed to extend the amnesty offered to overstaying Filipinos which was originally scheduled to end on February 21.The decision was made after Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano formally conveyed the extension request to Kuwaiti Ambassador to Manila Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh.The extension would allow the Philippine embassy in Kuwait to accommodate more of the 10,800 Filipinos believed to have overstayed their visas or ran away from their employers.“Our countrymen in Kuwait must realize that we cannot do things overnight and they should not wait until the last minute before they sign up for repatriation,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola said.Based on DFA records, 3,668 Filipinos who availed of the amnesty have been returned to the Philippines since the repatriation program for undocumented Filipinos started in February.DFA has expressed concern about the more than 6,000 undocumented workers who still have not signed up for repatriation and may have been waiting until the last minute to meet the amnesty deadline.Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa said the April 12 deadline was sent to the DFA to make sure that all necessary documents and clearances would be processed before the end of the amnesty.Villa explained that the processing of documents needed for repatriation would take 10 days and if applicants would do things at the last minute, chances are they would not be able to meet the deadline.“So we are appealing to our countrymen to go to the embassy as soon as possible and get themselves registered. We want to make sure no one is left behind,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/repatriation-ofws-in-kuwait-hastened/388074/
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‘People should know about federalism’
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-07-15 00:02:41+00:00
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Former Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr. on Saturday said the people should not endorse the federal system just because President Rodrigo Duterte favors it.Pimentel is a member of the Consultative Committee (ConCom) that crafted a new charter.“I think the people should not endorse the federal system just because the President wants it. Dapat alam nila ang puno’t dulo nito (They should know what it is all about),” he said in an interview after a forum in Quezon City.“That is why we in the constitutional committee formed several sub-committees which are now going around the nation to explain,” Pimentel said.“Ang purpose ng federalismo ay upang makapag-invite ang mga federal states ng mga investor na kailangan nila sa kanilang federal states na hindi na pakialaman ng Metro Manila government para mabigyan ng trabaho ang walang trabaho. Number two, para matigil na ang putukan sa ating bansa lalo na laban sa mga Muslim rebels (The purpose of federalism is to allow federal states to invite investors without the national government stepping in. Number two, to end the fighting particularly with Muslim rebels),” he explained.The Philippines, under the present setup, has a unitary presidential form of government under which the President has a six-year term.According to Pimentel and Con-Com spokesman Ding Generoso, President Duterte will be barred from running in the 2022 elections under the federal charter’s new transitory provisions.“Parati niyang iniinsist na dapat hindi ma-extend ang kanyang term (The President has been insisting that he does not want his term to be extended). I believe the President’s commitment that he no longer wants to lead. So we have included the provision that he can no longer run for another term,” the former senator said.Generoso said the final copy of the draft charter would be released on Monday.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/people-should-know-about-federalism/419572/
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SC designates cybercrime courts
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-05-07 22:34:37+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) has assigned special courts for cases involving cybercrimes, among others.In a full-court ruling, the SC designated certain branches of the Regional Trial Courts (RTCs) to try and decide cybercrime cases under Republic Act (RA) 10715 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.According to the high tribunal, the RTC branches assigned as “special commercial courts in its administrative matter on June 17, 2003 are hereby further designated as cybercrime courts to try and decide cybercrime cases covered under RA 10175, in addition to their designation as special commercial courts.”“The cybercrime courts in the judicial regions shall have territorial authority over the entire region where the RTC is located for purposes of exercising the special jurisdiction granted herein,” the SC said.“Accordingly, cybercrime cases shall be filed in the Office of the Clerk of Court in the official station of the proper cybercrime courts,” it added.Section 1 of the cybercrime law provides that “three (3) additional branches of the Regional Trial Court to be stationed in the City of Bacolod, situated in the Province of Negros Occidental, are hereby created in the Sixth Judicial Region.”“The Supreme Court shall assign the branch numbers of the newly created Regional Trial Court branches in the Sixth Judicial Region,” RA 10175’s Section 2 said.Another provision of the same law, Section 3, explains that “the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in coordination with the Secretary of the Department of Justice, shall immediately include in the court’s program the operationalization of the additional Regional Trial Court branches to be stationed in the City of Bacolod, Province of Negros Occidental, the funding of which shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act. The funds necessary for the operation of the courts herein created shall be appropriated and released only upon the actual organization of the courts and the appointment of its personnel.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/sc-designates-cybercrime-courts/326021/
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Kids now computer savvy – Korean techie
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-02-22 20:54:48+00:00
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TOKYO: “You may not like smartphone but whether you like it or not [you are forced to use it] and things are changing [fast],” according to David Sehyeon Baek, general manager of Korean firm Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, the main speaker on Wednesday on the third day of a five-day conference of mass media practitioners in this city under the auspices of the Asian Productivity Organization (APO).He said children as young as four years in Japan, South Korea and European countries are learning programming already.Baek added that everything will center on software programming and the best way to prepare for that is to start with the children by teaching them encoding and the language of programming.He said linking with the Internet via smartphones is unavoidable because of the fast-paced lifestyle today and almost every transaction can be done via Wi-Fi connection.Baek added that Facebook has about 1.5 billion people users at present.“In [South] Korea, everything is now connected to the Internet. Even opening a car is now done via smartphone. Homes are controlled by smartphones,” he said.The industrial revolution, according to him, is creating smart factories, smart farms and smart cities via artificial intelligence, including taking care of one’s health.Another unavoidable feature of a smart city is robots, which can replace many actions of human beings.Baek said many jobs will vanish in the next 25 years, including newspaper reporters, utility company engineers, delivery and taxi drivers, some teachers, travel agents, air traffic controllers and pilots, bookkeepers and accountants and interpreters and translators.He said 2 billion jobs will disappear by 2030.In South Korea, some 10 percent f bank workers have lost their jobs because people opted transacting via online.New jobs, however, are being created by the industrial revolution like how to maintain robots and all automation machines.Baek cited one company that adopted high technology but retained its employees by training them for new skills such as use of sofware programs and machine maintenance.The industrial revolution, he said, evolved from mechanization, water power and steam power; mass production, assembly line and electricity; computer automation; and cyber physical systems.APO, composed of 20 member countries, is a globally recognized group that provides practical training through lectures and observational visits.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/kids-now-computer-savvy-korean-techie/313639/
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House to subpoena ad man in ERC anomaly
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-05-02 21:13:28+00:00
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The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability will subpoena Luis Morelos, the owner of advertising agency FatFree Inc. who was implicated in the allegedly anomalous infomercial project that led to the suicide of lawyer Francisco Villa Jr., the former head of the Bids and Awards Committee of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).“We’ve had two hearings already on the irregularities at the ERC, and Mr. Morelos failed to show up on both occasions, despite our invitations. We will compel him to attend our next hearing,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, committee chairman, said in a statement on Tuesday.Morelos and ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar are already under preliminary investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the infomercial project, based on a complaint earlier filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).“We support the complaint filed by the NBI before the Ombudsman. The action appears warranted, so we are all for it,” Pimentel said.Despite apparent pressure from some of his colleagues at the House, according to the lawmaker, his panel intends to conduct a third hearing on the “fishy” infomercial project and two other alleged anomalies in Salazar’s office.Villa, who was also ERC Director for Planning and Information Service, committed suicide on November 9, 2016. He left three letters indicating he was under extreme duress from Salazar to endorse the rigged infomercial project contract with Morelos’ FatFree.The 54-year-old ERC official shot himself in the head with his .38-caliber revolver inside his house in Parañaque City (Metro Manila). He was the son of the late Ombudsman Francisco Villa Sr.“My greatest fear in bids and awards committee is the AVP (audio-visual presentation) by Luis Morelos, which the chairman and CEO, Jose Vicente B. Salazar, chose through a rigged selection system. That will be a criminal act,” Villa wrote in one of his suicide notes that were later made public by his sister, veteran journalist Rosario Sofia “Charie” Villa.Besides the infomercial project, Pimentel’s panel also uncovered two other alleged irregularities in Salazar’s office that involved the performance of crooked contracts in violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Act.The panel said Salazar, an appointee of then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd, ordered the renovation of the ERC chairman’s conference room and obtained new pest control services for the commission, both without competitive public bidding.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-subpoena-ad-man-erc-anomaly/325201/
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‘Clear disinformation’ claims of coal tax raising power rates
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-12-25 00:05:40+00:00
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Claims made by some power-generating firms that an increase in coal excise tax would lead to higher electricity rates in the country amount to “clear disinformation,” according to Sen. Loren Legarda.Legarda, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, has maintained that the recent increase in the coal excise tax was so minimal as to have an effect on or result in the rise of power rates in the country.President Rodrigo Duterte recently signed the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train), the fist package of his administration’s tax reform initiatives, that imposes higher taxes on fuel, automobile and sugar sweetened beverages but expanded the scope of income tax exemptions.A provision of the newly signed law is the increase in the excise tax on coal from P10 per metric ton to P50.The approved coal tax rate was lower than the original proposal of the Senate that sought the imposition of 3,000 percent increase in coal taxes in three years–P100 for 2018, P200 for 2019 and P300 for 2020–both local and imported.But during the bicameral conference committee, House of Representatives contingents were able to change the rates to P50-P100-P150 starting 2018 and retain the value-added tax exemption for local coal.Legarda said if there were an increase in electricity rates next year, it would be because of the imposition of P2.50 per liter excise tax on diesel, not the P50 per metric ton or a mere five centavos per kilo on coal.“That’s clearly disinformation,” she replied when asked about her reaction to claims that the new coal tax rates would result in higher electricity cost in the country.Legarda noted that while she supports the Train bill of the administration, she has some reservations, particularly on coal taxes because of refusal of some lawmakers to impose higher tax on what is considered the dirtiest source of energy.According to her, for the past 42 years, domestic coal has been exempted from paying tax while imported coal is paying P10 per metric ton.The Philippines, she said, is also one of the countries in the region that imposes a lower tax on coal, adding that coal is taxed at about P400 to P900 per metric ton in other countries.“The imposition of new excise tax on coal was still small considering that it is the dirtiest source of energy and yet we impose higher tax on conventional fuels like kerosene, and LPG [liquefied petroleum gas],” Legarda said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/clear-disinformation-claims-coal-tax-raising-power-rates/370494/
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Atienza decries problems in NLEX, SLEX
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-10-30 00:24:15+00:00
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Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza on Monday warned that the South Luzon and North Luzon expressways would become “oversized parking lots” when the country observes All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day on November 1 and 2 because of the slow transition of vehicles passing through the tollgates.Thousands of motorists are expected leave Metro Manila to spend the holidays in the provinces on November 1 and 2.Atienza lamented that despite the tollgate upgrades that allow motorists to use the so-called beep cards and RFID (radio-frequency identification) stickers, the flow of vehicles is snagged by the slow lifting response of their barriers.“I’ve been to countries like Singapore where there are no barriers at entry and exit points in their expressways, which definitely allow faster and smoother flow of traffic. The RFID system should ensure the smooth flow of traffic along our expressways,” Atienza said.The lawmaker said the barriers do not automatically open because of the failure of the scanners to detect the vehicles’ RFID.“The barriers should lift automatically especially if you are using an RFID. This way, people will even be encouraged to use RFID,” Atienza said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/atienza-decries-problems-in-nlex-slex/459445/
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‘Bato’ orders inventory of seized illegal drugs
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-04-03 20:06:17+00:00
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TO make sure that seized illegal drugs are not being recycled back to the streets, the Philippine National Police chief, Director General Ronald dela Rosa, on Monday ordered an inventory of all evidence under the custody of the PNP Crime Laboratory in Camp Crame in Quezon City.“I am directing the director of the DIDM [Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management] to conduct an inventory of all the evidence under the custody of the Crime [Laboratory]. You check because all that is deposited there might just be alum,” dela Rosa said in a news briefing at Camp Crame.Alum is a double sulphate of aluminium and potassium.“You review them to determine if they are alum or pure [methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu],” he said.Dela Rosa’s order came after an arrested PNP official said an official of the Crime Laboratory is allegedly dealing in illegal drugs.Supt. Lito Cabamongan, former chief of the Crime Laboratory unit of the PNP in Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila), tagged Chief Insp. Joselito Savares, PNP Crime Laboratory investigation division chief, as allegedly involved in illegal-drug activities.Cabamongan blew the whistle after he was arrested while sniffing shabu with a female companion in Everlasting Homes, Barangay Talon 4, Las Piñas City (Metro Manila) on Thursday.Cabamongan later tested positive for drugs.Results of confirmatory test would be known this week, according to Chief Supt. Aurelio Trampe, chief of the PNP Crime Laboratory.But officials believed Cabamongan had an axe to grind against Savares because it was the latter who investigated him on several cases on orders of Trampe.Dela Rosa said the PNP is checking Cabamongan’s allegations.“We are checking that but we are not swallowing his claims hook, line and sinker because he was not in his right mind, he was very high [on drugs] at the time. Let’s see, we will conduct an investigation,” the PNP chief added.As of now, dela Rosa said he wants Cabamongan out of the police service.“Just think of it, a colonel in a shabu session,” he added.Las Piñas City police recovered three pieces of rolled aluminum foil, two disposable plastic lighters and three transparent empty plastic sachets with residue of suspected shabu when Cabamongan and his companion identified as Nedy Sabado were caught.Cabamongan and Sabdao also on Monday presented themselves in a preliminary investigation before the Las Piñas City’s Prosecutors Office.In their affidavits, they denied the accusations against them.City Assistant Prosecutor Paul Michael Mejia directed policemen holding the case of Cabamongan and Sabado to submit their counter-affidavits within two days.Mejia set the second preliminary investigation for April 10.Cabamongan and Sabado are facing criminal charges in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.Cabamongan is also facing administrative charges for the same crime.The PNP’s Regional Internal Affairs Service-National Capital Region is investigating the Cabamongan case.IAS Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo, in a statement, said, “Any form of involvement in illegal drugs by our police personnel is treated with utmost gravity. The IAS will continue to act promptly in conducting investigations of cases involving our police officers as we support the PNP institutions’ intensified internal cleansing campaign.” WITH NELSON S. BADILLA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bato-orders-inventory-seized-illegal-drugs-2/320781/
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Return workers’ P5-B tax refund, BIR urged
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-11-17 22:05:15+00:00
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THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is yet to refund an estimated P5 billion that it unlawfully deducted from minimum-wage earners despite a ruling issued by the Supreme Court (SC) almost a year ago.Organized labor on Friday took the cudgels for the more than 30 million ordinary workers nationwide, insisting that a cash refund is long overdue, including the legal interest the collected money earned from 2008 to the present.“We cannot understand why the BIR and the DoF [Department of Finance] are quick to squeeze money from the workers but it takes forever for them to return those. Mahiya naman kayo [Have shame]! Those are workers’ blood money. Pinaghirapan yan ng mga manggagawa, ibalik na ninyo [They worked hard for it, give it back to them]!” Alan Tanjusay, Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) spokesman, said.In its 56-page decision issued on January 24, 2017, the High Court nullified several provisions of BIR Internal Revenue Regulation 10-2008 that disqualify minimum-wage earners (MWEs) from tax exemptions on their wage, bonus and other compensation benefits such as overtime pay, hazard pay, holiday pay and night-shift differential pay, including fringe benefits in excess of P30,000, including those who received their 13th month pay bonus.But despite the ruling, the BIR continued to collect taxes on the basic wage, bonuses and other benefits from millions of minimum-wage workers nationwide from June to December 2008 even as the law exempted them from such taxes starting July 6, 2008.The SC also directed the BIR to grant a refund or allow a refund through withheld tax adjustments or a claim for tax credits by those subjected by IRR 10-2008.“Some minimum-wage workers who were subjected to tax may have remained a minimum-wage earner up to this day but they cannot claim tax credit because they are exempted from income tax. Some may have been promoted and some may have been unemployed. Some have become OFWs [overseas Filipino workers]. Some are already deceased,” Tanjusay said, adding, “In fairness to the workers subjected by the regulation, the best option here is a cash refund.”The Supreme Court ruling stemmed from petitions filed by lawmakers, individuals and labor groups.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/return-workers-p5-b-tax-refund-bir-urged/363422/
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Show-cause order vs de Lima gets DOJ backing
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2016-11-30 21:54:05+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) has supported a move of the House of Representatives to issue a show-cause order against Sen. Leila de Lima in connection with her alleged links to the illegal drug trade that the chamber has been probing.According to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd, they support the House Committee on Justice requiring de Lima to justify why she should not be cited in contempt.De Lima had ignored a summons for her to show up at the inquiry and tell the committee why she instructed her former driver-lover Ronnie Dayan to hide and ignore the investigation.Text messages were shown to the panel by Dayan’s daughter showing the senator’s instructions.Aguirre said there is no need to involve the Senate in the issue to avoid a clash with the House ofRepresentatives.The DOJ chief added that the issue must zero in on the alleged irregularities committed by de Lima.“That [show-cause order] should be done because [the act of preventing Dayan from testifying] was done by de Lima in her private capacity. And so the House could cite her in contempt not as a member of the Senate but as a private person interfering with the proceedings of the House,” Aguirre said.The senator claimed that her instructions to Dayan were just an advice.“Well, that’s her defense. It’s good that she raises her defense and stops accusing me and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez this time of concocting lies against her,” Aguirre said.Meanwhile, Aguirre said self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and Dayan have not yet been admitted to the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program.According to him,Espinosa and Dayan have to spill more beans and must not hide anything if they want to be admitted to the program.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/show-cause-order-vs-de-lima-gets-doj-backing-2/299228/
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Bishop fears return of PNP to drug war
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-12-10 18:52:38+00:00
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A Church leader has expressed apprehension on the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to tap again the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign, warning that it could lead to the resurgence of arbitrary killings of suspected drug pushers and drug users.Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo, chairman, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)-Episcopal Commission on the Laity, over the weekend said the drug war is better left to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), which has the proven expertise to handle the country’s drug problem.“The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency is very much capable to contain the illegal drug trade in the country compared to the Philippine National Police,” Pabillo noted in an interview with the Church-run Radio Veritas.The PDEA approach, he said, is to focus on suppliers of illegal drugs, while that of the PNP is to target drug users and drug pushers, a tack that often led to the death of the drug suspects.Pabillo pointed out that the PDEA has done its job effectively without loss of lives.He also noted that some 5,000 drug-related killings have been reported by the PNP as “death under investigation” but none of the victims has been served justice.Pabillo believed allegations that the PNP was not really doing anything to solve the mysterious deaths of drugs users and drug pushers in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bishop-fears-return-pnp-drug-war/367879/
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Lacson: Callamard violated protocol
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-05-07 22:33:52+00:00
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BETWEEN the Philippine government and United Nations special rapporteur Agnes Callamard, Sen. Panfilo Lacson over the weekend said he would choose to believe the government’s statement that the rapporteur skipped protocol during her visit to the country last week.According to Lacson, Callamard should have gone through proper channels in connection with the visit.Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, was invited to attend a two-day drug policy forum sponsored by the Commission on Human Rights and human rights group Free Legal Assistance Group at the University of the Philippines in Quezon City.Malacañang said the Philippine government was not informed about the visit but the UN rapporteur denied it, saying she had sent word about her participation in the forum.“I would choose to believe the Philippine government instead of a person who just [drops by] the country to talk and come up with a conclusion [about alleged extrajudicial killings in the country] even in the absence of a formal investigation” Lacson said, referring to Callamard.Callamard in her speech during the forum said the “war on drugs does not work” and could even create more problems like vigilante killings and others, but she did not directly refer to the Philippines’ anti-drug campaign.Malacañang had sent an invitation to Callamard to investigate drug-related killings in the country,But she refused the invitation, citing conditions set by the Philippine government before allowing the probe.Callamard, based on the conditions set by Malacañang, must agree to facing President Rodrigo Duterte in a public debate before the media, allowing the President to ask her questions and taking an oath.The UN official said then that she remained hopeful that the Philippine government would lift the conditions, which, according to her, are against the code of conduct adopted by member states of the UN.But even before she could look into alleged human rights violations in the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, she told Bloomberg TV Philippines last March, “As far as my mandate is concerned, my work on killings is concerned, the Philippines is standing out as one of the worst places outside an armed conflict situation because of the scale of the killings, but also because the human rights crisis is multifold.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lacson-callamard-violated-protocol/326015/
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Draft EO on ‘endo’ submitted to Duterte
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-05-12 21:04:36+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is studying, and may sign any time soon, the labor sector-crafted draft Executive Order (EO) that will guide and help him fulfill his election promise to put a stop to contractualization or endo (end of contract) practice of employers.The draft EO was submitted by the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) and the Nagkakaisa Labor Coalition on May 9 in compliance with the President’s directive.The task of drafting the EO was assigned by the President to organized labor groups after their closed-door meeting in Davao City during the celebration of Labor Day.“The issue when and how President Duterte [will] end contractualization is all now in his hands. The ball is in President Duterte’s hands,” the group said.Highly reliable sources have told The Manila Times that the coverage of the EO applies to all contracting and sub-contracting arrangements including cooperatives.The EO prohibits all forms of labor contracting, labor-only contracting or job contracting, which have been declared illegal and are therefore strictly prohibited.It states, “All parties engaged in any arrangement in violation of this EO shall automatically be considered the worker’s direct employer and the latter shall be deemed as direct employees.”The executive order said violations of the EO shall be penalized under existing laws or regulations.If the offense is committed by a cooperative, a corporation, a partnership, a trust, a firm, an association or any juridical entity, the penalty shall be imposed upon the guilty officers of such.The draft EO, if approved by the President, will effectively nullify Department Order (DO) 174 of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).DO 174 carries the new guidelines on contractualization that took effect last April 3.It replaced DO 18-A in response to workers’ demand to abolish contractualization.Labor groups, however, rejected DO 174, claiming that it only benefits the employers and manpower service providers and cooperatives.During his meeting with organized labor in Davao City, the President assured them that he understood what the workers want and suggested that “we assert our public interest power to ensure a just transition to help him meet his promise to the nation.”“I stand firm on my conviction to end ‘endo.’ Just give us time. The Labor Code guarantees all the right to security of tenure. This has to be strictly enforced. Labor laws must be enforced against ‘endo’ and labor-only contracting,” Duterte said earlier.The President has admitted in the labor dialogue that there is “resistance and objections” coming from some members of his Cabinet and interest lobby groups on his decision to ban contractualization “but the President said he has no sympathy for oligarchs.”WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/draft-eo-endo-submitted-duterte-2/326898/
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Fatal hazing: Warrant issuance upheld
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['Raadee S. Sausa']
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2018-03-18 23:28:04+00:00
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THE Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) has denied motions filed by Aegis Juris fraternity members to suspend issuance of arrest warrants to 10 of them who are facing criminal charges.In a hearing on March 16, Presiding Judge Alfredo Ampuan of Branch 40 of the Manila RTC said he would proceed to determine probable cause to issue warrants against the 10 accused that would lapse on March 22.The hearing was in connection with the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law freshman Horacio “Atio” Castillo 3rd on September 17, 2017, during fatal initiation rites led by the accused fraternity men.All the 10 accused appeared before the court for the first time in the hearing, including Aegis Juris officers Arvin Balag, Ralph Trangia, Oliver John Onofre, Mhin Wei Chan and Axel Munro Hipe; and members Danielle Hans Rodrigo, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Marcelino Bagtang, Robin Ramos and Jose Miguel Salamat.In an order, Ampuan denied Trangia’s motion to suspend the issuance of a warrant of arrest on the basis of continuous trial.Similar prayers included in the omnibus motions of Salamat, Ramos and Bagtang were also denied.Meanwhile, Chan, Salamat, Balag, Rodrigo and Ramos’ motions for bail will be set for hearing only after the court has determined probable cause and only after their arraignment and pre-trial.“The [motions] shall be set for hearing only after this court determines probable cause . . . and only after the arraignment and pre-trial conference,” Ampuan said.Earlier, the Department of Justice (DoJ) ordered the indictment of the accused on the non-bailable charges of hazing based on the testimony of their fellow Aegis Juris member Mark Anthony Ventura.Ventura, who was also present during Castillo’s fatal initiation rites, is now under the DoJ’s Witness Protection Program.Ampuan also ordered the DoJ prosecutors to comment on Salamat, Ramos, Bagtang, Rodrigo and Balag’s motion to quash as well as Salamat and Ramos’ motion to invalidate Ventura as a state witness within three days.Carmela Castillo, Atio’s mother said, “Standing next to the accused, I was more numb and angry at the same time. I really don’t care what the future holds for them. They took for granted a life.”Carmina said not one of them has reached out to the family or given her a nod when they see each other in hearings.“I feel that some are still in denial and some do not understand the gravity of the situation they are in. They committed a crime they thought they can get away with. Now they have all the time to think about what they did,” she added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/fatal-hazing-warrant-issuance-upheld/387117/
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House passes SIM card registration bill
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-05-23 00:02:08+00:00
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The House of Representatives has approved a bill that seeks to require the registration of all SIM cards.Rep. Wes Gatchalian welcomed the approval on third reading of House Bill 7233.“As one of the authors of this bill, I am pleased that we have taken a step closer towards ensuring a more responsible and accountable use of mobile phones,” Gatchalian said in a statement.The Valenzuela City lawmaker said the unregulated sale of prepaid SIM cards encouraged the commission of scams and acts of terror.He said the bill does not infringe on the privacy of cell phone users because the SIM card registration will only identify the owner of a particular phone number.“Of course I understand the concerns of some sectors regarding the issue of privacy. I can assure everyone that we have deliberated long and hard in ensuring that these private information will be adequately protected,” Gatchalian said.“I am hoping that after the passage of SIM Card Registration Bill, we also get to pass the Mobile Number Portability Act,” he added, referring to House Bill 7652 (the proposed Mobile Number Portability Act) that seeks to let users retain their numbers after changing their network provider.“I believe this will benefit a lot of our citizens who no longer have to worry about seeking better services in another network, and in turn would also encourage our network providers to provide even better services,” Gatchalian said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-passes-sim-card-registration-bill/400474/
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Faeldon back in Senate custody after oath-taking
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-01-16 20:39:24+00:00
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FORMER Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon was back in Senate custody after he took his oath on Tuesday as deputy administrator for operations at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Camp Aguinaldo, headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).Faledon was released temporarily upon the order of Senate blue ribbon committee chairman Sen. Richard Gordon.It was the second time this month that he was allowed to temporarily leave his detention cell, the first being on January 12 to visit his wife who had given birth to their youngest child.Faeldon returned to the Senate past 10 a.m. after taking his oath administered by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.He has been detained in the Senate since September 2017 because of his continued refusal to attend the Senate blue ribbon committee investigation of the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China.Faeldon was the Bureau of Customs chief when the illegal drugs arrived in the country and were released undetected by the bureau.OCD spokesman Romina Marasigan said Faeldon took his oath in a “very simple and short” ceremony at 8 a.m. before OCD Administrator Ricardo Jalad and OCD deputy administrator Kristoffer James Purisima.“Currently, we are making arrangements in our office, I’m just waiting for details. Like what I said before, he first has to learn what OCD really means and I’m sure he has already heard of what we are doing but he would have to have an in-depth appreciation of it,” Marasigan told reporters.Purisima, meanwhile, said it was “high time” for the post of the OCD deputy for operations to be occupied “given that operations services are vital especially in ongoing disaster operations for prevailing weather disturbances and Mayon Volcano.”The position of deputy administrator for operations was created in 2016 as part of the OCD’s expansion to address “growing demands” of the country’s civil defense and disaster management programs.President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Faeldon to the OCD in December last year, drawing criticisms from several senators who had participated in the investigation on the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu into the country.Faeldon was held by the Senate after he was ordered arrested by Gordon for committing contemptuous acts by not attending the investigation set by the blue ribbon committee.The issue of the shabu shipment prompted him to resign from his post as chief of the Bureau of Customs while denying allegations of corruption hurled against him.with
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/faeldon-back-senate-custody-oath-taking/374652/
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Executive session eyed for sister of ERC official
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-13 21:09:13+00:00
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The House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability is prepared to talk to veteran journalist Rosario Sofia “Charie” Villa in a closed-door session to find out what she knows about the suicide of her brother, Francisco Villa Jr., who headed the Bids and Awards Committee at the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).“We’ve invited Miss Villa to Monday’s hearing. If she shows up and requests an executive session, we will grant it. She could help provide us new insights when we resume our inquiry into the anomalies at the ERC,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, committee chairman.Villa Jr., a lawyer who was also ERC Director for Planning and Information Service, committed suicide on November 9, leaving behind three letters indicating he was under extreme duress from ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar to endorse rigged contracts at the energy watchdog.His sister first publicly revealed the handwritten suicide letters that his brother left, and apparently prepared three months before he took his own life.“Actually, this won’t be the first time that a congressional committee will be talking to a family member of a suicide victim behind closed doors,” Pimentel said.He added that the Senate Committee on Banks also talked to the widow of Benjamin Pinpin in an executive session in 2011 in connection with alleged behest loans at the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines.Pimentel said his panel has so far uncovered at least three irregularities in Salazar’s office that involved the performance of crooked contracts even before the competitive bidding process.“We are focusing our inquiry into the Office of the Chairman, where the fraud seems to be concentrated,” he added.Based on initial evidence gathered by the committee, Salazar ordered the renovation of his conference room without a public bidding, and simply demanded that he be reimbursed by the ERC.Salazar, an appointee of then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd, on his own also obtained new pest control services for the ERC sans a bidding, and despite the fact that the commission already has an ongoing service provider.The third anomaly involved the hiring of advertising agent Luis Morellos as ERC consultant for an audiovisual production meant for a promotional campaign featuring Salazar, who has apparently been nursing political plans.“It would appear that the Office of the Chairman simply executed contracts, and the late Director Villa, in his capacity as head of the Bids and Awards panel, was just told to fix up the biddings that would validate the deals after the fact,” Pimentel said.Villa Jr., 54 and single, shot himself in the head with his .38-caliber revolver inside his house in Parañaque City (Metro Manila). He was the son of the late Ombudsman Francisco Villa Sr.When President Rodrigo Duterte first got wind of the corruption at the ERC, he angrily demanded the resignation of the entire commission, composed of Salazar and Commissioners Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, Josefina Patricia-Asirit and Geronimo Sta. Ana—all appointees of the previous administration.Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has also filed a bill seeking to abolish the ERC.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/executive-session-eyed-sister-erc-official/317046/
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Govt intel funds doubled in 2017—CoA
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['Glee Jalea']
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2018-10-30 00:22:09+00:00
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The government’s intelligence funds increased by 101.78 percent or P8.98 billion from P4.52 billion in 2016, the Commission on Audit (CoA) said in its annual financial report released on October 25.“Confidential, intelligence and extraordinary expenses totaling P8.98 billion represented 2.97 percent of the total (Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses) MOOE,” the CoA said.“This group of accounts posted an increase of P4.52 billion or 101.78 percent from the previous year” it added.Based on the CoA report, the top spenders of the Confidential, Intelligence and Extraordinary Expenses (CIE) were the Office of the President with P2.52 billion; the Department of National Defense, P2.22 billion; and Congress, P1.80 billion.The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) spent P883.46 million; other executive offices, P434.72 million; the Department of Justice (DoJ), P346.372 million; the judiciary, P238.90 million; Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), P104.50 million; the Department of Finance (DoF), P77.24 million; Department of Education (DepEd), P47.64 million; and other departments and offices, P301.63 million.Joint Circular 2015-01 states that intelligence and confidential funds may not simply be disclosed to the public and its utilization requires strict accounting and auditing rules “to prevent mishandling or improper application.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-intel-funds-doubled-in-2017-coa/459432/
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New Sandigan justice named
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2016-12-11 21:28:44+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Bernelito Fernandez, a former Quezon City Branch 79 Regional Trial Court judge, as a magistrate of the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.A transmittal letter of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, dated December 7, 2016, said Fernandez shall be appointed to replace retired Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Teresita Diaz-Baldos.Fernandez, a son of former Tanodbayan Bernardo Fernandez, had handled the controversial tug-of-war between father and son Reghis Romero and Michael Romero involving the Romeros’ harbor business.The Sandiganbayan at present has two vacancies as a result of the retirement of Justice Jose Hernandez and early retirement of Justice Napoleon Inoturan.It will have another one on February 1, 2017, with Justice Roland Jurado opting also for early retirement.The seven divisions of the Sandiganbayan are composed of one Presiding Justice and 20 Associate Justices.JOMAR CANLAS
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/new-sandigan-justice-named/301196/
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INC expands outreach drive in US
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2018-09-27 00:01:35+00:00
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The Iglesia Ni Cristo has expanded its outreach program dubbed “Lingap sa Mamamayan” in the United States to provide free livelihood assistance to communities.The INC conducted “Aid to Humanity, Fight Poverty” activities under its Lingap program in New York and Connecticut, as part of its mission to “positively affect the lives of people and raise human dignity in depressed and needy areas all over the world.”The Aid To Humanity drive was held on September 14, 2018 in Queensbridge, Long Island in New York City after the INC learned that 48 percent of Long Island’s residents were rent-burdened and 19 percent live along the poverty threshold, barely able to scrape a decent living.“We reached out to the Queensbridge community through the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation by distributing 1,200 goodwill bags. This is just the beginning. We are determined to sustain our assistance efforts in the area and expand to longer-term initiatives such as livelihood programs,” INC General Auditor Glicerio Santos Jr. said in a statement.“Poverty is poverty, whether you’re in America, the Philippines or elsewhere,” Santos said.April Simpson, president of the Queensbridge Tenant Association, thanked the religious group for its assistance.“Many residents eagerly lined up to receive goodwill bags to lighten their load in basic necessities. We’re all extremely grateful to you for coming out here and giving back to the community,” Simpson said.Santos said the INC’s drive aimed to “make even a small dent, through these acts of assistance, in the global fight against poverty.”A similar activity involving distribution of hefty care packages with food and essential household items was conducted on the same day in Hartford, Connecticut.The INC provided crucial assistance to victims of Hurricane Sandy in the US east coast in 2012 by donating $150,000 to the New York City Police Foundation, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) Foundation, the Bellevue Hospital Center and the Coney Island Hospital.FYM Foundation previously set up an extensive “Aid To Humanity” campaign in the aftermath of Hurricane “Harvey” in Texas by providing groceries, cleaning supplies and toiletries to affected residents.Santos said the INC, in its assistance programs in the US, is focused not just on disaster relief efforts but on targeted campaigns to alleviate living conditions in inner cities and depressed areas.“INC provides assistance to all, members and non-members alike. It’s our own way of giving back as the Church further expands to all corners of the globe,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/inc-expands-outreach-drive-in-us/445672/
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Cardinal Tagle: Support Marawi rehab
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['Michael Timbreza', 'Simon Antonio', 'Parasa Bayan']
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9/11/2017 0:00
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Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle appealed to the faithful yesterday to contribute to the ongoing rehabilitation efforts for war-torn Marawi City.In a radio interview, the prelate said now is the perfect time for the faithful to show their gratitude to Muslim brothers Marawi City, who protected Christians from the Islamic State-inspired Maute group.“This is what brotherhood means; and what it means to become human; children of God; being a Filipino,” Tagle said in Church-run Radyo Veritas.“We as Christians should sympathize with them by helping in the rebuilding of Marawi,” he added.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/09/cardinal-tagle-support-marawi-rehab/
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PNP official rules out repeat of Resorts World incident
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-06-06 22:34:12+00:00
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The chief of an office of the Philippine National Police (PNP) that oversees security agencies on Tuesday said there will not be a repeat of the Resorts World Manila incident that killed 37 people last Friday.The assurance from Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, head of the Supervisory Office for Security Investigation Agencies (Sosia), came after the PNP held a conference among different security agencies.“Definitely, [we are confident because] we reminded the security managers of standard procedures on protocol security and we showed to them what they lack,” Espino told a news briefing after the meeting.Espino earlier announced that an investigation of security lapses by Resorts World Manila will be conducted after the incident where a lone gunman fired away and burned down a part of the resort.He announced that drills have been initiated by the security agencies to brace for attacks from criminal gangs that often prey on malls in Metro Manila.Espino said they will check whether security agencies of establishments in the services sector like Resorts World Manila have security plans.Before, he added, these security agencies were not required to submit any security plan.Police Director Camilo Cascolan, chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations, said it is necessary for any security agency to have its own emergency response team.“[Security guards] cannot immediately respond to any team so [the emergency response team] should be the first responders to any incident,” Cascolan told reporters.An investigation by Sosia of supposed lapses committed by Resorts World Manila will determine “how much fines and penalties… will be meted [on] the private security agency and the security guards [of Resorts World Manila],” he said.The House of Representatives is set to conduct its own inquiry into the incident.The congressional probe will focus on the supposedly poor security at the hotel and casino establishment, a lawmaker said also on Tuesday.Rep. Gus Tambunting of Parañaque City, chairman of the House Committee on Games and Amusements, noted that there are many questions left hanging even if the PNP already declared the incident a closed case after they identified the gunman, Jessie Carlos.Carlos, a former employee of the Finance department who had a gambling problem, razed casino tables and fired at LED screens, resulting in a fire that suffocated the victims, both employees and guests, eventually causing their death.He eventually committed suicide by burning himself.“We would like to focus on the security of Resorts World. This gruesome tragedy would not have happened if not for security breach. Was it an inside job? Did he get help from employees that is why he is so familiar with the premises?” Tambunting told reporters.The investigation will be conducted at the Diplomatic Lounge of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.“Could it be a terrorist attack? Is it a case of lone wolf or an isolated incident of robbery? And why were the sprinklers not working? Resorts World had all the resources and this incident still happened. Can you imagine the case for those who are less equipped?” Tambunting said.He said the probe will still be valuable and necessary even if authorities are also in the middle of investigating the incident.“We are still working on a possible [inspection], and we can’t hold our hearings in nearby hotels because they are competitors of Resorts World Manila. We want to have an independent hearing,” Tambunting added.He said he would not recommend banning Filipino players from casinos.“It would be too difficult to ban Filipino players altogether because where would these players go? Resort to illegal gambling? Leave the country? We can’t just ban them because the government wants to do away with illegal gambling,” Tambunting added.“We want to improve existing guidelines in banning certain people. This will form part of our investigation,” he said.Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos Norte will also be present at the congressional probe.with LLANESCA T. PANTI
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pnp-official-rules-repeat-resorts-world-incident/331308/
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BOC to modernize central port facilities
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-01-01 20:42:07+00:00
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THE Bureau of Customs (BOC) will modernize its central port facilities to further improve management and provide excellent services to the public that is at par with the best practices in the world.Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon over the weekend said they are in the process of coming up with a plan, which will be presented to the finance department and Congress.Targeted for development is the 300-hectare lot owned by the BOC in the South and North harbors in Manila where the bureau’s flagship ports, the Port of Manila (PoM) an the Manila International Container Port (MICP) are located.“We have around 300 hectares of area being managed by the PPA [Philippine Ports Authority], combined PoM and MICP. It’s a big area,” Faeldon said.He disclosed that part of the plan is the construction of a modern rendering facility to address the bureau’s nagging problem on the disposal of confiscated goods that are deemed health hazards.“We can build there a state-of-the-art rendering facility. Part of our plan is the improvement of port facilities,” Faeldon said.“That’s why we are coming up with a development plan for port facilities,” he added.Faeldon explained that the issue has become a challenge to the bureau in the absence of a rendering facility, which has prompted the BOC to go to the provinces outside of Metro Manila to look for an area where hazardous goods can be destroyed or buried.“It’s not our control all alone. We have to find an area owned by a local government unit, We have to request for permits. It’s really an issue where we would bring these disposable goods,” he added.According to Faeldon, they have at present some 100 containers vans of “ukay-ukay” or used clothing in their inventory that are subject for disposal but no one would like to accept, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DWSD), for health reasons.He pointed out that in such a situation the problem goes back to the issue of rendering, thus it has become a necessity for the Customs bureau to have its own rendering plant right within its backyard.“That is why the solution here is for the BOC, for the government, to put up a rendering facility in the port facility. This is part of our plan for the improvement of port facilities,” Faeldon said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/boc-modernize-central-port-facilities/304635/
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DILG’s drop box project to cost P500M
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-11 20:11:22+00:00
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The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said its drug drop box project in the barangay (villages) to report drug suspects would cost P500 million to implement.“That would be P500 million. That was the same as last year’s budget when we weren’t able to start right away with the project. Early this year, we used the budget left for the project from last year,” DILG Officer-In-Charge Catalino Cuy said in a radio interview on WednesdayAccording to Cuy, the P500 million would be used to pay for the wages of the provincial directors and facilitators for the project.He said the facilitators would be paid “minimum wage.”“The facilitators would collect the complaints and suggestions inside the drop boxes. They would give them to the provincial directors. Then they would turn them all to us,” Cuy explained.He clarified that lawmakers have not yet approved the P500-million budget for this year.Cuy said the agency is willing to cooperate with the Senate to improve the project.He denied the news circulating that a drop box in Tacloban City, Leyte, was priced at P1,150.Cuy said the agency would not provide for the drop boxes.According to him, it was up to the facilitators to provide the boxes.“Any kind of box would do. Even a shoe box is okay. It’s up to them what box to use as long as complaints and suggestions could be put in there,” Cuy said.According to Cuy, reports inside the drop boxes need not be detailed.He said the name of the alleged criminal and a brief complaint against the suspect would do.“As long as the content of the report is believable, it’s okay. [The complainant] should not just put a name. The complainant should put an actionable information to pass,” Cuy added.In a memorandum dated August 29, the DILG ordered local government units to post “drop boxes” in the villages to collect names of alleged drug suspects from random strangers.RAMON CARBONELL JR.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dilgs-drop-box-project-cost-p500m/355956/
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31 Pinoys among Italy’s quake evacuees
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['Michael Joe T. Delizo']
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2016-10-31 20:41:10+00:00
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NINE Filipino families are among the thousands of evacuees of a strong quake that rocked central Italy on Sunday, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).Citing reports from the Philippine Embassy in Rome, DFA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Charles Jose said the government assisted 31 Filipinos from the small central mountain town of Norcia in Umbria, which is closest to the epicenter.“They are currently sheltered at the Casa Per Ferie Rogate in Rome. The embassy arranged full board and lodging,” Jose said in a brief text message.He added that the embassy is making sure that all Filipinos there are safe and getting enough assistance.There are more than 156,000 Filipinos in Italy.The quake struck Sunday morning near Norcia, unleashing a shock felt in the capital city of Rome. About 3,000 persons were left temporarily homeless but there were no reports of fatalities.It was the strongest quake to hit Italy in nearly 36 years, and the third powerful temblor to hit the country in two months, following jolts last week and a destructive one on August 24 that claimed about 300 human lives.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/31-pinoys-among-italys-quake-evacuees/294052/
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Tarlac pushes 10-year livestock program
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['Jerry N. Adlaw']
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2018-03-17 00:07:02+00:00
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TARLAC CITY: Local officials here are pushing for implementation of a 10-year livestock development program eyed to provide additional benefits to farmers and contribute to national production and economic stability.During an executive session recently, Vice Mayor Genaro Mendoza expressed support to the proponents of the program anchored in a city ordinance that seeks to develop the livestock industry in the city and build economic enterprises in the communities.Noel Soliman, former Goat and Sheep Raisers Federation of the Philippines president, during the session presented the principles being undertaken to ensure the success of the program’s implementation in cooperation with the City Agriculture Office (CAO).He said the program will also enable Tarlac to be included in the dairy zones of the country and address nutritional resiliency of the children in the city.Among the potentials of the program are the high domestic demand for livestock, organic food, global halal trade and gender sensitivity which means it will already provide enterprises that will augment daily household expenses.The 2017 livestock inventory presented by Soliman and the CAO showed a ratio of 1,350 farmers to 3,506 goats; 1,450 to 2,205 carabaos; 702 to 1,612 cows; and 35 to 240 sheep.Tarlac City has been known for its Kambingan (from kambing or goat) festival during fiesta celebrations.Strategies to ensure the success of the program involve organization building of farmers in four animal commodities through selection of livestock raisers, orientation of programs and services on livestock development program and organizing cooperative of livestock raisers per commodity; capability building through training and sustainability by enterprise development program; product development and marketing; and networking and linkages.Along with these are the trainors and farmers training, biotechnology thru artificial insemination and the provision of breeder animals for genetic improvement, redeployment of payback output and monitoring and evaluation.Proponents are expecting farmers to have a change of perspective out of the program from traditional to modern ways of raising livestock, including breeding animals of imported bloodlines for genetic improvement and artificial insemination.Meanwhile, the Farmers Learning School-Goat Enterprise Management is scheduled to open this month as well as FLS-Dairy Buffalo Program, FLS-Beef Cattle Production/Dairy Cattle and FLS-Free-Range Chicken, including the Technology Business Incubation facility, in the coming weeks.Every FLS area will engage 80 farmers each year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/tarlac-pushes-10-year-livestock-program/386609/
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Ombudsman probes ex-Davao vice mayor Paolo Duterte
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-05-10 00:01:51+00:00
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Former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte is being investigated by the Office of the Ombudsman but Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales could not specify the charges filed against the President’s son.“Well, they said there are cases pending investigation,” she told reporters in an interview on Tuesday.Duterte resigned as vice mayor last year over “recent unfortunate events” tied to his first marriage, his public quarrel with his daughter Isabelle and charges that he was involved in the smuggling of drugs at the Bureau of Customs.On May 2, the Office of the Ombudsman said it has completed the fact-finding investigation into the complaint involving the smuggling of P6.4 billion worth of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).The Office of the Ombudsman said the complaints against Paolo and Manases Carpio, the husband of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, were dismissed for lack of basis.Based on a list from the Office of the Ombudsman, there were five pending cases against Paolo Duterte as of January 12, 2018 – for violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, two graft complaints, a forfeiture case and an administrative complaint for conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, grave misconduct, and serious dishonesty.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ombudsman-probes-ex-davao-vice-mayor-paolo-duterte/397820/
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Informal settlers’ mandatory relocation okayed
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-05-23 22:16:17+00:00
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A mandatory on-site, in-city and near-city relocation for informal settlers is a step closer to becoming a law.This became possible after the House of Representatives by 221 votes approved House Bill (HB) 5347, which also obligates the government to come up with a People’s Plan as a requirement for the relocation program in order to allow beneficiaries of the relocation sites to participate in the process.“Future relocation beneficiaries will no longer have to suffer the consequences of living far away from urban centers once the bill passes into law. This is in line with our vision of providing safe, affordable and decent housing for all Filipinos, especially the urban poor,” Rep. Tomasito Villarin of Akbayan party-list, an author of the measure, said in a statement.Villarin added that HB 5347 would ensure not just the quantity of public housing, but its quality as well.“Living far from cities means living far from basic services, utilities and most important, jobs. That’s the bigger gap that we want to address. There is no better plan other than what is crafted by the people themselves,” he said.The housing backlog in the country recently took the spotlight after 5,000 members of the Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) last March 10 occupied idle government-built houses in Pandi, Bulacan that were meant for policemen, soldiers and firemen.The standoff between the authorities and Kadamay ended when President Rodrigo Duterte gave the unoccupied houses to the group’s members who have taken over the units.He promised that the government will build better houses for members of the police and the military.In an interview during an inspection by lawmakers of the Pandi housing units, Kadamay Chairman Gloria Arellano noted that Kadamay members exhausted all means in fighting for their right to shelter.“What they are telling us is [paying] monthly amortization. As it is, the Kadamay members are in crisis, that’s why they occupied these houses. We still have to talk about such payment,” Arellano told reporters in Filipino.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/informal-settlers-mandatory-relocation-okayed/328827/
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‘Liberalize economy under Cha-cha’
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['Ed Velasco']
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2018-10-01 00:03:01+00:00
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A think tank has reiterated the need to open up the economy to foreign competition through changes in the 1987 Constitution.The Foundation for Economic Freedom said its suggested amendments were the same as those submitted in 2016 before members of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments.Among its suggestions are:– Delete references to preferential treatment of Filipinos in the use of natural resources, operation of a public utility, educational institutions, mass media and advertising;– Replace very specific details with general policy statements in portions on natural resources, rural development, agrarian reform, labor, urban development and housing;– Insert “unless otherwise subsequently provided by law” in sections pertaining to practice of professions and tax exemption grants to charitable institutions and churches; and– Delete redundant references, such as the creation of the BSP and NEDA (which already exist) or the statutory protection of cooperatives and indigenous people’s rights, now that these laws have already been passed;“The less is said about an issue in the charter, the more freedom the legislative and judicial branches will have in the future to appropriately respond to it,” the think tank added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/liberalize-economy-under-cha-cha/447078/
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Senate passes bill abolishing Road Board
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-02-12 20:54:33+00:00
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THE Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill abolishing the Road Board and transferring its powers and functions to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DoTr).Eighteen senators voted in favor of Senate bill 1620, authored and sponsored by Sen. Manny Pacquiao, head of the Senate committee on public works.The Road Board was created to “implement the prudent and efficient management and utilization of special funds,” including the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC).Under the bill, MVUC collections would be distributed to the following funds: Special Road Support Fund, 80 percent, Special Local Road Fund, five percent and 7.5 percent each for Special Road Safety Fund and the Special Vehicle Pollution Control Fund.The Special Road Support Fund, the Special Local Road Fund and the Special Road Safety Fund will be under the DPWH while the Special Vehicle Pollution Control Fund will be under the DoTr.Pacquiao said reforms under the act were meant to address issues surrounding the Road Board, which “had become a source of corruption.”The MVUC collection from 2001 and 2014 was estimated at P112.5 billion but the money was not used for road-related projects.A counterpart measure at the House of Representatives was recently passed by the public works committee.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-passes-bill-abolishing-road-board/379742/
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CA justice defends ruling vs House on ‘Ilocos 6’
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-06-19 21:52:37+00:00
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A magistrate of the Court of Appeals (CA), who earned the ire of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for ordering the release of the so-called Ilocos 6 or the provincial employees of Ilocos Norte who were detained by the House of Representatives, is defending his ruling against the chamber.Associate Justice Stephen Cruz, when asked by retired SC Associate Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, chairman of the Judicial and Bar Council Executive Committee, why his division issued the writ of habeas corpus, he replied that he was merely doing his job.“To determine really if the detention was legal, we wanted the bodies presented to the court together with the person detaining them and determine whether it [detention] is legal,” Cruz said.“But you ordered the release, that means you determined that the detention was illegal. Why did you issue the writ if you have yet to determine [whether the detention is legal]?” Gutierrez asked.“Your honor, please, that was pursuant to a case, Enrile vs Salazar, where persons subject of a writ of habeas corpus, while the merits are being determined, can be released on bail,” Cruz said.Alvarez had slammed Cruz, along with Associate Justices Edwin Sorongon and Nina Antonino-Valenzuela of the Special Fourth Division, who ordered the detained employees released on bail.The Speaker said Congress is co-equal with the courts and cannot be ordered to do the latter’s bidding.“For me, they have no jurisdiction over us. Who are they to dictate on Congress on what to do? We have rights that have been upheld by the Supreme Court a number of times,” Alvarez added.“They [Court of Appeals] only exist because they were created by Congress. Anytime, we can dissolve them… That’s really gross ignorance of the law. That is why I will not honor their order,” he said.The “Ilocos 6” have been detained since May 29 at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City for their refusal to shed light on alleged misuse of P66.45 million in tobacco funds to buy vehicles under the watch of Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.They are Pedro Agcaoili, Provincial Planning and Development Office chairman; Josephine Calajate, provincial treasurer; Eden Battulayan, Encarnacion Gaor and Genedine Jambaro, all Provincial Treasurer’s Office staff; and Evangeline Tabulog, provincial budget officer.Solicitor General Estelito Mendoza, counsel for the provincial employees, disclosed that the House leadership, the House Committee on Good Government and Accountability and the House of Sergeant-at-Arms again rejected the third bid of the CA sheriff to serve the order for their immediate release.The House of Representatives has refused to comply with the June 9 and 10 orders of the Court of Appeals to bring the “Ilocos 6” to court.Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Rodolfo Farinas said in a media interview in Ilocos Norte that the writ of habeas corpus could not do anything, citing the position of the Solicitor General.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ca-justice-defends-ruling-vs-house-ilocos-6/333667/
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LTO starts releasing of license plates
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2018-07-06 00:03:09+00:00
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The Land Transportation Office on Thursday started releasing license plates for vehicles registered in July 2016.LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante said the plates for the succeeding months of 2016 were being shipped to the agency’s regional offices for distribution.The LTO advised car owners to wait for a notification before claiming their license plates.“Motorists who registered their vehicles before July 1, 2016 (2013 to June 2016) will not receive their license plates yet, as these are under a different contract from another supplier,” Galvante said.As of July 4, 2018, the LTO said it has produced a total of 231, 332 pairs of motor vehicle plates using its own plate making plant, which started operating in April.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lto-starts-releasing-of-license-plates/416331/
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Recto wants P1M for wounded soldiers
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-09-02 23:24:29+00:00
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SEN. Ralph Recto on Saturday sought to increase to P1 million from P250,000, the budget for each government trooper wounded in the ongoing battle to liberate Marawi City from Maute extremists.The Senate President Pro Tempore also deplored that the number of wounded soldiers and policemen in the war in Marawi has already exceeded the 1,000 mark or “over two battalions.”Under existing rules, a soldier or a policeman permanently maimed during combat or operations, gets a one-time P250,000 financial aid. Recto wants this quadrupled to P1 million.He called for the augmentation of the budget for the Comprehensive Social Benefits Program (CSBP), which lists the aid to be extended to killed and wounded uniformed personnel.The senator said the 2017 budget for CSBP was based on an estimate of 681 personnel killed or wounded during the entire year.“If the injuries sustained by the wounded are so severe that they would require lifetime care and assisted living, then it is time to review if existing policies are enough to provide those,” Recto said.“The war in Marawi was not factored in,” he said, adding the existing aid package for wounded personnel should be studied.“I think for grave injuries, like multiple amputations, loss of sight we must increase it to P1 million. And we should ensure lifetime care and hospitalization for them,” he said.Under the CSBP, permanently disabled servicemen will get a financial assistance of P250,000 while those suffering minor and major injuries, P100,000.Permanently disabled servicemen are entitled to four types of assistance: financial; shelter, which is a unit costing P450,000 within a military or police housing site; education, with annual stipends to two dependents; and medical, which covers hospitalization and maintenance medicine.He said the budget of the AFP Medical Center, pegged at P1.613 billion for 2018, should be increased to accommodate the needs of wounded servicemen.Recto said “the wounded are the other heroes of Marawi.” It is also time to publicly honor them, he said.“They are casualties too. They may not have paid the ultimate sacrifice to keep the peace, but their valor and courage are no less fierce,” he said.Casualties increasingRecto noted that when officials of the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) briefed senators on the Marawi crisis prior to the special session of Congress last July 22 to tackle the extension of the state of martial law in Mindanao, the number of wounded government troops had reached 845 by then.“That was the reported figure as of July 17. At that time, the report was 823 AFP personnel wounded plus 22 from the police. That was the figure 47 days ago,” he said.Unlike KIAs or killed in action, the total to date of which is mentioned in every report, military battlefield reports “do not carry a running total of WIAs or wounded-in-action,” he said.By August 31, the number of soldiers killed had climbed to 136, the latest three fatally wounded in the retaking of a strategic bridge that leads to the city.“Thursday’s push also wounded 54 troops, according to media reports that quoted military spokesmen,” he said.On July 22, 42 soldiers were wounded within 24 hours. “So, ngayon higit na 1,000 na [So, now it’s over 1,000],” he added.Recto said he is not questioning what appears to be a policy to embargo information on total number of wounded.“The people deserve the right to salute their heroes,” Recto said. He said stories of wounded personnel reporting to the front with injuries not yet completely healed depict men who are heroes.“There are wounded soldiers who want to rushed back to the front because they want to fight alongside with their comrade in arms,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/recto-wants-p1m-wounded-soldiers/348345/
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Meralco lowers Sept power rates a bit
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-09-07 00:01:20+00:00
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THE Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said power rates would go down by P0.1458 per kWh this month despite higher inflation rates and slight depreciation of the peso.Joe Zaldarriaga, Meralco spokesperson, said the decrease “goes against the current trend that we see with other basic goods and commodities.”The rate adjustment brings this month’s power rates to P10.0732 per kWh from P10.2190 per kWh.Typical households that consume 200 kWh will see a decrease of P29.16 in their September bill, those who consume 300 kWh, a decrease of P43.74; P58.32 for those who consume 400 kWh; and P72.90 for those who consume 500 kWh.Meralco attributed the rate reduction to lower generation charge, which dropped to P5.2719 per kWh in September, down by P0.0772 per kWh from P5.3491 per kWh in August.|Taxes and other charges also went down by PhP0.0394 per kWh this month.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/meralco-lowers-sept-power-rates-a-bit/438852/
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DPWH, Coast Guard ready for Yuletide season
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-12-23 20:16:57+00:00
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THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) have activated their respective traveler and commuter assistance programs in anticipation of the expected volume of traffic along national roads and heavy influx of passengers in various seaports this Yuletide season.Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar on Friday ordered the reactivation of its “Lakbay Alalay” program to provide assistance to travelers who are going home to the provinces for the coming Christmas and New Year celebrations.He instructed all DPWH regional directors and district engineers to set up motorists’ assistance stations from 12 p.m. of December 23, 2017 to 12 p.m. January 2, 2018 to assist the traveling public along the highways in coordination with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Philippine National Police (PNP), Local Government Units (LGUs) and other concerned agencies.The DPWH will also operate a skeletal workforce in its regional and district engineering offices to receive/transmit reports and instructions that need to be processed and relayed during the Christmas holidays.Villar also ordered the scheduling of ongoing road works in various regions and to install the necessary traffic advisory and directional, informative and warning signs, and to remove obstructions along national highways that may delay or impede the flow of traffic in coordination. These will be done with the concerned LGUs.The PCG, on the other hand, has placed all its units under heightened alert following the launching of its “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Krismas 2017” program, which will last until January 8 next year for the expected huge volume of local and foreign shipping passengers.PCG Officer-in-Charge Commodore Joel S Garcia issued a directive to all coast guard units to maintain a high state of readiness and alertness in all port terminals nationwide, beaches, and coastal and island resorts.All coast guard units were likewise reminded to be ready to respond to maritime emergencies.The PCG has also intesified the inspections on all passengers and their baggages, and to ensure maximum monitoring and security in all critical ports nationwide so convenience, orderliness, safety and security can be provided to those traveling by sea.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dpwh-coast-guard-ready-yuletide-season/370292/
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Group questions govt withdrawal from ICC
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-06-13 22:36:37+00:00
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Another petition was filed before the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday seeking to declare as invalid the Philippine government’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).The Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court (PCICC) said the withdrawal is violative of the 1987 Constitution for lack of Senate concurrence.The group is composed of individuals and corporate entities that took part in the campaign for the Philippines’ inclusion as a state party to the ICC.It pointed out that President Rodrigo Duterte “gravely abused his discretion in an act tantamount to an absence or a lack of jurisdiction, when he unilaterally decided to withdraw the membership of the Philippines from the International Criminal Court, as his act violated the constitutional system of checks and balances in treaty making under Article VII, Sec. 21 of the 1987 Charter.”“[O]nce a treaty has been submitted to the Senate for its concurrence and has in fact, received the Upper House’s concurrence, it likewise ceases to be the subject of the exclusive prerogative of the Office of the Chief Executive,” it added.The PCICC said the Executive Department cannot invalidate a legislative act since it may only be recalled, cancelled or voided by the Senate or the Supreme Court.“Yes, the Chief Executive is the chief architect of Philippine foreign policy, but he cannot veto what for all intents and purposes, has, for so long, been binding obligations… under customary international law,” the group said.The SC en banc has set oral arguments on the similar petition filed in July by Senators Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, Franklin Drilon, Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino, Leila de Lima, Risa Hontiveros, and Antonio Trillanes 4th.Named respondents to the case were Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, UN Ambassador Teodoro Locsin Jr., and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/group-questions-govt-withdrawal-from-icc/407846/
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Crime victims down – SWS
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-09-21 00:10:17+00:00
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THE number of families that fell victim to common crimes went down in the past six months, a survey by Social Weather Systems (SWS) showed.The poll, conducted from June 27 to 30, bared that only 5.3 percent of families were victims of common crimes such as pickpocketing or robbery, break-ins, carnapping and physical violence, compared to March’s 6.6-percent.This accounts to 1.2 million families, compared with 1.5 million last quarter.Of the 5.3-percent mark, 5.1 points were for families who lost properties due to street robbery, burglars or car thieves.The figure was the lowest since the record-low 3.1 percent in June last year.According to the survey, 4 percent, or 930,000 of families, were victimized by street robbery. This was 0.6 point dip from last quarter’s figure and was the lowest since the record-low 2.3 percent.The cases of street robberies fell in all areas in the country — 8 percent in Metro Manila from 10.7 percent, 4 percent from 4.3 percent in Balance Luzon and 0.3 percent from 3 percent in Visayas.However, the figure rose to 4.7 percent in Mindanao from March’s 2.7 percent.Families victimized by break-ins also declined, with only 1.8 percent, or 431,000, compared with last quarter’s 2.2 percent.The number of break-in cases in Balance Luzon (1.3 percent) and Metro Manila (2.7 percent) also dipped, but it rose in Visayas (2.7 percent) and Mindanao (1.7 percent).The survey found no reported car theft cases in Metro Manila and Visayas.However, car theft rose in Balance Luzon, from zero cases in March to 0.7 percent in June.It also rose in Mindanao, from zero cases in March to 0.8 percent in June.Only 0.2 percent of families, or 45,000 families, had members who were victims of physical violence in the past six months, a record low, the survey bared.No cases of physical violence were found in Visayas and Mindanao, as it fell in Metro Manila and remained steady in Balance Luzon.The survey result was lauded by Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr.“The number of crimes has dipped and Filipinos are really saying this. We welcome the good news,” Roque said in a news briefing on Thursday.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/crime-victims-down-sws/443439/
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Senators oppose China Telecom
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-11-13 00:13:08+00:00
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THE Senate minority bloc on Monday questioned the selection process employed by the government in choosing the Mislatel consortium as the “provisional” new major player (NMP) in the telecommunications industry.Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon as well as Senators Risa Hontiveros, Leila de Lima, Francis Pangilinan and Antonio Trillanes 4th, in a joint statement, discredited both the selection process and the Mislatel consortium as the third telco (telecommunications company) to operate in the country.“Why were the other bidders booted out? Simply to show that the government went through the process?” the opposition senators asked.They also raised issue the reported “involvement of Malacañang” in ensuring that China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom) can begin its operations by the first quarter of 2018.Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo maintained that President Rodrigo Duterte did not intervene in the selection of the third telco.“There was a transparent, fair, public and open selection process, done in accordance with laws, as well as with pertinent rules and regulations,” Panelo said.Senators Francis Escudero and Joel Villanueva, in a separate statement, corroborated Panelo’s statement that the selection process for the NMP was “orderly and transparent.” They lauded theDepartment of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).Sen. Grace Poe, on the other hand, expressed concern on the presence of China Telecom in the consortium. She said that the issue should not be sidestepped and that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other intelligence agencies should weigh in on the qualifications of China Telecom.National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. assured the public that the AFP played a role in the selection of the third telco player.In a recent Kapihan sa Senado media forum, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said it would be unfair to imply that China Telecom’s presence in Mislatel consortium would be a national security concern.“I believe China Telecom is a publicly listed firm in mainland China. The books are open, they are transparent,” he said.National Economic Development Authority chief Ernesto Pernia and Rep. Lito Atienza agreed that the third telco would not only improve internet connectivity and mobile services, it would bring in investment partnerships and capital spending.Pending confirmation of the provisional NMP, the First Point Group, through the Linkedin platform, had called for job applicants interested to work for the projects of Mislatel consortium.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-oppose-china-telecom/466654/
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House to quickly resolve impeach rap vs 7 justices
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-08-28 00:08:33+00:00
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The House of Representatives would quickly resolve the impeachment complaint filed against seven Supreme Court justices who voted in favor of removing then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno via quo warranto, Justice panel chairman Salvador Leachon of Oriental Mindoro said on Monday.“There is a standing order from the Speaker to expedite this one because we have several things to do. We are deliberating on the [proposed 2019] budget, and the filing of candidacy is also there [to consider],” Leachon said.“If need be, we can conduct [impeachment] hearings every day. Anyway, not all of the members of the Appropriations panel are members of the Justice panel. And our plenary session is held every afternoon [at 4 p.m.],” he added.While he did not say that the impeachment complaint will be dismissed because some 200 lawmakers share President Rodrigo Duterte’s position that Sereno’s ouster was legitimate, Leachon noted that Congress’ power to impeach should be exercised with prudence.“Each department is different and is essential under our Constitution. Even if an impeacheable offense is committed by an impeachable official, impeachment should be taken with great caution because of the significant position they (impeachable officials) are holding. Impeachment should be the remedy of last resort,” the lawmaker pointed out.Opposition lawmakers Edcel Lagman, Teddy Baguilat of Ifugao, Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list and Tomasito Villarin of Akbayan party-list filed the complaint against Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Diosdado Peralta, Lucas Bersamin, Francis Jardeleza, Noel Tijam, Andres Reyes Jr. and Alexander Gesmundo. De Castro was appointed by the President as Chief Justice.The House is mandated to include the verified impeachment complaint in the Order of Business for plenary consideration within 10 session days. The opposition lawmakers filed the impeachment complaint on Thursday, August 23.Once it is calendared, the plenary is required to refer the case to the justice panel within three session days.The Justice panel will then have 60 session days to decide if the impeachment complaint is sufficient in form and substance.Once the impeachment complaint reaches the plenary, at least 96 members of the House are needed to affirm or dismiss the findings of the Justice panel.If majority of House members affirmed the complaint, the impeachment complaint will be sent to the Senate for trial of the accused.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-to-quickly-resolve-impeach-rap-vs-7-justices/435316/
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Court junks plea for road sharing
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-04-07 21:26:14+00:00
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THE Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a petition seeking to compel several government agencies to effect the “road-sharing principle.”In a full-court decision, the tribunal turned down the case filed by the group of one Victoria Segovia in 2014 that sought to release the road user’s tax to implement the road sharing and to compel government officials to reduce their fuel consumption by 50 percent, among others.It effectively ruled to dismiss the petition for the writ of kalikasan and continuing mandamus for lack of merit.The verdict was penned by Associate Justice Benjamin Caguioa and concurred in by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and other justices.The petitioners asked the court to compel the Budget department to release the road user’s tax to fund the reform of the road and transportation system and the implementation of the road-sharing principle.But in the ruling, the SC held that public respondents sufficiently showed that “they did not unlawfully refuse to implement or neglect the laws, executive and administrative orders as claimed by the petitioners.”According to the High Court, ”Projects and programs that seek to improve air quality were undertaken by the respondents, jointly and in coordination with stakeholders, such as: priority tagging of expenditures for climate change adaptation and mitigation, the integrated transport system which is aimed to decongest major thoroughfares, truck ban, anti-smoke belching campaign, anti-colorum, mobile bike service programs and urban re-greening programs.”Colorum refers to vehicles without franchises.“The efforts of local governments and administrative regions in conjunction with other · executive agencies and stakeholders are also outlined. Similarly, the writ of continuing mandamus cannot be issued,” the SC opined.In junking the petition, it held that “there is no showing of unlawful neglect on the part of the respondents to perform any act that the law specifically enjoins as a duty, there being nothing in the executive issuances relied upon by the petitioners that specifically enjoins the bifurcation of roads to implement the road-sharing principle.”“To the opposite, the respondents were able to show that they were and are actively implementing projects and programs that seek to improve air quality. At its core, what the petitioners are seeking to compel is not the performance of a ministerial act but a discretionary act–the manner of implementation of the road-sharing principle,” it explained.JOMAR CANLAS
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/court-junks-plea-road-sharing/321591/
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File raps if you have proof, military dares accusers
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-05-19 00:02:31+00:00
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The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday dared its accusers to file charges if they have proof that the military was behind the burning of Lumad schools.Col. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesman, made the challenge in response to allegations hurled by indigenous groups in Mindanao.“We challenge our accusers [to] provide details [such as] which schools, where and when were the alleged acts committed,” Arevalo said in a statement.“Those are serious allegations of criminal acts and they should file appropriate cases in court. They should not resort to deception and lies,” he added.Arevalo, in an interview with reporters, said the military has been coordinating with various government and non-government agencies in the construction of schools for indigenous people.Verifications made by the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) and the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division established that there were no reported incidents in connection with the burning of 15 schools as alleged by some indigenous groups, he said.Arevalo said the New People’s Army (NPA) could be behind the demolition job against the military.“This is but another disinformation campaign by the communist NPA terrorist to discredit the military to win back public support they have lost,” he said.On Thursday, indigenous groups from Mindanao forwarded cases of massacres, attacks on schools, forced confessions and other forms of atrocities to United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Victoria Tauli-Corpuz.The groups, along with survivors and immediate family members of the victims, went to the main office of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Quezon City to discuss with Corpuz the alleged atrocities committed by the military against indigenous people.The cases raised by the groups included the killing of eight Lumad people in Lake Sebu, South Cotabato; destruction of school facilities; extrajudicial killings; illegal arrests and detention.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/file-raps-if-you-have-proof-military-dares-accusers/399554/
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Two bettors win P15.8-M lotto pot
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-10-30 21:42:52+00:00
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BETTORS from Pasig City and Antipolo City will share the P15.8-million Super Lotto 6/49 jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO).According to Conrado Zabella, PCSO general manager for Gaming Sector, the two lucky winners correctly guessed the winning combination 32-22-16-36-10-27 during Sunday night’s draw.Zabella said the tickets were bought from a lotto outlet in Santolan, Pasig City; and P. Oliverso Street, San Roque, Antipolo City.Fourteen other bettors won the second prize after getting five of the six-number combination right and will be getting P57,940 each.Meanwhile, there were no winners for Ultralotto 6/58 jackpot worth P63.8 million, which was also drawn on Sunday.But four bettors were able to get five numbers of the winning combination 04-21-12-47-09-42, correctly and will be getting P190,940 each as consolation prize.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/two-bettors-win-p15-8-m-lotto-pot/359629/
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Duterte stands pat on SSS premium hike
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2017-01-12 20:07:26+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte is not keen on proposals to defer an increase in monthly contribution of Social Security System (SSS) members starting this year to compensate for a pension hike, according to a Palace official.In a statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on Thursday said Duterte already made his decision after “carefully” weighing the problem.The President on Tuesday approved the P1,000-pension increase starting this year but with a corresponding 1.5 percent increase in monthly premium starting May 2017.“The President has carefully weighed both sides to solve the SSS impasse and he has already made a decision.The increase in the SSS pension effective this quarter will be financed by current contributions and investment income,” Andanar told reporters.He said the increase in premium would be used to strengthen the long-term viability of the pension fund.“The planned 1.5 percent increase in contribution in May 2017 will be used to improve the Investment Reserve Fund in order to generate higher yields for investments, and to further strengthen the overall viability of the pension fund so it can meet future obligations,” Andanar added.But senators from the Liberal Party have questioned the President’s decision.While lauding the pension hike, Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon on Wednesday called the increase in SSS premium “invalid” and “illegal.”Drilon pointed out that Republic Act 8282 or the Social Security Law prohibits the pension fund from offering additional benefits that would require increasing contribution of its members.“While the executive’s decision to finally grant the long-awaited increase in the pension of SSS retirees is commendable, it should not be used to justify an increase in the premium payment,” he said in a statement.“The increase in benefits of our pensioners must not come from a similar increase in the burden shouldered by current SSS contributors. The law is crystal clear in that regard,” Drilon added.Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th said he was surprised after learning about the planned hike in the monthly premium of 34 million SSS members, adding that the fund did not even conduct prior consultations with employers and contributors.Aquino said the SSS is capable of providing the increased pension without demanding that its members contribute more.“What the SSS should do is to improve the collection efficiency instead of demanding bigger contributions from its members,” he added.Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara, however, said the increase in SSS monthly contribution is in order to make surefunds would still be available for future pensioners.Angara, who heads the Senate ways and means committee, added that without additional source of funding, the SSS would not be able to provide pension once young members of the pension fund retire.“The SSS won’t have any reserves to pay its future pensioners if it will not impose an increase in members’ contribution,” he said.In the past 16th Congress, then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd vetoed the law seeking to grant a P2,000-pension increase, saying it would bankrupt the pension fund for private workers.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-stands-pat-sss-premium-hike/306564/
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Robredo to help victims of drug-related killings
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-03-23 22:21:50+00:00
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Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo has vowed to leave no stone unturned in helping victims of alleged drug-related killings amid impeachment threats against her.Robredo made the statement after at least eight organizations paid her a visit on Thursday morning to assure her of their support in light of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s threat of filing an impeachment complaint against the Vice President.She is under fire for her comments in a recent United Nations meeting where she criticized the drug-related killings, which, according to her, already reached at least 7,000 cases and marred by family members of drug suspects being arrested if the drug addict that authorities are looking for cannot be found under a “palit ulo” scheme.“We tried to seek help, but it is not that easy. And I thank you for telling me your stories, at pinapanindigan natin na gagawin natin ang lahat kahit po bugbog na tayo [and we will stand that we will seek help for you, even if we’re bruised]. We will do everything to ensure that you won’t live in fear,” Robredo said.“You are right, there’s chaos nowadays, but this demands sobriety. During these dark times, we need to be brave. Many of you told me about your experience on extrajudicial killings. You experienced these violations of human rights, and you came to me because you want me to be your voice because you fear that the institutions won’t protect you,” she added.Robredo’s supporters from urban poor and people’s organizations described moves to impeach the Vice President as baseless and reek of politics.“We are one in staunchly opposing any plan to impeach Vice President Robredo. This is just done out of politics. We know Vice President Robredo is ethical, principled and fair, especially to us poor. We believe that she is a responsible and honest leader,” Jose Morales of the Ugnayang Lakas ng mga Apektadong Pamilya sa Tabing Ilog (ULAP) Confederation said in a Filipino.“It is no secret that the people behind plans to impeach her have ill motives, selfish ambitions and are not after the benefit of the people. We see things but we seem to be silent witnesses to what is happening to our country. That’s why we are standing up to support the Vice President,” Morales added.ULAP’s stance is a joint statement with Koalisyon ng mga Organisadong Samahan sa Maynila.Change Politics Movement noted that Robredo’s message during the UN meeting is just being consistent with her campaign promise of speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves or have been forced to be silent, including the victims of the anti-drug war.“Vice President Robredo is not a traitor, but a hero who fights for the poor and the powerless despite these odds. We continue to stand with her in seeking truth and justice for the marginalized and poor sector and for all,” it said in a statement.National women’s organization Pilipina, on the other hand, called on public officials, especially lawmakers, to judiciously exercise their power to legislate, discern right from wrong and respect the spirit of the Constitution instead of blindly following the dictates of their political parties and alliances.“Superior number alone does not bestow on the super majority the right to shove the country down a perilous path without regard to due process. In these fractious times when ranking officials themselves threaten our democratic ideals with their wanton disregard for facts, Pilipinas calls anew on the women and men who fought hard to restore the rights denied to us by martial law,” Elizabeth Yang of Pilipina pointed out.Others who also issued statements of support included CO Multiversity, Ateneo de Manila University, Social Democratic Caucus, Akbayan, Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka and People Power Volunteers for Reform.Robredo assured her supporters them that their kind words mean a lot to her.“Your statement of support is big boost. This shows that I am fighting a good fight. There are times when we stop and think, do we still have anything to fight for when everyone is already faint-hearted? But all of you who are here, you know me well, and I have worked with most of you in various chapters in my life… way back when I was still an alternative lawyer, and you have worked with my husband. That’s why I am thankful for this,” she said in Filipino.“In everything that we do, we have nothing to fear because we are are doing the right thing. Fear is only for people who don’t tell the truth, those who have ill motives. We will continue to stand on our dissent, even when it’s tough,” Robredo added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/robredo-help-victims-drug-related-killings-2/318838/
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Releases of questioned grants suspended–PCSO
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-10-31 22:21:19+00:00
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THE Philippine Charity Swe epstakes Office (PCSO) on Tuesday said it already suspended releases of questioned benefits and allowances of its officials and employees as early as September.In a statement, PCSO Chairman Jorge Corpus and General Manager Alexander Balutan noted that the order to stop the releases was in compliance with the September 1, 2017 directive of the Office of the President.“The present management of PCSO complied to suspend and stop immediately the releases or grants of these questioned benefits to its officials and employees in compliance with the directive of the Office of the President effective September 1, 2017,” the PCSO officials said in the statement.The clarification was made in reaction to the 2016 Annual Financial Report of the Commission on Audit (CoA) that showed the PCSO released more than P518 million worth of authorized bonuses and allowances.The report said the state-run charity institution in 2016 granted its officials and employees P151 million in Christmas bonuses, P123.8 million in education assistance bonuses and grocery bonuses amounting to P71 million.The PCSO also released P60.27 million in weekly draw allowances, P27.5 million in hazard pay and P23.3 million in revenue performance incentive pay.The audit commission noted that the releases were made despite the P1.2 billion worth of allowances from the previous years that are yet to be settled by the agency.“The questioned benefits given to the PCSO employees have been part and parcel of the monthly and yearly benefits of the PCSO officials and employees for more than twenty years,” Corpuz and Balutan said in the statement.They added that the benefits were duly covered by various approvals from the previous administrations including that of former President Corazon Aquino.The PCSO officials said various CoA notices of disallowances issued against the question benefits were not yet final because they have been subjected to appeals and remained pending before the various regional offices of the audit body.The PCSO assured concerned parties and the public that the agency would continue to abide with the directive of the Office of the President.“On the other hand, we completely trust that this issue will be settled judiciously and fairly by observing the appeals mechanisms laid down under the CoA rules of procedures,” the PCSO officials said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/releases-questioned-grants-suspended-pcso/359863/
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PNP, PCSO join forces vs illegal gambling
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-04-30 02:01:02+00:00
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THE Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) vowed on Saturday to work closely together for the “successful expansion” of the Small Town Lottery (STL) in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal gambling and corruption in the country.The STL generated P2.88 billion from the 26 operational Authorized Agent Corporations (AAC) within the first three months of 2017. Based on PCSO records, the upgrade of STLs generated a revenue increase of more than 130 percent compared to 2016 sales worth P1.2 billion within the same period.Twelve additional AACs are expected to open within the succeeding months of this year.PNP’s efforts on conducting anti-illegal gambling operations has reached 2,501 operations from February to March of this year, wherein 5,635 were arrested and more than P2 million were confiscated from such illegal activities.More than P27 billion in revenues is expected to be generated with the continuing efforts of PNP and PCSO against illegal gambling. The revenues raised by both agencies will be used to provide support to various medical and charitable programs of the government.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pnp-pcso-join-forces-vs-illegal-gambling/324733/
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Revilla’s plea to dismiss plunder case vs him junked
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-02-14 20:40:25+00:00
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The Supreme Court (SC) has junked with finality a plea of former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. to dismiss a case for plunder against him at the Sandiganbayan in connection with the pork barrel scam.During Tuesday’s en banc session of the SC, the 15-man court stood firm on its decision last December 6 to dismiss Revilla’s petition for certiorari to set aside the findings of probable cause against him.Revilla was charged with plunder and graft by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2014.The High Court also junked appeals filed by Revilla’s co-accused businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, Revilla’s chief of staff Richard Cambe, Napoles’ employees Ronald John Lim and John Raymund de Asis and Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos.It ruled that there are no new pieces of evidence presented to warrant reversal of its earlier findings.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/revillas-plea-dismiss-plunder-case-vs-junked-2/312214/
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Major pnp posts reshuffled
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-03-20 23:10:02+00:00
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THE retirement of the No. 2 man of the Philippine National Police (PNP) resulted in a major reshuffle in the organization’s command group, directorial staff and the national support units.Deputy Director General Ramon Apolinario, deputy PNP chief for operations, has been appointed deputy chief for administration, replacing Deputy Director General Francisco Uyami Jr., who bowed out of the service on March 19 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.In a news briefing at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Monday, PNP chief and Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Deputy Director General Fernando Mendez Jr., the chief of the directorial staff, has been designated as the deputy PNP chief for operations vice Apolinario.Director Archie Francisco Gamboa of the Directorate for Comptrollership has been named as the new chief of the directorial staff replacing Mendez.Director Ramon Purugganan of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) has been designated to head the Directorate for Comptrollership vice Gamboa.Purugganan’s former DPRM post was taken over by Chief Supt. Rene Aspera of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG).Chief Supt. Joel Crisostomo Garcia, the former deputy chief of DPRM, replaced Aspera as PSPG chief.Dela Rosa is yet to name Garcia’s replacement.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/major-pnp-posts-reshuffled/318273/
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Water hyacinth team to clear Pasig
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['Ramon O']
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2/7/2017 0:00
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The Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission (PRRC) has created Task Force Water Hyacinth that will provide livelihood to the people living near the river.Huge patches of water hyacinths have choked parts of Pasig river. The plants also forced the suspension of the river ferry service.“The spread of water hyacinths is a natural phenomenon brought about by the rainy season. Technically speaking, the water hyacinths continue to grow due to the high level of nutrients in the water coming from aquaculture farming areas as well as from the creeks or esteros draining domestic waste to the Pasig River,” PRRC Executive Director Jose Antonio Goitia said.In a statement released Sunday, Goitia said the PRRC has always been in the frontline in implementing waste and water quality rehabilitation and management programs in Pasig River.With the project, the PRRC aims to further improve the Pasig River system with help from its partner agencies in the national government, local government, non-government organizations, and the private sector.“We understand the inconvenience these water hyacinths are causing in river transport. Rest assured that we, your public servants from the PRRC, are exercising due diligence to intensify our clean-up operations along the Pasig River and its tributaries in coordination with our partner agencies,” Goitia said.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/02/water-hyacinth-team-to-clear-pasig/
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Rotc backers to deal with hazing, corruption
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['Fernan Marasigan']
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2017-02-22 20:55:32+00:00
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CORPS commanders, senior reservist commanders and top military officials have vowed to actively address hazing and corruption in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) even as they threw full support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for the restoration of the program.In a national summit held at the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año on Wenesday said the military believes that it is time to bring back mandatory ROTC in schools to “ensure that the youth are shaped with a deep sense of patriotism and love for country.”“The mandatory ROTC program will strengthen national security since the country will have trained men and women who can defend their country in times of war and crises; undertake disaster, relief and rescue operations; and assist in socio-economic development,” Año pointed out during the summit attended by more than 300 participants.Col. Edgard Arevalo, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, explained that the ROTC is a key component of the AFP’s Reserve Force Development program.“Through this summit, we are able to connect the ROTC Corps commanders with the senior reservist commanders of the AFP to discuss common issues on the ROTC and its role in the reserve force,” he said.The gathering came on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of the proposed restoration of mandatory ROTC in Grades 11 and 12 in the country’s public and private schools.Besides the AFP chief, other speakers who discussed the restoration of mandatory ROTC were Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian and retired Navy captain Diofonce Tuñacao of the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific.The ROTC was made optional in 2002 over a controversy that resulted from the death of Mark Chua, a student of the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.Chua was allegedly killed after exposing ROTC fund mismanagement at the university.At present, three bills calling for the revival of the ROTC are pending with the education committee–Senate Bills 1131, 200 and 189, authored by Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito, Gatchalian and Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao, respectively.Gatchalian had said instituting a mandatory ROTC program for senior high schools students is a great way to bolster the military’s reserve corps while instilling the fundamental ideals of patriotism and public service among the youth.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/rotc-backers-deal-hazing-corruption/313640/
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168 new officers to join Army
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-09-02 00:03:44+00:00
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A total of 168 new officers who recentlly graduated from the Officer Candidate School in Capas, Tarlac will join the Philippine Army.The Officer Candidate Course “Emancipator” Class 50-2018 is comprised of teachers, criminologists, nurses, engineers, bankers, agriculturists and other professionals.Second Lieutenant Luwiemae Maceda led the batch. She received the Secretary of National Defense Saber award.Maceda, a graduate of Technology Communication, vowed to make a difference in the lives of Filipinos.2LT Alvin Nicolas Jr. and 2LT Vincent Dacomos were the recipients of the Chief of Staff Saber Award and Commanding General Philippine Army Saber Award, respectively.Maj. Gen. Casiano Monilla, commander of Training and Doctrine Command, said the 168 newly minted officers would be deployed to strengthen the Army’s tactical units who are in charge of quelling insurgency and terrorism in the country.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/168-new-officers-to-join-army/437191/
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The mess at ERC
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['Mike Dela Cruz']
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30/04/2017 0:00
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accounted for a lion’s share of 3,551 MW of this total.Filipinos pay one of the most expensive electricity rates in Asia. CSP seemed to be one of the promising solutions to this problem. The ERC could reject a DU’s application for proposed electricity rates, as contained in a PSA, if the ERC finds out that the DU does not follow the required bidding process.The ERC’s decision to delay CSP was one of the reasons three committees of the House of Representatives called ERC’s top officials to a joint hearing last March. Most of the commissioners supported the delay, notwithstanding Salazar’s objection.A week or so ago, attention was again diverted away from the CSP issue when the same commissioners lodged an administrative complaint against Salazar before the CSC, this time, for Salazar’s alleged dishonesty, oppression and grave misconduct.The complaints against Salazar may show a semblance of an anti-corruption drive, but from what I hear, it seems to target the least sinner among the officials.I sympathize with news exec Charie Villa, sister of Jun Villa who committed suicide. Remembering her covering a press event I organized many years ago, I posted a note of sympathy on Facebook when her brother took his life by his own hand.But is the focus on her brother’s death diverting attention from more serious issues?***Tantrum Ergo. Secretary of Education, Leonor Briones, asked for comment about President Duterte’s cursing, said he doesn’t curse at Cabinet meetings. So, what have we got here, a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/04/30/the-mess-at-erc/
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Poe seeks measures to prevent cyber attacks, data breaches
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-05-29 00:03:49+00:00
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SEN. Grace Poe has urged a Senate panel to investigate a report that the Philippines is one of the countries “most prone” to cyber security attacks.She filed Resolution 728 directing the Senate Committee on Science and Technology to conduct the inquiry to determine remedial measures to prevent data breaches and protect vital information.Poe made the call as the Senate is set to ratify the proposed national identification (ID) system.“There is a need to invest heavily on cybersecurity in order to protect the public against cyber attacks and put a stop to illegal practices of stealing sensitive personal and government information,” she said.She added that most organizations in the Philippines are among the most vulnerable to.cybersecurity attacks, with several data breaches in recent history such as the $81 million Bangladesh Bank heist, hacking of the database of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that exposed 54 million sensitive data and 1.3 million passport numbers “in what was regarded one of the worst government data breaches.”She noted that Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act was enacted in 2012 to address cybersecurity issues and threats, while the Philippines established the Department of Information and.Communications Technology in 2015 under RA 10844.“Any piece of vulnerable information, especially on the internet, such as bank details and social media accounts, can be stolen, exposed and sold by cybercriminals to an underground market,” Poe said.She said cybersecurity threats prompted the Philippines to put up the National Cybersecurity Plan of 2022 which envisions to protect the government, businesses and citizens against cybersecurity attacks.“Through the years, technology has driven change in information and communication, with people’s access becoming more efficient and innovative,” she said.“Technological advancements, however, are fraught with various threats in cyberspace, as these have been dogged by criminals who seek to hack important personal information, including banking and other industries,” she added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/poe-seeks-measures-to-prevent-cyber-attacks-data-breaches/401796/
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Signing of MOU key to lifting of Kuwait ban
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-03-07 00:02:22+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will lift the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers if a Memorandum of Understanding on labor policies is signed by the Philippines and Kuwait and if the death of Joanna Demafelis was given justice, according to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd.“The President has set two conditions—the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on labor policy between Kuwait and the Philippines and justice must be served for the death of household service worker Joanna Demafelis,” Bello said on Tuesday.He explained that the MOU would grant additional protection to Filipino workers in Kuwait.A team from Kuwait will be in Manila this week to discuss the MOU with their Filipino counterparts.“Hopefully, the two groups will be able to finalize the draft MOU in one or two days and thereafter, I will also fly to Kuwait, as per request by the Kuwait ambassador, for the signing of the MOU,” the DOLE chief added.Bello expressed confidence that the President’s conditions would be met since the government of Kuwait had expressed willingness to fully cooperate on the early resolution of the Demafeles murder case.Under the proposed MOU, Filipino workers can either keep their passports or hand them to the Philippine labor attache for safekeeping to end the practice of employers of confiscating the passports of domestic workers.Filipino workers will also be allowed to use their cellphones to communicate with their families and the government.The President banned the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait following the death of Demafelis, whose body was found stuffed inside a freezer.Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Chairman Hans Cacdac earlier said that in 2017, there were 12 questionable deaths involving Filipino household workers in Kuwait. Four of the victims committed suicide in December.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/signing-mou-key-lifting-kuwait-ban/384485/
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DFA opens more passport appointment slots
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-06-15 00:05:06+00:00
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THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will open thousands of new passport appointment slots this week following the opening of its ePayment portal on Thursday.The ePayment Portal requires passport applicants to prepay the processing fees through selected payment centers, thus increasing the capacity of the department to receive and process passport applications.“Not only will this new payment system be convenient since applicants can pay the fees anywhere, anytime; it will also help us maximize the capacity of our consular offices,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Cayetano said.Because of the new payment system, the DFA would be able to open up new slots for passport application on top of the 336,743 slot for June 1 to September 30.Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the department opened 50,000 slots at 12 noon and another 50,000 slots at 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 14, 2018. On June 15, 10,000 appointment slots will also be opened.“Henceforth, we will open 10,000 slots Monday to Saturday except holidays,” Cayetano added.Passport processing fee costs P950 for regular (20 working days) and P1,200 for express (10 working days) plus additional P50 ePayment service fee.Initially, ePayment is accepted in selected payment centers namely Bayad Center; EcPay; Pera Hub; Robinsons Business Center and Department Store; Walter Mart Department Store; 7-Eleven; USCC Western Union; and Villarica Pawnshop.The DFA processes an average of 19,000 applications per day.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dfa-opens-more-passport-appointment-slots/408134/
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PDEA steps up crackdown on drug-dealing foreigners
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-01-10 21:22:06+00:00
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“Foreigners” were found to be greatly involved in the spread of illegal drugs in the country. In 2016, a total of 112 [foreigners] were arrested for violation of Republic Act 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.”This was the assessment made by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isidro Lapeña on Tuesday, saying the agency has continued to tighten its monitoring of foreigners involved in illegal -rug activities.Foreigners “arrested for drug-related offenses nationwide more than doubled to 79 six months into the government’s war against drugs. During the first semester of 2016, 33 foreigners were already nabbed,” Lapeña added.Of the apprehended foreigners, Chinese still dominated the list with 44, followed by Taiwanese at 29, 7 Hong Kongers and 7 South Koreans.The rest are other Asians, Americans, Europeans and Africans.From 2010 to 2016, a total of 473 foreigners were arrested for violation of the anti-drug law: 112 in 2016, 38 in 2015, 67 in 2014, 77 in 2013, 65 in 2012, 45 in 2011 and 69 in 2010.“Out of the foreigners arrested in the last seven years, 227 or 48 percent were Chinese. They were either pushers, possessors, couriers, manufacturers [or] financiers,” Lapeña said.To address the influx of Chinese involved in the Philippine drug trade, PDEA and the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China signed a “Protocol On Cooperation” on October 20, 2016 in Beijing to effectively suppress and control drug crimes between the two nations.The protocol will be effective for five years.“The PDEA has stepped up its campaign to pursue foreigners responsible for the proliferation of dangerous drugs in the country. This led to their eventual arrest through high-impact operations, including the dismantling of clandestine laboratories used in the manufacture of shabu, chemical warehouses, prevention of drug trafficking in airports and seaports and high-volume seizures through buy-busts,” Lapena said,
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pdea-steps-crackdown-drug-dealing-foreigners-2/306216/
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P184 wage hike sought for Metro workers
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-07-07 00:14:39+00:00
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THE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has started public consultations on the proposal to increase the minimum wage in the National Capital Region (NCR) by P184.The Associated Labor Unions (ALU) that filed the petition claimed that the purchasing power of the present P491 daily minimum pay for NCR workers has sunk to P357, the lowest in three years.The group cited figures from various government agencies in justifying its demand for a P184 across-the-board minimum wage hike for workers in the private sector.It said that in 2015, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) set the Poverty Threshold Level or the standard amount needed by a family of five to survive in a month at P9,064 or P393 a day.Based on updated figures dated May 22, 2017 from the National Wages and Productivity Board/Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards and Philippine Statistics Authority, the value of the nominal P491 daily minimum wage in Metro Manila fell to P357.09.For the Cordillera Autonomous Region, the nominal wage of P285 is only equivalent to P199.30, while in Region I, the value of the P280 minimum wage dropped to P202.17, in Region II, P300 to P197.76; Region III, P364 to P244.30; Region IV-A, P378.50 to P261.76; Region IV-B, P285 to P189.75; Region V, P265 to P172.30; Region VI, P323.50 to P208.71; Region VII, P366 to P241,27; Region VIII, P285 to P179.58; Region IX, P296 to P183.28; Region X, P318 to P200.13; Region XI, P340 to P214.92; Region XII, P295 to P188.26; Caraga, P280 to P168.37; and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, P265 to P158.78.The group said the diminishing value of the minimum wage would have a dire impact on the productivity and health of workers and their families.“A sinking purchasing power of workers’ daily wage means lowering of the quality and quantity of nutritious food that is so vital to workers’ productivity at his work and to his family. A lowered purchasing power will also affect the health of the children,” said ALU spokesperson Alan Tanjusay during the public consultation held in Quezon City.Tanjusay said his group is asking a P184 wage increase because the present minimum wage in the NCR is insufficient to support a family amid the rising cost of prices of commodities and services.If the group’s petition is approved, the daily wage of Metro Manila workers will go up to P675.However, Tanjusay admitted that his group’s demand may again be rejected by the wage board.“Its frustrating for us to file wage increase petition every time but the wage board is irrelevant and irresponsive, giving us a measly 10, 15, 20 pesos [wage increase in the past]. But the ALU has to do this every time because millions of minimum wage earners are voiceless and powerless. We have to represent them in the process,” he said.The wage board is set to hold another public consultation on July 16.Last year, the labor sector asked for a P125 across-the-board wage increase in the daily take home pay for workers in the private sectors but this was thumbed down by the DOLE.The wage board granted a P10 wage hike in March 2016.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd said granting an across-the-board wage increase is not within the mandate of the DOLE.“It is under the jurisdiction of Congress. It has to go through a legislative act,” Bello added.Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards are under the directive to conduct wage reviews and public consultations to determine possible wage adjustments in their respective jurisdictions.Bello pointed out that any increase in wages will have implications on the cost of doing business, production, employment and prices. He said a simulation study made by the NEDA on the impact of a P125 wage increase showed that it could displace 500,000 workers and raise the unemployment rate to 7.3 percent.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/p184-wage-hike-sought-metro-workers/336982/
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No special treatment for ‘Citizen Bong Go’
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-10-23 00:02:26+00:00
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Former special assistant to the President and senatorial candidate Christopher Lawrence “Bong Go said that he was just an ordinary citizen who wanted nothing more than to continue serving the public by passing laws that would uplift their lives.Go said that if elected in the 2019 mid-term elections, he would support the legislative agenda of President Rodrigo Duterte and push for the institutionalization of the Malasakit Center.Under the direction of Duterte, Go put up 15 Malasakit Centers all over the Philippines, which serve as one-stop shops that hasten the delivery of medical services to indigent patients and provide access to free medicines.A fast lane prioritizing senior citizens and persons with disabilities (PWDs) is also available in every center.Go said that he would push for the enactment of a law institutionalizing Malasakit Centers so that these would continue to be operational even after Duterte’s term ends in 2022.Go credits President Duterte for imparting many lessons during their more than two decades together, especially on being loyal to the nation and to the Filipinos.“Sa kanya ko talaga natutunan ang pagserbisyo na may malasakit sa sambayanan. Marami akong natutunan sa kanya kaya nakarating ako dito. Dahil na rin sa kanya, after 20 taon, nagpapasalamat ako na marami akong natulungan dahil sa kanya. Akin na itong naumpisahan at ipagpapatuloy ko kapag nasa senado na ako (It is from [President Duterte] that I have learned how to serve with concern for the people. I have learned much from him to be where I am now. And because of him, in 20 years, I was able to help many people. I have started this and will continue once I am in the Senate), Go said.Go filed his certificate of candidacy on October 15 accompanied by Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, former Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd, and presidential security personnel.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-special-treatment-for-citizen-bong-go/455703/
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‘No such thing as fake rice’
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['James Konstantin Galvez']
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2017-06-23 20:51:40+00:00
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The Grains Retailers’ Confederation of the Philippines Inc. (Grecon) has expressed alarm over the wildfire-like spread of news and social media posts on fake rice in the country.“There’s no such thing as fake rice, only fake news,” Grecon president James Magbanua said in a news conference on Friday.Magbanua added that no fake rice had been discovered, saying the fake news on rice has been used to harass Grecon members.“We are offended by insinuations that members of Grecon deliberately put additives in or sell fake rice to the consuming public. It took us years to build our reputation and we will not allow this malicious fake news to taint and destroy our image,” he said.Magbanua added that they have received several reports that retailers were being harassed by consumers, who were asking for a cavan of rice in exchange for a kilo of alleged fake rice they had bought.The grains group condemned the irresponsible sharing of fake news on social media, especially those matters involving fake rice, saying lack of discernment helped create a new modus operandi, which specifically targets grains retailers.“There is a clear concerted effort to defraud and harass the members of Grecon,” Magbanua said.He added that they are ready to file appropriate criminal charges to hold accountable persons liable, be it from the consumers’ or the retailers’ side.“We would like to solicit the help and support from the NFA, DTI, DICT and other concerned law enforcement agencies to address the issue of fake rice, specially identifying and bringing to justice those who unscrupulously spread the fake rice issue, and those taking advantage of the situation by falsely claiming to have been victimized by the same,” Magbanua said.NFA is the National Food Authority; DTI, the Department of Trade and Industry; and the DICT, the Department of Information and Communications Technology.The group also questioned the timing of the circulation of the fake reports on rice.It was also around this time in 2015 when similar reports on fake rice became news, creating panic among consumers.Meanwhile, NFA Administrator Jason Aquino urged the public to be more vigilant and report to the agency any suspicious or unusual rice being sold in the market, so they can verify and take samples for laboratory analyses.Aquino also on Friday assured consumers that there is no “fake rice” being sold in the domestic market, citing laboratory tests conducted by the agency’s Food Development Center (FDC).The FDC conducted three laboratory analyses on six raw and two cooked rice samples submitted using microscopic analysis, starch analysis and sensory evaluation to test if these contain harmful chemicals.“A total of 6 rice samples were subjected to analysis… the result of all samples [showed real] rice, there is no fake rice,” Aquino said in a news conference in Quezon City.Allegations of fake rice being sold in the local market surfaced after a certain Rafael Furo posted a video on social media and claimed that the rice he purchased in Signal Market in Taguig City is actually plastic.Other incidents involving alleged fake rice were reported in Litex Market in Commonwealth, Quezon City; Davao; Borongan, Samar; Dumaguete City; and Cebu.Aquino said intentionally spreadingwrong information about plastic or fake rice is punishable by law.JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-thing-fake-rice/334509/
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Senate mulls use of P204B Malampaya funds
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-07-31 00:06:23+00:00
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THE Senate Committee on Energy is considering using the P204 billion Malampaya fund to reduce the universal charge and ease the burden of consumers on their monthly electricity bill.Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, chairman of the committee, said the move could result in household savings of as much as P2,033 annually.Gatchalian’s committee on Monday discussed Senate Bill 924, authored by Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, which seeks to allocate the net national government share from the Malampaya Natural Gas Project for the payment of the stranded contract costs (SCC) and stranded debts (SD) of the National Power Corp.The SCC and SD are components used to compute the universal charge imposed on consumers under Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.During the hearing, the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said the use of the P204 billion Malampaya fund would prevent a power rate increase of P0.84 per kilowatt-hour (KWh).For a household consuming 200 kwh per month, this would translate to an annual savings of P2,033.“These savings are enough for an underprivileged household to buy two additional sacks of rice every year,” Gatchalian said.He however made it clear that the proposal would be subjected to further study to determine how much of the remaining Malampaya funds should be applied for the purpose.Gatchalian also admonished the Energy Regulatory Board for its failure to immediately act on the approval of SCC and SC rate application that resulted in power rate increases.The Senate panel learned that the delay resulted in an additional P34.78 billion costs that was passed on to consumers at P0.1973 per kWh.Gatchalian said no clear explanation on the delay was given by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).Krisha Buela of the ERC said the regulatory agency was reviewing its procedures.“I’m telling you that there’s a problem in your procedures. It’s a P34-billion problem to be shouldered by the Filipino people,” the senator told ERC officials.Gatchalian also reiterated the need to pass SB 1490 or the ERC Governance Act that seeks to promote transparency and accountability in the deliberations and decisions of the country’s independent power sector regulator.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-mulls-use-of-p204b-malampaya-funds/425050/
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Bishops: Audit terminal fees collected from OFWs
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['Ernie B. Esconde']
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2017-04-28 20:11:15+00:00
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BALANGA City: The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines- Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) on Friday asked for full accounting of the airport terminal fee of P550 collected from each departing overseas Filipino worker (OFW).“How much has been refunded and where and how much is not yet returned to the OFWs? Where is the money?” Bishop Ruperto Santos of the Diocese of Balanga and CBCP-ECMI chairman, asked on Friday.He reminded government officials that the fees came from the blood, sweat and tears of Filipinos working in foreign countries.“The money should be utilized and spent for the well-being of OFWs. The money belongs to them and no one else,” the Bataan bishop said.Santos made the call with the termination of the collection of P550 terminal fee from OFWs on April 30 this year.The Manila International Airport Administration issued Memorandum No. 8, series of 2014, that integrated the International Passenger Service Charge or terminal fee into all airline tickets “to address the congestion in all NAIA terminals with the increasing number of passengers,” referring to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.As granted by law, OFWs are exempted from paying the terminal fee.“Make no mistake that OFWs are exempted from paying the fee. We in CBCP-ECMI have said that Memorandum No. 8 of MIAA was just a burden and hardship to our OFWs. It does not help them,” the bishop said.He added that the collection of the terminal fee shows the indifference and insensitivity of government officials under the Aquino administration.ERNIE B. ESCONDE
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bishops-audit-terminal-fees-collected-ofws-2/324553/
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Police role in Korean’s kidnapping probed
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-01-12 20:02:16+00:00
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The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is investigating a police officer who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of a South Korean last October 18 in Angeles City, Pampanga.NBI National Capital Region chief Ric Diaz clarified that although kidnapping charges were already filed against the police officer, his two companions and five others before the Department of Justice, his team is still looking at other angles like carjacking, robbery or even tokhang.Tokhang is a police operation wherein operatives knock on the door of suspected drug user, peddler or even drug lord and arrest him.Diaz refused to identify the involved police officer who is now under restrictive custody of the police.He said the kidnap victim is neither a drug user nor a drug pusher.“We are looking into that angle of tokhang-extortion,” Ross Galicia, head of NBI Task Force Against Illegal Drugs, told a news conference.The family of kidnap victim Ick Joo Jee, a high-ranking officer of Hanjin shipbuilding company, was able to give P5 million to the kidnappers last October 31 but the South Korean was not released to them.The kidnappers were asking for an additional P4 million but this time the family insisted on “proof of life.”Kyungchi Choi, wife of Ick, who was present at the news conference, is offering P100,000 for any information that will lead to the rescue of her husband.Diaz said Choi came to the NBI last November to seek help.Ick was abducted by armed men last October 18 in Angeles City at their residence on Block 6 Lot 4, Arayat Street, Frienship Plaza Subdivision.The kidnappers also ran away with jewelry, passport of Jee’s daughter, black Ford Explorer (ABT 1915) and other personal belongings.Philippine National Police chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa met Jee’s wife on Wednesday and assured her of swift police action to rescue and arrest the kidnappers,PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said.Media reports said that two men claiming to be policemen went to Ick’s house on October 18 supposedly to conduct a search operation under the PNP’s Project Tokhang.The South Korean businessman was instead dragged by several men into a waiting black car.The wife said the kidnappers demanded a ransom of P8 million, which was later reduced to P5 million after negotiations.The wife delivered the ransom but her husband was not released by the suspects.She said the kidnappers asked for another P4.5 million, which the woman could no longer deliver.The PNP chief also on Wednesday mobilized operating units of the PNP for a manhunt for a former member of aPNP anti-drug unit who is believed to be involved in the kidnapping of the South Korean businessman.Dela Rosa has also asket the Department of Justice to assign a special prosecutor who will handle the case.WITH ANTHONY VARGAS
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/police-role-koreans-kidnapping-probed-2/306555/
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Philippines has highest breast cancer prevalence
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2017-02-09 21:24:06+00:00
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In 2016, the Philippines topped 197 countries with the most number of cases of breast cancer, data released by Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society have shown.It is also one of the countries worldwide with the highest prevalence rates of cancer.Mortality rates are also ballooning.To help combat the dreaded disease, local health advocates are promoting the National Screening Program especially among high-risk groups, including immediate family members and relatives of cancer patients.“Studies have shown that certain screening procedures are needed to contribute in reducing mortality,” Dennis Sacdalan, an oncologist at ManilaMed, said on Thursday.An average of 12 Filipinos die of cervical cancer daily.The Department of Health (DOH) has ranked colon cancer as the fourth overall in incidence and mortality while lung cancer remains to be the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and third in women.Screenings can be conducted in hospitals that specialize in cancer treatment, including government medical institutions with cancer centers designated by the Health department.Apart from early detection, one’s lifestyle is also crucial in cancer prevention, however.Vices like smoking should be avoided while proper diet must be observed.“If you eat less of fiber and vegetables and more of food with high fat content, then you’re more at risk to develop colon and heart cancer,” Sacdalan said.Obesity exposes a person to several cancers.Meanwhile, smoking, often mistaken to just cause lung cancer, can also lead to other forms of cancer, like head and neck cancers, stomach cancer and colorectal cancer.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/philippines-highest-breast-cancer-prevalence/311347/
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Medical facilities for tourists lacking
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2018-04-01 00:03:39+00:00
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House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he, Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas and Surigao del Norte (First District) Rep. Francisco Jose Matugas 2nd are “already taking steps to address…the lack of first aid and medical facilities” in the case of Siargao.The House leader made the statement over the weekend after broadcast journalist Karen Davila of ABS-CBN narrated in a Facebook post the experience her family had in Siargao.Siargao is a popular surfing destination.“It is unfortunate that broadcaster Karen Davila and her family had such traumatic experience in Siargao,” Alvarez said.“But let me assure her and her family that the government is already addressing the lack of infrastructure in tourist destinations. In the case of Siargao, Surigao del Norte Gov. Sol Matugas, [Surigao del Norte] Congressman Francisco Jose Matugas and I are already taking steps to address the infrastructure problems she cited, such as the lack of first aid and medical facilities to deal with emergencies and health issues faced by locals and visitors,” he added.“I will make sure that the budget is released for these projects,” Alvarez said.“Second, local government units [LGUs] in popular tourist sites should ensure that tourist facilities in their respective areas are properly maintained. Beach resorts should always have lifeguards on duty and surfing and diving instructors should have proper training and possess the requisite certification.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/medical-facilities-for-tourists-lacking/389823/
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DepEd strengthens financial literacy in schools
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['Neil Alcober']
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2018-06-03 01:07:40+00:00
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EDUCATION Secretary Leonor Briones led the launch of the Financial Literacy Program for Schools, a partnership project of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), Department of Education (DepEd), and BDO Foundation in Mandaluyong City.In her keynote address, Briones reiterated the importance of financial literacy.“This is what financial literacy is all about. It’s finding solutions to challenges that we face. It’s finding solutions to reaching the goals that you want to reach, what you want to be, and what you want to do with the rest of your lives,” she said.Having already incorporated Financial Literacy in the K to 12 Basic Education Program, and in the in-service training (INSET) program for teachers and non-teaching personnel, the Education department partnered with BSP and BDOF to further advance the development of financial education initiatives.A Memorandum of Agreement was signed by Briones, together with BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., and Banco de Oro Foundation President Mario Deriquito, a former DepEd undersecretary.The partnership includes the distribution of learning materials, primarily videos, which shall be used for the training of teachers and non-teaching personnel, and for classroom instruction accompanied by teachers’ guides.“We really appreciate our partners, BDO and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, for taking the initiative in helping us out in fulfilling the requirements of law,” Briones said.“It’s not only a response to requirements of law, but to our own professional capacitation, to our own personal improvement. It’s always a good thing to learn to be aware, to know what the greatest developments in our particular field are, because it makes us great teachers. But at the same time, it’s also a good thing to learn something which will help us manage our personal affairs,” she added.Republic Act 10922, otherwise known as the “Economic and Financial Literacy Act,” mandates DepEd to “ensure that economic and financial education becomes an integral part of formal learning.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-strengthens-financial-literacy-in-schools/403858/
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Senator tells Justice chief: Go ahead, file complaints
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-09-14 19:16:12+00:00
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SENATOR Risa Hontiveros is unfazed by a threat of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd to file criminal, civil and ethics complaints against her for violating his privacy and the anti-wiretapping in her recent privilege speech.Hontiveros at the same time maintained that she did not commit any violation since a text message exchange between Aguirre and a certain “Cong. Jing” was “inadvertently caught by someone’s camera lens.”The Justice secretary on Wednesday said he would file an ethics complaint against the senator before the Senate ethics committee apart from planned criminal and civil charges in relation toher privilege speech where she publicly disclosed his personal text conversation.Hontiveros, in her privilege speech on Monday, called for the resignation of Aguirre for plotting against her based on the text message exchange between the Justice secretary and a “Cong. Jing,” whom she believes to be former congressman Jacinto “Jing” Paras.Based on the text message, which the senator claimed to have been inadvertently captured by a photographer, Aguirre ordered “Cong. Jing” to expedite the case to be filed against Hontiveros.“Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre is desperately resorting to squid tactics rather than answering the accusations squarely lodged against him,” Hontiveros said in a statement.She maintained that there was no intent to tap or intercept Aguirre’s message and the law was clear that what is prohibited is “willfully and knowingly committing any act constituting wiretapping.”“But if the Justice secretary wants to file cases against me, go ahead. See you in court, Mr. Aguirre,” Hontiveros said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senator-tells-justice-chief-go-ahead-file-complaints/350683/
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PH gives $100K to typhoon victims
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-04-07 21:25:24+00:00
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The Philippines on Friday turned over $100,000 to Sri Lanka as humanitarian assistance to those affected by Typhoon Roanu in May 2016 that left 201 dead and caused $1.7 in damages.Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) acting Secretary Enrique Manalo personally handed the check to Sri Lankan embassy officials.Manalo said the amount will be used by Sri Lanka to finance a community drinking water program in Aranayaka.The donation was received by Sri Lanka Ambassador to the Philippines Aruni Ranaraja at a ceremony held at the DFA headquarters in Pasay City in Metro Manila.Also present to witness the event were chief coordinator Leah Ruiz Basinang, Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Affairs Millicent Cruz-Paredes, Assistant Secretary for Fiscal Management Services and other officers of the department.Tropical Storm Roanu hit Sri Lanka and caused floods in 22 out of 25 districts of the country.The typhoon destroyed homes and infrastructure.JAIME R. PILAPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-gives-100k-typhoon-victims/321589/
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Indonesian tech firm pitched as Grab’s rival
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-04-03 00:03:29+00:00
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Go-Jek, Indonesia’s top technology firm that offers ride-hailing and logistics services should be allowed to enter the country and compete with giant Grab.The proposal was made on Monday by Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr., citing Uber’s decision to sell its Philippine operations to rival Grab.“No matter how you look at it, the combination of the regional businesses of Uber and Grab not only reduces but effectively eliminates competition in the Philippine ride-hailing market,” Campos said in a statement.“To counteract the merger and reestablish competition, we may have to encourage other large suppliers such as Go-Jek to come in right away,” the congressman, a deputy minority leader, added.With more than 400,000 motor vehicles and drivers, Jakarta-based Go-Jek is the most popular ride-hailing app in the world’s fourth most populous country.Campos said he would have preferred that the three dominant regional players–Uber, Grab and Go-Jek–were all in the Philippines competing against each other.“Three players are better than two. But if we can’t have three, two is better than one,” he added.Lawmakers are counting on the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to pore over the Uber-Grab merger, according to Campos.“Assuming the deal qualifies as a covered transaction, then we expect the anti-trust body to perform its duty in ensuring that businesses compete and that consumers benefit,’ he said.On the day the Uber-Grab deal was announced, PCC Chairman Arsenio Balisacan in a statement said, “No notification has been filed at the PCC by Grab or Uber to date. If the parties meet the new threshold, now set at ₱2 billion for size of transaction and ₱5 billion for size of party, they should notify the PCC within 30 days after signing their definitive agreement.”The PCC is mandated by law to prohibit anti-competitive business agreements, abuses of dominant position and mergers and acquisitions that lessen competition.In ideal markets ruled by formidable anti-trust regulators, Campos said, a business combination that gets rid of the competition may not be permitted until a substitute challenger comes in.He added that anti-trust regulators may also compel the unloading party to sell its business to two separate buyers, instead of dealing with a lone acquirer.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/indonesian-tech-firm-pitched-as-grabs-rival/390168/
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Bello recalls Hong Kong labor attaché
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-03-27 00:06:09+00:00
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Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd, recalled Hong Kong labor attache Jalilo de la Torre who was accused of “favoritism” in the accreditation of recruitment agencies in the territory.De la Torre’s recall was recommended by a team from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) that investigated the allegations.But in a show of force and unity, 89 Filipino migrant workers’ organizations in Hong Kong defended the labor attache, saying his integrity, honesty and dedication to work was beyond reproach.Susan Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, warned that the recall order would lead to rampant trafficking and illegal recruitment of Hong Kong-based Filipino household service workers (HSWS) or domestic helpers to a third country, such as Russia and Turkey, a practice that de la Torre stopped.“We don’t want to see a good man going down because of innuendos. The recall order has made human traffickers and illegal recruiters in and outside of Hong Kong delirious with joy,” Ople said.To protect OFWs, de la Torre put in place a strict compliance procedure in the Philippine Overseas Labor Office’ (POLO) accreditation system, making it harder for erring agencies to secure POLO accreditation and preventing the proliferation of “sub-agents” and “fly-by-night” placement agents.In a position paper, the 89 Filipino workers organizations in Hong Kong said de la Torre never failed to raise the human trafficking issue with his counterparts in the former British territory.Ople said more than a thousand Filipino household service workers in Hong Kong, Singapore and Cyprus had been victimized by human trafficking syndicates and illegal recruiters. They were transferred to another country like Turkey and Russia where their work conditions were deplorable or the offered jobs non-existent.Human trafficking victim “Racquel” told reporters that she and four other household workers paid $6,000 for non-existent jobs in Russia.“We were promised a salary of $1,200 a month and free accommodation. But after we arrived in Russia we were left on our own, which forced us to accept any kind of jobs to survive,” Racquel, not her real name, said.The groups warned unscrupulous employment agencies, labor and sex traffickers, and corrupt Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) officials will profit with de la Torre out of Hong Kong.They condemned Assistant Labor Attache Maria Nena German who they claimed was behind the move to recall de la Torre.“We are indignant that an official from the DoLE regional office in Davao who, because of her connection with high-ranking officials in the Duterte administration, is posed to replace de la Torre. Such nepotism at the expense of the interest of our OFWs is unacceptalbe,” they said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bello-recalls-hong-kong-labor-attache/388671/
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Protesters storm Nueva Vizcaya, Zambales mining firms’ offices
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['Stephen J. Koach']
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3/3/2017 0:00
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AlavarenResidents of mining-affected communities in Zambales and Nueva Vizcaya stormed the central offices of large-scale mining companies in Makati City the other day to denounce their alleged continuous operations despite the closure and suspension orders issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).“The closure and suspension of mining companies remain standing and in force, but these notorious offenders are still operating with impunity. These corporations should be penalized for stonewalling against the government’s regulations and prolonging the suffering of affected communities,” said Leon Dulce, campaign coordinators of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment.The protesters, some in traditional attire, marched the streets of Makati on their way to the offices of Benguet Corporation and Oceana Gold Corporation.Cristeta Sison, spokesperson of Movement for Protection of the Environment in Zambales, called for the closure of Benguet Corporation, one of the four-large scale nickel mines closed down in the province.The alliance raised alarm over the imminent shipping out of raw ore stockpiles from mine sites in Zambales despite the supposed closed status.Residents of Nueva Vizcaya led the protest at the office of Oceana Gold to demand their compliance to the suspension order of their operations of the gold and copper mine.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/03/protesters-storm-nueva-vizcaya-zambales-mining-firms-offices/
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18 NPA rebels killed in first 3 weeks of 2018 – military
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-01-28 00:05:13+00:00
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Eighteen members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), were killed in the first three weeks of January, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).The figure was released by the AFP after two leaders of the NPA died in a clash in Tarlac on January 26.In a statement, the AFP cited “close coordination between the security sector and local communities as they inform soldiers on the presence of CNTs [communist terrorists] especially those conducting extortion.”Also in the first three weeks of the year, 188 members of the communist rebel group surrendered to the government.The AFP promised financial assistance, livelihood, remuneration for surrendered firearms and teaching of skills to rebels who will surrender to the military.President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace talks with the communists on November 2017, saying they lack sincerity in the negotiations.He then declared the CPP-NPA as a terror band on December 2017, ordering the AFP to destroy the group.The CPP-NPA said on January 12 that the AFP is delusional for thinking that its armed forces could be reduced in half in the middle of 2018.This prompted Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to fire back, telling them they are the ones who are “delusional” for thinking they can take over the government.The AFP has reported 163 NPA rebelss killed in various operations since the President terminated the peace talks with the National Democratic Front (NDF) last year.The NDF is an umbrella group that counts among its members the NPA and the CPP.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/18-npa-rebels-killed-first-3-weeks-2018-military/376759/
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Waistline limit for aspiring policemen a must – Lacson
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-01-21 18:34:56+00:00
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SENATOR Panfilo Lacson on Sunday welcomed a move of the National Police Commission (Napolcom) to remove the height requirement for aspiring policemen but advised the commission to consider setting a waistline limit for those who want to enter the force.Lacson, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, said the Napolcom made the right decision to do away with the height requirement because there are good traits that should also be considered other than height.Napolcom had been requiring those who want to enter the Philippine National Police to be at least 1.62 meters tall (5’4”) for male and 1.57 meters tall (5’2”) for female applicants.“That is right, why would you deny someone who is intelligent and has integrity from entering the police force just because [he lacks the height]?” he said in a radio interview.The Napolcom, in a statement on Friday said, “Starting with the April 22, 2018 police examinations, there shall be no height requirement for the [PNP] entrance exam applicants as long as they are bachelor’s degree holders and not more than 30 years old.”The senator, however, said if the Napolcom would remove the height requirement it should consider having a waistline limit.Lacson, who served as the PNP chief of then-President Joseph Estrada, said requiring applicants to maintain a 34-inch waistline is a way of instilling discipline in those who want to join the PNP.He added that with the Napolcom removing the height limit and having no policy on waistlines, chances are there would be policemen who are 5 feet 2 inches tall but with a waistline of 44 inches.“How can you expect a policeman chase a snatcher or a pickpocket on the street if he has a a big belly?” the senator said.Lacson, during his term as PNP chief, was able to instill discipline in police personnel through a no-kotong (extortion) policy, a 34-inch waistline limit and an order to return recovered stolen vehicles.He said police officers must be fit, trim and properly dressed at all times in order to earn respect of the people.But if the PNP would impose such policy on waistlines, according to the senator, all ranking officials of the police force including the PNP chief must also comply.“Leadership by example for me is second to none. There is no substitute,” Lacson said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/waistline-limit-aspiring-policemen-must-lacson/375666/
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Beware of unaccredited schools, parents warned
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-01-28 21:27:15+00:00
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THE Department of Education (DepEd) reminded parents to be extra cautious in choosing schools they plan to enroll their children in for the next school year.DepEd undersecretary for planning service and field operations Jesus Mateo said parents should be vigilant and check whether their chosen private school has the required permits.“They should ensure that the schools of their children are accredited or recognized by DepEd,” Mateo said.Public schools are run by the government and are, therefore, automatically recognized.Mateo said it is important for the school, particularly a private institution, to have a permit to operate or a certificate of recognition issued by the education department to guarantee that children are enrolled in proper learning centers. Both permit to operate and certificate of recognition are being issued by the DepEd regional office.Schools applying for permit or accreditation must comply with the requirements and standards set by DepEd. A permit to operate is a pre-requisite in securing a business permit for private schools.If the private school has a permit to operate or a certificate of recognition, its students will be registered in the Learner Information System (LIS), and issued a Learner Reference Number (LRN). The LIS is a system that registers the profile or the basic information of a student, while the LRN is issued only by schools recognized by the government.The LRN is a permanent 12-digit number the pupil shall keep while completing the basic education program, regardless of transfer to another school – whether public or private, including the student’s promotion to secondary level. Each student will have an LRN that will be indicated in the pupil’s permanent record, report card, examinations, certificate or diploma and other documents.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/beware-unaccredited-schools-parents-warned/309398/
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Robredo warns of effort to install Marcos as VP
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2016-11-20 21:52:22+00:00
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Vice President Ma. Leonor “Leni” Robredo has called on the public to be vigilant against a “stolen” recount of votes that will supposedly install defeated Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as vice president by January 2017.Georgina Hernandez, spokesman for the Office of the Vice President (OVP), disclosed on Sunday evening that supporters of Robredo had expressed concern about alleged plans of recounting ballots without the direction of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.A text message on the alleged plans circulated over the weekend.Hernandez, in a statement, said the text message read, “Re: VP Protest case. Recount of ballots from 4-5 provinces will start end of November and will finish by December deliberations after. You can bet early next year, we have a new VP. From a trusted source.”“The objective is to steal the vice presidency from Vice President Leni. This fear and grave concern are exacerbated by the way the Marcoses sneaked the burial of the dictator from the Filipino public,” she added.Hernandez was referring to Robredo’s opposition against the hero’s burial for Marcos’ father, the late former president Ferdinand Marcos, for human rights violations committed during the elder Marcos’ martial law regime.Robredo beat the Marcos scion by 263,473 votes in the vice presidential race last May.“To get what they desperately want, they have resorted to impunity and complete disregard for the rule of law. We urge everyone to be more vigilant about any extralegal movements during this dark time in our history and we thank those who remain committed to a free and just society,” Hernandez said.“We continue to have faith in our judicial system and we believe that any decision will be based on truth,” Hernandez added.Robredo said the hurried hero’s burial for the elder Marcos on Saturday afternoon was not announced and commenced even if the Supreme Court is yet to decide on whether to allow a hero’s burial for the former president.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/robredo-warns-effort-install-marcos-vp/297521/
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Cash transfer terms for Marawi shelved
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-12-16 01:51:45+00:00
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The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has suspended until December 2018 conditionalities for the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program for the poor for CCT households affected by the Marawi siege.Officer-in-Charge Emmanuel Leyco of the DSWD on Friday noted that the suspension, initially only until March 2018, has been extended to complement the agency’s Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) and accelerate the recovery of internally displaced persons.“We have suspended the conditionalities that will allow them to receive [CCT aid] even if they are not attending schools or not going to health clinics, or not even attending the family development sessions,” Leyco told reporters.“We have some 12,000 households who are members of our Pantawid and therefore, we’d like to make sure that the funds are delivered to them,” he said.Pantawid is the Pantawid para sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program, the meaning in Filipino of the CCT initiative that started in 2008.“We’d like to assure the people of Marawi that the DSWD, along with other government agencies, will stand ready to address their needs,” Leyco said.He mentioned that the DSWD also made modifications to the SLP so that those in evacuation centers will readily qualify, and that social pension program, supplementary feeding and assistance to individuals are also in place.The displaced Marawi residents, however, will not be home for Christmas since the completion of the 500 transitional shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan is set to be finished on December 27 or two days after Christmas Day.“Our target in delivering the first 500 transitional shelters was slightly moved to December 27. And we have agreed during the Technical Working Group meeting that those who will be eligible for this first batch of transitional houses are those residents from the most affected areas who are in evacuation centers, willing to return and at the same time, willing to stay in the transitional shelters,” Avelino Tolentino, deputy secretary general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, said.“So we continue to build transitional shelters, we will be able to decongest our evacuation centers,” Tolentino added.As of December 12, 309 of the 673 transitional shelters in Barangay Sagonsongan had been substantially completed.“The site of the transitional shelters is provided with water, roads, septic tank for every house, toilet and bath, as well as a sink,” Tolentino said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cash-transfer-terms-marawi-shelved/368929/
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Malate police inmates back in cells after clean-up
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['Kimberly Malait']
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2018-07-14 00:03:18+00:00
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MORE than 100 inmates of the Manila Police District (MPD) Malate Police Station (PS-9) were returned to their prison cells on Friday after a general cleaning was conducted in the station where an inmate died of necrotizing fasciitis or the flesh-eating disease. A seventh inmate was also rushed to the Philippine General Hospital on Tuesday for the same disease; he was later transferred to the Manila City Jail. The PS-9 was locked down on Thursday to ensure that no inmate would escape while the clean-up was ongoing. A medical checkup was also conducted among the inmates. While no health problems were reported from the female inmates, cases of boils and infections were reported from the male inmates. Despite the cases, PS-9 maintains that the disease must not be assumed to have been contracted within the detention facility, which houses around 100 inmates in cells that have a capacity for only about 30 individuals.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/malate-police-inmates-back-in-cells-after-clean-up/419123/
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Govt addressing poverty – Palace
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-07-23 00:05:47+00:00
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MALACAÑANG on Sunday said the government is doing what it can to decrease poverty after a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Saturday revealed that more Filipinos considered themselves poor.The poll, conducted from June 27 to 30 among 1,200 adults nationwide, showed that 48 percent or 11.1 million Filipino families deemed themselves poor.“We take seriously the SWS June 2018 survey which shows an increase in the incidence of families who consider themselves as poor, as well as families rating themselves as food-poor,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque, Jr. said in a statement.Roque said families “felt the pinch of higher food prices” after the June inflation numbers were announced.“We are putting in place long-term solutions to significantly reduce inflation and help poor Filipino families, such as pushing for rice tarification as rice accounts for around 20 percent of the total consumption of the poor and implementing our Build, Build, Build Program to lower the transport cost of food and goods,” he added.The June survey result bared a six-point hike from the March 2018 figure, where 42 percent, or an estimated 9.8 million families, rated themselves poor.The SWS said the six-point increase resulted from the 18-point self-rated poverty increase in Mindanao, and 13-point increases in both the Visayas and Metro Manila.The saving grace, Roque said, is that the self-rated poverty dropped in Balance Luzon, where Region 3, the so-called rice basket of the country, is located.“The timing of the survey, June 27-30, must also be considered. Government, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development, had distributed Unconditional Cash Transfers to around 3.8 million of the 10 million total beneficiaries at the time of the survey, with distribution ramping up quickly subsequently, while the Department of Transportation’s Pantawid Pasada Program for jeepney operators with valid franchises started this July,” Roque said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-addressing-poverty-palace/422336/
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Police chide public for not warning about NPA raid
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['David T.']
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19/06/2017 0:00
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The police is chiding the residents of Maasin town for not alerting the town’s police station that communist rebels were coming its way.A group of 40 to 50 New People’s Army (NPA) fighters raided the Maasin police station, disarming the officers inside and handcuffing them.The rebels left after five minutes, taking with them the officers’ guns.The lightning raid was a huge embarrassment to provincial police officials, who had warned weeks ago that Maasin was one of 15 towns in Iloilo that could be the target of a NPA attacks.Last Sunday, Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Western Visayas police director, said the attack could have been thwarted if the public had warned the Maasin police station.Binag said that several months ago, an Abu Sayyaf team in Bohol was intercepted before it could mount an attack because villagers had tipped off the authorities of the extremists’ presence.Chief Inspector Aron Palomo, Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) spokesman, followed up on Binag’s statement on Monday, saying that the Maasin police station never received any phone call or text message warning that rebels were approaching.He said he assumed residents saw the truck before it arrived at the station.“The police can’t anticipate an NPA attack. That is why we need the public’s cooperation,” Palomo said.He fended off speculations that the raid was the result of failure of intelligence.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/19/police-chide-public-for-not-warning-about-npa-raid/
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No final version of BBL yet – Alvarez
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-05-22 00:01:42+00:00
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The House of Representatives is yet to agree on the final version of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Monday.The majority bloc held a caucus on the issue yesterday but Alvarez said House leaders will still have to consult with the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) on the proposed amendments of a number of House members.Last week, three House committees —Muslim Affairs, Local Government and Peace, Reconciliation and Unity—approved the draft proposed by the BTC.Under the BTC version of the BBL, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be abolished and replaced by a Bangsamoro Region that will enjoy fiscal autonomy and be governed by the Bangsamoro Parliament elected by the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region’s inhabitants.“We had a good discussion, and tomorrow, the House leaders will talk to the BTC. We will raise the concerns of the House members with the BTC so we won’t have a hard time shepherding the bill in the plenary,” Alvarez told reporters.The BTC version allows contiguous areas of the ARMM to join the Bangsamoro Region provided there is a resolution of the local government unit or a petition of at least 10 percent of the registered voters in the geographic area asking for their inclusion, at least two months prior to the ratification of the BBL. Majority of the voters in these areas must also vote in favor of their inclusion in the Bangsamoro Region.The measure retains the national government’s power and control over defense and external security. It allows the establishment of the Bangsamoro Military Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Bangsamoro Police Force which will be in charge of law enforcement and maintenance of peace and order in the Bangsamoro.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/no-final-version-of-bbl-yet-alvarez/400224/
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Beijing can help ‘legalize’ PH workers’ stay in China
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2016-10-24 21:40:13+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s friendly stance with China should result in legalization of around 200,000 undocumented Filipino workers there, according to a lawmaker.ACTS-OFW party-list group Rep. Ancieto Bertiz made the statement on Monday, or a day after Duterte assured that Filipino fishermen in a few days can fish again in Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal) in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) where the Philippines has fishing rights under a ruling by the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration.“If we are warming up our relations with China, then they [Chinese authorities] should legalize these [Filipino] workers. There are 200,000 undocumented workers in China, most of them are household service workers, tutors, teachers,” Bertiz told reporters.He said China only issues work visas for Filipinos who belong to a musical band that performs in hotels.“China does not issue work visas for these [undocumented] workers because it will affect the stock of millions of Chinese in the workforce. Building relations is not just about agriculture and the territorial dispute, it should also be about crafting policies that will ensure the welfare of our workers. As it is, a lot of them earn less than their local counterparts,” Bertiz added.He, however, virtually contradicted himself by saying that Duterte’s anti-US rhetoric where he cursed US President Barack Obama, criticized Americans for “lacking civility” and called them“white monkeys” would not affect undocumented Filipino workers in the United States.Bertiz said it is just right for the US government to deport the undocumented Filipino workers in the US because they abuse tourist and student visas granted to them by overstaying.Overstaying Filipinos in the US are derisively called TNT (Tago ng Tago), which means hiding perpetually.“They violated the privileges granted to them, so the US has the right to deport them,” Bertiz said.Congressman LRay Villafuerte of Camarines Sur said Duterte’s friendly stance with China should spur economic integration among Asian countries toward shared progress.“I welcome Malacañang’s economic managers’ pronouncement that the Philippines will continue relations with Western countries even as the President recalibrates foreign policy with the end in view of integrating our economy with Asean as well as with Asia’s economic giants China, South Korea and Japan,” Villafuerte added.“Greater trade prospects for the Philippines with other Asian economies should convince the investor community that our country is now the best place to set up shop in. Moody’s and multilateral lenders such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund believe that the Philippines would remain as one of the world’s best performing economies. We should not squander this opportunity,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/beijing-can-help-legalize-ph-workers-stay-china/292936/
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Senators eye simplified adoption process
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['Javier J. Ismael']
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2018-11-03 00:03:48+00:00
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A report that seeks to simplify the adoption process by allowing the rectification of simulated births through administrative proceeding has been filed at the Senate.Birth simulation, according to Senate Bill (SB) 2081 contained in Committee Report 498, refers to the tampering of the civil registry to make it appear that a child was born to a person who is not the child’s biological mother.Committee Report 498 was prepared by the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality chaired by Sen. Risa Hontiveros, and the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development, headed by Sen. Leila de Lima. It was filed on Oct. 22, 2018.SB 2081 is a substitution of SB 1725, introduced by Sen. Grace Poe, and SB 1728, prepared by Hontiveros and de Lima.Its counterpart measure, House Bill 5675, was approved by the House of Representatives on August 29 last year.Titled “Simulated Birth Rectification Act of 2018,” the measure aims “to grant amnesty and allow the rectification of the simulated birth of a child where simulation was made for the best interest of the child, and that such child has been consistently considered and treated by the person” who considered the child as his or her own.Instead of going through the courts, those who will file a petition may do so through the Social Welfare and Development Officer of the city or municipality where the child resides.The secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development shall decide on the petition within 30 days from receipt of the recommendation of the department’s regional director.Under the measure, those who simulated the birth record of a child should be exempt from criminal, civil and administrative liability provided that the application to rectify a simulated birth record should be filed within 10 years from the effectivity of the measure.After all the requirements for administrative adoption have been met, the child shall be considered the legitimate child of a person and as such is entitled to all rights and obligations provided by law to legitimate children.Poe, herself a foundling adopted by the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. and Susan Roces, said that the measure, if passed into law, would give the adoptive parents the opportunity to have the status of their adopted child or children regularized in law.“It is also in the best interest of the parents and the children to have the records rectified for possible future uses such as medical or DNA purposes or for other legal matters,” she said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-eye-simplified-adoption-process/461387/
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Labor to petition for new wage hike
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-12-20 20:38:20+00:00
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ORGANIZED labor will file a petition for a new wage increase because of supervening conditions that will arise from the implementation of the new Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Act effective January next year.The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP) on Wednesday said they would push for an amendment to the new tax reform law to include forward programs that would alleviate the plight of the most affected sectors through skills training, competency improvement and job windows.“We still don’t have the figures for our wage petition. We are still in the process of consultation. We will also study the impact of the expected increase in the prices of basic commodities and services on the [current] take-home pay of workers,” ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.Under the the law, a wage petition can only be filed a year after the latest wage increase granted by a particular Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB).The wage board is also mandated to act motu propio or on its own to make the necessary salary adjustments for workers.Tanjusay noted though that the RTWPBs have the habit of approving salary adjustments that do not jibe with the economic situation on the ground.He cited as an example the P21 increase (P184 was the original petition) granted to minimum wage earners in the the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) that took effect last October.Tanjusay pointed out that the law allows the filing of new wage petitions even less than a year after the last wage increase if there are supervening events, like series of increases in the prices of commodities and basic services.The group opposes the government’s plan to provide discount vouchers to the poor impacted by Train, saying it would only teach people to be lazy and dependent on someone else.It said it would be better if the government provides the poor with cash-for-work program beginning with skills training and competency improvement and providing them with jobs.“Once millions of people become idle and lazy, it’s not sustainable, not good for our nation-building. But if we capacitate the poor to level up and give them the work opportunities, they become productive for our country, for themselves and for their families,” Tanjusay said.He added that there are already government institutions such as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment to provide the training needed and the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Public Works and Highways to provide the job opportunities.“We do not have to reinvent the wheel. We already have government institutions and experts in the bureaucracy who can provide the needed capacity-building and the work opportunities for the program,” Tanjusay said.According to the group, around 15.6 million most vulnerable underground economy workers will suffer more once the Train takes effect.Informal economy workers are those independent, self-employed, small-scale producers and distributors of goods and services. These are the jeepney drivers, tricycle drivers, pedicab drivers, taxi drivers, all kinds of vendors, sales attendants, barbers, cooks, waiters, dishwashers in carinderias (small restaurants) and canteens, tailors, sewers, porters and street sweepers.Though the Train widened the base of those exempted from income tax from minimum wage earners to mid-level wage earners by exempting those employees getting P250,000 a year or P21,000 a month and raised taxable bonuses from P82,000 to P90,000, these cannot mitigate the impact of Train on the underground workers.The Train will also collect excise taxes on coal, sweetened beverages and fuel and its by-products such as liquefied petroleum gas used in household cooking once enforced, increasing prices of basic commodities and cost of services including costs of electricity and water utilities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/labor-petition-new-wage-hike/369747/
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Police: No ‘Tokhang’ ops at night, weekends
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-01-25 00:06:27+00:00
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There will be no Tokhang operations during weekends and nightime once the operations are reimplemented, according to supplemental guidelines and policies of the Philippine National Police (PNP).The seven-page guidelines state that the Tokhangers or a group of policemen assigned to conduct such operations, which are a combination of knocking at doors and ferreting out of drug suspects in a certain area must only do their duty from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.The policemen are also mandated to wear their PNP uniform during the operations and must be led by commissioned officer.According to PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos, this schedule aims to show the public the transparency of the operations and deter the policemen from violating human rights.“Let’s take advantage of the daylight. Pag sa gabi, may gagawing kalokohan [Hanky panky happens at night], they do it at nightime,” he said in a news briefing in Camp Crame in Quezon City on Wednesday.Carlos added that the schedule will also break the misconception of the term Tokhang, a Visayan term derived from Toktok-Hangyo meaning to “knock and plead.”“Para mabura yung impression na pag tinokhang ka, papatayin ka [To erase the impression that if you are subjected to Tokhang, you are to be killed]. From the start, Tokhang meant to save and value the lives of those who are into drugs by extending the help of the government,” he explained.The PNP spokesman on said Tokhangers who are caught conducting operations beyond 5 p.m. will face administrative cases.Carlos said the use of body cameras during Tokhang is just “highly encouraged” for now since they are yet to purchase the equipment.Once bought, every Tokhanger will be required to wear a body camera, he added.Other instructions indicated in the supplemental guidelines include adherence to rule of law and respect for human rights; assurance that operations are intelligence-driven, with suspected drug suspects listed personally by the Director of Intelligence; voluntary mugshot-taking and fingerprinting; and immediate case build-up against suspects who refuse to cooperate during an operation.The guidelines say house visitation; information, education and communication materials; and conduct of townhall meetings are not part of Tokhang but police community relations.Carlos said the guidelines were issued to avoid different interpretations of the operations.The PNP will conduct orientations on the guidelines on Friday nationwide.Carlos said they hope to go “full blast” with the Tokhang operations on Monday next week.Interior Officer-in-Charge Eduardo Año said they will monitor the PNP’s adherence to the guidelines.“I am demanding accountability from our police officers. With the salary increase [given them recently], they should shape up or ship out,” he added in a statement.President Rodrigo Duterte removed the PNP from the anti-drug operations in November 2017 after the controversial deaths of two teenagers in Caloocan City.He then tapped the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to lead the war on drugs.The PNP was brought back to the campaign in December 2017 to help PDEA in the operations.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/police-no-tokhang-ops-night-weekends/376217/
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Speaker smells P5.6B in DBP behest loans
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-05-16 21:28:58+00:00
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Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte has questioned the Development Bank of the Philippines’ (DBP) decision to grant at least P5.6 billion worth of loans to supposedly favored companies.Alvarez raised the issue on Tuesday during a briefing by the DBP and by the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation on the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank conducted by the House Committee on Banks and Financial Intermediaries headed by Rep. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar.Alvarez cited 2015 Commission of Audit (COA) report findings showing that the DBP granted P5.6 billion worth of loans to three borrowers despite more than 10 exceptions to and deviations from existing credit policies “which could result in a higher DBP credit risk and possible loss of government funds.”The same COA report said review of various loan documents revealed that special transactions, particularly exceptions to and deviations from credit policies, were made by the three borrowers.COA did not name the three borrowers but only identified them in general terms. Of the P5.6 billion loaned, P2.1 billion was granted by the DBP to an energy company in September 2015 to partially finance up to 50 megawatts Solar Power Project in Northern Luzon. This borrower was given a Borrower Risk Rating of six with 16 exceptions to and deviations from the bank’s credit policies.Another P2 billion was lent by the DBP to a power company, with the loan proceeds used to redeem the power company’s outstanding preferred shares and fund its other general corporate purposes. Also, this power company’s credit application reflected 12 exceptions to and deviations from existing credit policies.These energy and power businesses belong to the same group of companies.The DBP also purchased P1.5 billion of P9 billion fixed-rate bonds of the holding company for the refinancing of existing debt obligations of the borrower and its subsidiaries and convert short-term debt to long-term liabilities to match the borrowers long-term contract-to-sell receivables from its customers.Without specifying the amount, COA reported that the DBP also approved the loan of a holding company—the largest mass housing developer in the country in terms of units from years 2011 to 2013 based on the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board—with 11 exceptions to and deviations from credit policies.“We need to know who are these borrowers because it appears that they are so privileged. The bank even had to bend their policies multiple times just to accommodate their loans,” Alvarez told reporters.“Of course, the DBP’s capital is limited. If DBP grants loans of such huge amounts to privileged borrowers, we have to know if these borrowers are paying their dues. The COA report is alarming. We have to ensure that the government is not losing money,” he said.One of the most prominent cases of DBP granting a controversial loan involved former Trade Secretary Roberto Ongpin whose company Deltaventures Resources Inc. received a P600-million DBP loan even if DVRI lacked collateral and capital.Ongpin was charged with graft before the Sandiganbayan but he was acquitted of the charges with finality in March 2015.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/speaker-smells-p5-6b-dbp-behest-loans-2/327505/
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Students call for national healing, reconciliation
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['Neil Alcober']
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2017-11-22 22:34:04+00:00
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A group of Grade 11 students issued an appeal for national reconciliation as they appealed to the government to stop drug-related killings.In their “plea for peace,” students of the PAREF Woodrose School in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, also pleaded on the police to ensure the safety of civilians and protect their rights “at all times.”The group was led by Joey Abesamis, 16, Yanna Arcilla, 16, Nina Codero, 16, Guia Gutay, 16, Nat Roque, 15 and Rafaela Titular, 17.“We, the youth, believe that amidst an environment of blame and intolerance, there must be a constant reminder of our humanity, which is slowly being stripped away from us. Illegal drugs did not only take away lives, but it has also taken peace and righteousness from our country,” they said in their letter of appeal.“We wish to express our grief for the victims of illegal drugs and the ensuing casualties in the government’s war on the illegal drug trade which has proliferated in the country for the past years,” they said. “To Kian, we are sorry that you died in vain, without the right to due process, having known that authorities pointed a gun to your head without second thoughts. We are sorry your future died at the hands of those you aspired to become,”they added, referring to 17-year-old Kian Loyd de los Santos, who was killed by policemen in Caloocan City.The students appealed to the Philippine National Police (PNP) to “safeguard the people you swore to protect, as well as the human rights that each person deserves.”“Join us in standing for what is right and aid us in our mission to bring back peace and justice to our nation,” they added.The students called on the government to solve the country’s drug problem by peaceful means.“What our countrymen need is not a force that will step on those who fail to comply with their demands, but a power that will sympathize with their shortcomings and invest in the personal rehabilitation,” the group said. “Let us be united in our effort to preserve our motherland from criminality and corruption that breeds illicit drugs.”Police records showed that a total of 3,859 drug suspects have died in police operations from July 1, 2016 to September 15, 2017.Since the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have taken over the campaign against illegal drugs, the number of drug-related killings have considerable gone down. However, President Rodrigo Duterte said that he may again allow the PNP to lead the campaig if the PDEA fails in its mission top curb drug use.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/students-call-national-healing-reconciliation/364424/
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Equipment installed on navy’s new vessel
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['Anthony Vargas']
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2016-11-26 20:23:40+00:00
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NAVIGATIONAL, deck and engineering equipment are being installed on the Philippine Navy’s second strategic sealift vessel (SSV) that is undergoing construction at the PT PAL shipyard in Surabaya in Indonesia, a navy spokesman said over the weekend.Navy spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna told journalists he has no idea on the vessel’s percentage of completion but said it will arrive in the country by May next year. It will be named BRP Davao Del Sur.“I don’t know the exact percentage of completion but for sure she will be [home in the Philippines] by May 2017,” Lincuna said.The BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602), launched last September 29, 2016, is the largest Philippine warship that is currently in commission with the Navy. It is the sister ship of the BRP Tarlac (LD-601) that was commissioned in Pier 13, Manila South Harbor on June 1, 2016 after arriving in the country on May 14, 2016, following a five-day journey from PT PAL’s shipyard in Surabaya.Like her sister ship BRP Tarlac, BRP Davao Del Sur is a Makassar-class landing platform dock.Its delivery to the Philippines, tentatively scheduled middle of next year, will complete the two-unit SSV procurement project with an approved budget of P4 billion sourced from the military’s Modernization Act Trust Fund.Just like its sister ship, BRP Davao Del Sur will serve as a floating command-and-control ship, especially in the conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR). It will also serve as a military sealift and transport vessel.The ship has an overall length of 120 meters and a breadth of 21 meters, draft of five meters, and can carry a total payload of 2,800 tons.BRP Davao Del Sur will have a cruising speed of at least 13 knots, maximum speed of 16 knots and a minimum operating range of 7,500 nautical miles. It can carry 500 troops, two rigid-hull inflatable boats, two landing craft units and three helicopters.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/equipment-installed-navys-new-vessel/298544/
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‘6,700 govt nurses to lose jobs’
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-09-01 00:01:28+00:00
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Some 6,755 contractual government nurses assigned in rural areas and poor towns will lose their jobs next year due to the P8.4-billion budget cut on the Health department’s Health Human Resources Deployment (HHRD) under the proposed 2019 national budget, House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya, Jr. of Camarines Sur said Friday.Andaya said that from a P9.6 -billion budget for HHRD this year, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) reduced it to P1.2 billion for 2019, which means that only three of every five nurses could be employed through the HHRD. There are currently 15,893 health professionals deployed throughout the country.“This is one area up for discussion because of its impact on the delivery of health services to the people who need them most. This budget cut can put the healthcare system in remote areas in ICU (Intensive Care Unit),” Andaya said in a statement.“We should find ways to save their jobs,” he added.The Department of Health’s budget has also been reduced to P74 billion for 2019 from P109 billion this year, which could mean a reduction in deployed doctors (from 293 to 243), dentists (from 324 to 241), and midwives (from 4,000 to 3,650).“The DBM said that the funding for the deployment of health professionals has been provided under the maintenance and operating expenses of the Health Department, while some were put under the miscellaneous personnel benefits fund. But at this point, we won’t know for sure if there will be budget for hiring of personnel,” Andaya said.Andaya said that lawmakers needed to verify the claims made by the DBM.The lawmaker said earlier this week that the DBM has agreed to restore a portion of the budget cuts in the Health, Education and Public Works and Highways departments under the proposed P3.757 trillion budget next year.Prior to such agreement, the House has protested the proposed P3.757 trillion budget for 2019 since it reduced the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways by P95 billion. Likewise, the Education department was reduced by P77 billion while the Health department’s allocation was decreased by P35 billion.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/6700-govt-nurses-to-lose-jobs/436657/
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CoC filed for youth polls short of target
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['Mary Gleefer F. Jalea']
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2018-04-19 00:10:09+00:00
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The National Youth Commission (NYC) on Wednesday said it will try to appeal to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend the filing period for certificates of candidacy if the expected number of CoC to be filed does not match the 300,000 Sangguniang Kabataan (SK or Youth Council) positions nationwide.According to NYC Assistant Secretary Rhea Peñaflor, only 39,180 registrants had filed their CoC for the SK elections as of April 16.Of this number, there are only 30,020 candidates for SK kagawad (councilor) and only 9,160 for SK chairman.“We will meet with the other commissioners and appeal to the Comelec about a possible extension for filing. We are hoping this reaches 200,000 at least before April 20,” Peñaflor said to The Manila Times in an interview.SK aspirants are only allowed to file their CoC until April 20.“After years without any elected community youth leaders, the Duterte administration is returning the SK, which will provide a platform for almost half a million youth leaders in 42,000 barangay [villages] of this democratic country to become direct partners of the President in creating positive changes in the local communities and in uplifting the entire country,” NYC Officer-in-Charge Ronald Cardema said.The NYC noted that a salient feature of Republic Act 10742 or the SK Reform Law is accommodation of “more young people with leadership potentials” to run for the SK posts.Under the law, SK aspirants are required to be at least aged 18 to 24 and should attend mandatory training once elected before they take their oath of office.Citing the anti-dynasty law, the commission said the aspirants must not be related by blood or marriage within the second civil degree to incumbent officials.The Comelec has set the campaign period from May 4 to 12 and the elections for village and SK seats on May 14.The polls will be done manually.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/coc-filed-for-youth-polls-short-of-target/393425/
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DILG: Report scammers promising village posts
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-03-31 00:02:03+00:00
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If certain individuals or groups promised to offer appointments in the barangay (villages) using the name of President Rodrigo Duterte and his federalism campaign, they should be reported to authorities immediately.This is what the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) reminded the public as there are reports of scammers and extortionists who are offering officer-in-charge (OIC) appointments in the villages in exchange for money.DILG spokesman Jonathan Malaya said in a recent statement that the government did not appoint an individual or a group to select someone to become the OIC of a certain village as part of Duterte’s pitch for a federal form of government.The only way for a certain individual to be able to grab a seat in his barangay, according to Malaya, is to garner the highest number of votes in the May 2018 village elections.“The Senate has shut the door on any postponement, so our barangay officials should worry about reelection in May rather than allowing themselves to be victimized by these unscrupulous individuals,” he said.Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said on March 19 that the bill seeking to postpone the village elections does not stand a chance with senators.Malaya said that despite the Senate allowing the village elections to push through, they are still getting reports on scammers giving false hopes of appointments in villages to unknowing victims.Interior Secretary Eduardo Año has ordered the Philippine National Police to find and arrest scammers who use this modus operandi to victimize people and file necessary charges against them.Authorities recently arrested two alleged scammers in Laguna and in Bohol for extorting money in exchange for a position in a village.One of them is Jose Matias, who goes by the name of Jose Roa Matias 2nd, the leader and founder of an unregistered political organization called People’s Congress of the Philippines.Matias, who claimed to be a lawyer and a half-brother of the President, was arrested in San Pablo City, Laguna, on March 8 by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) after a complainant in Mabalacat, Pampanga, said he was charged P75,000 for the supposed village appointment and an additional P5,000 for “processing fee” of his application.The President’s middle name is Roa.“We are happy that the authorities were able to capture Matias, who is going to different places for months to victimize people [by saying] that he can appoint someone if the village elections are postponed or if the government has successfully shifted to federalism,” Malaya said.CIDG Director Roel Obusan previously warned the public that there are still members of People’s Congress of the Philippines who are still roaming and victimizing people in Central Luzon, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Bicol Region.The village elections will be held on May 14.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dilg-report-scammers-promising-village-posts/389526/
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Oil firms hike pump prices anew
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['Jordeene Sheex Lagare']
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2018-05-29 00:02:58+00:00
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FOR the third consecutive week, oil companies hiked their pump prices, increasing the cost of diesel by 35 centavos per liter, gasoline by 65 centavos per liter and kerosene by 45 centavos per liter.Caltex, Eastern Petroleum, Flying V, Petro Gazz, Phoenix Petroleum, Pilipinas Shell, PTT Philippines, and Total implemented the price adjustment at 6 a.m. Tuesday.The price increase came as oil prices tumbled in the world market on Monday.Brent crude futures closed at $75.70 a barrel, down 74 cents or 1 percent. The US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ended at $66.78 per barrel, down $1.1 or 1.6 percent.To provide relief to motorists, Phoenix Petroleum said it will give huge discounts in selected stations nationwide.The oil company said it would give a discount of P2 per liter on diesel and P5 per liter on gasoline in selected stations for two days from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.Those in Metro Manila can get discounts from May 29 to 30; those in North and South Luzon from June 2 to 3; and those inVisayas from June 5 to 6.The discount is applicable to cash and credit card transactions. No minimum purchase is required.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/oil-firms-hike-pump-prices-anew-3/401794/
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Lawmakers seek repeal of Train law
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2018-05-11 00:10:35+00:00
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A bill that seeks to repeal the Tax Reform, Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law that increased taxes on fuel and sugar-sweetened beverages has been filed at the House of Representatives.House Bill 7653 was filed by Makabayan bloc lawmakers Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna, Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas of Gabriela, Antonio Tinio and France Castro of Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis and Sarah Elago of Kabataan.The lawmakers said the Train law that was implemented in January this year jacked up the prices of petroleum products, rice, chicken, pork and beef.“Some 15.2 million families who earn minimum wages or below belong to the informal sector who are already exempted from paying income taxes will not benefit from income tax cuts. But these poor families are actually shouldering the higher cost of goods and services as a result of the Train law,” the Makabayan group said in its explanatory note, referring to the law’s provision that exempts those earning P250,000 a year and below from paying income taxes. “The aim to lower taxes for the poor and improve the quality of life of our people was negated by the government’s drive to increase revenues. Instead of easing the burden of over-taxation, the Train Law worsens the misery of our people. Thus, the passage of this urgent bill [to repeal it] is earnestly sought,” it added.The lawmakers cited the report of the Department of Economic Research of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas that the April 2018 inflation may have reached 4.7 percent, higher than the 4.5 inflation rate posted in March based on the records of the Philippine Statistics Authority.“Investigating the effects of the Train law or suspending its implementation is not enough. We should repeal it,” Zarate said in an interview.De Jesus said the Makabayan bloc was confident that it would gather one million signatures from people who also want the Train raw repealed because it has been too burdensome.“We are looking at one million signatures nationwide, and we will make this known during the President’s State of the Nation Address in July. The government should not take this for granted, considering that this cause is close to the heart of the people. We don’t even have to seek support because the people feel the ill effects of the Train law,” de Jesus pointed out.“People will put our government and the politicians to task about this, you can count on that,” Brosas said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmakers-seek-repeal-of-train-law/398069/
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Duterte-friendly Davao bishop is top contender for CBCP president
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-07-05 00:01:15+00:00
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THE ARCHBISHOP of Davao, said to be close to President Rodrigo Duterte who is also from Davao, is among the top contenders to replace Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas as president of the influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).Davao prelate Romulo Valles, who baptized Duterte’s latest grandchild Stonefish Duterte-Carpio in March, is vice president to Villegas, who had been at the receiving end of the President’s tirades against Church leaders for their strident opposition to the government’s anti-drug war.The CBCP will convene this weekend for its biannual plenary assembly to elect a new set of officers who will have a two-year term, according to CBCP News, the conference’s official news service.Villegas and Valles are on their second and last terms as CBCP president and vice president, respectively, and under the rules, they are ineligible for re-election to the same posts.Traditionally, the vice president succeeds the president, who is allowed to serve two terms.But CBCP News quoted Villegas as saying: “Everybody is a candidate. Only those who have been president for two terms are disqualified.”Previous CBCP presidents who remain active are Cardinal Orlando Quevedo of Cotabato, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo of Jaro and Bishop Nereo Odchimar of Tandag.The CBCP presidency will be a fitting gift to Valles who will be celebrating his 66th birthday on July 10, a day after the end of the biannual plenary assembly.Pope Benedict 16th appointed Valles as the fourth archbishop of Davao on May 22, 2012. He replaced Archbishop Fernando Capalla, a former CBCP president.Valles has another Palace connection – he is a native of Maribojoc, Bohol, where Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, a key Duterte aide, served as mayor from 2007 to 2016.Valles, who was ordained priest on April 6, 1976, was chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on the Liturgy and member of the Permanent Committee on the Cultural Heritage of the Church.The CBCP has 131 members, eighty-three of whom are active.An outspoken former CBCP chief, retired Lingayen-Dagupan archbishop Oscar Cruz, expressed alarm over Valles’ impending election to the presidency of the bishops’ conference as early as August last year, noting that the latter was “rather close” to Duterte.“The closeness is nothing to do with what is right or wrong. It will have a relevance on how CBCP will look at the overall value of the actuation of the president of the republic,” Cruz told the ABS-CBN News Channel last year.Villegas told CBCP News whoever would be chosen to replace him would have the blessing of the Holy Spirit. There will be no campaigning, he said.“Everybody is a candidate and our belief is the spirit inspires us to write the name of the bishop that he has chosen to be CBCP President,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-friendly-davao-bishop-top-contender-cbcp-president/336568/
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‘Pre-shipment inspection to thwart drug smuggling ‘
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['Glee Jalea']
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2018-11-03 00:10:15+00:00
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Lawmakers on Friday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to order a compulsory pre-shipment inspection (PSI) of all containerized cargoes to stop the entry of illegal drugs into the country.“The President is in a position to administratively direct the mandatory PSI at the country of origin of all containerized cargoes destined for the Philippines,” said Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza.The House senior deputy minority leader made the statement after the Bureau of Customs (BoC) was rocked by another controversy involving the smuggling of P11-billion worth of shabu (methamphetamine) in July.Atienza said an estimated P21-billion worth of shabu was smuggled through the Port of Manila in three batches between May 2017 and July 2018 through 20-foot containers from China, Malaysia and Taiwan.Bagong Henerasyon Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera-Dy, a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said a pre-shipment solution was rejected by the Customs bureau, importers, and smugglers when Congress was deliberating on Republic Act 10863 or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act.“Pre-shipment inspection, valuation, and appraisal of all imports before they are sent to the Philippines would be one effective way to clean up Customs operations,” she said.PSI is practiced by governments, mostly in developing countries. This policy requires importers to engage accredited third-party surveyors to verify shipment details, such as the price, quantity and quality of goods, before cargoes depart the exporting country.According to the World Trade Organization, PSI can also prevent the undervaluation of taxable imports and to compensate for the inadequacies in the importing country’s customs and other administrative structures.Atienza said the Customs bureau could easily increase its annual collection of import taxes by 50 percent, or by P350 billion, once PSI is in place.This year, the BoC was originally tasked to collect P637 billion in import taxes. This target has since been lowered to P581 billion, and then raised to P598 billion, the lawmaker noted.“We are counting on PSI to effectively prevent not only illegal drug shipments, but also the widespread smuggling of high-value farm products, cars, electronics, apparel and what have you, stashed in containers,” Atienza said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pre-shipment-inspection-to-thwart-drug-smuggling/461396/
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DoF enjoins state-run lenders to adopt schools
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['Mayvelin U. Caraballo']
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2017-07-14 21:31:52+00:00
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The Department of Finance (DoF) has committed to involve state-run lenders Land Bank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) in encouraging Filipino students to undertake entrepreneurial outreach projects for marginalized sectors by making these institutions adopt schools that have programs for student-led community development initiatives.In a statement on Friday, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said these schools cover those that are involved in programs initiated by Enactus Philippines, a non-profit organization inspiring university students to carry out community development projects that generate jobs and incomes for society’s underprivileged sectors.“Enactus involves 47 colleges and universities in the Philippines, and we will respond positively to Joey’s [Enactus Philippines Chairman Jose Leviste] request that the Landbank as well as the DBP adopt a school in each of the areas where they have branches.This reach of Enactus is very impressive for such a beneficial undertaking,” Dominguez said.Across the globe, Enactus has established a presence in 36 countries and involves over 1,600 colleges and universities, according to the Finance department.Dominguez said the future involvement of Landbank and DBP in Enactus’ efforts can be patterned after the Foundation for Development Through Education Inc. (FDTEI) that he set up in the late 1990s to provide college scholarships to lumad (indigenous Filipinos) and Filipino Muslims in Mindanao while encouraging them to serve their communities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dof-enjoins-state-run-lenders-adopt-schools/338375/
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Trudeau takes jab at Trump for climate pact turnaround
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['Art Easian']
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7/6/2017 0:00
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and we are not alone. Around the world, nearly every country is on our side. … Inaction is not an option,” he added. “We can’t walk away from the reality of climate change.”News of the planned US withdrawal ramped up tension ahead of talks on renegotiating the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canada is already at odds with Washington over dairy subsidies, as well as exports of lumber and airliners.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/07/trudeau-takes-jab-at-trump-for-climate-pact-turnaround/
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Duterte hailed for approval of Paris climate change deal
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-03-02 21:12:15+00:00
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The executive stamp of approval to the Paris Agreement that paves the way for the Senate’s ratification of the climate change accord exemplifies the participatory decision-making exercised by President Rodrigo Duterte, the chairman of the advisory board of the Climate Institute said on Thursday.“He listened to the appeal of climate change advocates and his Cabinet’s recommendation to alter his initial reservation” with the agreement, Heherson Alvarez said in a statement.This concerned humanitarian gesture of the President, according to Alvarez, benefits the Philippines, which is “most vulnerable to the onslaught of extreme climate catastrophes.”“The threat of climate change that brings death to our people and irreparable destruction of our life support systems is just as challenging as the drug menace,” he said.Signing by the President of the Paris accord, Alvarez added, “will enable the systematic transition from disastrous carbon fuel to a mix of alternative clean energy–solar, wind, hydro, waste and geothermal–that can now be accomplished without hampering the Duterte plan of modernization.”Also, the former senator and former Environment secretary said, it will provide for a safe and resilient community that has harnessed consensus and wide social involvement.“Change can now be undertaken in our fuel consumption, in our power plants, transport system, the use of energy in our buildings and homes, as well as management of our industrial and municipal waste, including the protection of our forests and oceans as carbon sinks,” Alvarez added.“This carbon reduction program under a Duterte stewardship, without hampering industrialization, promotes our nation’s interest and global survival from an overheated earth that is causing cataclysmic typhoons and super droughts that impact on poverty, health and famine,” he said.Future generations, looking back, can only applaud the President for signing the Paris climate deal, Alvarez added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-hailed-approval-paris-climate-change-deal/315070/
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