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Densing named DILG usec
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-05-30 00:04:55+00:00
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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has promoted Interior and Local Government assistant secretary Epimaco Densing 3rd as undersecretary of the department, replacing John Castriciones who was named Agrarian Reform secretary.Densing represents the Department of Interior and Local Government in the Boracay inter-agency task force that is overseeing the rehabilitation of Boracay island.The President also named Renato Ebarle and Alexander Soria Lopez as undersecretaries of the Department of Labor and Employment and Department of Energy, respectively.Ebarle was an undersecretary in Malacañang and is the father of Renato Ebarle Jr., who was killed by Jason Ivler in a case of road rage in 2009.Meanwhile, The Manila Times’ chairman emeritus Dante A. Ang was reappointed as special envoy for international public relations until October 31, 2018.Ang was first appointed to the post in May last year.Duterte also reappointed Fernando Borja and William Lina as special envoys to China.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/densing-named-dilg-usec/402279/
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Clipping of President’s judicial powers sought
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-01-11 23:23:23+00:00
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THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) has appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to intervene in the issue of appointments to the judiciary and allow them to clip the powers of the President by imposing the clustering system in the line-up of shortlists of possible appointees.In its motion for reconsideration, the JBC explained that it has “a legal interest in the case, and its intervention would not have unduly delayed or prejudiced the adjudication of the rights of the original parties.”The SC in November 2016 overruled Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the JBC on the matter, declaring that the President has the prerogative to appoint any nominee from shortlists submitted by the JBC.It voted unanimously to declare the JBC’s clustering scheme unconstitutional and illegal, in a landmark decision that set a precedent for future vacancies in the SC and the rest of the judiciary.The SC has declared unconstitutional and illegal the powers of Sereno and the JBC that clipped the power of the President of the Philippines in making appointments to the judiciary.Its magistrates declared void JBC’s clustering of the shortlists of nominees for all positions in the judiciary.The clustering of shortlists of nominees was introduced only during Sereno’s stint at the JBC wherein the council selected and separated the names of candidates of their own choice from one cluster to another.During the time of then-Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee up to the time of then-Chief Justice Renato Corona, the clustering scheme was never used until Sereno entered the picture.In the case at bar, the dispute arose in January 2016 after then-President Benigno Aquino 3rd appointed six new justices to the expanded Sandiganbayan anti-graft court.Under the clustering scheme introduced by Sereno to the JBC, which screens applicants and recommends nominees to posts in the judiciary, six shortlists containing different sets of names were submitted to Aquino to choose the 16th to 21st Sandiganbayan associate justices.Aquino, however, ignored the first shortlist containing nominees for the 16th post, and instead chose two names from the sixth list for the 21st post.In May last year, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines and several lower court judges questioned the appointments of Geraldine Faith Econg and Michael Frederick Musngi, claiming Aquino violated the Constitution when he picked the two from the sixth shortlist and dropped the first one.The high tribunal junked the petitions and validated the appointments made by Aquino, ruling that the then-president committed “no grave abuse of discretion” in ignoring one of the clustered shortlists of the seven-man JBC, and could choose any name from any of the shortlists.Judges Philip Aguinaldo, Reynaldo Alhambra, Danilo Cruz, Benjamin Pozon, Danilo Sandoval and Salvador Timbang Jr., the nominees on the list ignored by Aquino, joined the petition, claiming to have “suffered direct injury in this case.”The JBC also pleaded for the inhibition of Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, for being a former consultant of the JBC.In the decision penned by de Castro, it held that the appointing powers of the President are plenary in nature and cannot be clipped or limited by the JBC through a clustering scheme.In its fresh motion, the JBC claimed that the SC should have granted its motion for intervention regardless of the procedural infirmities in order that there would be a complete resolution of the case.“The JBC was deprived outright of its right to due process, a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution. Consequently, it was not given its day in court to enable it to present its case, at the very least, through a comment on the petition,” the motion read.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/clipping-presidents-judicial-powers-sought/306430/
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Nograles backs probe of plot to oust Duterte
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['Paul Parenas', 'Plug Ur Mouth To Ur Brain.']
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28/12/2016 0:00
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A House leader has echoed the call of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to investigate reports of a plot originating from the United States to unseat President Rodrigo Duterte.“We are throwing our full support towards the move by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to look into the matter,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman and Davao City 1st district Rep. Karlo Nograles said in a statement Wednesday.“A House inquiry will definitely iron out some things that need to be fleshed out based on such alarming reports,” said Nograles, who happens to be a nephew of Duterte’s.A day earlier, Alvarez, the secretary general of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), said in a radio interview that the US “blueprint” to oust the popular but controversial President warranted a congressional investigation.The blueprint was allegedly written by former US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg.“Of course we are alarmed over reports of an alleged coup plot involving a top official of the United States of America in ousting President Rodrigo Duterte out of Malacañang,” Nograles said.Just last October the House honored the outgoing envoy with the Golden Mace award.The House gave recognition to Goldberg’s efforts in further enhancing Philippine and US relations.Nograles said sovereign nations should respect the independence of other states when it comes to domestic concerns.He said Duterte, who is on his sixth month in office, can’t be removed that easily.“Let me emphasize that President Duterte’s support from the Filipino people is rock solid, and all attempts to unseat the President will be defied,” Nograles said.Nograles, Alvarez and Duterte are all from Davao.Duterte, who won the presidency by six million votes last May, is chairman of the ruling PDP-Laban.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2016/12/28/nograles-backs-probe-of-plot-to-oust-duterte/
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Quezon City police defy CHR on use of drop boxes
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['Rj Carbonell']
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2017-12-19 21:30:50+00:00
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The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) has stood by its recently implemented distribution of drop boxes where residents can drop written names of alleged drug suspects, despite objection of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).QCPD Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar defended the implementation and argued that the drop boxes only serve to get “information” to be used as leads for initial investigation, not as pre-charge evidence.“These are just [pieces of] raw information that even if proven true are still not evidence,” Eleazar said on Monday night.He clarified that the names in the drop boxes cannot be used as evidence because it is against the law.Eleazar said it would only serve as aid in investigation to make the job of the police “easier.”“We are just making the job of the authorities easier in providing information. These are no different from text reports or rumors that we receive,” he explained.Eleazar said so-called confessions in the drop boxes that are not true should be disregarded, adding that investigators should delve deeper into the information they receive from there.“Even if it [confession] is true, it is still not a basis to conduct operation. It needs to be explored so that we can get evidence later that can be a basis for our conduct of operation,” he said.Through the drop boxes, according to him, they will urge the public to report illegal activities not exclusive to illegal drugs.He said residents can also report rogue policemen who abuse their power.On Monday, the local government of Quezon City pushed through with the distribution of drop boxes or complaint/suggestion boxes in 142 barangay (villages) despite the strong objection of the CHR.“We have a lot of citizens who know things but are afraid to come out because they are afraid that the suspects will get back at them. They don’t want to get in the middle of the conflict,” Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said.The reports inside the drop boxes will be collected every first and last Friday of the month and will be submitted to a group that will gather and verify the information provided from the boxes.Reports about crime in general will be submitted to the Philippine National Police.Reports about corruption will be submitted to the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department Of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman.The CHR has been adamantly against the distribution of drop boxes, arguing that it could lead to abuses that would be committed by people who have “self-interests.”It reminded law enforcement authorities that the job to conduct investigations, including collecting evidence for prosecution, is theirs, not the public’s responsibilities.“Case build-up is a function of law enforcement or the police and it should never be [delegated] to the citizens,” CHR spokesman Jackie de Guia said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/quezon-city-police-defy-chr-use-drop-boxes/369576/
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Govt letting China survey Benham Rise ‘capitulation’
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-01-16 20:46:34+00:00
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The Duterte administration was accused on Tuesday by a lawmaker of accommodating the caprices of China in a reprise of what then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo did.“It can really be seen that [the government has] indeed capitulated. We are giving in to the whims of China,” Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano said on Tuesday.Alejano cited the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) granting Beijing’s request to survey Benham Rise as reminiscent of the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) deal struck by the former leader with China during her presidency.“With the development, it is like we are allowing the Chinese to survey our territories just like what [Arroyo] did during her term, where just like the JMSU, in exchange for the funds to be given by China [is the approval of [other requests], like the controversial NBN-ZTE deal,” he said in a news conference at the House of Representatives.The NBN, or the National Broadband Network, was a multimillion-peso contract signed by the Arroyo administration with China’s ZTE Corp.Arroyo called off the deal, citing overpricing.“There [might be an exchange] deal [over Benham Rise]. [China might have said], ‘If you allow us [to survey Benham Rise], we will give you [funds] for your projects.’ [We should be wary of such deal] because this survey has military, security and economic aspects],” Alejano said.According to the congressman, the decision to approve the request showed that the country is just sitting and watching what China is doing in Philippine waters.The Benham Rise is a 13 million-hectare undersea plateau approximately 160 nautical miles east of Luzon, off the provinces of Isabela and Aurora.The plateau is located in the Central Basin Fault under the South China Sea.Alejano brought to the table a dispute between Manila and Beijing over territorial claims in the South Chiona Sea (West Philippine Sea).“China claims 80 percent of [our] exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea and [it continues] to do that even now. If we cannot assert our rights to the West Philippine Sea and the Scarborough Shoal [there], then what is the assurance that we can assume the same rights to Benham Rise?” he said.Earlier, Alejano bared that the DFA approved the request of the Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for a marine scientific research in Eastern Luzon and Eastern Mindanao.The University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute will join the Chinese team in the research, which will be conducted on January 24 to February 25, according to the congressman.Alejano said a similar request by Tara Expeditions Foundation, a French-based non-profit organization, was declined by the DFA.He added that earlier requests of China to conduct studies in the same area were declined because Beijing did not want Philippine scientists on board.“As a requirement, the joint project will be subject to applicable Philippine laws and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. [But China] is not following the ruling of the arbitral tribunal, [so] what can we expect from this marine scientific survey?” Alejano said.The United Nations tribunal has ruled that China’s nine-dash contention over the South China Sea was invalid.In a statement, Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao said once the Chinese set sail for the survey of Benham Rise, it is already “essentially [a] giving away [of Philippine] territory.”“This government is selling off national patrimony and threatening to allow destruction of the marine environment, essentially surrendering our rights to a foreign power, [which] actually has encroached into our territory in the West Philippine Sea,” Casilao noted.He said natural resources in the Benham Rise should be “practically used building a national industry in the country and should benefit all citizens.”DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano also earlier said there is nothing to worry about since the same rules apply to all countries.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-letting-china-survey-benham-rise-capitulation/374653/
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We continue to wait for traffic solutions
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['Dato Karajaw']
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20/03/2017 0:00
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The administration has made it clear that without the special powers it seeks from Congress, the traffic problem in Metro Manila, especially along Epifanio Delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) will remain unsolved.But Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has also assured that in the meantime, it will undertake whatever measures it can to ease the traffic even just a little. There are indeed times when traffic is better than at other times, but much more needs to be done. And the officials concerned should consider very seriously some of the suggestions being made by so many people.Three suggestions were made the other day by Buhay Representative and House Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza, a former mayor of Manila who spent years grappling with Manila’s traffic during his city administration.First, he said, EDSA is perennially clogged because of the many colorum and provincial buses that use it. These unauthorized vehicles sometimes occupy lanes reserved for other vehicles. Long lines of them, many with few passengers, may be seen at any time, especially at Cubao in Quezon Ciity, a perennially jammed area.Second, there is indeed a plan to divert EDSA traffic to side streets, but many of these side streets are blocked by illegally parked vehicles, including stalled and abandoned ones. So many vehicle owners in Metro Manila do not have garages inside their lots, so they leave their vehicles out on the streets.Third, too many traffic enforcers do not make arrests when they should. Except, Atienza noted, in some cities like San Juan, Mandaluyong, and Makati where the enforcers are doing their jobs all through the night and in the rain.These problems just need stricter enforcement of already established laws, rules, and regulations. There would be no need, he said, for a so-called “congestion fee” which the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is thinking of imposing on motorists using EDSA during the rush hours.We continue to wait for the special powers which Transportation Secretary Tugade has asked Congress to approve, which would be needed to make a comprehensive program to make needed reforms in established systems to ease the traffic problem not only in Metro Manila but also in Cebu and other urban centers in the country which are rapidly getting congested.But, in the meantime, we must do what we can under the circumstances that we have today. The MMDA and the DOTr can start with the observations and suggestions made by former Manila Mayor, now Congressman Atienza.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/03/20/we-continue-to-wait-for-traffic-solutions/
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Two-day transport strike set next week
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-10-09 22:57:14+00:00
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Transport groups Piston and No to Jeepney Phaseout Coalition on Monday said they will hold a two-day transport strike on October 16 and 17.The strike is a protest against a planned phaseout of public utility jeepneys and the foreign and local “monopoly” of the public transport industry in the country that is “abetted by policies” of the Duterte administration that are enforced by the Department of Transportation (DoTr) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board,” Piston president George San Mateo said.The phaseout falls under a modernization program that includes fleet management and formation of operators’ cooperatives.The DoTr said that there will be no more individual jeepney operators upon full implementation of the program.Another transport group, Stop & Go Transport Coalition, held a two-day strike on September 24 and 25, describing the modernization program as “anti-poor.”The planned PUJ phaseout would “massacre” the livelihood of over 600,000 PUJ drivers and operators nationwide, according to Piston.President Rodrigo Duterte “has not only rejected our demand to junk the previous Aquino administration’s PUJ phaseout program, he is now even rushing its implementation to complete the monopoly takeover of our livelihood by his big business cronies and foreign auto industry giants,” San Mateo said.According to him, the phaseout will be implemented starting January 2018 through the Transportation department’s Omnibus Franchising Guidelines, which forces PUJ drivers and operators to purchase a minimum of 10 “brand-new” PUJ units at over P1.6 million each that will be operated under a fleet management scheme run by big transport companies.Under the scheme, fares would be collected through the “Beep card” automated collection system owned and operated by the Ayala-Pangilinan consortium, which, according to Piston, has a “monopoly control” over the train systems Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Rail Transit 1 and LRT 2.“They want to rid small operators and drivers of our livelihood to hand over to the monopoly control of big foreign and local businesses. Only big transport corporations can come up with over P20 million to comply with the DOTr’s new guidelines. Worse, this phaseout scheme is in line with the Ayala-Pangilinan consortium’s plan to monopolize the country’s mass transport system,” San Mateo said.The Kilusang Mayo Uno, meanwhile, called on the riding public, especially workers, students and professionals to stand with PUJ drivers and operators against the corporate monopoly control of the country’s mass transport system.“Duterte is conniving with his big business cronies and foreign auto-industry giants in completing the corporate monopoly control of our mass transport system. This would result in massive joblessness among transport workers and other informal livelihood based on PUV operations. For commuters, it would result in deregulated fare hikes and regressive service since it would be turned into a milking cow of big corporations,” Elmer Labog, KMU chairman, said.with REICELENE N. IGNACIO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/two-day-transport-strike-set-next-week/355484/
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Pag-ibig waives penalties for delinquent employees
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['Charissa Mae Nemis']
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2017-09-15 23:35:33+00:00
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~By CHARISSA MAE NEMISPag-IBIG on Wednesday announced that it is offering the Penalty Condonation Program for unregistered or delinquent employers to register with the Pag-IBIG fund without having to pay penalties. All they are required to do is to pay their share in their employees’ savings with the fund. The program covers all unregistered and delinquent employers except those who deduct employee contributions but do not remit them to the fund. The unpaid share and deficits may also be settled in installment for a maximum of two years, and an interest of 50 percent per month. Eligible employers must update their records with Pag-IBIG through the online registration system, accomplish the penalty condonation application form available in Pag-IBIG branches, and submit it to the closest branch. “We are expecting around 200,000 business establishments, mostly micro and small entrepreneurs, to apply for penalty condonation. Consequently, around 300,000 to 400,000 Filipino workers will be added as Pag-IBIG members and will be able to enjoy our benefits,” said Pag-IBIG CEO Acmad Moti said in a statement. “One of the directives of President Rodrigo Duterte is to help the Filipino workers secure their future by ensuring that they enjoy government benefits, like those enjoyed by 17.4 million Pag-IBIG members. The underserved sector can avail of affordable housing through Pag-IBIG,” said Pag-IBIG Board of Trustees Chairperman Eduardo del Rosario.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pag-ibig-waives-penalties-delinquent-employees/350881/
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Tax reform eyed to fund free medicines
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-11-04 20:55:41+00:00
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THE Senate version of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) aims to expand the government’s free medicines for the poor.Sen. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, on Friday said Senate Bill (SB) 1592 also seeks to fund the construction of more public hospitals in remote areas.“Poor Filipinos still face the problem of limited access to low-cost, safe, and quality essential medicines,” said Angara, author and sponsor of SB 1592.“It is our duty to make essential health services available to all Filipinos, giving priority to the needs of underprivileged patients,” the senator said.Congress is set to resume session on November 13 after a month-long break. But the Senate opted to adjust it to November 16 since its legislative work would be affected by the country’s hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit from November 13 to 15.Senate Majority Leadet Vicente Sotto 3rd said the upper chamber would tackle TRAIN amendments on November 23 to 24. It intends to pass the proposed tax reform law before the end of the month.Angara noted that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has 11 partner hospitals that are implementing the Libreng Gamot Para sa Masa Program (Lingap), which entitles poor patients to freemedicine assistance.The free medicine program is now available at the Philippine General Hospital, Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital, East Avenue Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Children’s Hospital, and San Lazaro Hospital–all in National Capital Region; Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital in San Fernando, Pampanga;Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City, SouthernPhilippines Medical Center in Davao City, and Davao Regional Hospital in Tagum City.According to DSWD, approximately 13,000 indigent patients have already benefited from the program.“It is our hope that more poor Filipinos would benefit from free medicines,” Angara said.He cited a World Health Organization study that showed that major causes of deaths in low-income countries can be treated effectively with simple essential medicines.Angara also authored SB 972 mandating all government district hospitals, local health units and barangay (village) health centers in all cities and municipalities to provide free medicine for the poor.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/tax-reform-eyed-fund-free-medicines/360656/
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Supreme Court sacks 17 judges
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-01-29 21:08:03+00:00
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The Supreme Court has sacked a total of 17 judges as part of efforts to clean its ranks.In a speech before the Management Association of the Philippines in Makati City last week, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said the high tribunal had aggressively exercised its disciplinary powers, resulting in the dismissal of 16 judges and a justice.The highest official dismissed under Sereno was Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong, who was linked to the pork barrel scam. The benefits of the judges were forfeited, she said.The high court has also suspended 14 judges, fined 101, reprimanded 21 and admonished 31.”We are also aware that our reform initiatives will not take flight unless we address issues of corruption and other forms of misconduct. It is a complex problem that has to be confronted through a variety of independent initiatives to strengthen integrity and prevent opportunities for corruption among members of the Judiciary,” Sereno said.As for personnel of the first- and second-level courts, the 15-man high tribunal has sacked 116 employees, admonished 42, forfeited benefits of 35, censured three, fined 240, reprimanded 221 and suspended 227 since 2010.These figures covered the stint of then chief justice Renato Corona beginning May 2010 until his conviction by the Senate Impeachment Court in May 2012. Sereno succeeded Corona on August 24, 2012.As for members of the Philippine Bar, the court has disbarred 40 lawyers, suspended 22 from the practice of law, and suspended 33 from the practice of law and notarial practice as of September 2016.A total of 803 lawyers have been penalized since 2012, Sereno said. Of the total, 11 lawyers were suspended from notarial practice, 38 were reprimanded, three were fined and reprimanded, 86 were admonished, three were censured, 8 were warned, 33 were fined and warned, 18 were ordered arrested and one was dropped and stricken off the roll of attorneys.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/supreme-court-sacks-17-judges/309562/
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Cheap rice back in the market
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-06-19 00:13:24+00:00
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SUBSIDIZED imported rice from the National Food Authority (NFA) is back in the market, allowing consumers to buy the staple at P27 to P32 per kilo.NFA spokesman Rex Estoperez told The Manila Times some of the 250,000 metric tons (MT) of rice, which came from Thailand and Vietnam, had been distributed to public markets in Mindanao, particularly General Santos City, and some areas in the Bicol region.The NFA expects to bring fresh stocks to Metro Manila and other provinces on Wednesday. Rice imports started arriving last week, but some cannot be unloaded because of heavy rains at the ports.“Hopefully we can have the NFA rice supply in Subic be distributed to local markets today so we can bring more cheap rice to consumers,” Estoperez said in a phone interview on Monday.Based on the NFA’s Terms of Reference (TOR), the 250,000 MT of rice shall be shipped to the country before June ends.Malacañang was hoping that the entry of 250,000 metric tons of rice from Vietnam and Thailand would result in lower market prices.Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said commercial rice was being sold at P36 to P38, as a result of the arrival imported rice.“We are expecting the prices to be lowered. The price is in accordance with the price monitoring that the Departments of Trade and Industry and the Agriculture is doing. So, [we are hoping that] the prices will continuously be lowered,” Roque said in a news briefing.“[Before], there was a lot of commercial rice, while the NFA rice stock was very few. Now, the stock of the NFA rice is greater, [so] we are hoping that the price of the rice will be lowered,” he added.Estoperez agreed, saying: “The mere fact that we already have rice imports to be supplied and distributed on local markets across all regions in the country, retailers will be pushed to lower down their rice prices. Of course, makikipagsabayan sila [they will compete],” he said.Roque said the rice price spike early this year was a result of panic, after reports in April that the NFA rice inventory in Metro Manila had been wiped out.Former NFA council chairman Leoncio Evasco Jr. accused the NFA management of creating the “artificial” rice shortage.“The important thing is we will avoid the mistake [of the NFA], where they did not buy rice during the harvest season. [Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin] Diokno has been firm even in the last Cabinet meeting that it is gross incompetence of the NFA not to purchase rice during harvest time to ensure they have stock,” Roque said.He said it was better to buy rice during the harvest season, since Filipino farmers would benefit from the money of the Philippines.“Now that we are importing rice we are giving the money to foreign farmers and you know, for every 250,000 metric tons [of imported rice] the government is spending P6 billion, and that is like a subsidy to them and we do not get it back,” Roque said.Roque noted that the government had decided to impose tariffs on rice instead of using quotas.“The overall strategy of the government is to resort to tariffication. We are letting the imported rice enter and we will subject it to tariff so in that way, we can see the law of supply and demand when it comes to the determination of price,” Roque said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cheap-rice-back-in-the-market/410003/
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Postponing barangay’ polls an ‘imposition’
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-02-22 00:02:37+00:00
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To postpone scheduled barangay (village) elections for the first time may be tolerable, postponing it the second time may be bearable but to postpone it again for the third time is already untenable and so unreasonable, an election lawyer said on Wednesday.In a statement, Romulo Macalintal cited Sen. Ralph Recto who, according to him, said the village elections being canceled for the third time is already a “strike three against democracy.”“Thus, the proposal of certain legislators to cancel the twice postponed barangay elections set on May 14, 2018 is already too much of an imposition upon [village] officials who do not enjoy our present mandate. They were elected for a three-year term last October 2013 to serve from November 2013 to November 2016 with the elections set on October 31, 2016. But their term of office was extended in holdover capacities when the October 2016 barangay elections were postponed until October 2017 and the latter canceled again and, as stated, set on May 14, 2018,” Macalintal said.He added that the Constitution mandates that these village officials shall be elected by their respective constituents, meaning that they cannot be appointed.Hence, according to Macalintal, the repeated cancelation of the elections and the extension of the term of office of “holdover officers” are a violation of the Constitution because, as enunciated by Supreme Court Justice Presbitero Velasco in his separate opinion in the 2011 case of Kida vs Senate, “Legislative appointment covers ‘holdover offices’ since a legislative extension of the term of an incumbent is virtually an appointment of the office for the extended time.”He also cited then Associate Justice and later Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, saying in the 1997 case of David vs Comelec where certain incumbent barangay officials wanted to cancel the 1997 village polls, the Supreme Court held that “the petition is a subtle and self-serving proposition to lengthen governance without a mandate from the governed. In a democracy, elected leaders can legally and morally justify their reign only by obtaining the voluntary consent of the electorate.”“Indeed, the dangerous effect of such a scheme is that if it can be done for barangay officials, what could prevent Congress from canceling the elections for other elective officials, like the President down to the last position of councilor, and extend their respective terms of office. This practice clearly violates the democratic system of our government where we could only be governed by leaders who have our free and voluntary mandate, not by those who were only imposed upon us by legislation, whether we like them,” Macalintal said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/postponing-barangay-polls-imposition/381785/
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Integrity Pledge waived for renewal of locator’s permit
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-08 00:39:08+00:00
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The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Board has issued Resolution 17-05- 2004, removing the Integrity Pledge as a requisite for renewal of a locator’s business certificate.The resolution came out on June 15 this year.Earlier, Brighterday Subic Ltd. Inc. (BSLI), operator of All Hands Beach, filed a petition before Branch 75 of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) challenging the requirement made by SBMA for investors to compulsorily sign the Integrity Pledge.Mark Dayrit, Brighterday chairman, complained before the court that free port investors were being “coerced and forced” to sign the pledge for their business operations to continue.The investors were previously required to submit the signed Integrity Pledge at least a week before the renewal or issuance of their business permit.The RTC had issued an injunction in favor of BSLI because it found that Resolution 17-05-2004 was being implemented in an “abhorrent” manner.It then directed the SBMA to issue BSLI’s Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption (CRTE).Because of the subsequent issuance of the resolution, the court dismissed the petition filed by BSLI.In his order issued on July 26, Judge Raymond Viray of RTC Branch 75 said the petition was rendered moot and academic after the SBMA removed the Integrity Pledge as a prerequisite for business registration and renewal of permit.Viray added that the free port asked the court to dismiss the petition of Brighterday Subic Ltd. Inc., saying the SBMA had removed the pledge from its business requirements.The SBMA described the Integrity Pledge as a commitment to ethical business practices and good corporate governance.On May 23, the SBMA Board passed a resolution that removed the pledge from the requisites in obtaining a certificate of registration and tax exemption.Instead, the board decided to make the Integrity Pledge a voluntary document as a “good governance practice.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/integrity-pledge-waived-renewal-locators-permit/343125/
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BI: Queues in airports over
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-04-18 22:21:16+00:00
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BUREAU of Immigration (BI) officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other major airports have dropped earlier plans to resign en masse or go on mass leave despite their low pay and non-payment of their overtime pay out of patriotic duty.Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente on Tuesday disclosed that most of the immigration officers assigned to the NAIA, the country’s premier airport, have been reporting for work, citing a report from the bureau’s port operations division that daily attendance of BI’s airport personnel is at 95 percent.“Despite their financial problems, the bulk of our workforce at the NAIA are continuing to persevere and make sacrifices for the sake of the traveling public. I commend them for doing a remarkable job in the face of adversities,” the BI chief said.A total of 940 immigration officers and supervisors are assigned at the NAIA terminals and other major airports nationwide.Morente debunked reports that hundreds of immigration officers have resigned en masse or have gone on leave over President Rodrigo Duterte’s veto of the express lane fund (ELF), which effectively stopped the BI from using it as source of funding for overtime pay, hiring of confidential agents and other contractual jobs.He said only 36 immigration officers have resigned since the start of the year and only a few have gone on leave for various reasons.“Passenger queues at the airport have returned to normal,” according to Morente, even as he said the basic pay of BI employees was too low that they could barely afford to shoulder the cost of their meals and transportation in going to work.But the militant Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP) does not buy his claim, saying the problem is far from over.“The problem will remain for so long as the benefits that have been taken away from immigration personnel are not restored. It is a violation of the law,” BMP chairman Leody de Guzman said.”The Labor Code of the Philippines, he pointed out, prohibits removal of benefits due the employees, including privileges on security of tenure, health and service incentive leave, among others.Immigration spokesman Antonette Mangrobang earlier said lower salary grade employees were the most affected by the presidential veto on the use of ELF, particularly those receiving below the minimum wage.“There are immigration employees whose salary grade level is only P9,000 a month, which is below the minimum wage,” Mangrobang added.“They [have] low morale,” she said.At present, the BI has 2,671 personnel, composed of organic/permanent, presidential appointees and 975 confidential agents, job orders and computer personnel, among others.It needs at least 4,000 workers.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bi-queues-airports-2/322891/
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‘3-term limit rule does not apply in village polls’
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-06-05 00:05:00+00:00
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Barangay (village) officials elected last month who face disqualification cases for violating the three-term limit rule can keep their posts if the new theory on three-term limit rule advocated by election lawyer Romulo Macalintal is sustained by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and eventually by the Supreme Court.Macalintal’s new term limit rule stemmed from a petition filed at the Comelec by Mario Ramirez, a resident of Barangay 97, Pasay City against Macalintal’s client, Rommel Padilla, one of the elected kagawad in the recent village and youth polls.In his petition, Ramirez alleged that Padilla was elected kagawad in three consecutive elections and that he held the position in from November 2007 to November 2016. Hence, Ramirez claimed that Padilla was no longer qualified to run in the May 2018 election for violating the three-term limit rule. Under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, “no local elective official shall serve for more than three (3) consecutive terms.”Macalintal however argued that while Padilla served as kagawad for three terms, his election in May 2018 cannot be considered as a “fourth consecutive” term because there was a gap in his elective position when Congress postponed the October 2017 elections and installed the incumbent barangay officials as “holdovers” as provided under RA 10923[1].“When Congress provided for “hold-over capacity” of said barangay officials, what Congress did, in effect, is to make a legislative appointment of these Barangay Officials. Legislative appointment covers ‘holdover offices’ since a legislative extension of the term of an incumbent is virtually an appointment of the office for the extended time,” Macalintal said.“RA 10923, therefore, created a new one-year and seven months tenure of office for these incumbent Barangay Officials, i.e., from November 2016 to November 2017 and an additional seven (7) months tenure from November 2017 to June 2018 when the October 2017 election was reset to May 2018 whose winners will commence office on June 30, 2018. Thus, a “gap” opened in the tenure of the elective office of Padilla and all incumbent barangay officials similarly situated because the period covered by the hold over capacity, from November 2016 to May 2018 pertains to an appointive office. This is so, because as stated, hold over appointment is legislative appointment and not elective,” he added.“Likewise, such amendments made by Congress in appointing said barangay officials on hold over capacity by postponing the barangay elections was not the fault of Padilla and other barangay officials similarly situated since they did not intentionally prolong their tenure of office but purely by operation of law of which said barangay officials have no control. Hence, the gap in the service of Padilla and other barangay similarly situated from 30 November 2016 until 30 June 2018 qualifies them to run again and be elected again for the subject position in May 2018 because the said election is for his first term as Kagawad,” Macalintal said.Citing an opinion of former chief justice Reynato Puno in the 1996 case of Frivaldo vs Comelec, Macalintal said that “since Padilla was overwhelmingly elected as Kagawad, the will of the voters ought to be given a decisive value considering the uncertainty of the law because in cases where the sovereignty of the people is at stake, we must not only be legally right but also politically correct.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/3-term-limit-rule-does-not-apply-in-village-polls/404513/
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Duterte not after perpetuating himself in power – Palace official
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-09-25 21:25:49+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte is not after perpetuating himself in power even if he named his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte, as his possible successor, a Palace official said on Monday.Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella noted that such pronouncement from the President over the weekend in his hometown of Davao was unofficial.“It wasn’t an official statement. That statement was made to one reporter. You’re making a breathtaking leap by assuming that he wants power when he says that his daughter is somebody that he trusts,” Abella said.“I think that the President is just being very, very pragmatic. It’s not a question of wanting to perpetuate [himself in] power but ensuring that whatever gains he has [made]…whatever gains that we have made, the [Duterte] administration may have made, will be preserved by someone that he actually trusts,” he added.The President has repeatedly said he does not salivate over the powers of the presidency, adding that he would have resigned by now if only his running mate, then-Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, won the race for Vice President in the May 2016 elections.The President’s pronouncement, according to Abella, was based on the competence of his daughter, not on his perceived plan to build a political dynasty.“I think the issue here is trust. The issue here is that he trusts the capability of Sara. At this stage, that is his statement. He sees Sara’s capacity… capability, heart, [good] intention [as a public servant],” he said.“It’s not a question of wanting to perpetuate power. You have to consider her [Sara] as an independent personality and not just [President Duterte’s] daughter. She is an effective mayor and politician who happens to be his daughter,” Abella added.Sara is the incumbent mayor of Davao City in southern Mindanao.The reigning President also headed the city until he won the 2016 race to Malacañang with 16 million votes or nine million more than second placer, then administration bet and former senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas 2nd.Prior to winning the presidency, the elder Duterte served as Davao City mayor from 1988 to 1998, Davao congressman (First District) from 1998 to 2001 and Davao City mayor again from 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016.Sara served as her father’s deputy as Davao City vice mayor from 2007 to 2010 and as the city mayor from 2010 to 2013 and 2016 to the present.Duterte’s son Paolo has been serving as Davao City vice mayor from 2013 to the present.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-not-perpetuating-power-palace-official/352777/
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CBCP condemns killings in Christmas message
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['William Depasupil']
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2016-12-25 22:48:11+00:00
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THE influential Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) on Sunday reiterated its call on the faithful to make their voices be heard against drug-related killings as the nation celebrated Christmas Day.In a pastoral message entitled Feast of Beauty and Hope, which was read as homily in all Masses, CBCP president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the “beauty” of celebrating Christmas has turned into one of “ugliness” because of the unabated widespread killings in the country.“How beautiful is the Christmas story. Christmas comes to us as a feast of beauty but we are not blind and numb to the ugliness that has come upon us. We have Christmas but there is blood spilling on our streets and sidewalks,” the prelate added.There are more than 5,000 people who have been killed, either in legitimate police operations or extra-judicial process, in the war against illegal drugs, which, Villegas pointed out, also means that more than five thousands families mixing Christmas carols with their quiet tears because a loved one has been stricken down by a bullet.“There are Christmas carols in the air but there is blood by the garbage dump and even inside jails. There is a Christmas parol [lantern]by the window at home but the unresolved murder at home outshines our Christmas lights. This blood spilling is ugly because it is not the plan of God for His people. Murder is ugly. Extrajudicial killing is ugly,” he said.The archbishop added that the spate of violence and murder has turned Filipinos into an angry people that cry for revenge.“Anger has become so common and ordinary that the culture of revenge is slowly chaining us. Anger pushes us to pursue the illusion that we must kill in order to defend life. Living in anger, we start to live in fear,” Villegas said.“We fear for our lives and our family’s lives. We fear that the good name preserved for decades will be destroyed by calumny, malicious gossip and trumped-up charges. We fear and in fear, we allow ourselves to be silenced,” he added.Villegas reminded the country’s leaders that the nation can only reach greatness under a mantle of hope and love, never in a blanket and fear and anger.He said though that to do that, Filipinos must stand up to the challenge by fighting for what is legal and morally right.“Do not let anger kill you. Do not let anger push you to nod in agreement with murder. Do not let fear intimidate you. There is no peace for the coward. There is no happiness for the lazy,” Villegas added.“For the ugliness of anger and fright that we have brought to the world, we stand up in battle and bring hope to our brothers and sisters. For the hope that the country greatly needs, let us take the challenge. Let the rivers of hope flow. Let the lighthouses in the dark night shine out and guide. May we all be in that river! May we all be that lighthouse!” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cbcp-condemns-killings-christmas-message/303645/
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‘Values’ to counter corruption at Customs
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-09-20 21:32:39+00:00
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THE Bureau of Customs (BoC) will train a new breed of employees in the proposed Philippine Customs Academy (PCA) to help address rampant corruption there and restore the people’s respect for and confidence in the agency.“We want the new hires to go through an academy. We are creating an academy that will train, impart skills and knowledge and more important on character development and value formation. Hopefully, we will be able to start the academy before the end of the year. It’s for implementation,” Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña told a news briefing on Wednesday.Lapeña said the training would start from the hiring of almost 3,000 new employees who will fill up vacant plantilla positions in the bureau.The recruits, he added, will first undergo a three-month training program at the PCA before they can be granted permanent status.Lapeña said employees who undergo training at the academy would be granted provisionary status and would only be permanently hired after graduation.“Those who finished the training shall be guaranteed plantilla positions, and they are expected to develop a deeper sense of patriotism, excellence, integrity and leadership,” he added.The establishment of the PCA was introduced by retired Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon.A budget has already been allocated for the purpose and the plan is ready for implementation.The PCA’s curriculum will include 50 percent character building and 25 percent each for capacity and capability development.The BoC is the only Customs administration worldwide without an established training institution.Lapeña said organic personnel of the bureau at present would also undergo a re-training program on Customs procedures and proper assessment, among others.Last week, he signed the promotion of 587 BoC personnel to the next higher rank, resulting in vacancies that also need to be filled up.According to Lapeña, he would sign a second wave of promotions soon, thus the need for the immediate hiring of the 3,000 employees.“So if we have [a] sufficient [number of] people and do things right and correct service to the public, the practice of bribery and corruption can be stopped,” he said.Lapeña added that there are still a lot of good men in the bureau and they all want the BoC to be reformed.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/values-counter-corruption-customs/351738/
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Lawmaker welcomes COA report on LLDA
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-06-15 21:39:02+00:00
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BUHAY Partylist Rep. and Senior Deputy Minority Leader Lito Atienza welcomed the recent Commission on Audit (COA) annual audit report on the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) directing the agency to immediately dismantle illegal structures in the Laguna Lake following findings that many fish pens are owned and operated by dummy corporations. The former environment secretary had been working for the clearing of all fish pens in water bodies for being great pollutants. He said fish pens exacerbated flooding in Metro Manila, and deprived the fisherfolk of their source of livelihood. “We urge the House Committee on Good Government and Accountability to conduct an inquiry into this COA report and investigate how these companies were able to get their permits using dummy corporations and to recommend the filing of necessary charges against those responsible,” Atienza said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lawmaker-welcomes-coa-report-llda/332909/
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Palace: Morales can’t dismiss ex-governor
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-02-14 00:05:37+00:00
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OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio-Morales “cannot arrogate the power of Congress” to dismiss Deputy Speaker and Cebu City Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia from her post, Malacañang said on Monday night.Morales had found Garcia administratively liable for grave misconduct involving a five-year-old case dating back to the time when she was still governor of Cebu.“While we respect the findings of the Ombudsman based on the merits of the case, only Congress may suspend or remove its members based on the former’s anti-graft and corruption rulings. She cannot arrogate this power of Congress,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.Roque added that only the House of Representatives, convened in plenary and by a two-thirds vote, can dismiss Garcia from her post.“It is also unfortunate that the decision of the Ombudsman was released at a time when such actions could be given political color. While we leave the merits of the case to the Ombudsman, the release of the decision could have come at a more circumspect time,” he said.Roque and Garcia were among the three congressmen who supported the impeachment case against then-Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Juan Andres Bautista.The impeachment case led to the resignation of Bautista last year.In a phone patch interview, House Speaker and Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez said he will not implement the order of the Ombudsman because it violates the Constitution.“Thre is nothing in the Constitution that allows me to do that. In fact, it is not within the power of the Ombudsman to discipline, much more to remove any member of the House of Representatives,” Alvarez noted.“If I do that, I will be violating the Constitution since the Constitution provides that it is only us who have the power to discipline and remove a member of the House of Representatives,” he said.In the ruling, Morales said then-governor Garcia was not authorized to enter into a contract with ABF Construction “for the supply and delivery of backfilling materials and other incidentals of” the Balili property’s “submerged and mangrove portions.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-morales-cant-dismiss-ex-governor/380004/
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2 navymen face raps for killing Vietnamese fishermen off Bolinao
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['Melenggay Laranery']
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10/10/2017 0:00
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Task Group on Investigation (STGI) that conducted a probe into the death of two Vietnamese fishermen caught poaching in waters off Bolinao last month has recommended the filing of charges against two Philippine Navy (PN) personnel and eight others.The STGI is composed of representatives from the PN, the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPO), the Bureau of Immigration (BI), the Departments of Justice (DOJ) and of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA).The PIA report said that it was established by STGI that the shooting by naval forces was an unnecessary act.It said the PN gunner miscalculated in firing the warning shots across the bow of the fleeing Vietnamese fishing boats, thereby hitting two Vietnamese fishermen hiding in the forward cargo compartment of the vessel during that fateful early morning of Sept. 23, 2017.Killed in that incident were Le Van Liem and Le Van Reo, both aged 41, and residents of Phu Yen province, Vietnam.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/10/2-navymen-face-raps-for-killing-vietnamese-fishermen-off-bolinao/
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467 Immigration personnel at NAIA reshuffled again
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-11-30 21:04:05+00:00
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A total of 467 Bureau of Immigration (BI) personnel assigned to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) have been reshuffled again as part of the agency’s program to prevent corruption and improve its service to the traveling public.BI Commissioner Jaime Morente on Tuesday said all Immigration officers posted at the NAIA were transferred from their assigned terminals to any one of the two other terminals at the airport.He added that no one was exempted from the personnel movement as part of their plan to prevent fraternization and corruption among their employees,“The scheme was to raise the employees’ productivity as they will be working in a new environment and with new co-workers in their workplace,” Morente said.BI Port Operations Division chief Marc Red Mariñas said the terminal assignments of the Immigration officers were last rotated June of this year.“We assure the traveling public that we have enough personnel to man our booths at the airport during the holidays. But due to the big volume of passengers, those long queues cannot be avoided, thus we urge the public to come to the airport early so they will not miss their flights,” he added.Mariñas said the BI-NAIA program was implemented ahead of the Christmas holiday break when there is an inspected influx of international travelers to and from the country.ASHLEY JOSE
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/467-immigration-personnel-naia-reshuffled/365950/
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‘Trillanes death threat figment of imagination’
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-09-23 00:08:50+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte’s top lawyer has downplayed the alleged threat to the life of Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th, saying it was just a figment of the lawmaker’s imagination in a bid “to milk publicity for himself.”Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said Trillanes should stop acting like an “anxious puppy” claiming to be a target of Duterte.“To be clear, his supposed arbitrary arrest, and now threat to his life, are but figments of his imagination,” Panelo said in a statement.“As stated in our previous articulations, there has never been any concrete report or incident that there is an attempt against his life due to his continued opposition to this administration. These are all publicity stunts of Senator Trillanes not only to besmirch the reputation of the President, but also to milk publicity for himself,” he added.Panelo made the remarks a few days after Trillanes released surveillance footage of a car purportedly casing his house.Trillanes converted his Senate office into his temporary home after Duterte nullified his amnesty for involvement in past two coup attempts.Panelo challenged Trillanes to end his publicity stunt and “take legal action” if he believes in his cause.“If he truly believes that there is no basis for his arrest and that he is practically doing service to the Filipino people by continuously criticizing the President, he should simply take legal action on the matter and stop acting like an anxious puppy pretending to be a political target by the President all the time,” he said.Panelo said Duterte had stated that Trillanes would not be arrested without any court warrant.“Despite the assurance, and with no other basis, Senator Trillanes keeps on engaging the media by claiming that he must continue seeking the protection of the Senate since the President has personally ordered his arrest,” Panelo said.“Noticing however that his supposed arbitrary arrest drama is losing media traction, Senator Trillanes is now claiming that his life is in danger by releasing a supposed video footage showing that an unidentified vehicle is casing his house,” he added.Earlier, Malacañang dismissed Trillanes’ claims of surveillance, with Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. insinuating that the senator might be suffering from paranoia.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/trillanes-death-threat-figment-of-imagination/444330/
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Trump says he liked Duterte ‘very much’, pours in $101 M
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['Reden Macayan Pajara', 'Jan Rune', 'Clara De Luca', 'Tony Navarro', 'Pope Rommell', 'Relatos Rene']
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17/11/2017 0:00
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Malacañang said President Duterte has earned the trust of United States (US) President Donald Trump after the White House announced it was pouring in $101.3 million (about P5.1 billion) to support the initiatives of the Duterte administration.In a statement issued Wednesday upon Trump’s return, the White House said the US government pledged the amount to support the rehabilitation of Marawi City, the country’s counter-terrorism efforts, and the administration’s drug war.According to the White House statement, of the $101.3 million, $14.3 million (P750 million) will be for the rehabilitation of Marawi City; $85 million for counter terrorism-related equipments, training and support for the Armed Forces; and $2 million (roughly P101 million) to support the administration’s drug war.Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said it would have been better if Trump made the announcement during his three-day stay in the country so President Duterte could have shown the country’s appreciation immediately.“I wish President Trump had said that during their bilateral meeting so President Duterte would be happier,” Roque added during yesterday’s Palace briefing.The President held a bilateral meeting with Trump Monday on the sidelines of the 31st Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Pasay City.Support drug campaignMalacañang said Trump did not bring up the issue of human rights violations in relation to the country’s campaign against illegal drugs as Duterte discussed at length his drug campaign with his US counterpart.“That proves without doubt that the US President supports the war on drugs. Why would he otherwise give $2 million to this cause if he thinks it’s not being implemented correctly?” Roque he added.But the financial support does not sit well with opposition members of Congress.ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tiniowarned that the financial help will violate US federal laws citing Paragraph 2151n of Title 22, Chapter 32 of the United States Code which prohibits the grant of assistance to “the government of any country which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.”Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate also warned that the Philippines should brace for more human rights violations as soon as the US money starts pouring in.Great timeIt was evident that Duterte and Trump bonded well the second time they met at the ASEAN Summit (the first was during the APEC in Vietnam) even calling Duterte by his first name during the ASEAN-US Commemorative Summit Monday.Before Trump left the country, he told Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to relay to the President that he enjoyed his stay in the Philippines and that he liked his Filipino counterpart.“Thank you very much, I had a great time and tell Rodrigo I like him very much,”Medialdea quoted Trump as saying before boarding Air Force One Tuesday.Roque had earlier said the two leaders seemed to enjoy each other’s company with a common dislike for Trump’s predecessor.“There were indeed sour points due to the comments made by former US President Obama. President Trump addressed this by assuring that he is a friend of the Duterte administration since he won the US elections,” Roque had said. (With a report from Ben R. Rosario)
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/11/17/trump-says-he-liked-duterte-very-much-pours-in-101-m/
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Duterte to meet partymates next week
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-08-04 00:05:27+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to meet next week with members of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) to address the breakout of factions within the party, his top aide said on Friday.In a media interview in Tagum, Davao del Norte, Special Assistant to the President Christoper Lawrence “Bong” Go said the President saw the need to settle the row as all the people making up the factions in the party had helped Duterte secure the presidency.“It was tentatively scheduled next week,” Go told reporters, when asked when Duterte would call a caucus to unite the factions in his party.“Plano po niyang ipapatawag ang magkaibang faction. Sana mapag-iisa ito ito at lalong palakasin ang partidong nagluklok sa kanya at tumulong sa presidency (The President plans to meet with the different factions. He hopes to unify the factions and to strengthen the party that had helped him secure the presidency),” he added.Earlier, Go admitted that he and the President were “clueless” about the faction within the party that staged elections last week to replace Sen. Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel 3rd and Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte as president and secretary general of the party respectively.Pimentel had dismissed the actions of the group whose members, he said, had been expelled from PDP-Laban.He also threatened to take action against those who led the “national assembly.”“I will relay to the President the concerns aired in this consultative meeting at the PDP-Laban opposition or competition from allied forces,” Pimentel said. “Sabihin ko sa Presidente (I will tell the President), how can we minimize such a situation if you cannot totally avoid it, hindi naman sana buong bansa (it’s not nationwide).”Go said the President was open to forging an alliance between his local party “Hugpong sa Taong Lungsod” (Alliance of City Residents) and her daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio’s regional party “Hugpong ng Pagbabago” (Alliance for Change).“It’s almost there. Hugpong ng Pagbabago and Hugpong ng Taong-Lungsod are two parties considered as relatives. That’s a daughter. It does not need a formal alliance. I think it is one entity already,” Go said.The younger Duterte formed the group in February together with the incumbent governors of Davao Oriental, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental and Compostela Valley, all in Southern Mindanao.Although she has yet to announce if she will run for a Senate seat in 2019, the President’s daughter said her group would support the candidacies of Go and Sen. Cynthia Villar.Duterte-Carpio earlier said her group was evaluating possible alliances with other political parties.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-to-meet-partymates-next-week/426352/
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Subsidy for jeepney drivers may be cut
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-10-25 00:03:40+00:00
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The government might cut the fuel subsidy for drivers of public utility jeepneys (PUJ) if the second tranche of the fuel excise tax would not be implemented in 2019, the Department of Finance said on Wednesday.Finance Assistant Secretary Antonio Lambino 2nd admitted that the fuel subsidy for jeepney drivers would be affected if the second round of the excise tax on oil is suspended.Jeepney drivers were supposed to receive a subsidy of P20,515 in 2019 under the Pantawid Pasada program with the expected P2 increase in excise taxes on gasoline and diesel.“Dahil hindi naman po mag increase ang excise (Because the excise tax will not increase) starting January 1, for the period na nakasuspend `yung increase ay kung i-annualize po natin yan (when the increase was suspended, if we annualize it), the computation would be two, instead of quadrupling the Pantawid Pasada,” Lambino told reporters.“So it will be half of what’s in the budget but also it will be double than what was received this year [because] the Pantawid Pasada for 2018 is only for the last six months. So instead of P5,000, it will be P10,000 Pantawid Pasada grant for 2019,” he added.This year, drivers received P5,000 for the last six months of 2018.With the suspension of the fuel excise tax hike next year, Lambino said the government stands to lose P41 billion.The Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law imposed an excise tax of P2.50 per liter on diesel and raised the levy on gasoline to P7 from P4.35 per liter.The excise tax rate on diesel will go up to P4.50 next year and P6 per liter in 2020. For gasoline, the levy will increase to P9 in 2019 and P10 in 2020.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/subsidy-for-jeepney-drivers-may-be-cut/456667/
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DOLE vows to boost informal sector inclusion
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['Kenneth Hare Hernandez']
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2017-05-06 23:44:42+00:00
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Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd on Saturday met with members of an informal sector group in Davao City to inform them that the labor department supports their inclusion in the formal economy.Officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and National Anti-Poverty Commission Workers in the Informal Sector Council (NAPC-WISC) met at the 6th Workers in the Informal Economy Labor Day in Davao City, which had the theme ”Boses, Pagkilala at Pakikilahok sa Pamamahala Tungo sa Matatag na Negosyo at Kabuhayan” (Voicing, Recognizing and Participating on Governance Toward Strong Businesses and Livelihood).Speaking before the NAPC-WISC, Bello said they are fully behind the recommendation of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to provide the informal sector an enabling atmosphere to be absorbed by the formal economy“Despite their economic and social contributions, workers in the informal sector are insufficiently covered by labor laws and standards. That is why DOLE is vying for the ILO’s edict,” Bello said in reference to ILO Recommendation No. 204.Along with the NAPC-WISC, the labor department previously conducted consultative workshops to determine key policy gaps and challenges in relation to the government’s effort in addressing informality, as well as strategies and models to operationalize the transition from informal to the formal economy.The workshops were made to aid legislation to address the root cause of informality and formalize informal economic units and their workers.Also, in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, DOLE launched Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan which aims to transform livelihood into competitive, resilient and sustainable enterprises by encouraging the formalization and growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through the full implementation of the GoNegosyo Law, the MSME Development Plan, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2015 Action Agenda to Globalize MSMEs.Bello also issued Department Order No. 173 or the revised guidelines in the implementation of the DOLE Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Programs or DILEEP.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dole-vows-boost-informal-sector-inclusion/325892/
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DA to import galunggong every year – Piñol
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['Eireene Jairee Gomez']
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2018-08-27 00:08:51+00:00
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The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Sunday said the country will import galunggong (round scad) every year despite the opposition of some groups to the government’s move to bring in 17,000 metric tons (MT) of the fish to curb rising prices and ensure food security.Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the Philippines has to import fish during the closed fishing season which usually begins in November and lasts until March.“I don’t see anything wrong with the importation for as long as we don’t run over our own fishermen. That’s our only concern,” Piñol said.This year, the fishing season will be closed earlier than usual — in October. The restriction may be lifted in late January or mid-February.The imported galunggong will start arriving on September 1. The DA said the fish will have a landed cost of P75 to P80 per kilo and would be sold directly in local wet markets to help stabilize fish prices.Several groups and government officials have expressed opposition to the move to import P1.4 billion worth of fish, saying it would not bring down prices of the commodity.Rep. Jose Atienza of Buhay partylist recently said the importation is “a band-aid solution and a poor government intervention” as it does not address the problem of dwindling fish production.Members of the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Amihan or National Federation of Peasant Women, and Anakpawis appealed to the DA not to push through with the importation of galunggong, claiming that imported fish may be tainted with formalin.But Piñol said the DA has to implement the fishery conservation program.“If you look at importation in the context of addressing the high price of fish in the market right now, it could be like band aid solution. But that’s not the purpose. We are importing galungggong because closed fishing season is soon to start and during the closed fishing season there is really big reduction in our catch,” he explained.“So we will have to put up a system that would [be] able to supply fish in the market. Importation is only one,” he added.Piñol said the government plans to fully develop the country’s mariculture and aquaculture programs to increase fishing yield and lessen imports.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/da-to-import-galunggong-every-year-pi%C3%B1ol/435004/
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More taxes urged for buyers of every additional vehicle
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2017-07-12 19:50:25+00:00
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Owners of motor vehicles must be taxed more for every additional vehicle they purchase to lessen traffic congestion in the Philippines, a lawmaker said on Wednesday.In her proposed House Bill 3928, Deputy Speaker Sharon Garin seeks to double the tax imposed at present under Executive Order 43 Series of 1986 or Restructuring the Private Motor Vehicle Tax.“Persons engaged in the business of transportation or whose business requires more than one vehicle is not covered by the increased rates,” Garin said in a statement.The Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways shall be in charged of creating laws to prevent owners from registering their additional cars under the names of other persons, according to Garin.Earlier, the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. said domestic vehicle sales in 2020 would account for between eight percent and 10 percent of the projected total sales of five to six million units within member economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.REICELENE JOY N. IGNACIO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/taxes-urged-buyers-every-additional-vehicle/338028/
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Wanted: Courts for ‘collateral’ victims
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-01-04 22:55:16+00:00
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The Supreme Court (SC) has been asked to create special courts to handle cases involving innocent victims in connection with the war on illegal drugs of President Rodrigo Duterte.This was contained in the one-page letter to Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC).In particular, the VACC pleaded for assignment of courts to specifically handle cases of killings of victims who were collateral damages of anti-narcotics operations by authorities.The VACC sought to give immediate justice to the victims of the anti-drug war of the Duterte administration.VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez cited the rising number of innocent victims in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.“Unfortunate killings of innocent victims of crossfires, mistaken identity and the like during the process of police operations [have been reported],” he said.The VACC also asked the High acourt to monitor closely the handling of such cases and make sure they are resolved in accordance with the period prescribed by court rules.In the meantime, the anti-crime group also pleaded with the President to create special investigation teams to probe cases of collateral victims of authorities in the war on illegal drugs.The investigation teams, according to the VACC, should include the Caloocan City (Metro Manila) incident where five teenagers were killed as masked gunmen chased and fired shots at a suspected drug dealer.During a probe of the incident, it was found that one of the victims had a record of drug offenses, while the other four minors had no criminal record.Senator Panfilo Lacson proposed that the government must give compensation to the families of collateral victims of the anti-narcotics operations of authorities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/wanted-courts-collateral-victims/305191/
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PhilHealth to expand insurance coverage
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-11-15 00:02:22+00:00
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The Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) may yet achieve its goal of universal health coverage for all Filipinos with an increased budget of P67.4 billion for its National Health Insurance Program (NHIP) in 2019.The proposed budget is 24.4 percent higher than this year’s P54.1 billion.For 2019, the NHIP is expected to cover 15.4 million poor families, 5.4 million senior citizens, 25,514 families under the Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) Program and 22,709 families under the Bangsamoro health insurance program.Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the increased budget is an expression of the Duterte administration’s commitment to achieve universal health coverage.As of March 2018, the health insurance program covered 98.24 million Filipinos, or 92 percent of the entire population.Of the total budget, P3 billion will be set aside for the Point-of-Service (POS) Program, which targets the remaining eight percent of the population that have not yet been covered by the health insurance program. Under this program, the PhilHealth premiums of indigent patients will be paid for by the government.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/philhealth-to-expand-insurance-coverage/467713/
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Terrorist tag suits CPP-NPA–‘Bato’
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['Roy Narra']
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2018-02-23 00:05:16+00:00
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They “had it coming.”Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa on Thursday was referring to the terrorist label that the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Wednesday tacked on the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA).De la Rosa said the CPP-NPA wants Filipinos to stay poor by obstructing the wishes of small villages to live peacefully and economically well.“Dami na nilang ginagawa na acts of terror. Imbes gaganda yung economy ng isang lugar, yung far-flung barangay sinusunog nila mga heavy equipment ng mga gumagawa ng kalsada, tulay, dahil daw hindi nagbibigay ng revolutionary tax kuno [They have committed many acts of terror. Instead of the economy of a community in far-flung villages thriving, members of the group torch heavy equipment of builders of roads and bridges, because the owners of the machines are not paying them ‘revolutionary tax’],” according to the PNP chief.“Gusto nila maghirap ang Pilipino para meron silang mare-recruit to their side. Bakit, meron bang maniwala sa kanila kapag maganda na buhay ng Pilipino? Wala na [The CPP-NPA wants the Filipinos to remain poor so they can recruit them. Why, who will believe them if the Filipinos are prosperous? None],” he said.Declaring the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations, de la Rosa added, would make them an easier target for the government.He announced that the National Police Commission (Napolcom) also on Wednesday ordered the creation of five new battalions that will be deployed to fight terrorist organizations in the country.The order eyes 2,500 recruits for the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police.The DoJ on February 21 filed a petition to declare the CPP and the NPA as terrorist organizations before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Manila.In the petition, the DoJ said the CPP and the NPA had conducted 12 “terror activities” in various provinces.In November 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte terminated peace talks between the government and the two groups over recent attacks on soldiers.He later tagged the CPP-NPA as a terrorist group.A number of consultants to the National Democratic Front (NDF) from the ranks of the CPA and the NPA were subsequently arrested by authorities and charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, murder and other crimes.The NDF is an umbrella group that counts the CPP and the NPA as among its members.The Duterte administration had denied that it is cracking down on members of the CPP and the NPA and that it is still open to possibly resuming the peace talks.The CPP and the NPA deserve the terrorist tag, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said also on Thursday.The military’s statement came after the filing of the DoJ petition.Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin Jr., AFP spokesman, said the terrorist label on the group was “important” to remove the image of the communists as fighters for the rights of Filipinos.“For the past months, we all witnessed their acts as terrorist organizations such as kidnapping, killing of an innocent civilian, burning of materials and extortion in the communities,” Datuin added in an interview.“As I have said, if they are branded as criminals… then we can run after them. We can file cases or revoke the means of those supporting them so that the support being poured to them [is cut short],” he said.Datuin said the AFP has records on “everything they [NPA rebels) have been doing such as extortion and burning of materials, so we support the DoJ on this petition and…we have [pieces of evidence] to show that they are really doing terroristic acts.”WITH REPORT FROM
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/terrorist-tag-suits-cpp-npa-bato/381983/
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Robredo’s net worth down 19.7% since 2016
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-05-16 21:36:25+00:00
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Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo has reported a 19.7-percent decrease in net worth since assuming office last year.Her latest Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) showed that her net worth fell to P8,878,111.43 at the end of 2016, from P11,053,138 as of June 30, 2016.The decrease in the Vice President’s net worth stemmed from the P2.17-million decrease in the amount of her cash.Robredo listed a residential lot, which was acquired in 1994 and which was a donation; a residential lot purchased in 2000 with an acquisition cost of P60,000; a residential house acquired in 1996 with an acquisition cost of P1.2 million; three agricultural lots (two were purchased in 1995 while the other one was purchased in 2000) with a total acquisition cost of P225,000; an orchard lot purchased in 1995 with an acquisition cost of P250,000, and; a memorial lot which was acquired in 2012 and which was a donation. These pieces of real property are all located in Naga City, Camarines Sur.The personal pieces of property that she reported aside from cash were Furniture, Appliance and Other Equipment worth P1.5 million; jewelry worth P100,000; prepaid insurance worth P630,000; a Toyota Innova acquired in 2010 worth P1,123,000; and a Toyota Grandia acquired in 2014 worth P1.75 million.Robredo disclosed liabilities totaling P6.9 million as of December 31, 2016–loans payable to the Estate of Marcelina Robredo (P1 million), to the Estate of Jose Robredo (P2 million), to Jose Robredo Jr. (P1.15 million), to Jocelyn Austria (P2 million) and to Salvacion Gerona (P750,000).She also reported shares of stock in Meralco.Under Section 8 of Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees), public officials or employees must accomplish a statement under oath showing their assets, liabilities and net worth and financial and business interests as of year-end.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/robredos-net-worth-19-7-since-2016/327508/
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Go to govt personnel: Do not seek special treatment
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-10-03 00:07:27+00:00
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Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go urged government officials and employees to learn from the incident involving ACTS-OFW party-list Rep. Aniceto “John” Bertiz 3rd and follow rules.“As government officials, we were never exempted from adhering to such. The President himself will not ask us to be spared from yielding to authority and respecting the law. Ibig sabihin walang exemption at dapat tayo sumunod sa batas (This means there are no exemptions, we all have to follow the law),” Go said.“Pinapa-alalahanan ko lahat ng mga opisyal at empleyado ng gobyerno na maging tamang ehemplo sa ating mga mamamayan. Andito tayo sa gobyerno para magsilbi sa kapwa at hindi pagsilbihan o mabigyan ng special treatment (I am reminding all government officials and employees to set a good example. We are in government to provide public service, not to be served or be granted special treatment),” he added.“Ang security check sa mga airports ay para rin sa ating kaligtasan kung kaya’t dapat tayo sumunod sa patakaran. Dapat tayo ang maging ehemplo. Walang exemptions dapat (Security checks in airports are for our safety. That’s why everyone must adhere to the rules. We must set a good example. No one is exempted from the rules),” Go said.Although he is friends with Bertiz, the President’s top aide said he does not condone acts unbecoming a public servant.“Mismo ang ating Pangulo, kami mismo ay sumusunod sa batas at dapat po ay maging ehemplo tayo sa lahat para sundin at respetuhin po tayo ng ating mga kababayan (Even our President follows the law. We must set a good example so our citizens will respect us and follow us),” he added. “Discipline is important for one to be prosperous. Good morals should start from us.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/go-to-govt-personnel-do-not-seek-special-treatment/447776/
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Pia, Rachel welcome PH bid to host Miss U anew
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['Manny Santos']
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10/6/2017 0:00
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Miss Universe 2015 Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, along with other fellow Filipina beauty queens welcomed the possibility of the Philippines’ back-to-back hosting of the Miss Universe pageant.“Hindi ko pa po alam kung ano yung final na decision. Hintayin na lang po natin kung ano yung magiging announcement ng Miss Universe. Sana matuloy (I do not know what the final decision is. Let’s just wait for the decision. I hope it puhses through),” Wurtzbach said in an interview of AbS-CBN’s TV Patrol.Rachel Peters, who will represent the Philippines in the prestigious beauty contest, said that holding the beauty pageant here would help uplift the country’s image.“Having the Miss Universe contest here would be a great opportunity for the Philippines to bounce back,” Peters said.Ariella Arida, who won 3rd runner-up in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Russia, said that staging the beauty contest again would prove that the Philippines is still a safe place.“Mawala na rin sana yung scare sa atin. To prove them we’re still safe. We can still have this kind of event,” said Arida, now one of the co-hosts of the popular game show “Wowowin” on GMA 7.Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said that there is so much interest to stage the Miss Universe contest once again in the Philippines.“We have been getting a lot of feedback na kung pwede sa Philippines uli gawin. Tingnan natin yung mga logistics, finances,” said De Castro.But Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo has said that it is now in the hands of President Duterte to decide if our country should host the beauty pageant contest once again.Teo said that Miss Universe Organization President Paula Schugart will arrive in the country to discuss arrangements for the possible staging of the beauty pageant here.“We have to ask the permission of the President. I already flowed the idea that they would want Miss Universe to be here. And he said, you know, we’re still hosting the ASEAN,” she said.The Philippines will be hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Pampanga in November.“It will be in November. We’re still considering if it’s a go or no-go. There are many factors that we have to consider, although we started asking for sponsors. We got lots of yes from sponsors, they’re willing,” Teo said in a televised interview.Iris Mittenaere of France won the 65th Miss Universe pageant held at SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City last January 30, 2017.If plans push through, this would be the fourth time in the history of the Miss Universe contest that the pageant would be held in the Philippines.The pageant was previously held in Manila in 1974, 1994 and 2017. At the same time, this would be the second time that the contest would be held back-to-back outside of the US. The first one was in Puerto Rico (2001 and 2002).
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/06/10/pia-rachel-welcome-ph-bid-to-host-miss-u-anew/
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Trial of Jinggoy, others starts Sept.
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['Ma. Reina Leanne Tolentino']
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2017-05-22 21:09:18+00:00
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The Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division will start trying in September graft cases filed against former senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and several other individuals in connection with the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam.Pretrial of the cases was terminated on Monday as the prosecution and the defense finished marking evidence that they intend to present during trial.The court set the trial on September 4 and every other Monday thereafter.It ordered issuance of the pretrial order, which will be signed by the parties and their lawyers.A pretrial order lists the number of hearing dates, as well as the witnesses to be presented and the issues to be resolved during the trial.Meanwhile, the pretrial of the related plunder case was terminated last month and the court will begin trying this case on June 19.Estrada was charged with plunder along with his former aide Pauline Labayen (at large) as well as Janet Lim-Napoles and John Raymund de Asis.The former senator was charged with graft along with Labayen; Napoles; de Asis; former Department of Budget and Management Undersecretary Mario Relampagos as well as Marilou Bare, Lalaine Paule and Rosario Nuñez, who were DBM employees at the time material to the cases; former National Agribusiness Corp.President Allan Javellana and former Nabcor employees Maria Julie Villaralvo-Johnson, Rhodora Mendoza, Victor Cacal, Maria Ninez Guañizo and Romulo Relevo; former Technology Resource Center Directors General Antonio Ortiz and Dennis Cunanan as well as former TRC employees Francisco Figura, Marivic Jover, Ma. Rosalinda Lacsamana and Consuelo Lilian Espiritu; and former National Livelihood and Development Corp. President Gondelina Amata as well as former NLDC employees Emmanuel Alexis Sevidal, Chita Jalandoni, Sofia Cruz, Evelyn Sucgang and Gregoria Buenaventura.Estrada is one of three former senators, including Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Juan Ponce Enrile, who were charged in 2014 along with alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and several other individuals in connection with the PDAF scam.Both Estrada and Revilla are detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center, while Enrile is out on bail after the Supreme Court granted his bail petition on humanitarian grounds.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/trial-jinggoy-others-starts-sept-2/328628/
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DOLE to help displaced workers in 23 closed mines
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['Micah Yvana M. Vardeleon']
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2017-02-08 22:10:52+00:00
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The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) will provide assistance to displaced workers affected by the closure of 23 mining companies in functional watersheds.To deliver this promise, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd has ordered four regional offices to assess the situation of the affected workers.DOLE offices in Regions 3, 6 and 13 and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) will also conduct profiling of workers for their inclusion in the government’s Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers Program (Tupad).The “workers who want to have temporary work will be given emergency employment while those who want to have other means of income will also be provided with livelihood assistance,” Bello said.The regional offices will partner with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to provide training for workers who want to upgrade their skills.Hired Tupad workers will be paid with the regional minimum wage and will be working for minimum of 15 days and maximum of 30 days.They will be given social protection under the Government Service Insurance System and provided with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like safety boots, sweatshirt, hat, gloves and other equipment fitted to their assigned work and/or project.Meanwhile, an orientation on Occupational Safety and Health will be conducted before the start of project implementation for the workers to be aware of the basic safety and health practices including different unsafe acts and unsafe conditions to prevent work-related accidents.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/dole-help-displaced-workers-23-closed-mines-2/311185/
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Bro. Eddie raises concern over EJK, same-sex unions
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['Felipe Soriano', 'Riko Mambo', 'Singing Nurse', 'Roseller Silves Fabros']
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27/10/2017 0:00
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Thou shall not murder. No one has the right to take another person’s life,” added Villanueva.He said that in Bulacan alone, where he hails from, Christians could not accept the 32 casualties of apparent extrajudicial killings (EJK).“The headline then was 32 killings in Bulacan, 28 in Manila. As a Christian, I could not accept this,” said Villanueva, whose son Joel is a senator.“Our people supported and voted for Mr. Duterte, nationwide, in our chapters, the JIL jumped with joy, all JIL people voted, but the problem is the killings,” he said.The JIL leader is convinced that the President did not order the killings and that these are abuses of some police “scalawags” who want to impress their superiors.In fact, Villanueva cited Duterte’s inaugural speech where he emphasized that his “adherence to due process and rule of law (will be) non-compromising.”As such, Villanueva said that he believed Duterte when the President told the European Union (EU) that he had never given his approval to any EJK.“To our law enforcers, don’t embarass our President,” he said.Villanueva was joined in his call by Bishop Noel Pantoja of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) who said that they believe in the sincerity of the President to rid the country of illegal drugs, but were nevertheless “praying” that he reviews the controversial campaign.“We are praying that the policy on the war on drugs will be reviewed, corrected and that those behind it investigated,” he said.The PCEC national director also said that evangelical Christians are not part of any destabilization plot, adding that they continue to pray for the President.“As evangelical Christians, we are not part of the destabilization against the President. We are praying that he will continue to be blessed,” he said.Villanueva also raised concern about the recent filing of a bill that will recognize same-sex “civil partnerships,” or House Bill No. 6595.He said this was disturbing for Christian leaders as this came only a month after Congress unanimously approved the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity or Expression (SOGIE) Bill.House Bill No. 6595 proposes to allow licensed unions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) couples and grant them same rights and privileges enjoyed by married spouses.Villanueva called on Christians in Congress and the Senate to be alert amidst efforts to hastily file same-sex union measures.“Let us not allow modern Sodom and Gomorrah to prosper in our society,” he said.He said Christians should “stand in the gap and intercede on behalf of the leaders of the land.”With the theme “Know Your God,” the celebration gathered about a million believers from different Christian denominations all over the Philippines and overseas.JIL was founded in 1978 at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines where Villanueva, then an economics professor started a bible study group. The church has since grown into one of the biggest evangelical churches in the world with congregations in over 60 nations.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/27/bro-eddie-raises-concern-over-ejk-same-sex-unions/
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Duterte told: Walk the talk on ‘endo’
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-04-27 21:13:10+00:00
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A coalition of labor groups on Thursday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to “walk the talk” in ending contractualization (endo), not legitimize it, through Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) Order 174.At a news conference in Quezon City, Buklurang Manggagawa ng Pilipinas (BMP) Chairman Leody de Guzman said they gave their full support to Duterte, especially when the latter vowed during the 2016 election campaign to put an end to endo (end of contract).For the President to be able to deliver on his promise, de Guzman added, it is a “must” to remove DoLE Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd and three undersecretaries of the department — Dominador Say, Bernard Olalia and Claro Arellano, whom he accused of committing corrupt practices.“If [Duterte] fails to fire Secretary Bello and the others, it is very clear that he is in favor of the capitalists and despite that, we will still talk to the President since we workers are used to having conversation with capitalists but we will still push for the removal of Bello. But of course, it will still hurt our workers if our President will not stick to his promise to end contractualization,” he explained in Filipino.The coalition called the Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa (Paggawa) stands pat that Bello “benefited” from the “capitalist companies” on not ending contractualization.“It is obvious that the private companies have given Bello this go-signal to legitimize contractualization. We would like to look into this and we hope the President will heed our call,” de Guzman said.The coalition is composed of labor groups from various sectors across the country.These groups are BMP, Association of Genuine Labor Organization (Aglo), Associated Trade Union, Katipunan ng Samahang ng mga Manggagawa, Katipunan ng Makabayang Manggagawa, Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod, Metro East Labor Federation, National Confederation of Labor, National Federation of Labor, National Federation of Labor Unions, National Union of Building and Construction Workers, Pagkakaisa ng Manggagawa sa Transportasyon, Sosyalista, Solidarity of Unions in the Philippines for Empowerment and Reform, Teachers Dignity Coalition and United Filipino Service Workers.Before Bello implemented DO 174, the Labor chief first talked with employers through the Department of Trade and Industry on the points that would be indicated in the order that “only seeks to allow contractualization,” Jaime Miralles, national president of AGLO, said.Miralles said Bello should have consulted groups or workers themselves first on the drafting of DO 174.He and de Guzman said their support for Duterte “might be at stake” if he would not fire the Labor secretary.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-told-walk-talk-endo/324412/
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'Fast-track public transport projects'
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-06-10 00:23:48+00:00
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‘Fast-track public transport projects’home/News/Nation/‘Fast-track public transport projects’IF the government wants to reduce the number of vehicles on the road to address traffic congestion by raising motor vehicle tax, it should fast-track its public transport system projects so that commuters would have viable means of transportation, the chairman of the Senate ways and means committee said on Friday.Senator Juan Edgardo Angara noted that while he considers the proposal to raise motor vehicle excise tax a good strategy, the government should make sure that it could provide commuters efficient, safe and affordable public transport systems.“I am one with the goal of making public transport the preferred mode of travel. But the government should speed up the upkeep of MRT and LRT [Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Rail Transit Lines 1 and 2] to help migrate the ones bringing cars to public transport,” Angara said.The government, in its tax reform proposal, wants to increase excise taxes on oil and automobiles.Recently, the House of Representatives passed its version of the reform bill, which aims to lower income taxes while limiting value-added tax (VAT) exemptions and adjusting excise taxes on fuel and motor vehicles.In order to cushion the impact of the increase in excise taxes on oil, the government plans to put in place a Pantawid Pasada program, which aims to provide cash cards to public utility vehicles, and a public transport modernization program, which aims to provide subsidies to PUVs to convert to more efficient engines and bodies.Such move is expected to minimize the impact of the increase in PUV fares.During previous hearings by the Senate ways and means committee, transport groups warned that even with the assistance program of the government, the proposed oil tax hike could result in an increase in the minimum jeepney fare from the current P8 to P10.“We have to ensure that proper safety nets are in place to exclude the PUVs from the tax hike so fares need not increase,” Angara said.He added that the House of Representative was able to introduce changes to the original proposal of the Finance department to ensure that most cars, especially low-end models, will remain affordable.Under the proposed adjustment of excise tax on automobiles, mass-market vehicles such as the base model Toyota Vios would increase by P10,000, Mitsubishi Mirage by P13,000 and Toyota Innova by P43,000, while SUVs such as Toyota Land Cruiser will increase by as much as P950,000.In order to free up road space, Angara said, the committee is looking at imposing higher taxes on the third and fourth vehicles owned by taxpayers through the motor vehicle user’s charge or MVUC.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/fast-track-public-transport-projects/331933/
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House OKs regulating food tech sector
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-10-29 20:19:00+00:00
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THE HOUSE Committee on Appropriations has approved a bill funding a regulatory board that would strengthen the practice of food technology in the country.The unnumbered Philippine Food Technology Act seeks to develop and nurture competent, virtuous, productive and well-rounded professional food technologists through the creation of the Professional Regulatory Board of Food Technology.The regulatory board will be under the supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission and will be composed of a chairman and two members who will be appointed by the President.It will promulgate and enforce rules and regulations necessary to supervise the practice of food technology in the Philippines and to adopt a program for full computerization of a licensure examination on the subject, as well as come up with a Code of Ethics and a Code of Technical Standards.The Commission on Higher Education will coordinate with the board to ensure that policies, standards and requirements are followed by schools offering food technology.Special permits will also be issued to persons who will practice food technology.In addition, certificates of recognition for advanced studies, researches and accomplishments that contribute to the enrichment of the profession will also be given, aside from the formulation of the prescribed guidelines and criteria in the Continuing Professional Development program for food technologists.Applicants for the practice of food technology will be required to pass the licensure examination.A fine of P40,000 to P150,000 or imprisonment of six months to four years, at the discretion of the court, will be meted to individuals who pose as food technologists without passing the licensure examination or with invalid, suspended or revoked professional license.Those who allow another person to use their certificate of registration or professional license or temporary special permit as a food technologist will also be punished with the same sanctions, as well as those who use the certificate of registration and professional license of another food technologist.RALPH U. VILLANUEVA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/house-oks-regulating-food-tech-sector/359510/
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Oust House minority leader, SC urged
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-11-16 01:13:06+00:00
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At least seven opposition lawmakers have asked the Supreme Court (SC) to install Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat as minority leader in the House of Representatives, declaring that their group is the authentic minority in the chamber.The declaration was contained in a petition for mandamus filed by Baguilat as well as Edcel Lagman of Albay, Raul Daza of Northern Samar, Edgar Erice of Caloocan City (Metro Manila), Emmanuel Billones of Capiz,Tomasito Villarin of Akbayan party-list and Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list against Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez of Davao del Norte, Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos Norte and Danilo Suarez of Quezon.“The issue on the premeditated marginalization or even demise of the House minority as engineered by the leadership of the super majority is now with the Supreme Court for adjudication. Petitioners who constitute the authentic minority are the real oppositionists in the House as shown by their consistent advocacies and pronouncements critical of the administration and the majority,” Lagman told reporters.He cited that Baguilat was the clear runner-up to Alvarez in the Speakership contest on July 25, 2016, and as such is the duly elected House minority leader in accordance with the House Rules.Section 8 of Rule 2 of the House Rules states that all those who did not align themselves with the majority or the minority, as when they abstained from voting in the Speakership contest, are considered independent members of the House, not as minority members.The race’s third placer, Suarez, only earned seven votes and voted for Alvarez for the Speakership.“Suarez was disqualified to be minority leader because he belonged to the majority after voting for Speaker Alvarez. Suarez as the majority’s ‘minority leader’ has utterly failed to discharge the role of the opposition,” Lagman said.“Congress is not an assembly of the majority only. It is a parliament of duly mandated Representatives, including the minority whose inalienable rights of free expression and dissent must be respected. There is need for an independent minority who shall hold the government to account for its commissions and omissions,” the petition of the seven lawmakers said.Another election for House minority leadership was held on July, 27, 2016 wherein Suarez emerged as a winner with 22 votes–a poll that Baguilat and the seven who voted for him did not join.Lagman then cited that the separate election of the minority leader by members of the minority under the Rules of the House only applies when there is no clear runner-up to the Speaker as when there was a lone candidate (which happened in the 14th Congress in 2007) or when three candidates for Speaker figure in a tie for runner-up (circumstances that were not present in the Baguilat-Suarez case).“Suarez was ‘elected’ by [a group] principally consisting of pseudo minority members who were directed by the leadership of the super majority to beef up the small group of Suarez by first abstaining in the election for Speaker and then convening to elect Suarez as ‘minority leader.’ With 10 of those who ‘elected’ Suarez as ‘minority leader’ soon returning to the majority coalition, this reveals a malevolent scheme to subvert the choice of a minority [bloc] leader,” he said.Suarez is co-author of a bill seeking to restore death penalty for heinous crimes, including drug trafficking.The petitioners against Suarez’s House minority leadership oppose the reimposition of capital punishment.“An authentic minority serves as a watchdog reining in government excesses and holding the government of the day accountable to the people. A genuine opposition will be able to debate legislation vigorously in the legislative committees and the plenary by opposing measures that are violative of the Constitution or inimical to the people’s welfare even as it introduces perfecting amendments to basically sound legislative proposals,” they said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/oust-house-minority-leader-sc-urged-2/296810/
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Foreigners ordered to report to BI
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-12-22 21:10:27+00:00
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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has announced that all registered aliens in the country should report to the bureau’s main office in Intramuros, Manila, from January 1 to March 1, 2018 as mandated by the law.Under Republic Act 562 or the Alien Registration Act of 1950, all registered aliens must report to the BI in person within the first 60 days of each year.“This requirement also ensures that visa holders are still alive and allows them to correct their entries in their registration such as address, civil status or surname for those who got married,” BI spokesman Ma. Antonette Mangrobang said on Friday.According to BI Commissioner Jaime Morente, the foreigners should present their original ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration) card and confirmation number issued via the AR (Alien Registration) 2018 online system.All aliens who return to the Philippines with a reentry permit should “report within 30 days from the date of your return and no fee shall be imposed,” Morente said.“Failure to comply shall result in imposition of administrative fine or imprisonment at the option of the commissioner of the BI,” an advisory posted online said.All registered aliens who appeared in at least one of the Annual Reports held in 2014, 2015 or 2016 with an accomplished Annual Report and an official receipt of the latest Annual Report fee paid and paid a P500 express lane fee for non-appearance may be exempted from personally appearing at the BI.Personal appearance, however, is required for all native-born Indonesians with paper-based ACR cards, under Memorandum Order No. AFFJR-05-003.AR application forms and guidelines, list of participating BI field offices, online encoding system and other information may be accessed at the bureau’s official site at www.immigration.gov.ph.ASHLEY JOSE
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/foreigners-ordered-report-bi/370189/
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Binay camp blasts Leni’s ‘most hard working’ claim
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['Michael Joe T. Delizo']
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2016-12-06 22:23:12+00:00
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THE camp of former Vice President Jejomar Binay has resented the claim of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo that she is the most hardworking chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).In a news conference after she rendered her resignation from the top HUDCC post on Monday, Robredo said she was the only chief of the agency who personally attends board meetings and works on weekends and at home.“I think everyone in the Cabinet, maybe even those who don’t like me, would say that I showed how hardworking I am, that I showed how I fought for housing issues,” Robredo said in Filipino. “Even if you ask all the housing agencies, I’m probably the only HUDCC [head] who personally attends all board meetings. I’m the HUDCC [chief] who spends most workdays holding office there.”In a statement issued on Tuesday, Joey Salgado, spokesman for Binay, said it was “quite unfair and self-serving” of Robredo to portray herself as the most hardworking HUDCC chairman, noting that she occupied the office for only five months.“I cannot speak for the other previous HUDCC [chiefs] but perhaps she hasn’t heard of former [Vice President] Binay’s work ethic,” he added.Binay served as head of the HUDCC from 2010 to 2015. It was the same position held by his predecessor, Noli de Castro.Salgado pointed out that there were other HUDCC heads who served longer than Robredo and also faced challenges under different circumstances.“They have longer, more tangible lists of accomplishments despite smaller budgets, politicking within the Cabinet and what she described as the ‘institutional weakness’ of the agency,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/binay-camp-blasts-lenis-hard-working-claim-2/300317/
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Airlines cancel international flights to Hong Kong
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['Benjie Vergara']
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2016-10-21 21:45:17+00:00
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Several airlines on Friday canceled their international flights as super Typhoon Lawin (international code name: Haima) made its way out of the country.Flights going to Hong Kong were grounded as China’s Special Administrative Region braced for Lawin with destructive 145 kilometer per hour winds at its center.At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), at least 25 international flights of Philippine Airlines (PAL), Cebu Pacific Air (CEB), and Cathay Pacific Airways were grounded.PAL’s Manila-Hong Kong Flights PR300, PR318, PR306 and PR353 and Hong Kong-Manila Flights PR301, PR319, PR307, PR313 and PR352 were cancelled.CEB’s Manila-Hong Kong Flights 5J110, 5J118, 5J114 and 5J142 and Hong Kong-Manila Flights 5J111, 5J119, 5J115 and 5J143 were scrapped.The Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways canceled its Manila-Hong Kong Flights CX903, CX918 and CX935 and its Hong Kong-Manila Flights CX906, CX919 and CX900Twelve domestic flights of PAL, CEB and Cebgo were scrapped.PAL’s Manila-Laoag Flights PR2196 and PR2198, Laoag-Manila Flights PR2197 and PR2199, Manila-Basco Flight PR2084 and Basco-Manila Flight PR2085 were canceled.Cebgo scrapped its Flight DG6004 (Manila-Laoag) and Flight DG6005 (Laoag-Manila).CEB canceled its Flight 5J196 (Manila-Cauayan) and Flight 5J197 (Cauayan-Manila) and its Flight 5J504 (Manila-Tuguegarao) and Flight 5J505 (Tuguegarao-Manila).The airlines said passengers affected by the cancelation of flights may rebook within 30 days from original flight date or within ticket validity period.BENJIE L. VERGARA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/airlines-cancel-international-flights-hong-kong/292471/
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VACC to Duterte: Act on rising drug death toll
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['Anthony Vargas']
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2016-11-04 21:07:40+00:00
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The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) on Friday made an urgent appeal to President Rodrigo Duterte to quickly address the rising death toll in the face of the government’s brutal and strict war against illegal drugs.The anti-crime watchdog made the appeal as the death toll in the government’s war against illegal drugs has climbed to over 3,700 in just four months and investigation of the killings moves slowly.The VACC cited in a statement the recent killing of a 21-year-old son of a retired intelligence police officer in Antipolo City in Rizal province last week.The retired police intelligence officer, Senior Police Officer 3 Alfredo Jebulan, the father of Yani Jebulan, warned that criminals are taking advantage of the seemingly free-for-all campaign against illegal drugs.“The bodies of the dead have so piled up that the morbid line is blurred–what are legitimate police operations, what are the extrajudicial killings, what are the killings of the innocents by criminals over whatever motive–as in the case of Jebulan, lumped together in the war against drugs,” the VACC said in the statement.The younger Jebulan, a third year Psychology student of Our Lady Fatima University (OLFU) in Antipolo City, was on his way home after celebrating with some friends after passing a school examination when he was reportedly shot dead by unidentified gunmen riding a motorcycle last Saturday night just a few hundred meters away from his home in Antipolo City.The victim sustained gunshot wounds in the head and chest.VACC president and chairman Dante Jimenez, a known staunch supporter of President Duterte, said it was high time for the President to address the slow investigation of crime cases “before the situation gets completely out of control.”“Criminals are easily taking advantage of the apparent ‘free-for-all’–despite the government’s pure intention to cleanse the country of drugs, and the slow pace of investigation of the crimes has worsened matters,” he added.Given that not all cases of killings could be investigated because of their volume, Jimenez raised concerns that all deaths since the Duterte administration waged its war on drugs could be misconstrued as “state sanctioned even if this may not be true.”“Let’s face it, not all the crime cases are being investigated because of their volume. Police investigators don’t have the capability for such a huge task. The cases are piling up and speculations are also mounting not only locally in our country but also abroad,” the VACC chief said.He added, “ It’s high time the President step in and address the investigation of these crime cases although these are actually judicial cases, before the situation gets completely out of control.”The older Jebulan asked the President and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to help him find the killers of his son.“I’m begging you. Help me solve the unnecessary death of my son, please, or I will be the one to do it without your help,’’ he said.“If I find out that one of your policemen had a hand [in] the death of my son, God forbid… I know you don’t tolerate this, but let me be very, very frank: If they know how to kill people, so do I.”But dela Rosa asked the Jebulan family not to readily attribute Jebulan’s killing to the government’s drug war.The VACC in coordination with other government agencies involved in the judicial system, will also launch a program “Buhayin ang mga Patay” to revive criminal cases that have been shelved or neglected because of problems of the criminal justice system.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/vacc-duterte-act-rising-drug-death-toll/294840/
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LPA spotted off Samar town
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-24 20:25:01+00:00
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A low pressure area (LPA) was detected early on Thursday at 670 kilometers northeast of Borongan, Eastern Samar, while a southwest monsoon will be affecting western Luzon, according to state weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).Cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and possible occasionally heavy rains, gusty winds and lightning because of thunderstorms will be experienced over Cagayan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), Bicol Region, Eastern Visayas and the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Bataan, Quezon and Palawan.Metro Manila and the rest of the country will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies except for isolated light to occasionally heavy rains, gusty winds and lightning.Pagasa said moderate to strong winds from the southwest to south will prevail over Luzon and its coastal waters will be moderate to rough.Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the south with slight to moderate seas.GLEE JALEA
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/lpa-spotted-off-samar-town/346582/
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Marcos’ poll move ‘circumvents rules’
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['Llanesca T. Panti']
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2017-10-13 23:36:45+00:00
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The camp of Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo has opposed a move of former senator Ferdinand Marcos to put the 2016 poll ballots in Basilan, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur provinces under technical examination, saying it will violate the Supreme Court (SC) rules on election protests.Romulo Macalintal, lawyer for Robredo, made the stand in an October 12 comment filed before the SC–sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal—in response to Marcos’ pleading that asked tribunal to order the technical examination of the ballots and other documents from the May 2016 elections.The electoral tribunal had granted Marcos’ request to recount ballots in Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental, the three provinces chosen by the former senator as those allegedly best exemplifying poll fraud in accordance with rules of the tribunal.“Marcos now wants to confuse the issues. Worse, he is trying to circumvent the rules by adding the three ARMM [Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao] provinces under the guise of asking only for the technical examination of election paraphernalia. Such a ploy is a clear circumvention of the rules,” Macalintal said in a statement.He noted that the electoral tribunal decided in a ruling on August 29 that conducting a technical examination of election paraphernalia in Basilan, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur is premature and such can be done only after Marcos has shown sufficient recovery in his pilot provinces Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.“If Marcos is allowed to conduct [the] technical examination from these three ARMM provinces, he would in effect be actually having six pilot provinces. Circumvention of the law is never countenanced as it is a clear sign of bad faith,” Macalintal said.“Courts should not assist someone like Marcos in achieving an improper purpose,” he added.Robredo beat Marcos in the six provinces: Maguindanao, 220,125-80,591; Lanao del Sur, 180,539-56,243; Basilan, 77,321-32,326; Camarines Sur, 664,190-41,219; Negros Oriental, 255,598-66,506; and Iloilo, 137,662-33,778.Camarines Sur, Negros Oriental and Iloilo are known bailiwicks of the Liberal Party, the political party of Robredo.In the final tally, Robredo beat Marcos by 263,473 votes.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/marcos-poll-move-circumvents-rules/356264/
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Only Congress can extend martial law, Drilon tells Palace
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-07-07 00:29:18+00:00
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SENATE Minority Leader Franklin Drilon on Thursday said the Palace cannot circumvent the law and just issue a new martial law proclamation if Congress does not extend Proclamation 216 placing the entire Mindanao under military rule.President Rodrigo Duterte had said extending martial law would depend on the recommendation of the military and police authorities tasked to quell the Maute rebellion in Marawi City.Drilon maintained that “only Congress” has the power to extend martial law, contrary to the claim of Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo that the President can issue another proclamation if lawmakers do not agree to an extension.“The Constitution is clear that it is Congress that has the power to extend martial law and the President may only recommend. You cannot circumvent the Constitution,” Drilon said in a statement.The Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed the legality of the President’s Proclamation 216 placing Mindanao under martial law after the Maute extremist group seized Marawi City on May 23.Eleven justices voted to uphold the martial law declaration, three sought to limit its coverage to Marawi City and nearby areas, while one magistrate rejected the proclamation entirely.The 60-day validity of Proclamation 216 ends on July 22, two days before the President’s second State of the Nation Address.Drilon said Panelo’s advise to the President to just issue a new proclamation, if and when Congress does not approve an extension, was “an affront to the Constitution.”He cited Section 18, Article VII of the Constitution, which provides that “upon the initiative of the President, the Congress may, in the same manner, extend such proclamation or suspension for a period to be determined by the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.”Sen. Francis Escudero echoed this, saying: “I hope the legal advisers of the President will exercise more prudence instead of advising him ‘trailblazing legal theories’ that may raise more constitutional issues than settling them.”But on Thursday, Panelo clarified that the President will have to request Congress to allow an extension “if he wants to extend it.”“I said if Congress doesn’t do anything and there’s a request, then if the President feels that it is necessary to declare martial law he will have to declare. That is his constitutional duty. Because I do not think that the framers of the Constitution intended the President to be tied on one particular declaration of martial law. Marami namang (there are plenty of) safeguards,” he said.Military recommendation out next weekThe military’s recommendation to extend martial law in Mindanao will be submitted by the end of next week to President Duterte, before Proclamation 216 expires, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Thursday.Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesman for the AFP, said ground commanders would first conduct an assessment if it would be necessary for the Chief Executive to extend the 60-day declaration.with
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/congress-can-extend-martial-law-drilon-tells-palace/336998/
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Senators reject Train 2
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-07-26 00:10:03+00:00
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NO senator was willing to sponsor the second package of the comprehensive tax reform program of the Duterte administration because of its negative impact on ordinary people, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said on Wednesday.While the second part of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train 2) program seeks to lower corporate income taxes, it also calls for the removal of the incentives given to several industries including business processes outsourcing and export manufacturers, Zubiri said.“It has very little support from my colleagues and as a matter of fact no senator wants to sponsor the measure at this time,” he told reporters.The Department of Finance in January submitted its proposed Train 2 to the House of Representatives. In March, House Bill 7458, which seeks to institute reforms in the corporate tax system, was filed.The bill calls for a one-percentage point reduction in the 30 percent corporate income tax for domestic corporations, resident foreign corporations and non-resident foreign corporations starting 2019, provided that the cut would not reach lower than 20 percent.HB 7458 also aims to either amend or repeal tax incentive provisions and processes contained in 114 special laws.The DoF had vowed to meet the year-end deadline imposed by President Rodrigo Duterte for the passage of the second Train package.“I have been briefed on the possible exodus of industries from our country if these incentives are lost,” Zubiri said.He said thousands of Filipinos would be jobless if companies closed shop.Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd said the reason why senators, particularly the members of the ways and means committee, were reluctant to introduce Train 2 is because of the DoF’s failure to keep its promises.Sotto recalled that when the first package of the tax reform program was deliberated in the Senate, the finance department assured senators that the measure would not cause inflation. Several weeks after the Train Law took effect, the inflation rate shot up.But the Senate chief said the Senate is open to work with the finance department in passing its version of the rationalization of tax incentives.Sotto said most of the members of the Senate are looking for ways to control inflation and the rising prices of commodities.“So if ever these bills are presented, whether its Train 2 or not, if it is going to do good we will take it up. If not, we will follow the Senate version which seeks to address tax incentives,” he added.There are several bills in the chamber that seek to lower value added tax (VAT) from 12 percent to 10 percent and lift VAT exemptions granted by the government to various industries in the country.The Philippines has about 143 lines of exemption on economic zone, power, housing, cooperatives and other industries, which is more than the 111 combined VAT exemptions granted by countries in Southeast Asia.Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino 4th meanwhile said that instead of passing Train 2, the Senate should work on the passage of a bill that seeks to suspend certain provisions of the Train law.Aquino filed a measure calling for the suspension of the package 1 of Train and roll back the excise tax on petroleum products.He said Filipinos have no one else to turn to but the Senate, now that Malacañang is firm on implementing the Train Law.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-reject-train-2/423265/
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Govt ordered to comment on Mighty’s petition vs raids
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2017-04-02 21:55:02+00:00
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The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to comment on Mighty Corporation’s (Mighty) petition seeking to prohibit government raids on its warehouses.In a three-page resolution dated March 28, the CA directed BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and other officials under him to explain why it should not be ordered to stop its raids on the facilities of the embattled tobacco company.The resolution was penned by CA Justice Stephen Cruz and was concurred in by Justices Jose Reyes and Nina Antonio-Valenzuela.“In the meantime, without necessarily giving due course to the petition, private respondents are required to file their comment to the petition [not a motion to dismiss] within a non-extendable period of 10 days from receipt hereof. In turn, petitioner [Mighty] is given 5 days from receipt of the private respondents’ comment within which to file their reply,” it read.The CA also set a hearing on Mighty’s plea for the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or writ of preliminary injunction to halt the BOC from implementing the mission orders issued by Faeldon.In its petition, Mighty assailed the denial of its application for injunctive reliefs by Branch 39 of the Regional Trial Court of Manila.Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the arrest of Mighty’s owner over allegations of bribery and the use of fake tax stamps on the packs of its cigarettes.Mighty manufactures Mighty Menthol 100’s Hard Pack, Mighty Menthol 100’s, Mighty Full Flavor King Size (red), Marvel’s Menthol 100’s, Marvel’s Menthol Hard Pack and Marvel Menthol 100’s (green).On March 7, the owner and lawyer of Mighty Corp., Alexander Wong Chu King, personally met with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd to explain that the corporation has nothing to hide and has not committed any violation of the law.On March 8, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued an immigration lookout bulletin order against the Wong Chu Kings.On March 22, the Bureau of Internal Revenue filed before the DOJ a complaint against Mighty for the unlawful possession of articles subject to excise tax without payment of the corresponding excise tax and for possessing false, counterfeit, restored or altered stamps, a formal tax evasion.Among those charged by the BIR are Mighty’s president, retired Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, who used to be deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines; retired trial court judge Oscar Barrientos, executive vice president; Alexander Wong Chu King, assistant corporate secretary; and Ernesto Victa, treasurer.A whopping P9.564-billion tax complaint was filed against Mighty.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/govt-ordered-comment-mightys-petition-vs-raids/320579/
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Mindanao needs new security plan – lawmaker
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-09-11 20:49:47+00:00
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The Department of National Defense and the Philippine National Police need to draw up a whole new security strategy for Mindanao to prevent a repeat of the Marawi City siege elsewhere, according to a lawmaker.“We cannot afford to expose another city or large municipality in Mindanao to a crisis akin to Marawi, or to the Zamboanga City siege in 2013,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the House Committee on National Defense and Security, said in a statement.Pimentel is supporting President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to enlist up to 20,000 new soldiers to build up the Armed Forces.“Actually, compared to our peers in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, we really have fewer active military personnel to begin with,” he said.At present, the lawmaker said, the Armed Forces have a total active troop strength of only 125,259 —with 85,825 in the Army; 22,771 in the Navy; and 16,663 in the Air Force—excluding 2,693 soldiers deployed to service support units.“We still have pockets of insurgency in other parts of the country, so we cannot just pull out large forces from Luzon or Visayas and transfer them to Mindanao,” he noted.“The peril of opportunistic elements taking advantage of fewer troops stationed elsewhere due to redeployments is always there, so we really need the additional soldiers,” Pimentel said.Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd earlier said that Malacañang may ask Congress to pass a supplemental appropriations law for the rehabilitation of Marawi, the replenishment of the military’s weapons store and the recruitment and training of up to 20,000 new soldiers.“We are not overly concerned now, because Mindanao is still under martial law. But in the long term, we have to increase our investment in Mindanao’s security, mainly to protect population centers and vital installations,” Pimentel said.“Besides, we are developing high-value infrastructure projects in Mindanao that will require extra security for deterrence,” he added.The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is investing P36 billion from 2018 to 2022 to construct and complete Phase 1 of the Mindanao Railway Project—the 102-kilometer line linking the cities of Tagum, Davao and Digos, according to Pimentel.The lawmaker said the DOTr is also investing P1.14 billion in 2018 alone to modernize 13 airports in Mindanao.The DOTr is spending P425 million for the Don Carlos Airport in Bukidnon; P221 million for the Zamboanga City Airport; P200 million for the Surigao City Airport; P192.2 million for the Ozamiz City Airport; P184 million for the Butuan City Airport; P182 million for the Dipolog City Airport; and P161 million for the Cotabato City Airport.The department also is spending P100 million for the Sanga-Sanga Island Airport in Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; P84.2 million for the Pagadian City Airport; P38 million for the M’lang Airport in North Cotabato; P30 million for the Jolo Airport in Sulu; P18.3 million for the Ipil Airport in Zamboanga Sibugay; and P9.5 million for the Bislig City Airport.Pimentel said the airports in Ozamiz, Dipolog, Cotabato and Pagadian are being night-rated to enable them to handle evening flights.Congress in July granted the President’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until the end of the year.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/mindanao-needs-new-security-plan-lawmaker/350053/
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Senate to SSS: Explain hike in members’ contribution
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-01-11 23:24:35+00:00
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Senators on Wednesday expressed their reservations over a plan of the Social Security System to impose a 1.5 percent increase in the monthly contribution of SSS members as a way to offset expected losses from the P1,000 pension hike for retired members that was approved recently by President Rodrigo Duterte.Minority Senator Francis Escudero insisted that the SSS needs to first justify the plan before imposing the increase.He said the state-run agency must present actuarial studies that would prove that it can afford to fund the P1,000 hike through investments and improved collection.“They should explain and justify that to the [SSS] members… They should also prove that their previous investments and collection efficiency have improved and that the latter two are not enough to support the additional benefit,” Escudero added.President Duterte on Tuesday approved the P1,000 increase in the monthly pension of retired SSS members that will take effect this year.Another P1,000 pension hike will be implemented by 2022, bringing the total increase to P2,000.The SSS, however, will also impose a 1.5 percent increase in members’ monthly contribution in order to ensure economic sustainability and protection of the members.Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th said he was surprised after learning about the planned hike in the monthly premium of its 34 million members, adding that the SSS did not even conduct prior consultation 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.Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon said the increase in the monthly contribution of SSS members is against the law.“The SSS is not allowed to raise the premium rate so it can increase benefits,” Drilon added.The senator cited Section 4 of Republic Act 8282, which states that the SSS has the powers and duties “to provide for feasible increases in benefits every four (4) years, including the addition of new ones, under such rules and regulations as the [security system] may adopt, subject to the approval of the President of the Philippines: Provided, That the actuarial soundness of the reserve fund shall be guaranteed: Provided, further, That such increases in benefits shall not require any increase in the rate of contribution.”“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 said.The SSS, according to Drilon, could only implement an increase in the benefits of its members, subject to the approval of the President, “if such increase is based on the actuarial soundness of the reserve fund” and as “such shall not require any increase in the rate contribution.”Sen. Juan Edgardo Angaram however, said the increase in SSS monthly contribution is in order to make sure funds would still be available for future pensioners.Angara, who heads the Senate ways and means committee, said without additional source of funding, the SSS would not be able to provide pension once young members of the SSS retire.“The SSS won’t have any reserves to pay its future pensioners if it will not impose an increase in members’ contribution,” he added.Although the President approved the proposed pension hike, Sen. Richard Gordon said, there was still a need for Congress to pass a law that would help the SSS become an even more outstanding manager of the fund.He added that the law is needed to expand SSS membership, maximize the use of its assets and invest the funds in projects that would ensure a healthy return on investment.Gordon, chairman of the Senate Committee on Government Corporations and Public Enterprises, assured the SSS that he would continue to provide necessary support to the agency to ensure the extension of its lifespan.“The Senate will provide the appropriate legislation necessary to strengthen the SSS and to assist it in preserving the sustainability and life of its funds that is considered ideal among other social security systems around the world,” he said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senate-sss-explain-hike-members-contribution-2/306440/
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Free ‘Undas’ shuttle for Muntinlupa folk
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['The Manila Times']
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2016-10-27 20:31:38+00:00
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The local government of Muntinlupa City (Metro Manila) will be providing free shuttle services to and from public and private cemeteries from October 31 to November 2.Public Information Officer Tez Navarro on Thursday said locals can avail of free rides in JRF E-jeepneys that will ply the national road and also in government trucks and buses going to memorial parks.Pick-up points for the free shuttle services going to cemeteries are: Those visiting Everest Hills Memorial Park – in front of Susana Heights Bus Terminal; Japanese Cemetery – in front of a government office under construction on Rizal Street; and Muntinlupa City Public Cemetery and Aglipay Cemetery –Caltex Station.For those visiting San Nicolas de Tolentino Cemetery, free shuttle routes will be from Sucat East Service Road to Alabang, Montillano Street to M.L Quezon Street to Meralco Road Loop.Navarro said water stations and assistance desks will be put up.The assistance desks will be manned by personnel from Muntinlupa Police Department, Rescue Department,City Health Office, Community Affairs and Development Office and other city government departments.Navarro said the local police department will be beefing up security and additional traffic constables will be deployed to augment mobilization efforts and traffic management.As a high volume of vehicles is expected in observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, the City Government of Muntinlupa published on its Facebook Page designated parking spaces in cemeteries and traffic advisories.Mayor Jaime Fresnedi encourages locals to follow cemetery rules and regulations and wishes them a peaceful celebration of the holiday.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/free-undas-shuttle-muntinlupa-folk/293432/
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Senators to probe govt ‘underspending’
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-07-27 18:33:46+00:00
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SENATOR Ralph Recto on Thursday said his colleagues would cross party lines in finding out whether underspending still plagues budget utilization as it had in the past Aquino administration.The Senate president pro tempore added that senators would grill agencies during the 2018 national budget hearings if they are on track in spending their allocations for the current year.Recto said unreleased appropriations have reached P185.8 billion in 2016, on top of unobligated allotments of P410.8 billion.“Of these amounts, how much was due to the election ban on public works and other expenditures, and how much can be pinned on inefficiency, to transition, to lack of plans?” he added.Officials of the Duterte administration have been quoted as saying that the Aquino administration failed to spend or delayed the spending of an estimated P1 trillion in appropriations, a charge which has been denied by the previous set of economic managers.“Now that the shoe is on the other foot, it is time to ask this question: Have you solved the problem you have accused your predecessors of doing?” Recto said.“It’s a valid question because budget hearings are sessions where they’ll be asking for fund replenishment. So before we replenish, we should ask if they’ve been prompt in disbursing,” he added.Recto said the agencies’ “fund absorptive capacity” would also impact on the Senate debates on the administration’s mixed bag of proposed tax cuts and increases. “We will be looking at both ledgers. Income and spending.”Examining “spending problem areas would not only pinpoint slow-moving programs, but the fat in the budget and in the bureaucracy as well,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/senators-to-probe-govt-underspending/340996/
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Revised rules on distracted driving out
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['Jing Villamente']
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2017-06-14 22:04:42+00:00
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The Land Transportation Office (LTO) will begin apprehending violators of the Anti-Distracted Driving Act in July, following the publication of the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) details of which Department of Transportation (DOTr) and LTO officials presented to media on Wednesday. In a news conference, DOTr Assistant Secretary Lea Quiambao said the IRR was promulgated pursuant to Section II of Republic Act 10913, known as An Act Defining and Penalizing Distracted Driving. It is in effect the official guideline for the implementation of the law.“This is to safeguard the commuters and motorists from extremely injurious effects of vehicular accidents,” Quiambao told The Manila Times, even as she pointed out the vital roles of information and communications technology in nation-building.“The government must take note of the inimical consequences of the unrestrained use of electronic mobile devices on road safety hence its regulation,” Quiambao added.The revised IRR defines distracted driving as “a motorist holding a mobile communications device or an electronic entertainment or computing device while driving a motor vehicle in motion, or while it temporarily stops at a traffic light or any intersection.”DoTr, LTO, and Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) officials, however, clarified what actions are subject to apprehension and what are exempted.“Contrary to a previous law that disallowed accessories such as toys and rosaries on dashboards, the DoTr said that the newly issued IRR will only focus on the use of communications devices while on the road.“The coverage of the law only prohibits holding of the devices. It is permissible to place your gadgets on the dashboard as long as you are not holding it,” LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra said.LTO Chairman Edgar Galvante explained that if the motorist or the driver of a vehicle uses a cellular phone with the aid of a hands-free device such as, but not limited to, a speaker phone, earphones or headsets, and a microphone which allows a person to make and receive calls without having to hold the mobile communications device, the driver may not be arrested.“The use of these hands-free devices –with mobile phones — does not interfere with the driver’s line of sight,” Galvante said.Delgra and Galvante explained that the IRR covers all drivers and owners of public and private vehicles.with REICELENE JOY IGNACIO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/revised-rules-distracted-driving/332743/
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Boracay rehab ‘a lesson of political will’ — Palace
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-10-28 00:06:16+00:00
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Malacañang said President Rodrigo Duterte was pleased with the rehabilitation of Boracay, adding the bold move of shutting down the island for six months was “a lesson of political will.”“Boracay is a lesson of political will, as exhibited by PRRD (Duterte) and yet, it is also a lesson of neglect, misfeasance and malfeasance by responsible persons in office,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement on Saturday.“The cesspool that was Boracay would not have happened if political will was exhibited by those in authority and if only officials of the island paradise, as well as the stakeholders, operated following the law and the rules and regulations of pertinent government agencies,” he added.Panelo said the public should take these lessons to heart so Boracay can be recognized as a world-class beauty.“It has to take the strong and decisive leadership of the President to put things in order and we should all learn from these lessons so that Boracay will become an attraction not only in this country but in the world,” he said.“We commend the different departments for the evolution and development of Boracay, as well as the patience and cooperation of everyone,” he added.Boracay was closed in April this year after the President declared it a “cesspool.”It was reopened on October 26, although the government said the rehabilitation of the island would be completed by the end of 2019.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/boracay-rehab-a-lesson-of-political-will-palace/458332/
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Cha-cha plebiscite impossible - Atienza
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['Catherine A. Modesto']
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2018-10-16 00:03:56+00:00
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Cha-cha plebiscite impossible – Atienzahome/News/Nation/Cha-cha plebiscite impossible – AtienzaHouse Deputy Minority Leader Jose “Lito” Atienza on Monday said holding a plebiscite for Charter change next year is “impossible.”He issued the statement after Rep. Vicente Veloso, chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Revision, said that the chamber aims to pass the draft federal charter in February next year.“Di ko alam ang pinagsasabi ni Congressman Veloso. (I don’t know what Veloso is talking about.) That is his dream, that will never happen. He was disowned by Speaker [Gloria Macapagal] Arroyo because she has to undo what he kept on saying that [Vice President] Leni Robredo would be removed from the line of succession,” Atienza said.He added that he would oppose a constitutional assembly to amend the Constitution.“I do not believe in Con-ass. I reject it. I don’t think it is the best way to tinker and touch the constitution,” Atienza said.“There should only be one way. Constitutional convention (Con-con) whose delegates are elected by the people,” he added.Under Con-ass, members of Congress convene themselves to propose changes to the constitution. Amendments pass upon a vote of three fourths of all members of Congress, but recently, the Senate had said that it should vote as a separate body.Veloso said last week that the passage of House Joint Resolution 19 in February would be the basis to amend the 31-year-old Constitution.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cha-cha-plebiscite-impossible-atienza/452482/
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June 15 a holiday for Eid’l Fitr feast
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-06-07 00:01:28+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has declared June 15 as a regular holiday throughout the country in observance of the Eid’l Fitr or the end of Ramadan.“Under Proclamation No. 514 signed today, 6 June 2018, the President declared Friday, 15 June 2018, a regular holiday throughout the country, in observance of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadan),” said Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go.Eid’l Fitr, which is celebrated for three days, marks the end of the holy month of fasting for Muslims.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/june-15-a-holiday-for-eidl-fitr-feast/405238/
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SEARCA, DoST tie up for climate change scholarships
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['Leander C. Domingo']
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2017-08-07 00:53:06+00:00
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THE Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (Searca) has offered to tie up with the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) to provide scholarships for advanced studies to develop capacities and expertise to address issues on climate change. Searca Director Gil Saguigit Jr. revealed this during the opening of the annual Los Baños National Science and Technology Week celebration, “SyenSya.” He said they have taken this up with DoST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, citing collaborations in the past, including the National Science and Development Board, which was instrumental in funding a nationwide program called the Social Laboratory, a strategy for rural and agricultural development in partnership with higher education institutions to uplift the socio-economic conditions of rural farming communities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/searca-dost-tie-climate-change-scholarships/342899/
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DoE chief tells TransCo: Lower power, ‘Net rates
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-05-06 01:11:11+00:00
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Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Friday ordered the National Transmission Co. (TransCo) to maximize the utilization of the fiber optic assets of the power transmission facilities to lower electricity and Internet rates.“At the onset of this administration, we repeatedly requested the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), through TransCo, to provide the details on how we can take full advantage of their fiber optic assets embedded in the grid,” Cusi said.“I have personally asked the officials of NGCP to provide such status report, because we want to make the Internet services in the country faster and more reliable with the help of our transmission facilities,” he added.Cusi said the availability and readiness of the fiber optic assets on the transmission system could improve the electricity services of the NGCP and reduce the cost of electricity and the national broadband project.But the Department of Energy, as well as TransCo, is yet to receive an update from the NGCP amid the sudden proliferation of full-page paid print advertisements and repeated pronouncements over the media to support the government’s broadband and grid inter-connection projects.“While we are waiting for NGCP’s data and proposals on the project, there’s a need to clarify the impressions that are being projected by NGCP that it is voluntarily, willing and able to provide these services for the benefit of the public,” Cusi said.Amid the apparent disregard of NGCP of the request, the Energy chief directed TransCo to audit the NGCP’s work program.The audit’s initial findings:a) Rejection by the NGCP of a request of the National Government in 2012 for the use of spare fiber for the Integrated Government Philippines (IGovPhils) Project;b) Concealment of a contract involving the use of the national government’s transmission assets (substations,high voltage towers/poles, and high-voltage transmission lines) as a telecommunications backbone; andc) Decommissioning and dismantling of a separately installed Fiber Optic Network used by major telecommunications companies.Moreover, as the owner of the transmission facilities, TransCo has been instructed by Cusi to spearhead the move for the utilization of the fiber optic assets for cheaper and faster IT services as well as to lower the price of electricity.The DoE oversees TransCo, which is mandated to protect the national government’s interests by ensuring NGCP’s compliance with the terms and conditions of the Concession Agreement and the policies of the State.Under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, the NGCP was awarded the sole Concession Agreement for the country’s transmission system in 2009.“At the end of the day, what we would like to achieve is that the consuming public would benefit from all the government deals and activities, thus we are exploring and exhausting all the potentials of the transmission system as a government-owned asset,” Cusi said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/doe-chief-tells-transco-lower-power-net-rates/325795/
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US donates 1,000 protective masks to PH Navy
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['Rj Carbonell']
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2017-09-02 23:26:18+00:00
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The United States Embassy in the Philippines said on Saturday it has given 1,000 protective masks and filter canisters to the Philippine Navy.According to the embassy, the Joint United States Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) delivered 1,000 M40 field protective masks and C2 filter canisters to the Philippine Navy’s Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown in Taguig City.It was one of many recent deliveries from the US through the Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), which aims to help the Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP)’s counterterrorism efforts.“As the fighting continues in Mindanao, the [Philippine Navy] requested these gas masks in order to better prepare their sailors and marines to respond to chemical threats.” The US Embassy said in a statement.The transfer was part of a series of ongoing transfers from the US military to multiple branches of AFP through both the MLSA and the security assistance program.Through the MLSA, the AFP is able to receive select munitions and equipment from US military stocks.“The United States is proud to work closely with the Republic of the Philippines, and will continue to support capacity-building counterterrorism efforts and the AFP’s long-term modernization goals,” the US Embassy said.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/us-donates-1000-protective-masks-ph-navy/348347/
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Aquino pushes entry of more foreign telecom firms
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-12-18 21:27:21+00:00
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SEN. Paolo Benigno Aquino 4th on Monday pushed for the entry of more foreign players in the telecommunication industry, saying it will lead to the provision of better services.President Rodrigo Duterte earlier announced that China Telecom will be the third player in the country’s telecom industry to break the duopoly of Globe and Smart.“I’m in favor of having more players come in whatever country they are (from), whether China, (South) Korea. Previously, it would be (Telstra from) Australia,” Aquino said.“We need to allow these foreign telcos because the more competitors that we have, the better prices would be, the better service would be,” he said.Aquino, chairman of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology, on Monday conducted the first public hearing on Senate Bill 171 or the “Open Access in Data Transmission Bill” that aims to invite more players in the telecom sector.“We tackled the Open Access Bill. It is already approved in the House (of Representatives). We’re trying to pass it here at the Senate,” he said.“Open access means we’re opening the market of Data Provision or Data Transmission in our country. We saw that the data transmission in our country is quite slow and expensive because of the small number of players. That’s why we want to open the entire data transmission market,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/aquino-pushes-entry-foreign-telecom-firms/369385/
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PH, Australia start sea drills in Palawan
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-07-17 00:03:57+00:00
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The Philippine Navy and the Royal Australian Navy kicked off on Monday joint maritime exercises in Palawan.The drills focus on kidnapping and counter-terrorism.Cpt. Cheryl Tindog, spokeswoman for the military’s Palawan-based Western Command (WestCom), said the Naval Forces West (NavForWest), which is the naval component of the WestCom, and the Royal Australian Navy will hold the Maritime Security Activity until July 25.Tindog said the naval drill aims to enhance the training, interoperability and cooperation of the participants in addressing terrorism and kidnapping activities.The exercises will be held in North Palawan, Coron and Balabac Island.“The exercises will be more of sea phase such as ship-board training, individual shipboard training, search and rescue drills, maritime surveillance and also testing of communication systems aboard the ship such as flashing of lights, hoisting, among others,” Tindog told reporters in a phone interview.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-australia-start-sea-drills-in-palawan/420087/
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DepEd lowers passing score for takers of ‘alternative’ test
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['Francis Earl Cueto']
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2018-03-04 00:02:33+00:00
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Less than 17 percent of out-of-school youth and adults who took last year’s examination under the Alternative Learning System (ALS) passed, prompting officials from the Department of Education (DepEd) to make immediate changes to accommodate those who failed.A statement said Education Secretary Leonor Briones adjusted the passing score in the 2016 A&E Test conducted in November 2017 from 75 percent to the generally accepted passing score of 60 percent.With the change in the passing score, the passing rate jumped to 46.8 percent from 16.49 percent of the 15,845 elementary level examinees and to 62.08 percent from 15.58 percent of the 168,167 junior high school level examinees.Briones made the adjustment in consultation with concerned officers and personnel of the department after a thorough evaluation of factors that contributed to the dismal result of the test, such as change in language of assessment, difference in designs of the past and the present tests and length of time between intervention and conduct of test.The Division Testing Committees (DTCs) of School Division Offices have been instructed to accommodate the November 2017 A&E takers who still did not reach the adjusted passing score as walk-in examinees on March 4 (Luzon) and March 11 (Visayas and Mindanao) despite non-presentation of required documents (e.g. Certificate of Rating or CoR).The same adjusted cut-off score shall be implemented but only for the aforementioned tests.The DTCs shall prepare and facilitate the registration of these walk-in examinees at the testing centers from 6:30 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. prior to pre-test activities.Only the examinees who took the A&E Test last November 2017 but fell short of the adjusted passing score and the learners who earlier registered for the March 2018 test are qualified to take the examination.Photocopying of answer sheets is allowed only for the March A&E Test administration to ensure that all qualified examinees will be able to take the test.Briones has also instructed concerned officers and personnel to conduct a comprehensive review of the A&E examination standards, including their alignment with existing learning resources and instruction delivery.She ordered the suspension of the provision in DepEd Order No. 55, Series of 2016 that sets 75 percent as the passing score until further notice.The Education department continues to expand and intensify ALS projects and partnerships so that more out-of-school youth and adults may be provided with options, either through skills training or higher education, to improve their lives and to contribute to nation-building.Questions and concerns about the A&E Test may be addressed to the Bureau of Education Assessment at (02) 631-2591 or (02) 631-2589, or at [email protected].
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/deped-lowers-passing-score-takers-alternative-test/383922/
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Lapeña confirms Faeldon received P107-M ‘welcome gift’
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['Ganny Salazar Sabino', 'Ray Nonato', 'Rey David', 'Lucas Temoteo', 'Kwak Kwak Kwak', 'Berdugo Katapang', 'Liwanag Para Sa Bayan', 'Simon Antonio', 'Parasa Bayan']
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17/10/2017 0:00
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Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña has confirmed that former customs chief Nicanor Faeldon received not P100-million, but P107-million “pasalubong” or welcome gift, according to Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.In an interview over ANC Headstart yesterday, Lacson said Lapeña confided to him in his office that Faeldon got P107-million before attending a Senate hearing on the P6.4-billion shabu shipment.Lacson, in his privilege speech earlier at the Senate, alleged Faeldon was involved in the so-called “tara” system prevalent in the BOC despite the latter’s persistent denial.“No less than Commissioner Lapeña testified. He confirmed that indeed there is the pasalubong money. And he confided to me: ‘Sir hindi P100-million but P107-million yung inabot (sa kanya),” Lacson said.Lapeña, according to Lacson, admitted he discovered it because he too experienced being given a welcome gift right after President Duterte assigned him to take over the BOC following corruption allegations against Faeldon.“Somebody whispered to him na ang source, or one of the sources, at least yung tax credit certificates (TCCs) kasi in bulk (yun),” the senator said.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/10/17/lapena-confirms-faeldon-received-p107-m-welcome-gift/
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Labor hopes for abolition of job contractualization
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-07-16 18:26:45+00:00
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GRASSROOTS workers remain hopeful that President Rodrigo Duterte will address their concerns in his coming second State-of-the-Nation Address, particularly their long demand for the abolition of work contractualization.Taking the cudgels for the estimated 25 to 30 million contractual workers, the group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), in a statement over the weekend, called on the President to address the issues of unemployment and underemployment, and the falling buying power of the existing daily minimum wage.“The Duterte one-year honeymoon period with the people is over. It is now time for action. Grassroots workers and their families want to know from the President the Duterte roadmap to address falling wages, joblessness and underemployment with five years left in his term. We want to know [his] plan on how to make economic growth benefit workers who helped built that wealth and how he intends to accomplish them,” ALU spokesman Alan Tanjusay said.The ALU-TUCP is the biggest workers’ organization in the country registered with the Department of Labor and Employment.Although majority of its members come from the banking, manufacturing, services and agricultural sectors, it also has members in the public sector and the informal-economy sector.According to the group, there are close to 12 million unemployed and underemployed individuals while the purchasing power of the daily pay fell from 24 percent to 27 percent in highly urbanized Metro Manila and in 16 other regions nationwide in view of a 3.4 percent inflation rate announced by the government in March this year.It said short-term endo (end of contract) or contractualized workers, numbering 25 to 30 million working in hotels, restaurants, malls, factories and plantations nationwide are hopeful that the President would come up with an Executive Order (EO) that outlaws the temporary work arrangement.In his May 1 Labor Day speech, Duterte asked workers for time on his campaign promise to abolish job contractualization, asking the Nagkaisa labor coalition group to draft for him to sign an EO that obliges direct-hiring, does away with labor contractors and cooperatives and eradicates fixed-term employment.“The rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer because workers’ wages and benefits are inadequate. There are no new decent jobs created and if there are jobs, they carry no security of tenure and skills and jobs are mismatched. There is no trickle-down effect. There is no genuine progress because of these inequalities,” Tanjusay said.WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/labor-hopes-abolition-job-contractualization/338742/
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MRT-3 SETS RECORD OF NO UNLOADING INCIDENTS FOR 17 DAYS
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['Reicelene Joy Ignacio']
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2018-05-13 00:03:28+00:00
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THE METRO Rail Transit-3 achieved a record of no unloading incidents for 17 consecutive days, the Department of Transportation said on Friday. “This is the longest no unloading incident streak since 2011. This surpassed the 13 consecutive days of no unloading from October 12 to 24, 2014,” the DOTr said. “It was in 2011 when the incidence of passenger unloading started to increase, prompting the MRT-3 Transport Division to implement an efficient records-keeping system in the same year that will keep track of the number and causes of unloading incidents,” the DOTr said. The MRT-3 was also able to operate with 18 trains on Thursday evening, the ideal average of running trains. Prior to this, it was on November 16, 2017 that the DOTr was able to deploy 18 operational trains to the MRT-3.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/mrt-3-sets-record-of-no-unloading-incidents-for-17-days/398431/
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US embassy in Manila closed on friday
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-06-13 22:30:59+00:00
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THE United States Embassy in Manila will be closed on Friday, June 15, in observance of Eid’l Fitr. A statement released on Wednesday said all affiliate offices of the embassy will also be closed during the important religious holiday of Muslims. The embassy and affiliated offices will resume their services on Monday, June 18.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/us-embassy-in-manila-closed-on-friday/407831/
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Seek amnesty before Ramadan, illegal OFWs urged
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-05-08 22:00:07+00:00
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THE Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) has called on some 5,000 undocumented and overstaying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to avail early of the host country’s 90-day general amnesty program ahead of the observance of the holy month of Ramadan.OWWA Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac made the urgent call on Monday over a warning from the Saudi government that undocumented foreigners who failed to apply for amnesty would be arrested, jailed and slapped a stiff fine ranging from SR15,000 to SR 100,000 or P199,350 to P1,329,000.It is believed that the general amnesty is a prelude to a possible crackdown on overstaying and undocumented foreigners in line with the Kingdom’s so-called “Saudization” program and in compliance with an amended Saudi Labor Law.Cacdac said the urgency has been made more pronounced by the coming Ramadan wherein office hours will be short, giving rise to possibility that late amnesty applications may not be processed at all .“Ramadan will start on the last week of May and office hours will be shorter. As a result, it is also expected that the processing of amnesty applications will be much longer. Thus the possibility that applications of those who will apply for amnesty on the last month [of the 90-day amnesty] will not be processed before the end of the amnesty program,” he noted on his Facebook page.The 90-day Saudi Arabian amnesty program was launched on March 29, 2017.It covers undocumented and overstaying foreign individuals of Umrah, Hajj and visit visa holders; OFWs with expired iqamas (residence permits), or have never been issued an iqama; Huroob cases or those who escaped from their employers; and OFWs who were abandoned by their employers, including their dependents.The amnesty applications of OFWs with these cases will be processed free of penalties, and will be given with exit permits, and issued with exemption in acquiring certificate of no objection from their employers.The workers will also be exempted from the usual “deportee fingerprint system” and will be able to return to the kingdom legally.But undocumented OFWs who have police cases, traffic violations and bank obligations are not entitled to the amnesty.Aside from processing their travel documents and clearances, the government will be paying for the plane tickets of the stranded OFWs going back to the Philippines.The first batch of 139 Filipinos who were granted exit visas under Saudi Arabia’s “Nation without Violations” amnesty program arrived last April 17.Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd earlier sent a team of senior labor officials to Saudi Arabia to facilitate the repatriation process to bring home the distressed OFWs.“We understand that they are distressed. Those who prefer to stay are allowed to stay because some of them have already found a job. However, more OFWs want to go home, that’s the mission of the delegation, to take advantage of the amnesty, and bring home all stranded OFWs in Saudi,” Bello said.More than 11,000 OFWs have lost their jobs as a result of the economic crisis brought about by the drop in oil price in the Gulf states.On orders of King Salman bin Abulaziz Al Saud, the Saudi government provided welfare assistance to the jobless OFWs, including waiving of immigration penalties because of expired working visa, plane fare to OFWs returning to the country, food aid, reemployment assistance to those who wish to work in other companies and legal assistance on money claims.Bello said the Labor department, OWWA and the Bureau of Local Employment are ready to assist the repatriated OFWs when they arrive in the Philippines.They will be given livelihood assistance for them to continue earning income while still looking for a regular job in the country.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/seek-amnesty-ramadan-illegal-ofws-urged/326167/
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Slow Marawi rehab exasperates Duterte
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['Ralph Villanueva']
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2018-10-19 00:02:10+00:00
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Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo on Thursday admitted that President Rodrigo Duterte was “exasperated” with the slow rehabilitation process in Marawi City, which was ravaged by a five-month war between the Maute terror group and government troops.Panelo said groundbreaking rites for the reconstruction of the Islamic City will be held at the end of October.“Yes, he was exasperated. But that red tape is already over. [The rehabilitation] will start soon,” Panelo said in a news briefing. “We cannot avoid delays. But, the groundbreaking will start by the end of the month so for me, [the rehabilitation] will be faster. The problem in Marawi is too big,” he added.The groundbreaking for the reconstruction project was moved several times. It was originally set in March, but the task force in charge of the project postponed it to April, then to May.In May, the task force said the groundbreaking would be on the first week of June, but this was again moved to July. In July, the task force said it would be in August but it was reset to August and later, to September.Last week, Task Force Bangon Marawi secretary-general Falconi Millar said the groundbreaking would be on October 17, the first anniversary of the liberation of Marawi.On Monday, the task force announced that it would push through on October 28.The groundbreaking will signal the start of the cleaning of debris in most affected areas.Filipino company Finmat International Resources Inc. was chosen to head the debris management, Task Force Bangon Marawi chairman Eduardo del Rosario said.Millar voiced optimism that the rehabilitation process would be finished by the end of 2021.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/slow-marawi-rehab-exasperates-duterte/453722/
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Scaled-down ‘Balikatan’ still relevant – US general
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['Philippines News Agency']
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2017-05-13 23:29:02+00:00
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THIS year’s joint military exercises between Philippine and US troops remains “relevant and beneficial” even if scaled down to training on counter-terrorism and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR), the American training director for the “Balikatan” (shoulder to shoulder) exercises said.“Despite the fact that this is not a large-scale conventional force, a portion of ‘Balikatan’ this year, the counter-terrorism (training) is legitimate. It’s real, its something we’re doing together and I think that continued training on that is beneficial for both of our nations,” Lt. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson said shortly after the opening ceremonies of the annual military drills this week.“HADR is always relevant and I think especially as typhoon season [draws near] across the region, our ability to respond and help neighbors has never been more important,” he said.“Balikatan” 2017, which began on May 8 and will end on May 19, features mostly high-impact HADR training, including rescuing people trapped in a collapsed structure during a massive earthquake and landing relief units and goods in a typhoon-isolated area.HADR is one of the missions President Rodrigo Duterte wants the Armed Forces of the Philippines to be proficient in, along with counter-terrorism.When asked whether US troops, 2,600 of whom are participating in “Balikatan,” felt let down because of the exercises’ focus on HADR and counter-terrorism, Nicholson said this was not the case.“I can tell you that every Marine, sailor, soldier, man coming to the Philippines for the exercise, is not disappointed. They are looking forward to it. Again, as I said, HADR and counter-terrorism are two critically important areas of concern for both of our nations, for all other nations, so I think there’s a lot of work to be done,” he said.A total of 2,800 Filipinos and 80 military personnel from the Australian Defense Force are also participating in the 12-day exercise.“There’s a lot of sharing of techniques and tactics and procedures so we’re excited by the work that we are going to do, and yes absolutely, we think [that] in the years ahead, there will be different focuses for ‘Balikatan,’ so I’m confident of this year’s success,” Nicholson said.The exercises were only downscaled after Duterte sought to end the “Balikatan” exercises with the US last year, so as not to agitate China. Duterte also claimed there was no transfer of technical know-how during large-scale drills with the Americans.Manila however has treaty obligations with Washington.Apart from the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty in which both countries agreed to defend each other in case of an external attack, Manila and Washington signed in 1998 a Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) governing the conduct of American soldiers in the Philippines.The 10-year Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the previous Aquino administration in 2014, a supplement to the VFA, allows the rotational presence of US troops as well as their access to Philippine military facilities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/scaled-balikatan-still-relevant-us-general/327084/
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Immigration bureau to deport Australian nun
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-07-20 00:04:33+00:00
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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Thursday ordered the deportation of Australian missionary Patricia Anne Fox for being an undesirable alien.It included Fox in its blacklist and barred her from returning to the Philippines.The resolution, signed by BI’s Board of Special Inquiry (BSI) lawyers Marcela P. Malaluan, Romaine Pascual and Gregorio Sadiasa, was approved by the Board of Commissioners.“Fox’s active participation in political rallies, fact-finding missions, and conferences in various areas of the country as admitted by Fox herself in her memorandum and as shown by photographs of her in these political activities is contrary to the conditions laid down by said orders and her representations when she applied for a missionary visa,” it said.It added that Fox’s presence in the country “poses a risk to public interest.”Fox’s lawyer, Maria Sol Taule, said the Australian missionary was “utterly dismayed” by the resolution and will file a motion for reconsideration before the Department of Justice.“Fox has been doing her missionary work in the Philippines for the past 27 years undisturbed by any deportation case. Helping the poor is not a risk to public interest, peace or order,” Taule and two other lawyers – Jobet Pahilga and Kathy Panguban – said in a joint statement.“President Duterte and the BI have no basis to say that Fox is an undesirable alien, unless their definition of undesirability is helping the poor. [She] does not deserve this kind of persecution,” they added.In June, the Justice department granted Fox’s appeal to reverse the BI’s decision to withdraw her missionary visa.Fox, 71, said she was saddened by the turn of events and that she was informed about the BI’s resolution while she was attending the Philippine Conference on New Evangelization.Fox began her missionary work in the Philippines in 1990.GLEE JALEA AND CATHERINE A. MODESTO
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/immigration-bureau-to-deport-australian-nun/421391/
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Probe digital currency firm, Justice chief orders NBI
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['Jomar Canlas']
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2018-02-03 00:04:18+00:00
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The Department of Justice (DoJ) on Thursday ordered an investigation of a digital currency firm that allegedly uses the name of Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd and the Senate itself to attract customers.Department Order 57 was issued by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre 2nd mandating the National Bureau ofInvestigation (NBI) to conduct the probe.The document was dated February 1, 2018, ordering NBI Director Dante to build up a case against Digital Currency Co. Ltd. (DCC) and a certain Boy Joven for their virtual Philippine Global Coin (PGC) or such other securities or products.Aguirre said if evidence warrants, criminal cases must be filed in court over alleged misrepresentation committed by DCC and Joven.Pimentel said the DCC had claimed that it has partnered with the Senate of the Philippines for the release of a virtual currency called the PGC, using pictures of the Senate chief to support its claim.It was pointed out that the Senate cannot issue currency because that mandate belongs to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.Pimentel expressed concern that the DCC might target overseas Filipino workers, putting their hard-earned savings at risk.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/probe-digital-currency-firm-justice-chief-orders-nbi/377861/
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JPE shrugs off move to bring him back to jail
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2018-10-25 00:02:44+00:00
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Former senator Juan Ponce Enrile on Wednesday shrugged off moves to bring him back to jail.“I leave it to the good judgment of the Ombudsman and the Supreme Court. They (petitioners) have not done so much for the progress of the province, but just talk and talk,” Enrile, who is seeking a Senate seat in next year’s elections, said in a forum in Quezon City.He was referring to Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba and former Buguey mayor Ignacio Taruc who filed a petition before the Office of the Ombudsman on Monday.Mamba and Ignacio said Enrile should be sent back to jail because he is not fit to launch a nationwide campaign. They said Enrile, who is facing plunder charges in connection with the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or “pork barrel,” was granted bail because of his old age and deteriorating health.The former Senate president said his health deteriorated when he was detained at Camp Crame.“They hate me. They do not say anything good about me. The [Mamba] family is an ingrate. I recommended the appointment of Mamba as mayor,” Enrile said.If he wins, Enrile said he would support the shift to federal form of government.“I read the proposed constitution that will replace the 1987 Constitution. I find some loopholes and I want to contribute on how to make it better,” he told reporters.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/jpe-shrugs-off-move-to-bring-him-back-to-jail/456669/
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Duterte declares holidays for 2019
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['Catherine S. Valente']
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2018-08-17 00:03:10+00:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte has declared 17 holidays for next year.Duterte signed on Wednesday, August 15, Proclamation 555 declaring 10 regular holidays and seven special non-working days, paving the way for several long weekends.The regular holidays include New Year’s Day, January 1 (Tuesday); Araw ng Kagitingan, April 9 (Tuesday); Maundy Thursday, April 18; Good Friday, April 19; Labor Day, May 1 (Wednesday); Independence Day, June 12 (Wednesday); National Heroes Day, August 26 (Monday); Bonifacio Day, November 30 (Saturday); Christmas Day, December 25 (Wednesday); and Rizal Day, December 30 (Monday).The special non-working days are Chinese New Year, February 5 (Tuesday); EDSA People Power Revolution anniversary, February 25 (Monday); Black Saturday, April 20; Ninoy Aquino Day, August 21 (Wednesday); All Saints’ Day, November 1 (Friday); Feast of the Immaculate Concepcion of Mary, December 8 (Sunday); and December 31 (Monday).Two additional special holidays are All Souls’ Day, November 2 (Saturday) and Christmas Eve, December 24 (Tuesday).The extra holidays were declared to “strengthen family ties” in commemorating such activities as well as to promote domestic tourism, the proclamation said.The President also declared the observance of Eid’l Fit’r and Eid’l Adha as national holidays but the dates will be issued after “the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined in accordance with the Islamic calendar [Hijra] or the lunar calendar, or upon Islamic astronomical calculations, whichever is possible or convenient.”The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos has been designated to inform the Office of the President of the actual dates when the holidays will fall.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/duterte-declares-holidays-for-2019/431134/
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Be more active vs drug killings, CHR urged
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['Jaime Pilapil']
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2017-07-14 21:32:44+00:00
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A human rights lawyer on Friday urged the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to be more active in helping solve drug-related killings, especially in cases where police say suspects resist arrest and put up a fight.Jose Manuel Diokno, founding dean of the De La Salle University College of Law and the current chairman of the Free Legal Assistance Group, said he will talk again to CHR Chairman Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon and tell him about his proposal.“I already told him that [the CHR should] have an active role in exposing the scheme of the police alleging that the drug addict or pusher had put up a fight. All they have to do is rush to the crime scene and interview the relatives if indeed the suspect had resisted arrest and drew his gun,” the son of the late iconic freedom fighter and lawyer Jose “Pepe” Diokno added.“If we do these to expose these killings, then we will open the minds of the people and convince them to join us in opposing extra-judicial killings and stop this impunity,” he told The Manila Times after his 30-minute talk at a forum organized by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines-National Capital Region held at Adamson University in Ermita, Manila.In Manila alone, on the average, at least three drug-related killings resulting from buy-busts take place.Another forum speaker, Ryan Jeremiah Quan, also a lawyer who works at CHR, said such killings have become a new normal.“According to the police, one third of these 8,000 killings were legitimate police operations. However, only about 400 are being investigated by the CHR. Relatives of the victims are afraid to express their outrage against the police for fear that they might be next in line,” Quan added.He blamed social media and millions of followers of President Rodrigo Duterte for the apathy, making people not feeling any personal connection and making human rights an abstract notion.Diokno urged the new leaders of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to be more vocal against extrajudicial killings (EJKs) and the “new normal” killings of suspected drug pushers/users via buy-busts.The DLSU dean called on President Duterte to fill up the vacant seats in courts, saying 20 percent of courts nationwide are still unoccupied. “Filling up these vacancies will help in [resolving] pending cases.”
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/active-vs-drug-killings-chr-urged/338376/
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Marawi evacuees hurting – RM awardee
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['The Manila Times']
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2017-08-30 19:58:56+00:00
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If there is one person who understands the sufferings of people displaced by an ongoing war or armed conflict, she can be Gethsie Shanmugan of Sri Lanka who is now in the country to receive on Thursday evening the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award.Shanmugan, 83, is a veteran worker in conflict zones as she witnessed the almost three decades of the Sri Lanka civil war that left thousands dead, abused, tortured, detained and displaced. The war between Sinhalese and Tamil forces finally ended in 2009.“I can feel that they are hurting. Love must reign among warring tribes. We should not label them because they are experiencing problems known only to them,” she told The Manila Times in an exclusive interview.She was referring to evacuees from Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, who were displaced by fighting between government forces and the Maute Group terrorists that began in May.“We must present ourselves as a go-between. We must not take sides. I am talking to you because you are labeled as such. That should not be. We talk to them because they are human beings because we want to give them the time to listen to them,” Shanmugan said.More than 40,000 evacuees are now sheltered in various gymnasiums, schools and barangay (village) halls.More than 250,000 residents of Marawi left the city and are now temporarily living with their relatives in various parts of the country, including Metro Manila.Together with Shanmugan, the five others who will each receive a citation today at a ceremony to be held at Cultural Center of the Philippines are Yoshiaki Ishizawa of Japan, Lilia de Lima of the Philippines, Abdon Nababan of Indonesia, Tony Tay of Singapore and the Philippine Educational Theater Association of the Philippines.According to the citation, the Ramon Magsaysay board of trustees recognizes Shanmugan’s compassion and courage in working under extreme conditions to rebuild war-scarred lives, her tireless efforts over four decades in building Sri Lanka’s capacity for psychological support and her deep, inspiring humanity in caring for women and children, who are regarded as the civil war’s most vulnerable victims.“Genuine love is accepting people as they are. We do not know why they are doing something. Understanding them is a challenge but first, listen to them. Show them the compassion,” she said.Shanmugan trained school teachers on handling traumatized children especially after the 2004 tsunami that left 31,000 confirmed dead.“I feel I am not retired, I am just beginning,” she also told The Manila Times, saying what she actually does is for people to become happy.“It is an awakening. Start again something,” she said.According to Shanmugan, she is still in “shock” because she was not at all expecting to receive the award.She said parents should develop the emotional side of the children.Aside from physical and spiritual advancement, Shanmugan added, children must learn to express their emotion.“Know yourself first. Ask yourself, ‘Who am I, why I am here?’ then accept yourself as you are, this is the first step. Then you will start accepting others, loving others. In the process, love and caring are everywhere and you will carry it, [making] your neighbors [feel it],” Shanmugan said.She added that since there will be love, there will be no violence. “The highest form of love is sacrifice. We give time for our children.”Shanmugan encourages people to take time in sitting in silence and do some breathing and exhaling exercises.“Life is an emotional relationship. It does not start with marriage. It starts before the child is born, before the choice of partner. Every child must learn and appreciate the beauty of growing,” she said.A first-time visitor to the Philippines, Shanmugan has authored books on migrant workers’ children, sexual abuse of adolescent girls, child-friendly teaching practices and war widows and children. She has earned many awards and citations and the Ramon Magsaysay Award but she said the Ramon Magsaysay Award is the “biggest and most prestigious”’ of them all.Ramon Magsaysay after whom the Ramon Magsaysay Awards were named, was a former President of the Philippines who died in an airplane crash in the 1950s.JAIME R. PILAPIL
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/marawi-evacuees-hurting-rm-awardee/347679/
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Joyce Bernal to direct President’s 3rd SONA
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['Arlo Custodio']
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2018-07-06 00:05:22+00:00
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Box-office hit director Joyce Bernal is taking over the job of directing the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Rodrigo Duterte from Cannes Film Festival Best Director Brillante Mendoza, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.Mendoza directed the first two SONAs, which were met by more jeers than cheers for his restless camera work that had too many close-ups on the President’s eyes, face and hands. The general comment was that the director’s attempt at a more artistic presentation of the speech distracted viewers from the President’s message.Andanar confirmed media speculation that action star Robin Padilla, a staunch supporter and friend of the President, had a hand in the choosing of Bernal.Andanar said it was Padilla who requested for Bernal, his long-time friend and director, to come on board, “and the President [immediately] approved it.”Bernal first directed Padilla in the 2000 Star Cinema movie “Tunay Na Tunay: Gets Mo? Gets Ko” with JolinaMagdangal, followed by the Viva Films blockbuster “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw” with Regine Velasquez.In 2001, she also helmed the action star’s box office outings “Buhay Kamao” and “Pagdating Ng Panahon” with Megastar Sharon Cuneta.“I am committed to direct the SONA but I will maintain my independence as director,” Bernal said when reached by ABS-CBN’s “TV Patrol” for comment on her new project.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/joyce-bernal-to-direct-presidents-3rd-sona/416333/
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PCSO strengthens partnership with AFP
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['The Manila Times']
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2018-08-29 00:13:39+00:00
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Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) General Manager Alexander Balutan on Tuesday said the agency would continue to partner with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for the smooth delivery of medical assistance to victims of calamities.“I really appreciate AFP chief General Carlito Galvez Jr. for paying a courtesy call on PCSO. I didn’t expect him to come to our office and say thank you for all the assistance that PCSO extended to the AFP specially during the Marawi crisis. He was then the commanding general of the Western Mindanao Command in charge of fighting the Abu Sayyaf, Jemaah Islamiyah and Maute terrorists,” Balutan said.Balutan, a retired Marine general, is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Matikas” Class of 1983; while Galvez is a member of “Sandiwa” Class ‘85.Galvez said the AFP-PCSO partnership is not only beneficial to the people who need immediate medical assistance during time of calamities, but also to soldiers and their dependents during time of crisis.Balutan recalled the case of baby Gabe, son of a Scout Ranger officer battling the terrorists in Marawi, who needed immediate surgery.“I can still vividly remember my long conversation with the junior officer sending all his appeals to me during lull moments in battle, asking for financial assistance for his baby boy. I was teary-eyed reading all his messages and prayed hard he will live for his kid and wife who didn’t know he was in Marawi for a very critical and dangerous mission. I said yes to all his appeals and assured him to save the life of his baby boy while praying hard also for his safety and his men,” Balutan said.He said he personally delivered medicines and bottled water worth millions of pesos to the evacuation centers in Marawi and Iligan City during the height of the military campaign against the terrorists, including the donation of a drone that ground troops used to penetrate enemy positions.“These medical services and other forms of assistance fall under PCSO’s Calamity Assistance Program which is part of the 30 percent Charity Fund allocation,” Balutan said.In December 2018, the PCSO donated P102 million for medical equipment upgrade in selected military hospitals in Mindanao. The agency also donated in November 2017 P20 million for the purchase of medical equipment for the Philippine National Police General Hospital in Camp Crame.“All these donations fall under PCSO’s Institutional Partnership Program that we’re strengthening all throughout the years,” Balutan said.Aside from these programs, Balutan said there is also the Endowment Fund program, the Medicines Procurement program and the Integrated for Health Overall Productivity and Empowerment (I-HOPE).Just recently, the PCSO gave P5 million to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.Every year, the National Anti-Poverty Commission identifies four poorest provinces in the country that are recipients of PCSO’s P50 million donation for the upgrade of their medical facilities.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/pcso-strengthens-partnership-with-afp/435650/
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Phivolcs to Cabuyao, Laguna, folk: Be prepared for the ‘Big One’
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['Edorian Mip', 'Tibo Basques', 'Ver Caparas']
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16/07/2017 0:00
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Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Undersecretary and Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Executive Director Dr. Renato Solidum has urged Cabuyao officials and residents to always be on the lookout for earthquakes and increase their preparedness level since Barangay Casile sits atop the active West Valley Fault System.Solidum was the main resource speaker at the National Disaster Resilience Month observance of the city with the theme “4Ks: Kamalayan sa Kahandaan, Katumbas ay Kaligtasan” over the weekend.Solidum elaborated how Cabuyao can likely be affected by the “Big One” and why disaster preparedness is important.He called on officials and residents to identify areas that can possibly be affected by 7.2 magnitude quake while referring to the powerful earthquakes that jolted Leyte and Batangas recently.“It is vital in the proper planning for the earthquake disaster to make risk assessment by classifying the possible damages like buildings and other structures and to determine possible injured victims and casualties,” Solidum said.He urged city officials, disaster managers, village executives, the academe, the private sector and all stakeholders to convince the communities here to prioritize disaster preparedness to save lives and properties.According to the Phivolcs chief, the Philippines ranks third among countries prone to natural hazards and vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, typhoons, storm surges, floods and landslides.“We provide you science-based hazard and risk scenarios for extreme and large-scale events and by using science we should make community safer,” Solidum added.He explained that a large earthquake from the West Valley Fault can significantly affect Metro Manila and surrounding provinces like Laguna, hence the need to understand and appreciate the hazards and risks to prepare and respond to it appropriately.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/07/16/phivolcs-to-cabuyao-laguna-folk-be-prepared-for-the-big-one/
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Universal Robina buys 10 tons of Robusta coffee from Sulu
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['Victorino Villaflor']
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16/05/2017 0:00
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Sulu Royal Coffee, an agrarian reform cooperative engaged in producing high quality coffee beans, has received a purchase order from Universal Robina Corp. for 10,000 kilograms, or 10 metric tons, of Robusta coffee bean ‘red pick’.This information was relayed to the Department of Agrarian Reform – Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (DAR-ARMM) by Kumalah ‘Coffee Princess’ Elardo, leader of an agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organization in Panamao, Sulu.Kumalah told DAR-ARMM officials that prior to the placement of the order, Universal Robina’s research group carefully examined the harvest from her group to make sure the Robusta coffee the company would buy is of high quality.The Sulu Royal Coffee beans are produced by the Kandayok Agrarian Reform Community’s (ARC) People’s Alliance for Progress Multi-purpose Cooperative (PAPMPC), which is based in the town of Panamao.The bulk order will represents around 70 percent of the cooperative’s accumulated harvest over four months, Kumalah said.Also under the wings of PAPMPC are Kahawa Sug Royal Coffee, which also produces Robusta, and Kahawa Kubing Royal Coffee, which is roasted civet coffee.These products have received recognition from the international market, especially in Southeast Asian countries.The Sulu Royal Coffee has received recognitions in the past under the leadership of Kumalah. The cooperative abides by its ‘pick red’, or picked ripe, policy in harvesting as well as other disciplined measures to ensure high quality of its produce.The growing coffee industry in Panamao, Sulu has been observed to provide opportunity for the community to be productive.“Dati nagkakabayo lang ang mga farmers, ngayon naka motor na sila… semento na rin ang kanilang mga bahay” (In the past, the farmers rely on horses for transport, now they have motorcycles… also, their houses are now concreted), said Kumalah.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/16/universal-robina-buys-10-tons-of-robusta-coffee-from-sulu/
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Filipino envoy to head IAEA general conference
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2017-09-20 21:31:21+00:00
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Philippine Ambassador to Austria Maria Zeneida Angara-Collinson was elected president of the 61st International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference that opened on September 18 at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria.The IAEA works for safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.In her speech at the opening of the conference, Collinson said that while nuclear technology offers opportunities in agriculture, health and water, it also poses a threat to safety and security.But, she added, misuse of nuclear power for acquisition of weapons remains the biggest threat.The IAEA, according to its website, was created in 1957 in response to deep fears and expectations generated by discoveries and diverse uses of nuclear technology.Collinson cited developments in North Korea as the real and present danger being faced by the world.“The nuclear non-proliferation regime, which we all support, is being directly challenged and this particular threat needs to be addressed sooner rather than later,” she said in her speech.The IAEA, according to her, should not be judged by factors beyond its control but by its readiness to resume its work under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with North Korea.“We commend the agency for its recent pro-active measures, including the creation of a DPRK unit in the [IAEA] Secretariat,” she added, referring to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea or North Korea.In her speech, Collinson announced the approval by the general conference of a third term for Yukiya Amano as director-general of the agency.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/filipino-envoy-head-iaea-general-conference/351737/
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‘Balikbayan’, OFWs told: Carry your own luggage
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['Benjie Vergara']
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2016-12-07 22:14:21+00:00
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Authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) reminded returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to reject offers from “business personalities” who will ask for favors in exchange for cash.“We are expecting thousands of returning OFWs and balikbayan this Christmas holiday from around the globe.As port courtesy, the OFWs’ luggage will be excluded from examination and inspection unless there are commercial goods and illegal items such as guns, drugs,” Customs District III Collector Ed Macabeo said on Wednesday.Macabeo added that he is reminding the OFWs to carry their own luggage and not accept things from persons they do not know personally and who will only put them at risk.He said that during this season, some unscrupulous individuals abroad are taking advantage by offering cash to would-be victims to carry pieces of luggage for supposed recipients in the Philippines.Macabeo warned that luggage of OFWs bringing in commercial quantities of goods will be automatically subjected to X-ray.Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Ed Monreal has instructed his terminal managers to ensure safe, reliable and convenient operations at the NAIA terminals where thousands of OFWs and balikbayan are expected to arrive this Christmas.Terminals 1 and 3 managers Dante Basanta and Ric Medalla, respectively, said their personnel are already in place to welcome thousands of passengers on the second week of the month.Airline officials, meantime, were also asked to assist their passengers regarding luggage left behind at their point of origin.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/balikbayan-ofws-told-carry-luggage/300522/
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Trump’s ‘little narco’ tag fake news – Trillanes
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2017-11-01 22:27:19+00:00
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SENATOR Antonio Trillanes 4th on Wednesday laughed off reports quoting US President Donald Trump calling him “little narco,” or someone involved in drugs.Trump’s “narco” description of Trillanes were posted on several blogs like Thinking Pinoy, being handled by pro-administration blogger RJ Nieto, Adobo Chronicles and Pinoy Trending news and a few newspapers.According to a blog post, a reporter asked Trump’s reaction on Trillanes’ recent visit to the US and Trump supposedly said, “The little narco met with Sen. Marco [Rubio].”When asked to confirm reports that Trillanes tried to convince him to cancel his trip to the Philippines, Trump apparently said, “Senator who? Like I said, senator who? The little narco who met Marco? How’d he get a visa? Isn’t he wanted? Does’t he have an arrest warrant or something?”“That’s fake news. They can’t even cite the news outfit that conducted the interview,” Trillanes said in a text message to reporters.“In the first place, those senior US government officials would not meet with me if I had dubious credentials,” he added.The opposition senator said, “It goes to show that this RJ Nieto a.k.a Thinking Pinoy is not thinking after all.”“Besides, a significant remark like that would’ve been captured by mainstream media and not released through bloggers, fake news websites and tabloid columns,” he added.In the same supposed interview with Trump, the US President was also quoted as saying, using the Philippine leader’s nickname, “I’m going to Manila to meet the main guy. A leaders’ leader, man’s man Rody [Duterte]. We talk from time to time. He’s head of the Asean right now and when you do deal, you deal with the boss.”“Let us be more discerning about these things,” said Trillanes, a critic of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.He flew to the US on October 16 and met with US Sen. Marco Rubio during which they talked about human rights in the Philippines, among other issues.Trillanes, on October 20, dismissed reports that he tried to convince American officials to dissuade Trump from visiting the Philippines this month for the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/trumps-little-narco-tag-fake-news-trillanes/360092/
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Bahrain offers ‘flexible’ visa for migrant workers
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['Neil Jayson Servallos']
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2018-10-14 00:06:39+00:00
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Bahrain has launched a “Flexible Work Permit” to help undocumented migrant workers acquire regular immigration status, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Saturday.Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Alfonso Ferdinand Ver said Flexi Visa holders would be issued a renewable work permit with two years validity, health insurance coverage, and a return ticket at the end of the contract period or when the worker decides to return to his or her home country.A Flexi visa would also allow a migrant to legally work in Bahrain without an employer sponsor.“Our Embassy in Manama, along with the representatives from our DFA Office of the Undersecretary for MigrantWorkers Affairs, are working with the Bahraini government to ensure that some 1,295 of our kababayan in Bahrain can avail of the program,” Ver said.The Embassy launched its Financial Assistance Program for Filipinos qualified to apply for the Flexi Visa program on Friday.Outgoing Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said the Flexi Visa would be a pathway for undocumented workers to acquire regular immigration status.“We congratulate the Bahraini Government for this forward-thinking policy, and wish them success in the implementation of this project,” he said.The visa, however, may only be issued to undocumented workers without criminal records or travel ban.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bahrain-offers-flexible-visa-for-migrant-workers-2/451963/
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Duterte had ‘very intimate’ meeting with mayors
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['Just Me', 'Yolanda Santos', 'Lance Ceellot', 'Sea Eagle']
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12/1/2017 0:00
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President Rodrigo Duterte met with at least 1,400 mayors in a “very intimate manner” on Wednesday night, January 11 in Malacanang, the palace said on Thursday.“What I can tell you is that it was a heart-to-heart talk between the president and the mayors,” presidential communications secretary Martin Andanar said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer.Andanar said the meeting was ‘highly confidential’ and held in three batches from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.“It is at the closed-door meeting and the President just wanted to talk to the mayors in a very intimate manner,” Andanar said, refusing to reveal the agenda of the meeting.When asked if the president cussed the mayors allegedly linked to illegal drugs, Andanar said the president was just amplifying his message and the policy on illegal drugs.“President Digong is very straight forward when it comes to talking to people specially officials. So what have been discussed of course, we are getting varied reports from different mayors also who were connected to the media.“We know that this is the priority of the President and the enormity of the problem is huge so the President had to talk to them,” he said.Andanar said he will ask presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella to come out with official statement about the meeting with mayors.In his previous speeches, President Duterte had shown a five-inch thick list of individuals including barangay officials, mayors, governors, lawmakers and policemen allegedly linked to illicit drug trades.Andanar said the narco list by the president is “a developing list.”“In battling crime, you need the support of No. 1, the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, the public and the local government executives. So it makes things easier. It makes the war more manageable if all the stakeholders are involved,” Andanar said.President Duterte said the drug menace has contaminated four million Filipinos, prompting his government to declare strong campaign against illegal drugs.Based on the latest PNP data, the war on drugs yielded one million surrenderees, over 44,000 arrested drug personalities and death of 2,212 drug pushers and users in legitimate police operations.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/01/12/duterte-had-very-intimate-meeting-with-mayors/
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Bautista orders fire safety inspection
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2017-02-04 21:57:28+00:00
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~By After a massive fire at a factory in the province of Cavite, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Saturday ordered the city fire department to intensify fire safety inspections within to prevent such incidents. Bautista ordered QC fire marshal Senior Supt. Jesus Fernandez and other heads of the city’s public safety cluster to take proactive measure to avert the Cavite factory fire and the explosion in an LPG refilling station in Pasig City from happening in QC. Bautista also said that he does not want a repeat of the Ozone Disco fire in Tomas Morato, Quezon City in 1996 that killed over a hundred people. Officials said the public may report establishments that pose hazard or may threaten public safety to hotline 122.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/bautista-orders-fire-safety-inspection/310550/
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BoC chief dissolves Port of Manila unit
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-10-30 21:46:11+00:00
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ALL 15 sections of the Formal Entry Division (FED) of the Port of Manila (PoM) have been closed as part of continuing reform programs being implemented by Bureau of Customs (BoC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña to rid the bureau of rampant corruption.“We will be having a queuing system for our importers and brokers. All 15 sections of the PoM and [soon the] Manila International Container Port [MICP] will be removed to lessen face-to-face transactions and familiarity between and among Customs examiners and appraisers, Customs brokers and processors and to prevent collusion,” Lapeña said in a news briefing on Monday.The queuing system is now being pilot-tested at the PoM and once perfected, according to the Customs chief, would be implemented in all collection districts throughout the country.Lapeña said there was marked improvement at the graft-ridden bureau since he assumed office but admitted that “benchmarking,” an illegal form of assessing the value of goods and one of the main sources of corruption, still exists.“One method of mitigating the problem of Customs employee- and Customs- broker collusion /conspiracy is the removal of FED sections,” he added.Under the new queuing system, Lapeña explained, any examiner can be assigned to any broker or shipment at any given time, which would effectively remove familiarity with brokers and importers.In the old system, each shipment is assigned to a particular section.Brokers and importers are also assured of an examiner during office hours to attend to their shipments, a matter that would also test the competence and efficiency of examiners because they have to know the correct assessment and valuation of a particular commodity.“The removal of FED sections will also check the competence of the Customs examiners or appraisers aside from preventing the conspiracy between the bureau employees and stakeholders. With the passage of the CMTA [Customs Modernization and Tariff Act], we also have to check if our employees are adept with the new laws on Customs,” PoM Collector Ernie Aquino said.Aquino added that the queuing system can also be used to verify if the Customs examiners are applying “bencmarking” or the correct valuation.Prior to the dissolution of the FED, Lapeña sacked all 30 section chiefs of the FED of both the PoM and MICP.He assured all stakeholders that their goods would be out of the Customs zone within two hours upon submission of complete and proper documents.On the accreditation of importers, the Customs chief said a queuing system was also implemented on a “first-come, first-served basis,” adding that permits would be out within five days upon submission of complete documents.“Applicants with complete documents should get their permit within five days. It should be released by the Accreditation and Management Office within the said period, if not the Office of the Commissioner will release it to them and the chief of the AMO will be explaining to me why it was not finished in five days,” Lapeña said.According to the Customs commissioner, there were some 1,200 applications for accreditation when he assumed the Customs post but it went down to 236 when he ordered streamlining of the process.He said it would be down to zero within the week.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/boc-chief-dissolves-port-manila-unit/359631/
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Palace task force acts on threats to journalists
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['Jing Villamente']
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2016-11-17 21:13:34+00:00
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Although still awaiting the final signature on his appointment papers, Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) Executive Director and Undersecretary Joel Sy Egco wasted no time in responding to journalists under threat.Upon instructions of Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Egco rushed to Pangasinan last week after receiving reports that two men riding a motorcycle waylaid and shot dwPR radio commentator and Northern Watch columnist Virgilio Maganes.Together with Senior Supt. Henry Ibay of Task Force Usig, Egco visited Maganes at a local hospital where he was being treated for a gunshot wound below his right armpit.Egco said police were immediately dispatched to search for Maganes’ attackers.“We have asked the PNP [Philippine National Police] regional director and provincial director to leave no stone unturned to find the perpetrators and mastermind of this attack. This is the first case of violence against media that I will be handling,” he added.Police have been assigned to provide security for Maganes, and Egco said this will now be the standard operating procedure for journalists who have been attacked or are under serious threat.Other forms of assistance will be provided to the radio commentator as he recuperates from his wounds.In another incident, the PTFoMS executive director formally requested last November 14 the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (PNP-DIDM) to investigate death threats received by dzXL news anchor Lourdes Escaros.The news anchor received several threatening text messages, the last one saying, “Umayos ka Lourdes, kahit kelan walang magandang ginawa sayo si Duterte, mayabang ka, bilang na araw mo [Shape up Lourdes, for you Duterte has done nothing good. You’re arrogant. Your days are numbered].”Police Senior Supt. Fausto Manzanilla has directed the PNP-DIDM to investigate the incident, conduct forensic examination of Escaros and provide security for her family.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/palace-task-force-acts-threats-journalists/297069/
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China squeezing out Manila in sea dispute – expert
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['Dempsey Reyes']
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2018-02-04 00:02:22+00:00
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First of two partsBeijing is only holding off its plans to build over the disputed Scarborough Shoal in order to squeeze out everything from the Duterte administration and move to the “next step,” according to a maritime expert.Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative and Southeast Asia program fellow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, made the statement on Friday as he pointed out that China has been building structures over disputed waters in the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).Poling backed a statement made by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana last year that he was expecting China to eventually build “something” over Scarborough Shoal.“It’s a matter of when, not if, and it’s a matter of what they built. So maybe, they don’t build another giant island [which] was easy to start in late 2013 when nobody was watching,” he said in an interview at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.“I promise that everybody won’t be publishing photos of Chinese [dredgers] tomorrow if [it] started today, so maybe, it’s a small facility,” Poling added.His statements came days after the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) patrolled Scarborough Shoal where it monitored more Chinese vessels including fishing and Coast Guard ships surrounding the territory.For him, there was also a “political decision” that China feels that it is winning the dispute with other claimants to the waters 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales.“If China feels right now that it is winning, why provoke crisis with the Duterte administration? You know, day by day the Chinese are allowed to strengthen their military control over the South China Sea and the Philippines does nothing in response,” Poling explained.‘Next phase’He said Manila might be “forced” to take action once Beijing spoiled its authority over the territorial waters.“If they overplay their hand at Scarborough Shoal, Malacañang might be forced to respond and I think they will hold off to build in Scarborough Shoal until they [China] feel like they have extracted as much as they can from the Duterte government,” Poling added.“Then, they will move on to the next phase,” he said.The maritime expert visited the Philippines as part of the US State Department-sponsored multi-country speaker program that includes two days in the country.Another point Poling raised is that the claimant nations must take the first necessary steps to come up with a “clear-eyed” policy recognizing the worthiness of pursuing the Code of Conduct (CoC) drafted during last year’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit, which was hosted by the Philippines.In August 2017, China and Southeast Asian foreign ministers adopted a negotiating framework for a Code of Conduct in the disputed South China Sea that was hailed by the Asean foreign affairs leaders.President Rodrigo Duterte mentioned during the Asean Leaders’ Summit last year that China “graciously agreed” to bind itself to the drafted agreement by the foreign ministers.But for Poling, it was obvious that China was not willing to bind itself to the code, citing the establishment of several man-made islands in the disputed waters.“The evidence of the last 18 months or so does not support the idea that China is willing to negotiate the binding of the Code of Conduct that brought all parties,” he said.“This is not to say that the [CoC] talks are a waste of time, that we should not be reaching out to China automatically, simply, we should be doing this with open eyes and recognize that the Chinese built thousands of square meters of military facilities over the course of 2017,” Poling added.‘Coercive tactic’While Asean countries, particularly the claimants to the South China Sea territories were discussing the code, China had already built bunkers, missile shelters and radar facilities that can be described as a “coercive tactic,” according to him.“If you haven’t put the footage in there yet, it’s like waving around an empty gun and it’s inherently threatening at the same time,” he said.Structures on the man-made islands in South China Sea sum up China’s approach as “military in nature,” Poling added.He said over the “rainy days,” China will be basing its fighter jets on a runway built over the waters.“You’re going to see more signals of intelligence and things like that. You’re gonna keep on seeing the increase in number of Chinese coast guards and maritime naval ships making calls to these,” according to Poling.“Little by little, the Chinese plan seems to establish [a] de facto control, maybe without provoking an immediate sharp clash but by sheer force of number that eventually is going to be there such as coast guards and navy ships,” he added.Poling said every claimant nations should be “realistic” with their expectations from the Asean Summit in Manila that China would bind itself to the Code of Conduct drafted earlier last year.“Asean is not a mutual security alliance. It’s not equipped to handle something like this [because] Asean is about confidence-building and socializing China into habits of cooperation,” he explained.“There is a whole lot of options between surrender and war that are not being tried and the idea that in theory, a future war would be winnable but nobody wants to go to war [over] the South China Sea. But does that [not] mean that we cannot talk about other stuff in the middle?” Poling added.(To be continued)
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/china-squeezing-manila-sea-dispute-expert/378031/
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Games played at wakes not spared from anti-vices drive
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['Maynila Dyaryo']
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5/8/2017 0:00
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Traditional card games and other forms of gambling staged at wakes to raise donations for the bereaved family will not be spared from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP’s) renewed drive against illegal gambling, the PNP Chief said this weekend.“As I have said, my order is to run after all forms of illegal gambling. Once and for all, let us show that we can stop all of them,” said Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa.Popular card games like “tong-its,” “pusoy” and “sakla,” as well as other forms of gambling like “bingo” and “pula-puti” are usually being played at wakes, especially in poor communities and in the provinces as a source of financial assistance to the relatives of the dead.But Dela Rosa said he wants all forms of illegal gambling eliminated in order to do away with arguments that the war against gambling is selective.All regional commanders were ordered last week to put an end to gambling activities in their respective areas in 15 days or face relief from their posts.
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/08/05/games-played-at-wakes-not-spared-from-anti-vices-drive/
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Muddy devotees mark feast of St. John
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['Agence France-Presse']
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2018-06-25 00:07:55+00:00
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They say there’s nothing quite like it for cooling the blood, but for more than a thousand Filipinos at a Catholic festival on Sunday, slathering their bodies in mud was a way to show devotion and humility.The annual tradition forms part of a joyous religious festival honoring a saint they believed saved residents from execution by Japanese soldiers during World War II.Men, women and children sat in soggy rice paddies before dawn in the town of Aliaga, 100 kilometers north of Manila, covering each other in muck before donning dried banana leaves in the annual “Mud People” festival.A tradition that draws the faithful and tourists alike, the event celebrates the feast of John the Baptist with devotees taking part in what they see as an act of humility and penance that imitates a saint who preached and lived a life of poverty in the desert.“I got goosebumps when I joined the festival. The Lord is showering us with love,” 35-year-old businessman and village official Win Javaluyas said.“I am so happy. This is one way of being closer to God, to purify your intention and be holy.”The Philippines is Asia’s Catholic bastion with a flock of more than 80 million. Spain colonized the archipelago in the 16th century and spread the faith.The “Mud People” festival, believed to have begun more than a century ago, became much more prominent after 1944 during Japan’s wartime occupation of the former US colony, local priest Elmer Villamayor said.Residents say Japanese soldiers were about to execute men in Aliaga to avenge the death of their compatriots when a heavy downpour broke out, forcing the troops to scamper away in what villagers saw as a miracle.Grateful locals, who rolled happily in the mud, attributed the rain to Saint John the Baptist who is associated with water.“Some people view this event as yucky but this is a very solemn festival. People humble themselves and are sorry for their wrongdoings,” said Villamayor, parish priest of Saint John the Baptist.Participants say their devotion has led to miracles.“My mother was healed after suffering from tuberculosis of the bone, a rare illness. Now my wife is pregnant with twins. I am praying for her healthy delivery,” said Javaluyas.AFP
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/muddy-devotees-mark-feast-of-st-john/412147/
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Cigarettes seized by BoC destroyed
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-12-12 21:07:20+00:00
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SOME P3.3 billion worth of cigarettes bearing fake tax stamps that were earlier seized by joint elements of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) were ordered destroyed by the Finance department.Burning of the 229,428 mastercases or 114,714,000 cigarette packs of Mighty and Marvel cigarettes started on Tuesday inside the compound of the Holcim Philippine Geocycle (Holcim) in Norzagaray, Bulacan.The destruction process is expected to last for several days.Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd, along with other concerned government officials, personally witnessed the destruction of the cigarettes.The hot goods were confiscated last March by Customs agents in a raid on two warehouses in Bulacan and Pampanga over a tip that cigarettes with fake tax stamps were stored in the compound.Using a BIR (Bureau of Internal Revenue) Stamp Verifier, the raiding team confirmed that the cigarettes had been marked with fake tax stamps.Earlier, charges had been filed by the BIR against Mighty Corp., which manufactures the cigarette brands, for evading payment of around P9.564 billion in excise taxes in the Pampanga raid and another P26.29 billion from the operation in Bulacan by using fake tax stamps.Dominguez said the destruction of the tobacco products was meant to ensure that none of them would be sold back into the local market, and to deliver a message that tax evasion does not pay.Two weeks ago, some five million packs of similar brands of cigarettes valued at P142.44 million were also destroyed in Davao City for bearing counterfeit tax stamps.The cigarettes destroyed in Davao City and Bulacan constituted evidence in complaints filed by the BIR last May against Mighty Corp. before the Department of Justice.The complaints have since been withdrawn after Might Corp. offered to settle last July its tax liabilities with the government for P25 billion and shut down its operations.Mighty Corp. subsequently sold its assets to Japan Tobacco Inc. to help pay off its tax arrears.According to the Finance department, the government stands to gain over P30 billion in additional revenues from the tax settlement once the value-added tax from the sale and other fees are paid, making it the largest sum ever paid by a single corporate entity in the country’s history.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/cigarettes-seized-boc-destroyed/368258/
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Stop playing God, bishop tells Speaker
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['William Depasupil']
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2017-02-09 21:27:05+00:00
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FORMER Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz on Thursday reminded Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez that he is not God and should stop acting like one.Cruz made his point in response to the Speaker’s threat to punish lawmaker-members of the so-called super majority in the House of Representatives who would not toe the party line in favor of the reimposition of the death penalty law.He questioned the removal of plunder from the list of heinous crimes that will be punishable by death even as he noted that the House chief has once been charged with the same crime.In 2001, Alvarez, who was then Manila International Airport Authority senior assistant general manager, and several other officials were charged with plunder by the MIAA-NAIA Association of Service Contractors in connection with the allegedly anomalous awarding of the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. Inc.(Piatco), now known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3.The case, however, was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman for lack of evidence.“He is playing God. It appears that he has the power to order somebody not to kill while at the same time also possessing the authority to order who will be executed or not,” Cruz told the Church-run Radyo Veritas.Cruz pointed out that when God wrote the 10 Commandments, he just said “Thou shall not kill” without qualifying this commandment in particular with “except or provide or until.”Obviously, he said, Alvarez was simply complying with the directives of his immediate superior, referring to President Rodrigo Duterte.Alvarez earlier issued a stern warning against former president and now House Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and party-members holding committee chairmanships and other positions in the chamber that they would be replaced if they opposed the proposed restoration of death penalty.The bill restoring the death penalty is the subject of plenary deliberations.It originally covers 21 “heinous” offenses such as treason, qualified piracy, qualified bribery, parricide, murder, infanticide, rape, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, robbery with violence, destructive arson, plunder and dangerous drug importation.Executions may be carried out by hanging, firing squad or lethal injection.Through the 1986 Constitution, the death penalty was abolished but it was restored in 1994 by then-PresidentFidel Ramos with the enactment of Republic Act 7659 or the Death Penalty Law.But it was again abolished in 2006 by the Arroyo administration.According to the International Commission of Catholic Prison Pastoral Care, 124 out of 194 countries had abolished capital punishment in their penal system.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/stop-playing-god-bishop-tells-speaker/311349/
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80,000 Pinoy seafarers may lose EU ship jobs
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['William Depasupil']
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2018-02-01 00:03:06+00:00
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AT least 80,000 Filipino seafarers on board vessels owned by the European Union (EU) may be affected or, in a worse-case scenario, may lose their jobs as a result of a leadership vacuum at the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).This was pointed out on Wednesday by Capt. Gaudencio Morales, president, Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines, at the sidelines of a forum hosted by the multi-sectoral group Movement for Maritime Philippines (MMP) at the Manila Yacht Club on Roxas Boulevard.According to Morales, they have no problem with the President’s pronouncement that Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, would take over as Marina chief upon his retirement in April.“We are worried because there is a vacuum of three months. These three months are very crucial to the [seafaring] industry because of the EMSA [European Maritime Safety Agency],” he said, adding that during the period EMSA will conduct an audit on the Philippines’ compliance with Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STWC) to maintain the countrry’s white-list status in the International Maritime Organization (IMO).It is important, Morales noted, for the Philippines to be able to comply so that the EU would continue to recognize the Filipino seafarers’ documents issued by Marina.Marina is the country’s single maritime administration solely responsible for overseeing the Philippines’ compliance with international safety conventions.“Said compliance has to be reported to the EMSA, which, in turn, will physically come to the country to conduct an audit to determine the veracity of the documents submitted by Marina,” Morales explained.He said deficiencies seen by EMSA in its previous audits are yet to be addressed, including qualifty management and assessment and monitoring.“How will you address or comply with quality management if there is no [Marina] administrator, no permanent deputy administrator and 90 percent of STCW office personnel are job order [ones]? We don’t know if they [job order people] are qualified or not,” Morales added.He said of 350,000 Filipino seafarers currently on board various foreign vessels, 80,000 or 23 percent are on EU-owned vessels.“In a worse-case scenario, if the 80,000 Filipino seamen will lose their jobs, that is equivalent to $1.2 billion or more than P50 billion a year in lost remittances,” Morales added.But most likely, he said, the EU would no longer recognize the Filipino seafarers’ documents from Marina, and addressing the situation would require them to use documents from the ship’s “flag state” or the country where the vessel is registered.“In short, the Marina as an authority will no longer be recognized by the EU. So the job of the administrator of Marina is very important, especially now that we have a problem with EMSA,” Morales added.Marina is being supervised by an officer-in-charge, Department of Transportation Undersecretary Felipe Judan.MMP head Merle Jimenez-San Pedro said not having a Marina administrator and deputy administrator is a disservice to the Filipino seafarers.“As a maritime nation, our economy is principally fed by the maritime industry; it is our lifeblood. We could not afford to be complacent if our ranking as a seafaring /maritime nation becomes eroded among the international community of maritime countries,” she added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/80000-pinoy-seafarers-may-lose-eu-ship-jobs/377530/
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Japanese firms worried over Train 2
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['Bernadette E. Tamayo']
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2018-09-27 00:02:46+00:00
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SOME Japanese companies have expressed concern over the proposal to rationalize tax incentives under package 2 of the Tax Reform Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law.Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission Takehiro Kano of the Japanese Embassy said “there are some concerns that they will be affected by the Train 2 or particularly the rationalization of the tax incentives in PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority).”Kano made the remark when asked if Japanese firms would be affected by Train 2 or the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and High Quality Opportunities (Trabaho) bill.Pressed whether Train 2 is creating uncertainty among Japanese companies, Kano said, “Yes, some anxieties but I’m not sure how strong it is.”“And also we will see because it’s still under deliberation in Congress. The House of Representatives passed the bill it has to make in the Senate. So, we need to see,” he added.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/japanese-firms-worried-over-train-2/445676/
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PH Embassy rescue efforts in Kuwait get senators’ nod
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['Jefferson Antiporda']
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2018-04-26 02:05:44+00:00
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SOME senators on Wednesday expressed their support to the assistance being extended by the Philippine Embassy to distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Kuwait, saying the welfare of Filipinos should be a priority.Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito and Francis Escudero, both members of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, said it was good to see embassy officials being aggressive in defending the rights of abused Filipino workers.According to Ejercito, while the Philippines needs to respect laws of the host country, the priority of the any government should be the welfare and lives of its citizens.“Ambassador to Kuwait Renato Villa had to make a hard decision. While he may have violated protocols of the Kuwaiti government, saving the lives and protection of welfare of Filipinos should be given utmost priority,” he said.Villa was summoned by the foreign ministry of Kuwait to protest the rescue by the Philippine Embassy of distressed Filipino household workers in Kuwait, which was viewed as an infringement of the country’s sovereignty.Apart from being summoned, there were also reports about some members of the Kuwaiti parliament who want Villa expelled for violation of local laws.“I would rather see Villa being summoned or deported by the Kuwaiti government rather than see Filipinos going home in caskets,” Ejercito said.Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano already apologized for the actions of the Philippine Embassy that have offended the Kuwaiti government and its people.“I apologize to my counterpart and we apologize to the Kuwaiti government, to the Kuwaiti people and the leaders of Kuwait if they were offended by some actions taken by the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait,” Cayetano said.Escudero, on the other hand, said he is hoping that embassy officials would still be aggressive in protecting and rescuing distressed OFWs even after the Foreign Affairs department issued an apology.The senator insisted that Filipinos living or working abroad have to feel safe and confident, knowing that their government would protect and defend them right or wrong.“I was glad to see Philippine Embassy officials being aggressive in defending the rights of abused OFW’s and with gusto,” Escudero said.Meanwhile, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said the actions made by embassy officials clearly showed the problems facing Filipino workers in Kuwait and imposing a ban on the deployment of new workers was just right.He said the Philippines needs to sort things out first with Kuwait before agreeing to lift the deployment ban and make sure that all mechanisms to protect Filipinos in the Gulf state are in place.The Senate president added that the Foreign Affairs department did the right thing when it issued an apology for the recent actions of the embassy.The move, Cayetano said, could gain the respect of the Kuwaiti government.“We may gain the respect and friendship of Kuwait more and maybe some other countries looking at the Philippines and seeing how the country admitted its mistake,” he added.The Philippines, Cayetano said, should always be conscious in respecting the laws of other countries just like how the government wants other countries to respect Philippine laws.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/ph-embassy-rescue-efforts-in-kuwait-get-senators-nod/395029/
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Duterte bent on sacking Salazar
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['Juan Barili']
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4/5/2017 0:00
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President Duterte yesterday said that Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) chief Jose Vicente B. Salazar will not be suspended for long as he will remove him immediately.In his speech at the 27th Philippine Orthopedic Association Mid-year Convention yesterday, Duterte reiterated his resolve to stop corruption in the government.“I suspended Salazar because of corruption. I will eventually remove him, lahat sila (all of them),” he said.Duterte was referring to the three other officials prosecuted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) before the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) last month.The three, like Salazar, are also accused of signing contracts for an infomercial project without making the contract go through public bidding, violating the Government Procurement Reform Act and Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.NON TAKES OVERMeanwhile, a memorandum, signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea yesterday, has designated ERC Commissioner Alfredo J. Non as ERC Officer-in-Charge (OIC).Salazar’s suspension was first confirmed by Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella to the members of the Malacañang Press Corps in a text message late Wednesday night.Medialdea, in his order, stipulated that the three-month suspension was enforced so that Salazar cannot influence the probe into various allegations thrown his way ranging from corruption – as alleged by the late ERC Director Francisco Villa –to the power supply agreements under question and personnel appointments at the Commission.An official pronouncement from the Palace through Abella said yesterday that Non has been designated OIC of the ERC in the duration of Salazar’s suspension.SPEEDY PROBE URGEDIn the view of Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, “this suspension will enable Malacañang to further investigate ERC freely and determine what is best for the regulatory body.”Being the first one to call on the Palace to intervene and resolving the ERC wrangle, Gatchalian said paramount to this concern would be the immense cases still pending for the ERC’s deliberations and approvals – that had been unintentionally perturbed due to the lingering internal strife in the Commission.“I urge Malacañang to expedite the investigation to bring stability to the power industry and once and for all, put the public interest foremost,” Gatchalian said.SALAZAR’S REACTIONIn a text message, the embattled ERC Chairman said “I was informed of the order of the Office of the Executive Secretary. While I view the said Order with some concern, I am grateful for the opportunity to take a breather from work. I shall use the time to be with my family and to attend to my personal concerns.”NO ‘SACRED COWS’For Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi, the Malacañang-imposed preventive suspension is the Duterte-led government’s way of manifesting that there could be no “sacred cows” in this administration.Cusi noted that while the order “is still preventive in nature and not yet a penalty, the suspension of Salazar by the Office of the President should pave the way for an impartial and objective investigation of corruption allegations raised against him.”Cusi added that “any and all investigations are also avenues for the accused to clear their names.”He thus emphasized that he is expecting “fair treatment of all officers and workers in government…the suspension is a means to give way to a fair investigation of the issues being thrown at Chairman Salazar.”In the Palace order, Medialdea had directed Salazar “to file his comment or written explanation on the administrative charges within 10 days from notice.”
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Manila Bulletin
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https://news.mb.com.ph/2017/05/04/duterte-bent-on-sacking-salazar/
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Woman dies after being dragged by train in Manila
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['Kimberly Malait']
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2018-06-20 00:02:21+00:00
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A WOMAN died after a Philippine National Railways (PNR) train ran over her and dragged her along the tracks on Perlita Street, San Andres, Manila, at 6:19 a.m. on Tuesday. Police Officer 2 Rey Rabut of the Manila Police District Station 6 said the victim was dragged for about 15 to 20 meters along the railroad tracks. He added that bystanders had seen the victim walking along the tracks as a train was fast approaching. Witnesses were reported to have warned the victim but she ignored them and jumped off the track instead, resulting in her instant death. The victim carried no identification card or any means by which she could be identified.. She was reported to be wearing a gray t-shirt and a yellow pair of pants. Rabut said the victim is estimated to be 16 to 17 years old. Station 6 and Dagonoy Police Community Precinct are trying to identify the victim with the help of barangay (village) officials.
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Manila Times
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https://www.manilatimes.net/woman-dies-after-being-dragged-by-train-in-manila-2/410302/
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