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Barangay Captain accuser cries harassment
Days after she filed a graft case against Quezon City Barangay Kaligayahan Chairman Alfredo “Freddy” Roxas, threats that something bad would happen to her flooded her mobile phone and social media account. Aljean Abe, the village’s former teaching aide went to the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday to file another Grave Coercion charge against Roxas in relation to Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Abe in her complaint furnished to DAILY TRIBUNE narrated that when she filed the graft charges last 11 September, several messages were sent to her cellular phone by supporters of Roxas threatening to do harm to her. Abe averred that the threat messages came from Mark Roldan Santiago Sedilla and Jennilyn Guiling Montefalco both employees of Barangay Kaligayahan and avid supporters of Roxas who is also an honorary councilor for being the president of League of Barangay Chairmen in the city. Fearing for her life and her family, Abe decided to transfer to a place where Roxas and his supporters could not reach her. However, the following day (12 September) she was surprised to see their barangay vehicle parked in front of her new address where Melanie Aviguetero, Jamaica Jallorica and an unidentified man tried to take photos of her. The three are also employees of Barangay Kaligayahan, according to Abe, who informed her that she needed to go to their office and talk to Roxas. Two days after (14 September) Abe said she received a text message asking why she filed a graft case against Roxas. She was also asked if she needed monetary assistance from their barangay and if she wanted to be hired again as barangay worker. If she agrees, she needs to go to their barangay to sign a contract and some documents in front of a lawyer. These things, Abe said prompted her to file the grave coercion charges against Roxas. The post Barangay Captain accuser cries harassment appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Barangay Captain accuser cries harassment, files grave coercion at Ombudsman
Days after she filed a graft case against Quezon City Barangay Kaligayahan Chairman Alfredo ‘Freddy’ Roxas, threats that something bad would happen to her kept pouring in her mobile phone and social media account. Aljean Abe, the village's former teaching aide went to the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday to file another Grave Coercion charge against Roxas in relation to Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Abe in her complaint furnished to Daily Tribune narrated that when she filed the graft charges on September 11, 2023, several messages were sent to her cellular phone by supporters of Roxas threatening to do harm to her. Abe averred that the threat messages came from Mark Roldan Santiago Sedilla and Jennilyn Guiling Montefalco both employees of Brgy. Kaligayahan and avid supporters of Roxas who is also an honorary councilor for being the president of League of Barangay Chairmen in the city. Fearing for her life and her family, Abe decided to transfer to a place where Roxas and his supporters could not reach her. However, the following day (September 12) she was surprised to see their barangay vehicle parked in front of her new address where Melanie Aviguetero, Jamaica Jallorica, and the unidentified man tried to take photos of her. The three are also employees of Brgy. Kaligayahan, according to Abe, informed her that she needed to go to their office and talk to Roxas. Two days after (September 14, 2023) Abe said she received a text message asking why she filed a graft case against Roxas. She was also asked if she needed monetary assistance from their barangay and if she wanted to be hired again as a barangay worker. If she agrees, she needs to go to their barangay to sign a contract and some documents in front of a lawyer. These things, Abe said prompted her to file the grave coercion charges against Roxas. Abe, and another barangay worker, Hernando Compedio filed charges of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against Roxas a couple of weeks ago upon learning that their names were still included in the barangay payroll list even after they had already been fired and resigned from their jobs. Other charges of graft practices were also filed by Barangay Kaligayahan Kagawad laban kay Punong Barangay Allan Francisco Jr. against Roxas over a resolution passed without the proper barangay council session. Roxas meanwhile, could not be reached to comment on the charges hurled against him. The post Barangay Captain accuser cries harassment, files grave coercion at Ombudsman appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Another graft case slaps against QC honorary councilor
The Quezon City Barangay Kaligayahan chairman, who is an honorary councilor for being the League of Barangay Chairmen President, is in for more trouble. One of his former employees slapped him, along with the barangay (village) treasurer and a kagawad (councilor), with charges of violations of the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and falsification of public documents before the Office of the Ombudsman, late afternoon Monday. Arjean Abe, of Tawid Sapa 2, Greenfields, Barangay Kaligayahan, charged Brgy. Kaligayahan Chairman and Quezon City Councilor Alfredo "Freddie" Roxas, his treasurer Hesiree Santiago, and Kagawad Arnel Gabito, chairman of the appropriation committee, with charges for violations of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Revised Penal Code for faking her signature to appear that she is still a barangay employee. Abe in her complaint, obtained by Daily Tribune, said she was hired as a teacher aide on 1 March 2022, receiving a monthly salary of P6,000, and was detailed at the barangay daycare center. She was later transferred as a clerk taking care of the issuance of barangay clearance because of the pandemic and classes on face-to-face were suspended. Abe said on 31 January 2023, she resigned from work with her letter of resignation received by Santiago. However, she found out that her name still appeared in the barangay payroll list, one of which was submitted by her as evidence against the three officials. The payroll was for 1 to 31 May 2023 where her name and signature still appeared and projected that she is still an employee receiving P6,000. The payroll list, Abe presented as "Annex A", also has the signatures of Roxas, Santiago, and Gabito. These documents, Abe said, are submitted to the Quezon City government for funding. She also submitted a copy of her identification card as "Annex B", bearing her true signature for the Ombudsman for vetting against the signature on the payroll list. Abe said the acts of the three officials also constituted falsification of documents which is a violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code as she prayed that the Ombudsman would act on her complaint and compel Roxas and the two other Barangay Kaligayahan officials to answer to her charges and be jailed and eventually barred from holding public offices. The graft charges were the second to be slapped against Roxas as a barangay tanod (village watchman). She filed the same charges last month, accusing Roxas, Barangay Kaligayahan Secretary Maripha de Jesus, and Santiago of also making her their "ghost employee." Roxas also faced Graft and Corrupt Practices Act violations filed by one of their kagawads (village councilors), Allan Francisco Jr., who sued Roxas and other barangay kagawads Jim Mahusay, Alexander Rivera, former singer-actress Perla Adea, Arnel Gabito, Dionisio Gascon, Sofronio Grimaldo, and barangay secretary Josephine Penaranda for the approval of a barangay council resolution “interposing no objection to the application of M.M. Ledesma Laboratories Corp.” along Zabarte Road extension on 15 April, the barangay assembly day, which is not a regular barangay council session day. The post Another graft case slaps against QC honorary councilor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Absent Trump expected to steal show at Republican debate
Eight Republican presidential candidates face off for the first primary debate of the 2024 cycle on Wednesday -- with frontrunner Donald Trump bidding to steal the spotlight despite spurning the showdown. The former president announced at the weekend that he would not be in Milwaukee for the two-hour event, depriving a chasing pack of rivals -- whom he leads by a historic margin -- of the opportunity to take shots at him. "President Trump has already won this evening's debate because everything is going to be about him," said Chris LaCivita, a senior aide on the 77-year-old billionaire's campaign. "Only President Trump has the policy ideas, the fortitude, and the polling to go head-to-head with Crooked Joe Biden in the general election." With the largest polling lead in more than 40 years of Republican presidential nominating contests, Trump has made clear he sees no benefit to standing on a debate stage and opening himself up to hits from the rest of the field. He announced Wednesday that he is planning counterprogramming that will consist of a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, to be posted online just as the debate gets underway. "'SPARKS WILL FLY.' ENJOY!" he teased on his social network, Truth Social. Despite his no-show, Trump is expected to loom over the debate stage in Wisconsin's largest city, with his multiple prosecutions set to be the subject of questions from the Fox News hosts moderating the event. I can take it The former reality TV star is even planning to deprive his rivals of post-debate headlines as he surrenders to authorities in Atlanta Thursday afternoon over his fourth indictment of the year, for an alleged criminal conspiracy to steal the 2020 election. His former attorney Rudy Giuliani, who is charged with racketeering in the case alongside Trump and 17 other co-defendants, headed to Georgia's capital hours before the debate to turn himself in. "I'm a big boy. I can take it. I have fought battles much worse than this," Giuliani, a former federal prosecutor, told reporters outside his New York residence. For Trump's closest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the name of the game will be to reverse his flagging poll numbers and demonstrate that he is a viable alternative to the frontrunner. Candidates will likely be asked about competition with China and America's foreign policy in Ukraine and Russia -- an issue that caused DeSantis to stumble early in the campaign. With a seismic shift needed to dethrone Trump, many commentators were viewing the debate as primarily a showcase for candidates angling to be Trump's running mate. Lower profile candidates like businessman Vivek Ramaswamy will see the debate as a chance to introduce themselves to the wider public -- and perhaps make their case for jobs in a future Trump administration. "Tonight's Republican undercard event really shouldn’t even be called a debate, but rather an audition to be a part of President Trump's team in his second term," LaCivita said. Not a coronation However, analysts have argued that with more than four months until the first nomination votes in Iowa and New Hampshire, it is way too early to call the race. "If the same person finishes first or second in Iowa and New Hampshire, this becomes a two-person race no matter how many other people (are) in it... Nobody's caught the wave yet but somebody's going to and when they do, Trump's going to have a race on his hands," former US senator Judd Gregg told political outlet The Hill. Trump dodged a debate in Iowa in 2016, ensuring that his closest rival Ted Cruz took all the heat, although the Texas senator went on to win the Iowa vote days later. The DeSantis team is expecting a similar dynamic on Wednesday, although US media reported that political newcomer Ramaswamy is also likely to be attacked over inconsistencies in his policy statements. Trump won't have it all his way, though, with distant underdogs Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson both hoping for a breakout moment skewering the former president and his former vice president Mike Pence unlikely to pull his punches. Christie is also expected to go after DeSantis over his awkwardness on the campaign trail and a memo posted online by the leading political organization supporting his campaign, urging him to defend Trump. "I think it's fair when these other candidates say it's not a coronation, it's an election," debate co-moderator Bret Baier said in an interview this week with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. The post Absent Trump expected to steal show at Republican debate appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ex-ally sues Monaco’s ruler in ‘Rock Files’ scandal
A former confidant of Monaco's ruler Prince Albert II is suing the monarch in an unprecedented and potentially damaging court case triggered by the release of leaks that have rocked the usually placid Mediterranean playground for the rich and famous. Claude Palmero was for over two decades in charge of managing the palace's assets, first for Albert's father Rainier III, the husband of the US actress Grace Kelly, and then their son Prince Albert when he became ruler in 2005. But now Palmero is asking for around one million euros ($1.1 million) in damages from the palace, according to a complaint seen by AFP, over losing his job after becoming embroiled along with other former senior palace officials in unverified allegations posted in the "Dossiers du Rocher" ("Rock Files", referring to Monaco by its nickname) website from 2021. The website hosted videos, confidential email conversations and hostile articles dealing with property development in the principality. The controversy has roughed up the usually calm waters around Monaco, a tiny principality surrounded by French territory which attracts ultra-rich residents –- like tennis star Novak Djokovic and formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton -- due to its favourable tax regime. With a population of barely 40,000, Monaco neither imposes income nor wealth taxes. Among the material published by Dossiers du Rocher were email exchanges between four people close to Albert, including Palmero, accusing them of collusion in an alleged financial scam. As well as Palmero, Albert's chief of staff Laurent Anselmi also lost his job in June. 'From another age' In charge of the crown assets, Palmero was known as a Monegasque eminence grise, who was tasked with strategic issues including taking a stake in Nice's airport and buying property, as well as being a keeper of palace secrets. He lodged an appeal against his dismissal in the case before Monaco's constitutional court, known as the Supreme Tribunal, that his lawyer filed on 13 July. "No reason has ever been given to justify these decisions that come from another age and manifestly violate the principle of legality," said the complaint filed by one of his lawyers Pierre-Olivier Sur and seen by AFP. "Prince Albert II during his reign has congratulated himself in front of his subjects and the whole world that Monaco is a state of law. "Alas, there are circumstances where this principle is sadly forgotten by him and favour the violence of arbitrariness," it added. Palmero is seeking the condemnation of the prince to repair "the immense moral damage, injury and disruption to living conditions", claiming the one million euros and his reinstatement. Albert's lawyer Jean-Michel Darrois said in response: "This is a discretionary decision by the royal house as is the case with several other monarchies." But the controversy is deeply unwelcome for Albert, who has already been under intense scrutiny over his marriage to Princess Charlene, the former South African Olympic swimmer in 2011, in French and international media in recent months. Charlene only returned to Monaco in March 2022 after a months-long absence for medical treatment. Raids and infighting The case, which is set to be heard in the coming weeks, comes as judicial authorities launched a series of searches in mid-July at the four former confidants of the prince accused in the Dossiers du Rocher. All those involved deny the allegations put forward by the Dossiers du Rocher, which published their private correspondence and whose origins remain a mystery despite investigations by the French and Monaco authorities. Patrice Pastor, a Monegasque construction entrepreneur, has filed a complaint over alleged influence peddling against them. But while they suspect him of being behind the website the businessman strongly denies this. The purported motive of Pastor, whose group is worth up to 30 billion euros, is alleged by his enemies to have wanted to maintain control over lucrative real estate transactions in the principality, which Palmero and his allies sought to limit. According to official figures, 88 new apartments were sold in 2022 in Monaco, for a stratospheric total amount of 1.2 billion euros. The Pastor group is particularly involved in the Mareterra project, six hectares of luxurious buildings looking out to the Mediterranean. First reported by France's Le Monde daily, the searches targeted, in France and Monaco, the homes and offices of Claude Palmero, the law firm of Thierry Lacoste, childhood friend of the prince, Laurent Anselmi, and Didier Linotte, president of the Supreme Tribunal, who is about to leave office. Monaco's prosecutor general refused any comment. The four men do not deny being in touch with each other but insist it was to deal with regular business of Monaco. Two other men are also reported to be part of the group: former Monaco government chief Michel Roger, who is said to have formed it, was left a paraplegic after an accident in 2015. The sixth man was Jean-Francois Renucci, former head of the court of cassation in Monaco, who died in a car accident between Monaco and Nice in 2021 just as the Dossiers du Rocher scandal was erupting. The four allege that Pastor has now won the favor of the prince but this was denied by a palace aide. "This prince does not take sides," the aide, who was not named, told Le Figaro daily. The post Ex-ally sues Monaco’s ruler in ‘Rock Files’ scandal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump charged with deleting home camera footage
A new indictment against former United States president Donald Trump lends weight to earlier charges that he allegedly mishandled top-secret documents. The new charge unsealed by federal prosecutors on Thursday alleged that he conspired with his personal aide and a new defendant to delete surveillance footage at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida in an alleged attempt to cover up illegal possession of classified papers. The new charges came the same day Trump said his lawyers met with Justice Department officials ahead of a separate expected indictment over his alleged efforts to overturn the result of the 2020 election in which he lost to President Joe Biden. The twice-impeached former president was first indicted in the classified documents case last month, accused of endangering national security by holding on to top secret nuclear and defense information after leaving the White House. Trump kept the files — which included records from the Pentagon, Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency — unsecured at his home and thwarted official efforts to retrieve them, according to the indictment. Thursday’s superseding indictment accuses the billionaire of acting with his co-defendant in the case, personal aide Waltine “Walt” Nauta, and property manager Carlos de Oliveira, to delete security camera footage at Mar-a-Lago. The fresh charges add to the existing counts of “willful retention of national defense information” and charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice, making false statements and other offenses to which Trump pleaded not guilty last month. It also adds an extra count under the Espionage Act related to Trump allegedly retaining a classified document “concerning military activity in a foreign country.” According to the indictment, citing an audio recording of the interaction, Trump in 2021 allegedly told visitors of his New Jersey golf club of the defense document, “’As president I could have declassified it,’ and ‘Now I can’t, you know, but this is still a secret.’” Trump Thursday night dismissed the new accusations as “ridiculous” during an interview with Fox News Digital. “It’s election interference at the highest level,” he said, blaming his potential campaign opponent Biden and the Justice Department for “prosecutorial misconduct.” The front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary is set to go on trial as the election heats up in May of next year. WITH AFP The post Trump charged with deleting home camera footage appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump aide pleads not guilty in secret docs case
A personal aide to former US president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges of mishandling classified government documents. Waltine "Walt" Nauta, 40, a US Navy veteran from Guam, entered the plea at a brief hearing in a US District Court in Miami. "He enters a plea of not guilty on all counts," said Nauta's lawyer, Stanley Woodward. Nauta, who was wearing a dark blue suit and a light blue shirt, replied "Yes, your honor" when asked by Chief Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres if he understood why he was in court. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, pleaded not guilty last month to dozens of criminal counts for mishandling some of the US government's most sensitive secrets and scheming to prevent their return. Nauta, named as a co-conspirator, is charged with six counts for helping Trump hide documents at the former president's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. According to the indictment, Trump took hundreds of classified government documents in cardboard boxes to Mar-a-Lago after leaving the White House in January 2021. Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA, and National Security Agency -- unsecured at Mar-a-Lago, which regularly hosted large social events, the indictment said. The documents were stashed at various locations in Mar-a-Lago including a ballroom, a bathroom, Trump's bedroom, and a storage room, it said. Nauta is accused of conspiring with the former president to hide the documents and could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted. Trump faces 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information" relating to specific documents. A conviction on each count carries up to 10 years in prison. Other charges facing the 77-year-old Trump include conspiracy to obstruct justice, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, withholding a document or record, which also carries a potential 20-year sentence, and making false statements. Trump, who was impeached twice over allegations of misconduct while in office and was recently found liable for sexual abuse, has vowed to stay in the 2024 White House race regardless of the outcome of the documents case. He faces indictment or ongoing legal scrutiny in four criminal probes -- in Washington, Florida, Georgia and New York -- and could find himself on trial in multiple cases as he campaigns for the presidency. The post Trump aide pleads not guilty in secret docs case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wagner chief to leave Russia in deal to ease crisis
The chief of the rebel Wagner mercenary force will leave Russia and won't face charges after calling off his troops' advance on Saturday, Moscow said, easing Russia's most serious security crisis in decades. The feud between Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin and Russia's military brass came to a violent head in the past day, with his forces capturing a key army headquarters in southern Russia and then heading north to threaten the capital. Within hours of Prigozhin's about-face, the Kremlin announced he would leave for Belarus and Russia would not prosecute either him or the group's members. It had been a dramatic day of developments, with President Vladimir Putin warning against civil war, Moscow telling locals to stay off the streets and Kyiv revelling in the chaos engulfing its enemy. The tide shifted suddenly when Prigozhin made the stunning announcement that his troops were "turning our columns around and going back to field camps" to avoid bloodshed in the Russian capital. Prigozhin, who has feuded bitterly with Moscow's military leadership even as his outfit led parts of Russia's Ukraine offensive, said he understood the importance of the moment and did not want to "spill Russian blood". - Wagner troops cheered - By early Sunday Wagner had pulled fighters and equipment from Rostov-on-Don, where they had seized the military headquarters, said the regional governor. But before they left, dozens of residents were cheering and chanting "Wagner! Wagner!" outside the military headquarters they had captured. Authorities in the southern Lipetsk region announced the lifting of restrictions after earlier reporting Wagner fighters in their territory, where the local capital is just 420 kilometres (260 miles) south of Moscow. Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said he had negotiated a truce with Prigozhin, drawing thanks from Moscow. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later told reporters that the "criminal case against him (Prigozhin) will be dropped. He himself will go to Belarus." Peskov also said that members of Wagner who had taken part in what authorities termed an "armed rebellion" will not be prosecuted. "Avoiding bloodshed, internal confrontation, and clashes with unpredictable results was the highest goal," Peskov added. Kyiv revelled in the chaos that engulfed its enemy. "Prigozhin humiliated Putin/the state and showed that there is no longer a monopoly on violence," presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. While Russia claimed the rebellion had no impact on its Ukraine campaign, Kyiv said the unrest offered a "window of opportunity" as the nation pressed its long-awaited counter-offensive. - Moscow's warning - The United States and its allies publicly stayed on the sidelines as officials waited to see how the revolt would play out. US President Joe Biden spoke with the leaders of France, Germany and Britain amid concerns that Putin's control over the nuclear-armed country could be slipping. Moscow issued a stiff warning to the United States and allies to stay back. "The rebellion plays into the hands of Russia's external enemies," the foreign ministry said. Before Prigozhin's climbdown, Russian regular forces had launched what one regional governor called a "counter-terrorist operation" to halt the Wagner advance northwards up a main highway towards Moscow. In the capital, the mayor urged Muscovites to stay indoors and declared Monday a day off work. Security was tightened in the city centre, with armed men in flak jackets guarding the parliament building and Red Square closed off to the public. "I don't know how to react. In any case it's very sad this is happening," 35-year-old Yelena told AFP, declining to give her last name. The measures came after Prigozhin announced his troops had taken control of the military command centre and airbase in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, the nerve centre of Russia's offensive in Ukraine. - 'A blow to Russia' - Responding to the challenge in a televised address, Putin accused Prigozhin of a "stab in the back" that posed a threat to Russia's very survival. "Any internal turmoil is a deadly threat to our statehood and to us as a nation. This is a blow to Russia and to our people," Putin said, demanding national unity. "Extravagant ambitions and personal interests led to treason," Putin said, referring to Prigozhin, who began building his power base as a catering contractor. Another Putin ally, Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, declared that he had dispatched his own units to help quash the Wagner rebellion. Armed Wagner fighters deployed around administrative buildings in Rostov and tanks were seen in the city centre. As the insurrection force headed north through Voronezh and Lipetsk towards Moscow, the capital's mayor announced that "anti-terrorist" measures were being taken. Critical facilities were "under reinforced protection", TASS reported, citing a law enforcement source. While Prigozhin's outfit fought at the forefront of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, he repeatedly blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, for his fighters' deaths. bur-jmm/jj © Agence France-Presse The post Wagner chief to leave Russia in deal to ease crisis appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Preempting ‘nurseless’ Phl
For thousands of Filipino nurses, working abroad can offer exciting opportunities to further their careers, gain new experiences, earn higher salaries, and work under better conditions than they would otherwise have in the Philippines. My late mother, a former head nurse at the Philippine General Hospital, was almost among them. One of the first batches of nurses who were offered an attractive employment package in the United States back in the 1970s, she processed the documentary requirements with eagerness only to defer at the last minute. Deciding not to be away from two children was easy at a time when the peso-dollar exchange rate was around P6.40. Rina’s case is different. As one of the 3,246 who failed the last two nursing licensure exams, Rina would rather keep her job as a BPO agent where she earns more or less P28,000 monthly, excluding benefits, rather than work as a nursing aide in a government hospital that gives lower pay. A nursing graduate in 2020, she plans to work abroad as a caregiver, which pays almost P100,000 a month. Just like all the other nursing graduates, they want to help their families, send children and siblings to school, and have a better future. Who wouldn’t be enticed by the direct hiring of foreign employers, where you don’t need an employment agency, which means no additional fees or charges? The brain drain of Philippine nurses, licensed or not, to the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, or any country, is a several decades-old phenomenon driven by a combination of economic, social, and political factors. Locally, our nurses are forced to work long hours for low pay in both public and private facilities. This sorry state drives them to jobs not at all related to nursing. According to the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc., at least 40 percent of nurses in various private hospitals resigned in the last two and a half years. Neither private nor public hospitals can match the salaries being offered to nurses abroad. The unabated brain drain of Philippine nurses will inevitably lead to a shortage of nurses in the country that will, in turn, affect the quality of healthcare services and create challenges for the government in providing adequate healthcare to its citizens. Health Secretary Ted Herbosa’s proposal to hire unlicensed nursing graduates to work in public hospitals earned the private sector’s support. These graduates would be given scholarships to study and pass the board exams. Should the plan push through, they will have to repay the government with four years of service. It looks doable but we will lose the trained nurses again after four years. It will be a vicious cycle of providing nursing board scholarships for a return of service, only to later lose the nurses. Professional Regulation Commission’s chief Jose Cueto Jr. has a different point of view — that there may be no need to hire flunkers of the nursing boards to fill the vacancies in government-run hospitals. PRC data, he said, has shown a higher passing rate in the Nursing Licensure Examination since last year. The passing rate in the NLE for the past six years was only 60 percent with only 70,000 passing the exams out of 130,000 examinees. He said there can be no shortage because approximately 80,000 nursing students graduate each year (Dahl et al., 2021) from 470 universities in the Philippines that offer nursing programs. How about the shortage attributed to the continuous migration of licensed nurses abroad for higher pay? While we take pride in the country’s focus on education, our high level of English proficiency, and the strong work ethic ingrained in Filipino culture, we should confront with practical and pragmatic solutions the imminent threat of a “nurseless” Philippines by 2026 or 2028. Unless the national government addresses the depressing pay and benefits for nurses in the private and public sectors, and even if they double or triple the existing 4,500 vacant plantilla positions for nurses in government hospitals across the country, the Philippines will continue to be the largest supplier of nurses to the world. The post Preempting ‘nurseless’ Phl appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Co-defendants in De Lima’s last drug case ask judge to inhibit
Leila de Lima’s fellow defendants in the last illegal drugs case against her have asked the judge handling it to recuse as they said he is the brother of a lawyer who helped Ronnie Dayan, the former senator’s aide, execute an affidavit that he has now recanted......»»
Trump took secret docs, put national security at risk: indictment
Federal prosecutors unsealed a wide-ranging indictment of Donald Trump on Friday, accusing the former US president of endangering national security by holding on to top secret nuclear and defense documents after leaving the White House. The 76-year-old Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, took hundreds of classified government documents in cardboard boxes to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, the 49-page charge sheet said. Trump kept the files -- which included records from the Pentagon, CIA, and National Security Agency -- unsecured at Mar-a-Lago, which regularly hosted large social events, the indictment said. On at least two occasions, Trump showed classified documents on US military operations and plans to people not cleared to see them at his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club, it said. Trump faces 37 separate counts in the indictment including 31 counts of "willful retention of national defense information" relating to specific documents. A conviction on each count carries up to 10 years in prison. "We have one set of laws in this country, and they apply to everyone," said Special Counsel Jack Smith, who brought the historic indictment against Trump, the first former US president ever to face federal criminal charges. "Laws that protect national defense information are critical to the safety and security of the United States, and they must be enforced," Smith said, adding that he would seek to ensure that Trump receives a "speedy trial." Other charges facing the twice-impeached Trump include conspiracy to obstruct justice, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, withholding a document or record, which also carries a potential 20-year sentence, and making false statements. Trump's personal aide, Walt Nauta, was named as a co-conspirator, and charged with six counts for helping Trump hide documents, which were kept at various locations in Mar-a-Lago, according to the indictment, including a ballroom, a bathroom, Trump's bedroom, and a storage room. "The classified documents Trump stored in the boxes included information regarding defense and weapons capabilities of both the United States and foreign countries," the indictment said. Other records dealt with US nuclear programs and potential vulnerabilities of the United States and its allies to military attack along with plans for retaliation, it said. "The unauthorized disclosure of these classified documents could put at risk the national security of the United States, foreign relations, the safety of the United States military, and human sources," according to the indictment. Trump hater Trump is to appear in court in Miami at 3:00 pm (1900 GMT) on Tuesday for the first hearing in the case. According to US media, the case will initially be handled by Aileen Cannon, 42, a Trump-appointed judge who made rulings favorable to the former president during a court review of documents seized in an August 2022 FBI raid on Mar-a-Lago. A trial is not expected to begin for several months and there is nothing to prevent Trump from pursuing a second term in the White House while facing charges. According to the indictment, Trump directed his aide Nauta to conceal boxes containing documents from the FBI and his own attorney and suggested to his lawyers at one point that they hide or destroy documents being sought. The indictment also recounted a conversation between Trump and one of his attorneys about the documents in which the former president reportedly said "Wouldn't it be better if we just told them we don't have anything?" Trump responded to the indictment with a string of posts on his Truth Social platform, calling Smith, the special counsel, "deranged" and a "Trump hater." "Under the Presidential Records Act, I'm allowed to do all this," Trump said. "There was no crime." In a defiant video Thursday, Trump also declared his innocence and framed the indictment as election interference by a Justice Department "weaponized" by President Joe Biden. "They come after me because now we're leading in the polls again by a lot against Biden," Trump said. Biden said Friday that he would have no comment on the case and has had no contact with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who appointed Smith as special counsel to conduct the Trump probe. "I have not spoken to him at all and I'm not going to speak with him," Biden told reporters. Trump was already the first former or sitting president to be charged with a crime, indicted in New York in March in a case involving election-eve hush money payments to a porn star who said she had an affair with him. Smith is also looking into whether Trump should face charges over the January 2021 assault on the US Capitol by his supporters. And Georgia prosecutors are investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome in the southern state. The post Trump took secret docs, put national security at risk: indictment appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Reverse Leila acquittal, court told
Government prosecutors have asked the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court to reverse its acquittal of former senator Leila de Lima on drug-related charges. The Department of Justice panel of prosecutors headed by Ramoncito Ocampo Jr. submitted to the court a 91-page motion for reconsideration anchored on questioning the motives of those who recanted their statements against De Lima. In dismissing the second of three drug cases against De Lima, the court afforded the former senator “reasonable doubt” on account of former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos taking back his statement that he gave De Lima P10 million. The case stemmed from the alleged actions of De Lima as DoJ secretary overseeing the New Bilibid Prison. She purportedly received money from drug lords detained at NBP in exchange for allowing them to remotely control their drug empires behind bars. The prosecution noted that Ragos’ recantation came eight days before the 2022 presidential election, at the time that De Lima was seeking reelection as a senator. “This clearly raises doubt as to the motive behind the sudden retraction,” part of the motion read. Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara, in his 13 May 2013 ruling, said the case against De Lima had lost its legs with the recantation. Without Ragos’s statement, the trial court said: “The crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt.” On 5 September 2016, Ragos executed an affidavit claiming that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, he delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard, Ronnie Dayan, at the former’s residence in Parañaque City. Ragos claimed they made another delivery of P5 million in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. The money, according to Ragos, came from the proceeds of the drug operations of several high-profile inmates inside the NBP. But Ragos retracted his statements against De Lima in May 2022. The panel of prosecutors insisted that Ragos’ recantation did not debunk his original testimony given in open court and that there were other pieces of evidence on record to prove De Lima’s guilt. The panel also cited numerous rulings of the Supreme Court which held that recantations of testimonies are viewed with suspicion and hardly given much weight. “While recantation may give rise to suspicion, such suspicion, however strong, cannot solely serve as a gauge for determining the probative value of the recantation,” the DoJ panel said. The prosecution pointed out that Ragos “extensively” testified before the court, the Senate, and the House of Representatives on his original testimony linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. It also questioned the court’s failure to consider the weight of the “corroborative and uncontroverted” testimony of Ablen, who testified that he accompanied Ragos in delivering the alleged drug money to De Lima’s residence. The panel also noted that Ragos failed to show evidence to back his claim that he was coerced into executing his initial affidavits and testifying before the court against the former senator. “With his stature and if Ragos indeed lived by his office creed, no amount of coercion could have swayed him. His empty claim of coercion could not have sacrificed his honor and the honor of his office by asserting untruthful statements which are not expected of a high officer of the premier investigatory arm of the government,” the DoJ panel said. The post Reverse Leila acquittal, court told appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DOJ prosecutors ask Muntinlupa court to reverse De Lima acquittal
The Department of Justice has asked the Regional Trial Court of Muntinlupa City to reverse the acquittal of former senator Leila de Lima on the charge of conspiring to commit illegal drug trading inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. The panel of prosecutors headed by Provincial Prosecutor Ramoncito Ocampo Jr. in a 91-page motion for reconsideration, questioned the motive behind the recantation of its main witness, former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections Rafael Ragos, which became the basis for the trial court’s dismissal of the drug case against De Lima. The prosecution noted that Ragos’ recantation came eight days before the 2022 presidential election, where De Lima was seeking reelection as senator. “This clearly raises doubt as to the motive behind the sudden retraction,” the MR stated. “Verily, the precipitous recantation of NBI Deputy Director Rafael Marcos Z. Ragos is coming off as highly suspect and should not be the sole barometer and guiding threshold in rendering the assailed judgment,” it added. Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 Presiding Judge Abraham Joseph Alcantara, in his 13 May 2013 ruling, gave weight to Ragos’ recantation in acquitting De Lima and bodyguard Ronnie Dayan. Without Ragos’ statement, the trial court said, “ the crucial link to establish conspiracy is shrouded with reasonable doubt.” The retraction it said “created reasonable doubt which warrants the acquittal of both accused.” On 5 September 2016, Ragos executed an affidavit claiming that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, they delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at the former’s residence in Paranaque. Ragos said they made another delivery of the amount of P5 million contained in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. The money, according to Ragos, came from the proceeds of the drug operations of several high-profile inmates inside the NBP. But the statements were recanted by Ragos in his affidavit executed in May 2022. The panel of prosecutors insisted that Ragos’ recantation was not able to debunk his original testimony given in open court and that there are other pieces of evidence on record to prove De Lima’s guilt. The panel also cited numerous rulings of the Supreme Court which held that recantations of testimonies are viewed with suspicion and hardly given much weight. “While recantation may give rise to suspicion, such suspicion, however strong, cannot solely serve as a gauge for determining the probative value of the recantation,” the DOJ panel said. The prosecution pointed out that Ragos “extensively” testified before the court, the Senate and House of Representatives on his original testimony linking De Lima to the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. It also questioned the court’s failure to consider the weight of the “corroborative and uncontroverted" testimony of Ablen, who testified that he accompanied Ragos in delivering the alleged drug money to De Lima’s residence in Paranaque City. The panel also noted that Ragos failed to show evidence to back his claim that he was coerced to execute his initial affidavits and to testify before the court against the former senator. “With his stature and if Ragos indeed lived by his office creed, no amount of coercion could have swayed him. His empty claim of coercion could not have sacrificed his honor and the honor of his office by asserting untruthful statements which are not expected of a high officer of the premier investigatory arm of the government,” the DOJ said. The post DOJ prosecutors ask Muntinlupa court to reverse De Lima acquittal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
De Lima judged today on P5-M drugs bribe
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has wished his predecessor, former senator Leila de Lima, good luck on the promulgation of judgment today on one of two remaining drug cases against her. Branch 204 of the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court will rule on the recanted allegation of former Bureau of Corrections officer in charge Rafael Ragos that De Lima received P5 million in drug money in 2012. Detained at the Philippine National Police custodial facility, De Lima also has a pending drug case before Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256. “Good luck to her. I don’t even know the judge. I don’t talk with the prosecutors about it. It has been ongoing for the past six years, so good luck,” Remulla said. “I cannot weigh in on that. I cannot interfere with the way of the court,” he added, of the promulgation set for 8:30 a.m. De Lima was accused of making money from the illegal drugs trade when she was Justice secretary by allowing New Bilibid Prison drug lords to continue to conduct business with their contacts outside the prison. She, however, accused former President Rodrigo Duterte of orchestrating the filing of trumped-up charges against her. In 2016, Ragos issued an affidavit that alleged that he and an aide delivered to the house of De Lima P5 million in drug bribe money. The post De Lima judged today on P5-M drugs bribe appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remulla to De Lima: ‘Good luck’ on case promulgation
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday wished detained former Senator Leila De Lima good luck on the promulgation of her two remaining drug cases pending at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court. The Muntinlupa RTC Branch 204 is set to promulgate tomorrow the two remaining drug cases against the former lawmaker for allegedly benefiting from the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison when she was still Justice secretary. “Good luck to her. I don’t even know the judge, I don’t talk with the prosecutors about it. It has been ongoing for the past six years, so good luck,” said Remulla when asked for comment on the impending promulgation. “I cannot weigh in on that. I cannot interfere with the way of the court,” Remulla added. The promulgation, scheduled at around 8:30 a.m. tomorrow, 12 May, is expected to be attended by de Lima, who has been in jail since 2017. Should she be cleared by Muntinlupa Branch 204 Presiding Judge Joseph Abrahan Alcantara, her acquittal will not pave the way for her immediate release from detention as she still has another pending drug case before the Muntinlupa RTC Branch 256, which earlier deferred its ruling on De Lima’s petition for bail. The drug case to be promulgated tomorrow stemmed from the affidavit executed on 5 September 2016 by former officer-in-charge of the Bureau of Corrections Rafael Ragos, who claimed that in November 2012, as BuCor OIC and together with aide Jovencio Ablen, he delivered a black bag containing P5 million to De Lima and her bodyguard Ronnie Dayan at the former’s residence in Paranaque. He added that they made another delivery of money contained in a plastic bag in December 2012 to De Lima and Dayan. Ragos said the money came from drug lords inside the NBP, to support De Lima's senatorial bid in 2013. But in May 2022, Ragos recanted his statements and accused former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre of coercing him to execute an affidavit that implicated De Lima in the NBP drug trade. The post Remulla to De Lima: ‘Good luck’ on case promulgation appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PBA COVID-19 protocols in line with FIBA says Commissioner Marcial
A few weeks ago, FIBA released its own set of guidelines in order to combat the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The "Return to Basketball" guidelines are directed to every country's basketball federations in order to help aide existing government-imposed health protocols. [Related: FIBA releases guidelines for "Return to Basketball"] In the case of the PBA, the league has been made aware of the FIBA guidelines through the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas. And as the PBA plans for a restart later this year, the league has adopted and modified the guidelines to suit their own situation. "Tinitignan po namin yun, pinag-aaralan din namin. Opo, kung ano ang guidelines ng FIBA, adopt din namin," PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said during a recent PSA forum. "Meron pa nga kaming dagdag dun. Syempre kung ano sinabi ng SBP, FIBA, susundin po natin yun. Pero meron pa po tayong dagdag dun, additional protocols," he added. Following the first face-to-face Board meeting earlier this month, the PBA started dialogue with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases for a possible clearance regarding player workouts. To start, the PBA will implement a "no test, no practice" policy to all 12 PBA teams should they be allowed to return to the court. [Related: "No test, no practice" for PBA teams] But to make a full return to 5-on-5 basketball, the PBA says it will be a collective effort from the league, FIBA, the goverment, and even the venue to be used for the games as they implement suitable guidelines to for the planned restart. "There are similarities with the guidelines we submitted to the IATF, but right now, yung sinend samin was more of a guideline sa restart of individual workouts. We're in talks also with Araneta [Coliseum] regarding pag may games na tayo in the future, for their protocols also," Deputy Commissioner Eric Castro said. "It's a collaboration of everybody, syempre yung safety ang priority natin," he added. — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
Ombudsman junks case vs suspended Tabuk City, Kalinga mayor
Tabuk City, Kalinga province Mayor Darwin Estranero will be back to work on April 1 after the case filed against him in connection to the alleged overpricing of medical equipment for his town was dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman......»»
Contagious pertussis disease continues spreading in Philippines
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The contagious pertussis has continued spreading in the Philippines, where it has caused at least 40 death cases, after a province near the capital region reported an outbreak of the disease. In a social media post on Wednesday night, the Cavite government posted a resolution declaring the province under a state of calamity "due to the outbreak of pertussis" after logging 36 cases an.....»»
ED attaches asset worth Rs 70 lakh in bank fraud implicating Hyderabad-based Jasleen Enterprises
New Delhi [India], March 28 (ANI): The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) has attached an immovable property valued at Rs 70 lakh in a bank fraud case involving Jasleen Enterprises headquartered in Hyderabad. The Hyderabad division of the ED attached the fixed asset in accordance with the stipulations outlined in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) of 2002. ED initiated investigation on the basis of First Informati.....»»
Chinese Diplomat Liu Jianchao Meets With Singapore s Leaders
singapore - Liu Jianchao, the senior diplomat widely expected to become China's next foreign minister, said "the world needs connectivity, not decoupling," during a four-day visit to Singapore.Liu, who heads the international department of the Communist Party, was in the city-state to meet with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the country's incoming leader, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.During a s.....»»