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Ex-employee questions BI chief’s appointment
The job of Immigration Commissioner Norman Garcera Tansingco may be in limbo following the revelation by a former bureau employee that Tansingco has a pending case before the Office of the Ombudsman. Based on a document obtained by DAILY TRIBUNE, Tansingco is among the respondents in a human smuggling complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman by former Bureau of Immigration Intelligence Division employee Richard de Leon Cabochan Jr. on 21 April 2015. “One of the respondents in the complaint is Atty. Norman Garcera Tansingco. Based on my records, the last pleading I filed in the case was a supplemental affidavit dated 24 June 2015. In addition, I also filed two other cases with your honorable office docketed as OMB CASE NO. IC-OC-14-1351° and OMB CASE NO. IC-0C-14-4768,” Cabochan told DAILY TRIBUNE when sought for comment. Cabochan was prompted to question Tansingco’s appointment through a letter addressed to Ombudsman Samuel Martires dated 19 September 2022, after a clearance was released by Maria Agnes L. Forteza, Graft Investigation Officer I, dated 1 September 2022. An Ombudsman clearance is a requirement for a Presidential appointee. Cabochan, in his letter, said Tansingco is not fit to be installed as BI commissioner because of his pending case before the Ombudsman. “To my displeasure, I came to know that Atty. Tansingco, a respondent in the abovementioned case, was the newly appointed commissioner of the BI. The said event had me surprised because it is my understanding that to be a confirmed appointee of a head of a government agency, one must possess a clean record or background as evidenced by various clearances issued by concerned government offices of the Republic of the Philippines,” Cabochan’s letter to Martirez read. Cabochan said Tansingco was able to fool Malacañang’s steering committee — the Presidential Management Staff — by saying that he was not involved in any criminal or administrative cases. “An investigation of the matter showed that Atty. Tansingco obtained a ‘clearance’ stating that he had no pending criminal or administrative cases with your honorable office. To reiterate, the same was issued last 1 September 2022,” Cabochan said. “I was surprised about this development, considering that it is to my knowledge that the complaint for the alleged human smuggling that I had filed is still being heard by your honorable office and has yet to be resolved, considering that I have yet to receive any document of the results of the proceedings conducted,” Cabochan letter to Martirez read. “Despite such fact, it appears from the abovementioned document that the case I had filed was already resolved without me, the complainant, being duly informed of the same,” he added. Not notified He further asked Martirez why the Ombudsman did not notify him that Tansingco was given a clearance by the Ombudsman, a clear violation of his right to the due process of law. “It is my understanding that this runs counter to the established procedures in the resolution of filed complaints in your honorable office wherein the parties should be duly informed of the results of the proceedings. I further understand that this right to be informed of the results of the proceedings is part of the due process of law as it would allow the parties to seek relief from the decision by filing the appropriate action in case they disagree with the outcome of the proceedings,” the letter said. The post Ex-employee questions BI chief’s appointment appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Famed environmental warrior graces RC Manila assembly
The Rotary Club of Manila had a brilliant, unique guest speaker at its last weekly members’ meeting at the Manila Polo Club — the famed, internationally acclaimed author, lawyer, environmental activist, and recipient, in 2009, of what is regarded as the Nobel Prize of Asia, the Ramon Magsaysay Award (non-category), Antonio Oposa Jr. For about an hour and a half last Thursday, 21 September 2023, RC Manila members, officers and guests at the MPC’s Turf Room alternately stood up to sing along and listen to Oposa’s telling of “good stories,” his way, he said, of promoting and creating awareness for his advocacies and his passion for the environment. Oposa earned a law degree from the University of the Philippines College of Law. For a short time, he worked in a law firm, until he realized that his heart was not in the practice of law but rather with nature and the environment. He traveled to Norway and enrolled in a course on energy and the environment at the University of Oslo’s summer program and afterwards, to Boston, where he pursued and later obtained his LLM at the Harvard Law School in 1997. [caption id="attachment_188497" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Valiant environmental warrior Antonio Oposa: ‘My biggest achievement is that I have turned some of my adversaries into co-advocates. And what could be more inspiring now than to see their own children out there, protecting the sea?’[/caption] In 1993, Oposa made global headlines for the landmark case, Minors Oposa v Factoran where the Supreme Court ruled that the 43 children counseled by Oposa, who filed legal action against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, seeking cancellation by the agency of existing timber license agreements and stopping the issuance of new ones, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. “The case was brought to court amid the government’s then granting over 90 logging companies permits to cut down nearly four million hectares of old-growth forest when only 850,000 hectares remained. And forests were being logged at a rate of some 200,000 hectares per year! I told the Court how my son, only three at that time, would no longer see these forests by the time he was 10. I couldn’t help thinking, that if this wasn’t stopped not a single old-growth forest would remain for him and future generations to enjoy,” Oposa said. The case had initially been dismissed in trial court on the ground that there was no legal personality to sue. Oposa elevated the case to the Supreme Court, and in a much-hailed case of intergenerational responsibility, the Supreme Court upheld the legal standing and right of the children to initiate action on their behalf and on behalf of generations yet unborn. What was so remarkable about the case is that Oposa sued on behalf of generations yet unborn and today that milestone case is known in Philippine and global jurisprudence as the “Oposa Doctrine.” For its part, the Philippine Supreme Court, too, carved a permanent niche for itself in environmental law with its promulgation of Oposa v Factoran. It secured its place in history, earning praises from the international environmental community and a reputation as a champion of the right to a healthy environment. Oposa also recounted at this talk at the RC Manila meeting last Thursday another epic landmark case involving the legal tussle he waged against 11 government agencies for the cleaning up of severely polluted Manila Bay. In December 2008, a decade after he filed that case, the Supreme Court issued a decision in his favor. In a continuing mandamus ruling, the Supreme Court ordered all defendant agencies to implement a time-bound action plan that would clean up Manila Bay and to give the Court a progress report on the matter every three months. Oposa talked about the Island Sea Camp he organized in 2001 in Bantayan Island where he gave children lessons on coral reefs, snorkeling and sustainable practices. In 2003, 2004, while holding weekend training camps for children in the Sea Camp “we noticed the rampant illegal fishing going on. Dynamite fishing and commercial fishing intrusions into prohibited coastal zones went unchecked. Something had to be done,” related Oposa. Thus, was born the Visayan Sea Squadron. “I organized a strike team with crack enforcers from the National Bureau of Investigation, Navy, fishermen, sea watch volunteers, lawyers, law students and even a few foreigners. The target was not small fishermen but crime syndicates and operators behind the sale of blasting caps and dynamite powder. Seizures and raids followed,” he said. Operations were so effective that word went out that his friend Jojo de la Victoria, the fearless Cebu City Bantay Dagat (Sea Watch) chief, and Oposa were targets of assassination. A local newspaper interviewed De la Victoria, revealing an intelligence report about illegal fishing operators putting up a P1-million bounty for him and Oposa. In 12 April 2006, 48 hours after he was interviewed, De la Victoria was felled by a hired gunman outside his house in Cebu City. “Jojo’s life was not in vain. After his funeral, a core team met for dinner to regroup. The tide of illegal fishing started to turn. Exploits of the Visayan Sea Squadron — and the courage and synergy of the men and women who made it happen — became known far and wide,” Oposa said. He continued, “Four years after Jojo died, Visayan Sea Squadron co-founder Alfredo Marañon was elected governor of Negros Occidental province. He gathered the other governors in the region to begin a restorative plan for the Visayan Sea which encompasses an area of over a million hectares. The governors passed a landmark joint resolution declaring the entire Visayan Sea a marine reserve.” For his valiant work as an environmental warrior, Oposa has been the recipient of many award in recognition of his valiant work as an environmental warrior. Aside from receiving the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2009, he was given the equally prestigious Center for International Environmental Law Award in 2008. Earlier, in 1997, he was conferred the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 Roll of Honor, the highest UN honor in the field of the environment. Asked if there was anything about his attainments that gives him the most satisfaction, Oposa said, “My biggest achievement is not that I caught this violator and that violator when we were busy with our Visayan Sea Squadron operations; it is that I have turned my adversaries into co-advocates. Some of those who had opposed me are now supporting me in my advocacies. And what could be more inspiring than to see their own children helping us out there, protecting the sea?” The post Famed environmental warrior graces RC Manila assembly appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MAP denies backing on dismissed MIAA chief
Management Association of the Philippines president, Atty. Benedicta Du-Baladad denied that her group aired its support to the dismissed Manila International Airport Authority, General Manager Cesar Chiong, and MIAA OIC assistant general manager Irene Montalbo, saying that the backing came from some of its members. Besides MAP, the Makati Business Club last week released a statement of support backing Chiong and Montalbo, questioning the decision of Ombudsman Samuel Martires. “Please note that this is not a MAP statement. Nowhere should the statement be attributed to MAP. This is a statement of individual businessmen and professionals who requested us to distribute it to the media,” Baladad told the Daily Tribune. Trabaho Partylist on Wednesday also hit business groups petition urging Ombudsman Martires to reverse the decision dismissing Chiong, stating that it is a clear interference with the independence and investigatory functions of the Ombudsman. “While the 1987 Constitution created the Ombudsman as ‘an independent constitutional body, unfettered by political influence and insulated it from the ebb and tide of political fortunes,’ here comes now a group of businessmen trying to erode the integrity of the office,” Trabaho Partylist Secretary General Atty. Juan Paolo Lorica said. “The decision dismissing Chiong and MIAA OIC assistant general manager Irene Montalbo is clearly supported by evidence. It is unfair for the business sector to even insinuate that the Ombudsman and the panel of investigators did not investigate and decide the case with utmost objectivity,” he added. Lorica pointed out that Martires’ record as Ombudsman has consistently shown he has maintained his independence and that he does not look into the political color of the respondents of the cases being decided by his office. “It must be recalled that Ombudsman Martires caused the withdrawal of the usurpation case that his predecessor has filed against President Noynoy Aquino. And just recently he dismissed from the service the Over-All Deputy Ombudsman for his involvement in the Pharmally case. The Ombudsman exacted justice for the Filipino people even as other government organs failed to do the same,” he said. The Trabaho Partylist Secretary General further stressed that what the business groups are asking is for the Ombudsman to favor Chiong. “Is Chiong the only citizen who can manage the airport efficiently and effectively? Is he the only citizen who is honest for which this government must lean on?” he asked. Last April 2023, Chiong and Montalbo were put on preventive suspension by the Ombudsman for Grave Abuse of Authority, Grave Misconduct, and Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service for reassigning 285 MIIA personnel despite the two officials’ temporary positions in the attached agency of the Department of Transportation. The post MAP denies backing on dismissed MIAA chief appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
France evacuates five Afghan women ‘threatened by Taliban’
Paris, France — France on Monday was due to receive five Afghan women “threatened by the Taliban” after repeated requests it create a humanitarian corridor for women shut out of public life, an official said. Since returning to power in August 2021, Taliban authorities have imposed a strict interpretation of Islam, with women bearing the brunt of laws the United Nations has labelled “gender apartheid.” Women and girls have been banned from attending high school and university as well as barred from visiting parks, fairs and gymnasiums. They have also mostly been blocked from working for UN agencies or NGOs, with thousands sacked from government jobs or paid to stay at home. French immigration authority chief Didier Leschi told AFP that by presidential order, “special attention is being paid to women who are primarily threatened by the Taliban because they have held important positions in Afghan society... or have close contacts with Westerners.” “This is the case for five women who will arrive today,” Leschi said. The women include a former university director, an ex-NGO consultant, a former television presenter, and a teacher at a secret school in Kabul. One of the women was accompanied by three children. The women had been unable to leave Afghanistan on airlifts to Western countries when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. They fled to neighboring Pakistan where they sought temporary refuge. From there, the French authorities organized their evacuation, Leschi said. Once they arrive in France, they will be registered as asylum seekers and given housing while their applications for refugee status are considered, Leschi said. Leschi said that such evacuations were “likely to be repeated” for other Afghan women with a similar profile. However, Delphine Rouilleault, the head of the France Terre D’Asile NGO working for refugees, said the evacuations were “not the fruit of a political decision” but gained “after a hard fight” to obtain visas for them. The women will be initially housed in a center run by her organization, which has been rallying for months for the evacuation of more Afghan women facing a similar situation. Rouilleault said “hundreds” of Afghan women were “hiding” in Pakistan. In the middle of 2021, French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged that France would “be by the side of Afghans.” French authorities say nearly 16,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since then. An NGO working for Afghan refugees and asylum seekers, Accueillir les Afghanes, in April deplored that Afghan women, especially those who were single, had been largely abandoned and asked Paris to put in place an “emergency” program to take them in. The post France evacuates five Afghan women ‘threatened by Taliban’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Maguindanao del Norte impasse (2)
A commonsensical reading of Section 50 of Republic Act 11550, quoted hereunder: “SEC. 50. Officials of the newly created Provinces (a) The newly elected officials of the newly created provinces shall be elected on the second Monday of May 2023 national and local elections: Provided, however, that if this Act is approved and ratified within six months or more prior to the 2022 national and local elections, the vice-governor and the next ranking elective member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the present Province of Maguindanao, who are the residents of the new province of Maguindanao shall assume as its acting Governor and acting Vice-Governor, respectively, and both shall continue to serve in office until their successors shall have been elected and qualified in the 2022 national and local elections.” We readily saw the clear intention of Congress when it passed that particular transitory provision, and that is — upon the creation of the new Province of Maguindanao del Norte, the assumption of transitional officials, i.e., Acting Governor and Acting Vice-Governor will take place immediately, govern the same, pending the election and qualification of their successors. This is to prevent a hiatus in the public service to secure the non-interruption in the delivery of basic services to the people of Maguindanao del Norte as well the continuous drawing of salaries of the officials and employees of the province. Owing to the wrong interpretation of the said transitory provision of the lawyers of the government, there is presently an impasse in the governance of the Maguindanao del Norte as two acting Governors are simultaneously holding office thereat. As a consequence thereto, the people of Maguindanao del Norte are suffering. Despite the clear intention of the law dividing Maguindanao into two provinces these state lawyers opined that the transitory provision is inoperative. They claim that the circumstance of holding the plebiscite for the people’s ratification prior to the 2022 national and local elections not having occurred, it follows that the said provision that directs the assumption of the elected Vice-Governor and the next elective ranking member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the Province of Maguindanao shall serve as the acting Governor and Vice-Governor of Maguindanao del Norte and will continue to serve until their successors are elected and qualified, is inapplicable. Apparently, this wrong legal opinion paved the way for the appointment of Abdulraof Abdul Macacoa by the President of an acting Officer-in-Charge of the Maguindanao del Norte, even though there was no vacancy in the position of Acting Governor, as the duly elected Vice-Governor of Maguindanao, Bai Fatima Ainee Sinsuat, already assumed office as Acting Governor pursuant to Section 50 of Republic Act 11550. Following the appointment of the aforesaid OIC of Maguindanao del Norte, Acting Governor Bai Ainee Sinsuat was also appointed by the President as Acting Vice-Governor. All the elected officials of the Maguindanao del Sur and the newly appointed officials took their oath of office on 4 April in Malacañang Palace. On 5 April 2023, Bai Fatima Ainee Sinsuat registered her respectful but vigorous objection to the appointment of Abdulraof Abdul Macacua as OIC of Maguindanao del Norte as bereft of legal basis by way of a formal letter addressed to the President coursed thru Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile. Prior to the said appointments, because of the refusal of the head of the Bureau of Local Government Finance or BLGF Region XII to designate an Acting Provincial Treasurer of Maguindanao del Norte resulting in the failure of the province to receive its share of the National Tax Allotment, Acting Governor Sinauat filed a petition for mandamus with a prayer for the issuance of a preliminary mandatory injunction against the BLGF. On 26 June of this year, the Supreme Court granted the petition for mandamus and made permanent the writ of preliminary mandatory injunction. Citing the aforesaid decision of the Supreme Court, Fatima Bai Ainee Sinsuat re-assumed the office of Acting Governor. The BLGF, however, refused to recognize her, giving the reason that the mandamus case is not final and executory, and besides the issue of the governorship of Maguindanao del Norte was not part of the dispositive portion of the decision. Apparently, the BLGF position is upon the advice of the government lawyers who evidently are maintaining their wrong reading of Section 50 of RA 11550, as well as their wrong interpretation of the decision of the Supreme Court. There is an invocation of technicality to the prejudice of the people of Maguindanao del Norte. (To be continued) The post Maguindanao del Norte impasse (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump arrested in Georgia racketeering case
Former US president Donald Trump was arrested at a Georgia jail on Thursday on racketeering and conspiracy charges for trying to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state. During a brief session lasting less than 30 minutes, the 77-year-old Trump was booked on 13 charges at Atlanta's Fulton County Jail, according to records published by the sheriff's office. Trump's height was listed by the jail as six foot three inches (1.9 meters), his weight as 215 pounds (97 kilograms) and his hair color as "Blond or Strawberry." Other defendants in the racketeering case who have surrendered to the Georgia authorities in recent days have had a mugshot taken. The billionaire has been criminally indicted four times since April, setting the stage for a year of unprecedented drama as he tries to juggle multiple court appearances and another White House campaign. In posts on his Truth Social platform shortly before leaving his New Jersey golf club for the flight to Atlanta, Trump said he was being arrested for "having the audacity to challenge a RIGGED & STOLLEN (sic) ELECTION." "This is yet another SAD DAY IN AMERICA!" he added. Trump was able to dodge having a mugshot taken during his previous arrests this year: in New York on charges of paying hush money to a porn star, in Florida for mishandling top secret government documents, and in Washington on charges of conspiring to upend his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. But Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat said standard procedure in Georgia is to take a defendant's photograph before they are released on bond -- set at $200,000 in Trump's case. The arrest comes one day after Trump spurned a televised debate in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, featuring eight of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination -- all of whom lag well behind him in the polls. He still stole the spotlight, though, with all but two of the candidates saying they would support him as the party's nominee even if he were a convicted felon. During a pre-recorded interview with former Fox News talk show host Tucker Carlson -- which aired on social media at the same time as the debate -- Trump dismissed the criminal cases filed against him as "nonsense." Trump said the Justice Department had been "weaponized" under Biden to hamstring his White House bid. Court dates in election race A tight security perimeter was set up for Trump's booking at the Fulton County Jail, which is under investigation for a slew of inmate deaths and deplorable conditions. Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney who filed the sweeping racketeering case, had set a deadline of noon (1600 GMT) on Friday for Trump and the other 18 defendants to surrender. Trump and 11 others have turned themselves in so far. Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows surrendered on Thursday and was released on $100,000 bond. Former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who served as Trump's personal lawyer when he was in the White House and vigorously pushed the false claims that Trump had won the 2020 election, was booked and released on Wednesday. John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who is accused of drawing up a scheme to submit a false slate of Trump electors to Congress from Georgia instead of the legitimate Biden ones, has also been booked and released. A few dozen supporters of the former Republican president gathered outside the jail, including Sharon Anderson who spent the night in her car. "I think this is a political persecution and now that's turned into a political prosecution," Anderson told AFP. Trump is the first US president in history to face criminal charges. His various trials, if they take place next year, may coincide with the Republican presidential primary season, which begins in January, and the campaign for the November 2024 White House election. Special counsel Jack Smith has proposed a January 2024 start date for Trump's trial on charges of conspiring to overturn the last election with a lie-fueled campaign that culminated in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol by his supporters. Trump's attorneys have countered with a suggested start date well after the election -- April 2026. Willis, the Georgia district attorney, initially proposed that the racketeering case begin in March next year, the same month Trump is scheduled to go on trial in New York on charges of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels. On Thursday, after one of the defendants asked for a speedy trial, she proposed that it begin for all 19 in October of this year, a move met with an immediate objection from Trump's lawyers. The Florida case, in which Trump is accused of taking secret government documents as he left the White House and refusing to return them, is scheduled to begin in May. The post Trump arrested in Georgia racketeering case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Vloggers warned: Watch what you’re posting
Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. reminded vloggers and content creators to be responsible in creating videos that they upload on social media and never to make jokes about crimes as they could be held accountable for tumultuous and other disturbances of public order. Acorda made the remark after rapid and resolute response to a highly controversial viral video. The PNP has taken into custody three individuals identified as Mark San Rafael, Mark Lester San Rafael and Eleazar Steven Fuentes all legal ages, have been apprehended on Aug. 1 based on a warrant of arrest on charges of Violation of RPC Art. 513 (Alarm and Scandal) as per Criminal Case No. 83313. “The PNP remains steadfast in upholding the law and ensuring that individuals are held accountable for their deeds. Pranks that induce panic and disrupt public order cannot be taken lightly. We commend our personnel for their swift action in this instance, “ Acorda said in a statement. The controversial case centers around their involvement in a staged kidnapping prank, which triggered widespread public outrage and concern. The incident, which happened 6 April, came under intense scrutiny following the dissemination of a viral video by the vlogger known as “TOKOMI.” The video portrayed a meticulously orchestrated kidnapping scenario. Staff Sergeant Ronnie Conmigo, a dedicated member of the PNP assigned to PNP IMEG, played a pivotal role in unraveling the prank and formally lodging a complaint against the responsible parties. The video, posted by the vlogger under the pseudonym “Tukomi Blog,” depicted a sophisticated fake kidnapping episode that transpired along Saging Street, Phase 2, Barangay CAA. Criminal complaint The ensuing public uproar prompted Conmigo to initiate a criminal complaint for Alarm and Scandal, subsequently filed before the Office of the City Prosecutor on 11 April 2023. The wheels of justice continued to turn, culminating in the issuance of an Arrest Warrant by Judge Lynnette May D. Deloria-Manarang of Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 124, Las Piñas City. Throughout the arrest process, the PNP meticulously adhered to prescribed protocols, capturing crucial incidents through body-worn cameras and alternate recording devices in accordance with the Rules on the Use of Body-Worn Cameras in Warrant Execution. Following the due legal procedures and bail payment, the accused were granted release from custody on 2 August 2023, as directed by Presiding Judge Lynnette May D. Deloria-Manarang of Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 124. As the legal proceedings continue to unfold, the arraignment of the accused is scheduled for 10 August at 2 p.m, before Judge Deloria-Manarang at MTC Branch 124. Acorda said this incident serves as a poignant reminder of the imperative for responsible online conduct and the far-reaching consequences arising from flouting the law. He said the PNP’s decisive and principled action in this case unequivocally underscores its unwavering commitment to preserving public safety and order in the digital age. The post Vloggers warned: Watch what you’re posting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Conman duped PAGCOR worth P75M
An official of a private corporation engaged in e-sabong was shocked to learn that the performance bond he posted on behalf of the corporation worth millions of pesos is now gone after it was released by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) to an unauthorized individual. Joaquin P. Sy, Chairman of the Board, and Chief Finance Officer of Kamura Highlands Gaming and Holdings Inc., told the Daily Tribune that in his meeting with PAGCOR's AVP for Fund Management Lolita Gonzales last week, he was able to confirm that a check worth 75 million pesos was issued in the name of one Jewel Castro and was immediately encashed thereafter last year. Sy said that he personally posted the performance bond on 4 April 2022 with the PAGCOR Office in Malate, Manila on behalf of Kamura Highlands Gaming and Holdings Inc., through two manager’s checks payable to PAGCOR and drawn against his personal bank accounts. In return, PAGCOR issued official receipts and other documents proving the bond had been posted. Sy said the original copies of receipts and documents are still in his possession. As per the strict requirements of PAGCOR, the original copy of the receipts must be surrendered before the withdrawal of the bond is allowed. It is also mandatory that checks must be payable in the name of the corporation which posted the bond. It was learned that just a few months after the posting of the said performance bond, President Duterte ordered Pagcor to stop the operation of E-Sabong. Sy in May 2022 submitted a letter request to then Pagcor Chairman Andrea Domingo thru Dianne Erica Jogno—then VP for e-sabong licensing department— for the withdrawal of the said bond but to no avail. Several attempts to follow it up were also proved futile, Sy claimed. In 10 July 2023 Sy filed a letter request addressed to Mr. Alejandro Tengco, newly appointed PAGCOR Chairman and CEO. Sy was able to gain access to PAGCOR’s Finance Department only and was told of the anomaly. According to Sy, Gonzales told him the release of P75 million check to a certain Jewel Camura is an exceptional case. She, however, refused to elaborate nor provide him with the details and documents regarding the anomalous release of his money. Records show that Sy acquired majority shareholdings of Kamuraand in 2021, and on February 2022 an election of corporate officers was held where he became the treasurer and chairman of the board while his brother and his nominee Bernard Parocha were elected as the corporate secretary and vice president respectively. The post Conman duped PAGCOR worth P75M appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Kim oversees N. Korea military parade showcasing new drones, ICBMs
Flanked by visiting Russian and Chinese officials, Kim Jong Un oversaw a North Korean military parade featuring new drones and Pyongyang's nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, state media reported Friday. At least four new North Korean military drones were towed on trailers through Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung square at the parade late Thursday, state media images showed, while another drone appeared to conduct a flyover overhead. Standing between Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese politburo member Li Hongzhong in the VIP viewing stands, Kim smiled and saluted as thousands of soldiers marched past, trailed by the country's most powerful ICBMs, which are banned under UN sanctions. The event, featuring Kim's first-known foreign guests since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, was to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, which ended open hostilities and is celebrated as Victory Day. Kim "extended warm militant greetings" to the parade, the official Korean Central News Agency said, and North Korea's defense minister Kang Sun Nam made a speech. The United States has no chance "of survival in case they use nuclear weapons against the DPRK", Kang said, referring to the North by its official name. He warned that any attempts by the United States to use armed force against the North would cause an "unimaginable and unforeseen crisis". The parade featured an array of new weaponry, including some first unveiled at a defense expo on Wednesday in Pyongyang, visited by Kim and Shoigu. North Korea's new underwater nuclear attack drone, called the "Haeil", appeared at the parade for the first time, Seoul-based specialist site NK News reported. "The strategic reconnaissance drone and the multi-purpose attack drone which was newly developed and produced... made circular flights in the sky above the (Kim Il Sung square," KCNA said. The "excitement and great joy of the spectators reached its height" when the nuclear-armed country's newest ICBM -- the solid-fuel Hwasong-18, tested in April and July this year -- was paraded through the square, KCNA said. The tests were roundly condemned by Seoul, Washington and Tokyo, and violate UN sanctions banning the North from any tests using ballistic missile technology. 'Send the US a signal' The parade is a key part of "promoting Kim Jong Un's ruling legitimacy and internal unity in this economically challenging time", Yangmo Ku, a political science professor at Norwich University, told AFP. But this year, with the inclusion of high-level guests from Moscow and Beijing, Pyongyang is also sending America "a signal that under strengthened ties with Russia and China, North Korea is militarily ready to cope with strategic threats from its enemies", he said. "All these acts mean the emergence of the new Cold War surrounding the Korean Peninsula," Ku added. Beijing is North Korea's most important ally and economic benefactor, their relationship forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s. "China's representation at North Korea's parading of nuclear-capable missiles raises serious questions about Beijing enabling Pyongyang's threats to global security," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. Russia, another historic ally, is one of a handful of nations with which Pyongyang maintains friendly relations, and experts said it was noteworthy that Moscow had sent Shoigu to the anniversary celebrations -- a rare visit by a Russian defense chief in the post-Soviet era. Kim has been steadfast in his support for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, including, Washington says, supplying rockets and missiles -- a charge Pyongyang has denied. Russia's President Vladimir Putin sent a speech, read out by Shoigu at an anniversary event, according to KCNA, in which Moscow's leader hailed North Korea for its "firm support for special military operations against Ukraine". Easley said that "given Russia's need for ammunition for its illegal war in Ukraine and (Kim's) willingness to personally give the Russian defense minister a tour of North Korea's arms exhibition, UN member states should increase vigilance for observing and penalizing sanctions violations". The inclusion of foreign guests at this year's celebrations is a post-pandemic first, and hints at new flexibility toward enforcing border controls. North Korea has imposed a rigid Covid-19 blockade since early 2020, preventing even its own nationals from entering the country. It only resumed some trade with China last year and allowed new Beijing envoy Wang Yajun to take up his position this year. He is the first known senior diplomat to cross into North Korea since the border closure in January 2020. The post Kim oversees N. Korea military parade showcasing new drones, ICBMs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Japanese fugitive nabbed by BI
The Bureau of Immigration reported the arrest of a Japanese fugitive wanted for robbery in Japan. According to the BI Fugitive Search Unit, a 54-year-old Takeuchi Kazuo was apprehended last Thursday morning in Manila along Roxas Boulevard as a result of a mission order issued by BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco. The Sage Summary Court of Japan has issued an arrest order for Takeuchi for robbery causing bodily injury and theft. He was also tagged as a fugitive from justice by the Japanese government. After learning that Takeuchi had eluded capture by fleeing to the Philippines, the Japanese government notified the BI of his case in April 2023. Following the information’s reception, the BI-FSU conducted an immediate manhunt to find and arrest the said fugitive. Tansingco said that they work in close coordination with foreign governments, who provide them with information about fugitives that might be attempting to hide in the country. The BI chief added that these have resulted in numerous arrests and interceptions through the cooperation of their counterparts. Takeuchi will face a summary deportation order and be temporarily detained in the BI Warden Facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending his deportation proceedings. The post Japanese fugitive nabbed by BI appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (17)
“Without fear or favor,” was how former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. chose the Daily Tribune motto in justifying his vote for the acquittal of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the 2012 impeachment trial. Marcos was one of three senators, the others being Miriam Defensor Santiago and Joker Arroyo, who voted to acquit, against 20 who voted to convict Corona. The senator-judges voted only on article 2 of the original eight charges in the impeachment complaint, which was Corona’s “failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth as required under the Constitution.” When Corona passed away in 29 April 2016, Marcos said that he had been a victim of a “great injustice.” “It is unfortunate that at the time of his death, he was still under this cloud that had remained above him since the impeachment trial,” Marcos lamented. He stressed that Corona was clearly a casualty of “selective justice.” History validated the points Marcos made as it was revealed that money was passed around, straight from a Palace slush fund, to influence the vote to oust Corona. In defense of his vote in the impeachment court, Marcos cited Lady Justice who “wears a blindfold for a reason.” “She is to render judgment based on law and evidence without regard to the circumstances and personalities of the parties involved,” he noted. He said that like Lady Justice, the senator-judges were bound to dispense justice “without fear or favor.” “An impeachment trial is sui generis. But, be that as it may, the Bill of Rights stands supreme over all the powers of government, including the power to impeach, and nowhere is this precept more opposite than in this case, where the government has mustered all the resources at its disposal not only to secure evidence against the chief justice but further to ensure his conviction,” Marcos had noted. He indicated that the crucial issues that had piqued the interest of the senator-judges, as well as of the public, “were outside the original ambit of the impeachment complaint” and were raised only after the filing of the complaint. “Evidence in some of these issues came from questionable sources, beginning with the unidentified ‘little lady’ who supplied documents anonymously, leaving them on gates and in mailboxes.” The “little lady” was later identified as a journalist who was doing errands for the Liberal Party to pin Corona and fulfill the wish of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to have the chief justice removed. Marcos said that “at the expense of the sub judice rule, evidence was presented to the public on several occasions even before they were formally offered before this court.” “Worse, information was grossly exaggerated with the apparent intention to predispose the public mind against the chief justice,” Marcos pointed out. He cited as an example the Land Registration Authority report with the “discredited” list of 45 properties and the unauthenticated Anti-Money Laundering Council report claiming that the chief justice had $10 million. Fair, impartial and just Still, Marcos said the chief justice sufficiently addressed the accusations against him with regard to the filing of his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth and the disclosure of his real properties and peso deposits. Relative to his dollar deposits, the chief justice believed that he was under no legal duty to declare them pursuant to Republic Act 6426 which affords absolute confidentiality to all foreign currency depositors, Marcos indicated. “In view of the ambiguous situation created by the concurrent application of the 1987 Constitution, the SALN law and the FCDU law, and absent a determinative judicial pronouncement that resolves the contrary positions in this legal issue, the chief justice must be presumed to have acted in good faith,” Marcos said. He pointed out that “it has been held that not all omissions and misdeclarations in the SALN amount to dishonesty.” “When the furor has died down and this political storm has subsided, I know that like Lady Justice we shall find solace in the fact that this decision, though it may be not popular, was fair, impartial and just,” Marcos declared. The post Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (17) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
UN chief arrives in Haiti for ‘solidarity’ visit
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres arrived in Haiti on Saturday for a lightning visit aimed at showing "solidarity" with the country's people as it navigates a "tragic cycle" of overlapping security, political and economic woes, his spokesperson said. For months, the world body's leader has raised the alarm bell about the situation in the Western Hemisphere's poorest country, which has been wracked by gang violence, a worsening public health situation, and political instability. Guterres -- making his first visit to Haiti as UN secretary-general -- is expected to meet with Prime Minister Ariel Henry as well as other political leaders and members of civil society, his spokesperson said in announcing his arrival. Guterres will "reiterate the UN's support for Haiti, his strong appeal for the international community to continue to support Haiti and its humanitarian needs, as well as his call for the immediate deployment of an international force to assist the Haitian National Police," his office said. The United Nations and Henry have repeatedly made the case for a multinational force to stabilize Haiti, which has not held national elections since 2016. But nine months after Guterres first asked the Security Council for such a force, no country has been willing to step forward to lead one, fearing high risks and uncertain success. Canada and Brazil have both been heavily involved in discussions and several Caribbean nations have backed a multinational force. President Joe Biden has made clear that the United States, which has a long history of intervention in Haiti, will not lead a force and instead wants to focus on bolstering the fledgling national police. The United Nations has meanwhile been clear about the nightmare suffered by many Haitians on a daily basis -- shootings, kidnappings, and rapes are frequent. 'Never been worse' "Haitians and our team there tell me it's never been worse than it is now," UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Catherine Russell said this week after returning from Port-au-Prince. Russell highlighted "unprecedented hunger and malnutrition, grinding poverty, a crippled economy, resurgence of cholera, and a massive insecurity that creates a deadly downward spiral of violence." Compounding the crises, the flooding and earthquakes which ravage the country "continue to remind us all just how vulnerable Haiti is to climate change and natural disasters," she told a briefing. And then Russell recounted the horrific story of an 11-year-old girl who was kidnapped by five men -- and raped by three of them. "She was eight months pregnant when we spoke and gave birth just a few days later," she said, recalling that armed gangs control more than 60 percent of the capital and large swathes of the countryside. Faced with such violence, residents have occasionally taken matters into their own hands. In April, a group of civilians beat to death several suspected gang members who were in police custody and burned their bodies in the street. And in June, Haiti's minister of planning and external cooperation Ricard Pierre warned of the risk that the country could descend into civil war if an international assistance force is not deployed soon. "The risk of civil war is very real," he said. Some 5,2 million Haitians -- nearly half of the country's population -- need humanitarian assistance. Three million of those in need are children. Guterres is also planning to "underscore the need for a Haitian-led, inclusive political pathway towards elections and the return of constitutional order in Haiti," his spokesperson said. Henry, who was named to his post shortly before the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, has faced questions about his own legitimacy. Following his stop in Haiti, Guterres will head to Trinidad and Tobago for a summit of the Caribbean Community, or CARICOM. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also attend that meeting, where he plans to meet Henry. The post UN chief arrives in Haiti for ‘solidarity’ visit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Suspected Thai cyanide serial killer charged with 14 counts of murder
A Thai woman accused of a spate of poisonings has been charged with 14 counts of murder, police said Wednesday, in one of the kingdom's worst suspected serial killing cases. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn is alleged to have swindled thousands of dollars out of her victims before poisoning them with cyanide. She was arrested last week over nine suspicious deaths that took place over several years, but the police swiftly widened their probe. Her husband, a high-ranking policeman, is also facing fraud and embezzlement charges related to the murders, deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn said Wednesday. Surachate said Sararat lured 15 people -- one of whom survived -- to take poisoned "herb capsules". "She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt... and if they asked her for their money back she started killing them," Surachate told reporters. "We are investigating the amount of money that she got from victims." Last week, he indicated the sums involved in each case ran into hundreds of thousands of baht -- the equivalent of thousands of US dollars. Both Sararat and her husband deny the allegations against them. Sararat -- who is four months pregnant -- is facing 14 charges of premeditated murder and one of attempted murder, but police are investigating up to three other potentially linked cases. Last week, officers expanded the geographic area they were investigating to five provinces, most to the west of Bangkok. Police initially suspected the woman of murdering a friend in Ratchaburi province, west of Bangkok, in mid-April. Local media said the victim collapsed on the bank of the Mae Klong River after releasing fish as part of a Buddhist ritual. After questioning the suspect, investigators linked her to other cyanide poisoning cases. The post Suspected Thai cyanide serial killer charged with 14 counts of murder appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Unveiling the shabu bust scandal
On 13 June, Secretary Benhur Abalos of the Department of the Interior and Local Government announced that criminal charges have been filed against 50 police officers, including Gen. Benjamin Santos, former PNP-Drug Enforcement Group chief, and Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo. The investigation leading to the charges was conducted jointly by the National Police Commission and the Philippine National Police’s Special Investigation Task Group which uncovered the officers’ alleged involvement in a coverup in the seizure of 990 kilograms of shabu worth around P6.7 billion in October 2022. They were charged with violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, the Dangerous Drugs Act, the Revised Penal Code (specifically, falsification, perjury, false testimony, and malversation of public property), and Presidential Decree 1829, which deals with obstruction of justice. Much of the evidence was obtained from closed-circuit television camera footage which captured the alleged involvement of police officers in the attempt to pilfer 42 kilograms from the total 990 kilograms of shabu seized at WPD Lending, a finance company owned by Master Sgt. Rodolfo Mayo. The CCTV footage taken on 8 October 2022 corresponded to the day Mayo was apprehended during a drug operation at WPD Lending which resulted in the seizure of the 990 kilograms of shabu. What appeared to be a momentous victory for the PNP, however, quickly turned into a massive scandal seemingly straight out of the big screen. On 10 April, Secretary Abalos stepped forward to unveil a complex syndicated coverup surrounding the shabu bust. For the first time in public, he presented the CCTV footage that revealed a stark disparity between the reports filed by the PNP regarding the arrest of Mayo. This revelation, coupled with multiple reports, prompted Abalos to issue a statement exposing the “massive attempt to cover up” Mayo’s arrest and implicating certain PNP officials in the process. Subsequently, the House of Representatives Committee on Dangerous Drugs and the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs initiated separate inquiries into the anomalies surrounding the drug bust. Mayo and several PNP officials were summoned to shed light on the matter during these investigations. During the congressional hearings, Congressmen Barbers and Acop were able to spot several conflicting details from the PNP officials ranging from the date, time, and place of the arrests of Mayo and his alleged accomplice, Ney Atadero. Among those questioned about the conflicting details were Brig. Gen. Narcisco Domingo Jr., Lt. Col. Julius Olonan, and Capt. Jonathan Sosongco. The three officers were among the 10 ranking officers who were placed on leave after an alleged attempt to cover up Mayo’s arrest was uncovered by the National Police Commission’s fact-finding board. Olonan claimed that only Atadero was arrested at 1 p.m. at WPD Lending in Tondo, while Mayo was arrested in Bambang. Sosongco said both Mayo and Atadero were captured at around 4 p.m. at the Western Police District. The CCTV footage, however, showed that on or about 1:40 p.m. at WPD Lending, Mayo appeared in handcuffs as he alighted from a grey SUV while being escorted by the team of Sosongco who were followed by a black sedan from which Sosongco alighted. This was in stark contrast to what was reported by the PNP that Mayo was arrested by a Captain Piñon. The CCTV footage further showed several PNP officers entering and exiting WPD Lending, carrying suitcases that were loaded into vehicles and on a motorcycle. These vehicles and the motorcycle were then driven to a nearby establishment suspected to belong to another PNP official named Jimenez, where the suitcases were believed unloaded. This Jimenez was a subordinate of Colonel Ibañez of the PNP Drug Enforcement Group Special Operations Unit 4A, who was also listed in the Drug Watch list along with Mayo and Jimenez, whom Ibañez specifically asked to be part of his team. Domingo denied a coverup and said that the senior officers seen in the CCTV footage were discussing their next moves. He said efforts were being made to identify other cohorts of Mayo, recover the pilfered drugs, and cooperate with the Department of Justice in building a case against the suspects. The ramifications of these revelations led former president Rodrigo Duterte to accuse the PNP of being the “gatekeeper” of the illegal drug trade and challenged its personnel to resign. He expressed concern about the significant volume of drugs allegedly passing through the hands of the police, even reaching the level of the generals. Secretary Abalos assured Duterte and the public that they were taking action on the issue of alleged drug ties among police officers and that they were actively carrying out their responsibilities and conducting investigations into the matter. As we delve further into the shabu bust scandal, it is crucial that we remain focused on our ultimate objectives: purging the PNP of corruption, rebuilding public trust, and upholding the rule of law. He should be applauded for his courage in exposing the complicity of senior PNP officials, despite the potential risk to his personal safety from both internal and external syndicates. His unwavering resolve to root out drug connections in the PNP and restore its damaged reputation is truly commendable and deserving of our admiration. The post Unveiling the shabu bust scandal appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Raps vs 50 cops in P6.7-B shabu haul now with Ombudsman
Criminal charges against 50 policemen involved in the 990-kilo shabu shipment worth P6.7 billion that was intercepted on 8 October 2022 were already filed with the Office of the Ombudsman, Interior and Local Goverment Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. reported yesterday. In a press conference at the DILG main office in Quezon City, Abalos and National Police Commission Vice Chairman Alberto Bernardo said the charges were based on the investigation conducted by the Philippine National Police Special Investigation Task Force and the parallel investigation by the NAPOLCOM's fact-finding committee. The 12 commissioned officers charged include former PNP Deputy chief P/Lt. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr., former PNP Drug Enforcement Group head P/Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo, P/Col. Julian Olonan, P/Lt. Col. Arnulfo Ibanez. P/Lt. Col. Glen Gonzales, P/Major Michael Salmingo, P/Lt. Jonathan Sosongco, P/Lt. Col. Dhefrey Punzalan, P/Lt. Jefrrey Padilla, P/Lt. Randolph Pinon, P/Lt. Silverio Bulleser II and P/Lt. Ashrap Amerol. Bernardo said the 38 non-commissioned officers charged include P/SMS Jerrywin Rebosora, P/MSG Lorenzo Catarata, P/SMS Roman Jimenez, P/SMS Marian Mananghaya, P/MSG Bryan Rodas, P/SSG Clitton de Leon, P/SSG Arnold Tibay, P/SSG Ronnie Alonzo, Pat. Joe Marie Cristobal, P/MSG Carlo Bayeta, Pat. Dennis Carolino, Pat. Rommar Bugarin, Pat. Hassan Kalaw, Pat. Hustin Peter Gular, P/CMS Emmanuele Docena, P/CMS Jerry Barit, P/MSG Alejandro Flores, P/CPL Jose Joey Igana IV, P/CPL Joan Franceslynn Taradji, P/CPL Joshua Ivan Baltazar, P/CPL Jhon Roland Gelacio, Pat. Adrian Florie Sanchez, Pat. Nathaniel Gomez, Pat Windel de Ramos, Pat. Mario Atchuela Jr., Pat. Jayson Tomas, Pat. Rommel Fabian, Pat. Kyhke Ramilo, Pat Nemar Baylon, Pat. Maico Bien Baldeo, Pat. Mara Magaway, Pat. Ivan Jay Calcetas, Pat Abigail Tumanguil, Pat. Dhonna May Facton, Pat. Melvin Barbo, Pat. James Osalvo, Pat. Darious Camacho and P/MSG Rodolfo Mayo Jr. According to Abalos, the charges lodged against them are for violations of Republic Act 3019 or the Anti- Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, R.A. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act, the Revised Penal Code for falsification and perjury, malversation of public property and Presidential Decree 1829 for Obstruction of Justice. “Aside from the criminal charges filed against these police officers, the NAPOLCOM is conducting administrative proceedings. The NAPOLCOM has completed its pre-charge investigation against the 48 PNP officers and members that appeared in the video and expects to issue its resolution after about 15 days," Abalos said, explaining that a “pre-charge investigation” is similar to a preliminary investigation under a fiscal. “If the counter-affidavits of the respondents are found insufficient, the NAPOLCOM shall proceed to file formal charges against them. The possible formal charges include grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, serious irregularity in the performance of duty, conduct unbecoming of a police officer, and dishonesty, among others. The penalties include dismissal from service, forfeiture of benefits and disqualification from public office." Last April, Abalos made public closed-circuit television footage showing police officers allegedly attempting to pilfer 42 kilograms of the 990 kilograms of shabu seized. “Of these 50 respondents, 48 appeared on the CCTV video and an additional two officers have been charged on the basis of conspiracy,” he said. Abalos said they are optimistic about the developments in the case, which aims to weed out erring cops from the PNP and help clean the organization’s image. “The NAPOLCOM and the (PNP) SITG have gone through everything -- the testimonies, the evidences, maraming nakita talaga dito. Pinagsama-sama nila at iyan ang dadalhin natin sa korte,” he added. Two other cohorts were said to be involved in the illegal drug deal, but while the PNP and the NAPOLCOM decided to include the two in the criminal case, Bernardo opted not to name the police officials, saying they will let the Office of the Ombudsman name them during the course of the case. The post Raps vs 50 cops in P6.7-B shabu haul now with Ombudsman appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Can you trust your ears? AI voice scams rattle US
The voice on the phone seemed frighteningly real -- an American mother heard her daughter sobbing before a man took over and demanded a ransom. But the girl was an AI clone and the abduction was fake. The biggest peril of Artificial Intelligence, experts say, is its ability to demolish the boundaries between reality and fiction, handing cybercriminals a cheap and effective technology to propagate disinformation. In a new breed of scams that has rattled US authorities, fraudsters are using strikingly convincing AI voice cloning tools -- widely available online -- to steal from people by impersonating family members. "Help me, mom, please help me," Jennifer DeStefano, an Arizona-based mother, heard a voice saying on the other end of the line. DeStefano was "100 percent" convinced it was her 15-year-old daughter in deep distress while away on a skiing trip. "It was never a question of who is this? It was completely her voice... it was the way she would have cried," DeStefano told a local television station in April. "I never doubted for one second it was her." The scammer who took over the call, which came from a number unfamiliar to DeStefano, demanded up to $1 million. The AI-powered ruse was over within minutes when DeStefano established contact with her daughter. But the terrifying case, now under police investigation, underscored the potential for cybercriminals to misuse AI clones. - Grandparent scam - "AI voice cloning, now almost indistinguishable from human speech, allows threat actors like scammers to extract information and funds from victims more effectively," Wasim Khaled, chief executive of Blackbird.AI, told AFP. A simple internet search yields a wide array of apps, many available for free, to create AI voices with a small sample -- sometimes only a few seconds -- of a person's real voice that can be easily stolen from content posted online. "With a small audio sample, an AI voice clone can be used to leave voicemails and voice texts. It can even be used as a live voice changer on phone calls," Khaled said. "Scammers can employ different accents, genders, or even mimic the speech patterns of loved ones. [The technology] allows for the creation of convincing deep fakes." In a global survey of 7,000 people from nine countries, including the United States, one in four people said they had experienced an AI voice cloning scam or knew someone who had. Seventy percent of the respondents said they were not confident they could "tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing," said the survey, published last month by the US-based McAfee Labs. American officials have warned of a rise in what is popularly known as the "grandparent scam" -– where an imposter poses as a grandchild in urgent need of money in a distressful situation. "You get a call. There's a panicked voice on the line. It's your grandson. He says he's in deep trouble —- he wrecked the car and landed in jail. But you can help by sending money," the US Federal Trade Commission said in a warning in March. "It sounds just like him. How could it be a scam? Voice cloning, that's how." In the comments beneath the FTC's warning were multiple testimonies of elderly people who had been duped that way. - 'Malicious' - That also mirrors the experience of Eddie, a 19-year-old in Chicago whose grandfather received a call from someone who sounded just like him, claiming he needed money after a car accident. The ruse, reported by McAfee Labs, was so convincing that his grandfather urgently started scrounging together money and even considered re-mortgaging his house, before the lie was discovered. "Because it is now easy to generate highly realistic voice clones... nearly anyone with any online presence is vulnerable to an attack," Hany Farid, a professor at the UC Berkeley School of Information, told AFP. "These scams are gaining traction and spreading." Earlier this year, AI startup ElevenLabs admitted that its voice cloning tool could be misused for "malicious purposes" after users posted a deepfake audio purporting to be actor Emma Watson reading Adolf Hitler's biography "Mein Kampf." "We're fast approaching the point where you can't trust the things that you see on the internet," Gal Tal-Hochberg, group chief technology officer at the venture capital firm Team8, told AFP. "We are going to need new technology to know if the person you think you're talking to is actually the person you're talking to," he said. bur-ac/arp © Agence France-Presse The post Can you trust your ears? AI voice scams rattle US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
43 farmers in Kidapawan rally acquitted
The Municipal Trial Court in Cities disclosed on Tuesday that it has acquitted the 43 Kidapawan City farmers who were involved in the 2016 protest where they allegedly assaulted policemen. Documents obtained from the Public Attorney’s Office showed the judgement of acquittal was handed down last 18 May by Judge Rebecca Elena B. de Leon of the MTCC. “The Court holds that it finds the evidence for their conviction with no recourse other than dismiss the case which is tantamount to a judgment of acquittal,” said the decision penned by De Leon. The demurrer to evidence, according to PAO who represented the farmers, told the court that the evidence of the prosecution is “insufficient to prove their guilt with moral certainty and beyond reasonable doubt.” Of the 61 farmers pinpointed as participants in the clash with policemen during the protest action, only 43 of them were arrested and charged. The protest stemmed on the farmers’ plea for rice supply from the government due to severe drought that hit their farms. “We laud the court for giving justice to said farmers. This decision proves that justice will flow like a river in our country as the PAO and its poor clients are waiting for swift and just victories for the Filipino people,” said PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta. To recall, the farmers staged a protest on 20 March to 1 April 2016 organized by cause-oriented groups Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anak Pawis, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Apo Sandawa Lumadhong Pananghiusa Cotabato in front of the Spotswoods Methodist Church in Kidapawan City. In the MTCC’s decision, the court stressed that on 1 April 2016 the protesters started throwing stones when “PSSupt. Alexander Tagum ordered the police and fire officers to engage after a five-minute ultimatum was given to protesters to disperse and clear the highway.” Reports had it that two farmers were killed and 13 others were injured during the clash. The post 43 farmers in Kidapawan rally acquitted appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Wanted Japanese ‘thief’ collared
The Bureau of Immigration announced the arrest of a Japanese national who is wanted in Tokyo for involvement in financial fraud. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco identified the fugitive as Sato Shohei, who was nabbed last 24 April in Pasay City by the BI Fugitive Search Unit operatives. Tansingco said the arresting agents were armed with a warrant, which he issued pursuant to a summary deportation order that the BI Board of Commissioners issued against Shohei in February this year. The BI chief added that suspect was ordered deported after Japanese authorities sought their assistance in locating and arresting Shohei, whose name was already placed on the immigration blacklist. BI-FSU acting chief Rendel Ryan Sy, meantime, disclosed that Shohei was issued an arrest warrant by a summary court in Tokyo, where a case for theft was filed against him in October last year. Japanese authorities have reportedly alleged that Shohei conspired with several other accomplices to steal money from the bank accounts of victims whose ATM cards they obtained by misrepresenting themselves as police officers or financial service agency representatives. The fugitive is currently detained at the BI warden facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City while awaiting deportation The post Wanted Japanese ‘thief’ collared appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Del Rosario’s wake open to public
The public may now pay their last respects to Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario whose remains arrived in the country on Saturday as the late diplomat’s family opened the public visitation for his wake on Sunday. Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas blessed the casket of Del Rosario on the first day of his wake at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati City. Among those who first visited the wake of Del Rosario were former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales and retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio — both convenors of the 1Sambayan, a broad coalition that attempted to form a united opposition for the May 2022 poll. Del Rosario was one of the convenors of the coalition. Meantime, Dr. Inge del Rosario, daughter of the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, said that his father’s remains arrived in the country from the United States at around 5:30 a.m. on Saturday. “A patriot has returned to his beloved family and his home, the Philippines,” the family’s statement read. Inge confirmed that his father “breathed his last” at the age of 83 on Tuesday, 18 April, while en route to San Francisco with his wife and son-in-law. “While there were valiant attempts to resuscitate him by two doctors who were passengers on the same flight, these efforts were to no avail,” the family said. “Following an investigation by the coroner’s office in San Francisco, California, it was determined that the causes of death of Ambassador del Rosario were cardiac insufficiency, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy. He had suffered a massive heart attack,” it added. According to the family, Del Rosario “died in the arms of his wife of more than 60 years, Gretchen.” The family disclosed that Del Rosario embarked on a trip to California on short notice in hopes to pray at a private devotion to our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. “He was a devotee of the Rosary and sought to pray for better health as he believed he continued to have a mission to fulfill for his country,” they revealed. “He had suffered over the past twenty years from various ailments and had had numerous back and knee surgeries but persevered despite the pain and suffering to serve as Philippine ambassador to the United States and Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.” Del Rosario stepped down from his post as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs in 2016, citing health issues. Del Rosario took the helm of the DFA chief for five years. During his stint, he ushered the Philippines’ case against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration and challenged the latter’s historic nine-dash claim in the South China Sea. On 12 July 2016, The Hague-based arbitral tribunal favored the Philippines’ claims in the West Philippine Sea — a landmark decision that the People’s Republic of China continues to reject. Del Rosario’s family is asking the Filipino people to “pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and for consolation in our time of grief.” “We are deeply proud of our former Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Albert F. del Rosario, and are grateful for the outpouring of support for the family. Our Papa, a loving husband, father and grandfather, a Patriot, has returned home to our Merciful God and rests now in the arms of our Blessed Mother. He is home to stay,” his family said. The post Del Rosario’s wake open to public appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in Cagayan Valley LTO office’s priority lane criticized
Many in the LGBTQ+ community disapproved of the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the priority lane at an office of the Land Transportation Office in the Cagayan Valley Region. Priority lanes are usually reserved for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disabilities. On 15 April, Bahaghari raised concerns on the inclusion. “While at first glance providing a priority lane for the LGBTQ+ community appears convenient for us, it is worth noting that priority lanes exist to help people with physical and/or mental difficulties in processing transactions. We want to make it clear: being LGBTQ+ in no way impairs or affects a person’s physical capacity to take part in social and governmental functions. Hindi po sakit o kapansanan ang pagiging LGBTQ+,” Reyna Valmores, the national LGBTQ+ organization’s chairperson, said. She further said that the action is “well-meaning,” however, “this does not erase the fact that the implication of LTO’s LGBTQ+ priority lane is dangerous. To this day, many people including lawmakers cling to the erroneous notion that being LGBTQ+ is a disorder.” Valmores offered more appropriate options in catering to the LGBTQ+ sector. “If the LTO so wishes, we are very much open and willing to hold gender sensitivity trainings and discussions on crafting anti-discrimination policies within the LTO, so that we can combat discrimination against both LTO’s workers as well as ordinary Filipinos seeking to have their licenses processed in the office,” the transgender woman activist said. She added: “Beyond the LTO, we wish to highlight that it would be more productive for government to create policies that address the actual issues raised by the LGBTQ+ community, such as passing the SOGIE Equality Bill to combat discrimination, instituting marriage equality, and in a time of economic crisis like this, raising wages towards a family living wage which could be enjoyed by all Filipinos regardless of gender.” Many LGBTQ+ persons commented that such inclusion gives the impression that the sector wants special privileges when what they are asking for are equal rights and freedom from abuse and discrimination because of their genders. On 16 April, LTO ordered the removal of signs that included the LGBTQ+ in the priority lane. “I understand that the region’s leadership merely conceptualized the activity in a desire to recognize the LGBTQ+ community. There was no intention to offend or unnecessarily put them in the spotlight,” LTO chief Jay Art Tugade said in statement, adding that it was an isolated case. The post Inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in Cagayan Valley LTO office’s priority lane criticized appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»