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7 nanlaban drug suspects dead after Baste Duterte declares drug war
Less than a week after Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte declared a "war on drugs" in the city, at least seven drug suspects were killed during a buy-bust operation in the city — violence that highlights the seriousness of the mayor's recent threat of outright killing persons caught using illegal drugs......»»
Village chief rewardscouple for missing girl recovery
Village chief rewardscouple for missing girl recovery.....»»
PDEA-7: No marijuana-flavored vapes in Central Visayas
CEBU CITY, Philippines – No marijuana-flavored vapes have been monitored so far in Central Visayas, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region, said. This was according to Intelligence Agent IlI Jonar V. Cuayzon, chief of the Intelligence and Investigation Section of PDEA Regional Office 7. Cuayzon, however, said that they are not discounting the.....»»
Kelot sinita sa ‘yosi’ timbog sa 39K shabu
BAGSAK sa kulungan ang isang lalaki nang makuhaan ng shabu makaraang masita sa paninigarilyo sa pampublikong lugar sa Caloocan City, kahapon ng madaling araw. Ayon kay Caloocan City police chief P/Col. Ruben Lacuesta, habang nagpapatrolya ang mga tauhan ng Police Sub-Station 11 sa Robes-1, Area 1, Brgy., 175, Camarin, nakita nila ang isang lalaki na ….....»»
No. 5 most wanted person, arestado sa Caloocan City
HINDI na nakalusot sa kamay ng batas ang isang mister na wanted sa kaso ng panggagahasa at pangmomolestiya nang malambat ng mga awtoridad sa ikinasang manhunt operation sa Caloocan City, kahapon ng madaling araw. Sa ulat ni Caloocan police chief P/Col. Ruben Lacuesta kay Northern Police District (NPD) Director P/BGen. Rizalito Gapas, nakatanggap ng impormasyon ….....»»
Wanted ng NPD nasakote sa caloocan
ARESTADO ang isang lalaki na nakatala bilang top 7 most wanted person sa Northern Police District (NPD) sa isinagawang manhunt operation ng pulisya sa Caloocan City, kamakalawa ng gabi. Ayon kay Caloocan police City chief P/Col. Ruben Lacuesta, nakatanggap ng impormasyon ang mga tauhan ng IDMS, Warrant and Subpoena Section (WSS) hinggil sa kinaroroonan ng ….....»»
Man posing as Abalos aide caught
A man who reportedly posed as the chief of staff of Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos was arrested by authorities during an entrapment operation last week......»»
2 tulak timbog sa P68-K shabu
SWAK sa rehas na bakal ang dalawang hinihinalang drug personalities matapos kumagat sa ikinasang buybust operation ng pulisya sa Caloocan City. Kinilala ni Caloocan City police chief P/Col. Ruben Lacuesta ang mga suspek na sina alyas Ert, 53 anyos, at alyas Mekini, 20 anyos, kapwa residente sa Brgy. 19. Batay sa ulat ni Col. Lacuesta ….....»»
Poorlittlerichboy
Pepe was a 10-year-old boy, the son of a sugar worker, who lived in dire poverty. He would walk five kilometers to school every day, carrying a small bolo. When it rained, he would cut a long banana leaf to make an umbrella and continue walking. He also carried a “towel whip” for protection. It was a small towel with a pebble or marble tied to one end. Once, an aggressive dog attacked him. He snapped the towel like a whip. The pebble hit the dog in the nose, and it ran away. He was hungry to learn about geography and history. He lingered after school in the humid, smelly library. Geography taught him that he was on the island of Negros, where the huge sugar farms were located. History taught him that there were poor farmers who rebelled against the rich sugar barons. He also learned about the longest peasant revolt (85 years) on Bohol Island, led by Francisco Dagohoy, who was his idol, against the Spanish rulers. Eventually, his sugar worker dad was “promoted” and his family of three — Pepe, his mom Rebecca, his dad Diego — moved to a huge 1,000-hectare banana plantation in Agusan del Sur in Mindanao that had 600 farm hands. At the crack of dawn, Fortun, the plantation owner, would make the rounds on horseback for two hours, talking to the workers and getting updates on the farm situation. He was accompanied by his arrogant 12-year-old son Francis with his pet German Shepherd. Fortun allowed Francis to whip the people and animals. He had a special attraction to Pepe, whipping him every day. Pepe would simply dodge the whip but he would get welts on his arms at times. One morning, losing his patience, in the presence of Fortun, Pepe caught Francis’ whip and pulled him down from his horse. He took a hard fall. Francis stared at his dad for help, but he did not react, wanting Francis to handle the situation on his own. Francis used the whip again but Pepe wrestled it out of his grip. The German Shepherd came to the rescue, but Pepe used his towel whip on its nose, which made it run away. Francis and his dad left without getting back at Pepe. The next day, Fortun and Francis came again, but without his whip and his dog. Fortun told Francis to apologize to Pepe. They were left alone together and Fortun came back for his son an hour later. In that one hour, Pepe and Francis became instant friends. Francis was curious about Pepe’s towel whip. Pepe taught Francis how to use it. Eventually, Francis made his own towel whip, and they would target small pebbles on top of a table. The pebble would ricochet wildly when they scored a hit. Eventually, they became the best of friends. When the communist rebels attacked the plantation, Francis saved Pepe’s life by towel-whipping the hand of a rebel who was aiming his gun at Pepe. When the rebel turned his gun on Francis, Pepe embraced him. Seeing how the dirty peasant boy loved the rich son of the plantation owner, the rebel walked away. Francis and Pepe saved each other’s lives. When Pepe’s dad died, his mom said they would go back to Negros. Pepe refused. His mom left without him, and he was adopted by Fortun. He eventually became the “chief of staff” of Francis when he took over the farm. Francis never lost his cruelty toward farm workers. Once, he tried to towel-whip a sick farm worker for not doing his job. Pepe pushed him to the ground. Francis never took that against Pepe. They were still the best of friends. Pepe regretted teaching Francis how to use a towel whip. After 10 years, Pepe went back to Negros and worked in the sugar plantations, a protector of oppressed farm workers. He was still poor as ever, but he was rich in friends and admirers. He was a hero, this poorlittlerichboy. As a sacada (migrant sugar plantation worker), he was sometimes assigned to the plantation of Francis and they would drink together until dawn. Eventually, over a bottle of gin, Pepe made Francis promise he would never towel-whip his workers again. And he never did. Gentleness, like cruelty, is contagious. eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com The post Poorlittlerichboy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
LTO monitoring EDSA bus lane violators
Land Transportation Office chief Assistant Secretary Atty. Vigor Mendoza II on Monday said he has ordered the deployment of additional personnel in some areas of the EDSA Bus Carousel amid rampant violations of motorists. Mendoza directed the LTO-National Capital Region to identify the operator and the driver of a taxi that blocked several buses when a 19-inch flood hit the Camp Aguinaldo Gate 3 portion of EDSA on 23 September. Aside from that, Mendoza said they are now conducting investigation into the incident wherein a motorist almost hit a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority traffic enforcer while trying to escape after he was caught using the EDSA Bus Carousel lane last 21 September. “It’s becoming a habit for motorists to use the EDSA Bus Carousel. We recognize the limited manpower of the MMDA to strictly enforce and while the LTO has the same problem, we will tap some of our enforcers to reinforce our brothers in the MMDA in keeping an eye on the EDSA Bus Carousel,” Mendoza said. “We assure immediate action against violators,” he added. Mendoza said the office of Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista was already informed of the request of the MMDA. The MMDA has repeatedly warned motorists that no private vehicles should use the EDSA Bus Carousel lane or the innermost lanes of EDSA that has been reserved for city buses and vehicles being used for emergency response like ambulance, fire trucks and police cars. The post LTO monitoring EDSA bus lane violators appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former OTS chief lambasts cultural decay at airports
The former Office for Transportation Security chief lambasted the cultural decay in the airport security teams that allows negligent screeners to continue working there, this before he could begin an internal purge. Ma. O Ranada Aplasca, who resigned from his post over the airport screener caught on closed-circuit television swallowing $300 bills taken from an outbound Chinese national, said the problem with airport security is “more than systemic, it is cultural.” “There was the problem with ‘tanim-bala.’ Maybe the problems were not highlighted in the past because no one was caught. Based on our records, for the past several years, no one was dismissed in the OTS for violations of our disciplinary policies,” he said. Aplasca said when he was the director of the PNP Aviation Security Group, his initial task was to clear the country’s airports of the “tanim-bala” scheme, in which airport inspectors hid bullets in travelers’ luggage to extort money. “That tanim-bala was the first marching order to me by former President Duterte, and that’s where I felt his 100-percent support; that’s why, in less than one month, we were able to solve the problem,” he said. Aplasca said that before his resignation Tuesday, the OTS had initiated 68 cases against erring personnel, with at least 11 people dismissed. Found guilty Meanwhile, DoTr Secretary Jaime Bautista said the female Security Screening Officer and three other OTS screeners involved in the cash swallowing incident last 8 September were “found guilty of stealing.” Bautista said the guilty verdict was included in the investigation report handed to him by the OTS group of investigators, which included the CCTV footage that showed the lady scanner stuffing the money into her mouth at Terminal 1’s final security checkpoint at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. The four SSO screeners face administrative and criminal cases. “The investigation showed that she was guilty and swallowed the money. However, what she said in an affidavit was that it was chocolates. But the investigators saw that she was guilty,” Bautista said in Filipino in an interview with the media after a Senate hearing on Tuesday. The CCTV footage showed that at around 8:20 p.m. on 8 September, a Chinese passenger, identified only as Mr. Cai, placed his shoulder bag on the inspection tray at the final security checkpoint. After trying to promote the gateway to potential foreign investors who may want to operate the NAIA, Bautista expressed frustration and dismay at the incident. He authorized the imposition of the maximum penalty on those found guilty to demonstrate the Department of Transportation’s determined push to rid the NAIA and attached agencies of scalawags. Aplasca submitted his courtesy resignation last Tuesday, 26 September, to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. through DoTr Secretary Bautista after House Speaker Martin Romualdez told him to resign or the Speaker would personally block the budgets of the DoTr and OTS. Not enough Meanwhile, Senator Grace Poe said Wednesday the resignation of Aplasca would not be enough to stop the criminal activities at the country’s airports. “A resignation at the top does not clean up the ranks,” said Poe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Public Services. “More than ever, the Office of Transportation Security needs steady leadership to implement much-needed reforms,” she said. “There should be zero tolerance for criminal acts and unprofessional behavior,” she added. “While a witch hunt might put a syndicate on pause, the OTS urgently needs to review and tighten its security program,” she said. She continued: “Our airports should improve the physical layout of the security screening stations and provide proactive measures to prevent further incidents.” She also noted that the challenge now is to appoint someone with “immense political will to overhaul the agency and stop these incidents once and for all.” The senator stressed that the OTS must improve its hiring system and enforce ethics training. “Employees must undergo extensive background checks,” she said. “In the long-term, we should also look into providing better compensation and benefits to these employees so they would not be enticed to do this nonsense,” she added. The post Former OTS chief lambasts cultural decay at airports appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
OTS dismisses another SSO at NAIA
The Office for Transportation Security confirmed on Monday that the agency has dismissed another Security Screening Officer assigned to Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, after he was caught on close circuit television taking things from the luggage of a departing passenger while conducting a final security baggage inspection on 13 September. Last Saturday, OTS Administrator Undersecretary Ma.O. Aplasca personally served the dismissal order against SSO Billy Boy Garcia at NAIA Terminal 2 after a thorough investigation. We have so much problem already here. What do you want to show? Effective today, you are dismissed from the service and remove that ID of yours.You don’t deserve to wear that uniform,” Aplasca said. Garcia was then immediately served with the dismissal order and was right there and then stripped of his access pass, office ID and uniform. The OTS investigators will further pursue this case, and they are requesting the said passenger to come forward to shed light on the incident. Meanwhile, during the interview conducted by one of the members of Airport Press Club, the OTS chief said, “As of today, based on my observation, I think its not too late yet. We still have the core of our people who could make this internal cleansing a success.” Aplasca did not categorically state that the incidents of theft at the NAIA will be totally stopped and instead said he expects what he called the new breed of OTS personnel to snitch on their erring colleagues. “I can confidently say that the chances of them being caught are high because we have new personnel. Mga bagong breed na di nila ito-tolerate,” Aplasca also stated in the same interview. The OTS will not stop and will continue to conduct an intensified internal cleansing program to eliminate scalawags in their agency. The post OTS dismisses another SSO at NAIA 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......»»
Rains clear Metro smog, safer air quality logged
An official of the state weather bureau said smog that covered Metro Manila on Friday has been reduced by the pouring of heavy rains today, hence, good quality air was logged. In a public briefing, Engr. Juanito Galang, chief of the PAGASA weather division, said the haze—technically termed “photochemical smog”—which was experienced yesterday in Metro Manila was due to air pollutants such as vehicular emissions and smoke from various industries. While the sky remains cloudy and dark, Galang said the air was safer today than on Friday. He said the rain that poured since around dawn lessened the smog that was suspended in the air. Galang said the smog is expected to lessen more if the rain in Metro Manila continues to pour. The real-time air monitoring of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed that the air in several parts of Metro Manila, including Caloocan, Makati, Paranaque, Pateros, San Juan, and Taguig “is good,” while it is fair in Mandaluyong as of 11 a.m. Saturday. Data from the Environmental Management Bureau, through its Continous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring, showed that 'good' air quality was logged in parts of Metro Manila today. For PM 10—particles that are small enough to pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs—Taguig, Parañaque, Makati, Pateros, Caloocan, and San Juan have a “good” air quality today while Mandaluyong has a “fair” quality. For PM 2.5—particles that are so small that they can reach deeply into the respiratory tract— “good” air quality was recorded in Caloocan, Makati, Parañaque, and Pateros. Meanwhile, air quality was not recorded in other Metro cities as it was either offline or there was no available monitoring system in that area. The post Rains clear Metro smog, safer air quality logged appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Knife-wielding man arrested
A patrolling cop from the Manila Police District Police Station 1 prevented a brawl that could have possibly led to a stabbing after he arrested one of the two men involved in the fight, who was holding a bladed weapon, on Saturday evening in Tondo, Manila. MPD Chief P/Brig. Gen Andrei Dizon identified the suspect as Alvin Flores, a resident of Barangay 112 in Tondo, Manila. Initial reports disclosed that while cops were making a night patrol aboard their motorcycle, they chanced upon a commotion wherein two individuals were brawling. One of the men ran and the other, who was armed with a bladed weapon, chased his opponent. This caught the attention of the police, who also gave chase to the suspect in possession of a knife. After cornering him, they ordered him to drop his weapon and lie down on the ground. The suspect, after seeing uniformed police, yielded to the command and peacefully followed their instructions until he was arrested and handcuffed. Seized from the suspect was one sharpened screwdriver with a length of more or less 12 inches, including the handle. The suspect is currently detained at the MPD-PS1 station and will face charges for violation Article 282 of the Revised Penal Code or Grave Threat, Alarm and Scandal, Illegal Possession of Deadly Weapon and violation of the Omnibus Election Code at the Manila City Prosecutors Office. The post Knife-wielding man arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Gov’t agencies kick off simultaneous SLP cash payout for micro rice retailers
Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Saturday assured micro rice retailers at the Commonwealth Market in Quezon City that the Marcos administration will continue helping them not only financially but also in monitoring their well-being. Gatchalian, along with Department of Agriculture (DA) Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Director Fhillip Sawali, led the kick-off of the simultaneous cash assistance payout for micro rice retailers in Quezon City and the cities of San Juan and Caloocan. Gatchalian said qualified micro rice retailers who were not able to avail of the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) cash assistance in the Saturday rollout are assured of receiving their cash assistance as the DSWD will continue the payouts in the following days. In his message to the beneficiaries of the DSWD’s SLP Cash Assistance for Micro Rice Retailers, Gatchalian emphasized the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to immediately assist the micro rice retailers who were affected by the price cap as mandated by Executive Order No. 39. "The President wants to convey his message that he understands what you are going through. I was talking to him yesterday and he knows that this is not easy for our micro rice retailers. That is why he immediately instructed us to provide this kind of financial assistance or livelihood grants to assist you," Gatchalian said. A total of 589 micro rice retailers affected by the imposition of price controls were each given cash aid amounting to P15,000 in the three public markets where the simultaneous payout was held. For Commonwealth Market, SLP-cash aid payouts were given to 405 micro retailers; 136 retailers at the Maypajo Market in Caloocan City, and 48 beneficiaries at the Agora Market in San Juan City. According to the DTI, the P15,000 cash assistance has been calculated as the maximum amount allowed to compensate rice retailers classified as a micro-enterprise (based on Republic Act No. 9501 or Magna Carta for MSMEs) for losses incurred for at least seven days from the effectivity of EO 39. “On behalf of President Bongbong Marcos, we thank our small rice retailers like you who followed immediately and helped to be part of the solution... When we work together, we know that nothing is impossible,” the DSWD chief said. The cash assistance payout is one of the measures of the Marcos administration to help micro rice retailers in line with the issuance of EO No. 39 which set a price cap of P41 per kilo of regular-milled and a ceiling of P45 per kilo of well-milled rice. The DSWD chief reiterated the message of President Marcos that while the issuance of EO 39 aims to protect the buyer, the government will not leave the micro rice retailers behind. “The Executive Order that came out is a mechanism to protect our small buyers. We know that it is also important that they have food on the table, but our president also knows that we should also help you, our partners, in delivering food services to our people,” Gatchalian emphasized. The DSWD chief also pointed out that the SLP is not just giving financial assistance. He said the directive of the President is for government agencies to continue the dialogues with rice retailer organizations “so that we can better understand what other assistance will come from the national government for our small rice retailers.” “Sabi nga ng pangulo, hindi ito yung pagbigay ay tapos na. Patuloy po ang magiging dayalogo sa inyong mga samahan para lalo pa naming maunawaan kung ano pa yung mga tulong na manggagaling sa pamahalaang nasyonal para sa ating mga small rice retailers,” Gatchalian said. Gatchalian stressed that the national government and the local governments are here to help the micro rice retailers. “Don't worry, we will continue to monitor your well-being,” the DSWD chief said. The post Gov’t agencies kick off simultaneous SLP cash payout for micro rice retailers appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DSWD starts 15k cash aid for small rice retailers in four Metro Manila cities
The Department of Social Welfare and Development started on Saturday, 9 September the distribution of the P15,000 cash assistance to small and micro rice retailers under the DSWD’s Sustainable Livelihood Program. "Ang DSWD ay handang-handa na para mag-payout. Nandiyan ang pondo at naitabi na namin,” Gatchalian said. The DSWD and the Department of Trade and Industry kick-offed the SLP cash payout in public markets in four cities, which include Quezon City and the cities of Caloocan, Manila, and San Juan. Gatchalian and DTI Sec. Fred Pascual will personally supervise the actual SLP payouts in Commonwealth Market in Quezon City and Maypajo Market in Caloocan City on the morning of Saturday. Gatchalian along with his DSWD-SLP team met with officials of the DTI at the Central Office in Quezon City Friday to finalize the initial list of rice retailers who were affected by the price ceiling on regular milled and well-milled rice as mandated by Executive Order No. 39. Under EO No. 39 which took effect 5 Sept., regular milled rice was given a price cap of P41 per kilo while the well-milled rice was given a ceiling of P45 per kilo. “Once we have the verified list of eligible small rice retailers, then we can have the SLP payout the whole day of Saturday. The payout will be on the ground, meaning the DSWD paymasters will go to the marketplace where the rice retailers are,” Gatchalian said. During the meeting between DSWD and DTI, it was agreed upon that rice retailers located in wet markets, public markets, and other areas accessible to the general public (excluding supermarkets and convenience stores) shall be entitled to the SLP cash assistance amounting to P15,000. Even sari-sari stores located outside of wet markets and public markets are now eligible for a Php5,000 SLP subsidy, according to the DSWD chief. “Unlicensed rice retailers and sari-sari store owners selling rice are also included in the SLP payout which is in line with the president’s directive that the list of beneficiaries should be inclusive,” Gatchalian said. The amount of P15,000, according to DTI, has been calculated as the maximum amount allowed to compensate rice retailers classified as a micro-enterprise (based on Republic Act No. 9501 or Magna Carta for MSMEs) for losses incurred for at least seven days from the effectivity of EO 39. The post DSWD starts 15k cash aid for small rice retailers in four Metro Manila cities appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum
All inmates or whom the government prefers to call persons deprived of liberty, or PDLs must immediately dismantle their kubols, which are the private residences, inside the supposed maximum-security New Bilibid Prison. Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said the removal of the exclusive facilities will be immediate. The problem has been recurring since the term of the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III when a series of raids resulted in the removal of the amenities that high-profile detainees enjoy. Later on, during President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, it was found that the NBP was used as a transit point for the drug trade involving several detained drug lords. “This is part of the continued efforts of the Bureau of Corrections for the security of PDLs. Thus all structures in the seven Operating Prison and Penal Farms nationwide to voluntarily dismantle or the bureau will do it for them,” he said. Raps will be imposed Catapang said the Kubols are not the luxury huts seen in the past that were occupied only by moneyed PDLs but these are makeshift dividers made of plywood constructed for privacy and additional space. “Nevertheless, we ask them to demolish these for transparency,” he said. Yesterday, PDLs at the New Bilibid Prison voluntarily dismantled 60 makeshift rooms or kubols located at the security housing building 1 and 6 NBP North, SHB 9 NBP East Quadrant 4 and SHB 7 NBP West Quadrant 2 while the dismantling of kubols in Quadrant 3 Maximum security compound is still ongoing. Catapang warned that if there are still kubols installed inside the NBP by Monday, Bucor personnel from the Diversified Maintenance Unit will tear it down. “I have instructed newly appointed Deputy Director General for Operations, Gil Torralba to lead this operation including the Greyhound (Galugad) operation that will be conducted regularly at the national penitentiary,” Catapang said. Torralba for his part told Catapang “We will clean up BuCor, Sir.” “We need to do this so that we can confiscate contrabands still in possession of PDLs. They are fully aware that we have given them the chance to surrender all illegal items but if they still refuse and they are caught red-handed, I’m sorry to say that they will have to stay longer at NBP as we will not hesitate to file charges against them,” Catapang said. The post BuCor chief lobs kubol ultimatum appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PPA reiterates: Drinking sprees in offices barred
Following the sacking of eight port officials in Bohol after being caught on CCTV while having a drinking spree inside the office of the Philippine Ports Authority during a birthday celebration of their acting manager, PPA General Manager Jay Daniel Santiago released a memorandum in reiteration of the strict prohibition on the consumption alcoholic beverages in the workplace. “All PPA officials and employees, Contract of Service and outsourced personnel are hereby prohibited from drinking alcoholic beverages in ALL PPA PREMISES (offices, training venues, etc.) AT ALL TIMES, during and even beyond office hours on weekends, including weekends, holidays and non-working days,” the PPA Memorandum Circular 013-2023, signed by Santiago, said. According to the PPA, Santiago immediately fired the officials from the Bohol Port Management Office in Tagbilaran City after a drinking spree inside the PMO's multipurpose hall last 16 August. “This prohibition shall include consumption of “alcoholic beverages, such as, but not limited to, malt beverages, wine, and intoxicating liquor”, including reporting for work while under the influence of alcohol,” the memo further said. Violation of the said memorandum “will be penalized to the fullest extent of the law in accordance with the provisions of the 2017 Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service.” On Friday, Santiago maintained that government officials who make the office a place for drinking, even if there are birthdays or any occasion, have no place in the government. “They should be the first ones to ensure order in the piers, not the first to become bad examples for their constituents in Bohol,” the PPA chief said. According to Santiago, the acting port manager has already apologized for their behavior. The post PPA reiterates: Drinking sprees in offices barred appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Escudero seeks P100-M budget allocation for Ayungin buildup
Senator Francis Escudero said he will propose the allocation of at least P100 million in the 2024 national budget to fund the construction of permanent structures over the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea "to strengthen the country's presence in the contested maritime territory.” "I will propose the allocation of a minimum of P100 million to fund the construction of a pier and lodging structures for our soldiers assigned in the area, and for our fishermen who might seek temporary refuge in times of bad weather," Escudero said. The senator said the structures could serve as permanent lodging for military personnel stationed at the old BRP Sierra Madre, a warship intentionally grounded in the shoal in 1999 as a Philippine military outpost. He added that the Ayungin facilities could be used as temporary shelter for foreign fishermen “who will be caught in bad weather” in the waters. “It will welcome fishermen in distress with warm accommodations and not with a blast of the water cannon. It is there to help and not to harass,” he added. The BRP Sierra Madre is currently the center of the latest tensions due to the blocking and water canon firing of China’s vessels to the Philippine ships. Escudero pressed the need to hasten the building of the structures in the Ayungin Shoal saying "Sierra Madre's greatest enemy is nature, and it will soon be lost to the sea. Kinakalawang na (Being rusted). Our soldiers should not die from tetanus.” "It's being beached there was supposed to be an ad hoc measure. After almost one-quarter it is time for a permanent solution," he said, suggesting that parts of the structure can be prefabricated on land and be brought there “so there will be no China style of fortification in which the environment is permanently damaged.” Meanwhile, Escudero noted that his proposal “is not designed to anger China or bring us closer to the brink of war.” “This is just to give the president flexibility to act as the chief architect of our foreign policy as he deems fit. Otherwise, we will have to wait another year if he decides to do so sometime next year without any budget cover," he said. In a separate interview, Escudero also expressed willingness to help the Philippine Coast Guard to augment its intelligence fund allocation in the 2024 national budget so it can help them effectively perform their duties in protecting and defending the country's territorial waters. “I will look into the fact if we can augment--not from the Capital Outlays, Personnel Services or from the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses—but from the intelligence and confidential budget already proposed by the DBM,” he said. The post Escudero seeks P100-M budget allocation for Ayungin buildup appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»