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Prosecutors reject Trump claim of ‘absolute immunity’
Federal prosecutors on Thursday rejected Donald Trump's attempt to have election conspiracy charges dismissed on the grounds that he enjoys immunity for actions he took while in the White House. "No one in this country, not even the president, is above the law," special counsel Jack Smith's team wrote in a 54-page motion filed with the judge presiding over the landmark case. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is to go on trial in Washington in March of next year for allegedly conspiring to subvert the results of the November 2020 election won by Democrat Joe Biden. The former president's lawyers, in a motion two weeks ago to US District Judge Tanya Chutkan, argued that the charges should be thrown out because Trump is "absolutely immune from criminal prosecution." Prosecutors in the special counsel's office dismissed that argument and urged Chutkan to deny Trump's request. "He is subject to the federal criminal laws like more than 330 million other Americans," they said. "No court has ever alluded to the existence of absolute criminal immunity for former presidents. "The implications of the defendant's unbounded immunity theory are startling," they added. "It would grant absolute immunity from criminal prosecution to a president who accepts a bribe in exchange for a lucrative government contract for a family member," they said, or "a president who sells nuclear secrets to a foreign adversary." Trump's bid to invoke the presidential immunity defense is seen as a long shot by legal observers but it could result in a delay to the start of the trial as the argument potentially winds its way up to the conservative-dominated Supreme Court. Trump's attempts to use the "absolute immunity" defense in other cases have been rebuffed by judges, but the nation's highest court has never ruled directly on whether a former chief executive is immune from criminal prosecution. Trump is the first former US president to face criminal charges. 'Unsettled question' Trump's attorneys, citing a Supreme Court case involving former president Richard Nixon, said the law provides "absolute immunity" to the president "for acts within the 'outer perimeter' of his official responsibility." As chief executive, they argued, Trump had a responsibility to "ensure election integrity" and was within his rights to challenge the results of the 2020 vote. "As President Trump is absolutely immune from criminal prosecution for such acts, the Court should dismiss the indictment," they said. While making the argument that Trump cannot be prosecuted, his lawyers acknowledged the Nixon case they cited involved the civil liability of a former president and not alleged criminal conduct. "The question remains a 'serious and unsettled question' of law," they said. The case before Chutkan accuses Trump of conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding -- the January 6, 2021 joint session of Congress that was attacked by a mob of Trump supporters. Other criminal cases against Trump include racketeering charges in Georgia for allegedly conspiring to upend the election results in the southern state and a trial in Florida in May 2024 on charges of mishandling top-secret government documents. Trump and his two eldest sons are also currently involved in a civil fraud trial in New York for allegedly inflating the value of their real estate assets to receive more favorable bank loans and insurance terms. The post Prosecutors reject Trump claim of ‘absolute immunity’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
The standouts at Fashion Forte XVIII
After more than two decades in the United States, the enterprising fashion designer Nardie Presa came back to the Philippines. Though he had a lucrative practice in California, home is where his heart is. But then Presa saw that budding designers were relegated to showcasing their creations at malls or clubs. He thought that a hotel was a more proper venue for rising talents to present their collections. The idea not only became a clever business venture; it also became the irrepressible Presa’s advocacy. Together with his longtime friend Audie Espino as director and the Crowne Plaza Galleria as the host, more and more design upstarts are getting their breaks at Presa’s Fashion Forte series held at least four times a year. The lineup is usually composed of neophyte talents but established designers such as Presa also participate to show the newbies how it’s done. At the 17th staging, it was barong Tagalog designer Barge Ramos who gave a master class. At Fashion Forte XVIII, Albert Andrada displayed his universally loved designs of romantic and dreamy confections. Mikaela Rose Fowler, Miss Grand Australia 2023, gushed on her Instagram: “What an honor to not only walk for Sir Albert Andrada during the latest Fashion Forte runway show. I had the privilege of closing the show as the grand finale.” Here are some of the standouts and their thoughts: [caption id="attachment_188837" align="aligncenter" width="525"] TONI Kimpo recommends using local fabrics to promote the country to the fashion world. | photograph courtesy of Bert Briones[/caption] TONI KIMPO “The title of my collection is Rise of the Phoenix. My inspirations are the mystical bird phoenix while the emotion behind my creations is the power to rise again like a phoenix. “My materials are sourced locally. I used some indigenous material like pearls and shells. I recommend using local fabrics to promote the country to the fashion world. “I said yes to Nardie and Audie because of their integrity, and the high fashion production that only Fashion Forte can make. [caption id="attachment_188833" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Albert Andrada displayed his universally loved designs of romantic and dreamy confections. | photograph courtesy of Mike Zuniga[/caption] “When I was a child, I grew up being influenced by the works of Tito Albert Andrada. His first shop was in my grandmother’s building. I studied fashion at Slim’s Fashion School and worked at the Carolina’s fabric store.” [caption id="attachment_188834" align="aligncenter" width="525"] CARL Acusa’s latest collection speaks of political movement through fashion. | photograph courtesy of Bert Briones[/caption] CARL ARCUSA “Luncheon At The Palace is a political movement through fashion. A collection that is intended to raise awareness to the historical past and to not forget the mistreatment, injustices, killings and power abuse during the… regime. “The materials I used are silk, organdy, piña cloth, tulle, red Swarovski crystals, beads and metal religious emblems. [The challenge of procuring the materials] is their availability to suppliers because some are sourced out abroad and the piña cloth’s availability to the market. ‘My recommended remedy] is fast supplier-to-market transport and communications. “[I said yes to Nardie and Audie] because they are both professional and friendly. Their taste and professionalism established a good foundation of trust to us designers. “I’m a self-taught. I was mentored by Rocky Gathercole and Olé Morabe. My inspirations are Christian Dior, Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Joey Samson, Ivarluski Aseron and various Filipino veteran designers. My celebrity clients include Andrea Brillantes, Kim Chiu, Vice Ganda, Sanya Lopez, Lea Salonga and Miss Glenda.” JEZELLE AMORADO “My collection is entitled Imprint. As a fashion designer, one of my primary roles is to create pieces for clients that reflect their identity and persona. It is very seldom that I get to create something that would reflect who I am as an artist. Thus, the ‘Imprint’ collection was born. “For this collection. I wanted to do away with traditional floral and lace details. Instead I focused on the idea of how I can imprint my own DNA as a designer into each piece. The hand-beaded details of each piece were carefully crafted to show my personal way of sketching, yarn and beadwork to mimic my fingerprints and the waves in various colors were created to represent my sound waves when speaking. The Jezelle Hautea Amorado signature book folded details can also be seen in the collection as a representation of my unfolding fashion design story. “The emotions that I wanted the collection to evoke is a sense of identity and self-love for who I am as an artist. I wanted the audience to see who I truly was as an artist and experience the same level of love and admiration I felt when I was allowed to be myself and create what my heart wanted. “I wanted to present a collection that would let people realize and feel that it is OK to be themselves, to love who they are and to not let society dictate who they should be. Imprint is a collection that focuses on the idea of ‘self’ and that no person could ever alter who you are as a person. “I wanted people, women in particular, to have that profound sense of acceptance despite what society would expect of us in terms of how we dress, talk and present ourselves. Hopefully, ‘Imprint’ was able to do that. “The materials that were used were a mixture of silk gazaar, fine crepe, organza and tulle. The finer details were crafted using multicolored yarns, crystals and multi-cut beads. All of my materials were sourced from both local and international vendors that I have worked with in the course of my career. “The main challenge that I face when procuring fabrics was the fear that another designer would be using the same thing as me. My solution for this is that I stay away from already pre-beaded or pre-printed textiles. “Instead of purchasing such textiles I have my team of skilled beaders craft custom prints or details that would guarantee me a unique piece every single time. At times, it is an unavoidable circumstance that I would have to use pre-detailed fabrics such as lace, so to address this situation I would deconstruct the said fabric and have my team rework it by creating new textures, or beading details to give my clients that unique look. “I have a Bachelor’s degree in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs from De La Salle College of Saint Benilde and an Associate’s degree in Fashion Design at Raffles Design Institute Singapore. I apprenticed under Albert Andrada, who is also my mentor and design influence along with Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Iris Van Herpen.” [caption id="attachment_188836" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘Fashion Forte’ expresses Nardie Presa’s specialty and strength in conceptualizing clothes and designs. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF MIKE ZUNIGA[/caption] “To be invited back by Nardie Presa and Audie Espino was a wonderful experience and great honor. I had my first show with them back in 2020 before the pandemic and this would have given me another opportunity to work alongside two of the most-sought after personalities in the fashion industry. “Another reason for me to say yes was that Tita Nardie had informed me that this would be a wonderful opportunity for me to continue the Mentor-Protegee story that was unfolding between me and my beloved mentor and fashion father, Albert Andrada. “The period that I got the invite for Fashion Forte was when Sir Albert and I were preparing for our ‘Marry Me at Marriott’ show and it just felt like the perfect fit. Any chance I would get to work alongside Sir Albert and share the runway with him is an opportunity that I would never want to miss.” The post The standouts at Fashion Forte XVIII appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump says his problem with Biden is competence, not age
Joe Biden, America's oldest president, received support from an unexpected ally over his age: Donald Trump said the Democrat was "not too old" to seek a second term, while quickly adding: "I think he's incompetent." The former president's comments, made in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" to be aired Sunday, come as America faces a profound debate over the aging of its political class, a major factor ahead of the 2024 elections -- when Biden will be just shy of 82 and Trump himself 78. Polls show that while the age gap between the two men is small, Americans worry more about Biden's age, with one survey finding that three in four people doubt his ability to last a second term. That Trump ended his own term in office as the second-oldest president ever (Ronald Reagan was 77 at the end of his term) presents the real estate magnate with a challenge, however, in repeatedly portraying Biden as too "sleepy" to do the job. But that hasn't stopped the Republican, who would be 82 at the end of a second term, from trying to thread that needle. "Some of the greatest world leaders have been in their 80s," he told NBC. "I'm not anywhere very near 80, by the way. "And Biden's not too old," Trump added. "But I think he's incompetent, and that's a bigger problem." Biden, who overcame a stuttering problem as a youth, has often been mocked for his verbal stumbles. But he remains trim, physically active, does not drink and is often seen riding his bicycle during weekends at his Delaware home. Democrats say he also fares well on the competency front, having overseen the passage of major legislation, including a massive infrastructure bill, the largest gun-safety bill in decades, and the Build Back Better social spending program. Biden has also been active on the global stage. Indeed, during his just-ended trip to Vietnam -- which analysts say was staged partly to highlight his vigor -- that country's 79-year-old Communist leader smilingly complimented Biden on his relative youth. Trump, for his part, has gotten mostly positive marks during annual physicals -- though he has been classed as overweight and does no exercise other than golf. Like Biden, he does not drink. Trump, too, has had his share of bizarre verbal moments, mangled pronunciations and physical stumbles. But in the NBC interview, he said his own age does not concern him, noting that his parents had long lives. "So genetically, that's a good thing." His insistence on his own competency was ridiculed during the 2020 presidential campaign when Trump said he had scored an "amazing" result on what he said was a test of mental acuity. He said he had to remember, in order, these words: "Person, woman, man, camera, TV." His proud and repeated recitation of those five words was ridiculed by political rivals and went viral on social media. Still, in an apparent reference to that test made in the NBC interview, Trump said, "I aced it. I got everything right." The post Trump says his problem with Biden is competence, not age appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Living in a highly urbanized city
In all areas of our life, God is there — whether in our family life, business, and social gatherings, or even in the administration of a province — yes, God is there; God is with us. Today, while the prices of basic commodities and petroleum products continue to rise, we can experience the presence of God. For example, in the province of Bulacan, we can say that God is there because of the developments undertaken by the provincial government under the leadership of its governor, the Honorable Daniel Fernando. Along with local executives of each city of the province, Governor Fernando, since his assumption to office, has implemented various developments. We can see that all his endeavors are geared towards making every city of the province “highly urbanized,” and among these is the City of San Jose del Monte. The changes in the province of Bulacan have been remarkable. Under Fernando’s watch, the Manila International Airport in Bulacan is being constructed, one of the major projects of the governor. The influx of businesses in every city of the province proves Bulakeños have confidence in the governor’s leadership. As one observer said, Bulacan’s progress is seen under the administration of Governor Daniel Fernando. For instance, San Joseños are grateful for the provincial government’s support to turn San Jose del Monte into a fully and highly urbanized city, one of the prize-winning cities of the province. I witness this because every time I visit our mission in Montalban (Rodriguez), Rizal, I have to pass by SJDM. The Bulacan government believes that once SJDM becomes a “highly urbanized city,” there will be more business opportunities, more jobs, quality service, and a much better life for its residents. I believe the neighboring cities and a portion of Rizal province will also benefit. Why? Because as a “highly urbanized city,” the people around it would also be assured of better services. The residents of SJDM have only to vote “yes” in a plebiscite to the proposal of the local government to turn SJDM into a “highly urbanized city.” I challenge the people of SJDM to study the positive results and the consequences of agreeing with their local government to the proposal. San Jose Del Monte City Mayor Arthur Robes said more funds coming into the city would increase the number of investors, boost its infrastructure, improve its education system, provide more jobs, and attract tourists. He said they have only one aim, and that is to improve the lives of San Joseños. He added that being a highly urbanized city would result in more immediate oversight of local policies, regulations, and decision-making. He said this would help the town grow and develop through careful planning and management. In December 2020, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte proclaimed the city of San Jose del Monte a highly urbanized city by Proclamation No. 1057. Its residents can now make it a reality. The post Living in a highly urbanized city appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump says his problem with Biden is competence, not age
Joe Biden, America's oldest president, received support from an unexpected ally over his age: Donald Trump said the Democrat was "not too old" to seek a second term, while quickly adding: "I think he's incompetent." The former president's comments, made in an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" to be aired Sunday, come as America faces a profound debate over the aging of its political class, a major factor ahead of the 2024 elections -- when Biden will be just shy of 82 and Trump himself 78. Polls show that while the age gap between the two men is small, Americans worry more about Biden's age, with one survey finding that three in four people doubt his ability to last a second term. That Trump ended his own term in office as the second-oldest president ever (Ronald Reagan was 77 at the end of his term) presents the real estate magnate with a challenge, however, in repeatedly portraying Biden as too "sleepy" to do the job. But that hasn't stopped the Republican, who would be 82 at the end of a second term, from trying to thread that needle. "Some of the greatest world leaders have been in their 80s," he told NBC. "I'm not anywhere very near 80, by the way. "And Biden's not too old," Trump added. "But I think he's incompetent, and that's a bigger problem." Biden, who overcame a stuttering problem as a youth, has often been mocked for his verbal stumbles. But he remains trim, physically active, does not drink and is often seen riding his bicycle during weekends at his Delaware home. Democrats say he also fares well on the competency front, having overseen the passage of major legislation, including a massive infrastructure bill, the largest gun-safety bill in decades, and the Build Back Better social spending program. Biden has also been active on the global stage. Indeed, during his just-ended trip to Vietnam -- which analysts say was staged partly to highlight his vigor -- that country's 79-year-old Communist leader smilingly complimented Biden on his relative youth. Trump, for his part, has gotten mostly positive marks during annual physicals -- though he has been classed as overweight and does no exercise other than golf. Like Biden, he does not drink. Trump, too, has had his share of bizarre verbal moments, mangled pronunciations and physical stumbles. But in the NBC interview, he said his own age does not concern him, noting that his parents had long lives. "So genetically, that's a good thing." His insistence on his own competency was ridiculed during the 2020 presidential campaign when Trump said he had scored an "amazing" result on what he said was a test of mental acuity. He said he had to remember, in order, these words: "Person, woman, man, camera, TV." His proud and repeated recitation of those five words was ridiculed by political rivals and went viral on social media. Still, in an apparent reference to that test made in the NBC interview, Trump said, "I aced it. I got everything right." The post Trump says his problem with Biden is competence, not age appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ManilArt 2023: From 2020 vision to ‘a new contemporary’
ManilArt celebrates15 years with the theme “A New Contemporary.” This marks the culmination of a series of themes that the art fair explored in recent years, emphasizing the legacy and tradition of Philippine art, while embracing new perspectives and the incorporation of new media. In 2020, the art fair faced unprecedented challenges head-on with the theme “2020 Vision for a Future Reimagined,” ready to take on the country’s evolving artistic landscape. In 2021, the theme, “Continuing Legacies,” highlighted the art fair’s journey as a platform for the arts, celebrating tried and tested methods and paying homage to the artists behind its success. Last year, “Forging Futures” captured the spirit of progress as the fair began to navigate a post-pandemic world, ushering in a new era of artistic exploration. ManilArt continues to be commited to excellence, built upon each iteration of its evolving journey — bridging the traditional and the contemporary, providing a space for an ever-expanding spectrum of old and new media expression in the visual arts. Offerings At ManilArt 2023, there’s something for everyone. The art fair will showcase a diverse range of exhibits, featuring both traditional and interdisciplinary expressions. Attendees can explore captivating canvas-based and sculptural works, as well as delve into the world of functional and technology-based art. The fair also embraces various media, including automotive art and design, digital art, sound art and emerging forms like non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and phygital media. [caption id="attachment_180069" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Different galleries and their booths.[/caption] ManilArt also returns as a festival and fellowship for all art lovers via the grand gala opening, as well as VIP vernissage, artist’s night and various planned social and artistic engagements for collectors, artists and art aficionados. The milestone 15th year also celebrates the fair’s uninterrupted annual staging and having come out more responsive to the times. Interconnectivity Having gone through the crucible of global challenge, ManilArt 2023 retains the gains of being thrust onto the online sphere and continues to develop its online viewing platform and portals. These digital spaces allow for simultaneous, multi-location and satellite exhibitions, offering a larger showcase that brings art to wider audiences, allowing them to engage with art from the comfort of their own spaces. ManilArt 2023 will continue to have satellite exhibitions around the country as well as expand its onsite offering through collaborations. These include projects with Museo Orlina, The Estate, Silangan Art Fair, Barasoain Church and the Manila Clock Tower. As the flagship project for the Museums and Galleries Month of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, ManilArt 2023 continues to abide by its mandate to strengthen creative economy and promote Philippine visual artistry through supporting art galleries, museums and associated institutions. This year’s participating exhibitors are OMV Art Gallery, Galleria Nicolas, M Gallery MNL, Ysobel Art Gallery, AT Gallery, Renaissance Art Gallery, Artologist, Art for Space, Gallery du Soleil, Portrait Artists’ Society of the Philippines, Inc., Galerie Raphael, Gallery Nine, Annual Sculpture Review, Espacio Manila, Artes Orientes, Historia Arts, 371 Art Space, Village Art Gallery, Drybrush, Art Circle, Rayos Del Sol Gallery, Galerie Banez, NAMI, Galerie Artes, G9Online, Daloy Likha, Artalyer, and VCM. Manila ART’23 will be held from 11 to 15 October at the SMX Aura Convention Center, Taguig City. Call (0977) 807 3369 or visit www.manilartfair.com for details. The post ManilArt 2023: From 2020 vision to ‘a new contemporary’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Hong Kong’s top court to rule on same-sex marriage
Hong Kong's top court will decide Tuesday whether to recognize same-sex marriages, rendering a verdict in one of the most consequential cases on the subject in the city's history. Over the past decade, LGBTQ activists in the former British colony have won piecemeal victories in court, striking down discriminatory government policies on visas, taxes, and housing benefits. But the case brought by jailed pro-democracy activist Jimmy Sham -- set to be decided at 2:30 pm local time (0630 GMT) Tuesday -- will be the first time Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal has directly addressed the issue of same-sex marriage. Since launching his challenge in 2018, Sham, 36, has twice failed to convince the courts that Hong Kong should legally recognize his marriage to a same-sex partner, which was registered in New York nearly a decade ago. In his most recent setback, in August 2022, appeal judges wrote that Hong Kong's constitutional text "only provides access to the institution of marriage to heterosexual couples". Sham has argued the city's ban on same-sex marriage violates his right to equality, while the lack of a policy alternative -- such as civil unions -- does the same, in addition to breaching his right to privacy. British rights lawyer Karon Monaghan, representing Sham, told the court in June the ban disadvantages same-sex couples in areas such as inheritance and housing rentals. A poll this year found that 60 percent of Hong Kongers supported same-sex marriage, compared to just 38 percent a decade ago. Some international businesses in the city have also backed marriage equality campaigns, crediting it as a way to attract talent. But the city's Beijing-approved leadership has shown little appetite for passing laws that advance LGBTQ equality. Rights advocacy has partly gone underground after Beijing imposed a national security law on Hong Kong in 2020, following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests in the finance hub. Sham, a prominent democracy campaigner, is one of dozens of activists behind bars awaiting prosecution under the security law on charges unrelated to LGBTQ rights. In July, a radio show promoting gay rights aired by Hong Kong's public broadcaster was canceled after a 17-year run. The post Hong Kong’s top court to rule on same-sex marriage 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......»»
Nothing can drag a Boholana down
No pandemic, nor deadly natural catastrophe can bring down a Boholana: this is the living faith by which Lourdes Sultan, managing director of Travel Village Tours and Travel and owner of several vessels which comprise the Loboc River Cruise in Bohol, lives by. Sultan, a tour operator in Loboc for the past 35 years, is a perfect epitome of a resilient Filipina who did not falter while going through such major upheavals as typhoon “Odette” in 2021 that wrecked her vessels; the magnitude 7.2 earthquake in Bohol in 2013 and the perennial flooding in Loboc, and the global pandemic that shut down international borders, barring the arrival of tourists in the country. “The floating restaurant business here in Loboc started 30 years ago but in 2000, we decided to dwell in the floating restaurant operation. We used to have eight vessels, but after typhoon “Odette” hit us in December 2021, we are now left with four,” said Sultan in an interview. She said that pre-pandemic, there were 26 vessels plying the Loboc River serving foreign and local tourists, but the number was diminished because of the unfortunate wrath of natural catastrophes. Pandemic, ‘Odette’ challenge She said the strong earthquake in 2013, the declaration of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, and the pummeling of the province by typhoon “Odette” in 2021 were the worst challenges that her enterprise has endured. “The pandemic made us totally close operations. During that time, we tried to maintain and improve our vessels in preparation for the reopening of borders. Indeed, losses with Odette and the pandemic were in the millions,” she told the Daily Tribune. Aside from that, Sultan said operators of floating restaurants were also required by the local government to update their vessels, making them shell out additional costs. In 2021, Sultan said tourist arrivals trickled, as some restrictions were modified and eased by the Inter-Agency Task Force of the national government. “Even if we only cater to domestic customers, we were more hopeful back then. But amid the high hopes, typhoon “Odette” hit us on 16 December 2021—a strong typhoon during an enduring contagion. We decided to let go of some workers. But luckily, we hired them back when things got better in March 2022,” she shared. Typhoon “Odette,” that pummeled Bohol before Christmas Day, was considered by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as the worst ever to hit the province, prompting the Provincial Capitol to declare a state of calamity after incurring massive devastation on agriculture and infrastructure and inundated swaths to the island. Not yet pre-pandemic She said, however, that the tourism industry in Loboc is not yet in the pre-pandemic state, saying that foot traffic is only at 70 percent to date, even if they are fully booked during daily operations, especially weekends. “Revenge travel is real. The influx of domestic travelers is greater now compared to pre-pandemic. Aside from local tourists, European and Asian tourists are now coming back,” she said. As of July 2023, the Department of Tourism logged a total of 3,000,079 international visitor arrivals. On the other hand, the country’s inbound tourism receipts from 1 January to 30 June 2023 climbed to P212 billion or 502.02 percent higher than the P35-billion tourism revenue generated from the same period last year. Support for DoT program Sultan, also the president of the Bohol Federation of Travel and Tour Operators and an officer of the Bohol Provincial Tourism Council, said she is backing the DoT program Faith-based Tourism Circuits, as part of the department’s thrust to develop new tourism circuits and multi-dimensional tourism products. Last 14 to 17 August, the DoT Central Visayas, in partnership with the Provincial Government of Bohol, organized a familiarization tour of Bohol’s Faith-based Tourism Circuits, with the aim to promote and showcase Bohol’s historical and cultural assets specifically its century-old churches, heritage houses, religious landmarks and living cultural traditions. Through Bohol’s Faith-based Tourism Circuits, participants, including members of the media, visited some of Bohol’s heritage churches declared as National Historical Landmarks or cultural treasures and experienced a few of their inherent traditions such as Asin Tibuok, among others. The main highlight of the tour was the canonical crowning of the image of the Virgen de la Asunción of the Municipality of Dauis, officiated by Papal Nuncio Charles Brown last 15 August. “The direction is we do not want the churches to be just tourist spots, but for tourists to have a glimpse of the spiritual component,” according to Sultan. The post Nothing can drag a Boholana down appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EV sector needs more infrabuildup
The electric vehicle industry still needs infrastructure support to boom in the coming years, an industry group leader said on Wednesday. In a press briefing for the upcoming 11th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit this October, Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines President Edmund Araga said even if more and more car owners are switching to EVs, infrastructure for its development still needs a further push. “Implementation remains a big challenge as it involves extensive output and promotion. The EV industry is still making necessary adjustments in terms of supplies and infrastructure. Transitions are on the way in terms of regulations being set by different government agencies involved,” he said. Based on data from Statista, 1,013 EVs were sold locally in 2022 — higher than the 843 in 2021 and 378 in 2020. Lapsed into law This could mainly be attributed to the implementation of the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, or EVIDA, or the Republic Act 11697, which lapsed to become law in April 2022 and was enacted in May 2022 (with implementing rules and regulations taking effect in September 2022). EVIDA incentivizes EV adoption nationwide — by allocating dedicated parking slots in establishments, assigning green routes across cities and municipalities, and exempting vehicles from traffic coding schemes, among other perks. Public and private sectors have also been working to make charging stations more conveniently accessible to EV owners. Gov’t, sectoral support Araga also pointed out that currently, the Department of Energy is setting the pace in the government sector through rolling out necessary programs especially those aligned with the law pertaining to renewable energy so “Such initiatives are related to the development of local EV infrastructures. One I can cite is the e-App program that maps out locations of active EV charging stations across the country,” Araga explained. He also cited the Department of Energy for the ongoing development of the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry, which comes with inter-agency support. Araga stated that the department is also facilitating public consultations regarding the Vehicle Fuel Economy Labeling Program and the Fuel Economy Performance Rating. The Department of Trade and Industry is still preparing its Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy and the Department of Transportation is keeping its focus on public utility vehicles modernization, with EV as the priority. Other government agencies are taking their share by including EVs into their fleets, namely the Department of Public Works and Highways or DPWH which is leading the pack in terms of compliance to this commitment. For the part of the private sector, it is also actively investing in putting up more charging stations in strategic locations nationwide and using the latest innovative EV charging technology. “Many private companies are also taking the initiative to procure EVs for enhancing their own fleets, highlighting their efforts to lower carbon emissions and lower energy dependency on gasolines,” according to Araga. 11th PEVS EV development is among the highlights of the upcoming Philippine Vehicle Summit, or PEVS 2023. The gathering will push for for wider EV adoption in the country will be its biggest to date—a three-day summit featuring trade exhibitions and a conference to occupy three halls of the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. “Not to be missed is the establishment of the Philippine Battery Consortium, which be launched during PEVS 2023. It is aimed at addressing the important concerns and issues about battery supplies and costs,” Araga concluded. The post EV sector needs more infrabuildup appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump indicted for racketeering over 2020 election interference
Donald Trump was indicted Tuesday on charges of racketeering and a string of election crimes after a sprawling, two-year probe into his efforts to overturn his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden in the US state of Georgia. The case -- relying on laws typically used to bring down mobsters -- is the fourth targeting the 77-year-old Republican this year and could lead to a watershed moment, the first televised trial of a former president in US history. Prosecutors in Atlanta charged the Republican leader with 13 felony counts -- compounding the legal threats he is facing in multiple jurisdictions as a firestorm of investigations imperils his bid for a second White House term. Eighteen co-defendants were indicted in the probe, including Trump's former personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, who pressured local legislators over the result after the election, and Trump's White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows. "Trump and the other defendants charged in this indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump," the indictment read. "That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the state of Georgia, and in other states." With Trump already due to go on trial in New York, south Florida and Washington, the latest charges herald the unprecedented scenario of the 2024 presidential election being litigated as much from the courtroom as the ballot box. The Trump campaign released a statement as the charges were being processed calling Fulton County's chief prosecutor Fani Willis, who is a Democrat, a "rabid partisan" who was "persecuting" the former president with "bogus indictments." The twice-impeached Trump was charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced And Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as six conspiracy counts over alleged efforts to commit forgery, impersonate a public official and submit false statements and documents. He is also accused of lying in statements and filing fake documents, as well as soliciting public officials to break their oaths. - Most serious threat - Georgia, which Biden won by fewer than 12,000 votes, presents perhaps the most serious threat to Trump's liberty as he leads the field comfortably for his party's nomination to bid for reelection. Even if he is returned to the Oval Office, he would have none of the powers that presidents arguably enjoy in the federal system to pardon themselves or have prosecutors drop cases. The harsh penalties associated with RICO cases can be an incentive for co-defendants to seek cooperation deals, and the statutes are usually used to target organized crime. Under federal law, anyone who can be connected to a criminal "enterprise" through which offenses were committed can be convicted under RICO. The broader Georgia law doesn't even require the existence of the enterprise. Atlanta-area authorities launched the probe after Trump called Georgia officials weeks before he was due to leave the White House, pressuring them to "find" the 11,780 votes that would reverse Biden's victory in the Peach State. Meadows, who is accused of trying to get a public official to violate his oath, was on the call. Willis empaneled a special grand jury that heard from around 75 witnesses before recommending a raft of felony counts in a secret report in February. She alleges that Trump's team worked with local Republicans on a scheme to replace legitimate slates of "electors" -- the officials who certify a state's results and send them to the US Congress -- with fake pro-Trump stand-ins. - Criminal intent? - Giuliani, who faces 13 felony counts, was being investigated over accusations of harassment of two Fulton County poll workers while other Trump allies were charged over the accessing of sensitive data from an election office in a rural county south of Atlanta, one day after the 2021 Capitol riot. Trump is already facing dozens of felony charges after being federally indicted over the alleged plot to subvert the election, and further prosecutions over his alleged mishandling of classified documents and keeping allegedly fraudulent business records. Authorities in Atlanta installed security barricades outside the downtown courthouse in anticipation of a potential influx of Trump supporters and counter-protesters in the latest case. Lawmakers investigating Trump's efforts to cling to power heard evidence in a series of congressional hearings last summer that would challenge his potential defense that he genuinely believed he had been cheated of the election. ft/sst © Agence France-Presse The post Trump indicted for racketeering over 2020 election interference appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
No-fly Dane
International travel won’t be fast without flying. But for those who have the luxury of time when visiting other countries, taking other modes of transportation is possible. That’s exactly what Dane Torbjorn Pedersen, 44, did. Pedersen stepped off a Maersk container ship in the Danish port city of Aarhus in late May. He had boarded the vessel in the Maldives, a popular island resort destination in the Indian Ocean. Sailing on a cargo ship, however, was not the feat that Pedersen achieved. Maldives happened to be the 203rd and last country in the world that the Danish national visited. He had been traveling by train, bus, boat, and on foot since 10 October 2013 after taking on his father’s challenge to travel to all the countries without flying on a passenger plane. The former United Nations peacekeeper also never hired a car, preferring to use public transport. One of the highlights of Pedersen’s round-the-world adventure was meeting his wife, Le Gjerum, and keeping their long-distance relationship alive. She traveled 27 times just to visit him abroad. He proposed to her on her 10th visit and they got married online while he was stranded in locked-down Hong Kong during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Once the borders were open again, he set off for the island country of Palau, then continued to the countries in Oceania and the Pacific Ocean. Pedersen documented his journey on social media and in a blog. He also became an ambassador for the Red Cross. The ultimate highlight of his globetrotting adventure was making it to the Guinness World Records as the first person to visit all the countries of the world without breaks and without taking a plane. According to the GWR, Britain’s Graham Hughes was the first person to circumnavigate the globe without a plane, but his journey was interspersed with two returns home, which Pedersen did not do. WJG WITH AFP @tribunephl_wjg The post No-fly Dane appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Former Twitter exec says a mercurial Musk rules by ‘gut’
A fired Twitter product manager said Elon Musk ran the company newly renamed X by instinct not data, surrounded by sycophants with his mood changing unpredictably. Esther Crawford, whose picture sleeping in a Twitter office late last year made her a viral sensation, shared her thoughts on Wednesday in a lengthy post at X. "I disagree with many of his decisions and am surprised by his willingness to burn so much down, but with enough money and time, something new and innovative may emerge," Crawford said in the post. Crawford joined Twitter when it bought her startup in 2020, before Musk bought the social media platform for $44 billion. "In person Elon is oddly charming and he's genuinely funny," Crawford said. "The challenge is his personality and demeanor can turn on a dime going from excited to angry." Twitter employees feared being called into meetings with him or having to deliver negative news, according to Crawford. "At times it felt like the inner circle was too zealous and fanatical in their unwavering support of everything he said," Crawford wrote. "Product and business decisions were nearly always the result of him following his gut instinct, and he didn't seem compelled to seek out or rely on a lot of data or expertise to inform it." Musk seemed to trust random feedback and Twitter polls more than employees working to solve problems at the company, according to Crawford. "His boldness, passion and storytelling is inspiring, but his lack of process and empathy is painful." Musk has proven success tackling engineering problems, but a social networking platform requires emotional intelligence, Crawford said. She did not spare the previous management, calling it "bloated" and "soft and entitled" where "teams could spend months building a feature and then some last-minute kerfuffle meant it'd get killed for being too risky." Musk killed off the Twitter logo this week, replacing the world-recognized blue bird with a white X. After buying Twitter, Musk had said that he wanted to create a super-app inspired by China's WeChat, which would function as a social media platform and offer messaging and payments. Since Musk bought Twitter last October, the platform's advertising business has collapsed as marketers soured on Musk's management style and mass firings at the company that gutted content moderation. In response, the billionaire has moved toward building a subscriber base and pay model in a search for new revenue. Many users and advertisers alike have responded adversely to the social media site's new charges for previously free services, its changes to content moderation, and the return of previously banned right-wing accounts. The post Former Twitter exec says a mercurial Musk rules by ‘gut’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Vingegaard wins second successive Tour de France
Jonas Vingegaard won his second successive Tour de France on Sunday after Jordi Meeus claimed the final stage honors on the Champs-Elysees in Paris. Denmark's Vingegaard of the Jumbo-Visma team crossed the finish line after the 21-day race 7min 29sec ahead of Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, the champion in 2020 and 2021. Pogacar's UAE teammate Adam Yates of Great Britain rounded out the top three podium. Vingegaard's winning margin was the largest since 2014 when Italian Vincenzo Nibali took the fabled champion's yellow jersey by 7min 39sec. "I enjoyed fighting for this win with 'Pogi' and Yates, but now I'm just looking forward to having a nice dinner here in Paris with my family," said the champion. "It was a long, hard race and one day ran into another but there's a feeling of being proud and happy. "Winning for the second time is amazing with all the Danish people here. I hope to come back to take a third win, at least try it." Despite finishing runner-up, Pogacar was happy to focus on the positives. "Considering everything it's been a great Tour, I have to be happy with that," Pogacar said after picking up his best young rider jersey for the fourth time. "We have two guys on the podium, and I won two stages and the white jersey. I love cycling," he said. The final stage was won by outsider Meeus of the Bora team, with Jasper Philipsen denied a fifth stage win on this Tour right at the line in a photo finish. "What a wonderful finish, it's been such a high level Tour," said the surprise stage winner. - Cracked - The world's greatest bike race provided tense drama with spectacular backdrops as Vingegaard and Pogacar remained separated by seconds until the Dane edged ahead with a sensational individual time trial last Tuesday. The following day, on a 28km climb to the ski resort of Courchevel, Pogacar cracked, shouting "I'm gone, I'm dead" before Vingegaard killed off the race with a sensational final climb. The event had been billed as a showdown between the defending champion Vingegaard and Pogacar, who has won the Tour twice and now come second twice. Tour director Christian Prudhomme used boxing terms to describe the struggle. "They went 15 rounds and then there was a punch in the gut, a knee on the floor and a knock out punch," he said Sunday. All time great Eddy Merckx told AFP the pair had delivered a thrilling show. "Pogacar is a more complete rider, but in the high mountains at least, Vingegaard remains the stronger," he said. "I don't know what happened to me. I took on too much this year and after two weeks I started to look as white as this shirt," said runner-up Pogacar, pointing to his best under-25 rider's white jersey. Pogacar started well enough, taking minor advantages in the Basque hills until Vingegaard attacked on the first mountain stage in the Pyrenees to take the overall leader's yellow jersey. And while Pogacar clawed back a few seconds here and there, the defending champion never relinquished the lead all the way to Paris. Runner-up in 2021, the softly-spoken Vingegaard was the only rider to challenge the Slovenian prodigy in the high mountains. In 2022, he went one step higher and won the title at altitude, and it proved to be the case again in 2023, but with a Tour of such poise and dominance his claim to be targeting a third straight title must be taken seriously. "The Tour de France is the greatest race in the world," beamed the 26-year-old. "There's something so special about it and I can tell you I'll be back again next year to try and win it again." dmc/dj © Agence France-Presse The post Vingegaard wins second successive Tour de France appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Putting the quit on Quilter
Karl Quilter, a Chicago resident, was recently handed a sentence of 30 years in a United States federal prison for OSEC, or the online sexual exploitation of children based in the Philippines. The 58-year-old Quilter entered last year a guilty plea, claiming that the minors he spoke with on social media sites Facebook, Viber, and Skype from 2017 to 2020 were his “girlfriends.” His modus operandi, court records showed, involved dangling money transfers to persuade his victims to send the requested images. Quilter, in fact, visited the Philippines in 2017 and 2018, but he would not admit to actually having physical sex with minors, something that could have added to his sentence. He, nonetheless, admitted to having vowed to return to the Philippines in 2020 to act out his OSEC fantasies, yet more proof that OSEC oftentimes leads to actual physical abuse by moneyed, well-traveled monsters. The successful prosecution of Quilter and others like him, however, represents only one side of the coin as there’s also a pressing need to stop the abuse at the source, hundreds of miles away. Putting behind bars adults, frequently family members, who enable this heinous crime within the Philippines and other poor countries, is equally important. Unicef, the International Justice Mission, and Interpol have conducted extensive research that indicates that the Philippines, even before the start of the pandemic, had become a major global hub for live-streaming or the distribution of videos and photos of sex acts involving children as young as two years old. According to their estimates, the incidence of OSEC in the country had more than tripled in recent years, with the Philippines receiving more than eight times as many referrals as any other country, “making it the center of the global live-stream sex abuse trade.” The IJM, which started working closely with authorities in the Philippines in 2020 to close physical channels of sexual abuse of minors like bars and prostitution houses, had warned that Covid-19 lockdowns spanning two years had significantly contributed to a threefold rise in OSEC cases. With his department as the lead agency in the government’s efforts against human trafficking, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla has gone, so far, as to warn telecom companies that they would be prosecuted if they did not provide checks and filters against OSEC materials being routed through their networks. The biggest telcos have been heeding Remulla’s call, but as technology moves fast, they have to contend not only with the traffickers but also with tech wizards, those who live off the Dark Web, and who provide the backend support to ram OSEC materials through governmental and corporate check valves. IJM has drawn a silver lining around the dark clouds, saying that significant progress has been made in reducing the availability of children for sale on the streets and for internet-based sex trafficking. The figures, the group claimed, have fallen by as much as 86 percent in the cities where they were present. The relationship between OSEC and money transfers has been made crystal clear by recent research by the Anti-Money Laundering Task Force. It said that to stop the cycle of exploitation and bring the offenders to justice, it is necessary to destroy the illegal financial networks and stop the use of legal ones for OSEC payments. Although Quilter’s sentencing represents an important development in the prosecution of foreign offenders, he is just one among the millions of pedophiles and other perverts who have fueled OSEC, a multi-faceted problem that requires creative solutions and cross-border cooperation among governments, non-governmental organizations, and communities. OSEC operations by families in far-flung barangays are an open secret in communities, betrayed by the sprouting of Wi-Fi antennas in homes that also suddenly had access to extra cash. Cracking down on them has been easier, but the additional challenge now is stopping OSEC coursed through smartphones with internet data access. OSEC has been and will always be a cat-and-mouse game. It’s a virtual one-upmanship in trying to put the quit on depravities perpetrated by the likes of Quilter. The post Putting the quit on Quilter appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
114 cops strengthen Puerto Princesa security
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — The regional police office in MIMAROPA has deployed a total of 114 new police officers in this city in a bid to intensify police visibility in its 66 barangays and enhance tourism safety in its tourism hubs. Police Colonel Ronie Bacuel, the director of the Puerto Princesa City Police Office on Monday, said that the initiative is part of their commitment to ensure the safety of residents and preserve the city’s reputation as a tourist destination in the country. He said that by deploying these 114 new police officers, the PPCPO aims to bolster security measures and contribute to the overall well-being of the city. Out of the arrivals in June, 20 officers will be assigned to the Tourist Police Unit, he said. These officers will carry out regular patrols in malls and other tourism destinations throughout the city. Bacuel stressed the need to strengthen police visibility and tourism security in Puerto Princesa, as the situation there is unique. In addition to monitoring residents, they also have to keep an eye on the visitors who arrive for vacations and other purposes. “The ideal police-to-civilian ratio is 1 officer to 500 civilians, a target that has nearly been achieved, but still falls short,” Bacuel said. He also said that the ratio is seldom attained due to the additional responsibility of safeguarding not just the city’s residents but also the tourists. Bacuel further said that this challenge is more prevalent in smaller towns and not in Puerto Princesa, which happens to be one of the largest cities in the country. Currently, with a ratio of 1 officer to 400 civilians and considering the influx of tourists, the number of police personnel, totaling 752, is still inadequate for the city’s population of approximately 310,000 in 66 barangays based on the 2020 census. To bolster their efforts in monitoring tourists, Bacuel said that they have requested 50 bicycles from the Philippine National Police leadership for their bike patrol unit. He expressed his hope that this request would be granted. “The importance of having our own police bike patrol cannot be overstated. This specialized unit plays a crucial role in enhancing law enforcement efforts and promoting community safety,” Bacuel said. He added that part of their strategy to enhance police visibility and prevent crime includes establishing three additional police stations. At present, only Police Station 1 and Police Station 2, with the help of the City Police Mobile Force Company, are overseeing security in 66 barangays. The post 114 cops strengthen Puerto Princesa security appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NLEX gears up to improve road infra, quality of service
Now that the pandemic is gone and the restrictions have been relaxed, most Filipinos are making up for lost time by traveling to various destinations, especially during long weekends. Most Filipinos opt to go on road trips to popular destinations in central and northern Luzon, such as beach resorts in Zambales and Pangasinan, surfing resorts in La Union, beautiful parks in Baguio, and historical sites in Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte. These destinations are usually accessible via the North Luzon Expressway or NLEX. Although maintaining the road infrastructure and quality of service remains a big challenge, the management of NLEX Corp. through Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. or MPTC continues to invest in various capital projects to continuously improve the road quality and motorist experience. Thus, the recent toll fee adjustment approved by the Toll Regulatory Board or TRB will be of great help to the management of NLEX in carrying out its planned projects, such as improving road conditions and modernizing its toll collection system. The TRB allowed NLEX to adjust its rates effective 15 June 2023. Under the new toll fee matrix, Class 1 vehicles will pay an additional P7, Class 2 vehicles P17, and Class 3 vehicles P19. The new rates are part of NLEX’s allowed period adjustments from 2012, 2014, half of 2018, and 2020, and now 2023 is the fourth and final tranche of adjustments. In an interview, Rogelio L. Singson, MPTC president and CEO, assured motorists they can expect improvements to NLEX’s road infrastructure and quality of service. MPTC will prioritize plans and projects to decongest chokepoints or areas of heavy traffic flow. It plans to build and implement multi-lane barrier-less systems throughout its expressway network to improve traffic flow by 30 percent. The plan includes expanding the roadway at entry and exit points, which are occasionally filled with vehicles. Right-of-way acquisition remains a challenge to the road expansion at several entry and exit points. Hence, NLEX has been coordinating with the local government units and has suggested letting the national government take over these road-widening projects. This way, the Department of Public Works and Highways will manage the budget and maintenance of these roads. “Admittedly, the improvements at NLEX will not be immediate. There is still much to fix on the roads and our toll collection system. Nonetheless, our chairman, Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan, has instructed us to implement these improvements as soon as possible,” Singson said. What is surprising is that critics are actively opposing the latest toll fee adjustment, even though these were pre-programmed and agreed upon by NLEX and the government. Under its agreement with the government, NLEX can file a petition for a rate adjustment with the TRB every two years. The actual increase is manageable to motorists, as NLEX and TRB have staggered the collection, which should have taken place in 2012. Hence, the recent adjustment is a win-win for all stakeholders, such as the TRB, NLEX, and the motorists. The improvements at NLEX since MPTC took over its operations have helped greatly develop the central and northern Luzon regions. The road infrastructure and service quality improvements have moved goods and people much faster and more cost-efficiently, thus spurring the growth of businesses and industries in the regions. The difference between NLEX today and back in the day is also undeniable. Traveling is much faster and more comfortable, particularly with the opening of various establishments along the expressway where motorists can eat and rest before proceeding to their destinations. In the end, motorists also stand to benefit from the latest toll adjustment, as it would allow MPTC to continue investing in capital projects to maintain NLEX’s road infrastructure, decongest traffic and reduce queues, improve its facilities and services, and ensure the safety of motorists. The post NLEX gears up to improve road infra, quality of service appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Influencers overtaking journalists as news source: report
TikTok influencers and celebrities are increasingly taking over from journalists as the main source of news for young people, according to a report published Wednesday by the Britain-based Reuters Institute. The report found that 55 percent of TikTok and Snapchat users and 52 percent of Instagram users get their news from "personalities" -- compared to 33-42 percent who get it from mainstream media and journalists on those platforms, which are most popular among the young. The figures were based on interviews with some 94,000 people across 46 countries, conducted for the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, part of Britain's University of Oxford. "While mainstream journalists often lead conversations around news in Twitter and Facebook, they struggle to get attention in newer networks like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok," the report said. Lead author Nic Newman highlighted people like Britain's Matt Welland, who discusses current affairs and daily life on TikTok for his 2.8 million subscribers. "Or it could be a celebrity like a footballer talking about a topical news event," he told AFP, such as footballer Marcus Rashford's 2020 campaign to get free school meals for children from poor families. For young people, "news" is not just the traditional focus on politics and international relations, but "anything new that is happening in any walk of life: sports, entertainment, celebrity gossip, current affairs, culture, arts, technology..." he added. 'Fundamental change' Facebook remains the leading source of news among social networks worldwide, but its influence is dropping, with 28 percent saying they use it to get news, compared with 42 percent in 2016. This likely reflects Facebook's shift away from news-sharing towards a focus on friends and family, as well as young people's preference for more video-based apps like TikTok and YouTube. TikTok now reaches 44 percent of 18-24-year-olds, and 20 percent get their news from the app, up five percent on last year. The biggest challenge for traditional news outlets is the falling number who go direct to their websites -- just 22 percent, down 10 points since 2018 -- rather than relying on social media links. In his foreword, Reuters Institute director Rasmus Kleis Nielsen said this shift presented "a much more fundamental change" for the news industry than even the shift from paper to digital a generation ago. "Legacy media... now face a continual transformation of digital as generations come of age who eschew direct discovery for all but the most appealing brands, (and) have little interest in many conventional news offers oriented towards older generations' habits, interests, and values," he said. These new audiences are aware of the risks of relying on algorithms, with only 30 percent thinking this is a good way to get a balanced diet of news -- but that is still considered better than relying on journalists, who scored just 27 percent. None of this is good news for media firms reliant on subscribers and ad revenue. The report found that 39 percent of subscribers had cancelled or renegotiated subscriptions, though the overall share of people paying for news across 20 countries surveyed remained stable compared with last year at 17 percent. The post Influencers overtaking journalists as news source: report appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chasing rainbows, case of GOCCs
Government-owned or controlled corporations are classified as public enterprises but have not built an image of passing the test of economic viability — the underlying reason for their creation. Not few have closed shops, gone bankrupt, were abolished or merged, bailed out, privatized. If the government has to be run like a business, why parcel out state-owned enterprises that are already into investment for value maximization or other profit-oriented undertakings? Theoretically, the mandatory transfer or farming out of capital assets from Large Bank A, Large Bank B, State-Run Casinos/Lotteries, Government Financial Institutions, or GFIs to put their wealth together sans airtight guarantee that the awesome sums of money will generate a profit of unsurpassed proportion — sounds like skating on thin ice. Even worse, the use of the money as bait to lure foreign investments as if the government has a deep reservoir of capital accumulation and on a sustained basis is a mere bubble somewhat mimicking the Chinese style of “shadow banking.” At ground level, the promise of a grand payoff is too good to be true. It should be recalled with caution that then President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. introduced this “SOE economy” and even rose to prominence when he declared martial law in 1972. In 1970, we only have 65 SOEs but the same grew to 303 in 1985 (source: understated report) and breached 604 as of August 2010. Is this not a repeat of history when this time around, the young Marcos will do an old Marcos as if to follow a trick in the playbook? Martial law opened the door for the then-president to “commandeer” with the semblance of lawful authority even private enterprises in the guise of national interest and run these utilities or industries to rake revenues. Note further that in 2009, SOEs’ assets totaled $125 billion which exceeded the national government’s assets of 65 billion US dollars. Is it the same case today that the total assets of SOEs or GOCCs are about double that of the national government’s assets? As available factual data stand, it should be noted that in 2020 or during the administration of then-President Rodrigo Duterte, the total national budget is pegged at P4.1 trillion while the total assets of all GOCCS amounted to P10.3 trillion although only 31 or less than a third of the Philippines’ 108 government-owned or controlled corporations accounted for P9. 37 trillion. To quickly draw the positive implication of these figures, it simply means that if from the GOCCs’ total assets, it will have to finance the national budget, it will still have 60 percent in remaining assets sustainable enough to generate another quantum of annual revenues. The matter of a Maharlika Investment Fund is a linguistic game in that they define it as a sovereign wealth fund even when there is no surplus value to really speak of. In fact, the increase in the number of agencies not to mention administrative expenditure and the extension of their autonomy has significantly changed the organizational architecture of governments; in this case, another created corporation manages and operationalizes its financial affairs. The fact that they plan to lure private investments, domestic or foreign, has it not become privatized in principle and therefore its affairs should be left to market forces? No wonder then that a former Treasurer has argued, viz: “In particular, the issue of privatization of GOCCs brings to the fore the intermeshing interests of public and private sector groups, transnational corporations and the World Bank-International Monetary Fund group. The challenge, therefore, is to make GOCCs a truly public sector.” We can begin to ask what kind of creature the MIF has become and for whose interests? What is the bottom line where motives that push the creation of GOCCs are either overt or covert? Doesn’t the latter subvert the “development” objectives of GOCCs, convert them into instruments for the transfer of public resources to private hands?” Crony capitalism? The post Chasing rainbows, case of GOCCs appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump indicted in classified documents probe
Donald Trump said Thursday he has been indicted over his handling of classified documents after leaving office, the US ex-president's most serious legal threat yet as he pursues a second White House term. "The corrupt Biden Administration has informed my attorneys that I have been Indicted, seemingly over the Boxes Hoax," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform as he broke the bombshell news of a historic moment for the United States: the first time a sitting or former commander-in-chief has faced federal charges. There was no immediate confirmation from the Justice Department. Trump attorney Jim Trusty told CNN that his client has been indicted on seven charges including the willful retention of documents in violation of the Espionage Act, making false statements, obstruction of justice and a count of conspiracy. Though the precise details of the charges were not immediately clear, people familiar with the matter told The New York Times the conspiracy charge was related to obstruction of justice. In his post, Trump, who is running for president again, said he has been summoned to a federal courthouse in Miami next Tuesday -- the day before his 77th birthday. His announcement came a day after US media said federal prosecutors had informed his lawyers that he is the target of the probe into his handling of classified documents. Trump was already the first former or sitting president to be charged with a crime -- in his case over election-eve hush money payments to a porn star who said she had an affair with him. That indictment was handed down by Manhattan's district attorney in March. In a statement after his initial online posts, the Trump campaign lashed out at what it called an "unprecedented abuse of power," and called for the indictment to be thrown out. 'Dark day' In a defiant video released after he shared the news, Trump repeatedly declared his innocence and framed the indictment as a form of election interference by a Justice Department "weaponized" by the Biden administration. "They come after me because now we're leading in the polls again by a lot against Biden," Trump said in the clip. "Our country is going to hell and they come after Donald Trump... We can't let this continue." Fellow Republicans swiftly stood by him, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, who has had a rollercoaster relationship with Trump. "Today is indeed a dark day for the United States of America. It is unconscionable for a President to indict the leading candidate opposing him," McCarthy said in a statement. "I, and every American who believes in the rule of law, stand with President Trump." Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rival for the GOP presidential nomination, echoed Trump's claims of a "weaponized" DOJ, adding on Twitter that he would "excise political bias" if elected president. The Twitter account of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee posted a repeated Trump slogan: "WITCH HUNT." Special counsel Jack Smith, named by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, has been looking into a cache of classified documents that Trump had stored at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after leaving the White House. The FBI carted away some 11,000 papers after serving a search warrant on Mar-a-Lago in August, and obstruction-of-justice charges could be a result of his resisting efforts to recover the trove. Trump eventually turned over 15 boxes containing almost 200 classified documents to the National Archives in January 2022 but was subpoenaed for any outstanding records in his possession. When asked about the charges Thursday night, Smith's spokesman Peter Carr told AFP: "We are declining to comment." The White House said it learned of the indictment from media coverage and a spokesperson declined to comment on the news, noting that the DOJ "conducts its criminal investigations independently," CNN reported. Mounting legal woes Some Democratic lawmakers spoke out following Thursday's revelation. Trump's indictment "is another affirmation of the rule of law," House Democrat Adam Schiff said. "For four years, he acted like he was above the law," he added. "But he should be treated like any other lawbreaker. And today, he has been." Trump has repeatedly denied wrongdoing in the documents case, telling a Fox News town hall event on June 1 that "everything I did was right." But he has openly acknowledged taking and storing the documents, undermining his lawyers' suggestion that he took the stash inadvertently in the confusion of a chaotic departure. "This evidence just adds to the mound of stuff that already exists, and no one piece is the 'be all and end all,' but when you put them all together, the case is so strong," former Watergate prosecutor Jill Wine-Banks told MSNBC. "You cannot imagine his getting away with this." The latest indictment comes with Trump facing numerous other probes as he bids to be the Republican nominee to challenge Joe Biden for the presidency in 2024. Smith is also looking at whether Trump should face charges over the 2021 US Capitol riot, and Georgia prosecutors are investigating whether Trump illegally attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome there. Trump has already been charged with dozens of financial crimes as part of the alleged hush money scheme to silence the porn star, and is due to go on trial next March, in the middle of primary election season. The post Trump indicted in classified documents probe appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»