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MIAA to remove gang chairs at NAIA-3 arrival lobby
The Manila International Airport Authority is scheduled to remove all the gang chairs at the arrival lobby of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 (NAIA-3) after Holy Week, MIAA general manager Eric Ines said yesterday......»»
MIAA sees over 1 million arrivals this Holy Week
The Manila International Airport Authority is expecting an influx of over one million passengers this coming Holy Week......»»
Lawyers file petition pushing Congress to enact law vs political dynasties
A group of lawyers on Tuesday filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to compel Congress to enact a law prohibiting political dynasties in the country......»»
NFA ordered to submit documents on P93 million rice sale
Ombudsman Samuel Martires on Thursday went to the National Food Authority main office in Quezon City to personally serve a subpoena that would compel the agency to submit several documents in connection with the alleged anomalous sale of P93.75 million worth of NFA rice to two traders......»»
Hontiveros asks Senate leadership to approve subpoena for Quiboloy
Sen. Risa Hontiveros appealed to the Senate leadership to approve her subpoena that would compel controversial pastor Apollo Quiboloy to attend her committee investigation into the alleged abuses within the Kingdom of Jesus Christ ministry......»»
SC denies petition vs Comelec on digital signatures
The Supreme Court has denied a petition filed against the Commission on Elections asking the High Court to compel the poll body to implement the use of digital signatures in the 2022 general elections......»»
Pakistan: Widespread Abuses Force Afghans to Leave
(New York) - Pakistani authorities have committed widespread abuses against Afghans living in Pakistan to compel their return to Afghanistan, Human Rights Watch said today.Police and other officials have carried out mass detentions, seized property and livestock, and destroyed identity documents to expel thousands.....»»
CA junks telco’s frequency plea, mandamus case vs. NTC
The Court of Appeals junked the petition for mandamus filed by NOW Telecom Company Inc. against the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC over the company's provisional authority or PA application to operate a cellular mobile telephone service within specific frequency ranges. In a 16-page decision, the appellate court's Special Ninth Division said "the court is powerless" to grant NOW Telecom's plea, especially since the company failed to show a clear legal right to the frequencies it sought. The CA said the decision, penned by Associate Justice Tita Marilyn B. Payoyo-Villordon and concurred in by Associate Justices Myra V. Garcia-Fernandez and Walter S. Ong, followed a careful examination of the case. The case began from NOW Telecom's request for NTC's automatic approval issued by the Anti-Red Tape Authority or ARTA. NOW Telecom had filed a petition for mandamus under Rule 65 of the Revised Rules of Court to compel the NTC and former Commissioner Gamaliel Asis Cordoba to stick to ARTA's resolution and OAA both dated 1 March 2021. These ARTA documents stated that NOW Telecom's application for a PA to operate in the frequency range 1970 Mhz-1980 Mhz paired with 2160 Mhz to 2170 Mhz and 3.6 GHz to 3.8 GHz frequency ranges was automatically approved by operation of law. It followed Republic Act 11032, otherwise known as the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018. However, an ARTA resolution dated 17 June 2022 reversed the previous decisions and formally recommended NOW Telecom's application for frequency assignment to the NTC. NOW Telecom's mandamus petition was notably based on its claim for the rights to specific frequency ranges, alleging that the NTC had unjustly neglected its duty to assign them. Yet, court records showed that as early as December 2005, NTC already found NOW Telecom to be non-compliant and was disqualified from the assignment of 3G frequency bands due to unpaid supervision and regulation fees or SRF and spectrum user fees or SUF amounting to P2.6 billion. NOW Telecom has a pending petition filed before the Supreme Court for this penalty imposed by the NTC. NOW Telecom received its PA in January 2006, but it was not specific to 3G and under the condition of paying its outstanding SRF and SUF obligations. In December 2017, NOW Telecom was designated the 20MHz contiguous bandwidth, 3520 to 3540 MHz, under the 3.5 GHz on the same condition that it resolved its outstanding SUF and SRF fines. NOW Telecom's Provisional Authority was extended until September 2020, but the NTC reiterated that the company failed to fulfill the conditions regarding SUF and SRF. Despite the issues hounding the company, NOW Corp. CEO Mel Velarde said he hopes the "Marcos administration" will aid the immediate settlement of its cases as a way of maintaining a "level playing field." _ The post CA junks telco’s frequency plea, mandamus case vs. NTC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CA junks hazing accused’s inhibition plea
The Court of Appeals has denied the plea of one of the accused in the fatal hazing of University of Santo Tomas freshman law student Horacio Castillo III seeking to compel Regional Trial Court of Manila City Branch 20 acting presiding judge Shirley Magsipoc- Pagalilauan to inhibit from the case. In a 75-page decision promulgated on 22 September 2023 and written by Associate Justice Rafael Antonio Santos, the appellate court’s First Division held that the claim of Ralph Trangia that the judge acted with grave abuse of discretion in refusing to inhibit has no basis. The CA also did not give weight to Trangia’s claim the alleged failure of the judge to address the issues he raised in his demurrer to evidence shows that she would not be able to decide with utmost partiality. It added that after a careful review of the record of the case and the applicable laws and jurisprudence, it finds that petitioner failed to prove his allegation that the court committed grave abuse of discretion when it denied his motion for inhibition. “Rather it is evident that petitioner’s claim of bias and partiality is merely based on the denial of his Demurrer to Evidence, which in itself is not sufficient to prove that the court a quo acted with bias, bad faith, malice, or corrupt purpose,” said the CA’s decision. “For these reasons, the Court rules that petitioner miserably failed establish that the court a quo acted with manifest impartiality in issuing the assailed Orders,” it added. In denying Trangia’s demurrer, the Manila RTC in an order dated 4 February 2022 held that the evidence presented by the prosecution established all the elements of the offense of hazing as well as the presence and participation of all accused, including petitioner, during the hazing of Castillo by members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity. To recall, Trangia — one of the accused in the death of Castillo — has sought the inhibition of Pagalilauan at the CA on the ground of alleged partiality in denying his motion for demurrer evidence last 24 February 2022, which seeks the immediate dismissal of the case on the ground of insufficiency of evidence. On 10 March 2022, the respondent judge issued an order denying Trangia’s motion prompting the latter to move for the reconsideration of the said order but the same was denied on 28 March 2022. This prompted Trangia to elevate his plea before the CA arguing that Pagalilauan committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction in denying his motion for inhibition and the subsequent motion for reconsideration considering that she showed partiality in denying his demurrer to evidence despite clear showing that the prosecution failed to prove its case against him. The post CA junks hazing accused’s inhibition plea appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Increased subsidy sought for jeepney drivers affected by PUV modernization
Senator Win Gatchalian urged the government to increase the subsidy provided under the modernization program for public utility vehicles. During the recent Senate deliberation on the 2024 proposed budget of the Department of Transportation, Gatchalian said the program is pushing jeepney drivers to save a portion of income to pay for the modern vehicle. The senator also lamented program was introduced at a time when fuel costs ranged from $20 to $30 per barrel. Fuel prices have since increased to a range of $80 to $90 per barrel due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict, he stressed. Meanwhile, Gatchalian said the DoTR should make sure all jeepney engines are at least Euro-4 and Philippine National Standards-compliant under the PUV modernization program. "From the briefers that I read, the compliance rate right now is only at 60 percent and the allocation for the modernization for 2024 is zero. In other words, we compel them to modernize but we don't have any support to give them in the next few years," he said. Gatchalian said increasing the subsidy should form part of the DOTr's strategy to achieve at least 100 percent modernization of the country's PUVs. The DoTr earlier said one unit of modernized PUV costs P2.4 million to 2.8 million. At the hearing, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista told the committee panel that the DoTr will continue giving equity subsidies to all PUV drivers and operators to help them replace the old units that they currently operate. Bautista said they have already requested at least P1.6 billion fund for the program for next year. Gatchalian cited the deadline for the modernization program was earlier suspended to allow individual jeepney operators to consolidate themselves into a cooperative. The deadline for consolidation has been set for December 31 this year. "It's a step towards the right direction that we are modernizing through the cooperatives," Gatchalian said. DoTr earlier said that certain private sector groups are interested in venturing into manufacturing modernized PUVs “which could keep the cost in the lower end of the range.” The post Increased subsidy sought for jeepney drivers affected by PUV modernization appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ERC may take legal action to compel NGCP to cooperate in performance audit
The Energy Regulatory Commission will utilize its “regulatory power” to compel the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to submit “pertinent documents” for the ongoing comprehensive performance audit. During the Senate panel’s deliberation of the energy sector’s budget on Friday, ERC chairperson Monalisa Dimalanta said they are considering taking legal action on the matter. When asked by Senator Risa Hontiveros about the progress of ERC’s performance audit on the NGCP, Dimalanta confirmed that they have encountered delays in the performance audit, particularly in obtaining information from NGCP. “We find ourselves in the position wherein we are constrained to explore other legal remedies to make sure that the information is provided to us. DOE is studying how we can move forward,” she added. While waiting for such information, Dimalanta said the ERC has started its work by using the data it already has involving the review of the reset of power transmission rates set by the NGCP. She likewise confirmed the ERC already finished the review and the results are expected to be released by October. Hontiveros criticized NGCP for disregarding the performance audit, which was clearly stated in the DoE order. In his second State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged NGCP to deliver all projects that will improve the interconnection of electricity throughout the country. This after ERC reported that 68 grid connection projects are “much delayed” including with the vital Mindanao-Visayas and the Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnections. “You don’t say that we still need to issue a subpoena on this? Perhaps the last straw that would break the camel’s back is an action from the Senate,” Hontiveros said. Dimalanta said the ERC has enough powers to make NGCP comply with the performance audit procedures. “We can use our regulatory power to compel disclosure of information,” she noted. Gatchalian stressed that a performance audit is “really necessary” as NGCP has been lagging behind in its projects’ timeline. “Transmission projects are very delayed, and it affects all of us. We are very interested in their performance and to know if they are complying with what they should be complying with. They already collected from the consumers for these projects but many of them are delayed or haven’t started yet,” he added. The post ERC may take legal action to compel NGCP to cooperate in performance audit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DoJ prosecutors told: Probe Pinoy-Indian case delay
The Philippine National Police on Thursday appealed to the Department of Justice’s Office of the Regional Prosecutor in Southern Tagalog to intervene in the immediate filing in court of the amendments in the charge of illegal possession of firearm against a Filipino-Indian businessman. In a two-page letter dated 27 September 2023 addressed to Assistant Regional Prosecutor Rogelio D. Radoc Jr. and signed by P/Lt. Col. Stefano Andrenicus A. Rabino, chief of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Southern Metro Manila District Field Unit, it stressed that the Office of the City Prosecutor of of Dasmariñas in Cavite has yet to act on the 8 September resolution signed by Radoc himself. “Given the mandate to practice close coordination between the Prosecution and Law Enforcement, we ask for the immediate intercession of your Honorable Office to remind and compel the OCP Dasmariñas to comply, without delay, with the Resolution dated 8 September 2023 and file the necessary charges against the respondent,” said Rabino in his letter. To recall, the Dasmariñas OCP was ordered in the resolution to amend the charges it filed in court against Filipino-Indian businessman Amith Chandiramani. The OCP, aside from only the charge of illegal possession of a 9mm handgun, has been ordered to amend the criminal charge sheet to include illegal possession of M4 carbine and M26 fragmentation grenade with casing. Rabino said they were informed that the OCP have yet to officially received the copy of the resolution but said they find the claim as incredulous and as a ploy to delay. The post DoJ prosecutors told: Probe Pinoy-Indian case delay appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
US regulator urges court to compel Elon Musks testimony on Xs tumultuous environment – The Daily Guardian
Title: US Government Seeks Elon Musk’s Testimony in Ongoing Investigation Into X on User Privacy and Security In an ongoing investigation into social media platform.....»»
Another graft case slaps against QC honorary councilor
The Quezon City Barangay Kaligayahan chairman, who is an honorary councilor for being the League of Barangay Chairmen President, is in for more trouble. One of his former employees slapped him, along with the barangay (village) treasurer and a kagawad (councilor), with charges of violations of the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and falsification of public documents before the Office of the Ombudsman, late afternoon Monday. Arjean Abe, of Tawid Sapa 2, Greenfields, Barangay Kaligayahan, charged Brgy. Kaligayahan Chairman and Quezon City Councilor Alfredo "Freddie" Roxas, his treasurer Hesiree Santiago, and Kagawad Arnel Gabito, chairman of the appropriation committee, with charges for violations of Republic Act No. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Revised Penal Code for faking her signature to appear that she is still a barangay employee. Abe in her complaint, obtained by Daily Tribune, said she was hired as a teacher aide on 1 March 2022, receiving a monthly salary of P6,000, and was detailed at the barangay daycare center. She was later transferred as a clerk taking care of the issuance of barangay clearance because of the pandemic and classes on face-to-face were suspended. Abe said on 31 January 2023, she resigned from work with her letter of resignation received by Santiago. However, she found out that her name still appeared in the barangay payroll list, one of which was submitted by her as evidence against the three officials. The payroll was for 1 to 31 May 2023 where her name and signature still appeared and projected that she is still an employee receiving P6,000. The payroll list, Abe presented as "Annex A", also has the signatures of Roxas, Santiago, and Gabito. These documents, Abe said, are submitted to the Quezon City government for funding. She also submitted a copy of her identification card as "Annex B", bearing her true signature for the Ombudsman for vetting against the signature on the payroll list. Abe said the acts of the three officials also constituted falsification of documents which is a violation of Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code as she prayed that the Ombudsman would act on her complaint and compel Roxas and the two other Barangay Kaligayahan officials to answer to her charges and be jailed and eventually barred from holding public offices. The graft charges were the second to be slapped against Roxas as a barangay tanod (village watchman). She filed the same charges last month, accusing Roxas, Barangay Kaligayahan Secretary Maripha de Jesus, and Santiago of also making her their "ghost employee." Roxas also faced Graft and Corrupt Practices Act violations filed by one of their kagawads (village councilors), Allan Francisco Jr., who sued Roxas and other barangay kagawads Jim Mahusay, Alexander Rivera, former singer-actress Perla Adea, Arnel Gabito, Dionisio Gascon, Sofronio Grimaldo, and barangay secretary Josephine Penaranda for the approval of a barangay council resolution “interposing no objection to the application of M.M. Ledesma Laboratories Corp.” along Zabarte Road extension on 15 April, the barangay assembly day, which is not a regular barangay council session day. The post Another graft case slaps against QC honorary councilor appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Filipino-Indian billionaire sought relief from DOJ
Filipino-Indian billionaire Rajiv Chandiramani has asked the Department of Justice to junk the complaint against him for multiple counts of falsification of public documents filed by his estranged brother for being “baseless, contrived, and manufactured.” Rajiv, in his 25-page counter-affidavit filed through his counsel, denied committing any falsification in order to take control of the more than P1 billion worth of properties left behind by their father Prem Chandiraman following his death in 2011. He claimed that the falsification complaint was merely resurrected by his brother to pressure him to give in to the latter’s demands for more money after their initial compromise agreement in 2022. “By re-filing the complaint for falsification of documents as against Rajiv, Amith has violated his waiver and quitclaim. In the regime of law and order, repudiation of an agreement validly entered into cannot be made without any ground or reason in law or in fact for such repudiation,” Rajiv said. Contrary to his brother’s claim, Rajiv recounted that because of his business ethics, he was able to establish a good business reputation in the business community, particularly in the Filipino-Indian community. Rajiv is the owner of Rheana’s Trading Inc., which is one of the leading domestic companies engaged in the business of buying, selling, distributing, and importing electronic products and accessories. While his older brother, according to Rajiv, got hooked on illegal drugs and was confined in several drug rehabilitation facilities. Rajiv said his brother, in 2020, was released from a drug facility and then stayed in Dubai. A year after, Rajiv claimed there were several defamatory messages against him that were being circulated among relatives, friends, and colleagues, particularly, that he had allegedly falsified several sale documents. With this, Rajiv conducted his own personal investigation and was convinced that these defamatory messages originated from Amith. “It eventually became apparent that Amith started these malicious rumors as he wanted additional monies from Rajiv and their mother,” Rajiv said. Rajiv initially sought redress before the courts by filing a complaint for damages with an injunction against Amith to prevent and dissuade him from continuously spreading malicious allegations against him. He also filed a criminal complaint for cyber libel against Amith. Meanwhile, Amith, in July 2022, filed a criminal complaint for falsification of public documents against Rajiv and their mother and several other respondents before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Makati City. He alleged that Rajiv conspired with their mother to falsify the signature of their deceased father as appearing on several sale documents. In order to end their rift and upon persuasion of family members, Rajiv said he agreed to a compromise with Amith, which led to the mutual withdrawal of the cases that were filed against each other at that time. The agreement also provides a waiver and quitclaim covering any and all potential claims or rights against each other arising from, or in connection with the cases, as well as the estate of their late father. Rajiv, as part of the consideration for the compromise agreement, bound himself to pay Amith the total amount of P150 million by way of support. Rajiv said he has been complying with his contractual undertakings in providing Amith with monthly support of Php600,000, including giving financial assistance for Amith to put up his own electronics trading business. But was surprised to learn that Amith violated their agreement by resurrecting the falsification complaint against him. Amith in his complaint, claimed that Rajiv, their mother Pushpa Chandiramani, and several others connived in depriving him of his inheritance from their father Prem, amounting to billions of pesos in the form of real estate properties and business interests. Among the properties that he claimed were illegally taken from him by Rajiv and his cohorts was a prime 1,559 square-meter lot in Cubao, Quezon City with Transfer Certificate of Title No.46459. But the camp of Rajiv maintained that the compromise agreement entered into by him and Amith is a valid and enforceable contract; thus, the latter is barred from filing a falsification of public documents complaint. “The act of Amith in re-filing or reviving the Complaint for Falsification of Documents with the NBI is a violation of the compromise agreement, and his desistance, waiver, and quitclaim undertakings,” Rajiv said. He disclosed that he has filed a formal complaint for specific performance and damages seeking to compel Amith to comply with the provisions of the compromise agreement and the waiver and quitclaim. Presently, the complaint is pending with the Regional Trial Court of Makati City, Branch 145. The post Filipino-Indian billionaire sought relief from DOJ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
U.S. talk stays cheap
China’s release of a new map expanding its maritime area within a “10-dash line” that includes the West Philippine Sea has been condemned by the Philippines, Malaysia, Taiwan, Brunei, and Vietnam. Conspicuously absent from the first responders was the United States which had earlier issued a brave warning that it would protect the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea. The US had said it would protect international ship passage in one of the world’s most contested waterways, where more than $3 trillion in trade passes each year. China on Monday released a new version of its infamous U-shaped dashed line that now covers about 90 percent of the South China Sea, including Taiwan which it regards as a renegade province. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague invalidated the so-called historic “nine-dash line” claim of China, but Beijing made it clear that it did not recognize the decision and insisted on bilateral agreements with other claimants to settle territorial conflicts. China holds to its position that its sovereignty and rights in the South China Sea were established throughout the long course of history, claiming that this was “duly recognized by international treaties and accords which are not to be infringed upon by any illegal awards.” China instead accused the Philippines of taking unilateral action to initiate the arbitration that “breached its bilateral agreement with China to settle relevant disputes in the South China Sea through negotiation.” It claimed that this commitment was also contained in the non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea signed by China and the ASEAN countries, including the Philippines, in 2002. Beijing, however, has continuously put a damper on concluding the Code of Conduct that ASEAN has been pushing to finally settle the conflicting claims. The presence of American forces appeared to have deterred China from making good on its “historical” claims that are continuously expanding. A delayed reaction by the US to the new Chinese propaganda offensive may prove fatal to the region. Dean Cheng, a senior advisor to the China program in the government-backed US Institute of Peace, observed that Beijing has been gambling on American willingness or lack of it to confront China’s “salami-slicing tactics against its neighbors.” Cheng recalled that in 2012, the United States persuaded the Philippines to withdraw from Scarborough Shoal “while making no effort to compel the People’s Republic of China to do the same. In effect, Washington forced Manila to cede that set of features to the PRC.” Cheng recounted how this was followed by a three-year hiatus in US freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, which he noted was an absence “that coincided with massive Chinese construction on features it controlled.” For the United States to once again fail to counter the latest Chinese efforts “would reinforce a perception of American withdrawal,” Cheng pointed out. He warned of the possible consequences if the US continues to waffle on its position regarding China’s increasing aggressiveness. “If the United States were to not respond, its credibility as an ally would be called into question, certainly by Manila. The various efforts to renew US access to Philippine facilities under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, especially in the event of a Taiwan contingency, will certainly falter. Why should the Philippines support American efforts to support Taiwan if the United States won’t support the Philippines?” Cheng said. If recent events were the basis, the Philippines has always been made to suffer the backlash of Washington policies in the region, such as the Asian pivot of former President Barack Obama. The Philippine government was made to support the American program but was left in the lurch when the going got tough. The US still has to prove that it walks the talk on its supposed protection of the region from predatory actions. The post U.S. talk stays cheap appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Maguindanao del Norte impasse (2)
By reason of such refusal of the BLGF Region XII to designate the Provincial Treasurer of Maguindanao del Norte, Governor Sinsuat filed before the Supreme Court a Petition for Mandamus with a prayer for the issuance of a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction to compel the aforesaid office to designate the provincial treasurer of Maguindanao del Norte. While the case was pending in the Supreme Court, the President appointed officials and Abdulraof Abdul Macacua as Officer-in-Charge at the Office of the Governor of Maguindanao del Norte. As stated earlier, the appointment must have been made based on the opinion of the government lawyers on the legality of such appointment. They opined that Section 50 of RA 11550 is not applicable as regards who will assume the governorship and the vice-governorship upon the creation of the province because the plebiscite was held not before the 2022 national elections as directed by law but was held subsequent thereto. On 5 April 2023, Governor Sinsuat formally wrote PBBM her respectful but vigorous objection to the appointment of Macacua as OIC as having no legal basis. On 26 June 2023, the Supreme Court promulgated a decision granting the petition for mandamus filed by Gov. Sinsuat, to wit: “ACCORDINGLY, the Petition for Mandamus is GRANTED. Respondent Bureau of Local Government Finance, Regional Office No. XII is ORDERED to process the appointment of Badorie M. Alonzo or any qualified person designated by petitioner Province of Maguindanao del Norte, through Acting Governor Fatima Ainee L. Sinauat, as Provincial Treasurer of the Province of Maguindanao del Norte with utmost dispatch. The writ of preliminary mandatory injunction issued earlier is made permanent.” In granting the petition for mandamus, the Supreme Court stated that Governor Sinsuat validly assumed the office of Acting Governor hence he is entitled to the mandamus petition. Said the Supreme Court in that case: “xxxx Sinsuat, as duly elected Vice-Governor of the Province of Maguindanao, and Mastura, as next ranking member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of the province of Maguindanao, validly assumed office as governor and vice governor, respectively, of the Province of Maguindanao del Norte, but only in acting capacities until elections for the permanent officials to the said positions shall have been held.” (xxxx Albeit the plebiscite was conducted only after the May 2022 National and Local Elections, this does not invalidate Section 50. As one of the Transitory Provisions, Section 50 is intended to operate upon the effectivity of the law. indeed, it would be in keeping with the spirit and intention of the law to give life to its transitory provisions for we cannot simply allow the already existing Provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur to be without a set of officials or without any funds for their operations. xxxx” (PROVINCE OF MAGUINDANAO DEL NORTE, represented by its Governor Fatima Ainee Limbona Sinsuat versus BUREAU OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE REGIONAL OFFICE NO. XII, represented by its Acting Regional Director June Ann C. Abella, et.al. G.R. No. 265373). (To be continued) The post Maguindanao del Norte impasse (2) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Poor team player
A string of blunders by the United States contributed greatly to the aggressiveness of China in the West Philippine Sea, in disregard of the 2016 Permanent Court of Arbitration ruling that invalidated most of China’s maritime claims. A geopolitical expert even suggested that America’s traditional ally, the Philippines, was left out in the cold after the Obama administration initiated its Asian pivot to contain China. Dean Cheng, senior advisor to the China program at the US Institute of Peace, a federal watchdog on the global situation, assessed the recent deployment of “ships and other maritime forces to the disputed Spratly islands near the Philippines.” Cheng identified China’s goal as coerce the Philippines into withdrawing from the contested Second Thomas Shoal (Ayungin Shoal) to effectively cede it to the People’s Republic of China or PRC. The expert who advises the US government said China’s actions “are in defiance of the international Permanent Court of Arbitration’s findings that undermined the PRC claims to the Spratlys and they constitute a serious challenge to the international rules governing maritime conduct.” Cheng traced the unabated Chinese incursions to the poor handling of the situation during the 2012 standoff at Scarborough Shoal that practically encouraged Beijing to build permanent military structures on the sea formation. The weak response of the US government to China’s sea maneuvers emboldened increasingly drastic actions in the disputed region which Beijing claims is historically its territory. “It is worth recalling that in 2012, the United States chose to persuade the Philippines to withdraw from Scarborough Shoal (a separate set of features north of the Spratlys) while making no effort to compel the PRC to do the same. In effect, Washington forced Manila to cede that set of features to the PRC,” Cheng said. Worse, under President Barack Obama, the US took a three-year hiatus from freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea, an absence that coincided with massive Chinese construction on features it controlled. “For the United States to once again fail to counter Chinese efforts to dominate a region that sees some $3.37 trillion in trade would reinforce a perception of American withdrawal,” according to Cheng. Over the years, Cheng said, the PRC has become more assertive in supporting its ambiguous claims. It has extended patrols in the area, often arresting foreign fishing boats for violating the nine-dash line while requiring everyone who wishes to fish there to register with Sansha in the Paracels, a Chinese prefecture. China has also undertaken extensive land reclamation on rocks and reefs under its control, totaling over 3,000 acres on artificial islands in the Spratlys — dwarfing all other claimants combined. “Despite promises not to militarize these new features, the PRC has deployed artillery pieces and rockets and built runways that can support both fighter and cargo aircraft,” Cheng said. China is intent on coercing the Philippines out of its position in the Spratlys, regardless of legal rights and claims. According to the US expert, it is likely that the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s findings have only strengthened China’s “resolve to secure the Spratlys (as well as the separate Scarborough Shoal and Macclesfield Bank territories). At the same time, the PRC is likely trying to signal to the region that American support is both escalatory and counterproductive.” The US has not matched its strong statements on the West Philippine Sea dispute, such as its frequent assurances to the Philippines of an iron-clad alliance, with determined moves, thus giving China the impetus to gradually ramp up its actions. When the ball was in its court, the US, because of domestic political considerations, exited the game leaving its teammate at the mercy of its powerful opponent. The post Poor team player appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Group denounces DepEd’s removal of mother tongue subject in revised K-10 curriculum
Tanggol Wika also criticized the department’s decision to give teachers flexibility in the medium of instruction for Grade 1 as administrators and parents may compel them to just adopt English as the medium of instruction......»»
PAO Chief vows to follow SC ruling
An office order was issued by Public Attorney's Office chief Persida Rueda Acosta directing all regional office heads and divisions to strictly follow Section. 22, Canon lll of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) of the Supreme Court pertaining to conflict of interest. The office order signed by the officials of the PAO stated, "We will hereby comply to the same (SC ruling). We hereby give discretion and disposition as a lawyer to individual resident public attorneys assigned in specific courts to comply with the said rule in relation to Section 13 and 18 of Canon lll thereof." Acosta also stated in her office order that resident public attorneys are advised to reconcile it with the provisions of Article 209 of the Revised Penal Code approved on 29 August 2017 to avoid criminal responsibility and imprisonment, considering that said penal provision requires the consent of the first client. "PAO lawyers are advised to adopt precautionary measures in handling conflict of interest cases to protect their life and limb as well as to avoid criminal and administrative liability," the order signed by Acosta stated. To recall, the SC has denied the plea of Acosta to delete Section 22, Canon III of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) which allows PAO lawyers to represent opposing parties in court cases. PAO’s request to delete Section 22, Canon III of the CPRA was docketed as an administrative matter and was decided by the Court en banc during its regular session last 11 July 2023. Magistrates, during their deliberations, also decided to compel Acosta to show cause why she should not be cited in indirect contempt for her unabated public tirades against the said provision. The Court noted Acosta’s social media posts and newspaper publications branding the adoption of the CPRA as unconstitutional, and an undue interference and intrusion by the SC into PAO’s operations. The SC said Acosta’s tirades tend to directly or indirectly “impede, obstruct, or degrade the administration of justice” and can be considered “a threat to the independence of the judiciary.” In defending the assailed provision of the CPRA, the SC reminded the PAO chief of its primordial mandate which is to “[extend] free legal assistance to indigent persons in criminal, civil, labor, administrative and other quasi-judicial cases.” “To turn away indigent litigants and bar them from availing of the services of all PAO lawyers nationwide due to alleged conflict of interest would be to contravene PAO’s principal duty and leave hundreds of poor litigants unassisted by legal counsel they cannot otherwise afford,” it added. The SC maintained that CPRA was promulgated in the exercise of its exclusive rule-making power under the Constitution. Likewise, the High Tribunal said the CPRA was adopted as part of its authority to supervise the practice of law and to provide free legal assistance to the underprivileged. The CPRA took effect on 30 May 2023, 15 days after its publication. In her letter to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, Acosta sought the indefinite suspension of the implementation of CPRA pending review by the members of the Court. The post PAO Chief vows to follow SC ruling appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»