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Indonesia launches Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail
Indonesia launched Southeast Asia's first high-speed railway on Monday, a delayed, multibillion-dollar project backed by China that President Joko Widodo hailed as "a symbol of our modernization". With a top speed of 350 kilometers (220 miles) per hour, the bullet train "Whoosh" can get between the capital Jakarta and Bandung in 45 minutes. The 140 km journey would previously have taken about three hours by train. "The Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train marks our efficient, friendly, and integrated mass transportation system," Widodo said during a ceremony at the capital's central station. "It is a symbol of our modernization in the public transport, seamlessly connecting with other modes of transportation." Widodo said the 600-capacity train was the first high-speed rail transportation in Southeast Asia. It is part of Beijing's Belt and Road initiative -- a decade-old program of China-backed infrastructure projects. The president said the name was actually an acronym, standing for a tagline of "Waktu Hemat, Operasi Optimal, Sistem Handal" -- which in Bahasa Indonesia means "Saving time, optimal operation, reliable system". It was built by PT KCIC, which is made up of four Indonesian state companies and Beijing's China Railway International Co. The project was initially set to cost less than $5 billion and be completed by 2019. However, delays caused by construction challenges and the Covid-19 pandemic led to a surge in costs. In preparation for its opening, officials have conducted public trials for the new high-speed route. Last week, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi confirmed that the government would extend the high-speed train route from Bandung to the country's second-biggest city Surabaya. Last month, Chinese Premier Li Qiang joined Senior Minister Luhut Pandjaitan on a ride aboard the train during his Jakarta visit for summits with Southeast Asian leaders. Pandjaitan told reporters on Thursday that Widodo plans to welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping in the future to ride the train, but did not give more specifics. agn/ebe/sn/leg © Agence France-Presse The post Indonesia launches Southeast Asia’s first high-speed rail appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Police rescue wife held captive by hubby
French police have arrested a 55-year-old German man suspected of holding his wife captive for 12 years at their flat in Forbach, eastern France. The arrest reportedly followed a distress call by the 53-year-old wife to police in Wiesbaden, western Germany over the weekend. She claimed that her husband had abused and held her captive since 2011, and the latter alerted their French counterparts. Police then raided the home and found the woman, naked, injured and undernourished in the bedroom. The state of her health was “not good,” local prosecutor Olivier Glady told Agence France-Presse after her examination by the local forensic medicine service. But Glady later told a news conference that initial examinations had not found fractures or bruises, contrary to media reports. Blood tests showed that she was not significantly dehydrated, he added. The husband denied hostaging his wife and beating her, claiming she has cancer and he was taking care of her. Neighbors of the couple told police they haven’t seen the woman for many years and described her husband as polite and nice. Police are investigating the man for kidnapping, aggravated rape, and acts of torture and barbarism, French broadcaster BFMTV said. Police had already been called to the couple’s home in 2019, but said they did not detect any signs of trouble. The man is jobless and believed to have worked in German industry previously, Glady said. WITH AFP The post Police rescue wife held captive by hubby appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Sabotaging reforms
Consumer groups have petitioned the Court of Appeals to take back its permanent injunction on the Energy Regulatory Commission ruling stopping San Miguel Corp. from breaking its supply contracts. The Power for People or P4P Coalition cited the real threat of a chain reaction in other power producers holding straight pricing contracts similar to SMC’s units to make a mockery out of the competitive selection process, or CSP since they can always go to the courts to overturn ERC decisions. The CA injunction effectively opened the door for SMC to discard the PSAs without any consequence. Under the PSA, a unilateral termination of the contract will mean heavy penalties including P255.5 billion for a “Termination in the Event of a Default.” The CA injunction took away all the safeguards in the contract against unilateral actions which was what SMC wanted. ERC issued an order blocking SMC from forcing consumers to shoulder fossil fuel volatility costs which it committed initially to absorbing during the auction for the PSAs. Based on ERC records, some 23 straight-price contracts are at risk of following the footsteps of SMC which will mean higher rates since the court injunction can undermine the regulatory powers of the ERC. P4P said consumers are now at the mercy of power companies which acquired the freedom to trick us into committing to a contract, “only to back down when it is no longer profitable for them.” Consumers are without a choice but to pay higher prices in such a situation. In the 2019 PSA auctions, SMC’s generation companies South Premier Power Corporation, or SPPC, and San Miguel Energy Corporation, or SMEC, secured 650 megawatts or MW and 330 MW supply deals, respectively. SMC in response to consumer groups’ skepticism over the ability of fossil fuel power plants operators to comply with a fixed price contract, insisted it will voluntarily shoulder risks. In May last year, SMC filed motions for price adjustment claiming that it had incurred P15 billion in losses from SPPC and SMEC. Late last year, ERC denied SMC’s motions for price adjustments. Instead of appealing the ERC order, SMEC and SPPC filed a petition for Certiorari before the Court of Appeals to suspend their PSAs and reverse the ERC’s decision. CA quickly acted with a temporary restraining order suspending SPPC’s 670 MW PSA while SMEC’s PSA remained after the 16th division of the court denied SMC a TRO. The catch, however, was that the CA consolidated the two cases into the 13th division which acted favorably to SMC. The recent injunction order, thus covered both SPPC and SMEC, thus ending the PSAs. To make up for the lost capacity of 670 MW, two emergency Power Supply Agreements, or EPSA, was bid out with SPPC cornering a supply of 480 MW. In the five months that the SPPC PSA was suspended, electricity bills have jumped from P1,370.90 to P3,363.53 for an average household. P4P described the battle between ERC and SMC as an experience in which big businesses ultimately hijack power purchase bidding systems that are in place to protect consumers. It added that SMC dared to bid for the same power requirement shortage of Meralco that it caused. The spirit of competitive selection and least-cost electricity thus went out of the window after the brazen legal maneuvers of SMC, the consequence of which will be shouldered by consumers. Reforms initiated to improve the lives of ordinary Filipinos are negated by profit greed which frequently happens with the help of the intrusive injunctions. The post Sabotaging reforms appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Teves,12 others tagged terrorists
The Anti-Terrorism Council or ATC has designated Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves Jr. as a terrorist for allegedly masterminding the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo last 4 March, which also resulted in the deaths of nine others. The ATC named the congressman, who had gone into hiding, as the leader of the Teves Terrorist Group, which allegedly included as members his younger brother, Pryde Henry Teves, and purported bagman Marvin Miranda. Pryde was unseated by the Commission on Elections after a recount of the votes cast in the 2022 Negros Oriental gubernatorial election showed that Degamo had won. Degamo was killed in a commando-style attack at his residential compound in Pamplona town. The slain governor’s wife, Janice, is the mayor of Pamplona. The assault happened just weeks after the Supreme Court upheld the Comelec’s proclamation of Degamo as governor. Also tagged as terrorists were Nigel Electona, Tomasino Aledro, Rogelio Antipolo, Hannah Mae Oray, Rommel Pattaguan, Winrich Isturis, John Louie Gonyon, Dahniel Lora, Eulogio Gonyon Jr. and Jomarie Catubay. In a three-page resolution dated 26 July and signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin that was released yesterday, the ATC said Pryde and Electona “provided material support” to Teves in furtherance of his alleged terrorist activities. “Investigation also revealed that Hannah Mae Sumero Oray handled the operational funds for the killings while Marvin H. Miranda acted as organizer and recruiter of personnel for specific terrorist attacks,” the ATC said. In April, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla revealed the government’s intention to designate Teves as a terrorist, saying that his group’s alleged “activities that led to the killings are all covered by the Anti-Terror Law, [including] the recruitment, financing, purchase of firearms, and their distribution.” In hiding Teves has refused to come home after being located last in Timor-Leste, claiming his life was in danger. There was talk he was already in the Philippines under the protection of a former high government official. The House of Representatives had twice suspended Teves for refusing to heed Speaker Martin Romualdez’s plea to come home to face the charges against him. The Philippine National Police had filed a separate complaint against Teves before the Department of Justice last March over the alleged political killing of three other persons in Negros Oriental in 2019. A Degamo lawyer said the Teveses could be linked to as many as 60 killings in Negros Oriental. In reaction, Pryde said in a radio interview that his lawyers would appeal the ATC resolution. He expressed dismay that his right to travel and earn a livelihood would be affected by the order. Saying he would not leave Negros Oriental despite the tagging, the younger Teves said he would be the last to resort to terrorism because he had been a victim of violence. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Topacio, a lawyer of Congressman Teves, lambasted the ATC whose order, he said, demonstrated the government’s prejudgment of the case and “desperation” to take his client into custody. “Since day one of the Degamo killing, the government has mobilized all the resources at its disposal, starting with immediately tagging Teves as the mastermind thereof without investigation, conducting illegal searches on his properties, laying siege to his powers and prerogatives as a member of the House, embarking on a massive media campaign to discredit him and prejudice the minds of the public against him, among other things, all in an obsessive attempt to blame him for a crime at the expense of his constitutional rights,” Topacio said. Topacio questioned why the government had to use the ATC against Teves, in a case for which the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020 was not “designed.” “The agencies of government, having eggs on their faces due to the recantation of all the key witnesses, the lack of evidence against Representative Teves, the public backlash against his obvious persecution, and the embarrassing failure of the authorities to bully him into returning to the country in spite of grave and serious threats to his life has expectedly weaponized the Anti-Terror Act by using it for the purpose for which it was not designed,” he said. When it was first floated that Teves would be tagged as a terrorist, he posted a video of himself wearing Muslim garb and laughing. The post Teves,12 others tagged terrorists appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bong Go provides support to flood victims in Davao City
In an effort to bolster the country's disaster preparedness and response capabilities, Senator Christopher "Bong" Go has been advocating for two crucial bills in the Senate that he earlier filed: Senate Bill No. (SBN) 188, which seeks to establish the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), and SBN 193, mandating the establishment of mandatory evacuation centers nationwide. On Saturday, July 29, Go led two relief operations for thousands of flood victims in Barangays Lasang and Bunawan in Davao City. In his speech, Go said that the government should remain proactive in its approach in dealing with disaster-related situations, considering that the country is highly vulnerable to natural calamities. SBN 188 proposes the creation of the DDR, an independent government agency dedicated to strengthening the nation's resilience against the impacts of natural and human-induced disasters. The DDR aims to consolidate disaster-related functions and resources from different agencies under a single, unified body. By streamlining disaster response efforts, the department can facilitate quicker and more efficient aid delivery to affected communities during times of crisis. “Importante po ito sa akin. Unang-una, halimbawa dito po sa Barangay Lasang, binaha sila. Di ba ang barangay po ang nakikipag-coordinate kaagad with the LGUs. Ito pong barangay level na pagbaha, how about ‘yung mga national level, o municipal level o city level, o province-wide na pagbaha… maayos na koordinasyon ang kailangan,” he said. “Bago dumating ang bagyo, balita pa lang sa PAGASA, coordination kaagad ng Department of Disaster Resilience, kung mayroon tayong isang departamentong nakatutok para sa mga disaster related… bago dumating ang bagyo, coordination with LGUs. Ilikas ang mga kababayan natin sa ligtas na lugar, dalahin sa mga evacuation center. Preposition of goods by the DSWD,” Go added. “Kailangan koordinasyon kaagad ng departamento na i-involve kaagad ang mga ibang departamento na kasamahan niya. DSWD preposition of goods, mga Coast Guard, Navy para ilikas agad ang mga kababayan natin sa ligtas na lugar at maayos na evacuation center, sa Department of Health para malinis ang evacuation center, sanitation para ligtas ang mga kababayan natin. At pag-alis ng bagyo, hindi lang puro task force, dapat isang departamento na pwedeng mag-coordinate hanggang makabalik sa normal na pamumuhay ang lugar na tinamaan ng bagyo. Restoration of normalcy kaagad at rehabilitation effort,” he said. The Office of Civil Defense has recently voiced its support for the establishment of the DDR, emphasizing the importance of such institution in improving operations in managing and responding to future crises. "Things can be better if there will be an independent authority or department, but it’s not that simple – tanggap po namin iyon… We leave it to Congress and we leave it to the Palace, to Malacañang. Meanwhile, kami naman, we are doing our best given the limitations, makakaasa po kayo," OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said in a past interview. Alongside the establishment of DDR, Go champions SBN 193, which calls for the creation of mandatory evacuation centers across the Philippines. These evacuation centers are designed to be equipped with necessary facilities to provide temporary shelter and essential services to evacuees during disasters. The senator noted that these evacuation centers will be strategically placed in areas less prone to hazards, ensuring the safety and well-being of evacuees during disasters. Furthermore, the centers will be equipped with essential amenities such as food, clean water, medical services, sanitation facilities, and temporary sleeping quarters. Go cited that the Philippines, located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt, is no stranger to the destructive forces of nature. “Yearly, the country faces the threat of typhoons, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and other hazards. These disasters not only result in loss of lives and livelihoods but also impede economic progress and development,” shared Go. To minimize the devastating impact of disasters, Go underscored that comprehensive disaster resilience measures are imperative. The senator is confident that by supporting these priority bills, the Senate and the Filipino people can collectively work towards a safer, more resilient nation, where communities can recover swiftly and thrive even in the face of adversity. “Ang lugar natin nasa Pacific Ring of Fire tayo. Prone tayo sa mga bagyo, prone tayo sa pagputok ng bulkan, prone tayo sa sunog, ‘di ba? So dapat po ay magkaroon na tayo ng isang maayos na departamento, Department of Disaster Resilience at Mandatory Evacuation Center sa mga syudad, munisipyo, at probinsya para hindi magamit ang mga eskwelahan tuwing may mga sunog, baha. Nagagamit po ang eskwelahan, naantala ang pag-aaral ng mga bata dahil ginagamit po as evacuation center,” he said. Together with Councilors Dante Apostol, Marissa Abella, Diosdado Mahipus, and Al Ryan Alejandre, Go provided grocery packs, masks, vitamins, and snacks to 4,399 flood victims. The senator also extended shoes, mobile phones, bicycles, watches, and balls for basketball and volleyball to select recipients. Meanwhile, Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, urged those who have health issues to seek assistance from the Malasakit Center at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City. The Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, which Go principally authored and sponsored, brings together various government agencies, including the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Department of Health (DHOH), the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), under one roof to provide a convenient process for availing medical assistance particularly for poor and indigent patients in public hospitals. There are now 158 Malasakit Centers nationwide which have assisted more than seven million Filipinos, according to DOH data. In SPMC alone, the Malasakit Center there has assisted more than 200,000 patients. On the same day, Go attended the ribbon-cutting of the multipurpose building in Brgy. Lasang and road concretion with drainage canal construction in Brgy. Bunawan, two infrastructure projects he supported the funding of as vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance. He likewise supported the acquisition of multi-purpose vehicles for the community, construction of various multipurpose buildings and local roads, rehabilitation of water systems, drainage systems and flood control structures in different barangays throughout the city, the construction of a 300-bed capacity infectious diseases building for SPMC and the acquisition of ambulances, among others. ### The post Bong Go provides support to flood victims in Davao City appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Guevarra: We never recognized Hague court
Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday stressed that the Philippines, notwithstanding his office’s motions and appeals before the International Criminal Court, never recognized the tribunal’s jurisdiction. Guevarra, who was blamed by some lawyers for supposedly undermining the government’s non-recognition of the ICC with his office’s pleadings, said the same did not amount to the country recognizing the ICC, “whether expressly or impliedly, as we were very much aware that our withdrawal from the ICC had taken effect in 2019.” Guevarra said in the 3-2 vote (see related story) that greenlighted the probe into the alleged drug-related killings in the Philippines from 2011 to 2019, the ICC failed to rule on the issue of jurisdiction. “This unresolved issue of jurisdiction will be a powerful argument for any person who may be investigated or charged by the ICC,” he said. He added: “The majority did not tackle it, and the minority took a strong position that the ICC had already lost jurisdiction over the Philippines when the ICC prosecutor sought to commence his investigation.” The country, he said, made it pretty clear that its continued engagement with the ICC was borne only out of comity and a shared commitment to end impunity. The ICC prosecutor opened its preliminary investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines in February 2018. It was based on a referral from the country’s Commission on Human Rights, which alleged that the killings constituted crimes against humanity. The investigation was deferred in November 2021 after the Philippine government requested the ICC prosecutor to do so. The government argued that it was conducting its own investigations into the killings and that the ICC’s investigation was unnecessary. In June 2022, the ICC prosecutor asked for a resumption of the probe, claiming the government failed to make sufficient progress in its own probe. The post Guevarra: We never recognized Hague court appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Raison d’être
Legal eagles are betting that the International Criminal Court will rule today to continue its investigation into the alleged extrajudicial killings being pinned on the Duterte administration at the height of its campaign against illegal drugs from 2016 to 2019. That’s to be expected because scuttling the probe would run against the raison d’être, or reason for being, of the ICC. The ICC, of course, has to justify the hundreds of millions of dollars it wastes each year on the bloated paychecks of its judges and prosecutorial staff, who are known to travel like royalty, pretending to be doing something. While the ICC claims to be a bastion of justice, the reality is that its insistence on investigating and bagging former President Rodrigo Duterte, including for his actions as Davao City mayor from 2011 to 2016, feeds its arrogant posturing while blatantly encroaching on Philippine sovereignty. This concern strikes at the heart of the ICC’s legitimacy and calls into question its adherence to the principle of national self-determination. The Philippines, like any other sovereign nation, has the right to manage its internal affairs and address alleged crimes within its own legal framework. Furthermore, the ICC has demonstrated abject bias not only against African countries but also against developing nations like the Philippines. The ICC is nothing more than a schoolyard bully, running roughshod over those it thinks are weak. In fact, many of the cases investigated by the ICC have been in Africa. This perceived bias undermines the credibility of the ICC and calls into question its ability to dispense justice fairly. It is only in recent years that the ICC has ventured to add the Philippines among its targets, precisely to counter criticism of its African bias. The ICC itself needs scrutiny, particularly its judges and the Office of the Prosecutor. What little reputation the ICC had has been thrown out the window by the controversies surrounding its own judges’ lawsuit against the ICC over pay, bringing their complaint before the International Labor Organization. These internal conflicts raise doubts about the independence and impartiality of the institution, further eroding public trust and inviting scrutiny regarding the character of its very judges. The same holds true for its current prosecutor, Karim Khan, specifically for his past role as a defense lawyer for William Ruto, the Deputy President of Kenya, who faced charges of crimes against humanity. Khan’s successful defense of Ruto and his 180-degree turn from defender to prosecutor speaks volumes about the lengths he would go to in order to add shine to his legal star. No doubt, we must consider the implications of his previous role when evaluating his current position as ICC Prosecutor. So, are the ICC judges and its prosecutorial staff worthy of trust, worthy enough to be given the mantle of authority to pass judgment on anyone? The Philippines’ arguments against the ICC investigation into the alleged drug war killings cannot be dismissed lightly. The country has maintained that it did not ratify the Rome Statute that created the ICC, thus it never fell under the purview of the tribunal, like the United States, China and Russia. If Duterte pulled the country out of the ICC in 2018, it was only because the country was a signatory to the statute, which did not amount to anything without the required ratification. The complementarity issue is another significant concern raised by the Philippines. The country has asserted that the ICC should not investigate the alleged crimes because the Philippine government is already conducting its own investigations. The ICC, on the other hand, questions the genuineness of the Philippine government’s investigations, claiming that they are merely a cover-up to protect the perpetrators from accountability. Ultimately, the ICC’s decision on whether or not to proceed with the investigation into the alleged drug war killings in the Philippines will have far-reaching implications, more so for the ICC as it tries to stave off irrelevancy. The post Raison d’être appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
6 killed in China kindergarten attack
BEIJING, China (AFP) -- Six people were killed and one wounded in an attack at a kindergarten in southern China’s Guangdong province on Monday, a spokeswoman for the city government said. “The victims include one teacher, two parents and three students,” she said. She did not offer details about the identities or ages of the victims, nor the weapon used in the attack, which took place in the city of Lianjiang. “One suspect has been arrested,” she said, adding that a police investigation was underway. The suspect was a 25-year-old male surnamed Wu, local police said in a statement. The incident took place around 7:40 am (2340 GMT on Sunday), the state-backed China News Network reported. Videos shot by passersby claiming to show the crime scene were removed from video-sharing platform Douyin and Twitter-like Weibo. While guns are strictly controlled, China has been struggling with a spate of mass stabbings. Violent crime has been on the rise as the economy has grown in recent decades and the gap between rich and poor has widened rapidly. Spate of attacks Fatal attacks targeting students and schools have occurred nationwide in recent years. The attacks have forced authorities to step up security and prompted calls for more research into the root causes of such violent acts. Last August, three people were killed and six others wounded in a knife attack at a kindergarten in southeast China’s Jiangxi province. In April 2021, two children were killed and 16 others wounded when a knife-wielding man entered a kindergarten in southern China. In June of the previous year, 37 students and two adults were wounded by a knife-wielding attacker at a primary school in southern China. And in November 2019, a man climbed a kindergarten wall in southwest Yunnan province and sprayed people with a corrosive liquid, wounding 51 of them, mostly students. The same year, eight schoolchildren died and two others were wounded in a “school-related criminal case” in the central Hubei province, with a 40-year-old man arrested. And in April 2018, a 28-year-old man killed nine college students and injured 12 others outside their school in the northern province of Shaanxi. The attacker later said he acted out of revenge after being harassed by a student at the same school. The post 6 killed in China kindergarten attack appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Disaster resiliency must be prioritized
Typhoons occur very often in our country. Located along the typhoon belt in the Pacific, the Philippines is visited by 20 typhoons on average yearly. Some have been more devastating than most — ravaging lands, destroying properties, and claiming the lives of our affected Filipinos. And because of climate change, in addition to our geographical location in the Pacific, the Philippines is exposed to natural calamities that are getting more often and more severe. While we can’t prevent the entry of typhoons, we could very well stay one step ahead to minimize the damage brought by these natural disasters and hopefully save more lives through a more prepared and proactive approach, better coordination among concerned government agencies, and stronger cooperation from the public. As super typhoon “Betty” entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday, I pray for the safety of all our affected kababayans and hope for an efficient restoration of normalcy once the typhoon passes. I commend our frontline government agencies and local authorities who, days before the typhoon’s entry, so far have reportedly already made necessary preparations to deal with this and its aftermath. These preparations and more go a long way in securing the lives and property of our affected Filipinos. Nevertheless, considering our country’s vulnerability to natural calamities, we must continue instituting measures that will ensure more proactive and effective disaster preparedness and response. Thus, I continue advocating for several disaster resilience measures, including the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience through my proposed Senate Bill No. 188. If the bill is enacted into law, the DDR shall serve as an empowered and highly-specialized cabinet level-department with a clear unity of command, responsible for ensuring safe, adaptive, and disaster-resilient communities. It shall lead the crafting and implementation of programs and activities to reduce the risk of all types of natural hazards and effects of climate change and manage the impact of disasters. I have also filed SBN 193, or the proposed Mandatory Evacuation Centers Act, which seeks to require the establishment of evacuation centers in every province, city, and municipality throughout the country that shall provide basic needs and assistance to all evacuees. Also, I have introduced SBN 192, also known as the Rental Housing Subsidy Act, in a bid to provide disaster victims better and more affordable access to the formal housing market through the provision of rental subsidies by the government. Finally, SBN 1709 proposes to amend the provisions of the “Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010” to mandate the grant of hazard pay to the personnel of respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices and Barangay Risk Reduction and Management Committees, as well as all accredited community disaster volunteers enlisted to their respective territorial jurisdictions during the State of Calamity declared by the President. Under the proposed measure, all personnel of the LDRRMOs in all provinces, cities, and municipalities and all accredited community disaster volunteers, regardless of their employment status, shall be granted a hazard pay of P3,000 every month if it is enacted into law. This is in recognition of their invaluable sacrifices and contributions in looking after the safety of our people in the face of disasters and even at the risk of their own lives. Similarly, our dedication to public service never ceases. From Monday to Sunday, our work inside and outside the hallowed halls of the Senate continues. On top of our Senate sessions, I led the distribution of aid to 1,663 indigents from Gapan City, municipalities of Cabiao and Peñaranda in Nueva Ecija; 1,000 in Pasig City, as well as 1,201 fire victims in Sta. Cruz, Manila last week. On 25 May, I also visited Davao de Oro for the groundbreaking of the Super Health Center, inspect a two-story multi-purpose building, and led a relief activity for 1,000 residents in Maco town. We attended the groundbreaking of Super Health Centers in Libertad town and Barangay Balubal, Cagayan de Oro City, and spearheaded three relief operations for 1,000 indigents in Libertad, and 2,000 in Barangay Balubal, and another 300 in the city on 26 May. Apart from the groundbreaking of the Escalante City Super Health Center in Negros Occidental on 27 May, I aided 2,000 residents of the city composed of fisherfolks, tricycle drivers, solo parents, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens. I joined the 25th Manlambus Festival where I was able to watch a carabao race and provided aid to 200 carabao owners. On 28 May, I inspected the Sariaya Super Health Center in Quezon province and helped 1,000 indigents in the town. In Lucena City, 1,500 residents received aid. I also joined the Pasayahan Festival and inspected the Lucena City Promenade, whose funding I supported. My outreach teams extended aid to 400 barangay health workers and nutritionists in Macalelon, Quezon; 373 Technical Education and Skills Development Authority graduates in Argao, Cebu; and 1,200 tricycle drivers in San Luis, Pampanga. Indigents, including 81 in Llanera, Nueva Ecija; 500 in Binuangan, Misamis Oriental; 250 in Dipaculao and 233 in San Luis, Aurora. Also, our office joined the dental and medical mission of 150 indigents in Pandan, Antique. In the face of inevitable natural hazards, we all must exert efforts to build a more disaster-resilient nation. Through effective measures, preparations, proper coordination, and widespread cooperation, we can all save lives, help each other recover, and rise again even stronger. The post Disaster resiliency must be prioritized appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Beijing’s embrace lures Central Asian countries
China is renewing its push for massive infrastructure projects in Central Asia as Beijing aims to fill the vacuum left in former Soviet states by Russia, which is ensnared in a widening net of Western sanctions over the Ukraine war. Central Asia has become key to China’s trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, a defining geopolitical project for President Xi Jinping. Around 150 countries have received Chinese funds to build roads, ports, railways or hydroelectric dams. Beijing says trade with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reached $70 billion in 2022 and expanded 22 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2023. Analysts say Russia’s war in Ukraine has further shifted the dynamic in Beijing’s favor — leading many in the region to question their long-standing ties with Moscow and seek economic, diplomatic and strategic assurances elsewhere. “After the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the Central Asian republics started to fear for their sovereignty,” Ayjaz Wani, a fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, told Agence France-Presse. Xi’an summit Xi will host the leaders of the five countries in the western city of Xi’an this week for a summit Beijing has described as of “milestone significance.” Bound by shared borders and a long history, the choice of Xi’an — the historic eastern end of the Silk Road — is fitting. The summit is likely to see efforts to push ahead with vast transport links and pipelines, including a long-stalled $6 billion China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway and an expansion of the Central Asia-to-China gas pipeline. “China’s approach to Central Asia has been very consistent,” Nargis Kassenova, director of the Central Asia program at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, said,pointing to long-standing ties in security, infrastructure and development. Russia’s war in Ukraine, she said, only “pushed Central Asian countries deeper into China’s embrace.” Debt traps and bailouts China’s inroads into Central Asia have not always been popular, however. In 2019, protests broke out in Kazakhstan, which has described itself as the “buckle” in the Belt and Road project, over perceived Chinese expansionism in the country. The following year, a Chinese investor that had planned to pour nearly $300 million into a trade and logistics center in Kyrgyzstan quit the project over local protests. China’s development is seen as a model in the region. Beijing says the initiative aims to deepen friendly trade relations, particularly with the developing world. But critics have long accused China of luring lower-income countries into debt traps by offering huge, unaffordable loans. “China has developed a system of ‘Bailouts on the Belt and Road’ that helps recipient countries to avoid default, and continue servicing their BRI debts, at least in the short run,” a report published in March by the United States-based research lab Aidata said. Beijing’s big spending — and fears it could use its clout to influence domestic politics — have “fed growing phobias,” Sebastien Peyrouse, a research professor at George Washington University’s Central Asia Program, told AFP. China’s development is seen as a model in the region, he said, but many fear Beijing’s approach is fundamentally extractive. Another source of contention is Xinjiang, where Western governments accuse Beijing of conducting a crackdown that has allegedly seen over a million Uyghur and other mostly-Muslim minorities placed in forced re-education camps. Uyghur ties to Central Asia run deep, and a shared religious and ethnic heritage means their plight has provoked widespread sympathy in the region and fuelled anti-China sentiment. The post Beijing’s embrace lures Central Asian countries appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Daza to CHEd: Put funding to good use
The Commission on Higher Education could use its P10-billion funding if its heart really goes out to disadvantaged students, House Senior Deputy Minority Leader Paul Daza said Tuesday, reiterating his prior allegation that the funding was previously utilized for tertiary student scholarships. “If our hearts are in it, if we really wanted to help the poor, CHEd can use the P10 billion today without having to wait for the next GAA (General Appropriations Act) budget deliberations,” said the Northern Samar solon. “The list is with you. You have one million students. Please, put it to use.” The allegation that the CHEd used the P10 billion of its funding for other purposes resurfaced yesterday during the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education’s deliberation on House Resolution 767. The resolution, which Daza authored, calls for the government to improve access to tertiary education and reduce attrition rates among 4Ps beneficiaries and other deserving and financially challenged students by increasing the budget allocation for scholarships. It was Daza who alleged that the CHEd misused its P10-billion worth of scholarship funds during the panel’s first hearing on the resolution on 20 March, claiming it came out that essentially CHEd has not utilized as of 2021 report P10-billion. “The earmarked funds is what we call an off-budget. By law travel tax, PRC, and PCSO shares go to that fund. That’s supposed to be for higher education. If CHEd did its job and engaged DSWD and if they continue the 2012 grant-in-aid which was incorporated in the law, they could have helped a few hundred thousand students a year,” Daza pointed out during the previous hearing. Daza’s claim, however, was turned down by CHEd chairperson Popoy de Vera, who earlier said that he had “no idea” where the P10-billion scholarship fund came from. “The Higher Education Development Fund was put in the CHEd Charter (RA 7722) to fund projects to ‘strengthen higher education’. It is not a scholarship fund,” said De Vera in a statement on 22 March in response to Daza’s accusation. “CHEd has been giving grants to HEIs (higher educational institutions) over the past four administrations and the current CHEd Chairperson and Commissioners have continued this policy. What is new under the current CHEd leadership is a stronger focus on tourism,” the chairman maintained. Daza, however, took advantage of yesterday’s deliberation to advocate that the agency’s funds could also cater to students taking courses unrelated to tourism by providing them scholarships, citing The Tourism Act of 2019. Further, the minority lawmaker noted that the law’s revenue mandate did not exclusively cater to only students under tourism-related courses but prioritized them. To further prove his point that the CHEd could tap its HEDF for college students’ scholarships, Daza said: “P2 billion or more than half of the HEDF in 2016, was used for student-related support.” “Meaning there’s already precedent for HEDF to be utilized by CHEd for poor students, needy students.” In addition, Daza expressed concern that, in contrast to 2016, when P2 billion represented half of the HEDF, student aid had dropped to just P170 million, or less than a fourth of the HEDF. “By the time Chairman de Vera took over in 2019, the share for student assistance had dwindled down to P170 million, or 18.7 percent of the HEDF,” the lawmaker claimed. The post Daza to CHEd: Put funding to good use appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tax Amnesty Act extension now moving
A proposed law that seeks to extend the deadline of application for estate tax amnesty for another two years has moved forward in the House of Representatives. The House committee on ways and means, chaired by Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, adjourned its deliberations on Tuesday with the approval of House Bill 7409 after garnering 31 pro-votes from its members. The measure, filed on 2 March, seeks to extend the Tax Amnesty Act, or Republic Act 11213, from 15 June this year to 14 June 2025 to provide taxpayers with economic relief and the opportunity to settle estate tax obligations, which procedure was hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic’s multiple lockdowns. Speaker Martin Romualdez and his nephew, Senior Deputy Speaker Sandro Marcos of Ilocos Norte, are among the bill’s proponents, with three other House leaders. Salceda, during the deliberation, stressed the significance of the bill’s passage, explaining that the provision of additional time is necessary as many families have not yet settled the estates of their deceased relatives. “An estate tax is a tax on the right of the deceased person to transmit the estate to lawful heirs and beneficiaries. RA 11213 was passed to provide taxpayers immunity from the payment of estate taxes until 15 June 2021. However, the pandemic hampered the settlement of estates, which to begin with, is inherently challenged by family sensitivities,” said the chairman. “To give people more time to settle estates, we extended the estate tax amnesty from 15 June 2021, to 14 June 2023, by enacting RA 11569 last Congress. We also streamlined the procedure by removing the requirement of proof of settlement in the payment of the estate tax under the same law. Now that the extended deadline — 14 June 2023 — is upon us, we are informed that this tax amnesty is yet to be optimized.” RA 11213, signed on 14 February 2019 by then-President Rodrigo Duterte, provides taxpayers with a one-time opportunity to settle their tax obligations through an estate amnesty program that offers reasonable tax relief to estates with outstanding estate tax liabilities. On 30 June, he signed RA 11569, which amended Section 6 of RA 11213, extending the estate tax amnesty until 14 June 2023. However, proponents of the bill are advocating for a two-year extension to account for those still struggling to meet the documentary requirements due to the pandemic rage. Meanwhile, during the proceeding, Nueva Ecija Rep. Ria Vergara motioned that a provision stating that heirs who received a donated estate worth P1 million or less no longer have to pay the 6 percent donor’s tax to be included in the proposal, which Salceda later approved. People seeking amnesty under the current system are expected to pay tax at a rate of 6% based on the decedent’s total net estate (or net undeclared estate if a previously filed estate tax return) at the time of death. HB 7842, filed by AGRI Rep. Wilbert Lee on 11 April, also pushes for a two-year extension of the estate tax amnesty period, but it has yet to be referred to Salceda’s panel for deliberation. Last week, Deputy Speaker Ralph Recto urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify the bill as urgent, claiming this move will make people “save billions” while the government will “earn billions.” The post Tax Amnesty Act extension now moving appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pacio braces for career s biggest challenge in ONE title defense vs Brook
Though having faced much adversity in his road as a champion, having made three title defenses since regaining his belt against Yosuke Saruta in 2019, Pacio believes that this looming fight will be one for the books......»»
Hungry Donaire out to turn back clock vs WBC bantamweight champ Oubaali
Eager to bounce back from his loss to Naoya Inoue in his last fight back in 2019, Donaire is bringing a rejuvenated version of himself to try to take the belt from the French pug......»»
Araneta ready for 2nd world title eliminator fight
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Omega Boxing Gym stalwart Christian “The Bomb” Araneta and his team are taking their past lessons seriously. Araneta’s first international bout and first world title eliminator in 2019 for the IBF junior flyweight belt was a disaster when he lost to Mexican Daniel Valladares via fourth-round technical knockout (TKO) in Monterey, […] The post Araneta ready for 2nd world title eliminator fight appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Super Champion belt ni Pacquiao tinanggal na
Tinanggalan ng World Boxing Association ng Super Champion belt si Pambansang kamao at Senador Manny Pacquiao. Ito ay dahil sa hindi pagiging aktibo ni Pacquiao sa boksing. Dahil dito, ideneklara si Pacquiao na Champion in Recess. Ayon sa website ng WBA, napanalunan ni Pacquiao ang Super Champion belt noong Hulyo 2019 nang talunin ang Amerikanong […] The post Super Champion belt ni Pacquiao tinanggal na appeared first on Bandera......»»
Miss PH 2019 winners air gripe against pageant
BY NEIL RAMOS The winners of the Miss Philippines 2019 pageant are claiming they have been duped of their prize money by organizers almost a year after earning their sash and crown. Arlove de Jesus (Miss Philippines 2019), Jamilla Van Gestel (1st runner-up), Joanna Valencia (2nd runner-up), Camille Llorente (3rd runner-up), and Charity Dawn Jamon (4th […].....»»
PSC to host financial literacy webinar
After claiming the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Championship, members of of Team Philippines must bridge the gap between their sports life and comfortable future by learning to take care of their hard-earned peso. .....»»
Climate change spurs doubling of disasters since 2000: UN
Climate change is largely to blame for a near doubling of natural disasters in the past 20 years, the United Nations said on Monday. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said 7,348 major disaster events had occurred between 2000 and 2019, claiming 1.23 lives, affecting 4.2 billion people and costing the global economy some $2.97 trillion. The figure far outstrips the 4,212 major natural disasters recorded between 1980 and 1999, the UN office said in a new report entitled “The Human Cost of Disasters 2000-2019”. The sharp increase was largely attributable to a rise in climate-related disasters, including extreme weather events like floods, drought and storms, the report said. Extreme heat is proving especially deadly. “We are wilfully destructive,” UNDRR chief Mami Mizutori told reporters in a virtual briefing. “That is the only conclusion one can come to when reviewing disaster events over the last 20 years.” She accused governments of not doing enough to prevent climate hazards and called for better preparation for looming disasters. ‘Uphill battle’“The odds are being stacked against us when we fail to act on science and early warnings to invest in prevention, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction,” she said. The report did not touch on biological hazards and disease-related disasters like the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed over one million people and infected over 37 million in the past nine months. But Mizutori suggested coronavirus was “the latest proof that political and business leaders are yet to tune in to the world around them”. Monday’s report showed 6,681 climate-linked events had been recorded since the turn of the century, up from 3,656 during the previous 20-year-period. While major floods had more than doubled to 3,254, there had been 2,034 major storms up from 1,457 in the prior period. Mizutori said public health authorities and rescue workers were “fighting an uphill battle against an ever-rising tide of extreme weather events”. While better preparedness and early warning systems had helped bring down the number of deaths in many natural disaster settings, she warned that “more people are being affected by the expanding climate emergency”. Deadliest disasterMonday’s report relied on statistics from the Emergency Events Database, which records all disasters that kill 10 or more people, affect 100 or more people or result in a state of emergency declaration. The data showed that Asia has suffered the highest number of disasters in the past 20 years with 3,068 such events, followed by the Americas with 1,756 and Africa with 1,192. In terms of affected countries, China topped the list with 577 events followed by the United States with 467. While a warming climate appeared to be driving the number and severity of such disasters, there had also been an increase in geophysical events like earthquakes and tsunamis that are not related to climate but are particularly deadly. The deadliest single disaster in the past 20 years was the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, with 226,400 deaths, followed by the Haiti earthquake in 2010, which claimed some 222,000 lives......»»
UN: Climate change spurs doubling of disasters since 2000
Climate change is largely to blame for a near doubling of natural disasters in the past 20 years, the United Nations said on Monday. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction said 7,348 major disaster events had occurred between 2000 and 2019, claiming 1.23 lives, affecting 4.2 billion people and costing the global economy some […] The post UN: Climate change spurs doubling of disasters since 2000 appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»