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Duterte as special envoy to China: ‘Why not?’ Zubiri says
Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri on Thursday said he sees nothing wrong with the proposal to appoint former President Rodrigo Duterte as special envoy to China. In a television interview, Zubiri was asked about his stand on the proposal to appoint President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s predecessor to represent the country in its negotiation with China on the issue of the West of the Philippines. “Why not? Anyone who can help diplomacy in this part of the world, in this economic zone of ours, the exclusive economic zone would be a big help,” he said. “It could be president former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” he added. Aside from the former chief executive, Zubiri said that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who floated the idea to tap Duterte, could also represent the country in its negotiation with China. “It could also be Alan, why not Senator Alan as well to help in the backchanneling since he’s quite close to some of the officials there being the former Secretary of Foreign Affairs?” he said. On Wednesday, Zubiri and 20 other senators met with Marcos and his wife First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos in the Malacanang Palace after the latter hosted a “casual dinner.” Prior to his dinner with senators, Marcos also met with the older Duterte, who went to China last month. Zubiri said during their meeting with the president, the latter mentioned that it was Duterte who brought up the issue of the West Philippine Sea during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “What he mentioned to us, was during the duration of President Duterte’s meeting with Xi Jinping, the topic of the West Philippine Sea never was brought up,” he said. “Apparently, it was never, according to the President, casually saying that it was never brought up,” he added. He continued: “It was actually President Duterte to mention to Xi Jinping that on the issue of the West Philippine Sea, look kindly to the Philippines.” Duterte’s trip to China caught the national attention as the country was waiting for the decision of the International Criminal Court on the appeal of the Marcos administration to block its investigation into the former president’s controversial war on drugs which killed thousands of suspected drug personalities. Asked whether the Department of Foreign Affairs was aware of Duterte’s trip to China, the agency said it “had no official information on the visit of the former president to China.” Marcos, however, clarified that Duterte’s trip to China was “not a surprise.” During his term, Duterte veered away from the Philippines’ traditional ally – the United States -- and developed warmer ties with America’s rival, China. The post Duterte as special envoy to China: ‘Why not?’ Zubiri says appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
JPE: Merger can’t happen
The proposed merger of the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines can’t be done because of legal infirmities — LandBank still holds the private shares it obtained after it absorbed the United Coconut Planters Bank or UCPB. “The problem there is how would they merge the two banks when UCPB, which was taken over by LandBank, had private shareholders, who were mostly coconut farmers,” according to Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile. “Who are they to confiscate the properties of Filipinos? The Constitution says: ‘No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, and property without due process,’” he pointed out. “If President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos will ask my opinion on the merger, I will probably express a negative position,” Enrile said on his weekly program, Bayan ni Juan. Enrile blamed the Presidential Commission on Good Government or PCGG for mismanaging UCPB, which led to its bankruptcy, the reason for its consolidation with LandBank. “Who should be accountable for the millions of pesos lost in UCPB?” he asked. Enrile accused PCGG agents and nominees of squandering the money of the bank. Class suit appropriate “UCPB stockholders should file a class suit against the PCGG. It was not the fault of the share owners what happened to the bank, it was the fault of the government and the PCGG.” “They failed to manage the bank well considering that 72.5 percent of the bank’s shareholders were private individuals,” he said. “PCGG’s first chairman was former senator Jovito Salonga; he was then followed by a lineup of crocodiles who were responsible for the dissipation of the funds in UCPB,” according to Enrile. “UCPB, before it was taken over by the government, was a very lucrative and liquid bank. When the pilferers took over, we do not know what happened to the contributions of the coconut farmers,” he said. “Should we forget what happened, without anybody answering for it?” Enrile asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue, for instance, to run after the PCGG officials and employees who enriched themselves with the stolen money. “There were many who became rich at the expense of UCPB,” he said. “(The administration of the late President Cory Aquino) made it appear that UCPB was funded using ill-gotten money; they just did not understand the objective in creating the bank,” the former Senate President said. After the EDSA Revolt on 25 February 1986, among the first moves of the then “revolutionary government” of Aquino was to create the PCGG to investigate and recover the ill-gotten wealth. On 31 July 1987, the PCGG sequestered shares of stock in UCPB registered in the names of one million coconut farmers under the so-called Coconut Industry Investment Fund companies and those owned by tycoon Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. The sequestered UCPB shares were then worth an estimated P10 billion but have grown lately to around P70 billion, including the San Miguel Corp. shares bought with coconut levy funds. On 28 February 2001, the Sandiganbayan First Division ordered the PCGG to allow the CIIF companies and Cojuangco to vote on the sequestered UCPB shares. On 14 December 2001, the Supreme Court reversed Sandiganbayan’s decision, ruling that the PCGG had the right to vote on the sequestered UCPB shares. First universal bank UCPB, founded in 1938, was the first universal bank in the country. The PCGG argued that the sequestered UCPB shares were acquired with coconut levy funds, which were public in character. The CIIF companies and Cojuangco countered that they were the rightful owners of the sequestered UCPB shares. “The government takeover of UCPB was an injustice to the coconut farmers. Nothing has happened since to address the injustice,” Enrile said. After the funds of the bank were depleted, it borrowed money from LandBank. Enrile said the merger of LandBank with DBP will have the effect of removing the PCGG’s responsibility for the injustice done to the small farmers. “They want to erase the wrong done to the poor,” he said. “Those favoring the merger should be aware of the need to repeal the law that created the DBP to allow the transfer of its assets to LandBank. Both are chartered government enterprises,” Enrile noted. He added, “I respect the position of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno (in advocating the merger) but he is not a lawyer.” On 25 June 2021, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order 142, approving the merger of LandBank and UCPB. On 14 December 2021, UCPB shareholders approved the merger plan. On 1 March 2022, the merger took effect. LandBank became the surviving entity and UCPB was dissolved. In July 2022, UCPB branches throughout the country started being converted to LandBank branches. On 1 March 2023, the merger was fully completed resulting in a combined asset base of P2.8 trillion, making LandBank the second-largest bank in the Philippines. The post JPE: Merger can’t happen appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PBBM: ‘Executive department sets foreign policy’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said that the Executive Department sets the foreign policy and not the legislative, as the United Nations does not entertain the branches of government. When sought for reaction on Senator Risa Hontiveros' move urging the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a resolution urging the United Nations General Assembly to call out China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea, Marcos said in a recent press briefing that the Senator could file the resolution if she wants to. "I mean – of course, the Senator is free to file whatever resolution she wants. But I do not know how that will translate to any action that will reach the United Nations General Assembly," Marcos said. "Generally speaking, foreign policy is not set by the legislature. Generally speaking, foreign policy is left up to the Executive," Marcos added. Marcos further explained that the UN "does not entertain parts of government, not the judiciary of one government or the Executive of one government." For context, Marcos said a UNGA resolution "could bolster the Arbitral Award" given to the Philippines in 2016 against China. The Senator added that now is the time for this course of action, considering the snowballing of support for the country's lawful claims in the West Philippine Sea. She said that even though these were not technically binding, a UNGA resolution had a lot of political weight and would show what the international community wanted and what they agreed on. In her assessment, she said that this had the "potential to shape international norms, influence national policies, and provide guidance for the work of other UN organs, specialized agencies, and regional organizations." Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said that the upper house was sure that Hontiveros's measure would pass by next week. "The ultimate aim is for the government to take concrete action before international fora and solicit multilateral cooperation, particularly with coastal states who share our interest in ensuring that the UNCLOS is respected. We want to introduce amendments to that effect," he said. Zubiri said that senators had different ideas about how to address the issue, but they all agreed that the harassment of Filipino ships in the West Philippine Sea was wrong and that China's broad claims in the South China Sea were thrown out by a ruling in 2016. The post PBBM: ‘Executive department sets foreign policy’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame
A question of freedom of expression or outright blasphemy? Social media and its ardent followers recently engaged in animated commentary, some amusing, others vitriolic, when drag queen Pura Luka Vega, dressed up to imitate Jesus Christ, performed before a noisy and possibly inebriated audience that sang along with the “star,” a pop version of the church hymn “Ama Namin” in a crowded venue that appeared to be a bar. The engagement drew a flurry of protests, principally from the country’s Catholic faithful. But what did Vega expect? The Philippines is, after all, a country with about 78.8 percent of the population identifying themselves as Roman Catholics based on the 2020 census. While some sectors proclaiming themselves as vanguards of the arts expressed their support for Vega, a participant in a contest featuring drag queens, the majority of the comments, some of them from those who are not even Catholic or “religious,” condemned the act and demanded an apology from the person at the center of the controversy. Many said what he did was “blasphemous, offensive, disrespectful.” Several senators openly denounced his act, with one saying the performer could face criminal charges. Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said Article 201 of the Revised Penal Code punishes “those who offend any race or religion in the performance of obscene or indecent plays, scenes, acts or shows in theaters, fairs, or any other place.” The law imposes a jail term and/or a fine on violators. “As a woman of faith, I admit I find this regrettable. However, I also caution against the use of this incident to deny rights and protections to a community that has long been marginalized and excluded,” Sen. Risa Hontiveros. said For his part, Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said Vega “should think of some other way to make himself known and not resort to gimmickry.” On the other hand, Bataan Rep. Geraldine Roman, the first Filipino transgender lawmaker, warned Vega not to use the gender card in his defense. “Do we really need this kind of provocation? What is the contribution of this to LGBT rights?” Roman said. She added that invoking the performance as a constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression is not absolute. She even dared the artist to do what he did to other religions with less tolerant views to see how far he could go. Pope Francis, the first pope, has criticized laws that criminalize homosexuality as “unjust” and advised Catholic priests to welcome LGBTQ people into the Church. My take on the gender issue is probably not as magnanimous as that of the pope. I am a conservative Catholic, meaning I am quite rigid in interpreting/differentiating the male from the female. For me, there are no “in-betweens.” But it does not mean that I do not respect our fellowmen who identify themselves with a gender that is not what they were born with. I respect them so much and would protect them as I would protect my children. But mind you, respect is a two-way street, so let us leave it at that. Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said it was not inclined to press charges against the artist, adding that it was enough that he got the message that what he did was wrong. Although Vega said he apologized “to those who were offended by his performance,” it didn’t sound like he meant it because he added that he would not stop expressing his art, and it was his way of practicing his faith as a Catholic, and it was a form of worship anyway. In a bar before people obviously having a good time? At the same time, he said it was some healing process for him for having experienced exclusion from the Church because he is gay. Huh? The logic escapes me. Vega’s imitation of Christ also drew the ire of local government officials in Gen. Santos City, who recently declared him “persona non grata,” meaning there’s no welcome mat waiting for him in the city. Plucked from obscurity, Vega has become an instant celebrity of sorts and apparently basks in the spotlight. A concept introduced by the late American visual artist Andy Warhol who said, “Everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” it implied the fleeting nature of being a “celebrity.” We see this phenomenon now with the surge of bloggers and vloggers flooding all social media platforms, from taho vendors to movie stars to various hangers-on, retired police officers, etc. All one needs is a cellphone with a decent camera. Soon enough, your video becomes viral. Meanwhile, let Vega enjoy his 15 minutes of fame while he can. The post An ‘artist’s’15 minutes of fame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remulla issues warning vs Teves camp on preliminaries
Department of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Wednesday revealed that they will be constrained to go to court if the lawyers of embattled Negros Oriental Third District Representative Arnolfo Teves Jr. fail to attend the next preliminary investigation set 27 June. This comes after the Teves’ camp failed to attend the preliminary investigation last Tuesday. Remulla stressed that if the legal counsels of the solon could not take the process seriously, they might as well go to court if they do not respect the DoJ to conduct the preliminary investigation. The DoJ chief also said that Teves and his lawyers have “disrespected” the legal process when they failed to appear at the start of the preliminary investigation of the complaint against the lawmaker in the killings of Negros Oriental Governor Degamo and nine others on Tuesday. Meantime, Teves’ lead counsel Atty. Ferdinand Topacio on Wednesday assured of their participation in the preliminary investigation of the criminal complaints filed against the suspended legislator being conducted by the DoJ. Topacio stressed that records will show that the counsels of the solon have consistently participated in all the preliminary investigations involving their client where subpoenas were properly served. “In fact, there have already been three cases so far where Mr. Teves’ counsels have appeared and have fully taken part in,” Topacio said. “Send us subpoenas properly and we will participate.” Topacio also called out Remulla and said: “If you think we have done anything wrong, then file cases against us and prove your case.” Remulla himself should file the cases and not “to delegate it to your subalterns as that would be cowardice,” Topacio said. The solon — who is still abroad and consistently denied the criminal charges filed against him, has been charged in the 2019 killings of three persons — provincial board member and former National Bureau of Investigation agent Miguel L. Dungog, Lester P. Bato and Pacito R. Libron. With other respondents, Teves has also been charged with multiple murder, multiple frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder in the 4 March 2023 killings of 10 persons including Degamo and injuries sustained by 18 other persons in Pamplona town. Teves has been tagged as “one of the masterminds” in the Degamo slaying. The solon and his sons, Kurt Matthew and Axel, are also facing charges of illegal possession of firearms and explosives by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group as a result of the alleged seizure of firearms and explosives at his house in Bayawan City on 10 March 2023. During the 13 June preliminary investigation, only the detained suspects in the Degamo killing were presented since their lawyers did not also appear, thus they were represented by the Public Attorney’s Office. The post Remulla issues warning vs Teves camp on preliminaries appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Belga stars in OT as Rain or Shine continues good run inside bubble
Beau Belga delivered when it mattered most in the overtime period. (PBA Images) Beau Belga had the last laugh with a stirring performance Tuesday night as Rain or Shine grinded out an 85-82 overtime win over Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Angeles University Foundation Sports and Cultural Center. Belga scored five of his 20 points in the five-minute extension, a follow-up after missing a layup and a three-pointer that gave the Elasto Painters an 83-78 lead, and added 10 rebounds and four assists as the Elasto Painters pulled out a win while handing the Kings a second straight loss following a 4-0 start. But Rain or Shine needed one lucky break to secure its fourth win in five games inside the bubble known as Smart Clark Giga City after Ginebra cut the deficit to 83-80. Jewel Ponferada retrieved the ball after Rey Nambatac slipped before hitting a running one-hander for his only points with five seconds to go to make it an 85-80 lead for the Elasto Painters. Rain or Shine bounced back after falling short against Alaska, 89-88, last week while needing an extra day of rest when Sunday’s game with Blackwater was cancelled due after one of the Elite’s players initially tested positive for COVID-19. No one motivated coming into the game more than Belga, who was out to prove something after seeing a social media comment earlier in the day. “May isang hater na binatikos ako sa social media na puro pananakit lang daw ginagawa ko sa PBA and I just to prove him wrong,” Belga said during a postgame interview on One Sports. Coach Caloy Garcia was also glad that Belga was not the only player to step up for the Elasto Painters. Mark Borboran scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds while James Yap earned a starting role and produced a season-high 13 points. Nambatac only had eight points, but produced one of the game’s biggest shot with a three-pointer that tied the knot at 76-all with 2.1 seconds to go in regulation. Kris Rosales also scored all of his eight points in the first quarter that saw Rain or Shine take a 24-15 lead and forced Ginebra to play catch up throughout. Ginebra had to slowly inch its way back from being down 39-24 in the second behind Stanley Pringle and Scottie Thompson. Pringle’s jumper put the Kings ahead, 74-73, with over two minutes remaining in the fourth before Borboran missed two free throws and Gabe Norwood muffing a medium-range jumper. LA Tenorio got fouled and made a pair of charities for a three-point Ginebra lead before Nambatac continued his knack to have the ball in the clutch with the game-tying triple on the next play. Thompson finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two steals and two blocks and Pringle had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists but Ginebra couldn’t recover from Sunday’s loss to sibling rival Magnolia. The scores: RAIN OR SHINE 85 — Belga 20, Borboran 13, Yap 12, Nambatac 8, Rosales 8, Onwubere 3, Norwood 3, Ponferada 2, Wong 0, Torres 0. GINEBRA 82 — Thompson 21, Pringle 20, Aguilar J. 13, Tenorio 10, Devance 6, Caperal 5, Mariano 3, Chan 2, Dillinger 2, Tolentino 0. Quarters: 24-15, 45-36, 61-57, 76-76 (Reg), 85-82 (OT)......»»
Early struggles as coach drove Alapag to prove doubters wrong
Jimmy Alapag has made quite a successful transition from being a player to a head coach. The proof is that his San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas won the ABL title his first year and the team has stayed as a regular championship contender since. However, while his first season as head coach ended up with a championship celebration, the start was pretty rough for Alapag. [Related: ABL Finals: Jimmy Alapag was destined to be a head coach] It was so rough that he heard the criticisms that he wasn't actually ready to coach yet. "For my first season in particular, it was a struggle," Alapag said on Coaches Unfiltered. "We're here in the Philippines and when I retired, there were still some people who felt that I should have continued playing. So you start to hear some of that that I wasn't ready to coach, I just wasn't fit for the position," Jimmy added. As a first-year coach, Alapag wanted to start off on the right foot. But Alab was had a 0-3 record early and had alosing record approaching their second month before rallying to get the no. 3 seed in the playoffs. Even then, they faced the defending champion Hong Kong Eastern in the semifinals and figured in a sudden death Game 5 against Mono Vampire in the Finals. It was quite the journey and it only proved that coaching is not as simple as it may seem, even for a champion point guard like Alapag. "I think when you're a first-year coach, I think you always kinda think about how you start your season. I think you're always hopeful that you'd get out to at least a decent start and get that monkey off your back early," Jimmy said. "But that just drove me to right the ship," he added of their early struggles. "And I was very fortunate to have a great staff with Alab. We just put our minds together." — Follow this writer on Twitter, @paullintag8.....»»
SMC scraps plans to build P100 billion Pasig River tollway
Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. will no longer pursue its plan to build a toll road on the Pasig River, succumbing to pressure from opposition groups......»»
New NAIA terminal eyed at Nayon site
A new passenger terminal will rise at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in three years, as part of the project of the new concessionaire led by San Miguel Corp. to expand the country’s premier gateway to accommodate the growing demand for air travel......»»
Paulo, Jake matagal nang mag-BFF pero ngayon lang magsasama sa serye
MATAGAL nang magkaibigan sina Paulo Avelino at Jake Cuenca pero ngayon lang sila nabigyan ng chance na magkasama sa trabaho. Sila ang magiging leading men ni Kim Chiu sa Pinoy version ng hit Korean romcom series na “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim“. Gaganap na magkapatid ang sina Paulo at Jake sa “WWWSK” na magiging magkaribal.....»»
Balikat ni Paulo na-dislocate sa weightlifting, bakit ‘di nagsuot ng sling?
NA-DISLOCATE ang kanang balikat ng Kapamilya actor na si Paulo Avelino habang nagwo-workout. Nagpapagaling na ngayon ang leading man ni Kim Chiu sa latest ABS-CBN at Viu Philippines series na “What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” matapos nga ang naturang insidente. “I dislocated my right shoulder because of weightlifting,” ang pahayag ng aktor sa isang event.....»»
SMC to start Bulacan airport development in 2025
Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. (SMC) targets to start airport development works at its P740-billion international gateway project in Bulacan next year......»»
Beermen spill Painters for strong conference debut
The San Miguel Beermen started off its PBA Philippine Cup title defense on a high note, blowing away the freefalling Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 109-97, Friday evening at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City......»»
Bolts zap Gin Kings in wire-to-wire win
The Meralco Bolts started hot and kept their pedal to the metal as they dealt the sluggish Barangay Ginebra San Miguel their first loss of the PBA Philippine Cup, 91-73, in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum......»»
DENR stops operation of Chocolate Hills resort
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a cease and desist order (CDO) against the controversial Chocolate Hills resort operating in a protected area in Bohol province. DENR Undersecretary for Field Operations Juan Miguel Cuna said the CDO was issued on March 14, putting Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort under close monitoring.....»»
Beermen return to action vs E-Painters
With San Miguel Beer just getting its feet wet in the PBA Philippine Cup, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao feels it’s the best time to ambush the defending champions......»»
NAIA deal signing set in Malacañang on Monday
Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. will get the blessing of no less than President Marcos in its takeover of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport as the Chief Executive is expected to witness the signing of the concession on Monday......»»
San Miguel income soars to P44.7 billion in 2023
Diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. expects to sustain its growth momentum this year after earnings soared in 2023 on the back of significant volume growth across its key businesses......»»
Gwendolyne Fourniol na-hurt nang matalo sa Miss World: ‘What went wrong?’
SA kauna-unahang pagkakataon, ibinandera ng ating pambato sa 71st Miss World pageant na si Gwendolyne Fourniol ang kanyang saloobin matapos matalo sa kompetisyon. Aminado si Gwendolyne na naging emosyonal siya dahil naguguluhan pa rin siya kung bakit hindi siya nakapasok sa Top 40. “I can’t help but be emotional and my eyes are swelling with.....»»
New Ginebra ad campaign highlights Pinoys’ resilience
Ginebra San Miguel has unveiled its “Lamang ang May Tapang” ad campaign through popular digital platforms Facebook and YouTube, focusing on Pinoys’ courage to rise above circumstances and strive for a better future......»»