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CHR alarmed by war vs drugs in Davao City
THE Commission on Human Rights (CHR) is alarmed by Davao City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte’s “war against drugs”, as seven drug users were killed from different barangays in the city over the weekend, just a few hours after his declaration......»»
Xinhua world news summary at 0630 GMT, March 18
MOSCOW -- Russia's incumbent President and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, who is set to win reelection, said he would do his utmost to achieve national development goals on Monday morning. Putin has won 87.32 percent of the vote after 95.04 percent of all ballots were counted, according to data from the Russian Central Election Commission as of Monday morning. (Russia-Presidential Election) - - -.....»»
SEC pushing through with higher filing fees
The Securities and Exchange Commission is hoping to push through with the proposed hike in charges and fees this year after it was met with opposition by business groups last year......»»
COMELEC disqualifies QC SK chairman candidate for ‘vote buying’
A candidate for Sangguniang Kabataan chairmanship in Quezon City was disqualified by the Commission on Elections over 'vote buying' charges. In a seven-page resolution issued on 26 October 2023 and signed by COMELEC's Second Division Presiding Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, concurred by Commissioners Rey Bulay and Nelson Celis, noted that SK candidate Judielyn Bartolome Francisco of Barangay San Bartolome was "disqualified" to run for the upcoming BSKE elections as she violated Section 68 (a) of the Omnibus Elections Code for "vote buying". The case stemmed from a petition filed by Arjay Lacsa on 26 September this year, who claimed that Francisco engaged in vote buying by sponsoring and funding a leadership seminar "cum" team building of some 80 youths of their village at Paradise Adventure Camp in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan held on 16 and 17 September 2023, a few weeks after the filing of candidacies. Pieces of evidence presented by Lacsa included social media posts of the participants themselves tagging Francisco as their " future SK chairman" and three affidavits of witnesses who claimed that Francisco was even present in that event. On 5 October, the COMELEC summoned Francisco to explain her side who gave her reply on 9 October saying she did not have the resources to fund the gathering while she also admitted being there as a host for the opening program "in return for a professional fee." She also informed the commission that she also filed perjury charges against Lacsa's witnesses at the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office. The commission, however, concluded that they "are not convinced" as Francisco's lengthy answer reveals that "they are in the nature of general denials emanating from respondent's self-serving and uncorroborated statements." The affidavits of Lacsa's witnesses, the commission added, are "rich in details" and the evidence is pointing to Francisco as the host of the team building. Francisco's involvement is a deliberate and strategic scheme to influence the voters of Barangay San Bartolome to vote for her, the commission's resolution read. The post COMELEC disqualifies QC SK chairman candidate for ‘vote buying’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
India embassy reopens visa services
India will reopen visa services for Canadians, its embassy in Ottawa announced Wednesday, a move that could ease tensions between the two countries triggered by the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. “After a considered review of the security situation that takes into account some of the recent Canadian measures in this regard, it has been decided to resume visa services,” the Indian High Commission said in a statement Wednesday. Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan welcomed the resumption, saying the two countries had “strong people to people ties” and that it was important for people to be able to go back and forth, for example, for weddings or funerals. Canada’s population features 1.4 million people of Indian origin. Relations between India and Canada plunged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. New Delhi dismissed the allegation as “absurd.” Nijjar, who advocated the creation of a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities on charges of terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder. Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation into his death and expelled an Indian diplomat. New Delhi expressed outrage, and reacted by taking countermeasures that included shutting down visa services for Canadians. The Indian government had also advised its nationals not to travel to parts of Canada “given the increase in anti-Indian activities.” The post India embassy reopens visa services appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
India resumes issuing visas to Canadians after spat
India will reopen visa services for Canadians, its embassy in Ottawa announced Wednesday, a move that could ease tensions in a high-profile dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Relations between India and Canada plunged after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month publicly linked Indian intelligence to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. New Delhi dismissed the allegation as "absurd." Nijjar, who advocated the creation of a separate Sikh state carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities on charges of terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder. Canada has called for India to cooperate in the investigation into his death and expelled an Indian diplomat. New Delhi expressed outrage, and reacted by taking countermeasures that included shutting down visa services for Canadians. "After a considered review of the security situation that takes into account some of the recent Canadian measures in this regard, it has been decided to resume visa services," the Indian High Commission said in a statement. India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on Sunday had insisted on increased security for India's missions in Canada. He was quoted by the Times of India as saying security had been a concern and that "if we see progress there, I would like very much to resume visa services." Canadian Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan welcomed the resumption, calling it "good news for Canadians." He said the two countries had "strong people to people ties" and that it was important for people to be able to go back and forth, for example, for weddings or funerals. Canada's population features 1.4 million people of Indian origin. Sajjan recalled that "a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil" and he said India has yet to cooperate in the criminal investigation. Canada announced last week it had withdrawn 41 diplomats from India as a result of the row. New Delhi was about to revoke diplomatic immunity for all but 21 of Canada's diplomats and their families, forcing Ottawa to pull out the others. The Indian government had also advised its nationals not to travel to parts of Canada "given the increase in anti-Indian activities." Nijjar, who emigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a Canadian citizen in 2015, was shot and killed by two masked assailants in the parking lot of a Sikh temple near Vancouver in June. Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the overall population, with a vocal minority calling for creating a separate Indian state called Khalistan. The Sikh separatist movement is largely finished within India, where security forces used deadly force to put down an insurgency in the state of Punjab in the 1980s. Hundreds of Sikh protesters rallied outside Indian diplomatic missions in Canada last month, burning flags and trampling on pictures of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The post India resumes issuing visas to Canadians after spat appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Scammer slapped with charges
The National Bureau of Investigation announced on Sunday that it has file charges against an alleged scammer who promised an investor between 10 percent and 25 percent returns in her invested money. The charges of Estafa under Article 315, 2(a) of the Revised Penal Code for the alleged investment scam was filed before the Quezon City prosecutors office by the NBI shortly after the suspect was arrested in Quezon City recently. Investigation showed that the suspect had convinced one victim to invest P400,000 and promised it would earn interest ranging from 10 to 25 percent depending on the term/paid-out date. “Believing the representations of the suspect, the complainant invested a total amount of P400,000 paid on various dates starting from February to April 2023,” the NBI said. “However, (the suspect) failed to make good her promise to pay the complainant with the agreed pay-out of her investment despite numerous demands.” The unnamed complainant told investigators that the money she gave the suspect “was not really invested and that the suspect has no Securities and Exchange Commission registration.” When the suspect asked for P440,000 in additional investment, the complainant decided to file a complaint in the NBI, which promptly launched an entrapment operation. The post Scammer slapped with charges appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Winning bets facing poll violation charges to be suspended
he Department of the Interior and Local Government will swiftly enforce suspensions ordered by the Commission on Elections over poll charges amid reports of rampant violations at the start of the campaign period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos warned candidates yesterday......»»
Napoles convicted anew on P20.91-M graft case
The Sandiganbayan has found convicted plunderer Janet Lim Napoles guilty of graft and malversation of the P20.91-million pork barrel of ex-South Cotabato lawmaker Arthur Pingoy intended for livelihood projects that turned out to be ghost or non-existent projects. In a 66-page ruling handed down on Friday, the Sandiganbayan Special Second Division sentenced Napoles to up to 60 years in prison on four counts each of graft and malversation. Pingoy, however, walked free from the same charges, including direct bribery — notwithstanding whistleblower Benhur Luy’s testimony — “for the failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.” Aside from Napoles, the anti-graft court also convicted erstwhile officials of the now defunct National Agribusiness Corporation’s Rhodora Mendoza, Maria Ninez Guanizo and Victor Roman Cacal; and Evelyn de Leon of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. Pingoy, who served three terms in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, was accused of funneling his P20.91-million Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations set up by Napoles in exchange for kickbacks. The Ombudsman’s probe showed the projects supposedly to finance farm implements, livelihood materials, and training turned out to be “ghost” projects as borne out by Commission on Audit reports and the testimonies of whistleblowers. The Sandiganbayan, however, ruled that “there was no sufficient evidence” that Pingoy had received kickbacks or commissions from Napoles. The PDAF was a lump sum discretionary fund allocated to lawmakers “to identify and fund key projects that local government units could not fund.” The Supreme Court abolished it in November 2013 after it became a source of corruption and was declared unconstitutional. Napoles, the principal suspect in the case, has been detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since 2018 on plunder charges involving the unlawful disbursement of Senator Ramon Revilla Jr.’s pork barrel worth P224 million. She is still facing several graft charges, all related to the pork barrel scam. The post Napoles convicted anew on P20.91-M graft case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Janet Napoles to serve 60 more years imprisonment sentence
The Sandiganbayan found convicted plunderer Janet Lim Napoles guilty of graft and malversation anew for her involvement in the P20.91 million pork barrel of ex-South Cotabato lawmaker Arthur Pingoy intended for livelihood projects that turned out to be ghost or non-existent. In a 66-page ruling handed down on Friday, the Sandiganbayan Special Second Division sentenced Napoles to up to 60 years in prison for four counts each of graft and malversation. Pingoy, however, walked free from the same charges, including direct bribery -- notwithstanding whistleblower Benhur Luy's testimony -- " for the failure of the prosecution to prove his guilt beyond reasonable doubt." Aside from "pork barrel queen" Napoles, the anti-graft court likewise convicted erstwhile officials of the now-defunct National Agribusiness Corporation Rhodora Mendoza, Maria Ninez Guanizo, Victor Roman Cacal, and Evelyn de Leon of the Philippine Social Development Foundation Inc. Pingoy, who served three full terms as a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010 -- was accused of funneling his P20.91 million Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel through bogus non-government organizations allegedly governed by Napoles in exchange for kickbacks. The Ombudsman’s probe disclosed that the projects nominated as financial assistance for farm implements, livelihood materials, and training turned out to be "ghost” projects as borne out by the Commission on Audit report and testimonies of the whistleblowers. The Sandiganbayan, however, ruled that "there is no sufficient evidence" that the erstwhile lawmaker indeed received kickbacks or commissions from Napoles. PDAF allocated to lawmakers is lump-sum and discriminatory funds intended to empower them "to identify key projects that local government units could not fund." It was later abolished by the Supreme Court in November 2013 after it became a source of corruption and was declared unconstitutional. Napoles, the principal suspect in the case, has been detained at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City since 2018 for plunder charges involving the unlawful disbursement of Senator Bong Revilla Jr.'s pork barrel worth P224 million. She is still facing several graft charges, all related to the pork barrel scam. The post Janet Napoles to serve 60 more years imprisonment sentence appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Business groups buck proposed hike in SEC fees
Business groups are raising concern over some provisions of the revised schedule of fees and charges being proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission, calling them unreasonable......»»
CHR welcomes murder charges vs. cops linked to Jemboy Baltazar’s death
The Commission on Human Rights on Saturday welcomed the filing of murder charges against six police officers in connection with the “unjust killing” of 17-year-old Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar Navotas City in August. In a statement, the CHR likewise commended the Department of Justice for “conducting a comprehensive review” of Baltazar’s slay case, which has led to the decision to file murder charges against police officers allegedly involved in the killing. “This swift development on the case is an important step towards ensuring justice and accountability, especially as it involves law enforcement agents,” it said. The human rights body said the “senseless death” of Baltazar “underscored the importance of holding law enforcement agents” accountable for their actions to curb violations and abuses that breach fundamental rights. CHR firmly stressed that positions of authority, including law enforcers, “are not above the law. “Those who committed alleged violations must be held responsible considering that they made an oath to serve in accordance with the rules and standards required of police officers," it added. CHR hopes that the filing of murder charges against the suspects "will serve as a strong message that any alleged human rights violations by law enforcement officers will not be tolerated in our society.” “Aside from its crucial importance in delivering justice to Jemboy and his family, it can also help restore public trust in our law enforcement agencies,” it further stated. "The Commission also expects that the case amplifies the importance of abiding with established rules of operations that adhere to human rights-based policing to prevent violations that denigrate human rights, especially the utmost right to life.” CHR likewise urged the Philippine National Police to continue strengthening its programs and training “that will imbue its personnel with a renewed commitment to human rights practice” and values in the conduct of their duty. The commission said it will continue monitoring the case and provide support “in aid of ascertaining justice.” “As we mark this positive development, it is equally important to ensure continued commitment to due process, transparency, and accountability throughout the legal proceedings," it said. After the issuance of the warrant of arrest, the six police officers turned themselves into the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Lucena City in Quezon last Wednesday. They will be facing murder charges and are not entitled to bail. Eight policemen, including the six who were ordered arrested by the court, were dismissed due to serious grave neglect of duty. Since then, their benefits have been forfeited and their eligibility was revoked. While they were perpetually disqualified from holding any other government posts. The post CHR welcomes murder charges vs. cops linked to Jemboy Baltazar’s death appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Topacio: ‘President Arroyo has done no wrongdoing during her term’
The camp of Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo deemed "baseless" the graft and malversation raps filed against the former president before the Ombudsman last week, accusing her of abuse of discretion over the disbursement of P38.807 billion in Malamapya funds during her presidency. Arroyo's legal counsel, Ferdinand Topacio, said that while they have yet to receive the copy of the complaint-- and learned about it through the news-- they have no doubt that the accusations will be disproven. "Suffice it to state that based on newspaper reports, the complainant admits that the funds concerned were used for public purposes," the lawyer said. "In accordance with settled legal principles, Pres. Arroyo has done no wrongdoing during her term, and we are confident that these charges will be proven false, in the same manner, that other accusations made before them have been shown to be baseless," he said. Topacio was referring to a 34-page complaint filed by National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms or NASECORE president Petronilo "Pete" Ilagan and Boses ng Konsyumer Alliance Inc. president Rogelio Reyes, suing Arroyo of 96 counts each of graft and malversation. The complainants cited irregularities in the utilization of Malampaya funds during Arroyo's incumbency, specifically the realigning of the revenues to finance government projects for which the funds were not intended. Arroyo was the Philippine president from 2001 to 2010. Ilagan and Reyes accused Arroyo of taking advantage of her post in allowing the use of P38.807 billion of Malampaya funds for purposes other than the avowed intention of Presidential Decree 910 and as highlighted by a 2017 special audit on the fund by the Commission on Audit. PD 910, signed in 1976, mandates that the profits from Malampaya remitted to the government should be used to finance energy resource development and exploration activities. However, it also stipulates that Malampaya earnings can also be used for "other purposes as directed by the President," which the complainants argued was abused by Arroyo. "Respondent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whimsically took the opportunity of the said law's inadequacy and deliberately twisted the interpretation of the said provision to mean that she, as President, had the discretion to use the Malampaya Fund for whatever purpose she deemed fit," the complainants said. Ilagan and Reyes heavily emphasized Arroyo's command to direct the Malampaya funds to agricultural and irrigation programs, disaster rehabilitation, transport projects, national security activities, and cash assistance to the transport sector under the Pantawid Pasada Program, which they claimed was entirely unrelated to energy development. "In short, the Malampaya fund became a discretionary fund of the Office of the President, and disbursements therefrom became subject of whims and caprice of the respondent without regard to the purpose and policy of Presidential Decree No. 910," the complainants said of Arroyo. In the meantime, Topacio expressed their intention to defer it to the justice system and thereafter present a counterargument against the charges in due time. Arroyo and three of her Cabinet secretaries were previously sued for plunder by the National Bureau of Investigation before the Ombudsman for purportedly stealing a P900-million Malampaya fund intended for the impoverished back-to-back typhoon victims in 2009. She was cleared of the charges in 2016 following then-Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales' verdict that the NBI "failed to prove" that they colluded in the illegal diversion of Malampaya fund. The post Topacio: ‘President Arroyo has done no wrongdoing during her term’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NOW Telecom appeals to SC over ‘erroneous’ NTC fine
NOW Telecom Inc. of businessman Mel Velarde has elevated its appeal to the Supreme Court or SC to settle the alleged P2.6 billion in spectrum regulatory fees or SRF and associated charges it allegedly owes the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC. The company, through a 22-page comment dated 1 September 2023 filed before the SC, pointed out that the regulatory fees and penalties imposed were "erroneous" and needed to be recomputed. NOW Telecom is disputing the NTC's calculation, which was based on the total capital stock of P13.57 billion instead of the subscribed and paid-up capital of P1.39 billion. The company pointed out that the additional paid-in capital of P12.17 billion should be excluded from the computation. Thus, it requested the High Court to order NTC to recompute the SRF and base it solely on its capital stock of P1.39 billion and set aside the regulator's letters assessments dated 5 July 2025, and 23 December 2005. Additionally, the company also asked the SC to delete the imposition of any penalty and interest. “We are confident that this SRF issue will be finally resolved. NOW Telecom continues to appeal to the Marcos administration to (maintain) a level playing field, for NOW to compete head-on with China Telecom/DITO and Huawei-equipped SMART and GLOBE,” Velarde said in a press statement on Tuesday. NOW Telecom also contended that the NTC's reference to a COA letter was flawed due to discrepancies. The COA letter claims over P3 billion in unresolved receivables that spanned 14 years. "The crucial COA Letter was conspicuously absent from NTC's official documents, replaced by correspondence with the Office of the Solicitor General, casting doubts on the authenticity of the claim," it added. NOW Telecom additionally said that "the staggering amount imposed by the NTC as penalties and interest does not align with the purpose of the law." "As the term itself implies, the amount of the SRF collected is supposed to be commensurate to, and is simply intended to reimburse the NTC for the costs it incurs in supervising and regulating the telecommunications industry," the company said, adding that the SRF is not a tax or a revenue-raising measure. Last June, it can be recalled that the Securities and Exchange Commission or SEC fined NOW Corp. and Velarde P1 million each for allegedly “misleading disclosures” about the P2.6-billion unpaid obligation of affiliate company NOW Telecom to the government. In a seven-page order dated 15 June 2023, the SEC affirmed that NOW Corp. and Velarde were administratively liable for violating the Securities Regulation Code or SRC for disclosing misleading information to the public. The disclosure in question was the one posted on 10 November 2021, which stated that NOW Corp. was unaware of the details surrounding the motions filed by the NTC with the SC. The SEC pointed out that as one of the concurrent key officials of both NOW Corp. and NOW Telecom, Velarde is “considered to have ipso facto participated in the transactions” relating to the unpaid SRF and SUF liability of NOW Telecom. The post NOW Telecom appeals to SC over ‘erroneous’ NTC fine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
35 BSKE candidates slapped with DQ petition for premature campaigning
The Commission on Elections Task Force “Anti-Epal” on Friday filed disqualification petitions against 35 candidates in Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections due to premature campaigning. In a media interview, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said the decision to disqualify erring candidates will be released before the election day on 30 October. Laudiangco stressed that Comelec is “serious in enforcing all measures” to secure orderly and fair elections nationwide. "Hindi po nagbibiro ang Comelec sa pagpapatupad ng election laws. This is the start,” Laudiangco warned. “Makakaasa po kayo na next week, marami pa pong masasampahan ng kaso,” he added. The Comelec previously said about 199 possible disqualification charges may be filed against misbehaving election candidates. The poll body also noted that the monitoring for other possible violations will continue during the campaign period from 19 to 28 October. Laudiangco noted that Comelec is adamant not only to disqualify candidates “but also put them in prison if found liable for criminal or election offense charges.” The Comelec vowed to a whole-of-government approach for the BSK elections. This came as the poll body signed an agreement with the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to intensify the campaign against vote buying, and vote selling, as well as expanding the poll monitoring efforts in all areas nationwide. It is also set to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Public Attorney’s Office on 2 October. The Comelec said it working closely with the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of Education, among others, for a safe, peaceful, and credible Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections this year. The post 35 BSKE candidates slapped with DQ petition for premature campaigning appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Fools in suits
When a ranking Department of Agriculture official was asked in a recent Congress hearing what steps the agency had taken to break the rice cartel, he replied that he did not believe that a “mafia” existed. Coming from a high DA official, the statement revealed that nothing was being done to stop the syndicate that everyone in the industry knows about since, to the authorities, it does not exist. In the reenacted Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act of 2016, smuggling, hoarding, profiteering, and forming cartels for agricultural and fishery products are considered economic sabotage and are non-bailable offenses for which a long jail term could be meted out. The strengthened law, however, lacks strong teeth against government officials who are in cahoots or protect the syndicates. Contained in the proposed bill is a provision indicating that any government officer or employee found to be an accomplice in the commission of the crime will “suffer the additional penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office, exercising the right to vote, from participating in any public election, and forfeiture of employment monetary and financial benefits.” The bill is pending in both houses of Congress. With the slow grind of justice in the country, a public official looking for a fast buck will not hesitate to risk his job in exchange for a huge payback. The recent series of events showed the markets are being manipulated by the big players in the sugar, vegetable and rice businesses. These syndicates are known to be deeply entrenched due to their connections with government bigwigs who facilitate their domination of the markets either through edicts or the use of public resources. In the most ridiculous situation, the recent spike in onion prices was found to be artificial since farmers were even throwing away their harvests because of low farmgate prices, thus there was no reason for prices to surge. Later, it was exposed in a congressional hearing that a cartel had succeeded in manipulating the onion market to create a condition that would require its importation, from which its members would make a killing. The warehouse and storage facilities are controlled by the mafia which makes it easy to create artificial conditions to which the market reacts by raising retail prices. The ultimate goal is to coax the government to allow importation from suppliers in overseas markets that are also flooded with the commodity, The cartel rakes in profits from both the high markup and the kickbacks from the overseas suppliers desperate to sell their surplus. The woeful victims are the Filipino farmers whom the cartel boxes out of the market. In extreme cases, these farmers just throw away their harvest since they cannot afford to transport their products without the middlemen who are also in the pocket of the cartel. The same goes for the rice industry, where the market was manipulated for a different reason, which was to kill the rice tariffication law that kicked the National Food Authority out of the import business. Rice prices then surged to as high as P56 a kilo, which pushed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to impose price ceilings. The NFA used to have a monopoly on importation, but that resulted in acrimonious confrontations at the apex of government. The tariffication law, in turn, opened importation to all grain traders and relegated the NFA to buying rice from local farmers. Under the new anti-smuggling bill which has the endorsement of Mr. Marcos, an Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council headed by the President or his designated permanent representative will be formed. The proposed body will have the power to investigate and file charges, as well as freeze violators’ funds, properties, bank deposits, placements, trust accounts, assets and records. The creation of the body looks good on paper but in the real world, it might just add another layer of bureaucracy and source of corruption unless the cartel, which DA officials claim does not exist, is dismantled. Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has a simple solution for breaking the cartel, which is for the government to confiscate all the rice overstock and let the owners of the warehouses prove that their huge inventory is legitimate. Such a move would prompt the traders to release more rice into the market to avoid confiscation. The imposition of the price cap on rice indicated that the prices are artificial since the markets are now selling at lower than the manipulated prices despite conditions being constant. An expected bumper harvest is also prompting the prices to go back to normal, after the attempt of the cartel to create a price shock to support their effort to return to the old ways. To know the real situation, President Marcos goes out of his way to see what is on the ground. His underlings, particularly at the Department of Agriculture, should do better. The post Fools in suits appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NTF-ELCAC: Activists’ recantation ‘a mockery of state policy’
The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict or the NTF-ELCAC Legal Cooperation Cluster on Thursday said the recantations made by environmental activists Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro "is a mockery of state policy," as their sworn statements before a Public Attorney's Office lawyer is a "regularity" under the 1987 Constitution. In a virtual press briefing Atty. James Clifford Santos, Associate Solicitor of the Office of the Solicitor General and Spokesperson for NTF-ELCAC' Legal Cooperation Cluster, said the two women had admitted in their affidavits that they became members of the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed group, the New People's Army. Santos said the two may face perjury charges for their recantation. "(Their) Immediate assertions of falsehood clearly has malice to humiliate the NTF-ELCAC," Santos said. Santos cited the paragraphs in Tamano and Castro's affidavit where they admitted to being members of NPA. He also enumerated paragraphs in their affidavits where they said they wanted to surrender and contacted a certain "Ate Bea" to bring them to authorities. Undersecretary Ernesto Torres Jr., Executive Director of the NTF-ELCAC Secretariat, said these statements, were also handwritten by the two women, and they swore to them as true before PAO Region 3 (Bulacan) and Commission on Human Rights (Region 3) representatives. "The mother and stepdad of Tamano were also there and a witness, Reynante Bautista, who if I am not mistaken is the Mayor of Angat Bulacan," Torres said. Torres also presented video footage of interviews of Tamano and Castro before they wrote their sworn statements and one where they attested to the truth of their statements after being asked by the PAO lawyer about it. "What happened during the press conference on September 19 is unusual. With tremendous amount of good faith (on the part of government) to help these two young ladies, we were betrayed. Even our legal system and the truth," Torres said. The post NTF-ELCAC: Activists’ recantation ‘a mockery of state policy’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Ombudsman vindicates
Ombudsman Samuel Martires has found probable cause to file graft charges against former Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management, or PS-DBM, officials and Pharmally executives over Covid-19 purchases. Graft buster Martires, thus, is seeking reforms to the procurement law amid the PS-DBM controversy. The move of the Ombudsman vindicated the eight-part series of this column entitled: “PS-DBM is a catastrophe.” The Office of the Ombudsman has found probable cause to file graft charges against former PS-DBM undersecretary Lloyd Cristopher Lao, former PS-DBM procurement group director and now Overall Deputy Ombudsman Warren Rex Liong, and other officials for their involvement in the irregular procurement of Covid-19 test kits from Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation. The 14 August 2023 decision signed by Martires called for the filing of three graft charges against Lao, Liong, and PS-DBM Procurement Management Officer Paul Jasper de Guzman and Pharmally executives Mohit Dargani, Lincoln Ong, Huang Tsu Yen and Justin Garado. Martires wants the PS-DBM abolished for, according to him, corrupt practices. The PS-DBM was created during the time of President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. to solve the problem of supplies but this was abused, Martires noted. Now do not mistake an audit observation memorandum for an annual audit report. An AOM contains observations that auditors want a particular government agency to explain, justify and substantiate with documents within 60 to 90 days. Hence, it is preliminary and tentative finding that may be explained in the course of an audit. It is when the AOM is not satisfactorily explained or justified that the Commission on Audit considers it a finding and it would be put in the annual audit report, which is published and posted on the CoA website that is accessible to the public. Martires made his unsolicited suggestion not to publish AOMs during a House hearing on his office’s budget, saying that it would prevent the public from prejudging those involved. A regular provision in the yearly General Appropriations Act requires government agencies and state corporations to submit audited financial statements, annual audit reports and reports on the utilization of their funds to the Department of Budget and Management and Congress or to post these on their websites. The AOM came to public and global prominence when a compilation of audit observation memoranda, including the findings on the P67-billion DoH funds for Covid-19, was released as the annual audit report on the accounts and financial operations of the Department of Health for calendar year ending 31 December 2020. This drew an immediate public statement from former CoA commissioner Heidi Mendoza — from her exalted post as Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations for Internal Control Oversight — saying that the CoA audit report had gone through the formal process of review and approval. This was reported by local media on 18 August 2021. The report, “Heidi Mendoza: Release of CoA findings on P67-billion DoH funds not premature,” brought her to global prominence, showing indeed that she was a “glorified incompetent.” The assertion globally by Mendoza that the release of AOMs as audit reports was not premature did not sit well with the rank and file of the CoA. Retired and senior auditors of the commission opined that the sudden emergence of Heidi Mendoza, Grace Pulido Tan and Michael Aguinaldo, who refused to obey the president, and Senators Risa Hontiveros, Franklin Drilon, Richard Gordon and Kiko Pangilinan who were the discordant choral voices against the government was part of a grand conspiracy to embarrass President Duterte before the president of the United States and the whole world and to destabilize his administration. There are many other valid reasons why AOMs should not be published. (To be continued) The post Ombudsman vindicates appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 ‘missing environmentalists’ not abducted — NSC
The National Security Council on Friday broke the narratives of left-leaning organizations that the missing students tagged as environmentalists, Jhed Tamano and Jonila Castro, who were allegedly abducted by government forces, were instead "safe and sound" in a safehouse as they turned themselves to the police for fear that their lives might be in danger after leaving the leftists' movement. "They left the movement. Hindi totoo na abducted itong dalawa. They left the movement on their (own) free will," NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan E. Malaya told the media at the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict press briefing held at the National Press Club in Manila. "Second. They are not environmentalists, they were organizers ng kaliwa," Malaya added referring to local communists' front organizations like Kabataan and Karapatan. Since 1 September 2023, the two young girls, according to Malaya, were "planning to leave the movement" as narrated by Tamano and Castro in their sworn statements now forwarded to the Department of Justice to prepare charges against individuals and groups that took advantage of the conditions and experiences by the two students. Their sworn statements, Malaya said, were done "not in front" of soldiers or police, but with lawyers from the Public Attorney's Office and Commission on Human Rights representatives. "This is also a scam, may mga kumakalap ng pera (through G-Cash or Pay Maya) calling for donations (to find the two girls)," Malaya said. He challenged the communist front organizations to turn back the money collected or give it to Tamano and Castro or to their parents who suffered more from false narratives. Malaya said the DOJ will file cases against these groups and individuals. P/Capt. Carlito l Buco Jr., chief public information officer of the Bataan Provincial Police Office, on the other hand, said the case brought also some fears to parents of students in the province, as youngsters are targeted by the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army, and National Democratic Front, for recruitment. "We call on the students, maging matalino (be smart) kayo at isaalang-alang (think of your love ones) ang mahal ninyo sa buhay," the police official said. He added while the two reportedly missing students are now safe and sound, their sworn statements would attest to their experiences inside the Communist movement, which make them fearful for their security. The post 2 ‘missing environmentalists’ not abducted — NSC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Zambo shooting suspects yield
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Two suspects in the indiscriminate firing incident in Malabang, Lanao del Sur during the filing of Certificates of Candidacy surrendered to the police on Friday. The suspects, identified as Mamayog Sidik Gampong and Haniboy Sarip, voluntarily surrendered their firearms to the Police Regional Office for Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. The two fired their guns indiscriminately in Barangay Chinatown, Malabang on 31 August, which disrupted the filing of CoCs by candidates vying for various posts in the coming Barangay polls. PRO-BAR Director P/Brig. Gen. Allan C. Nobleza said the incident clearly violated the Commission on Elections’ gun ban. The Comelec prohibits carrying and transporting firearms, explosives and other deadly weapons during the election period from 28 August to 29 November. If found guilty, violators can be sentenced up to 12 years in prison. PRO-BAR will press charges against Gampong and Sarip on top of the charges that have already been filed at the local fiscal office against them. The post Zambo shooting suspects yield appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»