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Some firms still violate ease of doing biz law despite Arta
The Anti-Red Tape Authority-Eastern Mindanao Region (Arta-EastMin) revealed that there are still several businesses in their jurisdiction that violate the implementation of the Ease-of-Doing-Business Law and other red tape concerns despite the agency’s comprehensive collaboration with other security and law enforcement......»»
PSC confident WADA issue resolved soon
The Philippine Sports Commission is extremely confident the brewing issue with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has placed the country under threat of suspension from international competitions, will be resolved sooner than expected......»»
Malacañang helps fast-track anti-doping requirements as PH faces int’l sports ban
The Philippines continues to race against time as the World Anti-Doping Agency threatens a blanket ban on all international events due to the country's non-compliance of its requirements.....»»
PSC turns to Marcos on compliance issue with world anti-doping body
The Philippine Sports Commission will seek no less than President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. help when it contests the non-compliance accusation of the World Anti-Doping Agency that has now been elevated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for resolution......»»
7 PDEA-Ilocos Norte operatives back in service after probe found critics wrong
Seven anti-narcotics agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, relieved and probed after a sting operation against a charcoal-maker in Solsona town in Ilocos Norte on Saturday last week, were reinstated......»»
Philippines-WADA issue referred to CAS
The Philippines has gained some reprieve on allegations of non-conformities with World Anti-Doping Agency’s international standard for code compliance, with the issue being referred to the Court of Arbitration for Sport......»»
4 more agencies join BARMM anti-child labor campaign
Four more Bangsamoro ministries have joined the inter-agency bloc addressing child labor and use of children in the autonomous region as combatants......»»
Philippine sports body allays fears of Olympic, Asiad, SEA Games ban
Fears of a potential ban from participating in the Olympics, Asian and Southeast Asian Games were quashed by the Philippine Sports Commission, saying it has adhered to what were required by the World Anti-Doping Agency and close to completing everything it was asked for......»»
Anti-doping code violation? PSC says resolution near
Philippine sports may face stiff consequences for its non-compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code, including a ban in this year’s Paris Olympics and other major international events.....»»
PSC working on WADA Code
The Philippines faces the risk of being barred from competing at the Paris Olympics and the Paralympic Games and in all regional and continental meets, including the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games and the world championships, unless the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) complies with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code......»»
Drug test: 3 Lapu CTMS employees fail random testing
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu- Three Lapu-Lapu City employees tested positive in the random drug test initiated by the city’s anti-drug agency. On Monday, January 22, 115 job order employees from the city hall and traffic enforcers from the City Traffic Management System (CTMS) underwent random testing. Garry Lao, executive director of the City of Lapu-Lapu Office.....»»
Shabu worth P334M seized by PDEA-7 in a span of one year
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Shabu worth more than P334 million was confiscated in a year of anti-illegal drugs operations in Central Visayas region. This figure was released by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas (PDEA-7) together with other units. According to Leia Alcantara, PDEA-7 spokesperson, this accomplishment was from January until Thursday, December 21, 2023......»»
UN expert urges Philippines to disband anti-communist agency
Ian Fry, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, said the government should "disband" the task force and revoke an anti-terrorism law......»»
PDEA Bicol Intensifies Campaign Against Illegal Drugs
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Bicol is stepping up its efforts to reduce illegal drug operations in the region. According to Investigation Agent V Dennis C. Villamor, their regional office has conducted over PHP3,000 anti-illegal drugs operations from January to October this year. Among these operations, 896 were intelligence operations, 1,327 were positive negation […].....»»
Probe ordered on fireman’s ‘promotion for sale’ scam
Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos on Thursday ordered a thorough and deeper probe on a fireman who was accused of being involved in a “lateral promotion for sale” scam at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). The suspect, Fire Officer 1 Ramces Paul Benipayo of the Muntinlupa Fire Station, was collared by undercover operatives on Wednesday, 25 October, in an entrapment operation shortly after receiving P200,000 from his alleged victim. Policemen arrested Benipayo after accepting P200,000 in marked money from his classmate, a BFP firefighter from Western Visayas, whom he promised to assist in getting a promotion within the bureau in exchange for money. Benipayo’s modus is to convince his would-be victims to give him money in exchange for non-existent promotion which will allegedly be facilitated by his “contacts” in the BFP, which of course would never materialize. “I have been briefed on the case of FO1 Benipayo and I could say that what he did was unacceptable,” said Abalos. The BFP together with the Philippine National Police is an attached agency of the DILG. This, as Abalos also ordered a thorough probe on the case and background of Benipayo to determine if he has cohorts at the BFP who could be working with him. Abalos’ order came after BFP intelligence and investigation division director Chief Supt. Gilbert Dolot reported that three more complainants came forward and accused the suspect of also duping them using the same modus operandi. “We will not tolerate this kind of illegal activity. That’s why I’ve already ordered the PNP to work closely with the BFP to get to the bottom of this issue and prosecute everyone involved,” Abalos pointed out. “Walang puwang sa gobyerno natin at sa DILG or sa BFP for that matter ang mga katulad niya,” he continued. Benipayo had undergone inquest proceedings before the Muntinlupa Prosecutor’s Office and was slapped with complaints for violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and estafa in relation to RA 10175, also known as the cybercrime prevention law. He is currently detained at the CIDG detention facility. The head of the CIDG’s anti-organized crime unit, Col. Reynaldo Lizardo, said Benipayo initially told them his cohort is with the BFP. . The post Probe ordered on fireman’s ‘promotion for sale’ scam appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Hands off our war!’
Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, Ilan Fluss, stressed yesterday that his country does not want the United Nations to interfere in its war against the extremist group Hamas, which killed at least 1,400 people, mostly Israeli civilians, in an unprecedented attack last 7 October. In a roundtable discussion with DAILY TRIBUNE editors and reporters, Fluss accused the UN of having a long-standing anti-Israel bias as he brushed aside a UN Security Council call for a “humanitarian pause” in the conflict. The UN was founded 78 years ago to the day today, on 24 October 1945. “We’re in a war against Hamas, which is like the war in Afghanistan (following the 11 September 2001 or 9/11 terror attacks against the United States),” said Fluss, describing the attack by Hamas as second only in barbarity to what Israelis faced during the holocaust. Hitler’s Nazi Germany exterminated about six million European Jews from 1941 to 1945 during the Holocaust in World War 2. The genocide would spur the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. “We will make sure that there’s no humanitarian crisis as much as possible, and we are trying hard to minimize the casualties there,” he said, explaining that the airstrikes in the Gaza Strip are targeting well-known Hamas enclaves. Israel, with about 300,000 soldiers and armor massed at its border with Gaza, has expressed an intent to launch a ground offensive to rout Hamas, without occupying the territory it left in 2005. Fluss pointed out that civilians in Gaza are being warned in advance of the attacks, with pleas made for them to relocate to its south, away from the fighting. War on terror “Our objective in this war is to ensure that Hamas will no longer be able to attack Israel like it did. We will remove their capability in a war that is solely against Hamas and not the Palestinians,” Fluss said. The envoy stressed that Israel is not against delivering humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza, while stressing Israel’s right to protect its citizens against terrorist groups like Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and the Hezbollah in Lebanon. Fluss said that nobody, not even the UN, can stop Israel from a war that it did not start, one that was “forced on us” by Hamas with the latter’s massacre of innocent Israelis, including women and children. Enemies of Israel He explained that while the Philippines enjoys recognition by all countries, Israel has for decades, if not centuries, been trying to be recognized as a state with the right to exist peacefully. But Fluss lamented that the UN has been passing resolutions — at least 20 every year — “which are anti-Israel, (resolutions) that take the Palestinian narrative.” “There is no recognition of the Israeli narrative. The bias against Israel in the UN is well-known,” he said. He said that the UN and its agencies, like the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, otherwise referred to as the UN Relief and Works Agency or UNRWA, have allowed themselves to be used by the enemies of Israel. Fluss cited as an example the use by Hamas of UNRWA facilities, supplies and even marked vehicles in attacking Israel. UNRWA had been accused in the past of perpetuating destabilizing events in order to have a perpetual supply of refugees to justify its existence and funding. It has over 18,900 staff working in 138 countries. Israel, as the lone Jewish state in the UN, is ranged against an automatic majority of countries that support the Palestinian initiatives. The Arab League has 22 members in the UN, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has 57 members. It may be recalled that a number of Arab countries had banded together to wage wars against Israel, including in 1948 during its founding. The UN has also accommodated Palestinians many times in the past. In October 1974, or 14 years before the Palestine Liberation Organization nominally forswore terrorism, the UN General Assembly voted to invite it to send a spokesperson to take part in its deliberations. No one who was not a representative of a government — except the Pope, and even he was the head of a quasi-state — had ever before been granted such a privilege. The vote to extend the invitation was overwhelming, 105 to 4, with only the United States, Israel, and two Latin American governments opposed. The assembled delegates heard Yasser Arafat proclaim the necessity of getting at the “historical roots” of the issue, namely, “the Jewish invasion of Palestine [that] began in 1881,” and addressing it with a “radical antidote,” rather than “a slavish obeisance to the present.” Expulsion try In 1975, the foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference were determined to have Israel expelled from the UN. The PLO lined up support for this move at a meeting of the African states while training its sights on a ministerial meeting of the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) scheduled a month later, in August 1975, in Lima, Peru. Washington then objected. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger delivered a major speech on the subject, with a thinly veiled warning that the United States might turn its back on the United Nations. In addition to Washington’s hard line, the drive to expel Israel was also slowed by disarray within the Arab’s ranks. The most decisive factor that disrupted the expulsion move was the surprising position of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, who announced his opposition to it because “Israel must be present at the United Nations if it is expected to comply with its resolutions.” Israel’s enemies soon came up with an alternative that again targeted Israel through a resolution of the General Assembly, echoing Arafat and Soviet propagandists who declared Zionism to be “a form of racism.” In 1982, the body declared that Israel “is not a peace-loving member state and that it has not carried out its obligations under the Charter.” Likewise, the UN General Assembly has voted each year on 70 to 100 resolutions, including from 15 to 20 resolutions pejorative to Israel. Of all General Assembly resolutions that criticize a particular country, three-quarters apply to Israel. The relentless recitation of UN declarations reinforces the conviction in the Arab world that all right lies on the Arab side and that Israel is irredeemably evil. The post ‘Hands off our war!’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Scores killed in Gaza strikes as new aid convoy arrives
Scores of Palestinians were killed in central Gaza on Sunday after Israel stepped up its strikes on the war-torn enclave and another convoy of 17 aid trucks arrived as the Hamas-run territory faces "catastrophic" shortages. With the violence raging unchecked, Iran said the region could spiral "out of control". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Lebanon's Hezbollah, saying getting involved would be "the mistake of its life". Washington warned any actors looking to inflame the conflict that it would not hesitate to act in the event of any "escalation". Hamas militants in Gaza stormed across the border into Israel on 7 October, launching a raid that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians who were shot, mutilated, or burnt to death on the first day, according to Israeli officials. They also seized more than 200 hostages in the worst-ever attack in Israel's history. Israel has hit back with a relentless bombing campaign that has so far killed more than 4,600 Palestinians, mainly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Officials said the central town of Deir al-Balah had been particularly badly hit overnight from Saturday to Sunday. The ministry said at least 80 people had been killed in the overnight raids on central Gaza, which destroyed more than 30 homes. At the hospital morgue, an AFP journalist saw the bodies of many children on the bloodied floor, where distraught families wept as they identified the victims. Among them was a man clutching his dead toddler and a young boy who pulled back a blanket over his little sister's body. "My cousin was sleeping in his house with his daughter in his arms. He was a man with no record, nothing to do with the resistance," said Wael Wafi, gazing at the body of his cousin, his arm still wrapped around his three-year-old daughter Misk. Also Sunday, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said that 29 of its staff had been killed since the start of the war in a statement on X, formerly Twitter, saying half of them were teachers. On Saturday it had given a toll of 17. The scale of the bombing has left basic systems unable to function. The UN said dozens of unidentified bodies had been buried in a mass grave in Gaza City because cold storage had run out. Meanwhile, an Israeli soldier was killed near the Gaza border by an anti-tank missile fired by militants inside the enclave, the army said. 'Accident' as Israel hits Egypt post Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned the war with Hamas could take months. "It will take one month, two months, three months, and at the end, there will be no more Hamas," Gallant said. A second convoy of 17 trucks of aid entered Gaza from Egypt on Sunday following an initial delivery of 20 trucks on Saturday after intensive negotiations and US pressure. Separately, an AFP journalist saw six trucks leaving Rafah after filling up from dwindling fuel stocks held at the crossing as the enclave faces catastrophic shortages after Israel cut off supplies of food, water, fuel, and electricity. It later resumed water supplies to the south on 15 October. Although Egyptian media said another 40 trucks would enter Gaza on Monday, the UN says the enclave needs 100 trucks per day to meet the needs of Gaza's 2.4 million residents. And so far, there have been no deliveries of fuel, with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini warning Sunday that supplies would run out "in three days". "Without fuel, there will be no water, no functioning hospitals, and... aid will not reach many civilians in desperate need," he said. The Hamas government said 165,000 housing units -- half of those in the entire Gaza Strip -- had been destroyed in the raids. With fears growing that the conflict could spread, Israel on Sunday admitted accidentally hitting an Egyptian border post, apologizing for the incident which Cairo said had left an unspecified number of border guards with "minor injuries". Risk of regional escalation There were fresh exchanges of fire over Israel's northern border with Lebanon as fears grew that Hezbollah, a close ally of Hamas and Iran, could enter the conflict, prompting Israel's Netanyahu to warn it would be "the mistake of its life". "We will strike it with a force it cannot even imagine, and the significance for it and the state of Lebanon will be devastating," he said. Iran also warned about the conflict spreading on Sunday, with top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian cautioning that if Washington and Israel did not "immediately stop the crime against humanity and genocide in Gaza.. the region will go out of control". But Washington said it wouldn't hesitate to act in the event of any "escalation", just hours after the Pentagon moved to step up military readiness in the region. "If any group or any country is looking to widen this conflict and take advantage of this very unfortunate situation that we see, our advice is: don't," US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on ABC News. On Sunday, Pope Francis used his weekly Angelus prayer in Rome to plead for an end to the bloodshed. "War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop!" he said. He later held a 20-minute conversation with US President Joe Biden about "conflict situations in the world and the need to identify paths to peace", the Vatican said. Biden later discussed with war with the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy, the White House said. The US president also held talks with Netanyahu, said the White House, adding: "The leaders affirmed that there will now be continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza." In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron's office announced he would be traveling to Israel on Tuesday for talks with Netanyahu. Protesters marched in several European capitals on Sunday. At least 10,000 people rallied in support of Israel in Berlin as Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to stamp out a resurgence of anti-Semitic incidents linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Thousands gathered in Paris to demand an end to Israel's operation in Gaza, the first pro-Palestinian rally in the French capital that wasn't banned on security grounds. The post Scores killed in Gaza strikes as new aid convoy arrives appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PDEA: Drug-related deaths decrease
The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency announced on Sunday that a 52-percent decrease in illegal drug fatalities was logged under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. PDEA director general Moro Virgilio Lazo stressed that the renewed drug approach the PDEA’s strategy — in line with Marcos’ anti-drug campaign thrust — is geared towards community rehabilitation, going after drug syndicates and getting rid of unscrupulous officials. “There was a 52 percent decrease in the number of drug-related fatalities during operations initiated by the PDEA, dropping from 40 deaths in the previous period of 2020-2021 to only 19 deaths recorded from July 2022 to September 2023,” the PDEA said in a statement. However, the agency disclosed that the volume of confiscated shabu experienced a substantial rise, going from 2,349 kilograms of shabu in 2020-2021 to 3,795 kilograms in 2022 to 2023, marking a remarkable 1,446-kilogram increase, equivalent to 61.58 percent, under the Marcos administration. On top of these, the recent bulk seizures of 532 kilograms of shabu in Pampanga, 274 kilograms of shabu at the Manila International Container Port and the 990 kilograms of shabu in the possession of PMSgt Rodolfo Mayo last year are indeed indicative of the continued efforts of the anti-drug campaign to target and combat large drug syndicates operating in the country. From July 2022 to September 2023, a total of 47,076 anti-illegal drug operations were conducted, reflecting a 2.56 percent increase compared to the 45,902 operations carried out for the same period from 1 July 2020 to 30 September 2021. These efforts to reduce the drug supply also led to a notable increase in the number of apprehended drug offenders. Specifically, during the period from July 2022 to September 2023, 64,862 drug suspects were arrested, compared to 64,143 arrests in the period from 2020 to 2021. The post PDEA: Drug-related deaths decrease appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Remulla: Anti-hunger TF still existing
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed the continuing existence of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger even after the abolition of the Office of the Cabinet Secretary, which was initially designated as the head of the task force. Remulla provided legal clarification, stating, “We opine that, being a completely different entity, the IATF-ZH subsists despite the abolition of the office of its designated chair, i.e., OCS.” The Justice official issued the legal opinion in response to the query of Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa of the Department of Health regarding the dissolution of the OCS by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The defunct OCS was established in 2020 during the presidency of Rodrigo R. Duterte. Herbosa raised the issue due to the government’s loan agreement with the World Bank-International Bank, which required IATF-ZH to lead the project steering committee for the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project. Since the DoH serves as the lead agency for the PMNP, Herbosa inquired whether the functions of IATF-ZH, as the steering committee lead, could be transferred to the National Nutrition Council Governing Board, which the DoH also chairs. He noted that the membership of the NNC is identical to that of IATF-ZH. Remulla informed Herbosa that “the government has recently recognized and strengthened IATF-ZH when it issued EO (Executive Order) 27, series of 2023.” Reorganized “Under EO 27, the IATF-ZH was reorganized with the Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary as its Chair and the Executive Director of the NNC as its Co-Chair, in lieu of the Cabinet Secretary,” Remulla stated. “Further, Section 2 of EO 27 expressly states that except as expressly modified, all other provisions of EO No. 101 shall remain in full force and effect.” EO 101, issued in 2020, established IATF-ZH and designated the OCS as its chair. Remulla emphasized, “Since the IATF-ZH still exists, its responsibilities, with respect to the PMNP, cannot be transferred to the NNC.” He clarified that although the loan agreement allows for a successor to IATF-ZH, the continued existence of the inter-agency task force means that it “remains the leader in the Project Steering Committee for the PMNP, as provided in Paragraph I0(A)(1), Schedule 2 of the Loan Agreement.” The post Remulla: Anti-hunger TF still existing appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
P6-B illegal drugs destruction saves thousands from ‘hell’ — Abalos
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos said Sunday that the destruction by the government of P6-B worth of dangerous narcotics over the weekend had saved thousands of young people from the road to perdition. This was after a total of 247 kilograms of methamphetamine hydrochloride, or shabu, seized at the Manila International Container Port on 6 October 2023 were destroyed at a government facility in Trece Martires, Cavite through thermolysis last Friday, 20 October. Also burned were 206 kilograms of dimethyl sulfone, a shabu extender, recovered by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Mabalacat, Pampanga on 25 August this year. “Malaking bagay ang ginawa natin ngayong araw na pagsunog sa mga iligal na droga na ito. Dahil dito ay libo-libong mga kababayan natin, lalo na ang mga kabataan, ang nailigtas natin mula sa pagkagumon sa bawal na gamot na tiyak na maghahatid sa kanila sa kapahamakan at sa impiyerno,” Abalos said, stressing that illegal drugs is a menace to the nation especially to the youth. He commended the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the Philippine National Police, and the different drug enforcement units for their perseverance and hard work in the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign. “Saludo ako sa sipag at pagsisikap ng PDEA, PNP, NBI, at iba pang awtoridad sa mga hakbang nito kontra iligal na droga sa ating mga komunidad. Isa na naman itong malaking tagumpay para sa pamahalaan at para sa kampanyang Buhay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan,” Abalos said. “Higit sa lahat, isa itong malaking tagumpay para sa magandang kinabukasan ng ating kabataan,” he added. Abalos also stressed that with thermolysis, the dangerous substances were completely broken down and were impossible to reconstitute. “Nakasisiguro tayo na hindi na ito babalik pa sa merkado at hindi na makapangbibiktima ng mga kabataan,” he said. He, likewise, urged the government’s drug enforcement units to relentlessly go after big syndicates to significantly reduce the supply of illegal drugs in the country. “Habang puspusan ang inyong anti-drug operations at pagtugis sa mga drug syndicates, ang ibang sektor naman ng lipunan ay magtutulong-tulong sa demand reduction aspect para tuluyan nang mailayo ang mga kabataan sa masamang bisyo,” he said. “This is the beauty of the whole-of-nation approach being espoused by our BIDA campaign. Hindi lang ang PDEA, PNP, NBI at AFP ang kikilos, lahat tayo ay may mahalagang papel at bida laban sa droga,” he said. For his part, PDEA Director General Moro Virgilio M. Lazo emphasized this renewed drug approach. “The PDEA’s strategy, in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s anti-drug campaign thrust, is geared towards community rehabilitation, going after drug syndicates and getting rid of unscrupulous officials.” The post P6-B illegal drugs destruction saves thousands from ‘hell’ — Abalos appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»