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Security Council warns of foreign interference in 2025 polls
There may be foreign interference in next year’s midterm elections and the Department of Information and Communications Technology should prepare to counter cyberattacks, the National Security Councilwarned yesterday......»»
UN Security Council demands immediate Gaza ceasefire after US abstains
(1st UPDATE) The US abstains from the vote to allow the Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire amid growing global pressure for a truce.....»»
UN Security Council demands immediate ceasefire in Gaza
The US abstains from the vote to allow the Security Council to demand an immediate ceasefire amid growing global pressure for a truce.....»»
UN Security Council fails to pass US resolution calling for Gaza ceasefire
In a recent session at the United Nations Security Council, Russia and China vetoed a US draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Israel’s ongoing.....»»
Myanmar nationals ask Philippines to probe alleged war crimes
Five Myanmar nationals asked the Philippines on Wednesday to investigate alleged war crimes committed by 10 serving or former members of Myanmar's military against the mainly Christian Chin minority. Filipino lawyers representing the Myanmar nationals told reporters they lodged the "landmark" criminal complaint against junta chief Min Aung Hlaing and nine others at the Department of Justice in Manila. They asked prosecutors to open an investigation into alleged war crimes under a Philippine law penalising "crimes against international humanitarian law, genocide, and other crimes against humanity". The five Myanmar nationals are from western Chin state, but now live in Australia, Britain, Canada and India. They were at the justice department in Manila. "This is a landmark suit because this is the very first time that such a case is being brought before the Philippines," Romel Bagares, one of the lawyers, told reporters. Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla said his department would "evaluate" the complaint, which he described as "very novel". "If this is sufficient in form and substance, that's the time when we will require the respondents to answer these complaints," Remulla told reporters. Among the accused is Chin Chief Minister Vung Suan Thang, who is a former military officer. The others are serving members of the military. The complaint alleged that members of Myanmar's military killed a pastor and two church elders in Thantlang town, Chin, in September 2021. It also accused the 10 of "intentionally" directing attacks on churches and the burning of hundreds of houses in the same town between August 2021 and June 2022. They also allegedly blocked relief supplies from reaching people in Chin state in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha in May. 'Truly historic day' Philippine law allows for the prosecution of war crimes committed elsewhere. One of the stipulations of the law is that the accused must be present in the Philippines. According to Gilbert Andres, another Filipino lawyer representing the Myanmar nationals, if the Philippine justice department were to decide to mount a case against the 10 accused, it could issue subpoenas to Myanmar's Central Authority or go through diplomatic channels. The toppling of Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government in a 2021 coup sparked a huge backlash and the military junta is now battling opponents across swaths of Myanmar. Some of the bloodiest fighting has been happening in Christian-majority areas, including in Chin state. "This is a truly historic day," Salai Ling, one of the five complainants and also of the Chin Human Rights Organization, told reporters in Manila. "We are really hoping that with the solidarity and support from the Filipino people and people in the ASEAN region, that we will be able to get some form of justice for the atrocities that our people suffered." Myanmar and the Philippines belong to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The regional bloc's efforts to defuse the Myanmar crisis have been fruitless so far. The Philippines is now the subject of an international human rights probe, with the Hague-based International Criminal Court investigating "possible crimes against humanity" during former president Rodrigo Duterte's deadly drugs crackdown. In July, President Ferdinand Marcos said the Philippines was "done talking with the ICC" but would continue to question the tribunal's jurisdiction. The post Myanmar nationals ask Philippines to probe alleged war crimes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ICC evidence not admissible
Detractors of the government who will be tapped by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, will be supplying information that is not formally offered as evidence and thus is not admissible in court, according to Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile. Enrile was referring to a rule of court that requires a party to make a formal offer of evidence by stating its substance or nature and the purpose or purposes for which the evidence is offered. Without a formal offer of evidence, and hence without disclosure of its purpose, it cannot be determined whether it is admissible or not. President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday directed the government to cease discussions with the ICC. “As far as the Philippines is concerned, we are done with the ICC,” Marcos said. The ICC should examine the sources of the evidence that is being supplied to it. “That’s what I am wondering about, why does the ICC have strong links with the enemies of the state who are engaged in murdering their members primarily through purges?” Enrile asked. “Why does the ICC insist on investigating the country which is a democracy? The Philippines has a Constitution which says that the government should enforce the law,” he averred. “The leftists, who do they consider are the enemies? They are not conducting an armed struggle against Rodrigo Duterte or against Ferdinand Marcos Jr. but their battle is directed at the Constitution,” the former Senate president said. “As an institution of democratic organizations like the UN, why is the ICC timid about investigating atrocities of the New People’s Army?” he added. Pure gov’t function “The campaign against drugs involves law enforcement. Don’t we have a law against the use of drugs and the crimes that happened were all here in the country so what will our President do, will he not implement the law?” Enrile said. “It boils down to law enforcement versus the International Criminal Court or ICC,” the veteran public servant pointed out. “The campaign against drugs is an internal affair. The ICC does not know the level of criminality in the country,” he indicated. “The ICC is not a government, why should we surrender to them our obligation?” “My stand has been against filing any pleadings or actions with the ICC. Let the tribunal make its move. We do not recognize their jurisdiction over us,” Enrile said. “There are those in the Cabinet who wanted to be strictly legal in dealing with the ICC so since that’s what they wanted we let them engage the tribunal.” “So what happened was that we bungled it, the appeal was thrown out,” he noted. “Since we have already withdrawn from the Rome Statute, we should not participate in their proceedings,” Enrile emphasized. “If the Commission on Human Rights will continue engaging the ICC, they must remember that they are still part of the government and they are being supported by tax money raised from the public and they are not being supported by the ICC or the United Nations,” he said. Probers not allowed The Department of Justice, or DoJ, meanwhile, plans to prevent the entry of ICC investigators into the country. Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez said that since the Philippines has withdrawn from the treaty that created the ICC, “all options are with the Executive department.” Vasquez said that among the options is for the government to prohibit ICC investigators from entering the country. However, he said, “They can be accepted, they can be allowed subject to limitations.” The DoJ official said the decision on how to address the ICC visits will be up to the President, being the country’s chief policymaker. “For now his decision is to disengage from the ICC. That means we won’t coordinate, we won’t allow them to come here as ICC,” Vasquez said. The post ICC evidence not admissible appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (10)
As a legislator, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. fought for laws that do not discriminate as he was totally against selective justice. In his criticism of Republic Act 10368, or “An Act Providing for Reparations and Recognition of Victims of Human Rights Violations during the Marcos Regime,” then Senator Marcos posited in a Daily Tribune interview the Constitution’s guarantee of protection of Filipino citizens from any kind of prejudice. The first act of the late former President Noynoy Aquino as president was to exercise the parochial interest of his yellow followers through an executive order that created the Truth Commission which the Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional. The SC cited the equal protection clause in the Constitution in striking down Aquino’s order creating the Truth Commission that would have been headed by yellow sentinel, former Chief Justice Hilario Davide. The High Court said, in effect, that the government could not go after a particular administration for an offense without applying the same form of justice evenly to all. The recently passed Marcos compensation act was in form similar in purpose, by confining justice to a particular period in the country’s history. The law, signed by Aquino during the EDSA revolt celebration, would provide financial assistance to victims of alleged state-sponsored human rights violations. Then Senator Marcos posited in a Daily Tribune interview the Constitution’s guarantee of protection of Filipino citizens from any kind of prejudice. While, indeed, violations of human rights were widespread during the period covered by the measure, which was from the declaration of martial law on 21 September 1972 to the People Power revolt on 25 February 1986, such atrocities were not unique to that identified period. Ending selective justice Marcos raised the question of, for instance, other victims of human rights violations that could not be attributed to the regime of his father, such as soldiers tortured and killed by the New People’s Army or Muslim rebels. He cited, for instance, the more than 50 individuals gunned down in the infamous 2009 Maguindanao massacre. He asked if they would have less right to be compensated since they were not covered by the law. The question should also be asked for those who suffered from military atrocities under any regime, including that of Aquino and any other regime. Selective retribution does not have a place in the law or the Constitution. It is only found in vigilante justice, which in many instances is the preferable form of obtaining recompense but is nonetheless illegal. Those who crafted the law hailed it as unique since it was the first time that such recognition by the state of abuses it inflicted on its citizens was enshrined in law. The point of Marcos and others who are against selective justice is that the law was not even necessary. A government with strong justice is capable of protecting rights in whatever period. Every victim of human rights violations expects to be given justice through the usual channels of government. “Why only them?” is the question that should be asked of the proponents of selective justice. (To be continued) The post Tribune, Marcos share good gov’t journey (10) appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CHR obtains list of & lsquo;rights abuses& rsquo; by communists
The Commission on Human Rights has been asked to investigate the 1,506 atrocities and International Humanitarian Law violations committed by the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF), collectively known as communist terrorist group (CTG), from 2010-2020......»»
UN rights council urged to probe attacks vs Filipino environmental defenders
Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment asked the UNHRC member states to launch a probe into the “human rights atrocities affecting more than 19,000 environmental defenders” under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte......»»
Philippines sees increase in hotel bookings from overseas in 2023 — report
Hotel bookings from overseas rose in the Philippines in 2023, a report on hotel booking trends by hotel channel manager SiteMinder found......»»
Ashley Tisdale buntis sa 2nd baby: ‘We can’t wait to meet you!’
MAY exciting news ang Hollywood actress at “High School Musical” star na si Ashley Tisdale sa madlang pipol! Ayon sa kanya, ipinagbubuntis niya ang second baby nila ng mister na si Christopher French. Sa Instagram, ibinandera ni Ashley ang kanyang baby bump at ang caption niya: “We can’t wait to meet you [emoji].” Baka Bet.....»»
Belmonte, Binay call for climate action funding from development banks
The C40 coalition of cities, a network of nearly 100 mayors, asked MDBs to increase urban climate investment, integrate urban climate action into their strategies, and implement tailored programs to support city projects. .....»»
PNVF forms coaching sataff for world meet
Seasoned coach Dante Alinsunurin will make a comeback as one of the deputies for the national men’s team as host Philippines pulls out all the stops to parade a competitive squad against the best of the best in the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championships 2025......»»
Mt. Apo as geological monument hurdles City Council 2nd reading
THE 20th City Council approved on second reading the declaration of Mount Apo as a geological monument during its session on Tuesday, March 26, 2024, held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod......»»
No Pinoy hurt in Baltimore bridge collapse
The Philippine embassy in Washington has not received any report of Filipinos hurt in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland on Tuesday......»»
Marcos Jr. eyes stronger maritime ties with India
The Philippines is seeking stronger maritime security cooperation with India to ensure the safety of seafarers from both nations as the world’s oceans are becoming more dangerous for commercial shipping, President Marcos said......»»
Ati tribe fenced off in Boracay
Tension has sparked in Boracay after security guards allegedly fenced off parcels of land owned by members of the Ati tribe......»»
Victims of Baltimore bridge collapse include those from Mexico, Guatemala
Maryland [US], March 27 (ANI): Among those reported missing following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in the US are Mexican nationals, CNN reported, citing Rafael Laveaga, Chief of the Consular Section of Mexico's Embassy in Washington. Laveaga refrained from specifying the exact number of missing Mexican nationals when he addressed reporters near the scene on Tuesday. A reporter asked Laveaga: ".....»»
Hoffman sets new Philippine hurdles record at Florida meet
Paris Olympics-hopeful Lauren Hoffman on Wednesday set a new national record in the women’s 400-meter hurdles with a gold medal performance in the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida......»»
Danao City ‘gun maker’ nabbed in raid
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A 39-year-old man, who was accused of the illegal manufacture of guns, was arrested in a raid in his residence in Sitio Sapangdako, Barangay Matija, Danao City in northern Cebu, Tuesday dawn, March 26. In a report, the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) said that the raid was based on a.....»»