Chief justice says SC tried its best in case of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino
The Supreme Court was not remiss in the case of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino, who gave birth in government custody and whose infant daughter died months after they were separated, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said......»»
Enrile to ICC: ‘No surrender’
So long as Juan Ponce Enrile is President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s top lawyer, the International Criminal Court will not stand a chance of conducting its intrusive probe into the war on drugs. “I will not agree to surrender the sovereignty of the Philippines to anybody, not even to the United Nations,” Enrile, the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, said. The ICC had conducted a preliminary examination into the alleged extrajudicial killings or EJK during the term of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan recently said there could be probable cause to proceed with a full-blown inquiry into the alleged summary deaths. The ICC will decide this week on the Department of Justice’s appeal to an earlier ruling that authorized the resumption of the international tribunal’s investigation into the alleged crimes related to the war on drugs. The ICC Appeals Chamber said its judgment on the government’s appeal “will be delivered in open court on Tuesday, 18 July 2023” at 10 a.m., local time, in The Hague, the Netherlands. The order was signed by Appeals Chamber Presiding Judge Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra had questioned the 26 January decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber I in a submission to the international court. “I will not give up the prerogative of our government to enforce the laws to protect our society from the evils of drug addiction. That is precisely the reason why there is a government,” Enrile asserted during his weekly Bayan ni Juan program. Who enforces the ICC ruling? “My question: Whenever a court makes a decision, there is somebody to enforce it like the police but who would the ICC order to enforce its directive? Does it have an armada to carry the arresting officers?” Enrile asked. He wondered if the ICC could even rule a country in contempt if the court’s decision was not followed. “Maybe they can put pressure on other countries to impose economic sanctions [on us] but I doubt it because among those likely to lend the ICC a hand is the United States which at the moment needs the Philippines so it is even expected to come to the country’s succor,” Enrile said, of a possible outcome if the tribunal insisted on its probe. “The US can do several things to aid the Philippines in case of a deadlock with the ICC. For instance, it can withhold its contributions to the United Nations,” he pointed out. The ICC is an adjunct tribunal of the UN. Enrile revealed there have been frequent discussions on the ICC proceedings in the Cabinet. “We’ve discussed that (in the regular Cabinet meetings), and that is my position, that since the country has withdrawn from the ICC, it does not need to be subjected to its processes.” Enrile recalled that during his tenure as defense secretary under President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., “we were threatened” by the administration of Democratic US President Jimmy Carter. In response, the government expelled one of the US officials who had made several demands regarding human rights protection in the country. Enrile was referring to Patricia Murphy Derian, who was an American civil rights activist who had fought racism in Mississippi and went on to serve as Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1977 to 1981. “She was told, ‘Get the hell out of this country. You can’t dictate to us,’” Enrile recounted. Moreover, Enrile cited the need to differentiate between law enforcement according to the Philippine Constitution and complying with the wishes of the ICC, “or the UN for that matter.” “We have to recognize that the ICC is exerting efforts against the country because the prosecutors have to earn a living by going after us,” Enrile said. “It is according to each’s self-interest,” the veteran public servant stressed. The post Enrile to ICC: ‘No surrender’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
EU tries again with new framework for data flows to US
The European Commission said Monday it has adopted a new legal framework to protect Europeans' personal data in exchanges with the United States -- its third attempt to get past legal challenges. "Today we take an important step to provide trust to (EU) citizens that their data is safe, to deepen our economic ties between the EU and the US, and at the same time to reaffirm our shared values," European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said. The announcement was made possible after US President Joe Biden last year issued an executive order updating US intelligence agencies' rules when it came to snooping on international data flows to give "safeguards" to European Union citizens and residents, the EU executive said. Biden on Monday said the deal reflected a "joint commitment" by both the EU and the US to guaranteeing privacy for citizens. It would also deepen transatlantic ties that were "founded on our shared democratic values and vision for the world," a statement said. Umbrella groups representing tech companies, whose business models depend on transatlantic data exchanges, hailed the announcement of the EU-US Data Privacy Framework It was "good news for thousands of businesses," one of them, DigitalEurope, said in a statement. A US grouping, The Software Alliance (BSA), said it would "bolster the management of data across borders –- a cornerstone of our modern economy –- and improve safeguards for citizens of the EU and US alike". Challenge looming But Max Schrems, an Austrian legal activist whose challenges led to EU courts shooting down two previous EU-US attempts on data transfers, said this one, too, would fail to satisfy EU law. The latest framework still has "the fundamental problem" that the United States "takes the view that only US persons are worthy of constitutional rights" protecting them from American electronic snooping, he said. He vowed to challenge the latest effort, predicting the case "will be likely back at the Court of Justice (of the EU) in a matter of months". EU justice commissioner Didier Reynders told journalists he had "no illusion" about the coming likely legal challenge. "But it's maybe useful to test the new US system before to challenge such an adequacy decision," he said. Reynders added, in an apparent swipe at Schrems's non-profit European Centre for Digital Rights, that "maybe the access to the court of justice is a small part of the business model of some civil society organizations". Presidential order The European Commission argued that the new framework offered "significant improvements" over the previous data-transfer mechanism, called Privacy Shield, which the EU court deemed inadequate. The commission said US companies signing onto the EU-US Data Privacy Framework would be required to delete Europeans' personal data when it was no longer needed for the purpose it was collected. Its scope applies to citizens of the 27-nation EU and of associated countries Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein, as well as residents in all those countries. They would have the right to redress if they found their data was wrongly handled by US companies. Under US law, Americans are protected from electronic spying by US intelligence agencies by their constitution, but all other nationalities are fair game. While Biden's October 2022 executive order does not extend that same protection to Europeans, it does oblige US intelligence agencies to show that data collection on foreigners is "proportionate" to a specified US national security objective. It also adds oversight to the handling of personal data collected and offers a path to "redress" for citizens of "qualifying states", which is meant to include those of the EU. A new US Data Protection Review Court made up of experts from outside the American government, would be able to review data decisions made inside the US office of the Director of National Intelligence. The European Commission said the US measures would underpin standard contractual clauses that so many online platforms, including those run by Meta, Amazon, and Google, rely on to transfer Europeans' data to the United States. The post EU tries again with new framework for data flows to US appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in Cagayan Valley LTO office’s priority lane criticized
Many in the LGBTQ+ community disapproved of the inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in the priority lane at an office of the Land Transportation Office in the Cagayan Valley Region. Priority lanes are usually reserved for senior citizens, pregnant women and persons with disabilities. On 15 April, Bahaghari raised concerns on the inclusion. “While at first glance providing a priority lane for the LGBTQ+ community appears convenient for us, it is worth noting that priority lanes exist to help people with physical and/or mental difficulties in processing transactions. We want to make it clear: being LGBTQ+ in no way impairs or affects a person’s physical capacity to take part in social and governmental functions. Hindi po sakit o kapansanan ang pagiging LGBTQ+,” Reyna Valmores, the national LGBTQ+ organization’s chairperson, said. She further said that the action is “well-meaning,” however, “this does not erase the fact that the implication of LTO’s LGBTQ+ priority lane is dangerous. To this day, many people including lawmakers cling to the erroneous notion that being LGBTQ+ is a disorder.” Valmores offered more appropriate options in catering to the LGBTQ+ sector. “If the LTO so wishes, we are very much open and willing to hold gender sensitivity trainings and discussions on crafting anti-discrimination policies within the LTO, so that we can combat discrimination against both LTO’s workers as well as ordinary Filipinos seeking to have their licenses processed in the office,” the transgender woman activist said. She added: “Beyond the LTO, we wish to highlight that it would be more productive for government to create policies that address the actual issues raised by the LGBTQ+ community, such as passing the SOGIE Equality Bill to combat discrimination, instituting marriage equality, and in a time of economic crisis like this, raising wages towards a family living wage which could be enjoyed by all Filipinos regardless of gender.” Many LGBTQ+ persons commented that such inclusion gives the impression that the sector wants special privileges when what they are asking for are equal rights and freedom from abuse and discrimination because of their genders. On 16 April, LTO ordered the removal of signs that included the LGBTQ+ in the priority lane. “I understand that the region’s leadership merely conceptualized the activity in a desire to recognize the LGBTQ+ community. There was no intention to offend or unnecessarily put them in the spotlight,” LTO chief Jay Art Tugade said in statement, adding that it was an isolated case. The post Inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons in Cagayan Valley LTO office’s priority lane criticized appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Peralta: SC tried its best to help detainee, baby
Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta defended the Supreme Court yesterday against criticisms of the SC’s handling of the case of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino and her baby, River, who died on Oct. 9......»»
Chief justice says SC tried its best in case of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino
The Supreme Court was not remiss in the case of jailed activist Reina Mae Nasino, who gave birth in government custody and whose infant daughter died months after they were separated, Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta said......»»
SC allows UN expert to act as friend of the court in Maria Ressa s cyber libel plea
Irene Khan, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for freedom of expression and opinion, has been allowed by the Supreme Court (SC) to sit as an "amicus curiae" to the court in the appeal for the cyber libel case of Rappler.com chief executive officer Maria Ressa and former researcher Reynaldo Santos......»»
Kazakhstan: Baseless Extremism Case Heads to Court
(Berlin, February 8, 2024) - A journalist in Kazakhstan is to face trial on February 12, 2024 on unfounded extremism-related charges, as authorities there ramp up prosecutions against critics on similar charges, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should drop their unfounded case against the journalist and activist, Duman Mukhammedkarim, and im.....»»
Kyrgyzstan: Activist Held for Opposing Flag Change
(Berlin, December 22, 2023) - Kyrgyz authorities have brought a criminal case against an activist and blogger, Aftandil Jorobekov, after he publicly opposed and called for protests against the government's proposal to alter the country's flag, Human Rights Watch said today. The charges, which include calling for mass unrest, violate his freedom of express.....»»
Gov’t prosecutor dismisses environmental raps against cultural artist
A Quezon City assistant city prosecutor dismissed the environmental case filed against activist and cultural worker Maximo Santiago and three others after they burned an effigy during the State of the Nation Address last July. The post Gov’t prosecutor dismisses environmental raps against cultural artist appeared first on Bulatlat......»»
Walden Bello files a ‘decriminalize libel’ case in Supreme Court
It is high time to decriminalize it, says the activist Walden Bello, in a world where 160 countries still treat libel as a crime.....»»
Ex-DOH chief Garin posts bail in Dengvaxia case
Former health secretary and incumbent Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin posted bail yesterday in connection with the criminal charges she is facing before the Sandiganbayan over the allegedly anomalous P3.556-billion dengue mass vaccination program in 2016......»»
Ex-IBP chief weighs in on doctor’s conviction
Former Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Domingo Cayosa believes the Supreme Court, in its final judgment, has considered all arguments and evidence presented in the case of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Benigno Agbayani Jr......»»
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......»»
Meta quarterly profit jumps but it sees volatility in ad market
Meta on Wednesday reported that its quarterly profit more than doubled from last year's figure as it looks ahead at a volatile ad market and lawsuits accusing it of profiting from "children's pain." "Meta earnings looked pretty good," said independent tech analyst Rob Enderle. "They have clearly cut back on the bleeding surrounding their metaverse efforts and the company appears to be on a more even keel right now." The tech giant said it made a profit of $11.6 billion as ad revenue climbed 23 percent to $34 billion when compared to the same period a year earlier. "We had a good quarter for our community and business," said Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. The number of people using Facebook monthly rose slightly to 3.05 billion in a year-over-year comparison while monthly active users of Meta's "family" of apps was 3.96 billion a 7 percent increase from the same quarter in 2022, the company reported. Meta said it had trimmed costs, with layoffs and other belt-tightening measures started last year providing "greater efficiency." Meta had suffered a rough 2022 amid a souring economic climate and Apple's data privacy changes, which allowed users to block ad targeting, the pillar of Meta's business. Meta's vow of austerity on spending brought an unprecedented round of cost-cutting that saw the company lay off tens of thousands of workers since last November. Meta shares, which closed the formal trading day down, fell more than three percent further in after-hours trades to $289.50. Chief financial officer Susan Li said during an earnings call that Meta is seeing "volatility" in an ad market that started to soften when the conflict between Israel and Hamas began. "It's hard for us to attribute demand softness directly to any specific geopolitical event," Li said. "We have seen broader demand softness follow other regional conflicts in the past, such as in the Ukraine war, so this is something that we're continuing to monitor." Lawsuit peril Analyst Enderle maintained that Meta is at risk from lawsuits poised to damage its image and its wallet. Dozens of US states this week accused Meta of profiting "from children's pain," damaging their mental health and misleading people about the safety of its platforms. "In seeking to maximize its financial gains, Meta has repeatedly misled the public about the substantial dangers of its Social Media Platforms," argued a joint lawsuit filed in federal court in California. The states accused Meta of exploiting young users by creating a business model designed to maximize time they spend on the platform despite harm to their health. In total more than 40 states are suing Meta, though some opted to file in local courts rather than join in the federal case. Meta said the states were singling it out unfairly instead of working with social media companies to develop universal standards for the whole industry. "This landmark lawsuit could herald a seismic shift in how social media platforms approach product features and user engagement," said Insider Intelligence principal analyst Jeremy Goldman. "That said, even as tech stocks face uncertainty, Meta's consistent performance cements its leadership in the digital realm." Meanwhile, the European Union is seeking details on measures Meta has taken to stop the spread of "illegal content and disinformation" in light of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. The AI race The tech giant is putting artificial intelligence into digital assistants and smart glasses as it seeks to gain lost ground in the AI race. "I'm proud of the work our teams have done to advance AI and mixed reality with the launch of Quest 3, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, and our AI studio," Zuckerberg said in the earnings release. The second-generation Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses made in a partnership with EssilorLuxottica have a starting price of $299. "Smart glasses are the ideal form factor for you to let AI assistants see what you're seeing and hear what you're hearing," Zuckerberg said. Meta has taken a more cautious approach than its rivals Microsoft, OpenAI, and Google to push out AI products, prioritizing small steps and making its in-house models available to developers and researchers. "The majority of the world's population will have their first experience of generative artificial intelligence with us," Meta chief technology officer Andrew "Boz" Bosworth told AFP in a recent interview. Meta recently unveiled AI-infused chatbots with personalities, along with tools for creating images or written content using spoken prompts. The post Meta quarterly profit jumps but it sees volatility in ad market appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
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......»»
Enrile’s ex-aide fails anew to have plunder case dismissed
The Sandiganbayan has denied the appeal of Jessica Lucila “Gigi” Reyes, the former chief of staff of presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile, to file a demurrer to evidence that would allow her to seek the dismissal of the plunder case against her without presenting her defense......»»
Withdraw case, LTO chief asks losing bidder
Land Transportation Office chief Vigor Mendoza II yesterday appealed to the losing plastic card bidder to withdraw the case it filed after a Quezon City court stopped the delivery of plastic driver’s licenses......»»
LTO head vows full digital shift
Despite a court order stopping the delivery of plastic cards for use in the manufacture of driver’s licenses, Land Transportation Office chief Vigor Mendoza said the agency will pursue its full digitalization program. Mendoza said that is one of “the core foundations that I want to establish since I assumed the top post at the agency in July.” He said digitalization complies with the marching order of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. “This is what we are going to pursue as part of his legacy under his reform slogan ‘Bagong Pilipinas,’ which focuses on making all government transactions smoother, faster, and more comfortable for Filipinos.” The LTO, Mendoza added, is already providing all services related to land transportation with a new online portal, the so-called Land Transport Management System, or LTMS, that integrates LTO services in a single database and digital platform. The system is designed to allow stakeholders to connect directly to the LTMS via customized online portals. The stakeholders have different workflows with specific requirements, such as biometric verification before uploading a certificate. “In the case of the LTMS, we in the LTO do not want to delve further into the things that were not done that resulted in the glitches and missed opportunities for its full utilization,” Mendoza explained. “Instead, I have been focusing on fixing all these problems soonest for us to deliver the long-overdue reliable and comfortable services not only to all our clients across the country but also our kababayans abroad,” he added. Technical review ongoing “This is the reason why I immediately created a Technical Working Group when I assumed the top LTO post — to iron out all these glitches by consolidating the LTMS system and the old IT system of the LTO because there are some services that could not be served by the LTMS and remain under the old system,” Mendoza said. By consolidating these two systems, he explained, “I am confident that this would result in the full utilization of a user-friendly online transaction process, which is what the LTO digitalization program envisions it to be.” “Right now, the good news is that we are in the final phase of consolidating these systems and hopefully, we will be able to launch it before the end of November this year,” Mendoza said. The post LTO head vows full digital shift appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
LTO chief to pursue smoother, faster transaction
Despite a court injunction issued on the delivery of plastic cards used for driver's licenses, Land Transportation Office chief Vigor Mendoza on Tuesday said the agency will pursue its full digitalization in all LTO transactions. "(That is one of) the core foundations that I want to establish since I assumed the top post of the agency in July," Mendoza said. He added it is in line with the marching order of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., and "this what we are going to pursue as part of his legacy under his reform slogan 'Bagong Pilipinas' which focuses on making all government transactions smoother, faster and more comfortable for the Filipino people." The LTO, Mendoza said, is already providing all services related to land transportation with a new online portal, called Land Transport Management System (LTMS), which integrates all LTO services in a single database and digital platform. The system is designed to allow stakeholders to connect directly to the LTMS via customized online portals. The stakeholders have different workflows with specific requirements, e.g., biometric verification before uploading a certificate. "In the case of the LTMS, we in the LTO do not want to delve further into the things that were not done that resulted in the glitches and missed opportunities for its full utilization," Mendoza explained. "Instead, I have been focusing on fixing all these problems in the soonest possible time in order for us to deliver the long-overdue reliable and comfortable services not only to all our clients across the country but also to our kababayans abroad," he added. "This is the reason why I immediately created a Technical Working Group (TWG) when I assumed the top LTO post—to iron out all these glitches by consolidating the LTMS system and the old IT system of LTO because there are some services that could not be served by the LTMS and remain under the old system," Mendoza stressed. He explained that by consolidating these two systems, "I am confident that these would result in full utilization of a user-friendly online transaction process which is what the LTO digitalization program envisions it to be." "Right now, the good news is that we are in the final phase of consolidating these systems and hopefully, we will be able to launch it before the end of November this year," Mendoza further explained. "For the driver’s license issuance, for instance, it Is 100 percent LTMS while the renewal of motor vehicle registration is now at 90 percent LTMS. For the newly registered units or NRUs, it was all under the old IT system but right now, it is now at 60 percent LTMS," the LTO chief said. "There are still things to be done to make the entire IT system glitch-free, and that is the reason why we are now working double to make it available in the soonest possible time. I assure all our kababayan that we will not stop until all of these are consolidated to be fully operational, with the end goal of making all the LTO digital transactions reliable, fast, and glitch-free," Mendoza assured. The post LTO chief to pursue smoother, faster transaction appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested
Two fugitives were captured by the Bureau of Immigration (BI) after being sought by South Korea and the US for their involvement in fraud-related operations. BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco confirmed the arrests of the two South Korean fugitives, who were identified as Kwon Junyoung, 38, and Seok Jongmin, 48. The two were arrested last Saturday in Brgy. Cuayan, Angeles City, Pampanga, by the BI Fugitive Search Unit (BI-FSU) operatives. Tansingco said that the operation was conducted in collaboration with the South Korean authorities, government intelligence groups, and the Angeles City Police Station. According to the South Korean authorities, Kwon is wanted for telecommunications fraud in South Korea, while Seok is wanted in Texas for engaging in wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft. The BI chief said that as the BI board of commissioners has already issued summary deportation orders against them, soon they will be deported to face the crime they committed. Tansingco added that their names were also placed on the bureau’s blacklist of undesirable aliens, so they are now banned from re-entering the Philippines, the BI chief added. According to information obtained from Interpol's National Central Bureau (NCB) in Manila, the Suwon District Court in Korea issued an arrest order for Kwon on 12 December 2019. Authorities claimed that Kwon was part of a telecom fraud syndicate operating in Dalian, China, that used voice phishing to call random victims. Based on reports, the callers impersonated investigators from the Seoul Central Prosecutor's Office in order to harass the victims and trick them into transferring money to the syndicate's accounts. In contrast, the NCB revealed that Seok is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the US district court in Western Texas. He is accused of conspiring to commit wire fraud, three counts of wire fraud, conspiring to commit money laundering, and three counts of aggravated identity theft. Seok is accused of working with other suspects to gain access to the websites of the US Departments of Defence and Veterans Affairs using thousands of US military veterans' stolen personal identification information (PII), depriving the victims of their benefits. The BI-FSU also reported that Seok was arrested after posting bail at the Angeles City regional trial court, where he was charged with robbery and extortion, and will be transferred to the BI’s facility in Bicutan, Taguig. While Kwon will remain in the custody of the Angeles City police due to his ongoing local case, he will continue to be under the BI’s legal custody for deportation proceedings. The post 2 Koreans wanted for telecom, wire fraud arrested appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»