Wearing of PNP uniforms is illegal, police exec reminds civilians
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Civilians are prohibited by law from wearing police uniforms or other uniforms of law enforcement agencies in the Philippines. This was the reminder of Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). READ: ‘Policewoman’ nabbed, charged for unauthorized use of PNP uniform, ID.....»»
Charter Day, Prayer Rally: Cebu City police on full alert
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) is now on full alert status for the Charter Day celebration and Anti-Charter Change Prayer Rally this weekend, February 24-25, 2024. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, CCPO spokesperson, relayed that the full alert status has been enforced starting Friday morning, February 23. According to Rafter,.....»»
Valentine’s Day, Ash Wednesday ‘peaceful’ in Cebu City – police
CEBU CITY, Philippines – This year’s celebration of Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, which fell on the same day, has been generally “peaceful” with no major crime incidents reported in Cebu City. This was according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO). The two different.....»»
Police: Beware of online ‘love scams’ this love month
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Authorities here are reminding the public to not be swayed by sweet words and fake promises and end up as victims of “love scams” especially this love month On the second day of the month of February, Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police.....»»
Sandigan upholds Dengvaxia raps vs Garin, 4 others
The Sandiganbayan has denied motions to dismiss filed by former health secretary Janette Garin and four former and incumbent officials over the allegedly anomalous P3.556-billion dengue mass vaccination program of the Aquino administration from 2010 to 2016......»»
Backpacks, large bags are prohibited inside Basilica — CCPO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Devotees, who will be visiting the Basilica Minore del Sto. Niño in Cebu City to attend the masses for the celebration of Sinulog 2024, will not be allowed to bring large bags. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), relayed to reporters.....»»
CCPO starts security preparations for Misa de Gallo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A week before the official start of the Misa de Gallo, police in Cebu City said they will beef up their security coverage of all the churches and religious sites here to ensure the safety of all churchgoers and pilgrims. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, the deputy director for Operations of.....»»
Manhunt on for suspects behind killing of police officer in Cebu City
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A manhunt is now being launched by Cebu City police for the suspects in the killing of a police officer during a buy-bust operation on Wednesday, November 15, 2023. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), told reporters that personnel from all.....»»
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......»»
Cebu City police working to identify man who sexually harassed woman
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police will be investigating an alleged sexual harassment incident wherein a man was seen in a viral video touching a female victim’s private parts in Barangay Sambag 1 in Cebu City. According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), the alleged.....»»
Barangay, SK Elections: Police remind voters to behave, follow rules
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police here are reminding Cebu City voters to respect the political choices of others and to behave appropriately inside the polling stations on the day of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30, 2023. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, Deputy Director for Operations of the Cebu City Police.....»»
Ombudsman indicts Garin, 4 others over Dengvaxia vaccines
The Ombudsman on Wednesday filed graft and malversation charges against former Department of Health Secretary (DOH) and now Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin in relation to the Devangxia vaccine purchase......»»
Day 1 of campaign for Barangay and SK elections ‘successful and peaceful’ – CCPO
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The official start of the ten-day campaign for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Cebu City was “peaceful and successful.” Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said they did not record any untoward incidents from the city’s 80 barangays on Thursday, October 19. She said there were gatherings of a huge crowd of supporters as the candidates and their followers became excited that they were finally able to start their campaign. “The first day of the ten-day campaign period was really very successful and peaceful. Although, as I’ve said, medyo naay mga barangay nga nabibo. Murag nabibo sila tungod sa paglaunch sa mga campaign strategy sa atong mga kanya-kanyang kandidato puhon sa BSKE 2023 karong October 30,” she said. Motorcades Rafter said that on Thursday, there were candidates who officially opened their campaign with a motorcade. But, the conduct of motorcades did not have much effect on vehicular traffic since most of these were done on barangay roads. There were also those who started to already post their campaign materials. “Naa silay mga gibuhat nga mga aktibidades sa ilang mga tagsa-tagsa ka mga barangay kung asa sila molunsad but it didn’t really affect in any way sa atong trapiko sa Sugbo,” she added. The campaign period is scheduled from October 19 to 28. Oplan Baklas Meanwhile, Rafter said they will also be coordinating with Commission on Elections (Comelec) on the dates for the implementation of “Oplan Baklas” here. CCPO will be joining “Oplan Baklas” to especially provide security. “Ang atong PNP, we are just on the security of the team nga mag-conduct og Oplen Baklas puhon,” she said. Police deployment On October 30, Rafter said a total of 947 uniformed police personnel will be deployed to secure the conduct of the BSKE in the 71 polling places here. “Out of the 1,221 nato nga mga personnel, uniformed personnel, there are 947 nga available for deployment,” she said. At least 80 of 947 personnel will be deployed to augment security parts of Cebu province. Rafter said that deployment will be based on the number of voters who are expected to crowd a particular voting area. “Naa tay standard nga number of personnel for each polling places. But we are also preparing because ang atong mad police places diri is dako kaayo og butante,” she said......»»
‘Intel fund requests being abused’
A lawmaker said Monday the grant of confidential and intelligence funds under the national budget has become a trend that several government agencies have abused. Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin on Monday said there has been a noticeable increase in the allocation of confidential and intelligence funds in recent years granted to various agencies unrelated to national security or surveillance. “There are many who have joined the trend and abused it,” Garin said. “If you look at the historical data, the jump started in 2017, when the total confidential fund in 2016 was P720 million. In 2017, it jumped to P2.07 billion and by 2020, it more than doubled to P4.57 billion,” she said. The marathon deliberations on the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget for 2024 had led to intense debates in the House, particularly on the grant of multi-million-peso confidential funds to numerous civilian agencies, including the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education. Last week, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo, the senior vice chair of the House appropriations panel, said that about 10 government agencies, including the OVP and DepEd, which Vice President Sara Duterte both heads, are expected to be affected by the House’s plan to realign the confidential funds to national security agencies. The realignment is being mulled amid China’s persistent assertiveness inside Philippine territory in the West Philippine Sea. Duterte sought P2.395 billion and P758.6 billion for the OVP and DepEd, respectively, in the proposed 2024 budget, including P500 million and P150 million, respectively, in confidential funds. The post ‘Intel fund requests being abused’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Injection attacks: Police to check CCTV around mall to verify alarming posts
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Incidents of alleged “injection attacks” in Cebu City over the past two weeks are now being looked into by the police. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), told reporters that they will be checking the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in areas.....»»
A night for ‘Men Who Matter’
The Bellevue Manila witnessed another iconic night with this year’s celebration of the “Men Who Matter” honorees. PeopleAsia welcomes another roster of extraordinary gentlemen from various fields from entertainment, law, politics, religion, art, business and more. Of course, my thanks to my Daily Tribune bosses who gave me the go-signal to attend this momentous event. After all, they said that we are in the same publishing industry and we should be supporting one another. The inclement weather couldn’t stop us — the rain never bothered us anyway! All guests arrived looking chic in sneaks. The dress code called for cocktail attire paired with their comfy yet stylish sneakers — a first in the history of this event. PeopleAsia sure loves keeping us on our toes with something fresh every year. Of course, I happily take on any dress code! [caption id="attachment_189995" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Photographs by Agile Zamora for the Daily TribuneFrom left: Quezon City Councilor Alfred Vargas, NexGenAsia CEO Fred Hui, Grab Philippines director of deliveries Greg Camacho, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr., actor-director Coco Martin, Metro Pacific Investments Corp. director of government and public relations Atty. Michael Toledo, artist Leeroy New, Volvo Philippines executive marketing director Chris Yu and Sto. Niño de Paz Chapel chaplain Fr. Dave Concepcion, with PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez (center).[/caption] One very memorable outfit belonged to PeopleAsia’s editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez who welcomed us with a speech, who happily wore sneakers — dress code or not — with her fab fuchsia Noel Crisostomo suit dress. [caption id="attachment_190006" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Jose Paolo dela Cruz, Mayenne Carmona and Janette Velasco of People Asia.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190002" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Joy and Joel Rustia.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190004" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Norwegian Consul Frank Johansen and his wife Julie.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_189998" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Best Dressed lady of the night Amelia Ablaza and Dulce Sy.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_189997" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Tina Cuevas[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190003" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Linda Ley, Nympha Javier, Ann and Rene Puno.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_189996" align="aligncenter" width="828"] Suzette Ayson[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190005" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] People Asia's Alex Vergara and BumTenorio[/caption] [caption id="attachment_189999" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Gerry Sy and Jinky Antonio.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190000" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Grace Glory Go and General Consul of Monaco Fortune Ledesma.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_190001" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Showing our sneakers: the author, Jun Jun Ablaza and Czarina Ablaza Syquia in trendy sneakers.[/caption] Of course, the ‘Men Who Matter’ followed suit… in suits and sneakers. These impressive gentlemen are really shaping society through their work in their respective fields. I’ve had the wonderful chance to get a photo op with a few, including the dashing “King of Primetime TV,” Coco Martin! But I have to say that all the honorees were all handsome inside and out, with good looks and their great accomplishments. They really deserve to be in the spotlight. The night wouldn’t be complete without our sumptuous feast, live performances and memories captured. Another PeopleAsia event for the books! Kudos to the team for this unforgettable night. I look forward to your future events… always! Cheers! The post A night for ‘Men Who Matter’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
VP Sara skips OVP, DepEd budget deliberations
Vice President Duterte failed to appear before the House of Representatives on Tuesday to defend the 2024 budget of her office and the Department of Education, which she also heads. Due to a “possible conflict of schedule”, Duterte skipped OVP’s and DepEd’s budget deliberations, prompting the House to move it on Wednesday, along with other agencies. Duterte sought P2.395 billion for OVP and P758.6 billion for DepEd, including P500 million and P150 million in confidential funds, respectively, for 2024. Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin, a member of the majority, told lawmakers that Duterte will not appear in the plenary, following a question by ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. on why the OVP and DepEd budgets have not been addressed on the floor yet. “I just would like to inquire about our schedule for today, because, as written in our schedule for today, after the OP (Office of the President), there should be OVP and Department of Education. So, at this point in time, what is the estimated time that the budget deliberation for the OVP and the DepEd be deliberated today?” asked Castro, one of the opponents and critics of Duterte's confidential funds. Based on the initial schedule, deliberations in the budget of the OP would come first, followed by OVP and DepEd, which did not materialize as planned. “The OVP, as well as Secretary of the Department of Education, conveyed a message to the [House] Committee on Appropriations as well as the [House] Committee on Rules of a possible conflict of schedule,” Garin responded. “As of the moment, the deliberations on the proposed budget of OVP, as well as the DepEd, have been temporarily moved tomorrow, considering we also have other agencies in the pipeline,” she added. OVP spokesperson Reynold Munsayac confirmed to reporters that the budget hearing for the two agencies will be rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The rescheduling of deliberations in the proposed budget of OVP and DepEd came a day after Duterte made headlines that the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds in 2022 in merely 11 days—not 19 days—as initially claimed by some opposition lawmakers. The post VP Sara skips OVP, DepEd budget deliberations appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Solon: OVP ‘fund shift’ constitutional
One of the vice chairpersons of the House Committee on Appropriations on Sunday has joined other members of the panel in clarifying that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s transfer of P125 million to the office of Vice President Sara Duterte was not unconstitutional. Iloilo Representative Janette Garin stressed that the transfer of the Office of the President’s P221.42-million fund to the Office of the Vice President — which included the P125-million confidential fund allegedly spent by in just 19 days, was sourced from Marcos’ contingent fund. “The problem was that there was confusion about contingent funds versus confidential funds. And in my opinion, that was the first mistake because the people were confused because they thought that the used contingent fund of the Office of the Vice President was confidential,” Garin said in a radio interview on Sunday. “What happened here is that the confidential fund was tainted because it was not immediately answered or clarified. Just to be factual, what the Office of the Vice President used was a contingent fund that was included in the special purpose fund,” she added. The lawmaker explained that the special purpose fund is a fund of the President that he can use for current or new programs when a Cabinet official or an office requests it. The issue of the fund transfer first came when the Commission on Audit report revealed that the OVP spent P125 million in confidential funds for 2022. Then-Vice President Leni Robredo, who then prepared the 2022 budget of the OVP, said there was no line item for confidential funds in the budget they crafted. Confidential funds are used for discreet costs associated with surveillance operations carried out by civilian government agencies in support of their mandate or operations. Lawmakers Elizaldy Co and Stella Quimbo, the panel’s chair and the senior vice chair, earlier shed light on the issue, saying the transfer of the funds was allowed in the 2022 General Appropriations Act, despite opposition solons claims that it breached the law since there was no line item in the OVP’s 2022 budget on confidential funds. The Department of Budget and Management likewise defended the legality of such transfer in a letter sent to Co last week, which the latter has yet to provide a copy to the House reporters. Co said that the P125 million released to OVP came from the P7-billion budget set aside as contingent funds for 2022 and “was intended to support the OVP’s Good Governance Engagements and Social Services Projects,” citing DBM chief Amenah Pangandaman. Pangandaman, however, cleared that they did not bypass the House’s power over the purse when it released contingency funds to the OVP. The post Solon: OVP ‘fund shift’ constitutional appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Vape law opens door to cigar options—PMFTC
Recently passed Republic Act 11900 or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act last year opened the door to future science-based innovative products that are better alternatives to cigarettes, according to the top executive of PMFTC Inc. PMFTC president Denis Gorkun said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay, the “young” Vape law is a “win” for public health and affirms the Philippine government’s support for the concept of tobacco harm reduction as a tool to reduce cigarette consumption. PMFTC is the business combination between Philip Morris International and the Lucio Tan Group. The company launched IQOS, the world’s number one heated tobacco, three years ago in the Philippines and has so far switched 75,000 Filipino smokers away from cigarettes. He said that in today’s environment with scientifically proven better alternatives, “doing nothing is just prolonging the life of cigarettes and shortening the lives of people who consume those cigarettes.” Gorkun revealed that PMFTC would launch “very soon” in the Philippines the next level in tobacco innovation called IQOS ILUMA — a device that is more consumer-friendly that uses induction technology to heat instead of burning tobacco. He also said the company would soon launch ZYN — an oral nicotine delivery product that is completely smoke-free. ZYN is the best-selling nicotine pouch in the United States today and is manufactured by recent-PMI acquisition Swedish Match. Gorkun said PMI is working to deliver a smoke-free future with the goal of completely eliminating cigarette consumption. “We will continue to work towards our smoke-free future vision with products that are found by numerous international health authorities to be far better compared to continuing to smoke cigarettes.” “The negative health effects of cigarettes are long established. It is well known that, in the interest of one’s health, never smoking is the best choice. If someone is already smoking, the next best choice is to quit completely,” Gorkun said. “But the fact is that around 1 billion people around the world still smoke, despite being fully aware of the negative health consequences. At the same time as smokers are encouraged to quit, those adults who don’t quit deserve pragmatic and sensible solutions that can help them make a better choice than continuing to smoke cigarettes,” he added. Gorkun said the passage of the Vape law is a big win for public health and the government can make the law work with the setting of product standards and getting information to smokers on how much these products are better than smoking cigarettes. Former member of the House of Representatives and one of the authors of the Vape law, Energy Undersecretary Sharon Garin said the measure received “so much admiration from other countries,” when she spoke at a Global Forum on Nicotine in Warsaw, Poland recently. “We have passed a law that’s quite progressive,” she said. “This law is a little more forward-looking because it included the powers to regulate those who are selling online.” Garin said that having no regulation doesn’t mean that a product is prohibited, “it’s a free-for-all, and you don’t regulate, then anybody can buy” even minors. “You don’t make it cool to the kids. We don’t want non-smokers to pick up the habit of vaporized or electronic cigarettes. What we want is a less harmful alternative for current smokers,” she said. “As a previous representative and author, I do believe that this law was passed at the right time with the right formula. What we want is a less harmful alternative but also at the same time we didn’t want minors to pick it up,” she said. Garin said with the enactment of the Vape law, she is optimistic that “with the coordination between Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Health and including Department of Finance with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, I think we can hopefully see a smoke-free country or even at the minimum we have a healthier and more productive community.” The post Vape law opens door to cigar options—PMFTC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cebu City police: No letup in drug campaign; small, big time drug dealers are targets
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Small and big-time drug dealers have always been the targets of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) in its continuing campaign against illegal drugs. Police Lieutenant Colonel Janette Rafter, deputy director for operations of CCPO, said that these were part of their continued measures and operations to combat the drug problem […] The post Cebu City police: No letup in drug campaign; small, big time drug dealers are targets appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»