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FACT CHECK: No Supreme Court subpoena issued to Marcos
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Ailla Dela Cruz
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09/07/2024 16:30
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Claim: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a subpoena to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Why we fact-checked this: The video containing the claim has garnered 10,398 views, 654 likes, and 59 comments as of writing. It was posted on July 3 by the channel “BANGON PINAS,” which has 82,900 subscribers. Other videos with similar claims have also been circulating on YouTube.
The video’s title reads: “Hala! PBBM binigyan na ng subpoena ng Korte Suprema?! Katiwalian ng mag-asawang Marcos, bistado na?!”
(PBBM given a subpoena by the Supreme Court?! Corruption of the Marcoses, exposed?!)
The facts: No official sources corroborate the claim that a subpoena has been issued to Marcos. Furthermore, a sitting president enjoys immunity from suit.
While not explicitly stated in the 1987 Constitution, this presidential immunity is known in legal scholarship as a “judge-made” law, as seen in the Supreme Court’s decisions in David v. Arroyo and De Lima v. Duterte. However, once their term ends, former presidents no longer enjoy this immunity. (READ: No longer immune from suit, Duterte faces criminal complaint from Castro)
“Settled is the doctrine that the president, during his tenure of office or actual incumbency, may not be sued in any civil or criminal case, and there is no need to provide for it in the Constitution or law,” the High Court said in David v. Arroyo.
Similarly in De Lima v. Duterte, the SC said: “The concept of presidential immunity is not explicitly spelled out in the 1987 Constitution. However, the Court has affirmed that there is no need to expressly provide for it either in the Constitution or in law.”
In his separate concurring opinion, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen pointed out that “petitions for a writ of amparo or habeas data may still be filed against his or her official acts, as long as the executive secretary, or the relevant officers, are named as party respondents.”
How a subpoena is issued: According to Section 1, Rule 21 of the Rules of Court, a subpoena is a “process directed to a person requiring him or her to attend and to testify at the hearing or the trial of an action, or at any investigation conducted by competent authority, or for the taking of his or her deposition.”
SC justices are among those who can issue a subpoena. Contrary to the claim, however, the SC has not issued any subpoenas to Marcos.
PDEA leaks: The video provides no evidence for its claim, merely featuring commentary from a vlogger to imply that the supposed subpoena is related to the so-called Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) document leaks allegedly linking Marcos to illegal drug activities.
While the President’s involvement has not been established during a series of hearings conducted by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, committee chair Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa is convinced the leaked documents are authentic.
Senate President Chiz Escudero said Dela Rosa is free to continue the probe, but the investigation hit several roadblocks with two of its resource persons cited in contempt for lying.
Previous fact checks: Rappler has previously debunked false claims about subpoenas and other court orders:
– Shay Du/Rappler.com
Shay Du is a Rappler intern. She is an incoming fourth-year mass communication student at Silliman University. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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RESULTS: June 2024 Radiologic Technologists and X-Ray Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examinations
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lfangeles0309
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09/07/2024 18:05
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 3 out of 41 passed the Radiologic Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination, and no one passed out of the 10 examinees in the X-Ray Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Radiologic Technology in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Ahmadi, Kuwait; Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; and Manama, Bahrain last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Radiologic Technology who gave the licensure examinations are Hon. Reynaldo Apolonio S. Tisado, Chairman; Hon. Orestes P. Monzon, Hon. Bayani C. San Juan, Hon. Ma. Jesette B. Canales and Hon. Roland P. Conanan, Members.
Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.
Check the performance of schools here:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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LIST: July 2024 special non-working days in PH provinces, cities, towns
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Miriam Grace Go
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28/06/2024 17:03
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Clockwise, from center: Cordillera Unity Gong (Abra official website); Kaliga Festival street dance (Gingoog City Tourism Office FB); Padigosan Festival of Digos, Davao del Sur (Padigosan Festival FB); Sinulog sa Tanjay Festival (Visit Negros Oriental FB); image of Señor Santiago Apostol (Naturales na Santiago Inc. FB)
MANILA, Philippines – This is a compilation of special non-working days in various localities in the Philippines for July 2024, as proclaimed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Bookmark this page for possible additional announcements from Malacañang. – Rappler.com
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Negros Occidental museum hires private sleuth to find stolen Amorsolo painting
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 16:31
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CRIME SCENE. The Hofileña Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, where the 1936 Fernando Amorsolo painting 'Mango Harvesters' was stolen on July 3.
Hofileña Museum
BACOLOD, Philippines – The family running the Hofileña Museum in Silay City, Negros Occidental, has hired a private detective to help them find a stolen painting by the late national artist Fernando Amorsolo.
A member of the family, Reñe Hofileña, confirmed to Rappler on Tuesday, July 9, that they contracted the services of a Manila-based detective to locate the 1936 Amorsolo art piece, “Mango Harvesters.”
It was Hofileña’s late brother Ramon who acquired the painting, which was stolen from the private museum on Cinco de Noviembre Street in Silay on July 3.
Lieutenant Colonel Mark Anthony Darroca, Silay police chief, was taken aback when he learned about the move of the Hofileña family, but said the local police respected their decision.
Darroca said the Silay police would still do their work to find the stolen Amorsolo painting and bring it back to the Hofileñas.
He said they were waiting for some members of the family to meet with the police for a case conference.
Police have identified two suspects, a man and a woman, and are building a theft case against them.
The art theft brought together local officials of Silay and Negros Occidental, law enforcement groups in Western Visayas, and the Bacolod art community with one goal: to find the stolen 1936 Amorsolo painting.
Colonel Rainerio de Chavez, director of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), told Rappler on Monday, July 8, that Brigadier General Jack Wanky, police director in Western Visayas, gave specific instructions to expedite the painting’s recovery.
De Chavez said investigators from the Silay police identified one of the suspects based on CCTV footage from the museum.
“He is a Cebuano-speaking individual temporarily residing in Bacolod,” said De Chavez.
The investigation revealed that the suspects posed as tourists on July 3 and stole the 12×18-inch Amorsolo painting while blending in with other visitors.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson asked De Chavez to use all legal means necessary to arrest the suspects and recover the painting.
Silay Mayor Joedith Gallego also offered a P25,000 reward for the immediate arrest of the suspects.
Retired city tourism officer Ver Pacete said the Amorsolo stolen painting holds significant value for its late owner, Ramon Hofiĺeña, known as the “father of heritage conservation” in Silay City.
“Not all Silaynons or Negrenses have had the privilege of owning such an Amorsolo painting, making Silay fortunate to have had Ramon Hofiĺeña and his invaluable art collection,” Pacete said.
Pacete said the stolen painting is worth millions of pesos.
The Arts Association of Bacolod (AAB) has also issued a statement, appealing to the public for assistance in locating the precious Amorsolo painting. – Rappler.com
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Old Davao rivalry resurfaces as Duterte, Nograles kids face off over DSWD funds
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 15:35
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WORD WAR. Davao 1st District Representative Polong Duterte and PBA party list Representative Migs Nograles engage in a war of words over DSWD funds.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Reminiscent of the more than two decades of bitter political rivalry between their fathers, Representatives Paolo “Polong” Duterte of Davao’s 1st District and Margarita “Migs” Nograles of the party list Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) have engaged in a word war sparked by a dispute over social welfare funds.
Duterte announced that his office’s medical assistance program in Davao City has been suspended because the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) allegedly stopped funding its services in favor of Nograles’ group.
Outside Duterte’s office in Davao, a notice was posted informing the public about the suspension of medical assistance for private hospitals, allegedly due to the lack of DSWD funds.
On her Facebook page, Nograles responded by cautioning against misinformation and black propaganda, saying that the DSWD continues to fund her office’s medical assistance program. She said that if the DSWD had no funds, the PBA wouldn’t be able to provide continuous support to those in need.
Nograles said PBA’s programs, including its barangay caravans in Davao, continue to offer services despite claims about DSWD funding issues.
She also alleged that there were barangays in Davao where her group was barred from entering by village officials.
Nograles took to social media to respond to her critics. She posted on Monday, July 8: “At bago pa man ako i-attack ng trolls dito with more fake news…. Itanong niyo sa barangay officials ninyo bakit bawal gamitin ng PBA ang area para sa caravan, bakit bawal kami magbaba at maghatid ng serbisyo, at bakit bawal kami magbigay ng services sa constituents niyo? Kung hindi niyo pa kami nakikita diyan, yan ay dahil pinagbawalan po kami pumasok ng barangay officials.”
(Before I get attacked by trolls here with more fake news…. Ask your barangay officials why PBA is not allowed to use the area for the caravan, why we can’t unload and provide services, and why we can’t offer assistance to your constituents. If you haven’t seen us there yet, it’s because we were prohibited by barangay officials from entering.)
Duterte denied that the information from him was black propaganda or fake news.
He alleged that the DSWD stopped providing funds to his programs, and that these were being used for political purposes, in favor of the PBA party list.
“There is no black propaganda in that, Madam Congresswoman. You all know the current situation; this is not fake news! You can verify it in the DSWD records themselves. It’s clear now that there has been an exaggeration. It’s clear now that money meant for the people is being used for politics. This is detrimental to our fellowmen,” read part of Duterte’s statement on Tuesday, July 9.
Duterte added, “I just ask that if we are to help, let’s just help. Don’t politicize this because it’s hard on the people, and the election is still far off. I also never forget, Madam Congresswoman, that you were victorious during my father’s time, despite everything that happened back then. Again, I ask that we simply do our job for the people.”
The verbal skirmish between the Duterte and Nograles children evoked echoes of a bitter feud which started in the 1990s between their respective political dynasties.
Speculation is rife that Nograles is considering a bid for the mayorship of Davao, currently held by Duterte’s younger brother Sebastian, who is eligible for reelection. Nograles has repeatedly denied any intention of challenging the Duterte family’s leadership in Davao.
The politicians’ fathers, former president Rodrigo Duterte and the late former speaker Prospero Nograles, had been bitter political rivals in Davao for at least 24 years until the latter supported Duterte’s successful presidential campaign in 2016.
The rivalry began when Prospero made an unsuccessful bid for Davao’s mayoral post against the future president in 1992, a challenge he repeated in 1998 against Duterte’s mayoral bet and vice mayor, Benjamin de Guzman.
After serving as the leader of the House of Representatives for two years during the Arroyo administration, Prospero ran again for mayor in 2010, this time against the now Vice President Sara Duterte, and suffered the same fate.
When they reconciled, the late speaker’s son, Karlo Alexei, became the Cabinet secretary during the Duterte administration and continued serving as chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. After the 2022 elections, relations between the Marcos and Duterte families slowly turned sour.
The ongoing clash between the Duterte and Nograles children has rekindled a deep-seated rivalry between their political families, and as allegations and counterclaims continue, the political tension in Davao shows no signs of abating. – Rappler.com
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Now You Know PH
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joynyk
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09/07/2024 14:53
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Iloilo City has captivated many with its old world charms coexisting with a vibrant modern social and business life. Significantly, IC’s progressive mayor Jerry P. Treñas has highlighted its identity as #TheCityThatReads. Since the American Colonial Period, Iloilo has been the center of tertiary education in the Western Visayas. This millennium, more Manila-based colleges and universities such as De la Salle and UST are set to branch out here. Championing reading is the Ilonggo’s own way of pushing back against the tragedy that overall Filipinos rank lowest in terms of reading comprehension, and in international tests of academic achievements. Most LGU public libraries lack both books and readers. Walking the talk, during Treñas’s term, sophisticated and polished publications such as Chef Tibong Jardeleza’s Flavors of Iloilo and the Iloilo Art Book have seen print and been widely disseminated as worthy homages to Iloilo’s culinary and visual arts excellence.
Historically, Iloilo has always had a vibrant intellectual life as evidenced by its witty komposo and sarsuela traditions. Graciano Lopez Jaena of Jaro, founder of the Propaganda Movement and the first editor of la Solidaridad, was a respected public intellectual in 19th century Europe. As a little girl, the Ilongga novelist and playwright Magdalena Jalandoni began writing in Hiligaynon at the cusp of the 20th century, and continued to be productive for the next eight decades or so. The lawyer-journalist and social realist novelist Ramon Muzones was posthumously awarded National Artist for Literature in 2018.
The first half of 2024 saw a burgeoning of things literary and cultural, in keeping with Iloilo’s journey towards a wholistic human approach to development, i.e., one which considers not merely the business-economics side, but also the humanist—music and the performing arts (the Philippine Philharmonic and Ballet Philippines, visiting tenors and solo musicians) and even more galleries and museums. The return of Cinema Rehiyon 16 last March to the UP Visayas Exmundo theater with its unifying theme of “Patubas sang taliambong, Banwa nga mahamungayaon” (rough translation: “celebrating the nationwide community of cinematic creatives) affirms Iloilo’s place at the heart of national arts and culture. Film is a medium which melds the literary (scriptwriting), the visual, theater, music as well as design and technological elements. Many classics of Philippine literature have been adapted for the screen.
April as Buwan ng Panitikan or National Literature Month was a milestone for Iloilo City’s identity as #TheCityThatReads. The opening of the 7th Iloilo Mega Book Fair with the theme of “Our Shared Narratives: Embracing Indigenous Voices” coincided with the first “Leoncio P. Deriada Conference on Literature and Cultural Work” held by Hubon Manunulat: West Visayan Writers. Prof. Deriada affectionately known as “Tito Leo” by his many mentees, was a multi-lingual writer and professor emeritus of creative writing and literature at the University of the Philippines in the Visayas. This book fair formally launched the “Flavors of Iloilo” by Chef Tibong Jardeleza, which had been awarded the CNN top food book of the year, and “Benjamin,” the first-ever Hiligaynon novel written by Angel M. Magahum in 1907, translated into Filipino by Dr. John E. Barrios and Fennie Mae T. Tanangonan. As with its older more experienced Metro-Manila/NCR precursor, BLTX (Better Living Through Xerography) and KOMIKET the 7th Iloilo Mega Book Fair had a wealth of self-published zines by young Ilonggo writers such as Domingo M. Aguillon III, Liane Carlo R. Suelan, Jillian Lei V. Belaro, Mati Carmel F. Villanueva, K.H. Francisco, Francis Ann C. Savar, Gleeza Grace P. Carisma, and Blessiel Anne G. Viejo. In keeping with the Pinoy aesthetic of smallness (see the great Nick Joaquin’s essay “A Heritage of Smallness,”) the festival was also replete with paper and vinyl stickers, which might be the most miniscule form of artwork one can own.
After all the excitement of the past year has settled down, one discovers a bedrock reason for Iloilo’s being #TheCityThatReads: the Iloilo Book Club which meets once a month at the warmly welcoming Book Latte Café, Library and Art Space at the Mega World Festive Walk. But before the Book Club, there was Books4Books, a pandemic era Facebook Group created by West Visayas University Professor of Language and Literature Michael Caesar Tubal as a platform for Ilonggo readers to swap books. This was in response to the arts curator and writer Allyn Canja’s of Thrive Art Projects tweet (Michael remembers the date as May 18, 2020) of how she hoped for just such a page. Michael, Allyn and their artist friend Marvin Monfort managed the Books4Books FB Page.
Yuri Alejandria, an HR practitioner who acts as the Book Club’s president recalls: “That’s how we all – strangely – met each other: online, in the middle of a pandemic, talking about our shared passion for books. We then started doing virtual book club discussions over Zoom or Google Meet. This went on for more than two years I think (2020 to early 2023).”
As pandemic restrictions eased, they naturally gravitated towards the Book Latte which had become the drop-off for the book barter, and later for face to face meetings. “Nothing beats F2F, when we resolved to read our pile of TBRs,” the café owner Tin Estorque laughingly declares. “Iloilo Book Club attendees also call themselves “members of Whine & Mine Book Club” as somebody gets to bring the wine to mask our whines.” There’s no corkage charge, of course.
During the meeting I attended, the books presented were an eclectic mix. A soon-to-be psychometrician introduced us to the intriguing intricacies of the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Classics like Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina and Nabokov’s Lolita were shared with the freshness of new discovery. The League of Lady Poisoners was a self-possessed government employee’s picaresque choice. The lively sharing was enthusiastic and unaffected. It was a true reminder of why authors write and why readers read in the first place: for love of the word.
#IloiloCity #TheCityThatReads
_________________
Menchu Aquino Sarmiento is an award-winning writer and a social concerns advocate. IRL (Iloilo Represents Life) are short verbal pagmumuni-muni, the essay equivalent of fast fiction–but in real life. She really wants more Filipinos to care, and to do something legal and non-violent about it, preferably together, so that we act more like a civilized country, a mature democracy.
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Alice Guo’s fugitive business partner had 5 passports, and COVID travel pass
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Joann Manabat - CMS
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09/07/2024 14:29
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PASSPORTS. Authorities find two passports inside the room of Huang Zhiyang during the breaking of the vaults on July 8, 2024.
Joann Manabat/Rappler
PAMPANGA, Philippines – Huang Zhiyang, a fugitive from China and the business partner of suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo, had five passports while he was in the Philippines, and could move around during the pandemic lockdown because of a travel pass issued by the former Bamban mayor.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story referred to Huang Zhiyang as a fugitive running from Singapore’s money laundering case. This has been corrected.
These documents were among some potential evidence found in the vaults seized by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) when they raided villas in Fontana in Clark, Pampanga last June 27. The purpose of the Fontana raid was to find persons of interest who are yet to be tracked down. The vaults were opened on Monday, July 8, after operatives secured an order from Judge Hermenegildo Dumlao II of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Third Judicial Region in Malolos, Bulacan Branch 81.
Huang was Guo’s co-incorporator when they put up Baofu in 2019. Baofu is a real estate firm that later leased its compound to the Hongsheng/Zun Yuan POGO, raided for its alleged criminal activities like human trafficking and torture. Huang remains treasurer of Baofu with 14% shares.
Among the documents found in the Fontana vaults were Huang’s two Taiwan passports, which will undergo verification with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, according to PAOCC chief Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz who supervised the opening of the vaults. Overall, PAOCC is in possession of five different passports under Huang’s name. He has Taiwanese, Chinese and Cyprus passports, Rappler has learned.
Huang is also wanted in China, according to Senator Risa Hontiveros, who earlier told media that the Chinese embassy in Manila has also expressed its intent to take jurisdiction of Huang to face his charges there.
The POGO problem is compounded by the transnational character of the crimes and the persons involved. It’s a jurisdictional nightmare for law enforcement of all countries that have a stake. At least for Guo, who is being investigated now for qualified trafficking, the Philippine government has said it would insist to have the suspended mayor here to face the complaints, or potential trial, before she can be deported in the event it’s proven she’s not a Filipino.
Editor’s Note: We earlier reported that Huang is also wanted in Singapore. This has been corrected.
Why Huang was able to travel to the Philippines despite him being wanted in China is something for the Bureau of Immigration (BI) to answer. The BI is currently intercepting flights of POGO suspects. Despite the lack of a hold departure order, their violations of their visa status is sufficient basis for the BI to hold them temporarily.
Another document found in the Fontana vaults is a travel pass issued to Huang and his driver in August 2020, during a strict pandemic lockdown when all travels had to be sanctioned by local government. The travel pass to Huang was signed by former Bamban mayor Jose Antonio Feliciano. Feliciano later endorsed Guo in the latter’s 2022 mayoral elections.
“Number one is yung question na binanggit nung Senate hearing ni Senator (Sherwin) Gatchalian about paano itinayo yung Bamban POGO hub. Yung mga structures don despite nung pandemic. Ito palang dating mayor eh nag issue ng travel pass. I think kailangan imbestigahan bakit nag issue siya ng travel pass sa mga taong pinaghihinalaan natin na nagpapatakbo ng illegal POGO hub,” Cruz said.
(Firstly, the question raised by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian during the Senate hearing about how the Bamban POGO hub came about, the structures there despite the pandemic. This former mayor issued travel passes. I think we need to investigate why he issued a travel pass to these people who we suspect were running the illegal POGO hub.)
Cruz said they also found some structural and engineering plans in the vaults.
“Sa amin kasi importante yung mga, unang una kung paano itinayo. May mga nakita rin tayong engineering plans, structural plans na sasagot doon sa mga tanong na yun,” Cruz added.
(To us, what’s important is, firstly, how it was built. We saw engineering plans, structural plans that would answer those questions.)
Present during the opening of the vaults on Monday were representatives from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, PAOCC, the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), and officials from Clark Development Corporation (CDC).
The CDC had locked down Fontana in May 2020 following a raid on a villa illegally operating as a makeshift hospital for Chinese patients.
Cruz also revealed that casino VIP cards of Huang and Huang Suchuan were among the items found, which he said raise suspicions on potential money-laundering schemes via legitimate casinos.
“As to the casino cards na na-recover, we will check dun sa mga legal casinos kasi VIP cards yung mga nakita natin eh. So pwede natin tanungin kung bakit meron siyang ganun, madalas ba siyang naglalaro, ano yung intention niya sa mga casino, baka ginagamit niya for money laundering,” Cruz said.
(As to the casino cards that we recovered, we will check with these legal casinos since these are VIP cards. So we can ask why he [Huang] has those VIP cards, how often he plays, and his intention at the casinos because he might be using that for money laundering.)
Authorities also seized bank statements and passbooks that indicated national and international transactions. Cruz said links to the bank transactions and multiple business fronts could further implicate Huang and Guo.
All villas involved in the operation will undergo a comprehensive inventory of seized items before being locked. It remains to be business as usual, however, in Fontana.
– Rappler.com
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Russian corvette conducts drills with Chinese warships in Philippine Sea, TASS reports
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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09/07/2024 14:03
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A Russian Sovershennyi corvette and Chinese warships conducted training exercises while patrolling in the Philippine Sea, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported, citing the Russian Pacific Fleet press services.
“The Pacific Fleet Sovershennyi corvette, together with a detachment of PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy warships… conducted training to inspect a suspicious vessel during a joint naval patrol in the Philippine Sea,” TASS cited the press service as saying.
“During the episode of inspecting a suspicious vessel, Russian and Chinese naval sailors worked out an algorithm for joint actions.”
No details were given on the origin of the “suspicious vessel.”
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it had “received reports of a bilateral China-Russia exercise in the Philippine Sea. What they do in the high seas is being monitored.”
The statement said the AFP was “committed to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure PH sovereign rights are not violated.”
“We emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and urge all parties to adhere to international laws and norms,” the AFP added. – with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com
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House panel asks Philhealth for status report on data leak that affected 42 million
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Mia Gonzalez
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09/07/2024 9:48
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MANILA, Philippines – The House appropriations committee has ordered the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (Philhealth) to submit a status report on the data leak after some of the agency’s workstations were hacked in September last year.
Lawmakers earlier learned at least 42 million Filipinos were exposed by the breach. During a hearing of the House panel on Monday, July 8, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) bared that the hacking incident in September 2023 affected records of senior citizens, rebel returnees, and indigent Filipinos.
“There were 181 million records that were dumped [by the hackers] and we have downloaded them but there were duplicate records…as of now we’re cleaning 42 million records,” NPC Director IV Maria Theresita Patula told the panel.
Some of the state insurer’s laptops were hacked on September 22, 2023. Philhealth’s antivirus software expired around April 15 to May 15, 2023, and procurement for a new subscription was apparently delayed.
The hackers, which used Medusa ransomware, conducted a global attack and were not targeting a specific sector.
Hackers initially asked the Philippine government for ransom amounting to $300,000 (around P17 million), but the government refused to pay. They started publishing the breached data on October 3.
These included patient medical records, billing file with member records, Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (PAMANA) program documents, indigent billing records, and details of those killed in action or through police operation.
While the NPC put up a search portal to help Philhealth members identify whether their data had been leaked, Patula said that Philhealth still had the responsibility to notify its members within 72 hours after the data breach.
Philheath should have also briefed its members on:
The state insurer said they tried to inform their members.
“We implemented measures to inform the data subjects affected,” Philhealth Executive Vice President Eli Santos told the panel. “We complied with the rules of the Data Privacy Act.”
However, when lawmakers pressed for more information, Santos admitted he was not privy to how the agency was reaching out to affected members as it was the Information Security Office of Philhealth that was in charge.
The House panel gave Philhealth until Wednesday, July 10, to submit a status report and until Friday, July 12, to inform lawmakers about their plans moving forward. – Rappler.com
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Landmark PH-US civil nuclear deal enters into force
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Iya Gozum
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09/07/2024 11:48
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SEALED DEAL. Philippine Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hold up the 123 Agreement that they had just signed in San Francisco, California, on November 17, 2023.
MANILA, Philippines – A landmark civil nuclear cooperation agreement between the Philippines and United States, which will the allow the US to export here nuclear material, equipment, and components entered into force last July 2.
The US State Department announced on its website on Monday, July 8, the start of the enforcement Manila and Washington’s Agreement for Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy or the 123 Agreement.
The 123 Agreement legally binds the Philippines to US standards on nuclear nonproliferation, which include the observance of International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards and prohibitions on enriching, reprocessing of facilities and transfer of materials without US consent.
The term 123 Agreement is derived from “Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act (which) generally requires the conclusion of a peaceful nuclear cooperation agreement for significant transfers of nuclear material or equipment from the United States.” The US Energy Department website says: “As of December 6, 2022, the United States has 23 such agreements in force that govern peaceful nuclear cooperation with 47 countries.”
US Department of State announcement Tuesday said the issue of energy security requires “deliberate collaborative efforts” between the two countries. The framework will also permit the transfer of information on nuclear science.
“Nuclear energy can help achieve these vital global climate change and energy security targets, and we look forward to exploring new avenues of cooperation with the Philippines in civil nuclear energy and other clean energy initiatives,” the statement read.
Manila and Washington signed their 123 Agreement last November 2023 after a year of negotiations.
This comes as the Philippines follows the global trend of shifting to clean and renewable energy sources from fossil fuels, in compliance with the target of limiting warming to 1.5C.
“A full-fledged nuclear cooperation partnership can lead to political and economic ties lasting as long as 100 years and can be the catalyst for cooperation on other foreign policy issues,” the US Department of State said in a 2022 briefer.
Aside from the nuclear agreement, the Philippines is exploring the feasibility of micro modular nuclear reactors in the country. These could generate 3.5 to 15 megawatts electric, according to US-based Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation.
The pursuit for nuclear energy has drawn criticisms from concerned civil society and environmental organizations.
While nuclear is a source of low-carbon electricity, nuclear fuel like uranium has to be extracted from the ground and is not renewable. – Rappler.com
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Philippines rejects China’s accusation of environmental damage in South China Sea
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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09/07/2024 9:32
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AGROUND. An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, March 9, 2023.
Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines rejected on Tuesday, July 9, China’s accusation that its grounded warship on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea had damaged the coral reef ecosystem in the area, laying the blame for damaging the marine environment on Beijing.
The Philippine task force on the South China Sea in a statement called for an independent, third party marine scientific assessment of the causes of coral reef damage in the South China Sea.
“It is China who has been found to have caused irreparable damage to corals. It is China that has caused untold damage to the maritime environment, and jeopardized the natural habitat and the livelihood of thousands of Filipino fisherfolk,” the task force said.
On Monday, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a report that Philippine warships have been “illegally beached” around Second Thomas Shoal near what it calls Nansha Islands for a long time, “and it has seriously damaged the diversity, stability and sustainability of the reef ecosystem”.
The Philippines and Beijing have been embroiled in confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal where Manila maintains a rusting warship, BRP Sierra Madre, that it beached in 1999 to reinforce maritime claims. A small crew is stationed on it.
China has in turn dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands in the South China Sea, which it says is normal construction activity on its territory, but which other nations say is aimed at enforcing its claim to the waterway.
A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year found China’s construction activity buried more than 4,600 acres (1,861 acres) of reef.
China claims almost all of the vital waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
But The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 found China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis. Beijing does not accept the ruling.
The Philippine task-force, which warned of attempts by “Chinese experts” to sow disinformation and conduct malign influence, said it has evidence that China has been responsible for “severe damage to corals” in several areas in the South China Sea, including in Scarborough Shoal and Sabina Shoal.
Last year, the Philippines said it was exploring legal options against China, accusing it of destruction of coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, an allegation rejected by Beijing as an attempt to “create political drama.” – Rappler.com
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Concerns rise as chlorine levels spike in Negros Occidental river
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 10:53
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WORRIED. Fishermen Jovy and Jerry Monteroya express concern over the water quality of the Ilog-Hilabangan river, which poses threat to their livelihood in a town in Negros Occidental.
Reymund Titong/Rappler
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Kabankalan City has confirmed high levels of chlorine in a section of the Ilog-Hilabangan River in Sitio Malabong, Barangay 2, Ilog town, Negros Occidental.
The confirmation made on July 5 has raised concerns about the potential impact on the livelihoods of families dependent on fishing in the town.
The Ilog-Hilabangan River serves as the catch basin for waters from the mountain ranges of Candoni town and parts of Negros Oriental, flowing through Kabankalan City and down to Ilog town.
According to Lucia Salazar, CENRO supervising ecosystem management specialist in Kabankalan City, said results of the water test conducted by the Bacolod-based Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory showed that most parameters were within normal values, except for chloride, which showed abnormal levels.
The CENRO said the results showed that the water’s potential of hydrogen (pH) level was 6.91, nitrate was 0.437 milligrams per liter (mg/L), ammonia was 0.660 mg/L, phosphate was 0.144 mg/L, total hardness was 380.38 mg/L, and chloride was 620 mg/L.
Salazar said, “The level of chloride present in the water was higher than the standard value of 250 mg/L set by the DENR for type C classification of bodies of water like the Ilog-Hilabangan River.”
Biologist and environmental advocate Pierre Gabriel San Jose said excessive chlorine levels in the water could lead to the death of fish due to respiratory problems and suffocation.
Nicanor Lopez, the village’s chairman, told Rappler on Friday that at least 40 fishing-dependent families were worried about them losing their source of income especially after two recent fish kills. The first incident was recorded on June 9, followed by another one on July 1.
Lopez said the fish kills impacted the villagers living near the riverbank, as their livelihoods depend on it.
Jovy Monteroyo, speaking on behalf of the fishermen, said they were still able to catch plenty of fish in the river before the recent fish kills.
Alarmed, Lopez said he collected water samples on June 10 and sent them to a laboratory for analysis of the river’s water quality.
Salazar said she suspected the fish kills may have been due to the heavy chlorine use in water treatment facilities and the potential use of banned chemicals in fishponds near the river.
Lopez, however, said fishponds near the river do not normally use harmful chemicals, knowing that doing so endangers aquatic life in the river.
Salazar said the CENRO would closely work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to identify the root of the problem and address it.
Before the June 9 fish kill, many residents in Kabankalan, a city near Ilog, complained about the foul odor of the water and air from the Ilog-Hilabangan River. – Rappler.com
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Russian corvette conducts drills with Chinese warships in Philippine Sea, TASS reports
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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09/07/2024 14:03
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A Russian Sovershennyi corvette and Chinese warships conducted training exercises while patrolling in the Philippine Sea, Russia’s TASS state news agency reported, citing the Russian Pacific Fleet press services.
“The Pacific Fleet Sovershennyi corvette, together with a detachment of PLA (People’s Liberation Army) Navy warships… conducted training to inspect a suspicious vessel during a joint naval patrol in the Philippine Sea,” TASS cited the press service as saying.
“During the episode of inspecting a suspicious vessel, Russian and Chinese naval sailors worked out an algorithm for joint actions.”
No details were given on the origin of the “suspicious vessel.”
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it had “received reports of a bilateral China-Russia exercise in the Philippine Sea. What they do in the high seas is being monitored.”
The statement said the AFP was “committed to ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. We will continue to monitor this situation to ensure PH sovereign rights are not violated.”
“We emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and urge all parties to adhere to international laws and norms,” the AFP added. – with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com
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View from Manila: What the Philippines gets out of an RAA with Japan
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Bea Cupin
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09/07/2024 11:34
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The Philippines and Japan sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement in Malacañang on Monday, July 8.
Photo from Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippines – Five days before the anniversary of the 2016 Arbitral Ruling, Manila and Tokyo signed on Monday, July 8, an agreement that paves the way for joint exercises and activities and makes it easier for the two militaries to work together.
Foreign and defense ministers of the Philippines and Japan, in Manila for the second 2+2 bilateral ministerial meeting, used a range of superlatives to describe the landmark Reciprocal Access Agreement.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the agreement “brings our defense partnership to an unprecedented height.” Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said it would “put flesh into our already strong and robust bilateral relations.”
Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Kamikawa Yoko said the RAA would be the basis to advance bilateral collaboration, and strengthen capability-building. Japan Defense Minister Kihara Minoru said it was a “groundbreaking” deal that would “enhance cooperation” between the Japan Self-Defense Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
They’re not exaggerating. The RAA, after all, was negotiated in record time.
It took five years for Japan to negotiate its RAA with the United Kingdom. The RAA with Australia (with whom the Philippines has a Status of Visiting Forces Agreement with) took seven years.
The RAA with Manila? It took all of eight months – from formal negotiations in November 2023 until line-by-line readings on June 11. A month later, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was host and witness to the document’s signing in Malacañang Palace.
Manalo was quick to praise the “hard work and dedication of our competent negotiators” in the closing press conference to cap off the RAA signing, separate defense and foreign affairs bilateral meetings, and the 2+2 meeting at a posh hotel in Taguig City.
The Philippine foreign secretary offered the media a glimpse of the hard word that went into crafting the 31 pages of the agreement. “Not only did they meet to discuss this or to negotiate the agreement face to face, they also had late night meetings. They also negotiated by Zoom,” he added.
It helped that two other RAAs preceded it, of course. But Manalo honed in on a “basic agreement” – that for both Manila and Tokyo, the RAA was important.
“At the strategic level, both Japan and the Philippines recognize the importance of this agreement. So I think that was a basic understanding from the very beginning, so that also helped facilitate the negotiations,” he added.
Philippine government sources earlier told Rappler that Tokyo wanted the RAA more than Manila. But the urgency (and eagerness) from both sides was palpable.
Defense and security officials in the Philippines had been expecting to sign the agreement in the third quarter of 2024 (which would have meant less than six months of negotiations). The signing date was eventually pushed by a quarter, apparently over touchy provisions. Manalo called them “difficult issues” that were eventually ironed out “due to the skill of our negotiators.”
“[They] were able to come up with some very useful compromises both in language and also in the substance of the text. So they were able to handle the difficult questions,” Manalo added.
What’s the basic understanding that pushed both countries? Instability in different regions across the globe, and China’s growing aggression in our own Indo-Pacific.
“Amidst the background of the geopolitical situation in this and other regions, which has put the stability and predictability of the rules-based international order under stress, we discussed global and regional issues of common concern,” said Manalo of the 2+2 meeting.
During the joint bilateral meeting, the Philippines and Japan discussed, among other things, issues related to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and nuclear disarmament.
Just two weeks prior, the world witnessed the worst escalation of tensions in the West Philippine Sea, when China Coast Guard personnel towed, boarded, and destroyed Philippine Navy equipment during a Philippine resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal. Japan’s ministers either alluded to or made explicit mention of China’s aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea during the July 8 briefing.
“If the Philippines and Japan – and other partners – are going to collectively deter China, it needs enablers to sustain it, hence the RAA,” Joshua Espeña, vice president of the International Development and Security Cooperation and a lecturer at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, told Rappler.
Espeña explained that Japan knows it needs like-minded countries to possibly “sustain littoral operations of the defense of its Southwestern islands like Okinawa down to Taiwan and Luzon Straits to the West Philippine Sea belt area.”
It’s a win for the Philippines, too, as it finalizes and tries to operationalize its Comprehensive Archipelagic Defense Concept and shifts focus to external defense.
Already – and as expected – China did not react too warmly to the signing of the RAA. Its foreign minister spokesperson Lin Jian said in a press conference on July 8 that the “Asia-Pacific region does not need any military bloc, still less groupings that incite bloc confrontation or a new Cold War.”
“Japan bears serious historical responsibilities for its aggression and colonial rule over the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries during WWII. Japan needs to reflect on that part of history and act prudently in fields related to military and security,” Lin Jian added.
Lin is right about the painful history of the Japanese occupation in the Philippines. Both Manila and Tokyo have yet to offer the deserved reparations to World War II comfort women in the Philippines, for instance.
But he (deliberately, perhaps) skipped the sustained strong bilateral ties between the Philippines and Japan through the years amid swings in Philippine politics. Tokyo has proven to be a consistent and reliable part for Manila – be it in upgrading security and defense capabilities, working on peace in the Bangsamoro, or the economy.
The Philippine Coast Guard’s newest vessels were acquired from and through Japan, the Philippine military’s newest mobile air surveillance radar system are from Japan, and Manila is the first ever recipient of its Official Development Assistance.
“Manila finds Tokyo’s consistency as a political capital not just to accept they are no longer the demons of the days of the Second World War, but possibly as a guardian angel of today’s Indo-Pacific,” said Espeña.
The 2+2 meeting wasn’t just about defense and security, of course.
Manalo, without going into specifics, said the two countries “agreed to further deepen economic cooperation and enhance our ability to react to unexpected economic developments.” Japan is the Philippines’ second-largest trading partner next to China.
At the press briefing on July 8, shortly before a unique four-way handshake, the four ministers were bombarded with questions about the next step for bilateral relations: Would a Mutual Defense Treaty-like agreement be in the works? How about an agreement similar to the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a deal with the US that allows the prepositioning of assets and troops in Philippine military bases?
“I think that will all depend on how circumstances develop,” said Manalo.
Manalo then pivoted back to the main message of July 8: “What’s important is that I think what the RAA has done is that…it could serve as a force for stability in the region, for greater prosperity. I think that it would be a way of Japan and the Philippines cooperating to deal not only with challenges, but how to take advantage of growing opportunities – not only in the security field and other areas. I think in that way, the RAA is really a very advantageous document for both the Philippines and Japan, and I think the region as a whole.”
Of course, there are still urgent things to accomplish moving forward.
Now that defense and diplomatic officials are done facilitating, coordinating, and negotiating, the ball is now in the court of Philippine and Japanese legislators. The RAA must be approved or ratified by the Philippine Senate and the Japan Diet.
After that? In Teodoro’s own words, the “the work of building confidence among the members of the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” – Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: PH not returning US missile system just to ‘appease China’
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Jene-Anne Pangue
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09/07/2024 13:22
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Claim: To appease China, the Philippines will return a missile system deployed by the US last April as part of military drills between Filipino and US troops.
Why we fact-checked this: The video bearing the claim was posted on July 4 by the YouTube channel “Historiador Filipino,” which has over one million subscribers. As of writing, the video has garnered 67,122 views, 2,000 likes, and 1,286 comments.
The title of the video states: “Pinas isasauli na lang sa Amerika ang missile pang depensa para huwag na magalit ang China (Philippines will return to the US its missile system used for defense to appease China).”
Text on the thumbnail says: “Pinas, kinabahan sa China, isasauli na sa Amerika ang missile na pang-depensa (Philippines got scared of China, will return US missiles intended for defense)”
The bottom line: The US midrange missile system “Typhon” was originally reported to have been pulled out of the Philippines in September as scheduled, and not because the Philippines wants to appease China.
The video’s commentator provided no evidence to support the claim that the return of the missile system was intended to avoid inflaming tensions with Beijing. The narrator merely expressed his opinion on the importance of acquiring military equipment to defend the country. “Payag ka bang huwag na tayong magpalakas ng armas para hindi tayo gyerahin ng China?” the commentator said.
(Do you agree that we should not strengthen our military capability so China won’t wage war on us?)
Extension possible: Philippine Army spokesperson Louie Dema-ala earlier said that the Typhon missile launcher remains in the Philippines’ northern islands and will be “shipped out” by September.
On July 8, Dema-ala clarified that there is no specific date for the withdrawal of the missile system and that its deployment may be extended. This will depend on the evaluation of the Salaknib training, a joint ongoing military exercise between the Philippines and the US, which is set to conclude in September.
“After the Salaknib [training], there will be a training evaluation to see if the objectives of the exercise have been met. If these objectives are not yet achieved, it’s possible that this deployment will continue,” he said in Filipino.
Military drills: The US mid-range missile system, which can fire Tomahawk land attack and SM-6 missiles, arrived in the Philippines in April for the first phase of the Salaknib joint exercise. It was also part of the annual Balikatan or “shoulder-to-shoulder” military drills between Filipino and American troops.
In June, the Typhon missile system was spotted in a military base in Laoag City for a Salaknib exercise.
China previously condemned the missile deployment, saying it “brought huge risks of war into the region.” It also criticized the Balikatan exercises, warning of destabilization when countries outside the region “flex muscles and stoke confrontation.” Philippine and US officials, however, stressed that the annual drills are meant to improve interoperability between their forces and are not directed at any third country. (WATCH: Rappler Recap: PH, US troops prepare for ‘worst-case scenario’ in Balikatan drills)
US support: The US, the Philippines’ treaty ally, has offered support amid worsening tensions in the region, with China continuing to reject the 2016 Hague ruling dismissing its sweeping claims over the entire South China Sea.
Rappler has published several fact-check articles on claims about Philippine-US relations:
– Jene Pangue/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Got comments, questions, or insights about this story? Download the Rappler Communities app for iOS, Android, or web, tap the Community tab, and join any of our chat rooms. See you there!
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Concerns rise as chlorine levels spike in Negros Occidental river
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 10:53
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WORRIED. Fishermen Jovy and Jerry Monteroya express concern over the water quality of the Ilog-Hilabangan river, which poses threat to their livelihood in a town in Negros Occidental.
Reymund Titong/Rappler
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – The Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Kabankalan City has confirmed high levels of chlorine in a section of the Ilog-Hilabangan River in Sitio Malabong, Barangay 2, Ilog town, Negros Occidental.
The confirmation made on July 5 has raised concerns about the potential impact on the livelihoods of families dependent on fishing in the town.
The Ilog-Hilabangan River serves as the catch basin for waters from the mountain ranges of Candoni town and parts of Negros Oriental, flowing through Kabankalan City and down to Ilog town.
According to Lucia Salazar, CENRO supervising ecosystem management specialist in Kabankalan City, said results of the water test conducted by the Bacolod-based Negros Prawn Producers Cooperative Analytical and Diagnostic Laboratory showed that most parameters were within normal values, except for chloride, which showed abnormal levels.
The CENRO said the results showed that the water’s potential of hydrogen (pH) level was 6.91, nitrate was 0.437 milligrams per liter (mg/L), ammonia was 0.660 mg/L, phosphate was 0.144 mg/L, total hardness was 380.38 mg/L, and chloride was 620 mg/L.
Salazar said, “The level of chloride present in the water was higher than the standard value of 250 mg/L set by the DENR for type C classification of bodies of water like the Ilog-Hilabangan River.”
Biologist and environmental advocate Pierre Gabriel San Jose said excessive chlorine levels in the water could lead to the death of fish due to respiratory problems and suffocation.
Nicanor Lopez, the village’s chairman, told Rappler on Friday that at least 40 fishing-dependent families were worried about them losing their source of income especially after two recent fish kills. The first incident was recorded on June 9, followed by another one on July 1.
Lopez said the fish kills impacted the villagers living near the riverbank, as their livelihoods depend on it.
Jovy Monteroyo, speaking on behalf of the fishermen, said they were still able to catch plenty of fish in the river before the recent fish kills.
Alarmed, Lopez said he collected water samples on June 10 and sent them to a laboratory for analysis of the river’s water quality.
Salazar said she suspected the fish kills may have been due to the heavy chlorine use in water treatment facilities and the potential use of banned chemicals in fishponds near the river.
Lopez, however, said fishponds near the river do not normally use harmful chemicals, knowing that doing so endangers aquatic life in the river.
Salazar said the CENRO would closely work with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to identify the root of the problem and address it.
Before the June 9 fish kill, many residents in Kabankalan, a city near Ilog, complained about the foul odor of the water and air from the Ilog-Hilabangan River. – Rappler.com
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FULL TEXT: Philippines-Japan Reciprocal Access Agreement
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Bea Cupin
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09/07/2024 10:26
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RAA. The Philippines and Japan sign the Reciprocal Access Agreement in Malacañang on July 8, 2024.
Presidential Communications Office
MANILA, Philippine – The Philippines and Japan on Monday, July 8, signed the landmark Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA), a deal that would ease military access for both countries, amid rising concerns over China’s aggressive actions both in the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
The agreement was completed in record time, with formal negotiations starting only in November 2023. It was signed by Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in the presence of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Here is the full text of the agreement, as uploaded by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
– Rappler.com
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Philippines rejects China’s accusation of environmental damage in South China Sea
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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09/07/2024 9:32
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AGROUND. An aerial view shows the BRP Sierra Madre on Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, March 9, 2023.
Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines rejected on Tuesday, July 9, China’s accusation that its grounded warship on the contested Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea had damaged the coral reef ecosystem in the area, laying the blame for damaging the marine environment on Beijing.
The Philippine task force on the South China Sea in a statement called for an independent, third party marine scientific assessment of the causes of coral reef damage in the South China Sea.
“It is China who has been found to have caused irreparable damage to corals. It is China that has caused untold damage to the maritime environment, and jeopardized the natural habitat and the livelihood of thousands of Filipino fisherfolk,” the task force said.
On Monday, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a report that Philippine warships have been “illegally beached” around Second Thomas Shoal near what it calls Nansha Islands for a long time, “and it has seriously damaged the diversity, stability and sustainability of the reef ecosystem”.
The Philippines and Beijing have been embroiled in confrontations at the Second Thomas Shoal where Manila maintains a rusting warship, BRP Sierra Madre, that it beached in 1999 to reinforce maritime claims. A small crew is stationed on it.
China has in turn dredged sand and coral to build artificial islands in the South China Sea, which it says is normal construction activity on its territory, but which other nations say is aimed at enforcing its claim to the waterway.
A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies last year found China’s construction activity buried more than 4,600 acres (1,861 acres) of reef.
China claims almost all of the vital waterway, where $3 trillion worth of trade passes annually, including parts claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam.
But The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 found China’s expansive claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis. Beijing does not accept the ruling.
The Philippine task-force, which warned of attempts by “Chinese experts” to sow disinformation and conduct malign influence, said it has evidence that China has been responsible for “severe damage to corals” in several areas in the South China Sea, including in Scarborough Shoal and Sabina Shoal.
Last year, the Philippines said it was exploring legal options against China, accusing it of destruction of coral reefs within its exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, an allegation rejected by Beijing as an attempt to “create political drama.” – Rappler.com
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La Salle quartet Gagate, Cruz, Coronel, Larroza go 1-4 in first PVL Rookie Draft
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jisaga0269
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08/07/2024 21:15
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PROVEN WINNERS. La Salle stars (L-R) Julia Coronel, Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz, Maicah Larroza pose for a photo in the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft
JR Isaga/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The winning pedigree of the La Salle women’s volleyball program showed itself in full force in the inaugural 2024 PVL Rookie Draft as Lady Spikers stars nabbed the top four spots on Monday, July 8, at the Novotel Hotel in Quezon City.
Alas Pilipinas starting middle blocker Thea Gagate expectedly went first overall to the rebranded ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, locking up a promising future for the former Strong Group Athletics franchise that has yet to win a single game since its inception.
Recovering spiker Leila Cruz went second overall to the Capital1 Solar Spikers, giving the up-and-coming franchise a tall and promising offensive option that it sorely lacked in its first conference.
Alas prospect setter Julia Coronel went third overall to the Galeries Tower Highrisers, a franchise that now assures itself of a more reliable playmaker trained under the legendary Ramil de Jesus.
The first surprise of the draft then came at fourth overall, as the Farm Fresh Foxies snagged feisty winger/utility Maicah Larroza to boost its growing bench in the upcoming Reinforced Conference.
Sister teams Nxled and Akari then preferred offensive power for their fifth and sixth overall selections, as they respectively snagged Adamson star Lucille Almonte and UP leader Steph Bustrillo.
Adamson University then further dominated the latter part of the first round as Lady Falcon spiker Ishie Lalongisip, setter Angge Alcantara, libero Karen Verdeflor, and winger AA Adolfo went seventh to tenth overall, respectively, to Cignal, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, and Petro Gazz.
To wrap up the first round, sister teams Choco Mucho and Creamline opted to boost their defensive lines, with the eleventh and twelfth overall picks, middle blocker Lorraine Pecaña from Arellano University and Filipino-Canadian libero Aleiah Torres from Brock University.
To view the rest of the selections, check the full draft list. – Rappler.com
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[OPINION] Remembering Shinzo Abe as the Philippines, Japan sign military pact
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Miriam Grace Go
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08/07/2024 22:22
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In the flurry of news updates on Monday, July 8, Filipinos kept hearing these Japanese names: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, here on behalf of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as their witness, Kamikawa signed with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between our two countries.
The name I remembered was Shinzo Abe.
On this exact day two years ago, Japan lost him to an assassin, depriving not just his country but also the region and the world of a statesman.
Surrounded with neighbors who were encroaching on others’ territories, building nuclear arsenals, and playing hegemonic politics, he understood how peace and stability couldn’t be safeguarded without the democracies boosting each other militarily. Even if critics, mostly leftists, called him a hawk for that.
So were it not for the vision he started, carried on by his party in power since his demise, we would not have had this RAA. Once ratified by the Philippine Senate and the Japanese Diet, the pact would allow the militaries of both countries to train and operate in each other’s soil with ease.
In December 2018, when I had the chance to speak with Abe-san and thank him for the assistance that Japan had been extending to the Philippines, he replied (in Nihongo), “That’s what you do for a friend.”
There was a time when the most that Japan could do was assist the Philippines’ security sector – the coast guard, navy, and air force particularly – in terms of training and capability building. But because Abe recognized the dangers of an increasingly aggressive China in the region, he pushed for a law that could finally allow Japan to donate second-hand defense equipment to developing countries.
As soon as that defense donation ban was lifted in 2016, the first agreement that Tokyo crafted was with Manila, and the vessels and hardware have been coming in since. Military training aircraft, TC-90 patrol planes, patrol boats, rescue and patrol ships, reconnaissance aircraft, thousands of helicopter spare parts – you name what could boost the Philippines’ ability to protect its coasts, Japan gave what it could.
Political scientist Renato Cruz de Castro, an expert in security relations and defense and foreign affairs policy, at one point called Japan “the Philippines’ most reliable and important security partner.” The Philippines and Japan have been strategic partners since 2011.
And what I’ve always emphasized is, the Abe administration was doing all this for Japan’s allies while back home he was battling political maneuvers aimed at keeping Japan’s own self-defense forces weak.
He had pushed for the revision of Japan’s postwar constitution – now 77 years old – which prohibits the nation from possessing weapons and deprives it of its right to collective self-defense.
He did what he could. And it paid that he faced criticisms head-on and took the hit. Now, under the administration of PM Kishida, the increase of Japan’s defense budget to 2% of it GDP has been realized. It is under Kishida – who happened to be Abe’s foreign minister, and the longest serving at that – that we now have the RAA with Japan.
The RAA with Manila – only Tokyo’s third such agreement – is special, observers say. It was signed less than a year since formal negotiations began in November 2023. In comparison, the RAAs with Australia and the United Kingdom were negotiated for years.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, in a press conference after the joint bilateral meeting on Monday, said a “basic understanding” of how important the RAA was to both Manila and Tokyo helped push negotiations forward.
Some government sources tell our journalists that it’s Japan that needs this RAA more than the Philippines, given the possibility of a Taiwan crisis. It is well-known that Abe-san said a Taiwan contingency would be a Japan contingency.
We should be slow to dismiss this newest pact that way. Taiwan is a country you can see from our northernmost province on a clear day – trouble in their strait is trouble for the Philippines. There are 150,000 overseas Filipino workers and students in there – big enough a population for a Chinese envoy to think it would create an impact if he threatened their safety.
July 8, 2024: RAA signing. Abe’s death anniversary. It could be serendipity. It could also be a reminder that his legacy is the work for peace and stability that our generation should own and bring to completion. – Rappler.com
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19 hurt as firecracker disposal goes awry in Zamboanga
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Herbie G
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09/07/2024 8:00
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HURT. Rescuers help one of the people hurt when a firecracker disposal operation goes wrong in Zamboanga City on Monday, July 8, 2024.
Sourced photo
COTABATO, Philippines – Nineteen people were injured in an explosion during the disposal of seized firecrackers in Zamboanga City on Monday afternoon, July 8.
The injured included six police officers from the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Regional Explosives and Canine Unit in the Zamboanga Peninsula, three Coast Guard personnel, five firefighters, and five Marines.
The explosion also caused damage to several PNP-owned vehicles and a firetruck.
The PNP in Region IX said the explosion occurred around 5:35 pm in Zone 2, Cabatangan, Zamboanga, during the disposal of confiscated firecrackers.
All those injured were rushed to a hospital, and a thorough investigation into the explosion has been ordered.
The disposal was scheduled after the deadly explosion at a warehouse in Barangay Tetuan, Zamboanga, on June 29.
Following this incident, Zamboanga Mayor John Dalipe suspended the business permit of Jonathan Chua, owner of Next Step Fireworks Shoppe, due to the warehouse explosion that killed five and injured 38 others, causing P62.5 million in property damage.
The explosions have led to calls for the city government to review its business licensing policy and consider banning the use and sale of firecrackers in the city.
Superintendent Christopher Morales, Zamboanga City Fire District marshal, said the city council would need to amend ordinances for this to happen. – Rappler.com
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Justin Brownlee earns All-Star Five spot in FIBA OQT
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delfin.dioquino editor
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08/07/2024 13:54
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LEADER. Justin Brownlee (32) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – Justin Brownlee added another feather to his cap as he made the All-Star Five in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Riga, Latvia.
Powering Gilas Pilipinas to the semifinals, Brownlee earned his place in the elite squad also featuring Brazil’s Bruno Caboclo and Leo Meindl, Latvia’s Rihards Lomazs, and Cameroon’s Jeremiah Hill.
Caboclo won tournament MVP honors after helping Brazil punch its Paris Games ticket following a 94-69 victory over Latvia in the finale.
The OQT saw Brownlee put the Philippines on his back, ranking in the top three in points, rebounds, and assists in the entire tournament.
Brownlee topped the OQT in scoring with 23.0 points, finished tied at No. 1 in assists with 6.3 dimes, and placed third in rebounding with 8.3 boards as the Philippines fell two wins short of ending a 52-year Olympic absence.
Doing it all for the Nationals, Brownlee flirted with a triple-double in a giant 89-80 upset of world No. 6 Latvia in the group stage by putting up 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.
He reprised his all-around role against world No. 23 Georgia, churning out 28 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in a close 96-94 loss that allowed the Philippines to advance to the final four.
Brownlee, though, saw their magical run come to an end after a 71-60 semifinal loss to Brazil, which contained him to 15 points with 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
Despite falling short of his goal for the team, Brownlee left an indelible mark, with teammate Kai Sotto calling him the “Michael Jordan of Philippine basketball.”
Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone also proclaimed that Brownlee “should be in the NBA.” – Rappler.com
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COA clears 12 BuCor officials, 2 firms of liability over catering issue
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Dwight de Leon
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09/07/2024 8:03
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NBP. The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila on December 4, 2023.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit (COA) has withdrawn its disapproval of the P115.8-million contract that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) had awarded to two catering firms.
The 11-page decision cleared companies Aurora Felipe Sumulong Eatery and EDCT Food Services, as well as a dozen corrections officials, of any liability.
The officials are:
BuCor hired the two firms to provide meals to persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) at the NBP and CIW, but state auditors slapped notices of disallowance against the prisons bureau in 2017 due to alleged violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
The COA flagged the BuCor at the time for selecting contractors without undergoing public bidding, and said the caterers should have been declared ineligible for non-compliance with the threshold set for single largest completed contract (SLCC).
The COA en banc, however, ruled that the SLCC requirement no longer applied to the transaction because it was a negotiated procurement, which followed a failure of public bidding and numerous issues in the NBP, such as a diarrhea outbreak in the maximum security compound and water supply shortage in the medium security compound.
It pointed out that time constraints prevented the BuCor from conducting another round of public bidding, and doing so would hamper the delivery of meals to the prisoners.
“The failed biddings as well as the ineligibility of AFS Eatery and EDCT in the bidding process that transpired before the negotiated procurement are immaterial to the emergency contracts in this case,” the COA wrote. – Rappler.com
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EJ Obiena settles for joint 4th in final meet before Paris Olympics
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delfin.dioquino editor
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08/07/2024 8:10
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SENSATIONAL. EJ Obiena reacts after the Asian Games men's pole vault final.
Jeremy Lee/REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino pole vault star EJ Obiena missed the podium in his final tournament before the Olympics as he settled for joint fourth in the Meeting de Paris in France on Sunday, July 7.
Obiena finished tied with Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis with a clearance of 5.75m in the Diamond League leg ruled by reigning Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden.
Showing he is ready to defend his throne in the Paris Games, Duplantis picked up his 10th gold medal in as many events this year by soaring past 6.00m.
The USA’s Sam Kendricks bagged silver with a season-best 5.95m, while France’s Thibaut Collet snagged bronze with 5.85m.
Coming off a pair of golden performances in the Irena Szewinska Memorial and Czeslaw Cybulski Memorial in Poland, Obiena fell short of a third straight podium finish after back-to-back fouls at 5.85m put him in a tight spot.
He opted to use his final attempt at 5.95m, but to no avail.
Still, Obiena has made great strides in his Olympic buildup as he recorded his highest clearance in almost a year when he hurdled 5.97m in the Irena Szewinska Memorial in June.
Aside from Obiena, Duplantis, Kendricks, Collet, and Karalis, the field in Meeting Paris featured a bevy of Olympic-bound pole vaulters, including world No. 3 Chris Nilsen of the USA and No. 5 Kurtis Marschall of Australia.
Obiena, ranked second in the world behind Duplantis, stands as one of the Philippines’ strongest medal bets as he looks to redeem himself after a disappointing Olympic debut, which saw him place 11th in the Tokyo Games.
From Paris, Obiena is expected to join the rest of Team Philippines in its training camp in Metz to finalize his Olympic preparations. – Rappler.com
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‘We need to keep pushing’: Cone hopes to build on gains from Gilas’ FIBA OQT run
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delfin.dioquino editor
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07/07/2024 19:39
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TEAM. Gilas Pilipinas players gather after its semifinal loss to Brazil in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone has been adamant that almost is not enough.
Cone wants his players to embrace that same approach, as he hopes to build on the gains the Philippines made from its historic campaign in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Riga, Latvia.
Showing it can go toe-to-toe with some of the big boys, the Philippines reached the semifinals before ultimately bowing out of the race for a prized Paris Olympics berth after a 71-60 loss to Brazil on Saturday, July 6.
“It’s an incredible disappointment for us and we’re not going to jump up and down and say, ‘Yay, we did our thing and everybody was proud of us.’ Hopefully, that doesn’t get into our mindset,” said Cone.
“We need to keep pushing and moving forward, getting better.”
Gilas enjoyed a sterling start to the tournament as it pulled off a colossal 89-80 upset of host Latvia, which currently ranks sixth in the world and finished fifth in the previous FIBA World Cup.
It marked the first time the Philippines beat a European team in 64 years, or since its 84-82 escape against Spain in the 1960 Rome Olympics.
The Philippines then fought back from a 20-point deficit against world No. 23 Georgia and deliberately lost by a single possession, 96-94, to secure its place in the semifinals.
The chances of reaching the final looked promising for the Philippines after a 22-12 first quarter against 12th-ranked Brazil before the highly physical South American squad flipped the script.
For Cone, while there were plenty of positive takeaways from the Philippines’ run in the OQT, the reality is the team still has a long way to go.
“It’s a growth experience for us. It’s kind of like a ‘now we know’ moment. Now we know we can compete, so how can we get that next step in which we can get a little bit better than not just compete but win?” said Cone.
Cone said the continuity of the national team program will be crucial as the Philippines shoots for the 2027 World Cup in Doha, Qatar, and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.
“The whole part of bringing this particular program together … is the fact that we’re going to, hopefully, keep these guys together over the next three to four years, trying to keep them together going into the next World Cup,” he said.
Gilas returns to action in November for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, where it will face New Zealand and Hong Kong. – Rappler.com
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PH racer Bianca Bustamante set for F4 British Championship debut
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delfin.dioquino editor
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08/07/2024 21:36
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REPRESENT. Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante of McLaren.
CBR Media
MANILA, Philippines – Filipina racer Bianca Bustamante will debut in the F4 British Championship as she competes in sixth round at the Circuit Zandvoort in the Netherlands from July 13 to 14.
Bustamante, a McLaren Development Driver, will compete for Hitech Grand Prix, looking to put her skills to the test against formidable opponents.
“It will be my first time in the championship where the level of competition is intense and will have some of the best male and female drivers from around the globe,” said the 19-year-old Bustamante.
“As always, qualifying will be a key component to a successful race weekend so I will work hard in the practice sessions to get acquainted with both my team and the car,” she added.
Featuring a total of 14 turns, Circuit Zandvoort is expected to prepare Bustamante for the fourth round of the F1 Academy, which will be staged on the same track in August.
Bustamante ranks fifth in the F1 Academy drivers’ championship battle with 57 points, trailing the UK’s Abbi Pulling (147 points), France’s Doriane Pin (81), the USA’s Chloe Chambers (81), and Spain’s Nerea Marti (63).
She earned her first podium finish of the season in the second round in Miami, United States. – Rappler.com
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La Salle quartet Gagate, Cruz, Coronel, Larroza go 1-4 in first PVL Rookie Draft
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jisaga0269
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08/07/2024 21:15
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PROVEN WINNERS. La Salle stars (L-R) Julia Coronel, Thea Gagate, Leila Cruz, Maicah Larroza pose for a photo in the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft
JR Isaga/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The winning pedigree of the La Salle women’s volleyball program showed itself in full force in the inaugural 2024 PVL Rookie Draft as Lady Spikers stars nabbed the top four spots on Monday, July 8, at the Novotel Hotel in Quezon City.
Alas Pilipinas starting middle blocker Thea Gagate expectedly went first overall to the rebranded ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, locking up a promising future for the former Strong Group Athletics franchise that has yet to win a single game since its inception.
Recovering spiker Leila Cruz went second overall to the Capital1 Solar Spikers, giving the up-and-coming franchise a tall and promising offensive option that it sorely lacked in its first conference.
Alas prospect setter Julia Coronel went third overall to the Galeries Tower Highrisers, a franchise that now assures itself of a more reliable playmaker trained under the legendary Ramil de Jesus.
The first surprise of the draft then came at fourth overall, as the Farm Fresh Foxies snagged feisty winger/utility Maicah Larroza to boost its growing bench in the upcoming Reinforced Conference.
Sister teams Nxled and Akari then preferred offensive power for their fifth and sixth overall selections, as they respectively snagged Adamson star Lucille Almonte and UP leader Steph Bustrillo.
Adamson University then further dominated the latter part of the first round as Lady Falcon spiker Ishie Lalongisip, setter Angge Alcantara, libero Karen Verdeflor, and winger AA Adolfo went seventh to tenth overall, respectively, to Cignal, PLDT, Chery Tiggo, and Petro Gazz.
To wrap up the first round, sister teams Choco Mucho and Creamline opted to boost their defensive lines, with the eleventh and twelfth overall picks, middle blocker Lorraine Pecaña from Arellano University and Filipino-Canadian libero Aleiah Torres from Brock University.
To view the rest of the selections, check the full draft list. – Rappler.com
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[OPINION] Remembering Shinzo Abe as the Philippines, Japan sign military pact
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Miriam Grace Go
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08/07/2024 22:22
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In the flurry of news updates on Monday, July 8, Filipinos kept hearing these Japanese names: Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara, here on behalf of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
With President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as their witness, Kamikawa signed with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. the Reciprocal Access Agreement (RAA) between our two countries.
The name I remembered was Shinzo Abe.
On this exact day two years ago, Japan lost him to an assassin, depriving not just his country but also the region and the world of a statesman.
Surrounded with neighbors who were encroaching on others’ territories, building nuclear arsenals, and playing hegemonic politics, he understood how peace and stability couldn’t be safeguarded without the democracies boosting each other militarily. Even if critics, mostly leftists, called him a hawk for that.
So were it not for the vision he started, carried on by his party in power since his demise, we would not have had this RAA. Once ratified by the Philippine Senate and the Japanese Diet, the pact would allow the militaries of both countries to train and operate in each other’s soil with ease.
In December 2018, when I had the chance to speak with Abe-san and thank him for the assistance that Japan had been extending to the Philippines, he replied (in Nihongo), “That’s what you do for a friend.”
There was a time when the most that Japan could do was assist the Philippines’ security sector – the coast guard, navy, and air force particularly – in terms of training and capability building. But because Abe recognized the dangers of an increasingly aggressive China in the region, he pushed for a law that could finally allow Japan to donate second-hand defense equipment to developing countries.
As soon as that defense donation ban was lifted in 2016, the first agreement that Tokyo crafted was with Manila, and the vessels and hardware have been coming in since. Military training aircraft, TC-90 patrol planes, patrol boats, rescue and patrol ships, reconnaissance aircraft, thousands of helicopter spare parts – you name what could boost the Philippines’ ability to protect its coasts, Japan gave what it could.
Political scientist Renato Cruz de Castro, an expert in security relations and defense and foreign affairs policy, at one point called Japan “the Philippines’ most reliable and important security partner.” The Philippines and Japan have been strategic partners since 2011.
And what I’ve always emphasized is, the Abe administration was doing all this for Japan’s allies while back home he was battling political maneuvers aimed at keeping Japan’s own self-defense forces weak.
He had pushed for the revision of Japan’s postwar constitution – now 77 years old – which prohibits the nation from possessing weapons and deprives it of its right to collective self-defense.
He did what he could. And it paid that he faced criticisms head-on and took the hit. Now, under the administration of PM Kishida, the increase of Japan’s defense budget to 2% of it GDP has been realized. It is under Kishida – who happened to be Abe’s foreign minister, and the longest serving at that – that we now have the RAA with Japan.
The RAA with Manila – only Tokyo’s third such agreement – is special, observers say. It was signed less than a year since formal negotiations began in November 2023. In comparison, the RAAs with Australia and the United Kingdom were negotiated for years.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, in a press conference after the joint bilateral meeting on Monday, said a “basic understanding” of how important the RAA was to both Manila and Tokyo helped push negotiations forward.
Some government sources tell our journalists that it’s Japan that needs this RAA more than the Philippines, given the possibility of a Taiwan crisis. It is well-known that Abe-san said a Taiwan contingency would be a Japan contingency.
We should be slow to dismiss this newest pact that way. Taiwan is a country you can see from our northernmost province on a clear day – trouble in their strait is trouble for the Philippines. There are 150,000 overseas Filipino workers and students in there – big enough a population for a Chinese envoy to think it would create an impact if he threatened their safety.
July 8, 2024: RAA signing. Abe’s death anniversary. It could be serendipity. It could also be a reminder that his legacy is the work for peace and stability that our generation should own and bring to completion. – Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Registered Electrical Engineers and Master Electricians Licensure Examination
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Kaye Cabal
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08/07/2024 21:12
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announced on Monday, July 8, that 22 out of 103 passed the Registered Electrical Engineers Special Professional Licensure Examination and 85 out of 126 passed the Registered Master Electricians Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Electrical Engineering in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Ahmadi, Kuwait; Al-Khobar, Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Doha, Qatar; Manama, Bahrain; and Singapore last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Electrical Engineering who gave the licensure examinations are Engr. Francis V. Mapile, Chairman and Engr. Jaime V. Mendoza, Member.
The successful examinees who garnered the five (5) highest places in the June 2024 Registered Master Electricians Special Professional Licensure Examination are the following:
Here’s the full list of passers:
The performance of schools in the June 2024 Registered Electrical Engineers Special Professional Licensure Examination in alphabetical order is as follows:
Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals. – Rappler.com
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Philippine Air Force joins multi-nation war games in Australia
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Dwight de Leon
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10/07/2024 21:35
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The first batch of Philippine Air Force officers arrives in Darwin, Australia on July 8, 2024 ahead for the Pitch Black war games over Australia's largely unpopulated Northern Territory.
Philippine Air Force
DARWIN, Australia – The Philippine Air Force arrived in northern Australia on Wednesday, July 10, on its first overseas deployment in six decades for combat practice alongside US and Australian fighter jets, amid a rise in tensions with China in the South China Sea.
Four Philippine FA-50 fighter jets and 162 personnel are taking part in the Pitch Black war games over Australia’s largely unpopulated Northern Territory, involving 20 countries and 140 aircraft.
“This is the first time they have taken their combat aircraft abroad since 1963 so it is a huge honor for Australia to be chosen as the first location for the deployment,” Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Commodore Pete Robinson told Reuters.
The Northern Territory provides a “huge amount of airspace” to boost capabilities from dog fighting to using radar and missile systems to engage adversaries beyond visual range, he added.
The Philippine fighter jets would work with other air forces “to solve some complex problems against a simulated adversary and ground threats”, he said. The US F-22 stealth fighter and Australia’s F-35A and F-18 are among the combat aircraft taking part.
“Bringing that package together will provide an impressive outcome that is stronger than its parts,” Robinson said.
“It’s all about enhancing our operational readiness and capabilities,” Philippines Air Force Colonel Randy Pascua said in Darwin.
China and the Philippines are locked in a confrontation in the disputed South China Sea and their encounters have grown more tense as Beijing presses its claims to shoals in waters that Manila says are well within its exclusive economic zone.
Australian Strategic Policy Institute senior analyst Euan Graham said although the Philippines has a mutual defense treaty with the United States, it would look to its own air force and navy as the first line of defense.
“Within the context of the South China Sea and the Philippines feeling an external sense of threat very strongly now from China, Manila has been trying to improve its own defense capability,” Graham said.
“The big change is they lost a lot of their capability and now they are regaining it,” he added.
The Philippines is seeking to modernize its military’s outdated hardware. Philippine military chief Romeo Brawner said last week the country wants to buy longer-range, multi-role fighters although it has not made a decision on which aircraft it will buy for its modernization program.
Recent deals with Australia and Japan to allow militaries to visit and move through each other’s territory show the Philippines is seeking more regional defense relationships, said Graham.
In April, Australia, Japan, the United States, and the Philippines held a navy cooperation exercise in the South China Sea.
“Building interoperability with our regional partners… allows us to maximize the strengths of each of the respective air forces, to bring together a group that has a shared value for sustaining peace and stability across the region,” said Air Commodore Robinson. “To make sure if the worst happens, we are ready to respond.” – Rappler.com
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NU Lady Bulldogs off to rousing SSL start
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Jasmine Payo
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10/07/2024 23:13
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STEPPING UP. NU veteran Vange Alinsug reacts during the 2024 Shakey’s Super League.
Shakey’s Super League.
MANILA, Philippines – The National University women’s volleyball team sent a clear message to the rest of the field right in the opener of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) National Invitationals.
Even with top guns like Bella Belen playing sparingly, the NU Lady Bulldogs made quick work of Enderun Colleges, 25-19, 25-15, 25-16, for a rousing start in Pool A action on Wednesday, July 10, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
Veteran Vange Alinsug and young winger Kaye Bombita led the Lady Bulldogs’ balanced scoring in the match that wrapped up in one hour and 18 minutes.
“Since the national team members are leaving for the Japan camp, we need to work on the other players’ connection aside from the technical skills,” said NU head coach Norman Miguel as UAAP MVP Belen and fellow Alas Pilipinas player Arah Panique hardly saw action.
Alyssa Solomon, the UAAP Finals MVP, has been sidelined due to an injury.
But it hardly mattered as Alinsug took charge with a game-high 14 points as NU saw 13 players chipping in on offense.
The Lady Bulldogs, the reigning back-to-back SSL Collegiate Preseason Championship winners, can secure a quarterfinal spot with another victory over Xavier University-Northern Mindanao Selection on Friday, July 12.
“We’re happy with our first win, especially since our goal in this tournament is to gain experience and exposure for our players, especially the rookies,” said Miguel.
Shane Carmona was the lone Enderun player in double figures with 10 points. while Erika Deloria and Zenneth Perolino scored 6 and 4 markers, respectively
Meanwhile, Letran swept University of San Carlos, 25-22, 25-14, 25-12, in Pool D behind the duo of Nizelle Martin and Lea Tapang.
The Lady Knights wingers scored 10 markers each and combined for 18 of the squad’s 39 kills.
Gia Maquilang collected 8 of her 9 points on spikes, while Angelique Ledesma added 7 for Letran.
Jearl Lapitan paced USC with 7 points while Eunice Navarro had 4 markers.
SSL games are available via livestream on Smart Livestream and Puso Pilipinas, and on cable in Solar Sports; organized by Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc.; and backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Eurotel, Victory Liner, and Mikasa.
July 11 games feature a quadruple-header with UST and Southern Mindanao tangling at 9 am, and LPU battling USPF at 12 pm.
Letran and CSB collide at 2 pm, before the game day wraps with the 4 pm duel between Xavier University-NM and Enderun. – Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Medical Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination
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lfangeles0309
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10/07/2024 18:01
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 2 out of 15 passed the Medical Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Medical Technology in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Ahmadi, Kuwait; Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and Doha, Qatar last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Medical Technology who gave the licensure examination are Dr. Marilyn A. Cabal-Barza, Chairman and Dr. Leila Lany M. Florento, Member.
Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.
Those who failed to pass the board examination for Medical Technology but had obtained a general rating of at least 70% can register as Medical Laboratory Technician.
Check the performance of schools here:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination
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lfangeles0309
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10/07/2024 17:37
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that no one passed out of the 5 examinees in the Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Chemistry in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Chemistry who gave the licensure examination are Hon. Adoracion P. Resurreccion, Chairman; Hon. Soledad S. Castañeda and Hon. Ma. Theresa C. Cayton, Members.
Those who failed to pass the board examination for Chemist but had obtained a rating of at least 70% in any two (2) subjects can register as Chemical Technician.
The performance of schools in the June 2024 Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination in alphabetical order as per R.A. 8981 otherwise known as PRC Modernization Act of 2000 Section 7(m) “To monitor the performance of schools in licensure examinations and publish the results thereof in a newspaper of national circulation” is as follows:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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Tim Cone gives Japeth Aguilar his flowers for Gilas Pilipinas sacrifices
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 22:24
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REBOUND. Japeth Aguilar in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – It is uncertain whether Japeth Aguilar suited up for Gilas Pilipinas for the final time in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
After all, Aguilar – the oldest in the team at 37 years old – only came in as a replacement for injured big man AJ Edu.
So national team head coach Tim Cone made sure to celebrate the veteran forward by defending Aguilar after he received criticism for his play in the OQT in Riga, Latvia.
“I begged Japeth to join us in Latvia. He wanted to let the young guys do it and spend more time with his wife and new baby,” Cone wrote on X.
A national team mainstay, Aguilar hinted at retiring from Gilas Pilipinas after helping the squad capture the Asian Games crown for the first time since 1962 in Hangzhou, China, in October.
But he nonetheless answered the call when Cone brought him in for the first window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers in February as injuries to Edu and June Mar Fajardo depleted the Philippines’ frontline.
With Edu unable to return to the pink of health from his knee injury, Cone asked Aguilar to reinforce the team one more time in the OQT, where the Philippines overachieved by upsetting Latvia and advancing to the semifinals.
“Kept begging. When AJ Edu went down, he finally relented after more begging,” said Cone.
Aguilar came off the bench in the two group stage games before he got slotted into the starting lineup for the semifinal clash against Brazil as Kai Sotto went down with a rib injury.
He finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the 71-60 loss to Brazil, which ended the Philippines’ bid of qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
For Cone, the presence of Aguilar goes beyond the numbers.
“He led us, he was our team captain. His sacrifice for country was total,” said Cone.
Aguilar, though, is expected to relinquish his spot as Edu hopes to come back just in time for the second window of the Asia Cup Qualifiers in November.
Whether he plays for Gilas Pilipinas again, Aguilar has etched a remarkable national team career, representing the country in three FIBA World Cup editions and helping the Philippines regain Asian supremacy. – Rappler.com
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Top prospects Barefield, Abarrientos absent in PBA Draft Combine
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 21:42
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TAKE CHARGE. Shinshu's RJ Abarrientos reacts during a Japan B. League game.
Japan B. League
MANILA, Philippines – Several of the top rookie prospects were absent on Day 1 of the PBA Draft Combine as only 62 of the 70 original applicants appeared at the Ynares Arena on Wednesday, July 10.
A strong contender for the top pick, Sedrick Barefield missed the showcase alongside first-round candidates RJ Abarrientos, Dave Ildefonso, and Evan Nelle.
Barefield and Nelle are still in the United States, while Abarrientos and Ildefonso – who are both signed to Strong Group Athletics – failed to attend after playing in a tuneup game against Magnolia ahead of their Jones Cup campaign.
Strong Group forward Caelan Tiongson, also a rookie hopeful, made it on Wednesday to have his measurements taken but did not participate in the scrimmages.
Abarrientos, Ildefonso, and Tiongson will not be present in the draft proceedings on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta as Strong Group flies to Taiwan on Friday, July 12, a day before its opening game in the Jones Cup.
“It is a bummer that me, RJ, and Dave are going to have to miss the PBA draft, but I will say I think it speaks on our professionalism,” said Tiongson.
“All of us made a commitment to play for Strong, all of us made a commitment to represent the Philippines, and we take that very seriously,” he added. “If we did not have this obligation, I’m sure we’d all be there.”
Bannered by potential No. 1 selection Justine Baltazar, the 62 players took part in skill tests, including reaction time, sprint, lane agility, and vertical jump, in the morning.
In the afternoon, they were divided into six teams and played against each other in five-on-five games. – Rappler.com
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Ayo says Converge still mulling No. 1 pick as PBA Draft offers multiple options
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 20:28
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TOWERING. Justine Baltazar in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – The late addition of top prospects in the PBA Draft has given Converge headaches as the FiberXers decide on who to select with the No. 1 overall pick.
Converge head coach Aldin Ayo on Wednesday, July 10, said the FiberXers have trimmed down their choice to a few players ahead of draft proceedings on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City.
“There are three to four players on our radar. We’ll think about it,” said Ayo in a mix of Filipino and English as he attended the Draft Combine at Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Justine Baltazar, a two-way big man out of La Salle, has long been expected to be chosen by Converge not just due to his impressive credentials but also because of his Pampanga connections with the young franchise.
FiberXers team owner Dennis Anthony Uy hails from the same province, while Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, who coaches Baltazar in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, is closely tied with Converge.
The FiberXers once attempted to appoint Pineda as their team governor to no avail.
But the inclusion of the likes of Sedrick Barefield, Kai Ballungay, RJ Abarrientos, and Dave Ildefonso has provided Converge more options.
A 6-foot-2 guard, Barefield is the only player in the pool with NBA G League experience, Ballungay is an athletic 6-foot-6 forward, while former Gilas Pilipinas guards Abarrientos and Ildefonso are both coming off overseas stints.
“One month before the deadline, we all thought it would be a boring draft. Then all of a sudden, everything became interesting because the good players followed,” said Ayo. “We thought it would not be a deep pool.”
“It is a hard decision because you really have to think about it. There are kinds of players in this pool that you’re not going to see every year,” said Ayo.
“There are players who can be a foundation of your program. There are players who will be good for five to seven years who will make your program competitive as long as you get them.”
Although still undecided, Ayo said the FiberXers are putting premium on size and all-around skills.
“We’re going to look for a player who is versatile enough to make up for our deficiencies, especially on defense,” said Ayo. “We lack bigs. And at the same time, firepower. We lack offense.”
After Converge, Blackwater will pick second followed by Terrafirma at No. 3, Phoenix at No. 4, NorthPort at No. 5, NLEX at No. 6, Rain or Shine at No. 7 and 8, Magnolia at No. 9, and Barangay Ginebra at No. 10.
The two conference champions last season, Meralco and San Miguel round out the first round at No. 11 and 12, respectively. – Rappler.com
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Cebu, Pangasinan march to U18 PSL National Finals
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Jasmine Payo
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10/07/2024 21:28
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MAIN MAN. Pangasinan’s Jeremy Godoy comes through the clutch in the PSL under-18 semifinals.
Pilipinas Super League
MANILA, Philippines – Cebu-University of San Jose Recolletos (USJR) and Pangasinan disposed of separate opponents in the semifinals to clinch title berths in the under-18 (Born 2006 division) of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) National Finals at Victoria Sports Club on Wednesday, July 10.
Cebu-USJR survived Misamis Oriental’s late onslaught, 71-66, while Pangasinan spoiled Manila-UST’s comeback behind Jheremy Godoy’s clutch performance, 76-74.
In the U16 (Born 2008), the undefeated Pampanga-Luid and Caloocan also advanced to the finale after thrilling semifinal victories.
Davao teams reigned in the U20 (Born 2004) final four, with Davao Occidental-MALITA and Davao City-NTB Wolves arranging a title duel.
The three National Finals matches will kick off at 1 pm on Thursday, July 11, at the FilOil EcoOil Sports Centre in San Juan.
Winners in each division will earn the right to represent the Philippines in the PSL Global Championship Challenge, where youth teams from other countries will compete starting July 15 at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the U18 semifinals, Jan Vince Oringo led Cebu-USJR with 19 points, including a crucial layup that gave the Cebuanos a three-point advantage over Misamis Oriental in the last two minutes of the fourth frame, 69-66. He also had 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
Clark Candia poured in 14 points and 3 rebounds to aid the team’s cause against Misamis.
Joseph Dumdum Jr. tallied 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Joshua Oro notched 11 points in Misamis’ losing effort.
Godoy, meanwhile, starred in the other semifinal duel, burying a clutch floater with 5.4 seconds left before a Jarius Armendez free throw sealed the win for Pangasinan over Manila-UST.
Manila-UST tried to steal the game, but Charles Esteban missed a potential game winner.
With Manila-UST riding the momentum of its comeback, Joaquin Ludovice and Kirk Cañete converted timely baskets to give their squad the lead with under a minute left, 74-73, but Pangasinan spoiled the late rally.
Godoy led all scorers with 27 points on top of 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
In the U16 semifinals, Pampanga-Luid stayed unbeaten after tripping Manila-UST, 79-75.
Caloocan also came through with a thriller, outlasting Davao City, 74-72, behind Leodyl Hilot’s clutch layup.
Davao City-NTB Wolves, meanwhile, made easy work of Cebu-MANCOR/Atty DICO, 76-67, in the U20 semifinals, with John Rodulfa leading Davao City with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double performance.
Davao Occidental-MALITA also queaked past Cebu-Khalifa, 73-69, to advance to the final round. – Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, Niño Dominic Ronquillo/Rappler.com
U16 (Born 2008)
First Game
Pampanga-Luid 79–Pena 26, Lagman 20, Tulabut 17, Sison 8, Castro 3, Gatchalian 2, Pineda I. 2, Hugo 1, Cruz 0, Zapata 0, Pineda T. 0.
Manila-UST 75 – Cinco 27, Castro 18, Bathan 12, Cabanero 9, Sy 5, Cruz 4, Echave 0, Valenzona 0, Dela Cruz 0, Guinto 0.
Quarters: 17-19, 37-37, 59-53, 79-75.
Second Game
Caloocan 74 – Canapi 28, Hilot 14, Baldomino 11, Palic 9, Santos 5, Rojas 4, Garcia 2, Alvarez 1, Mestidio 0, Garcia 0.
Davao City 72– Labandero III 17, Bentulan 16, Ejurango 12, Alcantara 9, Bandao 7, Tanudtanud 5, Gantuangco 4, Sampaga 2, Oropeza 0, Alverio 0, Tapuroc 0.
Quarters: 13-16, 46-43, 63-59, 74-72.
U18 (Born-2006)
First Game
Cebu-USJR 71 –Oringo 19, Cañada 14, Pepito 11, Gonzales 10, Lozano 7, Petillos 6, Barriera 2, Narvaez 2, Antig 0, Toring 0.
Misamis Oriental 66 – Dumdum Jr 25, Oro 11, Bulaso 10, Idulsa 7, Manzanares 5, Baring 4, Bustillo 2, Poblete 2, Fabre 0, Tauber 0.
Quarters:14-13, 26-28, 52-49, 71-66.
Second Game
Pangasinan 76–Godoy 27, Melchor 12, Armendez 8, Padilla 8, Pinzon 8, Castillo 7, Domingo 4, Ilumba 2.
Manila-UST 74 – Cañete 18, Loreto 18, Ludovice 16, Bohol 5, Esteban 4, Bandigan 4, Vidanes 4, Bautista 3, Catalan 2, Cinco 0, Javier 0.
Quarters: 13-19, 36-28, 61-53, 76-74.
U20 (Born 2004)
First Game
Davao City 76 – Rodulfa 24, Wood 14, Marquez 11, Lulab 8, Albiendo 6, Balansag 5, Decin 5, Uy 3, Adabo 0, Ambuat 0.
Cebu-MANCOR 67 – Minoza Jr. 18, Solonia 17, Herbito 8, Dugaduga 5, Dacalos 3, Cabalhug 4, Cacanog 4, Aseñas 4, Contado 2, Linares 2, Berdin 0, Maghinay 0, Dipay 0.
Quarters:19-20, 38-35, 59-52, 76-67.
Second Game
Davao Occidental 73 – Diamante 18, Estomo 12, Acero 10, Budlao 10, Cagampang 6, Cabagtong 5, Lumanag 4, Bueno 4, Pairat 4, Elma 0, Burlaza 0, Magnaye 0, Jagna 0.
Cebu-Khalifa 69 – Peteros 21, Arboiz 11, Manaqu 8, Noynay 7, Casaus 4, Obra 4, Brigoli 3, Colubio 3, Borjal 3, Pesa 2, Chavez 2, Aballe 1, Mack 0.
Quarters: 18-19, 36-36, 59-56, 73-69.
Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo are Rappler interns.
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Ramil de Jesus legacy shines in PVL draft spotlight as La Salle stalwarts sweep top 4
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 17:41
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GREEN LIGHT. Former La Salle women's volleyball players Maicah Larroza, Leila Cruz, Thea Gagate, and Julia Coronel (7th to 10th from left) pose for a photo after the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft
PVL Images
MANILA, Philippines – La Salle women’s volleyball standouts were hot commodities to kick off the historic 2024 PVL Rookie Draft last Monday, July 8, as the first four picks, led by the towering Thea Gagate at first overall to ZUS Coffee, all came from the same vaunted Lady Spikers program.
Wing spiker Leila Cruz, still recovering from an ACL tear that prematurely ended her UAAP career, went second overall to Capital1, while Gagate’s fellow Alas Pilipinas teammate Julia Coronel got off the board at third to Galeries Tower.
Although the trio were somewhat expected to all be picked very early in the first-ever draft in Philippine professional volleyball history, Farm Fresh kicked up the surprise factor after taking former La Salle role player Maicah Larroza fourth overall, capping off a dominating start for the Lady Spikers.
Asked about the stunning La Salle sweep that kickstarted a highly interesting 23-player draft, the former Lady Spikers quickly pointed out the real reason of the repetitive picking trend at the top: the invaluable teachings of legendary head coach Ramil de Jesus.
“We know that coach Ramil’s system has been proven and tested for how many years, so it’s a great feeling to see my teammates get drafted and hopefully, my other teammates who have not been selected can also go to good teams,” Coronel said in Filipino.
“Coach Ramil was an instrument in my achievements in the team,” Larroza added in Filipino. “He was my coach since I started playing volleyball, so I think he will always be a huge inspiration in my rise to the pro level.”
Sure enough, Coronel’s wish was eventually granted as Capital1 paired Cruz with a familiar face in winger Gilliana Torres with the 20th overall pick, thus cleaning out all former De Jesus players from the draft board.
“I think this is a product of our sacrifices and hard work, because the journey we went through in La Salle was of a different class,” Larroza continued. “We all look forward to achieve our dreams here in the PVL.”
Now stepping into a league littered with Lady Spikers legends like Aby Maraño, Kianna Dy, Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, and Dawn Catindig, this new batch of De Jesus proteges are bound to shift Philippine volleyball’s landscape into a different, dominant form, as only La Sallians can. – Rappler.com
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Potential top pick Justine Baltazar says B. League, MPBL stints prepared him for PBA
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 17:24
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TOP PROSPECT. Justine Baltazar in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Justine Baltazar feels he is ready for the PBA nearly two years after backing out from the Rookie Draft.
Tipped to be picked No. 1 overall, Baltazar said his stints in the Japan B. League and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) prepared him well for the challenges the PBA poses.
“I gained confidence from the MPBL, so now, I’m getting my groove back,” said Baltazar in Filipino as he participated in the Draft Combine on Wednesday, July 10. “I really intended to join the draft this year. I’m ready for the PBA.”
Once considered a Gilas Pilipinas cornerstone owing to his size and promising upside, the 6-foot-8 big man applied for the draft in 2022 after a stellar UAAP run with La Salle that saw him earn three Mythical Team honors.
But a change of heart prompted Baltazar to withdraw his application as he instead took his act to the B. League, where he signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
Although his B. League career proved short-lived, Baltazar said going up against opponents with NBA pedigree made him a better player.
“The caliber of players I faced overseas is no joke. They’re former NBA players. I’ll bring that experience to the PBA,” he said.
After bungling a shot to play in the Korean Basketball League, Baltazar decided to suit up for his home team Pampanga in the MPBL, guiding the Giant Lanters to the title and winning the season MVP and Finals MVP plums.
His MVP season in the MPBL saw him average 17.1 points, 16.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 36 games.
“The MPBL is a big help because I got my confidence there. When I’m already in the PBA, I’d have little problem adjusting,” Baltazar said.
Baltazar is expected to land at Converge, with the FiberXers owning the top pick after a dismal campaign last season that saw them finish the two conferences at the bottom and compile a 3-19 record.
Converge, though, might have to wait before it gets it hands on Baltazar, who is considering whether or not he will stay in the MPBL as he remains under contract with Pampanga.
“We’ll see if I’ll finish my MPBL stint or I’ll immediately play in the PBA,” he said.
Draft day is on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City. – Rappler.com
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Cebu, Pangasinan march to U18 PSL National Finals
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Jasmine Payo
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10/07/2024 21:28
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MAIN MAN. Pangasinan’s Jeremy Godoy comes through the clutch in the PSL under-18 semifinals.
Pilipinas Super League
MANILA, Philippines – Cebu-University of San Jose Recolletos (USJR) and Pangasinan disposed of separate opponents in the semifinals to clinch title berths in the under-18 (Born 2006 division) of the Pilipinas Super League (PSL) National Finals at Victoria Sports Club on Wednesday, July 10.
Cebu-USJR survived Misamis Oriental’s late onslaught, 71-66, while Pangasinan spoiled Manila-UST’s comeback behind Jheremy Godoy’s clutch performance, 76-74.
In the U16 (Born 2008), the undefeated Pampanga-Luid and Caloocan also advanced to the finale after thrilling semifinal victories.
Davao teams reigned in the U20 (Born 2004) final four, with Davao Occidental-MALITA and Davao City-NTB Wolves arranging a title duel.
The three National Finals matches will kick off at 1 pm on Thursday, July 11, at the FilOil EcoOil Sports Centre in San Juan.
Winners in each division will earn the right to represent the Philippines in the PSL Global Championship Challenge, where youth teams from other countries will compete starting July 15 at the Araneta Coliseum.
In the U18 semifinals, Jan Vince Oringo led Cebu-USJR with 19 points, including a crucial layup that gave the Cebuanos a three-point advantage over Misamis Oriental in the last two minutes of the fourth frame, 69-66. He also had 8 rebounds and 2 assists.
Clark Candia poured in 14 points and 3 rebounds to aid the team’s cause against Misamis.
Joseph Dumdum Jr. tallied 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Joshua Oro notched 11 points in Misamis’ losing effort.
Godoy, meanwhile, starred in the other semifinal duel, burying a clutch floater with 5.4 seconds left before a Jarius Armendez free throw sealed the win for Pangasinan over Manila-UST.
Manila-UST tried to steal the game, but Charles Esteban missed a potential game winner.
With Manila-UST riding the momentum of its comeback, Joaquin Ludovice and Kirk Cañete converted timely baskets to give their squad the lead with under a minute left, 74-73, but Pangasinan spoiled the late rally.
Godoy led all scorers with 27 points on top of 8 assists and 7 rebounds.
In the U16 semifinals, Pampanga-Luid stayed unbeaten after tripping Manila-UST, 79-75.
Caloocan also came through with a thriller, outlasting Davao City, 74-72, behind Leodyl Hilot’s clutch layup.
Davao City-NTB Wolves, meanwhile, made easy work of Cebu-MANCOR/Atty DICO, 76-67, in the U20 semifinals, with John Rodulfa leading Davao City with a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double performance.
Davao Occidental-MALITA also queaked past Cebu-Khalifa, 73-69, to advance to the final round. – Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, Niño Dominic Ronquillo/Rappler.com
U16 (Born 2008)
First Game
Pampanga-Luid 79–Pena 26, Lagman 20, Tulabut 17, Sison 8, Castro 3, Gatchalian 2, Pineda I. 2, Hugo 1, Cruz 0, Zapata 0, Pineda T. 0.
Manila-UST 75 – Cinco 27, Castro 18, Bathan 12, Cabanero 9, Sy 5, Cruz 4, Echave 0, Valenzona 0, Dela Cruz 0, Guinto 0.
Quarters: 17-19, 37-37, 59-53, 79-75.
Second Game
Caloocan 74 – Canapi 28, Hilot 14, Baldomino 11, Palic 9, Santos 5, Rojas 4, Garcia 2, Alvarez 1, Mestidio 0, Garcia 0.
Davao City 72– Labandero III 17, Bentulan 16, Ejurango 12, Alcantara 9, Bandao 7, Tanudtanud 5, Gantuangco 4, Sampaga 2, Oropeza 0, Alverio 0, Tapuroc 0.
Quarters: 13-16, 46-43, 63-59, 74-72.
U18 (Born-2006)
First Game
Cebu-USJR 71 –Oringo 19, Cañada 14, Pepito 11, Gonzales 10, Lozano 7, Petillos 6, Barriera 2, Narvaez 2, Antig 0, Toring 0.
Misamis Oriental 66 – Dumdum Jr 25, Oro 11, Bulaso 10, Idulsa 7, Manzanares 5, Baring 4, Bustillo 2, Poblete 2, Fabre 0, Tauber 0.
Quarters:14-13, 26-28, 52-49, 71-66.
Second Game
Pangasinan 76–Godoy 27, Melchor 12, Armendez 8, Padilla 8, Pinzon 8, Castillo 7, Domingo 4, Ilumba 2.
Manila-UST 74 – Cañete 18, Loreto 18, Ludovice 16, Bohol 5, Esteban 4, Bandigan 4, Vidanes 4, Bautista 3, Catalan 2, Cinco 0, Javier 0.
Quarters: 13-19, 36-28, 61-53, 76-74.
U20 (Born 2004)
First Game
Davao City 76 – Rodulfa 24, Wood 14, Marquez 11, Lulab 8, Albiendo 6, Balansag 5, Decin 5, Uy 3, Adabo 0, Ambuat 0.
Cebu-MANCOR 67 – Minoza Jr. 18, Solonia 17, Herbito 8, Dugaduga 5, Dacalos 3, Cabalhug 4, Cacanog 4, Aseñas 4, Contado 2, Linares 2, Berdin 0, Maghinay 0, Dipay 0.
Quarters:19-20, 38-35, 59-52, 76-67.
Second Game
Davao Occidental 73 – Diamante 18, Estomo 12, Acero 10, Budlao 10, Cagampang 6, Cabagtong 5, Lumanag 4, Bueno 4, Pairat 4, Elma 0, Burlaza 0, Magnaye 0, Jagna 0.
Cebu-Khalifa 69 – Peteros 21, Arboiz 11, Manaqu 8, Noynay 7, Casaus 4, Obra 4, Brigoli 3, Colubio 3, Borjal 3, Pesa 2, Chavez 2, Aballe 1, Mack 0.
Quarters: 18-19, 36-36, 59-56, 73-69.
Eugero Vincent Liberato, Jorge Marion Dionisio, and Niño Dominic Ronquillo are Rappler interns.
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Manila’s Southbank Cafe + Lounge debuts on Asia’s Best Bars list for 2024
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Steph Arnaldo
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10/07/2024 20:31
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SOUTHBANK LOUNGE. The cafe and bar in Muntinlupa City is 82nd on Asia's Best Bars list for 2024.
Southbank's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Drinks up! Homegrown restaurant Southbank Cafe + Lounge debuted on Asia’s Best Bars list for 2024, making a splash at 82nd out of 100.
The cafe-by-day and lounge-bar-by-night concept is a self-proclaimed “drinking room” known for its technique-heavy cocktails and Melbourne-inspired ambiance. With branches in Alabang in Muntinlupa City and Estancia Mall in Pasig City, Southbank is a gastronomic hub inspired by the coffee, cuisine, and drinks of Melbourne, Australia.
The World’s 50 Best Academy calls Southbank’s approach to drinks “decidedly modern,” using the latest techniques and ingredients, which are “described in an accessible way via a beautifully illustrated menu.” The academy mentions the bar’s signature drink, the Strawyo Haze – strawberry distillate, citric and malic acids, tonic water, and flower and lemon peel garnish.
“Guests are also encouraged to request bespoke creations made with in-house ingredients or stick with classic cocktails. The food menu complements the drink selection, offering all-day breakfast and international mains,” the academy wrote.
Southbank Cafe + Lounge placed above other notable Asian bars such as Firefly in Bangkok (ranked 83rd), Sidecar in New Delhi (84th), and The Sailing Bar in Nara (85th). There were also several entries from Tokyo, Shanghai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh, Taipei, Jakarta, and Mumbai. In 51st place was Soko in Seoul.
In January, Southbank was named part of the World’s 50 Best Discovery list.
This is the fourth year that Asia’s Best has released the 51st to 100th winners of the Best Bars list ahead of the first 50.
In 2023, Makati City’s The Curator returned to the list at 34th, reclaiming the title of Best Bar in the Philippines, while The Back Room at Shangri-La at The Fort in Bonifacio Global City ranked 75th.
The Asia’s 50 Best Bars list is curated from the votes of a 265-member academy, consisting of a gender-balanced group of bartenders, bar owners, drinks writers, and cocktail aficionados.
The live awards ceremony for Asia’s 50 Best Bars list will take place in Hong Kong on Tuesday, July 16. – Steph Arnaldo/Rappler.com
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WATCH: Alice Guo’s business partner has 5 passports from different countries
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Cara Angeline Oliver
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10/07/2024 16:33
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CLARK, Pampanga – The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) finds five passports belonging to suspended Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s business partner Huang Zhiyang, a Chinese fugitive. PAOCC Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz confirms Huang had Taiwanese, Chinese, and Cyprus passports.
Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story referred to Huang Zhiyang as a fugitive running from Singapore’s money laundering case. This has been corrected.
The documents were found in vaults seized by PAOCC when they raided villas in Fontana in Clark, Pampanga, last June 27. The vaults were opened on Monday, July 8, after operatives secured an order from Judge Hermenegildo Dumlao II of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Third Judicial Region in Malolos, Bulacan, Branch 81.
Huang was Guo’s co-incorporator when they put up Baofu Land Development in 2019. Baofu is a real estate firm that later leased its compound to the Hongsheng/Zun Yuan POGO, raided for its alleged criminal activities including human trafficking and torture. Huang remains the treasurer of Baofu with a 14% share.
Senator Risa Hontiveros says Huang is also wanted in China. She earlier told media that the Chinese embassy in Manila has also expressed its intent to take jurisdiction of Huang to face his charges there.
Rappler multimedia reporter Joann Manabat reports from the raid in Clark, Pampanga. – Rappler.com
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New Davao City police director Patay replaced after 4 hours and 38 minutes
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Miriam Grace Go
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10/07/2024 19:06
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Newsline Philippines
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The tour of duty for newly installed Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Colonel Lito Patay was exceptionally brief, lasting only 4 hours and 38 minutes.
Patay assumed office at around 8 am on Wednesday, but a call from Camp Crame at approximately 12:38 pm abruptly ended his tenure. This unexpected call relieved him from his post as the city police director, marking one of the shortest terms in the city’s history.
The Newsline team was awaiting an interview with the new police chief when he stepped out of the room to take the career-altering call. The call not only ended his term but also reshuffled the leadership within the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region XI.
Before the call, Patay was in the midst of a command conference with the 19 newly assigned DCPO officers. He discussed the critical role of the police in maintaining order in an urbanized city like Davao and emphasized the strict implementation of the “3-Minute Response Time (3-MRT)” strategy, aimed at ensuring rapid police response to incidents.
The sudden recall of Patay led to the designation of Colonel Sherwin Butil as the officer in charge (OIC).
Butil, who previously headed the Regional Information and Technology Division, took over to ensure there was no vacuum in leadership. In this reshuffle, Colonel Alberto Lupaz, who previously held the Regional Operations Division, will assume Butil’s former position. Patay will fill the post vacated by Lupaz.
Butil immediately assumed his new role with no formal turnover ceremony required; only an assumption order was necessary.
Patay’s relief is the latest in a series of rapid turnovers of DCPO leadership of late. Over the past four months, four city police directors have been designated as OICs. – Rappler.com
This story is republished with permission from Newsline Philippines.
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Zamboanga city hall slams PNP as fireworks disposal injuries reach 32
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 15:50
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INJURED. An injured resident is assisted by members of the City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office team in Zamboanga City on Monday, July 8, 2024.
Zamboanga City Information Office
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The Zamboanga city government sharply criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday, July 9, for what it called “unacceptable negligence” after an explosion injured many people during the disposal of seized fireworks in the city.
The city government counted 32 people injured, more than the 19 that the police reported, and more than two dozen families affected as a result of the explosion on Monday, July 8.
The accident was the result of “an unacceptable negligence and we demand from PNP headquarters to conduct a thorough investigation and to impose the proper sanctions and recommendations,” said Wendell Sotto, Zamboanga’s city administrator.
The city’s criticism came after Monday’s failed disposal of fireworks seized from Next Step Fireworks Shoppe, which was blamed for the June 29 explosion that killed five people and injured several dozen others.
Colonel Kimberly Molitas, Zamboanga police director, had ordered the seized firecrackers disposed of in Muti, but the explosion took place in Cabatangan, near the city’s commercial area.
“There was a lack of proper coordination, even with the Cabatangan barangay officials,” said Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, head of the City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office.
After meeting with city hall’s crisis committee, Sotto said 32 were injured as a result of Monday’s explosion, 19 of them members of the disposal team. He said some 38 families were adversely affected.
The Zamboanga City Social Welfare and Development Office, and City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Officer have been providing assistance to those affected.
Sotto, speaking on behalf of Mayor John Dalipe who is in Cebu City for the Palarong Pambansa 2024, said the police mishandled the firecracker disposal.
Asked if the Zamboanga police chief should be held responsible, Sotto said, “That must also be taken into consideration by the PNP.”
“Under the Civil Code of the Philippines, the government is not liable; it is the public officer,” said lawyer Ed Sanson, former dean of the College of Law at Western Mindanao State University.
Sanson cited Article 2180 of the Code, which states, “The State is responsible in like manner when it acts through a special agent, but not when the damage has been caused by the official to whom the task done properly pertains, in which case what is provided in Article 2176 shall be applicable.”
He also cited Article 2176: “Whoever by act or omission causes damage to another, there being fault or negligence, is obliged to pay for the damage done. Such fault or negligence, if there is no pre-existing contractual relation between the parties.” – Rappler.com
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Clash in Cotabato leaves 6 dead, including PNP-SAF member
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 16:45
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DEADLY. Police check the site of a deadly encounter in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
PNP-Aleosan
COTABATO, Philippines – Police clashed with armed suspects during a law enforcement operation targeting firearms and illegal drugs, resulting in the deaths of five suspects, including their leader, and a member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (SAF) in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10.
The gunfight took place around 8:50 am in Barangay New Panay, Aleosan, Cotabato, according to Major Jennefer Amotan, the town’s police chief.
Police said Corporal Jed Michael Gregorio, a 33-year-old PNP-SAF member, was killed while three other police officers were wounded in the clash.
Amotan said the exchange of firepower took place while authorities were serving a search warrant in connection with the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The warrant was issued by Judge Rainera Osua of the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Midsayap, Cotabato, on July 3.
The leader of the targeted operation was identified as Macabuat Salik, also known as Kwat and Iskoh, a resident of Purok 7, New Panay in Aleosan.
Police said the occupants of a house about to be searched opened fire at law enforcers, prompting them to engage.
Amotan said Salik and four of his companions were rushed to the Aleosan District Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.
Recovered from the encounter area were assorted types of firearms and explosives. Police also seized suspected illegal drugs. – Rappler.com
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Court orders arrest of cop who drove vehicle that ran over protesters in 2016
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 19:12
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VIOLENT. The police's violent dispersal on October 19, 2016.
Rob Reyes/ Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – A Manila court has ordered the arrest of the cop who drove the police vehicle, which ran over activists during a rally in 2016.
Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 7 Presiding Judge Carissa Anne Manook-Frondozo issued a warrant of arrest against Police Staff Sergeant Franklin Kho in an order dated June 26. The court said it found probable cause to order Kho’s arrest, who faces three counts of attempted homicide. BAYAN chairperson Renato Reyes shared the warrant to the public on Wednesday, July 10.
Remember the 2016 rally in front of the US Embassy where a police van ran over protesters? The court has now ordered the arrest of the cop who drove the police vehicle. The warrant of arrest is almost 8 years in the making. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/2PfMLf2O8e
Meanwhile, the court also recommended P36,000 bail for Kho to allow him to avail provisional liberty.
In 2016, protesters and police clashed in front of the United States Embassy in Manila after cops dispersed the rally of indigenous peoples, who protested against military and US presence in their ancestral lands. Kho was driving the police vehicle which rammed through the protesters. Kho drove the vehicle forward, then reversed, leaving protesters hurt and at least one man stuck under the police vehicle.
Then-Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said the police vehicle hit the protesters, but insisted the driver was not at fault. Albayalde made the statement even though the investigation was still underway at the time. Later, at least nine cops, including Kho, were relieved from their posts.
The Philippine National Police even said there was no reason for the Manila cop to ram through protesters.
After the incident, the victims filed a complaint with the Ombudsman against Kho. The complainants include Katribu Secretary General Argee Malayao, Nicole Soria, Raymart Sumalbag, Reynaldo Moldon, Dionesio Abear, Julie Caguiat, Reyan Naong, and Baling Catubigan. – Rappler.com
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Alice Guo seeks SC help to prevent Senate from requiring her to attend hearings
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 18:14
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HOT SEAT. Mayor Alice Leal Guo answers questions from senators during the continuation of the public hearing on the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators facility in Bamban, Tarlac, on May 22, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has sought the Supreme Court’s (SC) help to prevent the Senate from compelling her to attend legislative hearings.
Guo’s camp filed before the High Court a petition for certiorari and/or prohibition with extremely urgent prayer for temporary restraining order on Wednesday, July 10. In her petition, the Bamban mayor wants the Court to scrap the subpoena issued to her by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality chaired by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros.
NEWS UPDATE: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's camp has filed a certiorari petition with the Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the Senate from requiring her to attend hearings. Guo specifically asks the SC to scrap the subpoena issued against her by the Senate. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/WjLm3uVKky
Guo also wants the SC to direct the Senate committee from further inviting her to the hearings.
The Bamban mayor was put into the national spotlight for her alleged ties with an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) raided in her town. Her nationality was questioned at the height of the Senate hearings, with Hontiveros even asking whether she is an “asset” of China to infiltrate local politics. Guo was also questioned for not remembering basic details about her personal life, including her childhood.
Guo skipped the Senate panel’s hearing on June 26, which prompted Hontiveros to issue a Subpoena Ad Testificandum against Guo, compelling her to appear before the legislative body.
In her petition, Guo claimed the Senate panel committed grave abuse of discretion when it allegedly violated the mayor’s constitutional rights, her right to due process, and Guo’s right to privacy, among others.
It was not the first time that an embattled figure has sought the SC’s help to stop a Senate order. Fugitive doomsday pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who faces criminal cases, was also ordered arrested by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality after snubbing the panel’s probe into his alleged abuses. Early this year, Quiboloy went to the High Court to stop the “unjust and unconstitutional” Senate warrant.
The Constitution empowers the Senate to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation. That is the legal basis for the Rules of the Senate, under which the upper house can summon witnesses and ask them to bring documents to the inquiry. The legislature’s contempt powers are limited and the SC has already reminded the Senate it can only detain a person held in contempt only for as long as an inquiry was ongoing.
Hontiveros said in a statement on Thursday, July 11, that while it is Guo’s right to seek help from the Supreme Court, ignoring a Senate subpoena “has consequences.”
“Our courts are open to all individuals, regardless of nationality. Kaya kahit hindi siya Pilipino, may karapatan pa rin si Mayor Alice Guo na pumunta ng Supreme Court. (Even if she’s not a FIlipino, Mayor Alice Guo has to right to go to the Supreme Court.) We await a copy of their petition. On our part, at the Senate, the law is clear: ignoring a subpoena has consequences. Adhering to a subpoena has never been optional,” she said.
Aside from the Senate probe, Guo faces a string of other problems.
Guo currently faces a non-bailable qualified trafficking complaint, which stemmed from her alleged involvement in the illegal POGO where human trafficking violations were allegedly committed. If the prosecutors find enough basis to pursue the case and charge her and fellow respondents for qualified trafficking, a judge will decide if warrants of arrest will be issued.
The National Bureau of Investigation also confirmed that the fingerprints of Guo and and a certain Guo Hua Ping had matched. Guo, the mayor, is suspected of actually being Guo Hua Ping. This opened more questions about the Bamban mayor’s real identity and nationality.
Last week, on July 5, a petition was filed with a local Tarlac court seeking to cancel Guo’s birth certificate. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, whose office filed the petition, said if Guo’s birth certificate is canceled, she will lose her most important defense evidence about her identity.
The cancellation of the birth certificate can also be used in a quo warranto case. If the quo warranto succeeds, Guo would be stripped of Filipino citizenship, which is a prerequisite to holding public office.
Because of her absence in Wednesday’s Senate hearing, the upper chamber has cited Guo in contempt, which could pave the way for the Senate order to arrest her. – Rappler.com
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Vatican allows probe into sainthood of Taguig catechist ‘Ka Luring’
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Paterno Esmaquel II
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10/07/2024 18:30
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'NIHIL OBSTAT.' Archbishop Charles Brown (left), apostolic nuncio to the Philippines, presents to Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara the 'nihil obstat' document stating that nothing stands in the way of the cause for sainthood of Laureana 'Ka Luring' Franco.
Diocese of Pasig
MANILA, Philippines – The Vatican has allowed an investigation into the life of Laureana “Ka Luring” Franco, a Taguig catechist who died of cancer a decade ago, to determine if she can be declared a Catholic saint.
Pasig Bishop Mylo Hubert Vergara, whose jurisdiction includes Taguig City, said apostolic nuncio Archbishop Charles Brown and his counselor, Monsignor Giuseppe Trentadue, have handed him a nihil obstat document from Rome. Vergara made this announcement in a Facebook post on Wednesday, July 10.
The nihil obstat – a Latin term that literally means “nothing hinders” – is a certification that nothing stands in the way of a cause for sainthood. The apostolic nuncio, who delivered the nihil obstat to Vergara, is the ambassador of the Holy See to the Philippines and also the dean of the diplomatic corps in the country.
The document was signed by Cardinal Marcello Semeraro, prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, and the dicastery’s secretary, Archbishop Fabio Fabene. It was addressed to Vergara, who is also vice president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.
“Having examined the matter, I am pleased to inform Your Excellency that on the part of the Holy See, there is nothing that stands against the Cause of Beatification and Canonization of the abovementioned Servant of God Laureana ‘Ka Luring’ Franco from being carried out, observing the ‘Norms to be observed in the Inquiries made by the Bishops in the Causes of Saints,’ issued by the same Dicastery on February 7, 1983,” the nihil obstat from the Vatican read.
Vergara said, “May I ask for your unceasing prayers as we do the next steps required by the dicastery. Deo Gratias (Thanks be to God).”
Franco, who was born to a poor family in Barangay Hagonoy, Taguig City, died at the age of 75 on October 17, 2011. She was a telephone switchboard operator and accounting clerk at the Philippine Air Force, who left her government job to become a full-time catechist or teacher of the faith. She was known for her heroic acts of kindness and her love for the poor.
For her work as a catechist, in 1990, she received one of the highest honors in the Catholic Church – the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice award – upon the recommendation of Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin and the approval of Pope John Paul II.
The nihil obstat is one of the first stages of an often decades-long process to declare a person a Catholic saint. Aside from a meticulous investigation into a candidate’s life, at least two miracles – vetted by scientists and declared by theologians as supernatural – need to be attributed to the candidate’s intercession.
Despite this complicated process, the 500-year-old Philippine Catholic Church is on the lookout for saints who can help make their faith relevant in the modern world. One of the new candidates for sainthood in the Philippines is Niña Ruiz Abad, a 13-year-old girl from Sarrat, Ilocos Norte, who died of an incurable heart disease in 1993.
The global Catholic Church is seeing a similar need for saints for the 21st century. Pope Francis recently approved the sainthood of Italian-born Carlo Acutis, a young computer programmer who died of leukemia in 2006 and who has also gained a huge following in predominantly Catholic Philippines. – Rappler.com
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How serious is the Marcos government about amending the anti-drug law?
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Lian Buan
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10/07/2024 19:56
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DRUG POLICY SUMMIT. DDB executive director Earl Saavedra takes questions from the media alongside UNODC Philippine manager Daniele Marchesi on the opening day of the Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit on July 10, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has backed the multi-sectoral push to amend or repeal the current Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law or Republic Act 9165. Human rights advocates say this law has enabled the punitive and brutal anti-drug campaign of the former government under Rodrigo Duterte.
“We collectively push for the current law to either be amended, or for our lawmakers to introduce a proposed bill to govern the anti-drug campaign of the country. Indeed we acknowledge that there are gaps in the current anti-drug law,” said Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Executive Director Undersecretary Earl Saavedra on Wednesday, July 10, at the opening of the high-profile Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit.
Saavedra, however, could not yet specify what amendments they would be seeking. He stopped short of committing Marcos’ certification as urgent.
“Part of the commitments will be to help the different sectors advocate for and champion the recommendations of the amendment. The recommendations you saw will still flourish, it will still have a different face, there will be additions, with specificity we will see,” Saavedra told the media on the sidelines of the event.
The summit’s whole framework is harm reduction, where the main principle is that people who use drugs for various reasons can lead unproblematic, productive lives. But the law automatically frames drug use as a crime. Among the recommendations were to make drug tests voluntary and not mandatory, and to not use the drug test result to discriminate.
The legislature will have the final say on possible amendments, and Saavedra, whose DDB is under the Office of the President, said “there are significant discussions happening between key government agencies and our legislators in both houses of Congress and we are mentioning to them the need.”
Marcos was supposed to give the keynote speech on Wednesday, but he was a no-show and instead attended an impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa dam in Rizal, and later the signing in Malacañang of the new preliminary investigation rules for prosecutors. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who was also supposed to give a keynote speech in the summit, was instead also in Malacañang for the signing.
The summit is a big deal in the human rights community because it is the culmination of the three-year UN Joint Programme on Human Rights or the UNJP. UNJP operationalized the technical cooperation offered by the UN to the Duterte government, which was done in place of a full investigation. This soft approach had been criticized by human rights advocates here and abroad.
The drug policy reform summit is packaged as the relaunch of the government’s drug policy, in which Marcos officials claim a pivot to a humane, and health-oriented “bloodless” response.
“Time and again, we heard the President and his consistent pronouncement that there is a new face to the anti-drug campaign of the Philippine government. [Interior Secretary Benhur] Abalos told the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna…. He emphasized the success of the bloodless anti-drug campaign,” said Saavedra.
But it has not been bloodless – in fact, there have been 700 drug-related killings since Marcos became president in 2022, and some killings are still being committed by State agents. This is according to the independent monitoring of the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines (UP) Third World Studies Center.
In June 2024, 25 were killed in Marcos's drug war: 15 w/ prior drug record, 6 users, 3 pushers, & 1 HVI. So far in '24, Cebu has the most killings: 15 killed by unidentified assailants, 11 by hired guns, 3 by state agents, & 3 by unknown killers.Sources: https://t.co/kop8C85M92 pic.twitter.com/vyVh6GBoPS
Saavedra said he was not aware of the Dahas monitoring, which had been cited by civil society for years now. UP is also a partner of the UNJP through its College of Law.
“When it comes to the data you mentioned about those killed, I have yet to validate,” said Saavedra.
While the summit and UNJP efforts are “welcome, of course,” Carlos Conde, Philippine researcher of the Human Rights Watch, said “the government’s seeming reluctance to even acknowledge the damage the drug war has wrought [brings] a feeling of concern.”
“This was made worse by Marcos’ absence today, which signifies a lesser appreciation of the problem, contrary to what he communicates to the outside world,” said Conde.
UN representatives took turns praising the “paradigm shift” in the drug policy under Marcos. “I’m happy that the UN is taking a calculated risk with you and is engaged in those areas where we can bring comparative advantages,” said UN resident coordinator to the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzalez.
“I am convinced that the paradigm shift will transform this country into a role model in the region and globally,” said Gonzalez.
“Listening to all the government officials today, it’s as if no killing happened, that there are no 30,000 victims,” said Conde. Of the estimated 30,000 killed in Duterte’s campaign against drugs, police admitted to killing as many as 7,000 in their legitimate anti-drug operations.
“This conversation is thousands of lives overdue,” said Cathy Alvarez, a human rights lawyer who heads StreetLawPH, which assists those arrested for drug offenses.
“We cannot move forward to a humane drug policy while Oplan Tokhang continues to subject communities to violence, trauma, and human rights violations,” said Alvarez.
Saavedra claims that “there is a balanced approach” now because “there is heavy investment in demand reduction and health social development services.”
“This is a fantastic positive step, but what does it mean? We do know that simply having these words on paper and uttering them in conversations does not a rights-based policy make,” said Inez Feria of NoBox Philippines.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) under Marcos uses a new circular that replaced the circular of Duterte’s Oplan Tokhang. The previous circular authorized police and even barangay officials to knock on the homes of suspected drug users or pushers and “plead” with them to surrender or volunteer for a rehabilitation. This operations have led to thousands of so-called “nanlaban” (fighting back) encounters, where allegedly armed suspects were killed.
The new circular under Marcos, effective since 2022, is called Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation thru Reinforcement and Education or ADORE. The words knock and plead, and even the word “neutralize,” have been removed. However, there are still provisions that authorize police to “extract information” through “covert activities.”
“What is good is that there is mention of validation of information to assess accuracy and reliability. There is also intelligence gathering; but background check for those to be involved; there is vetting. What can be abused by scrupulous law enforcers is covert activities,” said Ray Paolo Santiago, executive director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center, in an earlier interview.
“People use drugs. This is a fundamental truth we must acknowledge. People use drugs, and most of them lead normal lives. They work, they take care of their families, they contribute to society. They do not require treatment, and they certainly do not deserve arrest or incarceration,” Feria added.
PNP drug policy circular by Lian Buan on Scribd
Alvarez highlighted that a key feature of any reform would be reparation and accountability for those who were killed and harmed in the previous campaign. The drug war reinvestigation, even spilling into Marcos, has shelved 30 of the measly 52 cases reviewed out of the 7,000 that the police killed.
This drug war reinvestigation is also part of the government’s promise to the UNJP. Marcos has also not rejoined the International Criminal Court, and remains to have indecisive rhetoric on whether he will enforce a potential ICC order.
“Government rhetoric for reform will amount to nothing if Marcos won’t categorically end the drug war. He doesn’t need a summit to do that,” said Conde.
“We urgently need to make these reforms to make sure that no one else in our communities is killed; that no one else is widowed, that no one else is orphaned, not today, not tomorrow, never again,” said Alvarez.
– Rappler.com
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China says Scarborough Shoal waters ‘excellent,’ dismisses Philippine concerns
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Chito de la Vega
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10/07/2024 19:05
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FILE PHOTO: A Filipino fisheman rows a boat during a trip near the disputed Scarborough Shoal, in Masinloc, Zambales province, Philippines, July 18, 2022.
REUTERS/Lisa Marie David/File Photo
BEIJING, China – A Chinese report on the waters around the disputed fishing ground of Scarborough Shoal have deemed it to be of excellent quality with a healthy coral reef, months after the Philippines accused Chinese fishermen of damaging the marine environment.
State news agency Xinhua said on Wednesday, July 10, that through assessments done by various government institutes, academic research centers as well as satellite surveys have shown that the environmental quality of the shoal is excellent with low levels of heavy metals, hydrocarbons and other pollutants.
Cyanide was not detected in the seawater, marine sediments and fish, and there is a low density of floating rubbish around the shoal, which China calls Huangyan Island, Xinhua said, citing a report on the findings.
The Philippines in May accused Chinese fishermen of destroying the ecological environment in Scarborough with cyanide fishing, harvesting giant clams and other protected marine creatures, as well as scarring coral reefs.
There were 109 reef-building corals found and 125 species of reef-dwelling fish species, as well as giant clams and anemones, according to the report.
The Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said in February that Chinese fishermen were using cyanide to “intentionally destroy Bajo de Masinloc to prevent Filipino fishing boats to fish in the area,” referring to the Philippine name for the shoal.
In May, the Southeast Asian nation’s national security council spokesperson said the destruction caused by Chinese fishermen in the seas around the Philippines, in particular Scarborough, was “tolerated” by Beijing.
The Philippines had called for China to open Scarborough to international scrutiny if it did not acknowledge the damage.
China and the Philippines have traded accusations of damaging the environment in the disputed region.
Earlier this week, China’s Ministry of Natural Resources said in a report that Philippines’ grounded warship on Second Thomas Shoal has “seriously damaged” the coral reef ecosystem.
The Philippines rejected the accusation.
China claims most of the South China Sea, a key conduit for $3 trillion of annual ship-borne trade, falls in its territory.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague in 2016 found China’s expansive claims had no legal basis. Beijing does not accept the ruling.
– Rappler.com
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Ayo says Converge still mulling No. 1 pick as PBA Draft offers multiple options
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 20:28
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TOWERING. Justine Baltazar in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – The late addition of top prospects in the PBA Draft has given Converge headaches as the FiberXers decide on who to select with the No. 1 overall pick.
Converge head coach Aldin Ayo on Wednesday, July 10, said the FiberXers have trimmed down their choice to a few players ahead of draft proceedings on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City.
“There are three to four players on our radar. We’ll think about it,” said Ayo in a mix of Filipino and English as he attended the Draft Combine at Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Justine Baltazar, a two-way big man out of La Salle, has long been expected to be chosen by Converge not just due to his impressive credentials but also because of his Pampanga connections with the young franchise.
FiberXers team owner Dennis Anthony Uy hails from the same province, while Pampanga Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda, who coaches Baltazar in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, is closely tied with Converge.
The FiberXers once attempted to appoint Pineda as their team governor to no avail.
But the inclusion of the likes of Sedrick Barefield, Kai Ballungay, RJ Abarrientos, and Dave Ildefonso has provided Converge more options.
A 6-foot-2 guard, Barefield is the only player in the pool with NBA G League experience, Ballungay is an athletic 6-foot-6 forward, while former Gilas Pilipinas guards Abarrientos and Ildefonso are both coming off overseas stints.
“One month before the deadline, we all thought it would be a boring draft. Then all of a sudden, everything became interesting because the good players followed,” said Ayo. “We thought it would not be a deep pool.”
“It is a hard decision because you really have to think about it. There are kinds of players in this pool that you’re not going to see every year,” said Ayo.
“There are players who can be a foundation of your program. There are players who will be good for five to seven years who will make your program competitive as long as you get them.”
Although still undecided, Ayo said the FiberXers are putting premium on size and all-around skills.
“We’re going to look for a player who is versatile enough to make up for our deficiencies, especially on defense,” said Ayo. “We lack bigs. And at the same time, firepower. We lack offense.”
After Converge, Blackwater will pick second followed by Terrafirma at No. 3, Phoenix at No. 4, NorthPort at No. 5, NLEX at No. 6, Rain or Shine at No. 7 and 8, Magnolia at No. 9, and Barangay Ginebra at No. 10.
The two conference champions last season, Meralco and San Miguel round out the first round at No. 11 and 12, respectively. – Rappler.com
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Rappler Recap: Senate arrest order looms for Guo family; Harry Roque’s POGO link
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Bonz Magsambol
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10/07/2024 16:34
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MANILA, Philippines – The absence of embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her family members in the Senate probe into illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) on Wednesday, July 10., would likely result in their possible arrest.
For the second time, the Bamban mayor snubbed the Senate inquiry, prompting the committee led by Senator Risa Hontiveros to cite her in contempt. On June 26, Guo also skipped the hearing.
The seven others cited in contempt are:
Hontiveros said that once Senate President Chiz Escudero signs the order to arrest the eight for contempt, this will set in motion the procedure. Escudero earlier said that the Senate was ready to order Guo’s arrest if she snubbed the hearing again.
Another major revelation in Wednesday’s hearing was the statement made by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque assisted recently-raided POGO Lucky South 99 when it had some problems on its arrears with Pagcor amounting to $500,000 in 2023.
On June 29, Tengco said in a press statement that a “former high-ranking government official” tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the POGOs that were raided and found to be involved in illegal activities. The Pagcor chief said would only reveal the name “in the proper forum.”
Rappler’s Bonz Magsambol gives a recap of events in the five-hour long Senate inquiry. – Rappler.com
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Teacher Rubilyn is fake? Record shows Alice Guo went to school in QC
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Bonz Magsambol
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10/07/2024 17:41
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QUIZZED. Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Leal Guo answers questions from senators during the continuation of the public hearing on the raided Philippine offshore gaming operators facility in Tarlac, on May 22, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
It seems that teacher Rubilyn was just a product of embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo’s creative imagination.
During the Senate hearing on Wednesday, July 10, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian presented documents showing that Guo went to a regular school in Quezon City, contradicting what the mayor had been saying in past inquiries that she grew up in a farm, and was home-schooled by “Teacher Rubilyn.”
“Apparently, si Guo Hua Ping, hindi siya lumaki sa farm, hindi rin siya home-schooled. Nag-aral po siya,” Gatchalian said. (Apparently, Guo Hua Ping didn’t grow up in a farm, and she was not home-schooled. She went to a regular school.)
“Nag-aral siya sa parehas kong school sa Grace Christian High School, for grades 1 , 2, and 3, from year 2000 to 2003. Hindi siya home-schooled ni Rubilyn,” he added, as the senator showed school records of Guo Hua Ping, believed to be the real identity of the local official. Grace Christian High School is now Grace Christian College.
(We went to the same school in Grace Christian High School for grades 1, 2, and 3, from year 2000 to 2003. She was not home-schooled by Rubilyn.)
“Ang natatandaan ko, wala pong farm sa school natin, puro buildings po roon,” Gatchalian said, alluding to the false testimony made by Guo in earlier hearings. (From what I remember, we don’t have a farm in our school, we have buildings there.)
The Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality led by Senator Risa Hontiveros had conducted four hearings on the illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs). Guo and her alleged involvement in illegal POGO operations in Tarlac have been the subject of Senate hearings since May.
For the second time, the Bamban mayor snubbed the Senate inquiry on Wednesday, prompting the committee to cite her, along with seven others, in contempt. On June 26, Guo also skipped the hearing.
Before the hearing on Tuesday, July 9, Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, said that Guo was not keen on attending Wednesday’s hearing because she was “traumatized” by the embarrassment caused by past inquiries.
Apart from the school records, Gatchalian also showed the alien registration that matches the one filed at the Bureau of Immigration under Guo Hua Ping. The records also include a Chinese birth certificate which listed Lin Wen Yi and Jian Zhong Guo as her parents. Both are Chinese nationals.
This latest development makes the evidence strong that the Bamban mayor is not really Filipino.
“Lumalabas ang alien school registration ‘nya ay match dun sa alien registration na hawak ng Bureau of Immigration,” Gatchalian said. (It turned out that her alien school registration matches the alien registration from the Bureau of Immigration.)
On June 27, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that the fingerprints of the suspended mayor and Guo Hua Ping match.
Hontiveros said that the NBI finding was the “strongest evidence” to strip Guo of her elective post. She also urged the Office of the Solicitor General “to expedite its filing of a quo warranto case against” Guo. Such a case would determine whether or not she has a “legal right” to her mayoral post.
The Bamban mayor is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The suspension was due to a graft case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over serious illegal acts and her link to illegal activities of POGOs. – Rappler.com
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How serious is the Marcos government about amending the anti-drug law?
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Lian Buan
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10/07/2024 19:56
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DRUG POLICY SUMMIT. DDB executive director Earl Saavedra takes questions from the media alongside UNODC Philippine manager Daniele Marchesi on the opening day of the Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit on July 10, 2024.
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine government under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has backed the multi-sectoral push to amend or repeal the current Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Law or Republic Act 9165. Human rights advocates say this law has enabled the punitive and brutal anti-drug campaign of the former government under Rodrigo Duterte.
“We collectively push for the current law to either be amended, or for our lawmakers to introduce a proposed bill to govern the anti-drug campaign of the country. Indeed we acknowledge that there are gaps in the current anti-drug law,” said Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) Executive Director Undersecretary Earl Saavedra on Wednesday, July 10, at the opening of the high-profile Drug Policy and Law Reform Summit.
Saavedra, however, could not yet specify what amendments they would be seeking. He stopped short of committing Marcos’ certification as urgent.
“Part of the commitments will be to help the different sectors advocate for and champion the recommendations of the amendment. The recommendations you saw will still flourish, it will still have a different face, there will be additions, with specificity we will see,” Saavedra told the media on the sidelines of the event.
The summit’s whole framework is harm reduction, where the main principle is that people who use drugs for various reasons can lead unproblematic, productive lives. But the law automatically frames drug use as a crime. Among the recommendations were to make drug tests voluntary and not mandatory, and to not use the drug test result to discriminate.
The legislature will have the final say on possible amendments, and Saavedra, whose DDB is under the Office of the President, said “there are significant discussions happening between key government agencies and our legislators in both houses of Congress and we are mentioning to them the need.”
Marcos was supposed to give the keynote speech on Wednesday, but he was a no-show and instead attended an impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa dam in Rizal, and later the signing in Malacañang of the new preliminary investigation rules for prosecutors. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla, who was also supposed to give a keynote speech in the summit, was instead also in Malacañang for the signing.
The summit is a big deal in the human rights community because it is the culmination of the three-year UN Joint Programme on Human Rights or the UNJP. UNJP operationalized the technical cooperation offered by the UN to the Duterte government, which was done in place of a full investigation. This soft approach had been criticized by human rights advocates here and abroad.
The drug policy reform summit is packaged as the relaunch of the government’s drug policy, in which Marcos officials claim a pivot to a humane, and health-oriented “bloodless” response.
“Time and again, we heard the President and his consistent pronouncement that there is a new face to the anti-drug campaign of the Philippine government. [Interior Secretary Benhur] Abalos told the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna…. He emphasized the success of the bloodless anti-drug campaign,” said Saavedra.
But it has not been bloodless – in fact, there have been 700 drug-related killings since Marcos became president in 2022, and some killings are still being committed by State agents. This is according to the independent monitoring of the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines (UP) Third World Studies Center.
In June 2024, 25 were killed in Marcos's drug war: 15 w/ prior drug record, 6 users, 3 pushers, & 1 HVI. So far in '24, Cebu has the most killings: 15 killed by unidentified assailants, 11 by hired guns, 3 by state agents, & 3 by unknown killers.Sources: https://t.co/kop8C85M92 pic.twitter.com/vyVh6GBoPS
Saavedra said he was not aware of the Dahas monitoring, which had been cited by civil society for years now. UP is also a partner of the UNJP through its College of Law.
“When it comes to the data you mentioned about those killed, I have yet to validate,” said Saavedra.
While the summit and UNJP efforts are “welcome, of course,” Carlos Conde, Philippine researcher of the Human Rights Watch, said “the government’s seeming reluctance to even acknowledge the damage the drug war has wrought [brings] a feeling of concern.”
“This was made worse by Marcos’ absence today, which signifies a lesser appreciation of the problem, contrary to what he communicates to the outside world,” said Conde.
UN representatives took turns praising the “paradigm shift” in the drug policy under Marcos. “I’m happy that the UN is taking a calculated risk with you and is engaged in those areas where we can bring comparative advantages,” said UN resident coordinator to the Philippines, Gustavo Gonzalez.
“I am convinced that the paradigm shift will transform this country into a role model in the region and globally,” said Gonzalez.
“Listening to all the government officials today, it’s as if no killing happened, that there are no 30,000 victims,” said Conde. Of the estimated 30,000 killed in Duterte’s campaign against drugs, police admitted to killing as many as 7,000 in their legitimate anti-drug operations.
“This conversation is thousands of lives overdue,” said Cathy Alvarez, a human rights lawyer who heads StreetLawPH, which assists those arrested for drug offenses.
“We cannot move forward to a humane drug policy while Oplan Tokhang continues to subject communities to violence, trauma, and human rights violations,” said Alvarez.
Saavedra claims that “there is a balanced approach” now because “there is heavy investment in demand reduction and health social development services.”
“This is a fantastic positive step, but what does it mean? We do know that simply having these words on paper and uttering them in conversations does not a rights-based policy make,” said Inez Feria of NoBox Philippines.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) under Marcos uses a new circular that replaced the circular of Duterte’s Oplan Tokhang. The previous circular authorized police and even barangay officials to knock on the homes of suspected drug users or pushers and “plead” with them to surrender or volunteer for a rehabilitation. This operations have led to thousands of so-called “nanlaban” (fighting back) encounters, where allegedly armed suspects were killed.
The new circular under Marcos, effective since 2022, is called Anti-Illegal Drugs Operation thru Reinforcement and Education or ADORE. The words knock and plead, and even the word “neutralize,” have been removed. However, there are still provisions that authorize police to “extract information” through “covert activities.”
“What is good is that there is mention of validation of information to assess accuracy and reliability. There is also intelligence gathering; but background check for those to be involved; there is vetting. What can be abused by scrupulous law enforcers is covert activities,” said Ray Paolo Santiago, executive director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center, in an earlier interview.
“People use drugs. This is a fundamental truth we must acknowledge. People use drugs, and most of them lead normal lives. They work, they take care of their families, they contribute to society. They do not require treatment, and they certainly do not deserve arrest or incarceration,” Feria added.
PNP drug policy circular by Lian Buan on Scribd
Alvarez highlighted that a key feature of any reform would be reparation and accountability for those who were killed and harmed in the previous campaign. The drug war reinvestigation, even spilling into Marcos, has shelved 30 of the measly 52 cases reviewed out of the 7,000 that the police killed.
This drug war reinvestigation is also part of the government’s promise to the UNJP. Marcos has also not rejoined the International Criminal Court, and remains to have indecisive rhetoric on whether he will enforce a potential ICC order.
“Government rhetoric for reform will amount to nothing if Marcos won’t categorically end the drug war. He doesn’t need a summit to do that,” said Conde.
“We urgently need to make these reforms to make sure that no one else in our communities is killed; that no one else is widowed, that no one else is orphaned, not today, not tomorrow, never again,” said Alvarez.
– Rappler.com
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Rajah Puro vs. Datu Puti: Why DALI removed some ‘confusingly similar’ products
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lkyu0285
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10/07/2024 15:59
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Marian Hukom/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Hard discount grocery chain DALI has removed at least three of its in-house condiment brands from its shelves.
The reason? A legal complaint that pointed out how “confusingly similar” DALI’s brands were to some of the Philippines’ household staples.
At the center of this were three brands being sold by DALI: Kulina banana catsup, and Rajah Puro vinegar and soy sauce. These products closely resembled the packaging of Nutri-Asia’s popular condiment brands UFC and Datu Puti, respectively.
The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) confirmed that it issued an injunction against DALI earlier this year and that it is still processing the motion for reconsideration, omnibus motion and pleading, comments and oppositions filed.
“The ketchup bottles and Rajah Puro vinegar and soy sauce products are included under the provision of the Order dated February 8, 2024,” IPOPHL told Rappler in an emailed statement on Tuesday, July 9.
Nutri-Asia’s legal representative, law firm Cruz Marcelo and Tenefrancia (CMT), filed the complaint citing trademark infringement, unfair competition, and copyright infringement.
“During the injunction hearings, our legal team has successfully established Nutri-Asia’s IP rights over two of the Philippines’ most popular household brands against DALI,” the law firm said in a statement on its website.
CMT described DALI’s brands as “confusingly similar to Datu Puti and UFC products manufactured and popularized by Nutri-Asia.”
DALI has since removed the products from its stores following the injunction, according to the law firm. IPOPHL also confirmed that DALI filed its compliance on June 10, 2024.
Aside from these possible intellectual property rights violations, DALI is also facing multiple consumer complaints as monitored by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
So far, there are 13 consumer complaints against DALI, which were put forth in a letter by a consumer group to the DTI, DTI Consumer Protection Group Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles said in a TeleRadyo interview on June 3.
The consumer group also raised alleged issues in terms of sanitation and priority lanes for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, she said.
The DTI has already issued a show-cause order against DALI.
Months before DALI landed in legal trouble, Rappler had already pointed out the strong similarities between Rajah Puro brand and Datu Puti. But Nutri-Asia’s brands were not the only ones affected.
For instance, DALI also sells made-in-Vietnam Tamaraw extra strong beer whose packaging comes in colors similar to San Miguel’s Red Horse. The discount grocery also sells Margie margarine, which looks like the household staple Star margarine – another San Miguel product.
You can also find Bakakult and Kingrox at DALI stores, which are similar in both packaging and name to Yakult and Clorox, respectively.
DALI stores also sell ice cream branded as Ice Dream with a logo similar to Selecta Ice Cream’s 3-in-1 red logo. Ice Dream is manufactured for DALI and carries the store logo also.
Rappler has reached out to some of the companies behind these products for comment but has not received any reply as of publishing time.
In discussing its business model and product lineup, DALI said that the quality of its in-house brand products “meets or exceeds the equivalent national brands sold in other national retail chains.”
“We focus on providing the same quality like the leading brand that we intend to replace but with significantly lower cost as the supplier does not need to spend on marketing, promotions, research etc,” DALI said in its website.
DALI, which is operated by Hard Discount Philippines, now has around 630 stores in neighborhoods all over the Philippines. That quick growth was fueled in part by a multi-million-dollar investment by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
In early 2023, the international lender announced that it would acquire $15 million worth of common equity shares in HDPM Sin Pte. Ltd. This was the ADB’s first investment into a hard discount retail company and its first agribusiness equity investment in the Philippines.
With the ADB’s stake in the company, DALI quickly caught the eye of another international investor. In March 2024, growth equity firm Venturi Partners announced that it would invest $25 million in the company, which would go to DALI’s “ambitious expansion plans.”
Private equity firms Navegar and Creador, along with other institutional investors and family offices, have also reportedly invested in the discount grocery chain.
But could the new legal troubles faced by DALI spook international investors? Rappler columnist Val Villanueva argued that the Asian Development Bank should rethink its investment in the hard discount grocery chain.
The Asian Development Bank has yet to respond to Rappler’s inquiry as of publishing time. – Rappler.com
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New Davao City police director Patay replaced after 4 hours and 38 minutes
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Miriam Grace Go
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10/07/2024 19:06
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Newsline Philippines
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – The tour of duty for newly installed Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Colonel Lito Patay was exceptionally brief, lasting only 4 hours and 38 minutes.
Patay assumed office at around 8 am on Wednesday, but a call from Camp Crame at approximately 12:38 pm abruptly ended his tenure. This unexpected call relieved him from his post as the city police director, marking one of the shortest terms in the city’s history.
The Newsline team was awaiting an interview with the new police chief when he stepped out of the room to take the career-altering call. The call not only ended his term but also reshuffled the leadership within the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Region XI.
Before the call, Patay was in the midst of a command conference with the 19 newly assigned DCPO officers. He discussed the critical role of the police in maintaining order in an urbanized city like Davao and emphasized the strict implementation of the “3-Minute Response Time (3-MRT)” strategy, aimed at ensuring rapid police response to incidents.
The sudden recall of Patay led to the designation of Colonel Sherwin Butil as the officer in charge (OIC).
Butil, who previously headed the Regional Information and Technology Division, took over to ensure there was no vacuum in leadership. In this reshuffle, Colonel Alberto Lupaz, who previously held the Regional Operations Division, will assume Butil’s former position. Patay will fill the post vacated by Lupaz.
Butil immediately assumed his new role with no formal turnover ceremony required; only an assumption order was necessary.
Patay’s relief is the latest in a series of rapid turnovers of DCPO leadership of late. Over the past four months, four city police directors have been designated as OICs. – Rappler.com
This story is republished with permission from Newsline Philippines.
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Gilas getting there, but not quite yet after historic Olympic qualifiers stint
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 7:00
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ALL SMILES. Justin Brownlee (32) and Kai Sotto (11) in action for Gilas Pilipinas in the 2024 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
FIBA
MANILA, Philippines – For three nights on the first week of July, Filipino basketball fans cheered on Gilas Pilipinas who went toe-to-toe with some of the top teams in the world in the FIBA Paris Olympic Qualifying Tournament held in Riga, Latvia.
Those three nights allowed Filipinos to hope for something that previously seemed unreachable – the right to be one of the 12 teams in the Paris Olympics.
For some, hope was the point of it all, a glimmer that people could hold on to that rekindled their love and passion for the national team, a flicker that showed that the Philippines could be competitive against the world’s best.
For coach Tim Cone, however, the campaign in Riga was a mission unaccomplished. The goal was not merely to show that Gilas Pilipinas could keep in step with competition.
The prize was never just the journey nor the learning experience. The prize was to win it all and make it to Paris. Cone regarded “almost winning” for what it truly is – a loss.
That kind of mentality, perhaps, is the game changer that allowed Gilas Pilipinas to go as far as it did in the qualifiers.
Whereas before, the objective when facing world class teams was not to get blown off the court or keep the score close, then try to steal a win in the end. This time around, Gilas Pilipinas came out throwing haymakers with an eye on knocking down their foes.
The desire to win had always been there even for previous iterations of Gilas Pilipinas. This was true for the Yeng Guiao-mentored squad in the 2019 World Cup even as they lost all five games by an average of 29.4 points.
This was also true when Chot Reyes handled the team that could win only once in five games despite the support of the home crowd in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
The difference this time around is that aside from the desire to win, Cone has been able to instill in this current Gilas Pilipinas the belief that it could actually win.
After Cone steered Gilas Pilipinas to an unexpected gold in the Asian Games last year, the first time the country bagged the top plum since 1962, the logical next step would have been to attempt to regain Asian basketball supremacy by winning the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in Saudi Arabia.
It was a prudent objective for Gilas, one that would still require a ton of effort considering how the team has fared against Asian rivals in the last 10 years.
Since 2015, the Philippines has lost its head-to-head battles against South Korea (2 wins, 6 losses), Lebanon (2 wins, 5 losses), and Jordan (4 wins, 6 losses).
The only teams that Gilas has consistently defeated are fading Asian giants Iran (5 wins, 4 losses) and China (4 wins, 3 losses). Gilas also has a 6-1 record against emerging Asian power Japan, but Japan won the last encounter in 2022 by 21 points.
There was always a sense of foreboding in the past every time Gilas Pilipinas faced Australia or New Zealand. There was a quiet resignation that they were bigger, more organized, more athletic, and did everything better than Gilas Pilipinas.
Australia had beaten the Philippines by an average of 24.6 points in three matches in the last 10 years. Since 2013, New Zealand has prevailed over the Philippines five times by an average winning margin of 19.6 points.
It is no longer unreasonable to actually aim to defeat the Boomers and the Tall Blacks. This proposition will be tested on November 21 when Gilas Pilipinas faces New Zealand in the FIBA Asia Cup qualification. It will not be easy, but it can be done.
It is also no longer foolish to dream even bigger.
Qualifying anew for the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar. Earning a berth in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Not just making up the numbers in these competitions but actually becoming a legitimate threat that could beat even the best of them.
The blueprint was already laid out in Riga, especially when Gilas Pilipinas stunned world No. 6 and host Latvia, 89-80, before their home fans.
It was a monumental upset against a team that placed fifth in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, only missing out on the semifinals after a heartbreaking 79-81 loss in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Germany.
It was the first win in 64 years by the Philippines over a European team in a FIBA event. From 2014 to 2023, the Philippines had lost 18 straight games to national teams from Europe.
The last time the Philippines chalked up a win over a Euro side was when the RP Selecta team tripped Ukraine, 100-98, in a three-day pocket tournament held in Sondrio, Italy, in June 2002, when Kai Sotto, born on May 11, 2002, was not even a month old yet. Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao were just over a year old.
But it is imperative to remain grounded and continue to strengthen the program. After all, to put things in the proper perspective, counting the tuneup games that Gilas Pilipinas played as they prepared for the OQT, the team won just twice in six games.
Three of those losses came against European teams, including the two-point defeat to Georgia. The last was against eventual OQT winner and world No. 12 Brazil in a match where the Philippines led by six points at the half.
It was in that last loss that valuable lessons surfaced.
One is the need for the team to have more depth. Sotto’s absence in the knockout semis versus Brazil took a heavy toll on Cone’s frontline rotation.
AJ Edu will be a welcome addition. But other than Edu, one wonders who else is in the horizon, given that Japeth Aguilar is already 37 and Mason Amos has not gained Cone’s trust yet.
A healthy Scottie Thompson taking turns running the backcourt with Chris Newsome, Dwight Ramos, and CJ Perez will be a luxury that Cone would be only too happy to have.
Gilas Pilipinas did shoot an impressive 46.8% clip from the three-point region in the three games in the Olympic qualifiers.
Adding a shooter or two to the pool will never be a bad idea. Jordan Heading is a solid option. So is Matthew Wright who was the most prolific Filipino last season in the Japan B. League, converting 2.4 triples per game.
The right program is in place, and all indications suggest that this will be sustained. The right coach is at the helm, one who understands the amount of work that still needs to be done.
The world now has taken notice of Gilas Pilipinas. But it takes more than just the right mindset and team culture to become a significant force in the global stage.
Gilas is not there yet, but it is on the right track to get there eventually. – Rappler.com
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Alice Guo seeks SC help to prevent Senate from requiring her to attend hearings
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 18:14
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HOT SEAT. Mayor Alice Leal Guo answers questions from senators during the continuation of the public hearing on the raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators facility in Bamban, Tarlac, on May 22, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has sought the Supreme Court’s (SC) help to prevent the Senate from compelling her to attend legislative hearings.
Guo’s camp filed before the High Court a petition for certiorari and/or prohibition with extremely urgent prayer for temporary restraining order on Wednesday, July 10. In her petition, the Bamban mayor wants the Court to scrap the subpoena issued to her by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality chaired by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros.
NEWS UPDATE: Bamban Mayor Alice Guo's camp has filed a certiorari petition with the Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the Senate from requiring her to attend hearings. Guo specifically asks the SC to scrap the subpoena issued against her by the Senate. @rapplerdotcom pic.twitter.com/WjLm3uVKky
Guo also wants the SC to direct the Senate committee from further inviting her to the hearings.
The Bamban mayor was put into the national spotlight for her alleged ties with an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) raided in her town. Her nationality was questioned at the height of the Senate hearings, with Hontiveros even asking whether she is an “asset” of China to infiltrate local politics. Guo was also questioned for not remembering basic details about her personal life, including her childhood.
Guo skipped the Senate panel’s hearing on June 26, which prompted Hontiveros to issue a Subpoena Ad Testificandum against Guo, compelling her to appear before the legislative body.
In her petition, Guo claimed the Senate panel committed grave abuse of discretion when it allegedly violated the mayor’s constitutional rights, her right to due process, and Guo’s right to privacy, among others.
It was not the first time that an embattled figure has sought the SC’s help to stop a Senate order. Fugitive doomsday pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who faces criminal cases, was also ordered arrested by the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality after snubbing the panel’s probe into his alleged abuses. Early this year, Quiboloy went to the High Court to stop the “unjust and unconstitutional” Senate warrant.
The Constitution empowers the Senate to conduct inquiries in aid of legislation. That is the legal basis for the Rules of the Senate, under which the upper house can summon witnesses and ask them to bring documents to the inquiry. The legislature’s contempt powers are limited and the SC has already reminded the Senate it can only detain a person held in contempt only for as long as an inquiry was ongoing.
Hontiveros said in a statement on Thursday, July 11, that while it is Guo’s right to seek help from the Supreme Court, ignoring a Senate subpoena “has consequences.”
“Our courts are open to all individuals, regardless of nationality. Kaya kahit hindi siya Pilipino, may karapatan pa rin si Mayor Alice Guo na pumunta ng Supreme Court. (Even if she’s not a FIlipino, Mayor Alice Guo has to right to go to the Supreme Court.) We await a copy of their petition. On our part, at the Senate, the law is clear: ignoring a subpoena has consequences. Adhering to a subpoena has never been optional,” she said.
Aside from the Senate probe, Guo faces a string of other problems.
Guo currently faces a non-bailable qualified trafficking complaint, which stemmed from her alleged involvement in the illegal POGO where human trafficking violations were allegedly committed. If the prosecutors find enough basis to pursue the case and charge her and fellow respondents for qualified trafficking, a judge will decide if warrants of arrest will be issued.
The National Bureau of Investigation also confirmed that the fingerprints of Guo and and a certain Guo Hua Ping had matched. Guo, the mayor, is suspected of actually being Guo Hua Ping. This opened more questions about the Bamban mayor’s real identity and nationality.
Last week, on July 5, a petition was filed with a local Tarlac court seeking to cancel Guo’s birth certificate. Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra, whose office filed the petition, said if Guo’s birth certificate is canceled, she will lose her most important defense evidence about her identity.
The cancellation of the birth certificate can also be used in a quo warranto case. If the quo warranto succeeds, Guo would be stripped of Filipino citizenship, which is a prerequisite to holding public office.
Because of her absence in Wednesday’s Senate hearing, the upper chamber has cited Guo in contempt, which could pave the way for the Senate order to arrest her. – Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Medical Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination
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lfangeles0309
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10/07/2024 18:01
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that 2 out of 15 passed the Medical Technologists Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Medical Technology in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Al Ahmadi, Kuwait; Jeddah and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; and Doha, Qatar last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Medical Technology who gave the licensure examination are Dr. Marilyn A. Cabal-Barza, Chairman and Dr. Leila Lany M. Florento, Member.
Those who will register are required to bring the following: downloaded duly accomplished Oath Form or Panunumpa ng Propesyonal, notice of admission (for identification only), 2 pieces passport sized pictures (colored with white background and complete name tag), 2 sets of documentary stamps and 1 piece short brown envelope. Successful examinees should personally register and sign in the Roster of Registered Professionals.
Those who failed to pass the board examination for Medical Technology but had obtained a general rating of at least 70% can register as Medical Laboratory Technician.
Check the performance of schools here:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: Spliced news clip used in fake ‘DSWD cash aid’ video
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Lorenz Pasion
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10/07/2024 13:04
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Claim: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has started distributing P8,000 in cash assistance to all Filipino families, as reported by journalist Mel Tiangco.
Why we fact-checked this: At least 24 videos have been circulating the claim on TikTok. One such version of the post was made by an account with over 41,400 followers and has received over 673,100 views, 13,600 likes, 1,196 comments, and 4,844 shares as of writing.
The beginning of the video shows Tiangco seemingly reporting about the cash aid program on 24 Oras. The video was bordered by the text “DSWD P8K cash assistance sa bawat pamilya. Mag-register online! (DSWD 8k cash assistance for all families. Register online!)”
The video’s narrator then encourages interested applicants to register for the alleged program by clicking the link on its bio that directs to an unverified external blog website.
The facts: In a post on its official Facebook account on July 7, the DSWD said that the alleged P8,000 cash aid program is fake.
“Ang account na ito ay nagpapakalat ng mga maling impormasyon tungkol sa programa at serbisyo ng Kagawaran pati na rin ng ibang ahensya,” the agency added.
(This account is disseminating false information about the department’s programs and services, as well as those offered by other agencies.)
The 24 Oras news clip used in the misleading TikTok video was spliced and taken out of context, making it seem that the news report was about the fake DSWD cash aid program.
In the original video, posted on the GMA Integrated News YouTube page on July 4, 2022, Tiangco was reporting on the distribution of P500 cash aid to poor Filipino families as part of the DSWD’s Targeted Cash Transfer Program.
The TikTok video used a clip taken from the 0:00 to 0:08 mark of the original report and deliberately omitted the part where Tiangco mentioned the P500 amount.
Phishing risk: The TikTok video directed applicants to register through an unverified link. The DSWD has warned the public to be cautious when clicking links from posts and accounts not affiliated with the agency to avoid possible scams and the risk of having sensitive information stolen. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)
AICS program: For those seeking support, the DSWD advised the public to apply for the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS) program, which provides individuals or families in need with various types of aid, such as medical, burial, transportation, educational, food, or financial assistance.
Interested applicants are advised to visit the nearest social welfare and development offices or Crisis Intervention Unit satellite offices in their areas to inquire about the program.
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has fact-checked several claims on cash grant schemes supposedly from the DSWD.
Official accounts: For official updates on DSWD programs and services, refer to its official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube accounts. – Larry Chavez/Rappler.com
Larry Chavez is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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Ramil de Jesus legacy shines in PVL draft spotlight as La Salle stalwarts sweep top 4
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jisaga0269
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10/07/2024 17:41
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GREEN LIGHT. Former La Salle women's volleyball players Maicah Larroza, Leila Cruz, Thea Gagate, and Julia Coronel (7th to 10th from left) pose for a photo after the 2024 PVL Rookie Draft
PVL Images
MANILA, Philippines – La Salle women’s volleyball standouts were hot commodities to kick off the historic 2024 PVL Rookie Draft last Monday, July 8, as the first four picks, led by the towering Thea Gagate at first overall to ZUS Coffee, all came from the same vaunted Lady Spikers program.
Wing spiker Leila Cruz, still recovering from an ACL tear that prematurely ended her UAAP career, went second overall to Capital1, while Gagate’s fellow Alas Pilipinas teammate Julia Coronel got off the board at third to Galeries Tower.
Although the trio were somewhat expected to all be picked very early in the first-ever draft in Philippine professional volleyball history, Farm Fresh kicked up the surprise factor after taking former La Salle role player Maicah Larroza fourth overall, capping off a dominating start for the Lady Spikers.
Asked about the stunning La Salle sweep that kickstarted a highly interesting 23-player draft, the former Lady Spikers quickly pointed out the real reason of the repetitive picking trend at the top: the invaluable teachings of legendary head coach Ramil de Jesus.
“We know that coach Ramil’s system has been proven and tested for how many years, so it’s a great feeling to see my teammates get drafted and hopefully, my other teammates who have not been selected can also go to good teams,” Coronel said in Filipino.
“Coach Ramil was an instrument in my achievements in the team,” Larroza added in Filipino. “He was my coach since I started playing volleyball, so I think he will always be a huge inspiration in my rise to the pro level.”
Sure enough, Coronel’s wish was eventually granted as Capital1 paired Cruz with a familiar face in winger Gilliana Torres with the 20th overall pick, thus cleaning out all former De Jesus players from the draft board.
“I think this is a product of our sacrifices and hard work, because the journey we went through in La Salle was of a different class,” Larroza continued. “We all look forward to achieve our dreams here in the PVL.”
Now stepping into a league littered with Lady Spikers legends like Aby Maraño, Kianna Dy, Mika Reyes, Kim Fajardo, and Dawn Catindig, this new batch of De Jesus proteges are bound to shift Philippine volleyball’s landscape into a different, dominant form, as only La Sallians can. – Rappler.com
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RESULTS: June 2024 Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination
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lfangeles0309
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10/07/2024 17:37
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The following is a press release from the Professional Regulation Commission.
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) announces that no one passed out of the 5 examinees in the Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination given by the Board of Chemistry in: Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia last June 2024.
The members of the Board of Chemistry who gave the licensure examination are Hon. Adoracion P. Resurreccion, Chairman; Hon. Soledad S. Castañeda and Hon. Ma. Theresa C. Cayton, Members.
Those who failed to pass the board examination for Chemist but had obtained a rating of at least 70% in any two (2) subjects can register as Chemical Technician.
The performance of schools in the June 2024 Chemists Special Professional Licensure Examination in alphabetical order as per R.A. 8981 otherwise known as PRC Modernization Act of 2000 Section 7(m) “To monitor the performance of schools in licensure examinations and publish the results thereof in a newspaper of national circulation” is as follows:
Here’s the full list of passers:
– Rappler.com
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Clash in Cotabato leaves 6 dead, including PNP-SAF member
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 16:45
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DEADLY. Police check the site of a deadly encounter in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
PNP-Aleosan
COTABATO, Philippines – Police clashed with armed suspects during a law enforcement operation targeting firearms and illegal drugs, resulting in the deaths of five suspects, including their leader, and a member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (SAF) in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10.
The gunfight took place around 8:50 am in Barangay New Panay, Aleosan, Cotabato, according to Major Jennefer Amotan, the town’s police chief.
Police said Corporal Jed Michael Gregorio, a 33-year-old PNP-SAF member, was killed while three other police officers were wounded in the clash.
Amotan said the exchange of firepower took place while authorities were serving a search warrant in connection with the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The warrant was issued by Judge Rainera Osua of the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Midsayap, Cotabato, on July 3.
The leader of the targeted operation was identified as Macabuat Salik, also known as Kwat and Iskoh, a resident of Purok 7, New Panay in Aleosan.
Police said the occupants of a house about to be searched opened fire at law enforcers, prompting them to engage.
Amotan said Salik and four of his companions were rushed to the Aleosan District Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.
Recovered from the encounter area were assorted types of firearms and explosives. Police also seized suspected illegal drugs. – Rappler.com
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Potential top pick Justine Baltazar says B. League, MPBL stints prepared him for PBA
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delfin.dioquino editor
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10/07/2024 17:24
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TOP PROSPECT. Justine Baltazar in action during the 2024 PBA Draft Combine.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Justine Baltazar feels he is ready for the PBA nearly two years after backing out from the Rookie Draft.
Tipped to be picked No. 1 overall, Baltazar said his stints in the Japan B. League and the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) prepared him well for the challenges the PBA poses.
“I gained confidence from the MPBL, so now, I’m getting my groove back,” said Baltazar in Filipino as he participated in the Draft Combine on Wednesday, July 10. “I really intended to join the draft this year. I’m ready for the PBA.”
Once considered a Gilas Pilipinas cornerstone owing to his size and promising upside, the 6-foot-8 big man applied for the draft in 2022 after a stellar UAAP run with La Salle that saw him earn three Mythical Team honors.
But a change of heart prompted Baltazar to withdraw his application as he instead took his act to the B. League, where he signed with the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
Although his B. League career proved short-lived, Baltazar said going up against opponents with NBA pedigree made him a better player.
“The caliber of players I faced overseas is no joke. They’re former NBA players. I’ll bring that experience to the PBA,” he said.
After bungling a shot to play in the Korean Basketball League, Baltazar decided to suit up for his home team Pampanga in the MPBL, guiding the Giant Lanters to the title and winning the season MVP and Finals MVP plums.
His MVP season in the MPBL saw him average 17.1 points, 16.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 36 games.
“The MPBL is a big help because I got my confidence there. When I’m already in the PBA, I’d have little problem adjusting,” Baltazar said.
Baltazar is expected to land at Converge, with the FiberXers owning the top pick after a dismal campaign last season that saw them finish the two conferences at the bottom and compile a 3-19 record.
Converge, though, might have to wait before it gets it hands on Baltazar, who is considering whether or not he will stay in the MPBL as he remains under contract with Pampanga.
“We’ll see if I’ll finish my MPBL stint or I’ll immediately play in the PBA,” he said.
Draft day is on Sunday, July 14, at Glorietta in Makati City. – Rappler.com
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Rappler Recap: Senate arrest order looms for Guo family; Harry Roque’s POGO link
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Bonz Magsambol
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10/07/2024 16:34
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MANILA, Philippines – The absence of embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her family members in the Senate probe into illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) on Wednesday, July 10., would likely result in their possible arrest.
For the second time, the Bamban mayor snubbed the Senate inquiry, prompting the committee led by Senator Risa Hontiveros to cite her in contempt. On June 26, Guo also skipped the hearing.
The seven others cited in contempt are:
Hontiveros said that once Senate President Chiz Escudero signs the order to arrest the eight for contempt, this will set in motion the procedure. Escudero earlier said that the Senate was ready to order Guo’s arrest if she snubbed the hearing again.
Another major revelation in Wednesday’s hearing was the statement made by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco that former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque assisted recently-raided POGO Lucky South 99 when it had some problems on its arrears with Pagcor amounting to $500,000 in 2023.
On June 29, Tengco said in a press statement that a “former high-ranking government official” tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the POGOs that were raided and found to be involved in illegal activities. The Pagcor chief said would only reveal the name “in the proper forum.”
Rappler’s Bonz Magsambol gives a recap of events in the five-hour long Senate inquiry. – Rappler.com
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Clash in Cotabato leaves 6 dead, including PNP-SAF member
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 16:45
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DEADLY. Police check the site of a deadly encounter in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10, 2024.
PNP-Aleosan
COTABATO, Philippines – Police clashed with armed suspects during a law enforcement operation targeting firearms and illegal drugs, resulting in the deaths of five suspects, including their leader, and a member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (SAF) in Cotabato province on Wednesday, July 10.
The gunfight took place around 8:50 am in Barangay New Panay, Aleosan, Cotabato, according to Major Jennefer Amotan, the town’s police chief.
Police said Corporal Jed Michael Gregorio, a 33-year-old PNP-SAF member, was killed while three other police officers were wounded in the clash.
Amotan said the exchange of firepower took place while authorities were serving a search warrant in connection with the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act and Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. The warrant was issued by Judge Rainera Osua of the Regional Trial Court Branch 28 in Midsayap, Cotabato, on July 3.
The leader of the targeted operation was identified as Macabuat Salik, also known as Kwat and Iskoh, a resident of Purok 7, New Panay in Aleosan.
Police said the occupants of a house about to be searched opened fire at law enforcers, prompting them to engage.
Amotan said Salik and four of his companions were rushed to the Aleosan District Hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival.
Recovered from the encounter area were assorted types of firearms and explosives. Police also seized suspected illegal drugs. – Rappler.com
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FACT CHECK: Video shows shipment of US combat equipment to Italy, not PH
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Lorenz Pasion
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10/07/2024 16:34
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Claim: The cargo ship AAL Kembla has arrived at the port of Subic Bay carrying military equipment, including 400 weapons and missiles.
Why we fact-checked this: The video bearing the claim has 1,067 views and 78 likes as of writing. It was uploaded by a YouTube channel purporting to provide US military updates.
The video’s description reads: “The cargo ship AAL Kembla, carrying various military equipment, has arrived at the port of Subic Bay, Philippines. The ship is carrying more than 640 pieces of combat equipment, including vehicles such as military trucks and 400 cargoes of weapons and missiles.”
The video also describes the AAL Kembla as a vessel of the Royal Australian Navy, and that a second vessel, the USNS Bob Hope, is set to arrive in Subic Bay.
The facts: The video shows a shipment of military equipment from a port in Italy, not to the Philippines.
Clips from the misleading video, such as those at the 0:49 to 0:57 mark, were taken from a video posted last April by the US Army’s 21st Theater Sustainment Command.
Contrary to the claim, the video shows over 400 pieces of US military equipment being shipped from the Port of Livorno in Italy to multiple forward operating sites across Europe on March 24.
Along with the Italian Armed Forces and Livorno Port authorities, multiple US Army units conducted the shipment operation to support NATO’s deterrence efforts.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of National Defense, US Navy, and US Defense Security Cooperation Agency have not released any official statement about the supposed delivery of military equipment to the Philippines. There are also no news reports related to the video’s claims.
AAL Kembla Cargo Ship: The AAL Kembla cargo ship does not have any recent history of arrival at any port in the Philippines. The vessel is under AAL Shipping, a cargo shipping company based in Liberia, contradicting the claim that it is a vessel of the Royal Australian Navy. As of writing, the current location of AAL Kembla is within the waters of West Africa.
USNS Bob Hope: The misleading video briefly mentions the supposed arrival of the USNS Bob Hope to the Philippines, carrying various military vehicles and equipment. As of writing, a maritime live map shows the USNS Bob Hope at the Gulf of Mexico.
US aid to PH: The video falsely claimed that the delivery of military equipment was US aid to Manila amid ongoing tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea. The US has consistently reiterated its “ironclad commitment” to support its ally, as China continues to reject a 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating its extensive claims in the disputed waterway.
In February, the US donated a second-hand C-130 transport plane to boost the Philippine Air Force’s cargo airlift fleet. Last April, two US senators also introduced a bipartisan bill seeking $2.5 billion in funding over five years to modernize the Philippines’ armed forces.
Fact checks: Rappler has debunked several false posts claiming US aid to the Philippines:
– Shane Cameron/Rappler.com
Shane Cameron is a Rappler intern. She is studying Development Communication at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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WATCH: Pagcor says Harry Roque is listed as legal head of raided POGO
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Mia Gonzalez
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10/07/2024 13:24
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MANILA, Philippines – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is listed as the “legal head” of recently-raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco told a Senate panel on Wednesday, July 10.
Tengco also told the fourth hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on illegal POGOs that Roque sought an appointment with him in July 2023. When they met on July 26, 2023 in his Pagcor office, he brought with him Lucky South 99’s Katherine Cassandra Ong.
Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Offshore Gaming License Department Jessa Mariz Fernandez was also at the July 26, 2023 meeting with Roque and Ong.
Tengco said Ong was having problems in relation to Lucky South 99’s arrears with Pagcor totaling $500,000, as she had entrusted their Pagcor payments to Dennis Cunanan, their authorized representative, who did not allegedly remit to Pagcor. She asked to be allowed to pay in installment. He said Roque had told him that he was there to help Ong as she was the “aggrieved party.”
After Lucky South 99 applied for a new license under Pagcor’s new guidelines in September 2023, Roque followed up with Fernandez to check on the status of the application several times, including on what other documents needed to be submitted to comply with the requirements.
Responding to Hontiveros, Tengco confirmed the inclusion of Roque in the organizational chart of Lucky South 99 in the document attached to its reapplication for a license. “Lumabas na po sa bagong application ng 2023, na siya na po ang legal head sa organizational chart na sinubmit na reapplication ng nasabing kompanya,” he said.
(In the new application in 2023, he is already listed as the legal head in the organizational chart that the company submitted in its reapplication.)
Fernandez said Lucky South 99 was informed about the Pagcor decision to reject their reapplication for a license on May 14, 2024.
The Pagcor officials clarified that Roque did not exert any pressure on them in relation to Lucky South 99 and did not make any follow-up calls after the license was rejected.
Ong was among those subpoenaed by the Senate panel that day to attend the hearings.
Roque earlier claimed that he had no direct links to Lucky South 99 after Rappler obtained the document showing him as the “legal head” in the organizational chart of the POGO. The Rappler report bearing the document was cited in the Wednesday hearing.
Roque reiterated his position on Wednesday, in a statement after the hearing. “I am not and have never been a legal counsel to any illegal POGO. Neither was I counsel to Lucky South 99, incorporated. Neither did I participate in preparing Lucky South’s organizational chart, which identified me as their legal counsel.”
“I clarify that I did not consent to nor was I informed of my name’s inclusion in any submission by Lucky South with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) concerning license renewal,” he added.
Roque said that if Hontiveros’ “only basis is the organizational chart naming me as legal counsel of Lucky South 99, then I challenge her to prove that I had a direct hand in preparing the said document. No such evidence exists.”
Roque also said that he accompanied Ong to the July 26, 2023 meeting with Pagcor officials believing that Lucky South 99, the principal of Whirlwind Corporation, was a “victim of estafa.” At the time, he said, his client was a service provider to Lucky South which still had a valid Pagcor license then.
“By way of accommodation, I joined Ms. Ong since I was then persuading Whirlwind to invest in two energy projects of which I was the primary proponent,” he said.
Roque said that it was not until September 2023 when he confirmed that Ong was Whirlwind’s corporate secretary, after his firm was formally retained to represent the company in an ejectment case and Ong signed the pleadings in that case in such capacity. He added that Whirlwind recently retained his firm “to quash a search warrant in a residential dwelling in Porac mistakenly described as a ‘resort’ by police authorities.” LOOK: Police inspect mansions, villas allegedly owned by Porac POGO ‘big bosses’)
“I have no reason to deny my legal engagement with Lucky South if there is truth to it. Providing legal representation is why the legal profession exists. But the reality is that an attorney-client relationship is of the highest fiduciary relationship and cannot be presumed unless there is a clear retainer between counsel and client,” he said.
“As a lawyer, I could not directly engage with the POGO because of a potential conflict of interest and given the soured lease contract between Whirlwind and Lucky South,” Roque added.
On June 29, Pagcor sent out a press release titled, “Pagcor says ex-Cabinet official trying to intercede for POGOs” which was picked up by the media.
“The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation today said a former high ranking government official tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the illegal POGOs that have been recently raided and found engaged in illegal,” the Pagcor press statement read.
“The PAGCOR chief said he will reveal in the proper forum the identity of the former Cabinet member who had been lobbying for the illegal POGOs, as well as the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations,” the June 29 statement added, leading to expectations that he would identify the former Cabinet secretary at the July 10 Senate hearing. – Rappler.com
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Zamboanga city hall slams PNP as fireworks disposal injuries reach 32
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 15:50
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INJURED. An injured resident is assisted by members of the City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office team in Zamboanga City on Monday, July 8, 2024.
Zamboanga City Information Office
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The Zamboanga city government sharply criticized the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday, July 9, for what it called “unacceptable negligence” after an explosion injured many people during the disposal of seized fireworks in the city.
The city government counted 32 people injured, more than the 19 that the police reported, and more than two dozen families affected as a result of the explosion on Monday, July 8.
The accident was the result of “an unacceptable negligence and we demand from PNP headquarters to conduct a thorough investigation and to impose the proper sanctions and recommendations,” said Wendell Sotto, Zamboanga’s city administrator.
The city’s criticism came after Monday’s failed disposal of fireworks seized from Next Step Fireworks Shoppe, which was blamed for the June 29 explosion that killed five people and injured several dozen others.
Colonel Kimberly Molitas, Zamboanga police director, had ordered the seized firecrackers disposed of in Muti, but the explosion took place in Cabatangan, near the city’s commercial area.
“There was a lack of proper coordination, even with the Cabatangan barangay officials,” said Dr. Elmeir Jade Apolinario, head of the City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office.
After meeting with city hall’s crisis committee, Sotto said 32 were injured as a result of Monday’s explosion, 19 of them members of the disposal team. He said some 38 families were adversely affected.
The Zamboanga City Social Welfare and Development Office, and City Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Officer have been providing assistance to those affected.
Sotto, speaking on behalf of Mayor John Dalipe who is in Cebu City for the Palarong Pambansa 2024, said the police mishandled the firecracker disposal.
Asked if the Zamboanga police chief should be held responsible, Sotto said, “That must also be taken into consideration by the PNP.”
“Under the Civil Code of the Philippines, the government is not liable; it is the public officer,” said lawyer Ed Sanson, former dean of the College of Law at Western Mindanao State University.
Sanson cited Article 2180 of the Code, which states, “The State is responsible in like manner when it acts through a special agent, but not when the damage has been caused by the official to whom the task done properly pertains, in which case what is provided in Article 2176 shall be applicable.”
He also cited Article 2176: “Whoever by act or omission causes damage to another, there being fault or negligence, is obliged to pay for the damage done. Such fault or negligence, if there is no pre-existing contractual relation between the parties.” – Rappler.com
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Rappler Talk: Understanding China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea
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Bea Cupin
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10/07/2024 13:40
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MANILA, Philippines – “Monster ships,” water cannons, and aggressive actions that seem to know no end – by now, most of the public is familiar with how China acts in the West Philippine Sea, waters that are part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but that China claims as its own.
It’s behavior that occurs in other waters, too – the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, among other areas.
What is China’s end goal and how should countries like the Philippines respond?
In this episode of Rappler Talk, senior reporter Bea Cupin sits down with Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, which tries to shed light on China’s “gray zone” tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.
Bookmark this page to catch the interview when it airs live on Wednesday, July 10 at around 1:30 pm. – Rappler.com
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Cagayan de Oro legislature calls for LWUA withdrawal from water district
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 12:26
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URGE. Cagayan de Oro Councilor James Judith II speaks to reporters on Monday, July 8, 2024, after the city council passed a resolution urging the Local Water Utilities Administration to consider the Department of Justice's opinion about its takeover of the local water district.
Franck Dick Rosete/Rappler
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The city council passed a resolution calling on the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to refrain from managing and operating the troubled Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), based on a legal opinion issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding its takeover.
Ten Cagayan de Oro councilors voted in favor of Resolution No. 2024-781, while five objected on Monday afternoon, July 8.
The resolution urged LWUA to heed the DOJ opinion and withdraw the appointment of interim officers tasked with addressing the water district’s unresolved debt dispute with its primary bulk water supplier and other issues such as its high non-revenue water (NRW).
On June 18, the DOJ released an opinion signed by Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, stating that LWUA can only take over if a local water district defaults on its loan payments to the regulatory body, citing sections 36 and 61 of the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973.
The DOJ opinion triggered louder protests in front of the COWD office, with demonstrators calling LWUA’s intervention “illegal.”
However, the DOJ clarified in its document that the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) has primary jurisdiction over the queries, and its legal views were based on questions posed by LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga.
Cagayan de Oro Councilor Christian Rustico Achas, who opposed the city council resolution, argued that the DOJ document is not binding and could escalate tensions, especially among protesters.
Over local broadcaster Magnum Radio on Wednesday, July 10, Achas said a regional court already ruled against a petition that questioned the LWUA takeover.
“The court’s decision is legally binding,” he said.
Another councilor, James Judith II, said LWUA officials couldn’t seem to get their act together. He noted that Salonga sought the DOJ’s legal opinion after LWUA Chairman Ronnie Ong had already installed interim officials in COWD, based on the LWUA Board of Trustees’ May 17 resolution approving the contentious takeover.
“It became chaotic because LWUA insisted on appointing an interim board and interim general manager,” Judith, the author of the city council resolution, told reporters.
Lawyer Proculo Sarmen, the leader of the consumers’ watchdog Community Alliance for Water Supply Action (CAWSA), said the DOJ’s views did not “comprehensively address all circumstances pertaining to the regulatory and supervisory powers of LWUA under PD 198.”
Sarmen said a water district’s failure to meet financial and operational obligations, such as debt repayment or ensuring adequate water services, is crucial.
Before LWUA’s intervention, COWD had an unresolved dispute with its primary supplier, Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (COBI), over a P400 million debt claim, leading to a brief supply disconnection on May 14.
Ong cited COWD’s high NRW, which was 49.08% as of 2023, as a basis for the takeover, saying that addressing NRW was part of a finance assistance contract between COWD and LWUA.
Meanwhile, Councilor Achas alleged that the Bantay Tubig Movement (BMT), one of the groups protesting outside COWD, had political motivations.
Feeling alluded to, BMT lead convenor Enrico Salcedo, a former councilor and head of the city hall’s night market team, dismissed Achas’ claim, saying he had questioned the 2017 COWD-COBI contract for years.
Salcedo said his group was calling for the contract to be rescinded or amended to remove a provision allowing COBI, controlled by business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, to adjust its water rate every three years.
According to Salcedo, the clause meant increased water rates in Cagayan de Oro every three years, which the BTM sees as disadvantageous to consumers. – Rappler.com
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‘Bakit hindi?’ Marcos defends bounty for Quiboloy’s arrest
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Dwight de Leon
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10/07/2024 12:30
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Graphics by Guia Abogado/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sees nothing wrong with putting up a multimillion-peso reward for anyone who can give vital information that would lead to the arrest of fugitive doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy.
Quiboloy’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio had called “discriminatory” the P10-million bounty on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder’s head, and questioned the motives of private individuals who offered the reward.
“Bakit hindi (Why not)? They want to help us bring a fugitive to justice. You know, he is a fugitive. He is hiding from the law,” Marcos told reporters after the impounding process ceremony of the Upper Wawa Dam in Rizal on Wednesday, July 10.
“Now, if there are private citizens who want to assist the government in that effort to bring him to justice…he can question their motives…but magpakita siya (he should show himself),” the President added.
Quiboloy has been included in the most wanted list of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation after a federal grand jury in the US indicted him and eight of his associates in 2021 over allegations of labor trafficking.
Here at home, two trial courts have separately ordered the arrest of Quiboloy since March for child abuse, sexual abuse, and human trafficking. The Senate also issued a similar order against him for “unduly refusing to appear” in the upper chamber’s inquiry into his alleged human rights abuses.
Quiboloy has refused to surrender, and has even demanded that Marcos assure him in writing that the US government won’t meddle in his case.
On top of the P10-million bounty on Quiboloy’s head, authorities also announced a P1-million bounty each for the arrest of Quiboloy’s five associates: siblings Ingrid, Cresente, and Paulene Canada, Jackielyn Roy, and Sylvia Cemañes.
All five of them surrendered in March after a Davao court ordered their detention, but they were able to post bail. When a Pasig City court ordered them arrested too for a human trafficking charge –a non-bailable offense – no one turned themselves in.
– Rappler.com
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DOJ chief Remulla makes first public appearance in 4 months after health complications
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Dwight de Leon
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10/07/2024 12:37
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SIGNING. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the background, in Malacanang, on July 10, 2024.
RTVM screenshot
MANILA, Philippines – Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla showed up in public for the first time since March, after complications surrounding his health led to a months-long physical absence in his agency.
Remulla led the signing on Wednesday, July 10 of the DOJ rules on criminal investigation in Malacañang, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in attendance.
Remulla neither delivered a speech nor led a press conference after the event, tasking his undersecretaries Jesse Hermogenes Andres and Raul Vasquez instead to speak with the media.
Remulla underwent a bypass surgery to remove a blockage in his heart back in June last year, but has since grappled with “complications in his immune system.”
In November, the DOJ said he suffered a “minor medical emergency.”
He was last seen in public in March, when he pushed to reopen the cases against doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy.
DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano previously said that Remulla had been working from home and had been in constant communication with his subordinates despite his physical absence.
“His health is good. Recovery is on the uptick after his doctors asked him to go on a strict diet in order to lose weight,” Clavano said on Wednesday. – Rappler.com
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Military activates task force to bolster territorial defense in Western Mindanao
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 13:24
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ACTIVATE. The Western Mindanao Command activates the Joint Task Force Poseidon on Tuesday, July 9, to enhance maritime security and defense in Mindanao. Presidential Adviser Andres Centino (in polo barong) keynoted the ceremony at the Westmincom gymnasium in Zamboanga.
Teofilo P. Garcia Jr./Rappler
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) activated the Joint Task Force-Poseidon on Tuesday, July 9, to enhance maritime and territorial defense operations in the Southern Philippines.
Rear Admiral Francisco Tagamolila, chief of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), has been designated as the commander of JTF-Poseidon.
JTF-Poseidon will operate throughout the maritime area of Wesmincom, including the southern maritime border of the Philippines with Malaysia and Indonesia.
The primary focus of JTF-Poseidon will be on territorial defense operations, internal security operations, and supporting other law enforcement agencies.
“The activation of JTF-Poseidon is not merely a symbolic gesture; it represents a tangible commitment to action. We are prepared to deploy our assets, leverage our intelligence, and coordinate our efforts with unwavering determination to achieve our objectives,” said Lieutenant General William Gonzales, commander of Wesmincom, during the activation ceremony at Camp Basilio Navarro in Zamboanga City.
According to the NFWM, the main objectives of JTF-Poseidon are to protect Western Mindanao’s borders from external threats, ensure internal security by conducting operations against lawless groups at sea and in Tawi-Tawi, and support other government agencies in targeting illegal activities such as smuggling, piracy, and human trafficking.
JTF-Poseidon will be organized into groups, each assigned specific tasks: maritime patrol, territorial and coastal defense, air operations, and intelligence.
The Wesmincom also deactivated JTF-Tawi-Tawi, incorporating its forces into the newly activated unit.
Andres Centino, presidential assistant on maritime concerns, noted that two critical sea lanes fall within Wesmincom’s jurisdiction: the Sibutu Passage in Tawi-Tawi and the Basilan Strait.
Centino said an average of 50 vessels, both domestic and foreign, transit through the Sibutu Passage daily.
“This is a large number of vessels to monitor,” Centino added.
Centino said the command center of the Philippine Coast Guard recorded 22 maritime criminal activities in the Wesmincom maritime area during the first six months of 2024. These include piracy, robbery, transshipment of illegal drugs, illegal fishing, transport of illegal forest products, and transport of explosives.
In May and June this year, six Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy vessels – four in May and two in June – were monitored passing through the Sibutu Passage and Basilan Strait.
Centino said he would ask the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to realign or allocate more vessels to Wesmincom for the use of JTF-Poseidon.
He said JTF-Poseidon need to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and other agencies that maintain vessels.
Centino said they would also seek the assistance of seafarers in monitoring against intrusion and illegal activities in Wesmincom’s maritime area.
“Our lack of equipment should not be a hindrance but rather it should motivate us to work closely together,” Centino said.
Gonzales said one reason for activating JTF-Poseidon is to operationalize the Civilian Active Auxiliary Development Course and to implement the AFP’s transformation and development plan. – Rappler.com
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WATCH: Pagcor says Harry Roque is listed as legal head of raided POGO
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Mia Gonzalez
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10/07/2024 13:24
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MANILA, Philippines – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is listed as the “legal head” of recently-raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco told a Senate panel on Wednesday, July 10.
Tengco also told the fourth hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on illegal POGOs that Roque sought an appointment with him in July 2023. When they met on July 26, 2023 in his Pagcor office, he brought with him Lucky South 99’s Katherine Cassandra Ong.
Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Offshore Gaming License Department Jessa Mariz Fernandez was also at the July 26, 2023 meeting with Roque and Ong.
Tengco said Ong was having problems in relation to Lucky South 99’s arrears with Pagcor totaling $500,000, as she had entrusted their Pagcor payments to Dennis Cunanan, their authorized representative, who did not allegedly remit to Pagcor. She asked to be allowed to pay in installment. He said Roque had told him that he was there to help Ong as she was the “aggrieved party.”
After Lucky South 99 applied for a new license under Pagcor’s new guidelines in September 2023, Roque followed up with Fernandez to check on the status of the application several times, including on what other documents needed to be submitted to comply with the requirements.
Responding to Hontiveros, Tengco confirmed the inclusion of Roque in the organizational chart of Lucky South 99 in the document attached to its reapplication for a license. “Lumabas na po sa bagong application ng 2023, na siya na po ang legal head sa organizational chart na sinubmit na reapplication ng nasabing kompanya,” he said.
(In the new application in 2023, he is already listed as the legal head in the organizational chart that the company submitted in its reapplication.)
Fernandez said Lucky South 99 was informed about the Pagcor decision to reject their reapplication for a license on May 14, 2024.
The Pagcor officials clarified that Roque did not exert any pressure on them in relation to Lucky South 99 and did not make any follow-up calls after the license was rejected.
Ong was among those subpoenaed by the Senate panel that day to attend the hearings.
Roque earlier claimed that he had no direct links to Lucky South 99 after Rappler obtained the document showing him as the “legal head” in the organizational chart of the POGO. The Rappler report bearing the document was cited in the Wednesday hearing.
Roque reiterated his position on Wednesday, in a statement after the hearing. “I am not and have never been a legal counsel to any illegal POGO. Neither was I counsel to Lucky South 99, incorporated. Neither did I participate in preparing Lucky South’s organizational chart, which identified me as their legal counsel.”
“I clarify that I did not consent to nor was I informed of my name’s inclusion in any submission by Lucky South with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) concerning license renewal,” he added.
Roque said that if Hontiveros’ “only basis is the organizational chart naming me as legal counsel of Lucky South 99, then I challenge her to prove that I had a direct hand in preparing the said document. No such evidence exists.”
Roque also said that he accompanied Ong to the July 26, 2023 meeting with Pagcor officials believing that Lucky South 99, the principal of Whirlwind Corporation, was a “victim of estafa.” At the time, he said, his client was a service provider to Lucky South which still had a valid Pagcor license then.
“By way of accommodation, I joined Ms. Ong since I was then persuading Whirlwind to invest in two energy projects of which I was the primary proponent,” he said.
Roque said that it was not until September 2023 when he confirmed that Ong was Whirlwind’s corporate secretary, after his firm was formally retained to represent the company in an ejectment case and Ong signed the pleadings in that case in such capacity. He added that Whirlwind recently retained his firm “to quash a search warrant in a residential dwelling in Porac mistakenly described as a ‘resort’ by police authorities.” LOOK: Police inspect mansions, villas allegedly owned by Porac POGO ‘big bosses’)
“I have no reason to deny my legal engagement with Lucky South if there is truth to it. Providing legal representation is why the legal profession exists. But the reality is that an attorney-client relationship is of the highest fiduciary relationship and cannot be presumed unless there is a clear retainer between counsel and client,” he said.
“As a lawyer, I could not directly engage with the POGO because of a potential conflict of interest and given the soured lease contract between Whirlwind and Lucky South,” Roque added.
On June 29, Pagcor sent out a press release titled, “Pagcor says ex-Cabinet official trying to intercede for POGOs” which was picked up by the media.
“The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation today said a former high ranking government official tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the illegal POGOs that have been recently raided and found engaged in illegal,” the Pagcor press statement read.
“The PAGCOR chief said he will reveal in the proper forum the identity of the former Cabinet member who had been lobbying for the illegal POGOs, as well as the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations,” the June 29 statement added, leading to expectations that he would identify the former Cabinet secretary at the July 10 Senate hearing. – Rappler.com
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House panel cites Michael Yang in contempt for absence in hearings
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 12:17
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PHARMALLY SCANDAL. President Rodrigo Duterte's former economic adviser Michael Yang during the House good government and public accountability hearing on September 20, 2021.
Rappler screenshot
MANILA, Philippines – A panel of the House of Representatives cited former presidential adviser Michael Yang in contempt for his repeated absences in the committee’s ongoing hearings.
On Wednesday, July 10, the House committee on dangerous drugs cited Yang in contempt for his failure to attend the panel’s successive hearings. Yang was onetime economic adviser of former president Rodrigo Duterte.
The House committee is looking into the multi-billion-peso shabu seized in Mabalacat City in Pampanga, and Subic Bay on different occasions.
Yang was implicated in the hearings because lawmakers discovered that Empire 999, which owned the warehouse where the illegal drugs were seized, listed as co-owner a certain Lincoln Ong.
Ong was identified during the hearing as having served as Yang’s translator.
When cited in contempt, a legislative chamber, like the House and the Senate, may detain, hold a person under their custody. The legislature’s contempt powers allow them to arrest and detain people in the chamber’s premises during an inquiry. (READ: From Aegis Juris to Pharmally: Why SC keeps reminding Senate of limited contempt power).
Before he was cited in contempt, the House already issued a show-cause order against Yang asking him to formally explain why he failed to show up the previous hearing. For the last hearings, lawyer Raymond Fortun represented Yang.
At the height of the pandemic, Yang was tagged in the Pharmally scandal. The former Duterte adviser allegedly financed Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corporation, the biggest winner of pandemic contracts despite having measly capital. Yang denied the said allegation. – Rappler.com
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Supreme Court to release Shari’ah Bar exams results on July 16
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 12:14
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BAR EXAMS. Shari'ah Bar exam takers line up during the first day of tests on April 28, 2024.
Supreme Court
MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) said it will release the results of the 2024 Shari’ah bar exams results next week.
2024 Shari’ah Bar Examinations chairperson Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh said the results will be released on Tuesday afternoon, July 16. The release of the results will be streamed live on official Facebook and YouTube pages of the SC. The list of passers will also be posted on the SC website and other social media pages.
Different from the regular Bar exams for aspiring lawyers, the Shari’ah Bar is the professional licensure examination covering Islamic law. The exams are now administered by the High Court. Those who will pass the Shari’ah Bar exams will be sworn in as Shari’ah counselors-at-law.
Meanwhile, Associate Justice Singh said the oath-taking and roll-signing ceremonies for the passeers will be held on August 15 at The Manila Hotel in Ermita, Manila.
Last May, a total of 853 examinees finished the exams and majority of aspiring Shari’ah counselors-at-law took the test at Ateneo de Davao University. The High Court said the number of 2024 examinees is much higher compared to 2022, when there were only 526 takers.
For the 2024 Shari’ah Bar, the subjects included jurisprudence (Figh) and customary laws (Adat) [15%], persons, family relations, and property [35%], succession, wills/adjudication, and settlement of estates [35%], and procedure in Shari’ah Courts [15%].
To practice Shari’ah law, a person must pass the Shari’ah Bar exams administered by the High Court. In 1977, Presidential Decree 1083 created Shari’ah courts in the Philippines.
Article 137 of the decree established Shari’ah District Courts and Shari’ah Circuit Courts to exercise powers and functions to uphold the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines. The code’s aim is to recognize the legal system of Muslims in the country, codify Muslim personal laws, and provide “effective administration and enforcement of Muslim personal laws among Muslims.” – Rappler.com
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Fil-Brit Christina Dela Cruz Chalk wins Miss Universe Great Britain 2024
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Ysa Abad
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10/07/2024 10:21
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QUEEN. Christina Dela Cruz Chalk was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain 2024.
Miss Universe Great Britain's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina-British Christina Dela Cruz Chalk will be representing Great Britain in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant.
The 31-year-old beauty queen bested 42 other finalists during the pageant’s coronation night on July 6.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 9, Chalk looked back on her pageant journey, saying that her win was a “dream come true.”
“Many know this wasn’t my first, second, or even third attempt at Miss Universe Great Britain,” she wrote. “However, when Miss Universe lifted their age restrictions, I knew there was unfinished business. I’m glad I followed my heart.”
In a separate Instagram post, Chalk also shared photos from her previous pageants. She finished 1st runner-up in both of Miss Universe Great Britain’s 2016 and 2021 editions but unplaced during its 2019 edition.
Chalk also joined Miss Scotland in 2015 where she clinched 1st runner-up.
She also competed in the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 pageant as a representative of the Filipino community of the United Kingdom. Chalk entered the Top 20 of the competition, which was won by Chelsea Manalo of Bulacan.
Aside from Chalk and Manalo, Filipino-Kiwi actress and model Franki Russell will also be competing in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. She will be representing New Zealand.
The Miss Universe 2024 coronation night is set to take place in September in Mexico. Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios will crown her successor. – Rappler.com
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Sara Duterte a no-show at Palarong Pambansa 2024 opening rites
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jsitchon0312
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10/07/2024 12:12
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It looks like the country’s vice president felt that prayers weighed a lot more than actually being present at the Palarong Pambansa 2024 Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, July 9.
Vice President Sara Duterte was everywhere in Cebu City but the Cebu City Sports Center, the official venue for the opening. In her social media page, she was seen around the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu “offering prayers” for the success of the national sports event.
The Vice President then proceeded to post that she was at the Cebu City Medical Center – a 10-minute walk away from the sports center.
In a Facebook post, Duterte said that she was at the medical center to visit athletes, trainers, and coaches who couldn’t join the opening. A number of the athletes had injuries during their preparatory exercises which canceled their attendance on July 9.
But what’s Duterte’s excuse?
While it’s true that she had tendered her resignation as education secretary on June 19, she still holds the position until July 19. This means that she still carries the responsibility of supervising the events that transpire during the Palarong Pambansa.
Ironically, Duterte also confirmed to local news outlets her attendance at the Palaro events during the Office of the Vice President’s Pasidungog 2024 held at Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Saturday, June 29.
Much like there being no clear reason why she decided to leave her post as education secretary, it’s also unclear why she made no appearance.
“Kinikilala natin ang taunang Palarong Pambansa bilang tradisyon ng Department of Education na may malalim at makabuluhang papel sa paglinang ng ating mga mag-aaral at paghahanda para sa mas malaking kompetisyon sa buhay,” Duterte said in her Facebook post on July 9.
(We recognize the annual Palarong Pambansa as a tradition of the Department of Education that has a deep and significant role in nurturing our students and preparing them for the bigger competition in life.)
If the still-education secretary truly recognized the value of the Palarong Pambansa as a tradition that plays a role in the lives of the youth, shouldn’t she have had the decency to at least present herself at the opening ceremony?
Of course, while the Vice President wasn’t around, no less than the President himself made an appearance together with the proud Garcia clan of Cebu.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made his entry to the Cebu City Sports Center with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, sending a message of “unity” for the vote-rich province of Cebu.
The acting mayor even called the event “the great unifier.”
“Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Cebu City, allow me to express our gratitude for your administration’s sports program and its role in cultivating the next generation of Filipino world-class athletes,” the acting mayor said in his speech, making no mention of Duterte.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, who also promised to be present during the events, was a no-show at the opening, too. The mayor was put under a six-month preventive suspension over unpaid salaries and discrimination faced by four city employees.
Rama has been at odds with the Garcias on different issues. It appears like Rama and Duterte are on the same boat over rocky relationships with former allies.
Nevertheless, for Palarong Pambansa 2024, one can only “pray” that the DepEd secretary, who will be in office until July 19 anyway, shows herself during one of the biggest sporting and youth events of the country. – Rappler.com
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Why did Kris Aquino’s sons Josh, Bimby visit First Lady Liza Marcos?
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Dwight de Leon
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10/07/2024 14:00
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TIES THAT BIND. First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos gets a visit from her nephews, Kris Aquino's sons Josh and Bimby, on July 9, 2024.
Liza Marcos' IG
They come from political families that have been immortalized as rivals in modern Philippine history, so not a few were surprised – or confused – when First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos posted photos of Kris Aquino’s children visiting her on Tuesday, July 9.
But it’s a small world, and even bitter enemies in the country’s politics have familial ties that bind.
A quick history lesson: dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos and slain senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. were fratmates who later became political rivals. Ninoy became opposition leader under the Marcos dictatorial regime, and was later arrested on trumped-up charges. He was assassinated in 1983, but up to this day, speculations that the senior Marcos had a hand in the killing remain alive.
In 1986, Ninoy’s widow Cory Aquino became president, unseating the dictator Marcos after the bloodless EDSA uprising overthrew his government and forced his family into exile in the United States.
Kris Aquino, the “Queen of all Media” in Philippine entertainment, is Ninoy and Cory’s youngest daughter, making Josh and Bimby their grandchildren.
Liza Marcos is the wife of President Marcos Jr., who is, of course, the son and namesake of the late authoritarian.
So how are Liza and Kris’ children related?
Liza’s aunt Sari Cacho, who is the sister of Liza’s mother, married Pedro Cojuangco, who is Cory’s brother.
“What the reports did not say is that Liza is their aunt,” President Marcos Jr. pointed out in an ambush interview on Wednesday, July 10.
“So, they are related. Kaya’t hindi naman nakakapagtaka, kilalang-kilala niya ‘yung mga pamangkin niya (It’s not surprising that she knows her nephews) very well. They came at nagbiyahe sila, bumalik may dalang pasalubong (they traveled and went back bringing souvenirs),” he added.
The President also revealed that Liza’s nephews visited her regarding the travel arrangements of their mother, who has been in the US since 2022 to seek treatment for the autoimmune diseases that she has been enduring since 2018.
“Tumulong si First Lady at ‘yun lang. Sabi lang magpapasalamat sila (The First Lady helped, and they said they would like to say thank you). I think it was a very fine gesture on the part of the Aquino family. I think it sort of, I suppose put a little more personal, a human interaction between our families,” he said.
So are the two families in good terms now?
“Well, we’ve always been okay. We just don’t agree politically,” Marcos quipped.
How’s that for reconciliation? – Rappler.com
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[Vantage Point] Senate feud shields doubtful costs of new building
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gdecastro0289
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10/07/2024 11:54
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David Castuciano/Rappler
The public spat between Senators Nancy Binay and Alan Peter Cayetano over the escalating cost of the New Senate Building (NSB) has culminated into the former filing an ethics complaint against the latter.
If you live under a rock, you may not have heard about the recent Senate sideshow that has become the nation’s latest gossip fodder.
Senate President Chiz Escudero ordered a halt to the construction of the NSB pending due diligence regarding its escalating project cost. Cayetano and Binay swapped acrimonious barbs during a Senate hearing on July 3, a scene that many people found excruciating to watch. Cayetano, who is leading the due diligence call, is the new chairman of the Senate accounts committee after Binay resigned following the ouster of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate president.
At one point during the heated exchange, Cayetano told Binay, “You said that someone is backstabbing you. What will they think? Ma’am, I’ll tell you one thing, your name is Lourdes, not Marites …” (Marites – derived from the name “Maritess” – in the Filipino slang refers to a person, usually a woman, who is excessively talkative, chatty, or gossipy.) “Nabuang ka na, ‘day [“You’ve gone crazy, lady.],” Cayetano also told Binay who walked out of the hearing.
Binay said the complaint she filed against Cayetano was based on three grounds: Cayetano’s name-calling; the allegation that she fed the media questions during her radio interviews; and the way resource persons were treated during the Senate inquiry where they were not allowed to properly respond to Cayetano’s allegations.
Granting that Cayetano has the interest of the public in mind in trying to ferret out the truth about what appears to be a pricey tag on the NSB, I found it disgusting for him to utter such unparliamentary language. Instead of conducting a fair and decent hearing, his reason for name-calling is beyond me and beneath the position to which he was elected.
The Senate does not own a permanent home. Since May 1, 1996, it has been renting for over ₱127 million yearly six floors of a building in Pasay City owned by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and its parking lot from the Social Security System (SSS). It was precisely because of this high rent expense that then-Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. had proposed in 2000 the construction of a Senate building in Batasan Hills in Quezon City at a budget of ₱41.163 million. However, the project was discontinued, and the building was repurposed for the electoral tribunals of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It was only in 2017 that plans for a new Senate Building made significant progress. Senator Win Gatchalian filed Philippine Senate (PS) Resolution 293 which created an ad hoc committee to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a new Senate building.
The NSB was to be built in Taguig with an initial budget of ₱8.9 billion. Costs have since escalated, with the current estimate reaching ₱23.379 billion. Of this amount, ₱8.9 billion is just for the core and shell of the building; ₱2.5 billion for the fit-out; and to complete the project, another ₱10.3 billion would have to be spent. Land acquisition from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) was at ₱1.6 billion.
The building has a helipad and a garden deck that connects its four towers. It also has three floors dedicated to the offices of the 24 senators. The senators’ plenary hall, located in the middle of the garden deck, will have a skylight made of tempered glass. There will also be an auditorium on the ground floor and three underground parking levels that can fit about 1,200 cars. The new building is designed to provide more working space for the Senate, which has been renting six floors at the current GSIS building since 1996.
Phase 1 of the building construction costs ₱8.6 billion, which covers the glass windows and a number of elevators. Phase 2, which costs ₱2.375 billion, is now 18% complete.
The construction covered by the second phase includes installation of tiles, ceiling works, the elevators, generator sets, fire protection and escalators.
Although it has not yet been finalized, the installation of lights, partition wall and cooling system, and fittings of the sinks and restrooms will occur in Phase 3 at a reported cost ₱5.7 billion. The total budget of Phases 1, 2 and 3 is ₱16.675 billion.
Escudero’s concerns about the significant increase in NSB costs, to my vantage point, is warranted. But Cayetano’s zealousness could paint a different optics. The Binays and Cayetanos have been feuding since I can remember.
Sen. Peter Cayetano was one of the key Senate figures who investigated Nancy Binay’s brother, then-Makati Mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay who in 2014, was accused of padding the cost of the P2.2 billion Makati Parking Building by 300%. And then, Binay’s sister, concurrent Makati Mayor Abigail and Peter’s wife, Taguig Mayor Lani, went head to head in a battle of turf which the latter won. In a landmark ruling in 2022, the Supreme Court awarded the Fort Bonifacio and the Enlisted Men’s Barrios (EMBO) to Taguig.
So far, in the recent Senate hearing, some of the details of the NSB costs that were discovered have been shocking; ₱600-million-plus for landscaping, and over half-a-billion pesos for broadcast systems.
Also revealed during the hearing were the procedural lapses committed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which led to delays that exacerbated costs. The resulting total time extension of 852 days will cost taxpayers some ₱78.9 million.
But let’s not get sidetracked by the Binay-Cayetano spectacle or whatever their politics are. Let’s focus on the real issue here: Whether the NSB construction cost is ₱21.7 billion or ₱23.3 billion, it’s still staggering for a country whose 22.4% poverty rate as of 2023 means 25.24 million Filipinos have a per capita income that is not even enough to meet their basic food and non-food needs.
These numbers should be a cause for concern for every tax-paying Filipino: The proposed landscaping cost of ₱663.2 million can build 265 classrooms. More than half a billion pesos (₱577 million) has been allotted to a broadcasting system. Now, pray tell, is the Senate going to put up its own radio/TV station? How many broadcast studios are they planning to put up? One for each of the 24 of them? And then, the completion of NSB requires another ₱10.3 billion.
While the Senate plans to spend lavishly on its new home, many students are being schooled outside proper classrooms – exposed to the elements, sometimes with only verdant trees protecting them from the rain or scorching sun.
And to think that our taxes are paying for the procedural lapses and delays in the NSB construction, with the DPWH unsure if it can finish the job on time. Such delays only reveal how lack of foresight and thorough planning can lead to a budget overshoot.
The huge funding allocated for the NSB reflects our lawmakers’ wrong spending priorities. The money allotted for constructing a “home” for these 24 public servants could and should be put to better use in meeting urgent public needs in education, health, economic development, social welfare services, transportation, law and order, environmental protection, and science and culture, among others. As public servants, they are in office to serve the Filipino people, and not the other way around. – Rappler.com
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I strongly agree that the recent incident shows that the Senate lacks foresight and thorough planning and has the wrong spending priorities. They speak of serving the people, but in this regard, they are really serving themselves first.
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Chinese carrier passes close to Philippines on way to Pacific drills, Taiwan says
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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10/07/2024 10:47
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TAIPEI, Taiwan – Chinese aircraft carrier the Shandong passed close to the northern Philippines on its way to drills in the Pacific, Taiwan’s defense minister said on Wednesday, July 10, as Taipei reported dozens of warplanes joining the ship for exercises.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, keeps a close watch on Chinese movements given the daily military activity around the island.
Taiwan’s defense ministry said starting around dawn on Wednesday it had detected 36 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, flying to the south and southeast of the island heading to the Western Pacific to carry out drills with the Shandong.
Speaking to reporters at parliament shortly before his ministry announced details of the latest mission by the Shandong, commissioned by China in 2019, Taiwan Defense Minister Wellington Koo said they had a “full grasp” of the ship’s movements.
“It did not pass through the Bashi Channel,” he said, referring to the waterway that separates Taiwan from the Philippines and is the usual route Chinese warships and warplanes take when they head into the Pacific.
“It went further south, through the Balintang Channel, to the Western Pacific,” Koo added, a waterway between the Philippines’ Batanes and Babuyan Islands.
China’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippine military said it was concerned with the deployment of the Chinese carrier group.
“We emphasize the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the region and urge all parties to adhere to international laws and norms,” said spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla.
The Philippines is currently involved in a stand-off with China over the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea.
Late Tuesday, Japan’s Self Defense Forces said they detected the Shandong along with an escort of two missile destroyers and a frigate around 500 km (310 miles) south of its Okinawa islands.
Two Japanese navy ships were observing their movements while Japanese fighter jets scrambled in response to the aircraft launched by the carrier, it said in a statement.
Taiwan has previously reported the Shandong operating near the island, including in December when it passed through the Taiwan Strait just weeks ahead of Taiwanese elections. – Rappler.com
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Military activates task force to bolster territorial defense in Western Mindanao
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 13:24
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ACTIVATE. The Western Mindanao Command activates the Joint Task Force Poseidon on Tuesday, July 9, to enhance maritime security and defense in Mindanao. Presidential Adviser Andres Centino (in polo barong) keynoted the ceremony at the Westmincom gymnasium in Zamboanga.
Teofilo P. Garcia Jr./Rappler
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines – The Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) activated the Joint Task Force-Poseidon on Tuesday, July 9, to enhance maritime and territorial defense operations in the Southern Philippines.
Rear Admiral Francisco Tagamolila, chief of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM), has been designated as the commander of JTF-Poseidon.
JTF-Poseidon will operate throughout the maritime area of Wesmincom, including the southern maritime border of the Philippines with Malaysia and Indonesia.
The primary focus of JTF-Poseidon will be on territorial defense operations, internal security operations, and supporting other law enforcement agencies.
“The activation of JTF-Poseidon is not merely a symbolic gesture; it represents a tangible commitment to action. We are prepared to deploy our assets, leverage our intelligence, and coordinate our efforts with unwavering determination to achieve our objectives,” said Lieutenant General William Gonzales, commander of Wesmincom, during the activation ceremony at Camp Basilio Navarro in Zamboanga City.
According to the NFWM, the main objectives of JTF-Poseidon are to protect Western Mindanao’s borders from external threats, ensure internal security by conducting operations against lawless groups at sea and in Tawi-Tawi, and support other government agencies in targeting illegal activities such as smuggling, piracy, and human trafficking.
JTF-Poseidon will be organized into groups, each assigned specific tasks: maritime patrol, territorial and coastal defense, air operations, and intelligence.
The Wesmincom also deactivated JTF-Tawi-Tawi, incorporating its forces into the newly activated unit.
Andres Centino, presidential assistant on maritime concerns, noted that two critical sea lanes fall within Wesmincom’s jurisdiction: the Sibutu Passage in Tawi-Tawi and the Basilan Strait.
Centino said an average of 50 vessels, both domestic and foreign, transit through the Sibutu Passage daily.
“This is a large number of vessels to monitor,” Centino added.
Centino said the command center of the Philippine Coast Guard recorded 22 maritime criminal activities in the Wesmincom maritime area during the first six months of 2024. These include piracy, robbery, transshipment of illegal drugs, illegal fishing, transport of illegal forest products, and transport of explosives.
In May and June this year, six Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy vessels – four in May and two in June – were monitored passing through the Sibutu Passage and Basilan Strait.
Centino said he would ask the Philippine Coast Guard and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to realign or allocate more vessels to Wesmincom for the use of JTF-Poseidon.
He said JTF-Poseidon need to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, such as the Philippine National Police Maritime Group and other agencies that maintain vessels.
Centino said they would also seek the assistance of seafarers in monitoring against intrusion and illegal activities in Wesmincom’s maritime area.
“Our lack of equipment should not be a hindrance but rather it should motivate us to work closely together,” Centino said.
Gonzales said one reason for activating JTF-Poseidon is to operationalize the Civilian Active Auxiliary Development Course and to implement the AFP’s transformation and development plan. – Rappler.com
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WATCH: Pagcor says Harry Roque is listed as legal head of raided POGO
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Mia Gonzalez
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10/07/2024 13:24
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MANILA, Philippines – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque is listed as the “legal head” of recently-raided Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) Lucky South 99, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) Chairman Alejandro Tengco told a Senate panel on Wednesday, July 10.
Tengco also told the fourth hearing of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on illegal POGOs that Roque sought an appointment with him in July 2023. When they met on July 26, 2023 in his Pagcor office, he brought with him Lucky South 99’s Katherine Cassandra Ong.
Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Offshore Gaming License Department Jessa Mariz Fernandez was also at the July 26, 2023 meeting with Roque and Ong.
Tengco said Ong was having problems in relation to Lucky South 99’s arrears with Pagcor totaling $500,000, as she had entrusted their Pagcor payments to Dennis Cunanan, their authorized representative, who did not allegedly remit to Pagcor. She asked to be allowed to pay in installment. He said Roque had told him that he was there to help Ong as she was the “aggrieved party.”
After Lucky South 99 applied for a new license under Pagcor’s new guidelines in September 2023, Roque followed up with Fernandez to check on the status of the application several times, including on what other documents needed to be submitted to comply with the requirements.
Responding to Hontiveros, Tengco confirmed the inclusion of Roque in the organizational chart of Lucky South 99 in the document attached to its reapplication for a license. “Lumabas na po sa bagong application ng 2023, na siya na po ang legal head sa organizational chart na sinubmit na reapplication ng nasabing kompanya,” he said.
(In the new application in 2023, he is already listed as the legal head in the organizational chart that the company submitted in its reapplication.)
Fernandez said Lucky South 99 was informed about the Pagcor decision to reject their reapplication for a license on May 14, 2024.
The Pagcor officials clarified that Roque did not exert any pressure on them in relation to Lucky South 99 and did not make any follow-up calls after the license was rejected.
Ong was among those subpoenaed by the Senate panel that day to attend the hearings.
Roque earlier claimed that he had no direct links to Lucky South 99 after Rappler obtained the document showing him as the “legal head” in the organizational chart of the POGO. The Rappler report bearing the document was cited in the Wednesday hearing.
Roque reiterated his position on Wednesday, in a statement after the hearing. “I am not and have never been a legal counsel to any illegal POGO. Neither was I counsel to Lucky South 99, incorporated. Neither did I participate in preparing Lucky South’s organizational chart, which identified me as their legal counsel.”
“I clarify that I did not consent to nor was I informed of my name’s inclusion in any submission by Lucky South with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) concerning license renewal,” he added.
Roque said that if Hontiveros’ “only basis is the organizational chart naming me as legal counsel of Lucky South 99, then I challenge her to prove that I had a direct hand in preparing the said document. No such evidence exists.”
Roque also said that he accompanied Ong to the July 26, 2023 meeting with Pagcor officials believing that Lucky South 99, the principal of Whirlwind Corporation, was a “victim of estafa.” At the time, he said, his client was a service provider to Lucky South which still had a valid Pagcor license then.
“By way of accommodation, I joined Ms. Ong since I was then persuading Whirlwind to invest in two energy projects of which I was the primary proponent,” he said.
Roque said that it was not until September 2023 when he confirmed that Ong was Whirlwind’s corporate secretary, after his firm was formally retained to represent the company in an ejectment case and Ong signed the pleadings in that case in such capacity. He added that Whirlwind recently retained his firm “to quash a search warrant in a residential dwelling in Porac mistakenly described as a ‘resort’ by police authorities.” LOOK: Police inspect mansions, villas allegedly owned by Porac POGO ‘big bosses’)
“I have no reason to deny my legal engagement with Lucky South if there is truth to it. Providing legal representation is why the legal profession exists. But the reality is that an attorney-client relationship is of the highest fiduciary relationship and cannot be presumed unless there is a clear retainer between counsel and client,” he said.
“As a lawyer, I could not directly engage with the POGO because of a potential conflict of interest and given the soured lease contract between Whirlwind and Lucky South,” Roque added.
On June 29, Pagcor sent out a press release titled, “Pagcor says ex-Cabinet official trying to intercede for POGOs” which was picked up by the media.
“The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation today said a former high ranking government official tried to facilitate the grant of gaming licenses to some of the illegal POGOs that have been recently raided and found engaged in illegal,” the Pagcor press statement read.
“The PAGCOR chief said he will reveal in the proper forum the identity of the former Cabinet member who had been lobbying for the illegal POGOs, as well as the circumstances that led to the proliferation of illegal and criminal offshore gaming operations,” the June 29 statement added, leading to expectations that he would identify the former Cabinet secretary at the July 10 Senate hearing. – Rappler.com
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Rappler Talk: Understanding China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea
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Bea Cupin
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10/07/2024 13:40
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MANILA, Philippines – “Monster ships,” water cannons, and aggressive actions that seem to know no end – by now, most of the public is familiar with how China acts in the West Philippine Sea, waters that are part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) but that China claims as its own.
It’s behavior that occurs in other waters, too – the East China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, among other areas.
What is China’s end goal and how should countries like the Philippines respond?
In this episode of Rappler Talk, senior reporter Bea Cupin sits down with Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, which tries to shed light on China’s “gray zone” tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.
Bookmark this page to catch the interview when it airs live on Wednesday, July 10 at around 1:30 pm. – Rappler.com
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DOJ chief Remulla makes first public appearance in 4 months after health complications
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Dwight de Leon
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10/07/2024 12:37
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SIGNING. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the background, in Malacanang, on July 10, 2024.
RTVM screenshot
MANILA, Philippines – Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla showed up in public for the first time since March, after complications surrounding his health led to a months-long physical absence in his agency.
Remulla led the signing on Wednesday, July 10 of the DOJ rules on criminal investigation in Malacañang, with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in attendance.
Remulla neither delivered a speech nor led a press conference after the event, tasking his undersecretaries Jesse Hermogenes Andres and Raul Vasquez instead to speak with the media.
Remulla underwent a bypass surgery to remove a blockage in his heart back in June last year, but has since grappled with “complications in his immune system.”
In November, the DOJ said he suffered a “minor medical emergency.”
He was last seen in public in March, when he pushed to reopen the cases against doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy.
DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano previously said that Remulla had been working from home and had been in constant communication with his subordinates despite his physical absence.
“His health is good. Recovery is on the uptick after his doctors asked him to go on a strict diet in order to lose weight,” Clavano said on Wednesday. – Rappler.com
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Cagayan de Oro legislature calls for LWUA withdrawal from water district
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 12:26
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URGE. Cagayan de Oro Councilor James Judith II speaks to reporters on Monday, July 8, 2024, after the city council passed a resolution urging the Local Water Utilities Administration to consider the Department of Justice's opinion about its takeover of the local water district.
Franck Dick Rosete/Rappler
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – The city council passed a resolution calling on the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to refrain from managing and operating the troubled Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD), based on a legal opinion issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding its takeover.
Ten Cagayan de Oro councilors voted in favor of Resolution No. 2024-781, while five objected on Monday afternoon, July 8.
The resolution urged LWUA to heed the DOJ opinion and withdraw the appointment of interim officers tasked with addressing the water district’s unresolved debt dispute with its primary bulk water supplier and other issues such as its high non-revenue water (NRW).
On June 18, the DOJ released an opinion signed by Justice Undersecretary Raul Vasquez, stating that LWUA can only take over if a local water district defaults on its loan payments to the regulatory body, citing sections 36 and 61 of the Provincial Water Utilities Act of 1973.
The DOJ opinion triggered louder protests in front of the COWD office, with demonstrators calling LWUA’s intervention “illegal.”
However, the DOJ clarified in its document that the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel (OGCC) has primary jurisdiction over the queries, and its legal views were based on questions posed by LWUA Administrator Jose Moises Salonga.
Cagayan de Oro Councilor Christian Rustico Achas, who opposed the city council resolution, argued that the DOJ document is not binding and could escalate tensions, especially among protesters.
Over local broadcaster Magnum Radio on Wednesday, July 10, Achas said a regional court already ruled against a petition that questioned the LWUA takeover.
“The court’s decision is legally binding,” he said.
Another councilor, James Judith II, said LWUA officials couldn’t seem to get their act together. He noted that Salonga sought the DOJ’s legal opinion after LWUA Chairman Ronnie Ong had already installed interim officials in COWD, based on the LWUA Board of Trustees’ May 17 resolution approving the contentious takeover.
“It became chaotic because LWUA insisted on appointing an interim board and interim general manager,” Judith, the author of the city council resolution, told reporters.
Lawyer Proculo Sarmen, the leader of the consumers’ watchdog Community Alliance for Water Supply Action (CAWSA), said the DOJ’s views did not “comprehensively address all circumstances pertaining to the regulatory and supervisory powers of LWUA under PD 198.”
Sarmen said a water district’s failure to meet financial and operational obligations, such as debt repayment or ensuring adequate water services, is crucial.
Before LWUA’s intervention, COWD had an unresolved dispute with its primary supplier, Cagayan de Oro Bulk Water Incorporated (COBI), over a P400 million debt claim, leading to a brief supply disconnection on May 14.
Ong cited COWD’s high NRW, which was 49.08% as of 2023, as a basis for the takeover, saying that addressing NRW was part of a finance assistance contract between COWD and LWUA.
Meanwhile, Councilor Achas alleged that the Bantay Tubig Movement (BMT), one of the groups protesting outside COWD, had political motivations.
Feeling alluded to, BMT lead convenor Enrico Salcedo, a former councilor and head of the city hall’s night market team, dismissed Achas’ claim, saying he had questioned the 2017 COWD-COBI contract for years.
Salcedo said his group was calling for the contract to be rescinded or amended to remove a provision allowing COBI, controlled by business tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan, to adjust its water rate every three years.
According to Salcedo, the clause meant increased water rates in Cagayan de Oro every three years, which the BTM sees as disadvantageous to consumers. – Rappler.com
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Supreme Court to release Shari’ah Bar exams results on July 16
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 12:14
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BAR EXAMS. Shari'ah Bar exam takers line up during the first day of tests on April 28, 2024.
Supreme Court
MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) said it will release the results of the 2024 Shari’ah bar exams results next week.
2024 Shari’ah Bar Examinations chairperson Associate Justice Maria Filomena Singh said the results will be released on Tuesday afternoon, July 16. The release of the results will be streamed live on official Facebook and YouTube pages of the SC. The list of passers will also be posted on the SC website and other social media pages.
Different from the regular Bar exams for aspiring lawyers, the Shari’ah Bar is the professional licensure examination covering Islamic law. The exams are now administered by the High Court. Those who will pass the Shari’ah Bar exams will be sworn in as Shari’ah counselors-at-law.
Meanwhile, Associate Justice Singh said the oath-taking and roll-signing ceremonies for the passeers will be held on August 15 at The Manila Hotel in Ermita, Manila.
Last May, a total of 853 examinees finished the exams and majority of aspiring Shari’ah counselors-at-law took the test at Ateneo de Davao University. The High Court said the number of 2024 examinees is much higher compared to 2022, when there were only 526 takers.
For the 2024 Shari’ah Bar, the subjects included jurisprudence (Figh) and customary laws (Adat) [15%], persons, family relations, and property [35%], succession, wills/adjudication, and settlement of estates [35%], and procedure in Shari’ah Courts [15%].
To practice Shari’ah law, a person must pass the Shari’ah Bar exams administered by the High Court. In 1977, Presidential Decree 1083 created Shari’ah courts in the Philippines.
Article 137 of the decree established Shari’ah District Courts and Shari’ah Circuit Courts to exercise powers and functions to uphold the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines. The code’s aim is to recognize the legal system of Muslims in the country, codify Muslim personal laws, and provide “effective administration and enforcement of Muslim personal laws among Muslims.” – Rappler.com
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Sara Duterte a no-show at Palarong Pambansa 2024 opening rites
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jsitchon0312
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10/07/2024 12:12
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It looks like the country’s vice president felt that prayers weighed a lot more than actually being present at the Palarong Pambansa 2024 Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, July 9.
Vice President Sara Duterte was everywhere in Cebu City but the Cebu City Sports Center, the official venue for the opening. In her social media page, she was seen around the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu “offering prayers” for the success of the national sports event.
The Vice President then proceeded to post that she was at the Cebu City Medical Center – a 10-minute walk away from the sports center.
In a Facebook post, Duterte said that she was at the medical center to visit athletes, trainers, and coaches who couldn’t join the opening. A number of the athletes had injuries during their preparatory exercises which canceled their attendance on July 9.
But what’s Duterte’s excuse?
While it’s true that she had tendered her resignation as education secretary on June 19, she still holds the position until July 19. This means that she still carries the responsibility of supervising the events that transpire during the Palarong Pambansa.
Ironically, Duterte also confirmed to local news outlets her attendance at the Palaro events during the Office of the Vice President’s Pasidungog 2024 held at Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on Saturday, June 29.
Much like there being no clear reason why she decided to leave her post as education secretary, it’s also unclear why she made no appearance.
“Kinikilala natin ang taunang Palarong Pambansa bilang tradisyon ng Department of Education na may malalim at makabuluhang papel sa paglinang ng ating mga mag-aaral at paghahanda para sa mas malaking kompetisyon sa buhay,” Duterte said in her Facebook post on July 9.
(We recognize the annual Palarong Pambansa as a tradition of the Department of Education that has a deep and significant role in nurturing our students and preparing them for the bigger competition in life.)
If the still-education secretary truly recognized the value of the Palarong Pambansa as a tradition that plays a role in the lives of the youth, shouldn’t she have had the decency to at least present herself at the opening ceremony?
Of course, while the Vice President wasn’t around, no less than the President himself made an appearance together with the proud Garcia clan of Cebu.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made his entry to the Cebu City Sports Center with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia and Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, sending a message of “unity” for the vote-rich province of Cebu.
The acting mayor even called the event “the great unifier.”
“Mr. President, on behalf of the people of Cebu City, allow me to express our gratitude for your administration’s sports program and its role in cultivating the next generation of Filipino world-class athletes,” the acting mayor said in his speech, making no mention of Duterte.
Meanwhile, Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama, who also promised to be present during the events, was a no-show at the opening, too. The mayor was put under a six-month preventive suspension over unpaid salaries and discrimination faced by four city employees.
Rama has been at odds with the Garcias on different issues. It appears like Rama and Duterte are on the same boat over rocky relationships with former allies.
Nevertheless, for Palarong Pambansa 2024, one can only “pray” that the DepEd secretary, who will be in office until July 19 anyway, shows herself during one of the biggest sporting and youth events of the country. – Rappler.com
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[Vantage Point] Senate feud shields doubtful costs of new building
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gdecastro0289
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10/07/2024 11:54
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David Castuciano/Rappler
The public spat between Senators Nancy Binay and Alan Peter Cayetano over the escalating cost of the New Senate Building (NSB) has culminated into the former filing an ethics complaint against the latter.
If you live under a rock, you may not have heard about the recent Senate sideshow that has become the nation’s latest gossip fodder.
Senate President Chiz Escudero ordered a halt to the construction of the NSB pending due diligence regarding its escalating project cost. Cayetano and Binay swapped acrimonious barbs during a Senate hearing on July 3, a scene that many people found excruciating to watch. Cayetano, who is leading the due diligence call, is the new chairman of the Senate accounts committee after Binay resigned following the ouster of Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri as Senate president.
At one point during the heated exchange, Cayetano told Binay, “You said that someone is backstabbing you. What will they think? Ma’am, I’ll tell you one thing, your name is Lourdes, not Marites …” (Marites – derived from the name “Maritess” – in the Filipino slang refers to a person, usually a woman, who is excessively talkative, chatty, or gossipy.) “Nabuang ka na, ‘day [“You’ve gone crazy, lady.],” Cayetano also told Binay who walked out of the hearing.
Binay said the complaint she filed against Cayetano was based on three grounds: Cayetano’s name-calling; the allegation that she fed the media questions during her radio interviews; and the way resource persons were treated during the Senate inquiry where they were not allowed to properly respond to Cayetano’s allegations.
Granting that Cayetano has the interest of the public in mind in trying to ferret out the truth about what appears to be a pricey tag on the NSB, I found it disgusting for him to utter such unparliamentary language. Instead of conducting a fair and decent hearing, his reason for name-calling is beyond me and beneath the position to which he was elected.
The Senate does not own a permanent home. Since May 1, 1996, it has been renting for over ₱127 million yearly six floors of a building in Pasay City owned by the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and its parking lot from the Social Security System (SSS). It was precisely because of this high rent expense that then-Senate president Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. had proposed in 2000 the construction of a Senate building in Batasan Hills in Quezon City at a budget of ₱41.163 million. However, the project was discontinued, and the building was repurposed for the electoral tribunals of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
It was only in 2017 that plans for a new Senate Building made significant progress. Senator Win Gatchalian filed Philippine Senate (PS) Resolution 293 which created an ad hoc committee to conduct a feasibility study for the construction of a new Senate building.
The NSB was to be built in Taguig with an initial budget of ₱8.9 billion. Costs have since escalated, with the current estimate reaching ₱23.379 billion. Of this amount, ₱8.9 billion is just for the core and shell of the building; ₱2.5 billion for the fit-out; and to complete the project, another ₱10.3 billion would have to be spent. Land acquisition from the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) was at ₱1.6 billion.
The building has a helipad and a garden deck that connects its four towers. It also has three floors dedicated to the offices of the 24 senators. The senators’ plenary hall, located in the middle of the garden deck, will have a skylight made of tempered glass. There will also be an auditorium on the ground floor and three underground parking levels that can fit about 1,200 cars. The new building is designed to provide more working space for the Senate, which has been renting six floors at the current GSIS building since 1996.
Phase 1 of the building construction costs ₱8.6 billion, which covers the glass windows and a number of elevators. Phase 2, which costs ₱2.375 billion, is now 18% complete.
The construction covered by the second phase includes installation of tiles, ceiling works, the elevators, generator sets, fire protection and escalators.
Although it has not yet been finalized, the installation of lights, partition wall and cooling system, and fittings of the sinks and restrooms will occur in Phase 3 at a reported cost ₱5.7 billion. The total budget of Phases 1, 2 and 3 is ₱16.675 billion.
Escudero’s concerns about the significant increase in NSB costs, to my vantage point, is warranted. But Cayetano’s zealousness could paint a different optics. The Binays and Cayetanos have been feuding since I can remember.
Sen. Peter Cayetano was one of the key Senate figures who investigated Nancy Binay’s brother, then-Makati Mayor Jejomar “Junjun” Binay who in 2014, was accused of padding the cost of the P2.2 billion Makati Parking Building by 300%. And then, Binay’s sister, concurrent Makati Mayor Abigail and Peter’s wife, Taguig Mayor Lani, went head to head in a battle of turf which the latter won. In a landmark ruling in 2022, the Supreme Court awarded the Fort Bonifacio and the Enlisted Men’s Barrios (EMBO) to Taguig.
So far, in the recent Senate hearing, some of the details of the NSB costs that were discovered have been shocking; ₱600-million-plus for landscaping, and over half-a-billion pesos for broadcast systems.
Also revealed during the hearing were the procedural lapses committed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which led to delays that exacerbated costs. The resulting total time extension of 852 days will cost taxpayers some ₱78.9 million.
But let’s not get sidetracked by the Binay-Cayetano spectacle or whatever their politics are. Let’s focus on the real issue here: Whether the NSB construction cost is ₱21.7 billion or ₱23.3 billion, it’s still staggering for a country whose 22.4% poverty rate as of 2023 means 25.24 million Filipinos have a per capita income that is not even enough to meet their basic food and non-food needs.
These numbers should be a cause for concern for every tax-paying Filipino: The proposed landscaping cost of ₱663.2 million can build 265 classrooms. More than half a billion pesos (₱577 million) has been allotted to a broadcasting system. Now, pray tell, is the Senate going to put up its own radio/TV station? How many broadcast studios are they planning to put up? One for each of the 24 of them? And then, the completion of NSB requires another ₱10.3 billion.
While the Senate plans to spend lavishly on its new home, many students are being schooled outside proper classrooms – exposed to the elements, sometimes with only verdant trees protecting them from the rain or scorching sun.
And to think that our taxes are paying for the procedural lapses and delays in the NSB construction, with the DPWH unsure if it can finish the job on time. Such delays only reveal how lack of foresight and thorough planning can lead to a budget overshoot.
The huge funding allocated for the NSB reflects our lawmakers’ wrong spending priorities. The money allotted for constructing a “home” for these 24 public servants could and should be put to better use in meeting urgent public needs in education, health, economic development, social welfare services, transportation, law and order, environmental protection, and science and culture, among others. As public servants, they are in office to serve the Filipino people, and not the other way around. – Rappler.com
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I strongly agree that the recent incident shows that the Senate lacks foresight and thorough planning and has the wrong spending priorities. They speak of serving the people, but in this regard, they are really serving themselves first.
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[OPINION] What kind of citizens are we?
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gdecastro0289
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10/07/2024 8:30
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Alyssa Arizabal/Rappler
If you’ve been following the Alice Guo and the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) political serye (series), you’re probably going to appreciate the Korean movie, Citizen of Kind, still showing in select SM Cinemas as of Tuesday, July 9.
The movie is largely based on the true story of how an ordinary Korean citizen, Kim Sung-ja, fell victim to a voice phishing scam in 2016. With the help of a tipster working in the call center of the illegal phishing group, Kim provided police with valuable information that led to the criminal organization getting busted in mainland China.
Although the offshore operator in Citizen of a Kind involves a phishing organization, where scammers misrepresent trusted organizations like banks, it nonetheless depicts most of the elements of the bad POGOs operating in the Philippines, including the Lucky South 99 in Bamban, Tarlac that’s been raided by authorities.
The movie shows how workers in these operations are lured by the promise of jobs, how they are trafficked and forced to work against their will, how they are disciplined and punished by their superiors (including beating them up with baseball bats), and even killed if they attempt to squeal or escape.
In the dramatization of Kim’s case, her character, single mother Kim Deok-Hee, played by actress Ra Mi-ran, tries to get the police to help her recover the 30 million won (around P1.2 million) she remitted to the phishing organization based in mainland China. Initially, a police investigator tells her it’s impossible, until a Korean informant, Son Jin-young (played by Gong Myung), a human trafficking victim working in the phishing group’s call center, sends Korean police pieces of evidence that could help track down the criminal gang.
According to Korean media reports, the movie is faithful to the true story until this point. The part when the victim Kim goes to China with her friends to track down the criminals is said to be all fiction.
But it’s the fiction that is most useful to us Filipinos as we continue to face news about Guo and bad POGOs in the country.
Spoiler alert: In the film’s penultimate scenes, when Kim runs after the phishing crime boss, Oh Myung-hwan (played by Lee Moo-saeng), and catches up with him at the airport, the crime boss returns to Kim not just the 30 million won she lost but 100 million won (P4.2 million), over three times more, just so she would stop running after him.
Kim’s friend and co-worker, Chinese-speaking Bong-rim (played by Yeom Hye-ran), advises her to take the money so they can go back home and Kim can get her two children – who had been taken away by social welfare – back.
Given all the information she learned about the phishing group, Kim, however, chooses to return the 100 million won.
The crime boss then leaves so he can catch his flight and evade arrest, unaware that Kim took his passport so that she would know the villain’s real name. And when Oh returns to get his passport, Kim tears up the page which has Oh’s picture and swallows it despite getting badly beaten up in a comfort room in the airport.
It’s these scenes that make this dramedy movie truly worth the P220 (with the senior discount) I paid for. It’s also why the movie is titled Citizen of a Kind since it highlights the importance of good citizenship despite threats to life and liberty.
The movie provides important lessons to those in government and civil society.
First, in light of the illegal and inhuman activities being done in these organizations, there is no question that the social costs far outweigh the revenues that bad POGOs bring. The Chinese government has repeatedly made it clear that POGOs should be banned, noting that these breed crimes such as kidnap for ransom, human trafficking, torture, and murder.
In a statement last June 14 reiterating its appeal to the Philippine government to ban POGOs, the Chinese embassy in Manila said it has been working with the Philippines in “bringing down cross-border gambling and telecom fraud.” In the past six years, it said nearly 3,000 Chinese citizens implicated in POGO-related crimes have been repatriated. It also helped the Philippines shut down five POGOs.
Government, however, has not heeded this appeal, citing the economic benefits that POGOs bring. Recall then-president Rodrigo Duterte’s statement in March 2020: “Under my oath of office as President of the Republic, as elected by you, ‘yang POGO na ‘yan, malinis ‘yan (those POGOs are clean). Laro lang ‘yan para sa kabila (It’s just a game for the other side) but it employs something like 20,000 in Manila…Why? Because it gives us P2 billion a month. Kaya sabi ko para muna (That’s why I said let’s pause first).”
POGOs had mostly been operating underground and the Duterte administration claimed that legalizing them would allow regulators to weed out the bad elements, but this strategy has clearly failed in many instances, as shown by the raids conducted by the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission on a number of POGOs.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor), under the Marcos administration, still maintains this policy. Pagcor chair Al Tengco, in a statement last June 9, said POGOs, which have been renamed Internet Gaming Licensees (IGLs), contributed P5 billion to the gambling regulator’s coffers in 2023. (Since China is against all forms of gambling, it is also presumably against IGLs.)
Reforms are badly needed to better regulate this sub-sector of the gaming industry. Pagcor, together with the police and local officials, must undertake regular and actual inspections of these enterprises. They must ensure that no human trafficking, forced labor, torture, and other crimes are taking place in these places. No search warrants should be required for random inspections. No area should be off-limits during inspections, especially in light of hidden areas where abuses were committed in these bad POGOs.
Tengco said in his statement that Pagcor has “embedded monitoring teams in the physical venues of all licensed gaming operators, including land-based casinos, to ensure compliance with the terms of their licenses.” He did not say, however, when this started. Hopefully, this can help ensure that no crimes are committed in IDLs. Incidentally, Tengco also appealed to the public to “report suspicious alien activities in their communities,” warning however that such “criminal syndicates are usually armed and dangerous.”
Second, there has to be better cooperation between law enforcers in the Philippines, China, and in labor-sending countries against human trafficking. Many of the workers in these bad POGOs were duped by traffickers. Their passports are taken by their employers and their freedoms curtailed once they reach their work places.
Intelligence work also needs to be improved in these countries. Similar to how international terrorism has been greatly reduced, these criminal organizations have to be infiltrated so that authorities can better crack down on them. There needs to be political will at the highest level of government, however, and if the Philippine government continues to reject China’s demand to ban POGOs, these criminal organizations may choose to wait until interest in the POGO controversy subsides.
Third, the movie’s title, Citizen of a Kind, highlights the key role played by Kim: a citizen who is upright, active, and brave.
Her character reminds me of what Filipinos did during the tumultuous years after the August 21, 1983 assassination of Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Faced with a dictatorship that was ruining the economy and violating human rights, ordinary citizens stood up and fought back, eventually succeeding in the February 1986 “people power” uprising.
A number of ordinary citizens were also encouraged to join democratic elections post-1986, and some of them even won against established political warlords and clans.
Sadly, some of these virtues weakened post-EDSA, leaving many to become disappointed with how Philippine democracy works.
It’s that spirit of active citizenship, however, that Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Garcia has urged voters to practice. As the poll body faces questions on how Guo was able to file a Certificate of Candidacy (COC) despite her questionable background – and win as mayor in 2022, Garcia last May said voters should be more engaged in checking the qualifications of candidates.
“Kung may mga interesadong kwestyunin ‘yung eligibility o qualification nung mga kandidatong iyon, maganda pong mai-file. May period po ‘yun, 25 days after the filing of the candidacy.… Puwede po naming tingnan kung talagang citizen. Kasama po ‘yun sa kapangyarihan ng Comelec basta may mag-file ng disqualification,” Garcia said.
(If there are people interested in questioning the eligibility or qualification of candidates, it would be good to file it. There’s a period of 25 days after the filing of candidacy…. We can check if the aspirant is really a citizen. That’s part of the powers of the Comelec as long as someone files a disqualification petition.)
This active engagement is something many Filipinos do with national candidates, especially those running for president. However, in local races, especially in rural areas, active citizenship is apparently lacking. There are also reports that in the case of Guo’s 2022 victory as mayor, voters of Bamban were easily swayed by promises and money.
The Comelec, claimed Garcia, will be able to weed out these shady aspirants, but the poll body needs active citizens who can help provide information.
Fourth, those who make identity theft possible – as what the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has determined in the case of Guo – should be held accountable. Some civil servants are likely to have played roles that allowed Guo to get official documents despite her Chinese citizenship. The case of Guo again exemplifies the problem of corruption, and how some public servants violate the law, as well as the principle that public office is a public trust.
Writer-director Park Young-ju, in giving the movie the title, Citizen of a Kind, appears to be begging the question, what kind of citizens are we? Or, perhaps, more importantly, what kind of citizens should we be?
As actress Ra, who played the lead role, told the Korea Times: “This ordinary person accomplished something truly extraordinary. Personally, I don’t believe I could have done what she did. It’s genuinely admirable for her to achieve something so significant from that incident. Not many people have such remarkable experiences, which made it all the more compelling for me to take on the role.”
I doubt if Citizen of a Kind, which was released in Korea in January this year and shown exclusively in select SM Cinemas in the Philippines starting July 3, will still be in theaters this week. Despite it being an entertaining movie, there were only six people in the theater when I watched in on Saturday, July 6, at 9:30 pm in SM Megamall.
The movie, however, will likely be shown on streaming platform Netflix, as it’s already available there in some territories.
Better still, perhaps a Filipino producer should make a movie about Alice Guo and her POGO connections – and make sure it’s a crime thriller, not a tearjerker involving an illegitimate child of a kasambahay (househelper) who grew up in a farm. – Rappler.com
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‘No idea why’: Porac POGO lists Harry Roque as legal representative
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Victor Barreiro Jr.
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16/06/2024 12:13
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Former presidential spokesperson Atty. Harry Roque accompanied by Lorraine Badoy's husband Walter and Jeffrey 'Ka Eric' Celiz' wife Rogilda, files a petition of habeas corpus and certiorari at Supreme Court on Monday, December 11, 2023, following the alleged illegal detention of Badoy and Celiz at the House of Representatives.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – A document of the newly-raided Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) in Porac, Pampanga, lists former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque as its legal representative, Rappler has learned, but the lawyer maintains he has no direct link to the company.
Rappler obtained a document by the Lucky South 99, the POGO in Porac found to have trafficked and tortured workers, which lists its officials. On the fourth tier below the President, the Corporate Secretary, and the Board, were several names including Harry Roque as “legal.”
“No idea why, not aware of that chart,” Roque told Rappler in a text message on Sunday, June 16, when asked about the document.
Roque maintained that his only engagement was for Whirlwind Corporation, the real estate firm incorporated in 2019 and the one that’s leasing the Thai Royal Court compound in Porac to Lucky South 99.
Roque said he was engaged in October 2023 by Whirlwind when the company lost its ejectment case in the regional trial court. Roque’s counsel to Whirlwind is ongoing as they seek to annul the lower court judgments before the higher courts. “We lost in the Court of Appeals and we will go to the Supreme Court if denied,” Roque said.
Roque said he was “retained” by Whirlwind by “Cassy Ong.” Cassy Ong is Katherine Cassandra Ong who has transacted with the government on behalf of Lucky South 99. The Lucky South 99 document that lists Roque as legal also lists Ong as authorized representative.
“I have no engagement with Lucky [South 99] other than it is a lessee of Whirlwind,” said Roque.
Asked if he knew or had an inkling that Whirlwind and Lucky South had the same interests, Roque said to refer to their ongoing Court of Appeals (CA) case that details the dispute that Whirlwind is embroiled in.
The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) earlier found another document in the raided compound that has Roque’s marks on it. It was an October 2023 sponsorship letter for the visa application of a former Palace staff, which he said would accompany him to an event on peace process in Kiev, Ukraine.
Roque has explained that the staff may have once lived in the compound, which is a commercial complex that has restaurants and karaoke, and may have left the document there. – Rappler.com
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Senate panel cites Alice Guo in contempt over absence at POGO probe
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Bonz Magsambol
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10/07/2024 11:09
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OPPOSITION LEADER. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros.
Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines – The Senate committee on women, children, family relations, and gender equality on Wednesday, July 10, cited Mayor Alice Guo of Bamban, Tarlac, and seven others in contempt for snubbing the hearings on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGOs).
“They are cited in contempt,” Senate Risa Hontiveros said at the fourth hearing of her committee.
The seven others cited in contempt are the following:
Hontiveros said that once Senate President Chiz Escudero signs the order to arrest the eight for contempt, this will set the motion for their arrest. Escudero earlier said that the Senate is ready to order Guo’s arrest if she snubbed the hearing again.
Prior to Hontiveros’ announcement, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian reiterated his motion to cite the personalities in contempt for failing to appear at the Senate hearings despite being subpoenaed by the panel.
This, said Gatchalian, reflected their “lack of respect for the institution, for the Senate” which was giving them a chance to present their side.
Guo, whose alleged involvement in illegal POGO operations in Tarlac have been the subject of Senate hearings since May, also skipped the hearing on June 26, prompting Hontiveros to issue a subpoena for her to attend.
The Senate panel ALSO issued subpoenas to the following to attend the next probe:
A day before the hearing on Tuesday, July 9, Guo’s lawyer, Stephen David, said that Guo was not keen on attending the Wednesday hearing because she was supposedly “traumatized” by being “shamed” during the past hearings.
“Kausap ko siya kahapon ng umaga. Ako, as much as possible, hinihikayat ko siya. Ang problema kasi masyado siyang traumatized sa pagpapahiya sa kanya. Physically and emotionally draining sa kanya lalo na ‘yung mga bashers ‘nya,” David said.
(I spoke to her yesterday morning. As much as possible, I’m encouraging her to attend. The problem really is she is traumatized by her being shamed [during the hearings]. It’s physically and emotionally draining for her, especially by what bashers say about her.)
David said that Guo is still in the country. “Magkausap kami sa phone, she assured me na nasa Pilipinas siya. Ako naniniwala ako na nasa Pilipinas lang siya,” he said. (I spoke with her via phone call and she assured me that she’s still in the Philippines. I believe she’s still here.)
In a statement on Tuesday, Hontiveros said that Guo and her lawyers should respect the laws of the country. The senator was reacting to the statement from Guo’s camp that they do not expect a “fair” hearing at the Senate, and that it’s only in court where they “expect a fair trial.”
“Our jurisprudence is clear and consistent. The Supreme Court has recognized that the invocation of the right against self-incrimination can only be done when a question is being asked,” she said.
On June 27, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) confirmed that the fingerprints of the suspended mayor and Guo Hua Ping – the Chinese woman who is suspected to be the real identity of the local official – match, meaning they are “one and same” person, according to Hontiveros.
Hontiveros said that the NBI finding was the “strongest evidence” to strip Guo of her elective post. She also urged the Office of the Solicitor General “to expedite its filing of a quo warranto case against” Guo.
The Bamban mayor is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The suspension was due to a graft case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over serious illegal acts and her link to illegal activities of POGOs. – Rappler.com
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LOOK: Police inspect mansions, villas allegedly owned by Porac POGO ‘big bosses’
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Jairo Bolledo
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10/07/2024 10:52
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POGO-owned? This is among the mansions allegedly owned by big bosses of Porac POGO.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Porac, Pampanga returned to the abandoned mansions and villas of the town recently raided by authorities.
Last week, law enforcers inspected the two-hectare compound in Barangay Siñura believed to be owned by the “big bosses” of Philippine offshore gaming operator Lucky South 99 Outsourcing Incorporated. The said POGO was inspected by authorities last month for being an alleged hotbed for various illicit activities, which included human trafficking, forced labor, and other scam activities.
Pampanga PNP director Police Colonel Jay Dimaandal said the raid was prompted by intelligence reports, tips from civilians, and findings from the three public hearings conducted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in June.
Days after the raid, on July 9, Porac PNP returned to the abandoned structures. There, the police inspected anew the mansions and villas which had a helipad, lagoon, garden, and pool. The authorities also saw a secret underground tunnel and an indoor shooting range.
– Rappler.com
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WATCH: Senate resumes its hearing on Alice Guo, illegal POGOs
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Cara Angeline Oliver
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10/07/2024 10:33
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MANILA, Philippines – The Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality and the committees on Migrant Workers, as well as Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hold a hearing on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs in Central Luzon.
Embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her alleged involvement in illegal POGO operations in Tarlac have been the subject of Senate hearings since May.
The Bamban mayor skipped the hearing on June 26, prompting Senator Risa Hontiveros to issue a subpoena for her to attend. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Tuesday, July 9 that it is ready to order the arrest of Guo in case she snubs the hearing again.
The Bamban mayor is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The suspension was due to a graft case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over serious illegal acts and her link to illegal activities of POGOs.
Bookmark this page to tune in to the livestream on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 am. – Rappler.com
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WATCH: Senate resumes its hearing on Alice Guo, illegal POGOs
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Cara Angeline Oliver
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10/07/2024 10:33
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MANILA, Philippines – The Senate committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality and the committees on Migrant Workers, as well as Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hold a hearing on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators or POGOs in Central Luzon.
Embattled Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo and her alleged involvement in illegal POGO operations in Tarlac have been the subject of Senate hearings since May.
The Bamban mayor skipped the hearing on June 26, prompting Senator Risa Hontiveros to issue a subpoena for her to attend. Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero said on Tuesday, July 9 that it is ready to order the arrest of Guo in case she snubs the hearing again.
The Bamban mayor is under preventive suspension ordered by the Ombudsman. The suspension was due to a graft case filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government over serious illegal acts and her link to illegal activities of POGOs.
Bookmark this page to tune in to the livestream on Wednesday, July 10 at 10 am. – Rappler.com
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Fil-Brit Christina Dela Cruz Chalk wins Miss Universe Great Britain 2024
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Ysa Abad
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10/07/2024 10:21
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QUEEN. Christina Dela Cruz Chalk was crowned Miss Universe Great Britain 2024.
Miss Universe Great Britain's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines — Filipina-British Christina Dela Cruz Chalk will be representing Great Britain in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant.
The 31-year-old beauty queen bested 42 other finalists during the pageant’s coronation night on July 6.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 9, Chalk looked back on her pageant journey, saying that her win was a “dream come true.”
“Many know this wasn’t my first, second, or even third attempt at Miss Universe Great Britain,” she wrote. “However, when Miss Universe lifted their age restrictions, I knew there was unfinished business. I’m glad I followed my heart.”
In a separate Instagram post, Chalk also shared photos from her previous pageants. She finished 1st runner-up in both of Miss Universe Great Britain’s 2016 and 2021 editions but unplaced during its 2019 edition.
Chalk also joined Miss Scotland in 2015 where she clinched 1st runner-up.
She also competed in the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 pageant as a representative of the Filipino community of the United Kingdom. Chalk entered the Top 20 of the competition, which was won by Chelsea Manalo of Bulacan.
Aside from Chalk and Manalo, Filipino-Kiwi actress and model Franki Russell will also be competing in the Miss Universe 2024 pageant. She will be representing New Zealand.
The Miss Universe 2024 coronation night is set to take place in September in Mexico. Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios will crown her successor. – Rappler.com
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Indian fugitive, linked to terrorist group, arrested in Bacolod
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 9:27
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CAUGHT. Police prepare to bring Indian fugitive Joginder Geong (wearing white t-shirt), to Manila, a day after his arrest in Bacolod, on Tuesday, July 9.
Bacolod City Police Office
BACOLOD, Philippines – Authorities arrested an alleged leader of a separatist group, wanted in India for multiple serious crimes, in Bacolod City on Monday night, July 8.
Colonel Noel Aliño, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director, identified the suspect as 40-year-old Joginder Geong, with aliases Joginder Geyong and Kant Gupta, an alleged leader of a Khalistani group labeled as a terrorist organization in India.
The movement seeks to create a separate state called Khalistan due to perceived the marginalization of Sikhs and demands for autonomy.
Aliño said Geong, who used a Nepalese passport to enter the country under the name Kant Gupta, was cornered by police and immigration operatives inside his rented house at Santa Lucia Gardens in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod, at around 7:40 pm on Monday.
Geong had been in the city since 2022 and operated a money-lending business alongside other Indians, police said.
Geong was arrested after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) issued a memorandum on July 5 about Geong in Bacolod. The BI memorandum referenced a June 22 request from First Secretary Nilesh Kumar Rai of the Indian embassy in Manila for Geong’s immediate arrest.
The Indian embassy said Geong has a history of serious offenses such as murder, attempted murder, extortion, and robbery, and was also convicted of firearms violations in India, Rai said.
Aliño said authorities were able to locate Geong in Bacolod after they received a tip from a concerned citizen through a police hotline.
Captain Dax Santillan, chief of the Bacolod police station in Taculing, said Geong didn’t resist arrest when a raiding team, composed of police officers from Camp Crame and the police regional office, and BI agents, pounced on him.
Geong was taken to Manila by BI-Fugitive Search Unit operatives on Tuesday afternoon.
Following Geong’s arrest, Aliño warned other foreign fugitives that Bacolod is not a “haven for criminals or terrorists.” – Rappler.com
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Who are the delegates topping the Miss World PH 2024 fast-track challenges?
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Ysa Abad
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30/06/2024 15:12
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TOP 12. Miss World Philippines 2024 announced the semifinalists for its Beach Beauty competition.
Miss World Philippines' Facebook
MANILA, Philippines – The search for the next Miss World Philippines (MWP) queen is definitely heating up as the pre-pageant activities for its 2024 edition are fully underway.
On their social media pages, the MWP Organization has started announcing the delegates who are dominating its fast-track challenges.
For the sports fast-track event, 10 candidates made it to the top. They are the following:
Meanwhile, 12 contestants topped the beach beauty competition. Those who made it to this category are:
A post shared by MISS WORLD PHILIPPINES (@msworldphil)
10 finalists also made it to the Beauty with a Purpose category. They are the following:
Only five finalists were chosen for the talent competition. They are:
The top three finalists for the Head-to-Head challenge are:
For the multimedia fast-track challenge, the top six finalists are:
10 finalists were chosen for the National Costume competition. They are the following:
Only three made it to the Miss Charity event:
The winner for each fast-track challenge will automatically secure a semifinals spot in the pageant. The finals night is set to take place on Friday, July 19, 8 pm at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
35 candidates are competing to succeed Miss World Philippines 2022 Gwendolyne Fourniol. Fourniol bowed out early in the pageant’s international competition after she failed to make it to the Top 40.
Aside from the Miss World Philippines 2024 crown, two more titles are also up for grabs: Reina Hispanoamericana Filipinas and Miss Philippines Tourism. – Rappler.com
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Indian fugitive, linked to terrorist group, arrested in Bacolod
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Herbie G
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10/07/2024 9:27
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CAUGHT. Police prepare to bring Indian fugitive Joginder Geong (wearing white t-shirt), to Manila, a day after his arrest in Bacolod, on Tuesday, July 9.
Bacolod City Police Office
BACOLOD, Philippines – Authorities arrested an alleged leader of a separatist group, wanted in India for multiple serious crimes, in Bacolod City on Monday night, July 8.
Colonel Noel Aliño, Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) director, identified the suspect as 40-year-old Joginder Geong, with aliases Joginder Geyong and Kant Gupta, an alleged leader of a Khalistani group labeled as a terrorist organization in India.
The movement seeks to create a separate state called Khalistan due to perceived the marginalization of Sikhs and demands for autonomy.
Aliño said Geong, who used a Nepalese passport to enter the country under the name Kant Gupta, was cornered by police and immigration operatives inside his rented house at Santa Lucia Gardens in Barangay Taculing, Bacolod, at around 7:40 pm on Monday.
Geong had been in the city since 2022 and operated a money-lending business alongside other Indians, police said.
Geong was arrested after the Bureau of Immigration (BI) issued a memorandum on July 5 about Geong in Bacolod. The BI memorandum referenced a June 22 request from First Secretary Nilesh Kumar Rai of the Indian embassy in Manila for Geong’s immediate arrest.
The Indian embassy said Geong has a history of serious offenses such as murder, attempted murder, extortion, and robbery, and was also convicted of firearms violations in India, Rai said.
Aliño said authorities were able to locate Geong in Bacolod after they received a tip from a concerned citizen through a police hotline.
Captain Dax Santillan, chief of the Bacolod police station in Taculing, said Geong didn’t resist arrest when a raiding team, composed of police officers from Camp Crame and the police regional office, and BI agents, pounced on him.
Geong was taken to Manila by BI-Fugitive Search Unit operatives on Tuesday afternoon.
Following Geong’s arrest, Aliño warned other foreign fugitives that Bacolod is not a “haven for criminals or terrorists.” – Rappler.com
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