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DoH to procure IT system to track medicine stock

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DoH) will be using a new IT system that will keep track of its medicine supply after the agency was flagged for more than P18 billion in undistributed drugs. DoH, in a statement on Saturday, said they are in the process of bidding for new technology that will efficiently systematize their drug inventory. The DoH’s inventory is manually processed through acquiring third party logistics providers. “To ensure efficiency in the distribution of drugs and medicines, the Department is currently in the process of procuring a customized Electronic Logistics Management Information System for easy access to information on availability of stock, stock-outs, real-time inventory balances, expiring and about to expire commodities, utilization even at the LGU levels and among other important information needs,” DoH said. The Commission on Audit (CoA) earlier reported that P18.49 billion worth of medicines nearing expiry dates were unutilized and stored in DoH warehouses. As of August, DoH said P12.22 billion worth of medicines have been distributed and recorded, while the rest have yet to be reconciled with inventory records. — Gillian M. Cortez

OFW
PHILSTAR

158 OFWs repatriated from UAE

THE DEPARTMENT of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has repatriated 158 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from the United Arab Emirates due to trafficking. Of the total, 74 were from Abu Dhabi and the remaining 84 from Dubai. “In line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to protect the welfare and well-being of Filipinos overseas, we welcome home this morning 158 OFWs, most of whom were victims of trafficking in persons,” Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Y. Arriola was quoted as saying in a statement, Sunday. DFA noted that over 4,800 Filipinos have been repatriated from UAE since January this year, which cost the government P135.34 million in assistance. In 2018, the government repatriated 5,842 OFWs from Dubai and another 3,533 from Abu Dhabi, which cost over the P175.21 million. The repatriation was the joint effort of the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate General in Dubai. The DFA, meanwhile, again warned Filipinos seeking overseas employment through tourist visas as this exposes them to more abuses and exploitation by employers abroad. “The Philippine government strongly condemns the abuses being experienced by our OFWs in the hands of their recruiters or employers. DFA will continue to partner with other member agencies of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to prevent and suppress trafficking,” Ms. Arriola said. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Duterte retracts on drug claims vs generals

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte on Sunday backtracked on his earlier claim that two generals were involved in illegal drugs.

“I must admit my ignorance,” Mr. Duterte told reporters upon his arrival from Russia yesterday, adding that he only got confused with the military titles.

Mr Duterte said one of the military officials involved was actually a colonel. He did not identify the official.

The president last week said two generals were involved in illegal drug trading.

His comments come as the Senate investigates the illegal drug trade inside jails that can be allegedly traced to high-ranking police officials. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Actress Amalia Fuentes, 79

Veteran actress Amalia Fuentes, passed away at the age of 79 early Saturday morning, her grandson, Alfonso Martinez announced in a post on his personal Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that I together with my siblings Alyanna and Alissa, inform you that our Grandmother, Amalia Amador Muhlach has taken her last breath this morning in the Philippines. She is now reunited with her husband Joey Stevens, our mother Anna-Lissa Martinez and her ex-husband, our Lolo Bobby. We have prayed for nothing but peace for her and now she can finally rest. Our family only asks that you respect our privacy during this time and join us in praying for her soul,” Mr. Martinez wrote on his post.

In a radio interview with DZMM, Ms. Fuentes’ nephew, actor Nino Muhlach said that the cause of death was due to multiple organ failure.

She was brought to the hospital several days ago but Mr. Muhlach noted that she has been bedridden for the past four years after suffering a stroke during a trip to South Korea.

Born Amalia Amador Muhlach on Aug. 27, 1940 in Naga, Camarines Sur, Ms. Fuentes started her almost seven-decade career in 1956 when she won Sampaguita Pictures’ Mr. & Miss Number One contest alongside fellow actor Juancho Guttierez. In the same year, they were paired together for the film “Movie Fan” by Tony Cayado.

Billed as a love team, Ms. Fuentes and Mr. Guttierez starred in several more films including “Rodora” (1956), “Sonata” (1957), and “Ang Senyorito at Ang Atsay” (1963). She was also paired with Romeo Vasquez in films like “Pretty Boy” (1957), “Bobby” (1958), “Ako Ang May Sala” (1958), and “Bilanggong Birhen” (1960).

She later married Romeo Vasquez in 1965 and had one child with him, the late actress Liezl Martinez (real name: Anna Lisa Muhlach Sumilang). Ms. Fuentes and Mr. Vasquez eventually separated in 1969 and she went on to marry Joey Stevens with whom she adopted a son, Geric Stevens. She divorced Mr. Stevens after 28 years of marriage.

Aside from her romantic films, she also starred in movies like Mar S. Torres’ “Estela Mondragon” (1960), and “Amy, Susie, Tessie” (1960) alongside Susan Roces.

She won a Best Actress Trophy from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences in 1966 for her role in Gerardo de Leon’s horror-drama, “Ibulong Mo sa Hangin,” and a Best Actress Award in the Manila Film Festival in 1973 for Eddie Rodriguez’s “Pag-ibig Mo, Buhay Ko.”

Ms. Fuentes also branched out in 1966 to screenwriting, writing the script for “Tatlong Kasaysayan Ng Pag-ibig,” followed by “Ito Ang Aming Kasunduan” (1973). She also started producing movies, establishing AM Productions which produced movies like “Whisper to the Wind” (1966), “Baril at Rosary” (1967), and “Pwede Ako, Pwede Ka Pa Ba?” (1976).

She also directed and starred in the film, “Mga Reynang Walang Trono” (1976).

Her IMDb page listed 160 acting roles, the last of which was a role in the 2013 ABS-CBN series, “Huwag Ka Lang Mawawala.”

SM Supermalls celebrates the biggest and grandest Kids’ Day nationwide

SM Supermalls kicks off Kids’ Month!

SM treated kiddie shoppers with fun and best-loved activities for the third year with the biggest and grandest #SMSuperKidsDay2019 celebration held last October 5 at SM Supermalls nationwide. A grand launch was held at SM Southmall featuring royalty-themed games, activities and entertainment!

“SM serves as a place for kids and their families to create great childhood memories. This October, we are bringing more fun playtime activities in our malls nationwide as we officially begin Kids’ Month,” said Jonjon San Agustin, SM Supermalls SVP for marketing.

Fit for princes and princesses alike, SM Super Kids Day featured free fun and play kiddie activities with countless toys, arts and crafts activities, deals on kiddie meals and items! To unveil more surprises, shoppers also joined the SuperKids Royal Dash Augmented Reality Game by simply scanning the QR code posters located in select areas in the mall and Toy Kingdom branches!

#SMSuperKidsDay2019 was be celebrated at SM BF Parañaque, SM Bicutan, SM Cherry Antipolo, SM Pasig, SM East Ortigas, SM Fairview, SM Las Piñas, SM Mall of Asia, SM Manila, SM Marikina, SM Megamall, SM Muntinlupa, SM North Edsa, SM Novaliches, SM Sangandaan, SM Southmall, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Sucat, SM Angono, SM Bacoor, SM Baguio, SM Baliwag, SM Batangas, SM Cabanatuan, SM Calamba, SM Cherry Antipolo, SM Clark, SM Dagupan, SM Legazpi, SM Lemery, SM Lipa, SM Lucena, SM Marilao, SM Masinag, SM Megacenter Cabanatuan, SM Molino, SM Naga, SM Olongapo Downtown, SM Olongapo Central, SM Pampanga, SM Puerto Princesa, SM Pulilan, SM Rosales, SM Rosario, SM San Fernando, SM San Jose del Monte, SM San Mateo, SM San Pablo, SM Santa Rosa, SM Tarlac, SM Taytay, SM Telabastagan, SM Trece Martires, SM Tuguegarao, SM Urdaneta Central, SM Valenzuela, SM Bacolod, SM Cebu, SM Consolacion, SM Iloilo, SM Ormoc, SM Seaside City Cebu, SM Cagayan de Oro, SM CDO Downtown Premier, SM Davao, SM General Santos, and SM Lanang Premier.

SM Super Kids Day is part of the month-long Kids’ Month festivities of SM malls across the country. For the whole month of October, kids and their families can enjoy The SM Store’s Babies and Kids Fest plus the Halloween offerings of Toy Kingdom and SM Markets. Completing Kids’ Month are the annual nationwide celebration of United Nations Day (October 8 to 31) and Halloween (October 18 to 31).

For more information, check out www.smsupermalls.com, or its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @smsupermalls.

Theater icon Tony Mabesa, 84

Veteran actor and director Antonio “Tony” Mabesa died after a long illness on Oct. 4, Friday, at 10:20 p.m. He was 84.

Screenwriter Floy Quintos wrote on Facebook: “We, the family of Antonio Mabesa, are saddened to announce his passing . Sir Tony joined his creator at 10:20 this evening. He was surrounded by family and friends.”

“We thank you for your prayers. We hope you can respect the family’s wish for privacy at this time,” Mr. Quintos added.

Born in Laguna in 1935, Mr. Mabesa began his journey in the theater scene directing school plays at UP Rural High School. He studied at the University of the Philippines and was under the mentorship of National Artist for Theater Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero. In 1976, he founded the theater organizations Dulaang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas and its umbrella group, UP Playwright’s Theater.

In 2018, Mr. Mabesa played his last role as the late Eddie Garcia’s lover in the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) LGBT-themed family drama Rainbow’s Sunset where he won the award for Best Supporting Actor.

Details of the wake will be announced today.

September inflation slowest in more than 3 years

INFLATION slowed to 0.9% in September amid lower food and electricity costs, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said on Friday.

Prices of widely-used goods and services in September further cooled from 1.7% in August due to “softer price adjustments observed in nearly all commodities and base effects, coming from 6.7% in the same period in 2018.”

The September reading was the slowest since the 0.7% logged in April 2016, but matched the 0.9% in May 2015 and May 2016.

Last month’s print fell at the low end of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) 0.6%-1.4% forecast for September. It was also below the 1.1% median estimate in BusinessWorld’s poll of 16 economists last week.

For the nine months to September, headline inflation averaged at 2.8%, well within the BSP’s 2-4% target range for 2019.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) said in a statement it “expects inflation to further ease in the near term due to higher supply of rice in the country allowed by the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL).”

Food and non-alcoholic beverages recorded deflation at 0.9%, while non-food inflation eased to 1.6%.

The NEDA noted rice deflation continued for the fifth straight month, dropping to 8.9% in September from 5.2% in August.

“We see the Rice Tariffication Law continuing to help pull down overall inflation in the near term as it continues to help improve rice stock inventory of the country. This access to cheaper rice is good for Filipino consumers,” Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia was quoted as saying in the statement.

In a separate statement, the BSP said the September inflation print was “driven by the continued decline in rice prices and electricity rates, which offset higher prices of petroleum and selected food products.”

“The latest inflation outturn is likewise consistent with the BSP’s prevailing assessment that inflation will continue to decelerate in Q3 2019 and pick up slightly in the remaining months of 2019,” the central bank said.

ING NV-Manila Branch senior economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa noted that inflation eased after bottlenecks were addressed from last year’s “supply-side oriented” spike, paired with series of rate hikes implemented by the BSP.

“Inflation will likely revert target once base effects fade. Price pressures appear to be benign as food prices are expected to be more stable given new legislation and government’s openness to importing food stuff,” he said in a note sent to reporters.

Meanwhile, Security Bank Corp. economist Robert Dan J. Roces said the central bank may have reached the end of its projected easing cycle for the year.

“We think that further cuts might affect real interest rates if not managed since inflation is expected to normalize next year,” he said in a note sent to reporters.

However, he added that global pressure “does give scope for the BSP to consider further cuts should the situation warrant it.”

Inflation peaked at a near-decade high of 6.7% in September and October last year. Overall prices have since eased, allowing the central bank to start reversing some of last year’s 175-basis points’ worth of interest rate increases.

Last week, the central bank slashed its benchmark interest rate for a third time this year to support a slowing economy. It also reduced banks’ reserve requirement ratio by 100 basis points to boost credit growth.

“Declining inflation trend would provide increased flexibility in terms of greater leeway for any furthering easing of local monetary policy,” said Michael Ricafort, economist at Rizal Commercial Banking Corp.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said on Tuesday he remained confident 2019 growth would reach 6%, the lower end of its 6-7% forecast, but acknowledged it might just miss the mark.

He declined to say whether further easing would happen in 2019, saying it would depend on inflation rates which are currently “under control”. — L.W.T.Noble with Reuters

Factory output falls for 9th straight month in August

THE country’s manufacturing production growth rates have been dropping since December 2018. — REUTERS

By Jenina P. Ibañez

MANUFACTURING output declined for the ninth straight month in August, the government reported on Friday.

Preliminary results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) latest Monthly Integrated Survey of Selected Industries (MISSI) showed factory output — as measured by the volume of production index — contracting by 9.3% year on year in August versus July’s revised 6.1% contraction and the 3.1% increase in August 2018.

Manufacturing production growth rates have been dropping since December 2018.

Year to date, factory output decline averaged 8.6% compared to the 11.7% growth average in 2018’s comparable eight months.

The PSA reported seven out of the 20 subsectors contracted in August: petroleum products (-59%), furniture and fixtures (-43.4%), transport equipment (-19%), miscellaneous manufactures (-17.7%), electrical machinery (-11.1%), beverages (-8.4%), and textiles (-3.6%).

Food manufacturing once again went up, increasing by 7.2% in August after ending its eleven-month decline in July.

In comparison, the IHS Markit Philippines Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index, which used a different set of parameters, bared a 51.9 reading in August, compared to July’s 52.1. A reading above 50 signals improvement in business conditions from the preceding month, while a score below that point indicates deterioration.

Average capacity utilization — the extent by which industry resources are used in the production of goods — was estimated at 84.3%. Thirteen of the 20 sectors registered capacity utilization of at least 80%.

Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) economist Michael L. Ricafort said that the continued decline in manufacturing output is largely caused by global trade tensions.

“The latest year-on-year decline in manufacturing gauges may be largely brought about by the lingering/escalating US-China trade war that weighed on global economic growth/outlook that resulted to slower global trade and manufacturing gauges,” he said in an email response to questions.

He added that investors’ “wait-and-see” attitude in response to pending legislation on tax incentives also contributed to the decline.

“Uncertainties on the proposed rationalisation of fiscal incentives (though offset by the proposed reduction of corporate income tax from 30% to 20% over 10 years) may have caused some slowdown in both investments and production activities by both local and foreign investors while waiting for greater clarity and immediate implementation of the CITIRA bill before they pour in more investments and production, especially in the manufacturing sector,” he said.

The House of Representatives has already approved on third and final reading the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act (CITIRA), fast-tracking the government’s plans to lower income taxes and slash the incentives of businesses.

ING Bank Manila NV senior economist Nicholas Antonio T. Mapa said that some growth in food manufacturing, the largest subcategory in terms of contribution to the country’s factory output, was not able to offset weaknesses in other major manufacturing contributors.

“Lower demand for petroleum products due to oil prices movements and general demand weakness due to global slowdown dragged on output, while electrical machinery and transport equipment pulled back on due to the regional tech slump exacerbated by the trade war,” Mr. Mapa said.

RCBC’s Mr. Ricafort added that the delay in the approval of the 2019 budget, along with the 45-day election ban on some infrastructure projects, may have also caused a slowdown in the construction and related industries.

He also noted that recent loan growth is relatively slow because manufacturers may have waited for interest rates to go down further. This caused slower capital formation and manufacturing production activities.

Moving forward, Mr. Ricafort sees more manufacturing investment in the coming months. He said that local long-term interest rates in early August 2019 could have bottomed out at their cheapest rate in two to three years.

He said that this “could make some businesses, consumers, government, and other institutions more aggressive in their borrowings/financing for new investments (capital formation), expansion projects, and other acquisitions/spending that could lead to more economic activities and faster growth especially in the manufacturing sector as well as in the broader economy in the coming months.”

According to ING Bank’s Mr. Mapa, growth in the manufacturing sector will depend on how it diversifies.

“Going forward, the sector must look to diversify away from reliance on food manufactures and look to other sectors to improve resilience to downturns and, well the weather,” he said.

“True reform will be needed to get manufacturing revived, and the ‘Build, Build, Build’ initiative will help improve efficiency and bolster the economy across the board from agriculture to manufacturing and services.”

SEC proposes changes to REIT rules

THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released on Friday its proposed amendments to the rules guiding real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the Philippines.

The corporate regulator formalized through two notices uploaded on its website its planned changes on Republic Act No. 9856, or the REIT Act of 2009. The proposal includes easing public ownership requirements, requiring proceeds from a REIT offer to be reinvested in the country, adding oversight powers in related party transactions and imposing sanctions for administrative violations.

The SEC is seeking public comments on the draft rules until noon of Oct. 18.

“The proposed amendments align with our mandate to promote the development of the capital market toward the democratization of wealth and broadening of participation in the ownership of enterprises,” SEC Chairperson Emilio B. Aquino said.

As announced in earlier reports, the SEC’s draft amendment proposes to reduce the public ownership requirement for REITs to a 33% minimum public float from the current 40% on the first year.

It also wants to require all income generated from a REIT offer to be reinvested in the Philippines, with the goal of promoting growth in the capital market and Filipino participation in real estate.

The SEC also proposes to create a special committee which will be tasked to review related party transactions of REITs. The goal is to tighten the SEC’s review process of related party transactions. It is also requiring listed firms to disclose all such transactions within three days from execution.

REIT fund managers will also be required to obtain a license from the SEC, which will be given if it fulfills the requirement of having a minimum paid-up capital of P10 million for both local and foreign corporations. Its experience in property management and real estate will now also be considered for the three-year track record requirement for fund managers.

Should REITs violate any of the rules, the SEC is also seeking powers to impose administrative sanctions.

The release of the amended REIT rules is expected to encourage companies to launch REITs in the country. — Denise A. Valdez

PHL to strengthen diplomatic ties in next 3 years — Duterte

THE Philippine government is looking into strengthening diplomatic ties with Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia in the next three years, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said.

Speaking during the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion club in Russia, Mr. Duterte also said his administration is eyeing more cooperation with countries in the Middle East.

“In the remaining three years of my term, we will likewise expand the horizon of Philippine diplomacy by deepening our engagement in Latin America, Africa, and Central Asia,” Mr. Duterte said in his speech, the official transcript of which was sent to reporters.

“It is also high time that the Philippines looked at the Middle East with fresh eyes going beyond oil and Overseas Filipino Workers,” he also said.

Mr. Duterte noted that at this point bilateral relations between the Philippines and Russia remained on the “margins,” after his 2017 visit was cut short due to the Marawi City siege.

The President reaffirmed the Philippines’ commitment to a robust and comprehensive partnership.

In the same speech, Mr. Duterte called on nations to allow others to govern their people without intervention, particularly in the Philippines which has been subjected to scrutiny over the the administration’s campaign against the illegal drug trade.

“The Philippines does not ask for special treatment nor favors from its partners. It does not seek exemption from the norms and principles that have kept the peace in our world for decades,” Mr. Duterte said.

“We want a strengthened rules-based order where countries, big or small, are treated the same. We want unimpeded freedom — guaranteed by our constitution — to exercise our right to govern ourselves as a people and as we saw it fit. And we want friends and partners to respect our independence to make sovereign decisions just as we respect theirs.”

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. made similar pronouncements in a Sept. 28 speech at the United Nations in New York, in which he cited that the international body should not be used as a platform against a tough approach to crime.

The Philippine government has long been criticized by other nations over its campaign against drugs among others. On July 11, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution that sought to probe the human rights situation in the Philippines.

A more recent development is an amendment approved by a Senate Committee in United States that will bar the entry in to the US of Philippine public officials involved in the detention of Senator Leila M. de Lima, which US Senator Dick Durbin said is “politically motivated.” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Repair of fire-damaged LRT-2 stations to take nine months

THE Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) is suspending operations in two stations of the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) until mid-2020 after a fire damaged a portion of the railway on Thursday. It said it will take nine months to repair the damaged stations.

After suspending operations on Oct. 3, the LRT-2 is targeted to reopen for “partial operability” by Monday or Tuesday, LRTA Spokesperson Hernando Cabrera said in a phone call Friday. He noted, however, that the reopening will be limited to the stations from Recto to Cubao, and “in a couple of days,” the Anonas station.

The last two stations, namely Katipunan and Santolan, will take at least nine more months of work to repair, Mr. Cabrera said

“’Yung full line operations, meaning Recto to Santolan, mga nine months pa ’yung timetable natin. Ibig sabihin, ’yung Katipunan to Santolan, wala pang operations for the next nine months doon,” he said. (The full line operations, meaning from Recto Station to Santolan Station, our timetable is nine months. Meaning there will be no operations from Katipunan to Santolan for the next nine months.)

Mr. Cabrera said the LRTA is asking for at least P430 million from the government to fix the damaged system, which will cover tapping a contractor and acquiring spare parts to replace the affected parts and bring LRT-2 to full operability by June.

“We have already initiated the emergency procurement procedure… ’Yung replacement and repair ng lahat ng mga nasira (for the replacement and repair of everything that was damaged), we’re looking at around P430 million, minimum,” he said.

He explained the nine-month timetable for the repair is because the parts would have to be sourced abroad, and it may take time before these may be delivered to the Philippines to begin replacement of the damaged sections. But he said if resources could be provided sooner, the time needed for the repairs may be cut.

The LRTA is yet to complete its investigation into the cause of fire that hit the train line on Thursday. In a statement, it said it has commissioned engineers from the United States who were part of the design and installation of the LRT-2 substations to help in the process.

Until it completes both investigation and repair, the LRT-2 operator is providing additional buses from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Philippine Coast Guard for passengers from Katipunan to Santolan during peak hours. It is also coordinating with regulators to allow buses and SUVs to serve routes outside its stations to assist affected passengers. — Denise A. Valdez

Duterte says 2 generals are involved in illegal drugs trade

AT AN event during his official trip to Russia, President Rodrigo R. Duterte said that two generals are involved in illegal drugs trading. He, however, did not identify the two generals.

“And right now, even as I fly here and go back. There are about again two generals who are still playing with drugs. And I said, ‘Well, I told you, do not destroy my country because it is being flooded with drugs,’” Mr. Duterte said at the Forum of the Valdai International Discussion Club in Sochi, Russia.

Mr. Duterte also hit at critics of the government’s bloody war on drugs, saying that he encourages people to kill drug lords and drug addicts. “You know, frankly, I would be happy to, if that things happened,” he said.

“This is [the question] I would pose to the entire community of the world. Is it wrong for a President to see — to say, rather — that: ‘Do not destroy my country especially the children because I will kill you?’ And that was my order to the Armed Forces and to the police,” he added.

The President’s comments came amid an investigation by the Senate into so-called “ninja cops” who are allegedly involved in the selling of drugs seized during police operations.

The Bureau of Immigration is also seeking the deportation of alleged drug queen Guia Gomez Castro, who is supposed to be involved with some “ninja cops,” after her visa to the United States was cancelled.

At the forum in Russia, the President also said that he wants the “world and the United Nations and to everybody” to know that he will take responsibility for the consequences of his drug war.

In July, 18 of the 47 countries in the UN Human Rights Council voted in favor of a probe into the human rights situation in the Philippines due to the deaths in the war on drugs.

According to the police, more than 6,000 people have been killed in the war on drugs as of May this year. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

New good conduct release rules take effect today

THE REVISED implementing rules on the early release of convicts for good conduct take effect today, Oct. 4.

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said the revised implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) law will take effect even though there is a pending petition before the Supreme Court questioning it.

“Yes (it will take effect). The petitioners did not ask for a restraining order, much less would the Supreme Court consider it at all,” he said in a cellphone message.

The Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior and Local Government revised the rules for GCTA, disqualifying recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents, and convicts of heinous crimes.

This came following reports that former Calauan mayor Antonio L. Sanchez, who was convicted of rape and murder in 1995 for the killing of two University of the Philippines students in 1993, was about to be released early for good conduct.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte then ordered the surrender of 1,914 convicts of heinous crimes who had been released through GCTA. He also dismissed prison chief Nicanor E. Faeldon due to the controversy.

Eight convicts at the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City asked the Supreme Court to void some provisions of the IRR, particularly the rules on the disqualification of recidivists, escapees, habitual delinquents, and convicts of heinous crimes.

They also asked the court to order prison officials to refrain from applying retroactively the exclusions and to recompute their time credits. Exclusion from credit for preventive imprisonment should not be applied retroactively as well, petitioners claimed.

Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin said the court had given the Office of the Solicitor General, the state counsel, 10 days to comment on the petition. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Lacson: Albayalde should fast-track reinvestigate ninja cops before he retires

PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Oscar D. Albayalde has 34 days to make amends over his alleged attempt to halt the implimentation of an order dismissing 13 Pampanga policemen involved in a drug recycling scheme in 2013, said a senator. Mr. Albayalde is due to retire from service in November.

“Ang unang dapat ipakita niya para mawala ang duda na ang kaso nina Baloyo ay meron siyang kinalaman sa pagtakip man lang, dapat kung pwedeng itong remaining 30-plus days ipakita niyang mabilis maresolba ang reinvestigation na sinasagaw,” Senator Panfilo M. Lacson said over radio interview with DzMM, Friday. (The first thing he has to do to dispel doubts over his and Baloyo’s case, that he has anything to do with the cover-up, he should use the 30-plus days to show he can quickly resolve the reinvestigation that is taking place.)

Mr. Lacson said Mr. Albayalde can “make amends” by fast-tracking the re-investigation of the case.

Mr. Albayalde was the acting regional director of Metro Manila in 2016, when he called then-Central Luzon regional director Aaron N. Aquino, who now leads the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), supposedly asking him not to sign the dismissal order.

The 13 policemen, led by P/Major Rodney Raymond Louie Baloyo IV, were involved in a buy-bust operation on the morning of Nov. 29, 2013 in which an estimated 200 kilograms of drugs were seized. The report they filed, however, noted the operation was conducted in the afternoon and declared that only around 38 kgs were recovered.

In an investigation by then-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Benjamin B. Magalong, it was found that the report also omitted mentioning that some P10 million cash enclosed in a box was seized and that they had arrested drug trafficker Johnson Lee. The policemen instead presented a different Korean national, identified as Ding Wen Kun, in Mr. Lee’s place.

“Tutal wala nang masyadong ebidensyang kailangan doon naroon lahat na dokumento. Madaling i-decide kung nagsinungaling ba si Baloyo at totoo bang 10 a.m. at hindi 4 p.m. ang operation?” Mr. Lacson also said. (After all there is not much evidence more needed as all the documents are there. It’s easy to decide if Baloyo lied and if the operation was really at 10 a.m. and not 4 p.m.)

“So, ’yan man lang maipakita niya para maialis ang pagdududa man lang sa kanya,” he said, but noted the PNP chief cannot be implicated in the cover up. (So, that is the least he can do to remove any doubt about his involvement.)

As for Mr. Baloyo, Mr. Lacson is convinced he is giving false statements as regards to the cover up. Mr. Baloyo is currently detained at the New Bilibid Prison after being cited with contempt by Senator Richard J. Gordon in Thursday’s Senate Justice and Human Rights committee probe.

“Kung ie-examine mo lahat yung documents, makita mo talaga na ang discrepancy, an odds ay stacked against Baloyo and his men,” Mr. Lacson said. “If you examine all the documents, you can see that the discrepancy, the odds are stacked against Baloyo and his men.)

The Committee is looking into the so-called “Agaw Bato” scheme, which is among the anomalies that were uncovered during the investigation into the New Bilibid Prison. Senator Gordon on Thursday evening said the Committee will come up with a three-part report next week after over a month of investigation. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

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