THE SENATE has uncovered more money-making schemes at the country’s jails, including prostitution, kidnap-for-ransom and gambling.
High-profile inmates pay at least P30,000 a night to be able to bring in a prostitute in their cells, former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos told senators during a hearing yesterday.
“There’s a building there that I can’t identify where gambling takes place 24 hours a day because there’s too much money inside,” he said in Filipino.
Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires this week suspended three prison officials for allegedly allowing the illegal release of felons convicted of heinous crimes, according to separate copies of the suspension orders.
The three had allowed the release of prison convicts based on public documents and testimonies of witnesses in violation of the law, Mr. Martires said in separate orders.
The officials were charged with grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.
On Monday night, 27 other prison officials were suspended in connection with the botched release of ineligible prisoners.
Also yesterday, the Justice department said convicted plunderer Janet Lim-Napoles was still in jail.
Jail officials earlier submitted a list of the almost 2,000 convicts who got freed. Ms. Napoles was reportedly on the list.
“Janet Lim-Napoles has not been released,” Justice Undersecretary Markk L. Perete said in a mobile-phone message. “She remains at the Correctional Institution for Women.”
He said that the Justice department had asked BuCor officials to explain why Ms. Napoles’s name was on the list.
BuCor data showed that 1,914 prisoners convicted of heinous crimes had been released for good conduct.
The rules on parole are now under review after irregularities came up during a Senate investigation.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte has fired Nicanor E. Faeldon as BuCor head after he allowed the early release of the ineligible prisoners. — Charmaine A. TadalanandVann Marlo M. Villegas
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte still believes in his Transportation chief’s ability to handle the traffic gridlock in the capital and he sees no reason for him to quit, the presidential palace said yesterday.
The announcement came after Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares urged the president to replace Arthur P. Tugade with a traffic expert.
“Maybe Senator Grace has a person in mind, why doesn’t she come out with it,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo told reporters.
The lawmaker told ABS-CBN News that somebody else should deal with Metro Manila’s “traffic mess.”
Mr. Duterte on Tuesday said he would not beg for emergency powers from Congress to solve the traffic gridlock on the main EDSA highway in Metro Manila.
“I didn’t ask for it,” the president said at a briefing, adding that it was his Transportation chief who was keen on getting the authority for him.
Mr. Duterte said he asked his officials not to pursue it anymore after a lady senator had said they couldn’t be trusted with more powers.
Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares, who heads the public service committee, earlier said the body is not inclined to grant the Transportation department’s renewed plea for emergency powers to solve traffic congestion in the capital.
The senator, who opposed a similar proposal in the past Congress, said Mr. Duterte could ease traffic in Metro Manila without emergency powers from Congress.
Senators during a hearing on Tuesday also cited the Transportation department’s lack of a master plan.
The Transportation department can hasten road projects including stage three of the Metro Manila Skyway project, and roll out more trains for the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 or MRT-3, among other solutions, Ms. Llamanzares said.
Mr. Tugade last week renewed his call for emergency powers to solve the traffic gridlock on EDSA. During a House of Representatives hearing on his agency’s budget, Mr. Tugade said it was possible to solve the traffic problem but it would take longer without giving special powers to the president.
The government aims to open by early next year the third stage of the Metro Manila Skyway, an 18.7-kilometer toll road connecting Buendia Avenue in Makati City to Balintawak in Quezon City.
Several bills were filed in the previous Congress seeking emergency powers for Mr. Duterte to ease traffic congestion. The measures sought to give the Transportation chief “full power” to manage traffic on EDSA and control road use.
The House approved the bill but the Senate version did not progress. The bills have been re-filed in both chambers. — Arjay L. Balinbin
THE Philippines will seek a “special arrangement” with the Dutch government for the extradition of Communist Party leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison who has been ordered arrested by a court for murder, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Thursday.
In a statement, DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the refugee status of Mr. Sison, who is in self-exile in the Netherlands, has been invalidated by his crimes. “The grounds for the grant of such refugee status to Joma Sison no longer exist and should therefore be revoked.”
While the two countries have no extradition treaty, the Manila may seek mutual legal assistance for the Maoist leader’s arrest.
A Manila court has ordered the arrest of the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines along with his wife and 36 other members of the organization for murder.
The communist leaders were charged for the murder of 15 people in the so-called Inopacan massacre more than three decades ago.
The case stemmed from the purges in Leyte at the height of the communist insurgency in the 1980s. They were charged with murder after skeletons of alleged victims were discovered in a mass grave in Leyte province in central Philippines.
Mr. Sison has called the list of accused “utterly stupid and obviously fabricated,” and noted that he was under detention by the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos during the supposed massacre.
The Philippine National Police on Tuesday said that it will seek the help of the International Criminal Police Organization or Interpol for the arrest of Mr. Sison. — Marc Wyxzel C. Dela Paz
STOCKS DROPPED on Thursday as investors chose to take profit amid the lack of catalysts, even as most markets abroad rallied on easing trade tensions between the United States and China.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) shed 0.29% or 23.47 points to close at 7,944.43, failing to hold the previous session’s gains. The broader all shares index likewise slipped 0.1% or 5.03 points to 4,799.79.
“Profit taking amid lack of local catalysts sent the PSEi lower by 23.47 points,” Philstocks Financial, Inc. said in a market note.
The local market failed to mirror Wall Street’s movement on Wednesday as indices were boosted by US President Donald J. Trump’s announcement that he will delay the tariff increases on China.
“The index once again failed to share positive sentiment from US markets last night, as well as the latest Trade War development earlier this morning when Trump said he would delay the tariff increase on the Chinese goods,” Papa Securities Corp. Sales Associate Gabriel Jose F. Perez said in an e-mail on Thursday.
Mr. Trump said Wednesday that he will delay the next planned tariff increases on Chinese goods by two weeks as “a gesture of good will.” This involves the 25% tariff hike on $250-billion worth of Chinese goods originally scheduled for Oct. 1, which will now be implemented on Oct. 15.
Meanwhile, China also said it will exempt some US goods from the tariff hikes it plans to impose starting Sept. 17.
With this, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 0.85% or 227.61 points to close at 27,137.04. The S&P 500 index jumped 0.72% or 21.54 points to 3,000.93, while the Nasdaq Composite surged 1.06% or 85.53 points to 8,169.68.
Asian indices also ended mostly higher on the back of easing trade war tensions. Japan’s Nikkei 225 was up 0.75% or 161.85 points to 21,759.61. The Shanghai Composite firmed up 0.75% or 22.42 points to 3,031.24, while the Hang Seng index was down 0.21% or 57.57 points to 27,101.49.
Back home, four sectoral indices finished in negative territory, led by property which fell 0.8% or 32.76 points to 4,028.71. Services lost 0.69% or 11.21 points to 1,605.83; industrials shed 0.4% or 44.11 points 10,921.72; while financials went down 0.19% or 3.59 points to 1,821.34.
In contrast, mining and oil rose 0.17% or 16.08 points to 9,489.72 and holding firms added 0.14% or 11.08 points to 7,901.23.
Turnover stood at P6.73 billion after some 702 million issues switched hands, slightly lower than Wednesday’s P6.66 billion.
Decliners trumped advancers, 96 to 93, while 50 names were unchanged.
Foreign investors turned net sellers at P131.26 million, against the previous session’s net purchases worth P143.15 million.
THE presidential palace yesterday ordered an investigation of the ambush by armed men of former Pangasinan Governor and Congressman Amado T. Espino, Jr..
“We will investigate the case thoroughly,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing. Police have started the probe and will “prosecute those who are behind the attempt on the life of former Governor and Congressman Espino as well as the death of one of his bodyguards,” he said.
One of Mr. Espino’s aides had died on the spot, while he and his four other bodyguards survived and were now recovering, Malacañang said.
The attack occurred in Magtaking village in San Carlos City on Sept. 11. “We condemn this felonious act as we believe that any unjustified killing has no place in a civilized society like ours,” Mr. Panelo said.
“We guarantee that police authorities are already on top of the situation and will spare no effort in finding the perpetrators of this crime,” he added.
THE PESO climbed as the US delayed planned hikes on tariffs on Chinese goods. — BW FILE PHOTO
THE PESO regained strength against the dollar on the back of market optimism from positive developments in US-China trade relations.
The local unit closed at P51.93 against the greenback on Thursday, appreciating by 22 centavos from its P52.15-to-a-dollar finish on Wednesday.
The peso opened at P52.06 versus the greenback. It traded in a tight range, with its weakest point recorded at P52.09, while its intraday best was at P51.91 against the greenback.
Dollars traded on Thursday dropped to $1.17 billion versus the $1.436 billion recorded on Wednesday.
“The peso appreciated from market optimism after China granted tariff exemptions on some US goods and the US delayed its scheduled tariff hikes on Chinese goods to October 15, 2019,” one trader said.
This was echoed by another trader, who believes the development will “bring relief to emerging market currencies as well as the equity market.
Reuters reported US President Donald J. Trump agreed to postpone raising tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15 “as a gesture of good will.”
The peso is expected to weaken anew today following the European Central Bank’s meeting and the release of US inflation data.
The first trader sees the peso moving within the P51.90-P52.10 band against the dollar. — LWTN
Malacañang on Thursday blamed the local government of Zambales for allowing illegal dredging operations by undocumented Chinese nationals in Masinloc town.
“The local government of Zambales should take responsibility for that,” presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said at a briefing. “It’s an illegal act and therefore they should be prosecuted,” he said of the Chinese, adding that the province should have done something about it.
Immigration agents had arrested seven male Chinese nationals in Masinloc, Zambales on Sept. 11 “for working without proper visas and engaging in illegal sand dredging activities,” the Bureau of Immigration said in a statement yesterday.
The Chinese violated immigration laws, the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 and Executive Order 292, bureau Commissioner Jaime H. Morente said in the statement.
“They are seriously threatening national security and interest by stealing our minerals and resources,” he added.
The Chinese were found to have been overstaying and working without proper visas or permits, the bureau said. — Arjay L. Balinbin
THE Court of Appeals has stopped the Ombudsman and Department of Interior and Local Government from enforcing an order disqualifying Nueva Ecija Governor Aurelio M. Umali from public office.
“Considering that he was meted the maximum penalty of dismissal from service and perpetual disqualification to re-enter the government, it becomes necessary to preserve the status quo,” the appellate court said in a three-page resolution dated Sept. 9.
The 60-day temporary restraining order is meant to protect the electorate of Nueva Ecija and Mr. Umali from any grave or irreparable injury, the court said.
The Ombudsman earlier found the governor administratively liable in connection with pork barrel scam in Congress.
In its order, the appellate court said Mr. Umali had presented novel questions of law.
The Ombudsman in 2016 indicted him for four counts of graft and three counts of malversation. One of his co-accused was convicted plunderer and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles.
Mr. Umali was accused of mishandling P15 million of congressional funds when he was a congressman. The money, originally meant for fertilizers and irrigation pumps, were used for livelihood projects allegedly without bidding. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
THE Sandiganbayan Third Division rejected the pleas of former Vice President Jejomar C. Binay and his son Junjun to suspend the graft case against them in connection with the overpriced Makati City Hall parking building. The Binays had asked the anti-graft court to dismiss the case, noting that they have pending appeals before the Commission on Audit (CoA), which had asked them to settle the P2.29 billion spent for the building.
“The pendency of the accused-movants’ appeal before the CoA does not divest the court of its jurisdiction to hear and try these criminal cases,” according to a copy of the court resolution dated Sept. 3.
The Sandiganbayan also denied the plea of the younger Mr. Binay to dismiss the graft charges.
Junjun had accused the court of forum shopping, arguing that the court had taken three simultaneous actions against him — his preventive suspension and eventual dismissal by the Ombudsman, the notices of disallowance issued by CoA, and his criminal cases. The court rejected his argument.
The construction of the controversial parking space started in 2007, when Jejomar Binay was still the city mayor. He was succeeded by his son after being elected vice president in 2010. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
Sedition raps vs Robredo submitted for resolution
VICE-PRESIDENT MARIA LEONOR G. ROBREDO
THE Department of Justice has wrapped up its probe of the sedition complaint against Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo and 35 others for allegedly seeking to destabilize the government by circulating videos linking President Rodrigo R. Duterte and his family to the illegal drug trade.
The panel of prosecutors have submitted the case for resolution.
Police filed inciting to sedition, cyberlibel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal and obstruction of justice against the respondents in July.
Also sued was Peter Joemel Advincula, the self-confessed drug dealer who appeared in the videos that linked some members of the president’s family to illegal drugs.
Ms. Robredo and some of the respondents have answered the complaint.
Mr. Advincula first surfaced seeking legal assistance in filing charges against members of the drug syndicate he was formerly in. Later in May he surrendered to police for estafa charges and tagged the Liberal Party to be behind the propaganda.
Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to drop the “preposterous complaint,” saying it was an attempt to harass and silence critics of the government’s war on drugs.
A conviction for incitement to sedition is meted with a maximum penalty of six years in jail. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas
Filipino priest charged in Papua New Guinea
A Filipino bishop based in Papua New Guinea is facing charges for revealing alleged police anomalies, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said in a statement yesterday.
Authorities charged Bishop Rolando Santos with defamation. The priest earlier posted a statement online accusing Papua New Guinea’s Mobile Squad Task Force of setting ablaze 19 houses in the community.
“I still have a case in court. But I am not worried,” the Catholic Church quoted Mr. Santos as saying in his letter.
The bishop was arrested along with acting Catholic education secretary Gregory Nimagale, who was released on bail.
Their case is expected to be finished by Sept. 30, according to a report by The National on Sept. 6. — Gillian M. Cortez
Lawmaker questions PAO’s forensic lab
Iloilo Rep. Janette L. Garin on Wednesday night recommended the merging of the forensic laboratories of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Public Attorneys Office (PAO).
The lawmaker, a former Health secretary, questioned the legal basis of PAO’s forensic laboratory during debates on the Justice department’s budget at the House of Representatives.
Ms. Garin said PAO’s mandate is limited to administrative, financial management, special and appealed cases, legal research statistics and field services.
PAO chief lawyer Persida V. Rueda-Acosta earlier sued Ms. Garin over the deaths of children vaccinated with Dengvaxia.
During the budget debates, the lawmaker noted that Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Ano himself had said that only the crime laboratories of the police and NBI are recognized by the courts.
Compostela Valley Rep. Ruwel S. Gonzaga agreed that a crime laboratory is not within the PAO’s charter.
“PAO shall be the principal law office of the government in extending free legal assistance to indigent persons in criminal, civil, labor, administrative and other quasi-judicial cases,” he said.
Ms. Garin suggested merging the National Bureau of Investigation and PAO laboratories to avoid wasting public funds. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras
The echoing sound of Jose Mari Chan’s “Christmas in Our Hearts” only means one thing: ‘ber’ months have finally arrived! This September 16, SM Supermalls begins to light up the holiday season as it kicks off the country’s much-awaited Christmas countdown!
“This Christmas season, friends and families can look forward to bigger and brighter events, installations, and activities at SM, the ‘Home of Family Reunions’, as we continue to light up everyone’s lives in SM malls nationwide,” said SM Supermalls COO Steven Tan.
Here’s what to expect at SM starting this September to get you into the holiday spirit:
1. Christmas Gift Ideas. Now is the perfect time for an early Christmas gift shopping! Starting September 15, shoppers may get their holiday Christmas baskets starting at PhP350 from SM Markets or an awesome selection of gifts with Watsons Gift Sets for as low as PhP99 starting October 1.
2. Holiday Deals. Get up to 50% off on children’s wear, shoes, accessories, and toys with the Babies & Kids’ Sale at The SM Store from October 1 to 31. Haven’t shopped for your Christmas party outfits yet? Mallgoers can also score great deals with up to 70% off at SM’s Pre-Holiday Sale from October 5 to November 3!
3. #DearSMSanta. Send your Christmas wishes to SM Santa and get a chance to be one of the 60 lucky winners who will have their wishes granted with the #DearSMSanta promo. To see the full mechanics, visit www.smsupermalls.com/dearsmsanta/.
4. Spotify Holiday Tunes. It is time to put your holiday tunes on queue! Set the mood by listening to SM Supermalls’ Christmas-curated Spotify playlist featuring your favorite holiday jams including SM’s Christmas Jingle, “SM Mallidays”!
5. Spirit of Giving. Christmas is also about sharing love and happiness with the less fortunate. For only PhP200, you can buy two SM Bears of Joy – one bear to keep, while the other to be donated to the mall’s chosen charity.
Light up the Christmas spirit and may your SM Mallidays sparkle at SM Supermalls! For more information, visit www.supermalls.com.
For exclusive news about SM Supermalls, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow SM’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through SM’s Viber Public Chat. Tweet your thoughts, upload and share your photos about your memorable moments at SM, then use its official hashtag #EverythingsHereAtSM.
THE BOARD of Investments (BoI) — which accounts for bulk of planned projects registered with investment promotion agencies — saw such pledges surge in August and year-to-date on the back of big-ticket ventures, according to a press release on Wednesday.
August alone saw investment approvals at P296.2 billion, over 17 times more than the previous year’s P17 billion, making the year-to-date tally more than double to P609.04 billion from the year-ago P269.3 billion.
The BoI — which accounts for more than 70% of committed foreign direct investments (FDI) and nearly 80% of total pledges that include those from locals — quoted its chairman, Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez, in a statement as noting that “big-ticket projects have begun to roll in and proves that the Philippine economy remains resilient in attracting investors despite the global slowdown.”
The eight months to August saw domestic investments registered with BoI accounting for more than three-fifths of the total at 404.5 billion, up 61.2% from a year ago, while foreign investments surged to P204.5 billion from P18.3 billion.
The Finance department quoted Undersecretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua in a statement as saying that growing investment pledges “show that the noisy naysayers against the long-due efforts to reform the country’s convoluted corporate income tax system are mistaken” in arguing that this effort will scare away foreign investors.
But Charito B. Plaza — director general of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority which is the second-biggest contributor to approved investment pledges that accounts for a fourth of FDI and nearly a fifth of total commitments — who has been at the forefront of opposition to the Finance department’s push to overhaul investors’ incentives by removing redundant ones and making the rest more time-bound and tied to economic benefits, said by phone on Wednesday that she hopes to make her case personally with President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
“We’re looking forward to have a dialogue with the president because, right now, his information and understanding is very biased and one-sided. He should talk to us,” said Ms. Plaza, who has lately asked that PEZA be spared of the proposed changes.
“If we exempt PEZA and continue with the status quo, we will attract more investors because investors are here because of our incentives.”
The eight months to August saw information and communications topping BoI-approved projects at P308.8 billion, surging from the year-ago P340 million. Power projects saw a 50.5% increase to 195.1 billion, while manufacturing pledges grew nearly three times to P62.9 billion, investments in tourism surged sevenfold to P9.2 billion and those in the human health and social work segment — hospitals — rose 69.7% to P2.3 billion.
Singapore remained the top source of investments with P170 billion, followed by the Netherlands (P9.2 billion), Thailand (P8.6 billion), Japan (P6 billion) and the United States (P2.4 billion).
The BoI said that 98% of investments in the eight months to August were outside of Metro Manila and that these investments are expected to generate 37,524 jobs, a 30.5% increase from a year ago.
Notable projects in August alone included the P141.1-billion ISOC Asia Telecom Towers, Inc. cellular tower project I, the P134.5-billion Philippines Fiber Optic Cable Network Ltd. Inc. project covering 60,000 kilometers of network cables and the P16.7-billion Republic Cement and Building Materials Inc. plant in Rizal.
“We are still on track to meet our year-end targets. We still have pending big-ticket projects that need to be thoroughly studied and evaluated,” Trade Undersecretary and BoI Managing Head Ceferino S. Rodolfo said.
“With four months remaining, we have to ensure that those who got the nod are deserving of the tax incentives and translate to more job opportunities for our countrymen.”
