Palace mulls charges against Cardema

May 21, 2019 | 8:51 pm

THE Department of Justice (DoJ) is studying “if charges can be filed” against former National Youth Commission (NYC) chairman Ronald Gian Carlo L. Cardema for presiding over a meeting even after he filed a petition to replace his wife as the first nominee of the Duterte Youth Party-list, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

In a press briefing at the Palace, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said he already talked to DoJ Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra regarding the information he received recently that Mr. Cardema “presided over a meeting on May 15 after the filing of a certificate of substitution on May 12.”

“I just talked a while ago to the DoJ Secretary, he will study the matter,” he said.

Asked if the purpose of the study is to find out whether charges can be filed, he said: “Yes.”

“We refer the case of Cardema to the DoJ because we have received reports that despite his filing of a certification of substitution, he presided over a meeting subsequent to that certification,” he also said.

Mr. Panelo said Mr. Cardema should not have presided over an NYC meeting because he was already deemed resigned when he filed the said petition.

“He already resigned, so how can he be presiding (over) a meeting?” he said.

“With respect to being a supporter of the President, as we have already repeatedly said, no allies, no friends, no supporters. If they committed any wrong, [they will not] be tolerated by this government,” Mr. Panelo said.

For his part, Mr. Guevarra said in a text message: “Yes, Sec. Panelo referred this matter to the DoJ this morning. We’ll start by gathering the relevant facts to determine if further investigation is warranted.”

In a statement last Sunday, Mr. Panelo said: “The petition for substitution of National Youth Commission (NYC) Chairperson Ronald Cardema as first nominee of the Duterte Youth party-list, as well as the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec’s) confirmation that it was timely filed (May 12), connotes that he is considered ipso facto resigned from his present post.”

“Regardless of the outcome, we deem that Mr. Cardema has already abandoned his present position because his act of filing the petition absolutely reflects his intention to relinquish his office and exposes his desire to serve the government in a different capacity,” he added. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Robredo as LP chair rejects resignation of 2 party leaders

May 21, 2019 | 8:51 pm

VICE-PRESIDENT Maria Leonor G. Robredo on Tuesday rejected the resignations of two leaders of the opposition Liberal Party (LP), Senator Francis N. Pangilinan as party president and Quezon City-6^th district Rep. Jose Christopher Y. Belmonte as secretary-general.

In a statement on Tuesday, Mr. Pangilinan said, “As campaign manager for the Otso Diretso (senatorial) slate, I was unable to ensure our victory in the elections and I therefore assume full responsibility for the outcome and hold myself primarily accountable for this defeat.”

But Ms. Robredo, the LP’s chairperson, rejected the resignations of both Messrs. Pangilinan and Belmonte, according to her spokesperson, lawyer Ibarra M. Gutierrez.

“The VP has not accepted Senator Kiko’s and Cong. Kit’s resignations. Much work remains to be done, and they will do it, together,” Mr. Gutierrez said in a statement to the media.

The LP-led senatorial slate was effectively wiped out in the midterm elections, which supporters of the opposition party saw as a referendum on President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s administration. The 12 winning candidates in the senatorial race are dominated by Mr. Duterte’s allies.

For his part, Ifugao Rep. Teodoro B. Baguilat, Jr., the LP’s vice-president for internal affairs, said in a social media post, “The LP leadership’s faith in Sen. Kiko remains solid as ever. Seeing how he poured his entire heart into the campaign, lalo pa ngang tumaas respeto namin sa kanya (the more this inspired our respect).” — C.A. Tadalan

Senate leader assures minority of panel posts

May 21, 2019 | 8:50 pm

SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri assured the minority bloc in the Senate will get a fair chance in the assignment of committee chairmanships.

“Of course, everyone deserves to get a committee. Walang mawawalan ng committees. There are more than enough for all members,” Mr. Zubiri told reporters in a phone message, Tuesday. (Of course, everyone deserves to get a committee. No one will be left without a committee. There are more than enough for all the members).

Among the panel chairmanships the Senate has yet to finalize is the committee on constitutional amendments and revision of codes, currently chaired by opposition Senator Francis N. Pangilinan.

“Wala pang decision sa consti amendments,” Mr. Zubiri said. (No decision yet on the constitutional amendments [committee]).

Regarding the committee on public order and dangerous drugs currently headed by Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III told reporters, “Well, Senator Lacson is willing to relinquish the chairmanship. Meron kasi kaming tradition dito sa Senate that ‘yung dating chairman, or ‘yung incumbent chairman, meron tayong tinatawag na equity of the incumbent. So nasa kanila ‘yan unless they would want to give up their committee. We will most probably elect the same chairman for the same committee.” (We have a tradition in the Senate wherein the chairman has what we call the equity of the incumbent. So it is up to them unless they would want to give up their committee).

The Senate leader added: “Lahat bobotohan (Everything will be put to a vote). Pagdating ng July 22, when we convene for the 18^th Congress, aside from the resolutions that we will be passing, most probably we will elect or re-elect the officers, that is the SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).” — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Chinese clam-harvesting in disputed waters seen anew, US think tank says

May 21, 2019 | 8:50 pm

CHINA has deployed anew clam-harvesting fleets to the South China Sea in the last six months, including in Scarborough Shoal, according to American-based think-tank Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI).

“These fleets, which typically include dozens of small fishing vessels accompanied by a handful of larger ‘motherships,’ destroy vast swaths of coral reef in order to extract endangered giant clams,” said AMTI in its latest report based on satellite imagery.

AMTI said that there was decrease of activities by the “clam-harvesting” boats since 2016 until late 2018. From 2012 to 2015, Chinese clam harvesters severely damaged or destroyed at least 28 reefs across the South China Sea.

AMTI also said since late 2018, the fleets, as shown by satellite imagery, have been operating at Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal and throughout the Paracels, including at Bombay Reef.

“The clam boats have also returned to Scarborough Shoal, which is a particularly sensitive issue in Sino-Philippine relations. The reef was already extensively damaged by the earlier phase of clam harvesting up to 2016.,” the report said.

Although it has not found clear evidence of new clam harvesting in the Spratly Islands, AMTI noted that a mothership and a number of small boats were present at nearby Lankiam Cay on April 7.

“The mothership was about 20 meters long while those seen at Bombay Reef are typically closer to 30 meters, but the smaller boats are roughly the same dimensions,” said AMTI.

In Malacañang, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said on Tuesday he will no longer issue statements regarding foreign affairs issues because he has an “implied agreement” with Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. that his department will be the one to make a position on the matter.

“I’ll leave it to Secretary [Locsin]. We had an agreement on that. That he will make a position on the matter….We call it courtesy to the department heads,” Mr. Panelo said in part. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras and Arjay L. Balinbin

Proclamation of senators, party-lists postponed as Comelec awaits votes from Washington

May 21, 2019 | 8:48 pm

TUESDAY’S SUPPOSED proclamation of winners for senators and party-list groups was postponed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) as canvassing of election returns (ER) was still ongoing.

Comelec Spokesperson James B. Jimenez, in a press briefing on Tuesday, said, “Today is not the day. We are currently canvassing the returns from KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) and we are awaiting the returns of Washington DC because they represent more than 200,000 registered voters.”

The Washington votes were expected late Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Comelec was still waiting for one certificate of canvass (COC) that the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC) has yet to tally. 166 out of 167 COCs have already been included in the canvass by the NBOC.

Mr. Jimenez said there is still no new date for the proclamation.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, the partial official results of the NBOC canvassing representing 165 COCs: 1. Cynthia A. Villar — 25, 215, 678; 2. Grace Poe-Llamanzares — 21, 981, 275; 3. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” T. Go — 20, 579, 811; 4. Pilar Juliana “Pia” S. Cayetano — 19, 719, 629; 5. Ronald “Bato” M. Dela Rosa — 18, 922, 017; 6. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” M. Angara — 18, 110, 367; 7. Manuel “Lito” Lapid — 16, 937, 755; 8. Maria Imelda Josefa “Imee” R. Marcos — 15, 811, 231; 9. Francis N. Tolentino — 15, 446, 517; 10. Aquilino Martin “Koko” D. Pimentel III — 14, 617, 686; 11. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. — 14, 608, 102; and 12. Maria Lourdes “Nancy” S. Binay — 14, 484, 839.

PROBE
Meanwhile, the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives called for a separate and more thorough probe on the election glitches.

“(W)e will be filing resolution to that effect,” said Alliance of Concerned Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio L. Tino in a press conference on Tuesday.

“Kailangan panagutin ang lahat ng lumabag sa mga existing election laws at sa iba’t ibang paraan ay nag-ambag sa pagdungis ng proseso ng nakaraang halalan (Everyone who did not adhere to existing election laws and contributed to staining the process of the recent elections should be held liable),” he added.

The joint congressional oversight committee on the automated elections system will conduct a hearing on June 4 over technical glitches during the midterm polls.

The Makabayan bloc said they are questioning the credibility of the elections given the cases of glitches, alleged vote buying, and electioneering against them.

Comelec reported last week that 961 vote-counting machines (VCMs) and 1,665 SD cards encountered glitches during the midterm polls.

Mr. Tino said their planned investigation will also focus on violations before the campaign period.

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel B. Casilao, for his part, said the bloc is also planning to file a case against Philippine National Police chief Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde and Armed Forces of the Philippines Assistant Deputy Chief-of-Staff Brig. Gen. Antonio G. Parlade Jr. for alleged electioneering against them.

In another press briefing, Albay 1^st District Rep. Edcel C. Lagman said: “No amount of Comelec explanation could assuage people’s suspicion that there has been some anomalous designs. The best thing to do is to avoid these preventable glitches so there will be no explanations to be made.”

PPCRV
Meanwhile, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) has received 60.09% of all the fourth copy of the ERs they are set to validate.

Data from the PPCRV as of 12:51 a.m. Tuesday showed that it has received 51,538 out of 85,769 ERs from each clustered precinct, excluding those coming from overseas. — Gillian M. Cortez, Vince Angelo C. Ferreras, and Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Palace tells PCSO’s Cam: Resign or file complaint

May 21, 2019 | 8:47 pm

MALACAÑANG ON Tuesday advised Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Board Director Sandra M. Cam to pursue her anti-corruption advocacy “outside the government” if she “cannot stomach” what she sees in her agency. “She can always resign and pursue her advocacy outside the government. Our suggestion is if she feels that she cannot stomach whatever she is confronted with inside the agency in which she works, then she can always resign and pursue her advocacy outside the government,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a press briefing. “The moment she files complaints regarding her allegations, the President will order a full-blown investigation,” he added. In a statement on May 17, Mr. Panelo said Ms. Cam “made some serious allegations…on what she deemed irregular in the internal decision-making process of her agency.” “We asked her to formally submit in writing her complaint to the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC), which is directly under the Office of the President so that it would be acted on accordingly. She could file corruption charges against the PCSO officials and submit proof of her allegations before the said commission,” he said. — Arjay L. Balinbin

Hold order issued against suspects in Sytin murder

May 21, 2019 | 8:46 pm

AN ANGELES City court issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Alan Dennis L. Sytin and one respondent allegedly involved in the killing of businessman Dominic L. Sytin. The murder and frustrated murder complaints against them are pending before the Department of Justice (DoJ). Angeles City Regional Trial Court Executive Judge Omar T. Viola, on May 20, said there is probable cause to believe that Mr. Sytin and Mr. Oliver D. Fuentes, alias Ryan Rementilla, “will depart from the Philippines to evade arrest and prosecution of crime against them…” The prosecutors filed the petition for PHDO on May 17. Dominic L. Sytin — chief executive officer of United Auctioneers, Inc., chairman of Foton Philippines, and director and chairman of the board of the listed LMG Chemicals Corp — was gunned down outside the Lighthouse Hotel at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone on Nov. 28, 2018. His body guard Efren Espartero was wounded. Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde on March 11 claimed that Alan Dennis Sytin, brother of the victim, is the alleged mastermind of the crime after he was identified by alleged hitman Edgardo P. Luib in his testimony. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Cebu BPO sector records 19% hiring growth in Jan-May

May 21, 2019 | 8:45 pm

THE BUSINESS process outsourcing (BPO) industry in Cebu registered a 19% hiring growth from January to May this year, according to Cebu jobs site mynimo.com. The BPO sector, one of Cebu’s major employment generators, is among the top industries that posted significant hiring. Other main job generators were maritime, tourism, manufacturing, agriculture, medical, media and administration. Mynimo President Wesley Chiongbian said most of the companies that are hiring are located in Cebu City, the provincial capital and where most regional headquarters of big companies are located. It is followed by Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, and Consolacion. For the entire Cebu province, hiring growth was at 16% during the five-month period. In an earlier interview, Cebu IT BPM Organization (CIB.O) Managing Director Wilfredo Sa-a Jr. said automation and artificial intelligence (AI) had tempered the employment growth in Cebu’s BPO sector. “The direction of the industry now is towards the non-voice sector,” Mr. Sa-a said. As of end 2018, the Cebu BPO sector posted an employment of around 160,000. Mr. Sa-as said the industry is eyeing to grow to as much as 200,000 workers this year, but that could be lower with developments in AI and automation.

NCCC partners with TraXion for online credit services to cooperatives, affiliate companies

May 21, 2019 | 8:45 pm

DAVAO CITY — Homegrown conglomerate New City Commercial Center (NCCC) has partnered with blockchain firm TraXion Tech Inc. to provide an online-based credit line to members of cooperatives and affiliate companies, which can be used to shop at NCCC supermarkets and its other retail stores.

Lafayette A. Lim, NCCC Group of Companies chief executive officer, said the Ka Partner program, which will use both cards with QR code and mobile application, is eyeing to sign up about 500,000 members of cooperatives in Mindanao within the year.

“(The program) will benefit the users using the Ka Partner Card,” said Mr. Lim at a press conference Tuesday.

It is tied with the Ka-Coop Card program of NCCC with various cooperatives that are also involved in the retail business.

Dominador D. Catacutan Jr., NCCC chief financial officer, said seven cooperatives, which are among the biggest in Mindanao, have so far applied for the program.

The credit limit will be set for each cooperative, which in turn will decide the allocation for its members.

Ann J. Cuisia, founder and chief executive officer of TraXion, said the program provides an easier means for the cooperative members to secure a credit line, which is usually not possible with financial institutions.

“Our focus is the underserved and unbanked communities,” she said.

The NCCC-TraXion partnership will also provide benefits to the cooperatives such as reduced cost of handling cash loans, and trainings on enterprise management.

Ms. Cuisia added that the Ka Partner Card will eventually have more applications as “NCCC has a bigger vision of providing more features, more functions.”

“When there is technology, there are so many things that you can do for as long as there is engagement,” she said. — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Investors needed to boost Glan, Sarangani as tourism destination

May 21, 2019 | 8:44 pm

By Maya M. Padillo, Correspondent

THE REGIONAL Tourism Council of SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City) is pushing for more investments in the town of Glan, particularly accommodations at its long stretch of beaches, to attract more than just day tourists.

Council Chairperson Michelle L. Solon said they recorded 1.6 million day-tourists in Sarangani province last year, most of which could be attributed to visitors in Glan’s beaches.

“There is still a lot (of investment opportunities) in the untapped beaches, but the (property) owners need to find good partners to handle it, maybe if they are like bigger investors that have a wider perspective,” Ms. Solon said in an interview on the sidelines of the press conference for the upcoming Sarangani Bay (Sarbay) Festival 2019 on May 30-June.

During the annual beach party, first held in 2006, many of the tourists take accommodations in the neighboring areas like General Santos City (GenSan), Gumasa, and Malapatan as the beachside lodgings are limited.

“Some of them have added rooms, but not enough for the number of people that arrive. We usually experience overflowing of visitors and are staying in Malapatan and GenSan during Sarbay fest. Some people will fly in and stay in GenSan then they go and enjoy the whole festival and come back to GenSan,” she said.

Ms. Solon said the ideal venture they are promoting is a partnership between a developer and a property owner for projects with up to 400 rooms.

“Some of them (investors) are so big that they want the entire town,” she added.

The tourism official said having more accommodations would also boost Sarangani’s position as a venue for meetings, incentives conventions, and exhibitions (MICE) tourism.

At present, she said, MICE events in the region are held in GenSan and Koronadal while Glan and other parts of Sarangani just benefit from side tours for the participants.

“But I do believe a day would come that we will have more confidence from investors, then MICE can move in to Sarangani also,” she said.

Nation at a Glance — (05/22/19)

May 21, 2019 | 8:42 pm

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Switching gears: Celeste Cafe and Cycles throws coffee into the mix

May 21, 2019 | 7:12 pm

When one is asked to name an “iconic duo”, cycling and coffee isn’t exactly what comes to mind. Celeste Cafe and Cycles aims to change just that.

“Cycling and coffee have had a long history together, from races to pit stops when riding your bike, so we decided to put a specialty coffee shop with our showroom to showcase both worlds the best we could,” said Andrew Maravillas, COO of Celeste Cycles.

The cafe is the latest experience offered by Celeste Cycles, one of the country’s largest retailers of top-of-the-line cycling products. Inspired by Hong Kong-style bike shops, businessman and biking enthusiast Paul Tan put up the first store in 2017.

While the cafe is a fun addition to the Celeste Cycles experience, older patrons can still enjoy the products and services that they’ve come to expect of the shop– along with a few upgrades.

They still carry familiar brands like Bianchi, Factor, and Dimond. But jumping in is Devel Project, a Filipino concept cycling brand that serves as the country’s foot-in-the-door to the international market. Devel Mach 1, the brand’s first concept bike, is already up for sale.

And aside from their mechanic area designated especially for repairs and maintenance, new tech-powered facilities help give cyclists their best biking experience. This includes an indoor training facility powered by Acer Xplova’s New Noza Smart Trainers and the Precision Bike Fitting Studio equipped with 3D Motionlogic Systems.

“We also created the space to serve as a meeting place for cyclists where we can just simply hang out and talk about our passions, adventures, and future rides,” Maravillas said.