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Ousted Chief Justice to Duterte: ‘Resign’

OUSTED Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno on Thursday called on President Rodrigo R. Duterte to resign in fulfillment of his promise to step down should his involvement in her ouster be proven.
Also on Thursday, 14 senators formally filed Senate Resolution No. 738 urging the Supreme Court to review its decision on the quo warranto petition against ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno.
Speaking at a forum organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), the country’s mandatory bar organization, Ms. Sereno said, “Ginoong Pangulo, mag-resign ka na. (Mr. President, resign now).”
She recalled: “Hinamon ko po nang tapatan ang ating Pangulo noong Abril. Ang sinabi ko, Ginoong Pangulo sabihin mo na sa taongbayan na ang iyong tauhan na si SolGen (Jose C.) Calida ay hindi gagawa ng desisyon na mag-file ng napakabigat na petition sa Korte Suprema hangga’t hindi ikaw ang nagaapruba nito.” (Last April, I challenged the President when I asked, ‘Mr. President, tell the people that [Solicitor-General] Calida, who is under your command, would never make the decision to file a petition this significant to the Supreme Court without your approval.)
Mr. Duterte had earlier said he was ordering Congress to speed up the impeachment case against Ms. Sereno, whom he declared his “enemy,” after she implied Solicitor General Jose C. Calida filed the quo warranto petition in his behalf.
The SC voted 8-6 last May 11 granting Solicitor General Jose C. Calida’s quo warranto petition, which voided Ms. Sereno’s appointment as chief magistrate.
Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said, “Hayaan na po natin siya at hayaan na nating siyang manahimik bilang pribadong indibidwal. (Let her be and leave her in peace as a private individual).”
Mr. Roque also defended Mr. Calida’s ties with the Marcos family, saying there is a sense of “professionalism” among lawyers in the Office of the Solicitor-General.
At the Senate, the resolution filed by the 14 senators read in part: “Now therefore, be it resolved, as it is hereby resolved to express the sense of the Senate of the Philippines to uphold the Constitution on the matter of removing a Chief Justice from office, and respectfully urge the Supreme Court to review its decision to nullify the appointment of Maria Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines.”
The resolution was signed by Senate President Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto, and Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon. Senators from the majority bloc who also signed were Senators Francis G. Escudero, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva, Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares, Loren B. Legarda, and Juan Edgardo M. Angara.
Senators from the minority bloc, which included Senators Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Francis N. Pangilinan, Antonio F. Trillanes IV, Leila M. De Lima, Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV, also signed as well.
In a statement, Mr. Aquino called on the public to support the Senate in its stand on the quo warranto ruling, saying the SC violated the Constitution with their decision to oust Ms. Sereno.
“The Senate is being challenged to take a stand for the public and democracy. This resolution accepts the challenge,” he said.
The resolution maintained that the House of Representatives has the “exclusive powers” to initiate impeachment cases while the Senate has the “sole power” to try impeachable officials, citing Section 3, Article 11 of the 1987 Constitution.
It also warned that the SC decision on the quo warranto petition has set a “dangerous precedent” that undermined Congress’ exclusive powers on impeachment cases.
Nine senators — Vicente C. Sotto III, Nancy S. Binay-Angeles, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, Richard J. Gordon, Gregorio B. Honasan II, Panfilo M. Lacson, Emmanuel D. Pacquiao, Cynthia A. Villar and Juan Miguel F. Zubiri — did not sign the resolution.
Mr. Honasan explained that he was not inclined to sign the resolution, saying this would pit one branch of government against the other.
“It’s not good. It will not serve the public interest,” he told reporters on Thursday.
For his part, Mr. Lacson earlier said the Senate has no jurisdiction over the SC decision since the articles of impeachment have not yet been transmitted to them.
“It would depend on the House of Representatives to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate. That’s another matter we have to discuss as a collegial body. We should not discuss this now because where are the articles (of impeachment)? We cannot question the SC because we are not authorized,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
Retired Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide, Jr., for his part, addressing a forum on Thursday, said justices who voted in favor of the quo warranto petition may now be subject to impeachment.
“They know very well there is only one mode and that is by impeachment. If they remove on other grounds, that is a culpable violation of the Constitution. So all of them could be subjected to impeachment,” he said .
“Those who voted against the Chief Justice by granting quo warranto have not decided… within the period prescribed by the Constitution itself,” he also said. — Camille A. Aguinaldo with Charmaine A. Tadalan, Arjay L. Balinbin, and Dane Angelo M. Enerio

PHL as Chinese province ‘not too far’: ex-Chief Justice Davide

RETIRED Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr. on Thursday said the Philippines’ becoming a province of China “may not be too far.”
“Last February 19, before Chinese businessmen, the President mentioned the Philippines as a province of China. Malacañang Spokesperson Harry (L.) Roque explained it was a joke, but knowing China, it will not consider it as a joke,” Mr. Davide said at a forum at the Ateneo where a Mass for solidarity was held in behalf of ousted Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P.A. Sereno.
“Only this morning, we had the President saying that China will defend him against any potential ouster,” Mr. Davide said, as he also cited the planned joint oil and gas exploration in the disputed South China Sea and the recent Chinese deployments in the Spratlys.
Mr. Davide also cited “Chinese explorers… in our Benham Rise (Philippine Rise), where they’ve given Chinese names to features of our rise.”
For his part, Palace Spokesperson Harry L. Roque, Jr. said the Philippine government has already expressed its protest against the People’s Republic of China on the disputed South China Sea at a meeting by the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM).
“Ang pagkakaalam ko po, sinabi sa akin mismo ni Secretary [Alan Peter S.] Cayetano, hindi lang sila nagprotesta pero iyong Bilateral [Consultation] Mechanism nila kung saan pinag-uusapan iyong problema sa South China Sea ay pinag-usapan daw iyong paggagawa nga ng mga armas at ng airport at ng mga eroplano doon mismo sa mga isla na iyan, pinag-usapan po daw iyan sa bilateral meeting,” Mr. Roque said in a press briefing Thursday. (What I know is that (Foreign Affairs) Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano told me that not only did they protest, but they also raised this matter at the Bilateral Consultation Mechanism (BCM) where the problem of the South China Sea was discussed….)
He added that the Philippines had a “frank, candid, and frontal discussion on the issue” with China.
“Mas matindi pa nga po, hindi lang protesta yun. Pinarating nila ang ating saloobin na nababahala tayo,” Mr. Roque added. (It was even more direct. It was not only a protest, but we also expressed our concern [about China’s actions].)
Last month, Mr. Roque said the DFA was considering filing a diplomatic protest with China.
The spokesman made his remarks after receiving information that there were two Chinese military transport planes that landed on Panganiban Reef, also known as the Mischief Reef in the east of the Spratly Islands. — Charmaine A. Tadalan and Arjay L. Balinbin

Villar, Pacquiao richest senators

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
SENATORS Cynthia A. Villar and Emmanuel D. Pacquiao remained the only billionaires in the Senate, based on the 2017 statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) of senators released to media on Thursday.
Ms. Villar remained the richest member in the Senate for four consecutive years, posting a P3.61 billion net worth with no declared liabilities. Her net worth by P5 million from her P3.606 million net worth in her 2016 SALN.
Ms. Villar’s husband is businessman and former Senate president Manuel B. Villar, Jr. who chairs Vista Land and Lifescapes, Inc. and Starmalls Inc. His net worth, according to Forbes, is $4 billion or around P200 billion.
She was followed by professional boxer Mr. Pacquiao who had a net worth of P2.95 billion, which declined by P120 million from his 2016 SALN.
Meanwhile, the two least wealthy senators are Leila M. De Lima with a net worth of P7.94 million and Antonio F. Trillanes IV with a net worth of P6.87 million.
The other senators had the following net worth: Ralph G. Recto (P538.89 million); Juan Miguel F. Zubiri (P152.09 million); Juan Edgardo M. Angara (P131.76 million); Franklin M. Drilon (P93.73 million); Grace S. Poe-Llamanzares (P90.67 million); Sherwin T. Gatchalian (P88.23 million); Joseph Victor G. Ejercito (P78.95 million); Richard J. Gordon (P69.51 million); Vicente C. Sotto III (P64.73 million); Nancy S. Binay-Angeles (P60.61 million); Loren B. Legarda (P51.32 million); Paolo Benigno A. Aquino IV (P39.19 million); Panfilo M. Lacson (P36.31 million); Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva (P23.72 million); Senate president Aquilino Martin L. Pimentel III (P18.11 million); and Francis N. Pangilinan (P13.47 million)
Completing the list at the bottom of the net-worth hierarchy are Senators Francis G. Escudero (P8.5 million), Ms. De Lima, and Mr. Trillanes IV.

Barangay officials make tough choices in Duterte’s drug war

By the PCIJ Story Project
Second of two parts
The barangay, the basic unit of Philippine governance, is the smallest cog in the drug war’s machinery. But it is an important one. There are over 42,000 barangays throughout the country. The barangay chairperson (or punong barangay) and members of the Sangguniang Barangay (council members, popularly called kagawad) are the elected officials with the closest claim to direct community representation.
As the primary planning, implementing, and dispute-resolution unit under the 1991 Local Government Code, any major government directive -— whether it concerns vaccination, nutrition, or peace and order — needs the cooperation of the barangay if it is to be implemented.
While the police are the most visible instruments of the drug war, they are only one of the many agents and institutions that have been mobilized for the Duterte administration’s anti-drug campaign. There is an entire bureaucracy behind the war on drugs. The barangays, like the police, are at the frontlines.
President Duterte promised to eradicate illegal drugs within three to six months. The Philippine bureaucracy quickly took on this directive from top to bottom. The “10 Point Socio-Economic Agenda,” prepared by the government’s economic planning agency, became the “0 + 10 Point Socio-Economic Agenda,” with zero as the fight against criminality and drugs. This fight, said Economic Minister Ernesto Pernia, is a prerequisite “for the economy to thrive and flourish and for the country to prosper.”
An Interagency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs also brought together 20 national government agencies to “suppress the drug war in the country” by arresting both big-time drug dealers as well as street-level peddlers and users. The committee implements various instruments such as the National Anti-Drug Plan of Action (2015-2020), which focuses on law enforcement, and the Barangay Drug-Clearing Program, which mobilizes barangay officials to list, monitor and conduct surveillance of drug users and dealers in their communities.
Nominally headed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Dangerous Drugs Board, much of the committee’s work is carried out by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). The DILG has oversight over the Philippine National Police (PNP). It also oversees all local government units.
In September 2016, the DILG issued a memorandum circular that launched a national grassroots surveillance program aimed at using citizens to monitor and report drug, crime- and terrorism- related activities. This program is called MASA-MASID or Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga (Citizens Against Anomalies/Corruption, Citizens Against Illegal Drugs).
MASA-MASID overlaps with the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council (BADAC). These councils have existed for some time, but they were largely defunct. Composed of barangay officials and representatives from the church and local organizations, BADACs are supposed to coordinate on implementing drug monitoring and rehabilitation programs.
The DILG said that only half of all barangays in the country had a BADAC as of December 2016; today, 70 percent of them do. Officials in the remaining 30 percent have been threatened with administrative charges if they do not activate anti-drug councils.
The DILG’s directive instructs city or municipal governments to consolidate anti-drug operations efforts. For example, they put together the lists of names of suspected “drug personalities” collected by the barangay. The City Anti-Drug Abuse Council (CADAC) also supports the BADAC and helps organize activities for drug addicts and other community members. This can include counseling, sports fests, Zumba dancing, tree planting, and if resources are available, livelihood activities.
Government funds are made available for these efforts. For 2018, the DILG proposed a P500-million budget for MASA-MASID alone, while the PNP proposed P900 million for Oplan Double Barrel.
At the local level, the drug war has changed the way barangays spend their funds, which come from a 25-percent share in real-estate taxes collected from their communities. Traditional social services such as medical clinics or feeding programs for malnourished children are no longer budget priorities. Through a number of policy incentives as well as strict supervision by the DILG, the priority at the barangay level has now become the monitoring and surveillance of drug suspects and the rehabilitation of drug users who have surrendered.
In a span of almost two years, the anti-drug campaign has become so deeply embedded at the grassroots level. In some cases, it has turned neighbor against neighbor, family against family. In all of these, the barangay, the smallest, often neglected unit of governance, holds the key. Barangay officials exercise discretion in how they implement the drug war in their communities. They play a critical role in determining who lives, who dies, and who gets rehabilitated in the war on drugs.
RESIST
In one of Tondo’s densest neighborhoods, the barangay chairman takes his daily afternoon patrol. The children reach for his hand, all of them screeching, “Mano po, Che!” Che is short for chairman.
The chairman is a former engineer; he asked to be identified by the name David so he could talk freely. David thinks of himself as the father of the barangay; the constituents are his children.
David was adamant that he would not let his constituents die. He was also clear that no police operation would be carried out in his area without his knowledge. The last thing he wanted were neighborhood kids becoming collateral damage in the drug war.
David chose the path of resistance. He tries to pre-empt the police. “I use my network across different levels of the bureaucracy,” he said. “I get advanced information so I am a step ahead before the [police] operations are carried out.” Although he still submits a drug watchlist to the authorities, particularly to the DILG, he surreptitiously ensures that all the names on the list are given fair warning they will be on the list and they should therefore be careful.
David sees drug use as a health issue and not a criminal one. He uses the BADAC not to target drug users but to save them. He puts drug suspects in the barangay jail if he fears for their safety or sends them back to their home provinces so they will not be targeted.
David said the local police are his friends and they leave him alone as long as they are not compromised by his behavior and seen as being soft on drugs.
Through the BADAC, which is tasked with conducting drug-education programs, David and his kagawad were able to convince suspected drug users to surrender and undergo community-based drug rehabilitation. David assured the drug users and dealers who surrendered that he will monitor their progress and make sure they finish the program so that they can be stricken off the watchlist.
Since the last quarter of 2016, David’s barangay has jailed three people and the BADAC there is actively monitoring 32 others for eventual removal from the barangay drug watchlist. Many were made to go to regular counseling sessions, while some have been sent to the Magsaysay Health Center in Fugoso, Manila for additional treatment.
These activities, however, are costly. There are increasing numbers of drug “surrenderees.” David’s barangay has some 1,000 residents and its annual budget is a little over P900,000. Of this, some P500,000 is allocated for maintenance and operating costs, including the budget for peace and order and training.
In 2017, the barangay allocated more than P90,000 for drug rehabilitation and P110,000 for training, mostly to build capacity for drug counseling seminars. This is twice the amount they spent on small infrastructure projects like drainage systems and canals. This means that after paying for salaries and utilities, there is little money left over for social services. In many instances, David used his own money to help his constituents.
“In our community, we thank the Lord because no one has died. No one gets killed,” said David. “I had a few that I sent to jail, and a few that I sent back to the provinces. But no one gets killed.”
SUBMIT
On January 14, the Sunday before the Tondo fiesta, the police raided a suspected drug den in Chairman Roger’s barangay. The operation went smoothly, at least according to the police report that Roger signed. He was not there himself, but Roger trusts the police. The two targeted drug suspects surrendered and no one was killed.
On the days when drug suspects were killed and their corpses were carried off in body bags, Roger signed off on the police reports without question. “Whatever evidence [the police] say they found, I’ll sign it. They know what they are doing.”
Chairman Roger, who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym, has always been staunchly against drugs. For many years, he worked as a seaman, spending many lonely months at sea. He was on a ship when he got word that his two brothers were jailed for using and selling drugs. This prompted him to return to the Philippines and later, to run for barangay kagawad, a post he held for ten years before running for barangay chair.
The Philippines “has always had a drug problem,” Chairman Roger said. “I’m glad something is being done about it.”
Roger has conceded nearly absolute authority over his barangay to the police when it comes to the drug war and peace-and-order programs. Before the Duterte presidency, Roger’s barangay had a help desk manned by a kagawad who coordinated with the police. Now, the help desk is gone and police freely come and go without any interference from barangay officials. In the past, the police informed the barangay chair in advance of any police operations in the community. These days, Chairman Roger just waits for the police reports to arrive.
Roger said that his barangay regularly provides the police and the DILG information about drug suspects and also a watchlist made up of suspected drug users and dealers in the community. When we spoke to him, he said he had 13 on his watchlist. Two of them had already been killed.
He attested to the improvements in his barangay since the drug war. The place isn’t as chaotic as it used to be, he said, and teenagers rarely loiter in the streets at night. “People are finally afraid of the police,” he added. When asked about the victims killed by vigilantes and police operations, Roger gave pause. “[The victims] are bad people anyway,” he said.
“I too dream of a drug-free Philippines,” Roger said. “But why does it have to be so bloody?” When asked if he has raised his doubts with the police, he shook his head. “I don’t argue with the police. They have guns. We don’t.”
ADAPT
In the afternoon of the Tondo fiesta, Kagawad Angela is not in the barangay hall. She is at home, cooking her family’s feast day meal. The menudo is still on the stove and she is behind schedule.
Angela’s home is a five-minute walk from the barangay hall. This is convenient for a solo parent like her because she can leave her office for a few minutes during the day to check on her children.
Angela is a reluctant leader. Prior to being a kagawad, she was a housewife. It was her husband who was in public service for 27 years as a barangay kagawad and chairman until he was gunned down last October, one of the thousands killed in the war on drugs.
“He was shot by unknown killers. It’s still under investigation. I would rather not [talk] about it,” Angela says.
As kagawad, Angela is aware of the drug problem. She believes this is symptomatic of larger problems rooted within families, including financial difficulties. Her barangay is one of the biggest and poorest areas in Tondo.
“We have a population of 22,000 people. Most are poor,” she said. “They live by the day, as pedicab drivers, vendors in Divisoria, or porters in MICT (Manila International Container Terminal). Because this is the environment, sometimes the children want to try sniffing solvent, which can become a habit until they grow up.”
Since her husband the barangay chairman was murdered, her barangay has yet to comply with certain requirements set by the national government — including the submission of an anti-drug plan
Angela is evasive when asked about the barangay drug watchlist. She says the list is assigned to another kagawad, and she does not know where it is. She is sure, however, that the drug war has claimed more people in her area besides her husband. “There isn’t much we can do,” Angela admits.
In lieu of the anti-drug plan, Angela works instead on her own barangay Kumustahan Program which targets the teenagers of the community. At the heart of her efforts is prevention — both of drug use and death because of the drug war. While she may be powerless to help the adults on the drug watchlist who may already be targeted by masked killers, Angela engages teenagers and children in counseling sessions.
“We have to go to the root of the problem. With drugs or petty crime, find out why people do it. That’s the only way we will know how to help them,” she said. “We have to fix the family first. Then the barangay, then the community. That’s the only way we can fight drugs.”
But Angela takes punitive measures as well. “If I catch [a teenager] stealing, I lock them up in our jail for three hours, so they know what kind of life they will have if they continue [to commit crimes].” She pointed to a small makeshift jail cell underneath the stairs of the barangay hall. “If I catch kids high on solvent, I make them squat 100 times so they will sweat the high out.”
After the interview, Kagawad Angela walked back to her house so she can finish her cooking and celebrate Tondo’s feast day with her children. On the way home, she pointed to the exact spot where her husband was shot just three months before. — Mixkaela Villalon, Abbey Pangilinan and Ica Fernandez

Labor chief signs lifting of deployment ban to Kuwait

By Camille A. Aguinaldo
LABOR Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III on Thursday officially signed the lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait to be enforced effective immediately, as ordered a day before by President Rodrigo R. Duterte.
I just signed the order lifting the ban on the skilled workers and professionals and as well as the household service workers,” Mr. Bello told reporters on the sidelines of a forum at the AG New World Manila Bay Hotel.
He said he had earlier recommended the partial lifting of the deployment ban, but Mr. Duterte proceeded with the total lifting order after he was “impressed” with the Kuwaiti government’s compliance with his conditions in behalf of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Persian Gulf state.
Mr. Bello also said around 5,000 Filipino workers were ready to be deployed to Kuwait while 15,000 were still in process.
Also on Thursday, Senate President Aquilino L. Pimentel III recommended retaining the ban on sending household service workers to Kuwait.
“Total ban can and should be lifted. But we still have to observe a limited ban on sending household service workers (HSWs) to Kuwait. Let us allow the sending of engineers, managers, drivers, construction workers, etc. but not HSWs,” he said in a text message to reporters.
Others senators, for their part, welcomed the lifting of the deployment ban to Kuwait.
Senator Joseph Victor G. Ejercito said he hoped the signed memorandum of agreement (MoA) would protect Filipino workers in the Persian Gulf State.
“All the more I am determined to push for my bill to increase and institutionalize Overseas Legal Assistance Fund for our distressed OFWs,” he said in a text message to reporters.
Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian said the government should continue cooperating with the Kuwait to ensure the protection and welfare of OFWs.
He also called for a “tighter crackdown against illegal recruitment” and a monitoring of the conditions of OFWs.
For his part, Senator Emmanuel Joel J. Villanueva said, “We hope that we can totally prevent abuses against our OFWs especially to our household service workers who are vulnerable to abuse,” he said in a statement. — with Gillian M. Cortez

Nationwide Round-Up

Ex-PCSO GM Uriarte cleared by Sandiganbayan

PCSO logoANTI-GRAFT court Sandiganbayan has dropped the P365.9-million plunder charges against former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Rosario C. Uriarte. The ruling came a year after the Supreme Court (SC) acquitted former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former PCSO budget and accounts manager Benigno B. Aguas for the same case. In its decision dated May 11 and released Thursday, the Sandiganbayan First Division noted that the SC evaluated “the same sets of facts, circumstances, an evidence now under consideration.” It added: “The prosecution has not adduced any new or compelling evidence to warrant a finding different from what has already been rendered by the Supreme Court.” Echoing the SC decision, the Sandiganbayan said the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that conspiracy took place between the three to amass the PCSO funds from 2008 to 2010. Five ex-PCSO and two Commission on Audit officials who were co-accused in the case were also cleared by the Sandiganbayan and the SC in separate decisions in 2015 and 2017. — Minde Nyl R. dela Cruz

Environmental group to push further research on Philippine Rise

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY group Oceana Philippines said the declaration of the Philippine Rise as a marine-protected area is just the beginning of “further scientific research.” Oceana campaign manager Daniel Ocampo, in a press briefing on Thursday, said, “We barely scratched the surface of the (area).” Oceanan Vice-president Gloria Estenzo, for her part, said government agencies mandated to protect the country’s natural resources should collaborate with local government units near the Philippine Rise in the protection of its resources. — Roberto A. Vergara, Jr.

DoT chief: TPB projects stopped amid inquiry

TOURISM SECRETARY Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on Thursday said she is leaving to the Commission on Audit to “decide” on the reported controversies hounding the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), including an P80-million promotional project whose cost had been paid ahead of its completion. Ms. Puyat also said of TPB’s holdover chief operating officer, Cesar D. Montano, “I really believe he acted in good faith.” She also assured Mr. Montano’s cooperation in any further inquiry. “(I advised) Mr. Montano and, to be fair, (he agreed), ‘Stop all projects.’”

Binictican I-Tech ordered to stop operations after fatal accident

THE DEPARTMENT of Labor and Employment (DoLE) has ordered Binictican I-Tech Corporation, a subcontractor of Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation Philippines (HHIC Phils.), to halt operations after an accident over the weekend that left one worker dead and three others injured. “On May 12, around 3:30 in the afternoon, four workers fell from a scaffolding after suddenly tipping down. Prior to the incident, at least 9 workers were on the said scaffolding shaded by a blue canvass for their protection from the heat of the sun while taking their break,” DoLE-3 Regional Director Ma. Zenaido Angara-Campita said in a statement. Safety inspectors reported that the accident was due to “concentrated weight of the workers and raw materials and equipment might have caused the tilting of the scaffolding.” The casualty was identified as Ferdinand Leuterio who died two days later due to internal organ injury. The three injured were Gerry Bayuta, Johnny Alegre, and Vailian Dela Cruz. — Gillian M. Cortez

PACC probes jewelry smugglers in NAIA as terrorist financiers

THE PHILIPPINE Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) is looking into the possibility that two jewelry smugglers operating at terminal three of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) are funding terrorist organizations, according to PACC Commissioner Greco B. Belgica. Two people, identified by Mr. Belgica as the “Mimbalawang” couple, were recently apprehended by authorities for smuggling pieces of gold jewelry weighing 1.9 kilograms and worth about P6-million. The two are allegedly part of an organized crime syndicate composed of eight independent groups of jewelry smugglers operating at the airport with collaborators from government. “The fund raising activity was for illegal activities. They are part of a group that raises funds for certain groups. They could be terrorists, they could be insurgents,” Mr. Belgica said. The couple are the parents of the daughter-in-law of recently resigned Justice Assistant Secretary Moslemen T. Macarambon Sr., who was accused of being a co-conspirator in one of their smuggling operations. — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

2 DPWH execs dismissed over bridge project irregularities

DPWH logo
OFFICIAL GAZETTE

TWO DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials in Negros Occidental have been found guilty of Grave Misconduct and dismissed from public service over the irregularities on the rehabilitation of two bridges in Cauayan.
The Office of the Ombudsman also said it found probable cause to charge the two officials, identified as officers-in-charge district engineer Haydee S. Alunan and assistant district engineer Elsie V. Sabay, with two counts of violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The Ombudsman said the respondents ordered to begin rehabilitation of the Mabua bridge in Barangay Poblacion and Bagambayan bridge in Barangay Tiling on February 10, 2014, with target completion date on June 29, 2014.
The contract was awarded to OPELL Construction and Development Corporation.
Investigation showed that in an ocular inspection on December 3, 2015, the Field Investigation Office reported that the bridges were still unfinished, which accounts for an 18-month delay.
“There was an unreasonable delay of at least one year and six months in the completion of the projects [as] an undisputable fact established by the evidence on record which respondents deliberately set aside despite delay in the completion of work by more than 380%,” the Ombudsman stated. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Panglao local gov’t starts crackdown on illegal structures

BEACH RESORTS and other tourism establishments that are encroaching into the 20-meter easement area have until May 20 to voluntarily demolish their structures, after which the local government will undertake the clearing operations. Acting Municipal Administrator Weng Lagura said the Panglao municipal government would request for heavy equipment from the Bohol provincial government should there be a need for major demolition work. Meanwhile, a new resort has been slapped with an order to stop construction for violation of the 20-meter easement area and fencing the coastal area without permit. In the Notice of Specific Performance, dated April 18, 2018 and signed by Mayor Pedro E. Fuertes, contractor Monocrete Construction Philippines Inc., through project manager Christopher Guerzon, was ordered to dismantle the fences it constructed at the area. — The Freeman

BIR reminds LGUs to pay taxes for commercial activities

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue (BIR) warned local government units (LGUs) conducting commercial activities to pay the corresponding taxes after taking notice on the municipality of Oslob’s unpaid levies. “There are many local government units that undertake proprietary activities to create additional sources of revenue. Revenues derived by LGUs from such activities are taxable because these are not undertaken by LGUs in the performance of their governmental functions,” Eduardo L. Pagulayan, Jr., OIC-regional director of the Cebu City Revenue Region said in a statement yesterday. A BIR ruling dated March 13, 2018 held the Oslob LGU liable for income tax, value-added tax (VAT), expanded withholding tax, deficiency withholding tax on VAT and other percentage taxes, withholding tax on compensation, and registration fees for its whale shark-watching activities for the taxable year 2012. Under the tax code, LGUs with a propriety function shall pay such rate of tax upon their taxable income as are imposed upon corporations engaged in similar activities. — Elijah Joseph C. Tubayan

10 more Go Negosyo centers lined up in Davao Region

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry-Davao Region office (DTI-11) is planning to set up 10 more Go Negosyo Centers over the next two years in addition to the existing 40. Romeo L. Castañaga, DTI-Davao del Norte provincial director, said the centers have proven to be effective in mainstreaming micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Speaking at a weekly forum last Wednesday, Mr. Castañaga cited a group of women in Carmen town, who were among those assisted under the Go Negosyo program and became one of the region’s representatives at the Manila Fame international trade show last month. During the trade show, the group was able to sell its products such as wall decors to three hotels. “Now, they are enhancing their products,” so they can expand their markets,” Mr. Castañaga added. The DTI official said the Go Negosyo centers in the province, in partnership with the local governments that provide personnel who are trained to serve as business counselors, have helped MSMEs with basic requirements such as registering their enterprises so they can avail of training and other assistance programs. — Carmelito Q. Francisco