Lapeña not included for possible drug smuggling charges in Senate committee report

December 17, 2018 | 8:22 pm

THE SENATE Blue Ribbon committee has recommended further probe by the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman on personalities involved in the shipment of P11 billion worth of illegal drugs last June for possible administrative and criminal liabilities.
The committee did not mention any liability on the part of now Technical Education and Skill Development Authority (TESDA) Director General Isidro S. Lapeña, who was head of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) when the shipment of shabu (methamphetamine) was smuggled into the country.
The committee submitted on Dec. 13 its report, numbered 544, into its findings on the shipment that slipped past the BoC, and was released to reporters on Monday.
“So far, this report has reached and implicated public officers up to the Deputy Director General in PDEA (Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency) and Deputy Commissioner in the Bureau of Customs. This is not to say that those involved cannot go any higher,” it stated.
“We dread to think that it might; we fear for the country and for its citizens, and thus the need to investigate more in order to determine with certainty all the people responsible for these abhorrent acts,” it added.
The committee recommended the filing of charges for the following individuals: former police officer Eduardo Acierto, former PDEA deputy director general for administration Ismael G. Fajardo, former Customs officer Jimmy S. Guban, SMYD trading consignee Marina Signapan, Customs broker Katrina Grace Cuasay, Customs employees Joseph Dimayuga and Gorgonio Necessario, SMYD trading owner Meg Santos, x-ray examiner Noli Martinez, appraiser Girlie Umali, and examiner Jenaline Garcia.
Also included are Chinese nationals KC Chan, Hsu Chung-Chun, Zhang Quan, Lin Tien Yi, Lou Tian Yi, Chen Minxuan, a certain Fung, and Ping Cheung James.
The committee report noted that the personalities involved were in violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and direct bribery under the Revised Penal Code, among others.
Last Dec. 13, PDEA charged 44 people, including Messrs. Fajardo and Guban, in connection with the smuggling incident.
The Senate committee report noted that Mr. Acierto was the “linchpin” in the illegal drug smuggling based on the committee’s investigation. It cited that it was Mr. Acierto who gave the instructions to Mr. Guban in facilitating the release of the magnetic lifters.
“It stands to reason that Acierto, indeed, was the main man,” it stated.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Among the committee’s recommendations was for the conduct of lifestyle checks and an investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) for the personalities involved in the illegal drug smuggling.
The committee report also recommended amendments in the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) for shipments to be declared abandoned within a period of three days from the present 30 days.
It also urged the AMLC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate the alleged use of fictitious names and fake Alien Certificates of Registration (ACR) in the opening of bank accounts and business registration for criminal acts.
It also called for the elimination of consignees for hire, the coordination between the BoC, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the registration and accreditation of consignees, the creation of of a Customs Academy, and diplomatic efforts by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) with neighboring countries to eradicate illegal drug smuggling.
The Senate investigation was prompted by the raids conducted by PDEA and BoC at the Manila International Container Port (MICP) and at a warehouse in General Mariano Alvarez, Cavite.
PDEA found magnetic lifters in MICP that contained illegal drugs inside, but similar lifters in Cavite were shown to have already been drilled and its contents, believed to be shabu, removed.
Aside from Mr. Gordon, Committee Report No. 544 was signed by 10 members and three ex-officio members.
The signatories were: Senators Juan Edgardo M. Angara, Joseph Victor G. Ejercito, Gregorio B. Honasan II, Panfilo M. Lacson, Loren B. Legarda, Emmanual D. Pacquiao, Cynthia A. Villar, Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Aquilino L. Pimentel III, Nancy S. Binay-Angeles, Senate Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, and Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto. — Camille A. Aguinaldo

Gasoline resumes decline this week

December 17, 2018 | 8:20 pm

AFTER LAST week’s price increase, oil companies this week will resume the reduction of gasoline prices that started in the third week of October. Gasoline prices will be down by P0.15 per liter (/L), with companies such as Seaoil Philippines, Inc. implementing a reduction since Saturday. For diesel prices, companies advised varied reduction amounts, with Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc. and Seaoil reducing the cost by P0.30/L. Eastern Petroleum Corp. cut its diesel price by P0.35, while others reduced prices by P0.25. Seaoil cut its kerosene prices by P0.30/L. The oil majors have yet to issue an advisory on their price adjustment moves as of 6:00 p.m. Monday. This week’s adjustment is diesel and kerosene prices’ 10^th straight week of price decline. — Victor V. Saulon

Couple arrested for alleged illegal firearms supply to rebels, politicians

December 17, 2018 | 8:18 pm

A COUPLE allegedly supplying firearms and ammunition to the Maute Group, Abu Sayyaf, and rouge politicians was arrested by the police along the North Luzon Expressway in Valenzuela City on Sunday evening. The suspects, identified as Edgardo O. Medel and Rosemarie R. Medel, were caught during a joint operation by the Regional Intelligence Division and Regional Special Operations Unit with the help of an informant. The police were able to recover from the couple three firearms and more than 13,000 rounds of ammunitions contained in boxes labelled “Government Property,” Philippine Army,” and “AFP.” Philippine National Police Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said they, along with the military, will further investigate the boxes. “We will coordinate with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),” he said. The PNP chief also said that the police is still validating who are the alleged politicians that Mr. Medel were coordinating with. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Jan. 2 a holiday for executive branch workers

December 17, 2018 | 8:18 pm

GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES under the executive branch will enjoy another day off on Jan. 2 next year, Malacañang announced on Monday. Executive Secretary Salvador S. Medialdea signed Memorandum Circular No. 54 on Dec. 17 for the work suspension covering “government offices throughout the country, including government-owned or -controlled corporations, government financial institutions, state universities and colleges, local government units, and other agencies and instrumentalities.” It excludes “agencies whose functions involve the delivery of basic and health services, preparedness/response to disasters and calamities, and/or the performance of other vital services.” It also provides: “The suspension of work on the same date in other branches of government and in independent commissions or bodies, as well as in private companies and offices, is left to the sound discretion of their respective heads/management.” The Palace said the extra holiday is intended to give employees full opportunity to celebrate New Year’s Day with their families and loved ones. — Arjay L. Balinbin

No Christmas break in drug war, says police chief

December 17, 2018 | 8:17 pm

THE PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) will not slow down in its anti-illegal drugs campaign this yuletide season, Director General Oscar D. Albayalde said in a chance interview with reporters in Imus, Cavite on Monday. He said the deployment of additional forces for assistance and security operations during the busy holiday period will not affect those assigned in the drug war. At the same time, Mr. Albayalde assured that there will be increased police presence to reduce incidents of crimes against properties like theft. “‘Yung pagsasapit ng kapaskuhan ay tumataas ‘yung ating crime lalo na ‘yung (As the Christmas season nears, the crime rate increases, especially) crimes against properties,” he said. A recent Social Weather Station survey indicated that 1.4 million families agreed that a household member was victimized by robbery of personal property, break-ins, car theft or physical violence in the third quarter of 2018. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

OSG going to CA for Trillanes arrest warrant

December 17, 2018 | 8:16 pm

THE OFFICE of the Solicitor General (OSG) is going to the Court of Appeals (CA) after a Makati City court denied its motion for reconsideration on the denial of an arrest warrant and travel ban against Sen. Antonio F. Triallanes IV over his coup d’etat case. In a press conference on Monday, Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra said the OSG will file the petition for certiorari “maybe early January,” which is within the reglementary period of 60 days from the denial of the DoJ’s motion. “(I)mmediately after that (the denial), we held a conference, the DoJ with the Office of the Solicitor General, to map out our strategy after that trial court’s resolution,” Mr. Guevarra said. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

8 ‘tourists’ bound for Cyprus stopped at NAIA

December 17, 2018 | 8:16 pm

THE BUREAU of Immigration (BI) intercepted eight individuals who were suspected to be human trafficking victims at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) last Dec. 15 as they tried to leave for northern Cyprus in the guise of being tourists. BI Port Operations Grifton SP. Medina, in a report to Commissioner Jaime H. Morente, said the six men and two women admitted that they intended to work abroad as cleaners and cook without proper documentation. Mr. Medina said the trafficking attempt was discovered when one of the female victims showed inconsistencies when interviewed by the Travel Control and Enforcement Unit. “(S)he admitted that she is traveling to Cyprus to work, and she voluntarily showed a message exchange between her and her recruiter discussing the amount that each of them would pay the syndicate for processing and facilitation their illegal travel to Cyprus,” he said. The six were turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking for assistance and further probe. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Asian links still priority for Mactan-Cebu airport, but GMCAC exploring other continents

December 17, 2018 | 8:15 pm

INCREASING Cebu’s air connectivity to Asian destinations remains a priority for GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC), but the operator of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is also already setting its sights on possible direct flights to Australia, the Middle East and Europe. Ravishankar Saravu, GMCAC chief commercial advisor, said Japan, South Korea and China remain Cebu’s key markets and the airport operator wants to further expand in these destinations. “We want to open more destinations in China both seasonal and regular,” he said in an interview last Friday. In 2017, the top tourism market of Central Visayas and Cebu, the region’s tourist hub, was still Korea. Aviation think tank CAPA Centre, in an earlier analysis, projected more China routes from Cebu by early 2019. The MCIA currently has 12 routes to mainland China, but still with less than half the capacity of flights to and from Korea with only four routes. Meanwhile, Mr. Saravu said GMCAC is looking at services to and from other continents. CAPA Centre earlier said Qatar Airways is already planning the resumption of its Cebu-Doha service , although the airline “has not yet announced a launch date.” Qatar Airways suspended services to Cebu in 2012, when the Cebu market was much smaller. — The Freeman

Davao Oriental eyes partnership with state university for agri processing plants

December 17, 2018 | 8:15 pm

THE DAVAO Oriental provincial government is planning to tap experts from the Davao Oriental State University (DoRSU) to set up processing plants for agricultural products using local funds. Nelson L. Dayanghirang, in his speech during Friday’s Christmas party for local government employees, said given the “lack of investors” coming into the province, he wants the local government itself to embark on the development of business opportunities for residents, particularly the farmers. He said the “main thrust is to empower the people, especially the farmers, to become more enterprising rather than just receiving dole out assistance from the government.” “We have to dig deep on how to improve the lives of our farmers. We have to offer them more than what we used to,” he said. The governor said the establishment of locally-funded processing plants will open a market for farm produce as well as provide an additional income to the provincial government for development programs. The DoRSU was previously named, and still more known as, Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology. It was upgraded into university status in May this year.

Zamboanga regional police monitoring 5 private armed groups as election season nears

December 17, 2018 | 8:13 pm

THE POLICE Regional Office-Zamboanga Peninsula (PRO-09) is closely monitoring the movements of various criminal groups operating in the region as part of security preparations for the midterm election in May next year. Police Regional Director Emmanuel Luis D. Licup, in his yearend report delivered last week, said they have identified “five potential private armed groups” (PAGs) that could possibly be used by politicians during the election period. “They (PAGs) are scattered in the North-eastern part of the peninsula,” he said. Mr. Licup also said that they keeping tabs on at least seven “lawless elements” and 12 criminal gangs operating in the region. The PRO-09 is also watching out for the possible proliferation of drug-related money coming from so-called “narco-politicians” during the elections. “We have the lists and we are continuously monitoring them with our intelligence community. We will not allow drug money to be used during the election,” Mr. Licup said. — Albert F. Arcilla

Nation at a Glance — (12/18/18)

December 17, 2018 | 8:13 pm

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

Local players back DTI move to establish cement import safeguards

December 17, 2018 | 5:56 pm

Manila, Philippines–Local cement manufacturers are backing the Department of Trade and Industry in establishing safeguards against the rising volume of imported cement.
The Cement Manufacturers’ Association of the Philippines’ (CeMAP) says that rampant importation of cheap, low-quality cement from neighboring countries can stunt the local industry before it is given a chance to modernize and become competitive. This is in view of competition against state-owned and heavily-subsidized producers from countries like Vietnam.
In the past five years, the volume of cement imports entering the Philippines increased from 3,558 metric tons in 2013, to as much as 3.4 million metric tons for the first three quarters of 2018.
“The safeguards simply give CeMAP the opportunity to level the playing field. CeMAP thinks that locally-made cement can effectively serve as a pillar of the country’s infrastructure agenda. Both Build, Build, Build and private sector projects have spurred demand and many of our local manufacturers have taken steps to increase production capacity to make sure that this demand is met,” says Cirilo Pestano, Executive Director of CeMAP.
Domestic cement effective capacity at present is estimated at 34.5 million tons, as against projected demand of 32.5 million tons.
He adds, “Based on our studies, local production is able to keep up with demand, but we are also taking steps to future-proof. Building cement plants, however, usually take about three years. During such time, we rely on safeguards established by DTI to ensure that cheap and low-quality imports are not dumped on the country.”
Left unchecked, importation can cause volatility in supply and prices.
CeMAP says that there are pipeline capacity expansion projects by several cement companies, some of which are scheduled for commission by 2019.
Local cement producers generate an estimated P21-billion in tax revenues and directly employ 42,000 people, a further 125,000 jobs throughout its value chain. In 2016 it contributed an estimated P 155 Billion to the national economy or close to 1% of the total gross domestic product. CeMAP projects that it can double its GDP contribution by 2030.
“Up to 6,500 jobs can be created for an additional one million tons of cement to be manufactured in a year. To add, up to P10-billion in direct investments can flow through the country for every one million tons of additional capacity–this is money that will stay in the Philippines,” says Pestano.
CeMAP is further dispelling fears of the safeguard measures’ effect on cement prices.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), cement prices index in NCR declined from December 2016 to December 2017 by 2.7%, while prices have been flat despite an increase in production cost from October 2017 to October 2018. In the said periods, however, construction commodity prices have overall increased by 7.6%.
“Local manufacturers are themselves subject to the DTI safeguards and this creates a level playing field. Creating an ideal environment for local businesses to thrive is a dream for most Philippine enterprises. On a level playing field the Philippine Cement industry can compete with anybody. We support and thank DTI for the measures is sets in place for us to grow into competitiveness,” concludes Pestano.