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PHL Azkals looking to do better in last chance to final

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
HAVE its back against the wall in the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup, the Philippine men’s national football team is looking to make things happen in the second leg of its semifinals with Vietnam later this week — its last chance to book a spot in the final of the biennial regional tournament.
Bowed to The Golden Stars, 2-1, in the first leg of their semifinal matchup on Sunday at the Panaad Park and Football Stadium in Bacolod City, the Philippine Azkals need to dig deep and win by at least 2-nil in the second leg on Thursday, Dec. 6, in Hanoi.
It is a situation that is very daunting at the onset considering how Vietnam has been solid in the tournament to date, having yet to drop a match.
But the Azkals are not being down on themselves, believing that they still have a chance to accomplish the job.
“Vietnam are the favorites before this game, and now they’re even bigger. I think we did okay today. We still have 90 minutes to go so we’ll see,” said Azkals coach Sven-Goran Eriksson following their defeat in the first leg, which was witnessed by 5,000-plus people at Panaad.
Vietnam did not waste much time to get on the scoreboard in the first leg with Nguyen Anh Duc giving the visiting side the early 1-0 lead in the 12th minute.
It tried to add on to it but the Philippine defense would hold its own for the rest of the opening half.
The Azkals made a last-ditch effort to level the count before the halftime break and was rewarded accordingly with Patrick Reichelt converting a goal off a pass from captain Phil Younghusband inside the three minutes added time in the first half of the contest.
Just like in the opening half, Vietnam would strike early as Phan Van Duc scored just three minutes into the restart.
The Azkals tried to get back the goal they gave but The Golden Stars would continue to frustrate them even as Vietnam had its chances to end up with a bigger lead but could not complete them.
Four minutes were added after regulation but no Philippine comeback was to come as it slumped to the defeat.
For Mr. Reichelt, while they came in prepared for the match, their on-court effort still left much to be desired, something they have to address if they are to move forward in the tournament.
“It was a disappointment. This is our third time in the Suzuki Cup semifinal, I don’t want to go out of the semifinal for the third time. I think we prepared well but the attitude was missing for us today,” said Mr. Reichelt during a fiery postgame interview.
The second leg of the semifinals between Vietnam and the Philippines will be played at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

Pit bulls and entrepreneurs

By Raju Mandhyan
I KNOW, I know! Many of you will be a bit taken aback by the comparison and then there will be some who will say, “Oh, yeah!” The chances are those that will be taken aback may be the ones who do not know your dogs and do not know your entrepreneurs. Then there may be some who will go into a state of shock at the mention of the word, pit bull. Well, for those of you who do get taken aback or, worse, go into a state of shock, you have my apologies and my compassion. You also have my invitation to come and stroll through these stories and allow me to help you discover a world of clarity, creativity, conscientiousness and a raging passion towards achievement, self-fulfillment and self-designed excellence. You will see and learn how many of the wonderful traits that make one species ferocious and wonderful make the other rugged and ragingly successful.
Between the pit bull and the entrepreneur there are certain nuances that are similar and different. Placing these two species together highlights the strengths of each and the possible areas of study and synergy for growth, for learning and becoming ferociously effective and brilliantly tenacious as an entrepreneur.
For those of you who went “Oh, yeah!” You know and love your dogs plus hold the pit bull in reverence, then this comparative study will make you smile and revalidate the beliefs you might have had about the secrets behind entrepreneurial success and excellence.
entrepreneur
There are several kinds of pit bulls and most all of them are a cross between the English Bull Dog and any one form of the Terrier. The bulldog’s lineage goes back to the ancient, huge and ferocious Mollosian of the Greek era which, like a bull, was a working dog. Over the years, this crossbreed between the bulldog and the terrier traveled to America in the 1800s and were carefully, further, crossbred to increase their speed, their playfulness and, thus, their intelligence. Today’s pit bull, and the one referred to in this piece, could be any one of the several breeds of the American Staffordshire Pit Bull or the American Pit Bull Terrier.
One of the most popular pit bulls was “Pete” from the movie and the series of Little Rascals. Other popular pit bulls were owned and loved by famous people like inventor Thomas Alba Edison, President Theodore Roosevelt of the USA and Helen Keller. Unfortunately and sadly, the pit bull has mistakenly acquired a notoriety that runs up chills and hysteria in many people. On the contrary, owners and lovers of pit bulls swear by the intelligence and gentleness of a pit bull. Statistically, they claim, the French Poodle is more vicious, vindictive and prone to attack human beings than a pit bull. The negative media hype has been created based on the looks of a pit bull alone. The strong, aloof and the independent look of the pit bull misleads and gives no clue to its intelligence, loyalty and loving nature.
The pit bull stands apart from most other breeds because of its keen sense of self-identity and self-pride. It rarely bothers to be moved or influenced by the presence of other smaller animals around him. Merlin, my late friend Tiny Defensor’s, nine-year-old, 140 pound pit bull, had never bitten anyone in its lifetime and it used to allow Tiny’s pet pussycats to swarm all over him all the time. “He cares a cat’s foot for the pussies!” used to exclaim Tiny proudly. Brownie, my friend Pinky Sandoval’s six-year-old, 120 pound pit bull constantly lets himself be bullied and barked at her half a dozen pomerians and chihuahuas. The pit bull’s normal reaction to frenzy and nastiness around him is to stand tall, stand apart, walk its walk and completely ignore the riff-raff that surrounds and nags it. It’s like he’s saying to them, “I know exactly who I am and I am totally at peace with who I am.”
Besides having a high sense of self-image and self-identity, the pit bull of all the known 140 known breeds of dogs in the world also has the rare ability to duplicate the human gesture knows as the “smile.” All other dogs express their joy and satisfaction by barking, jumping or waging their tail excitedly. The pit bull seems to have evolved and stepped ahead of the curve. The pit bull, to express its joy and satisfaction, will raise up and wrinkle its muzzle, display a toothy grin and make his eyes twinkle. This in his imagination is a smile, an expression of approval and happiness. To those that love their pit bulls and know their dogs this is amazing and to those who do not know their dogs this is eerie and terrifying. Yes, you can say pit bulls have imagination. This is a rare ability among a few, rare, individual people who can imagine, duplicate and morph existing facts with new ideas and other non-tangibles. It is for entrepreneurs a rare ability to connect facts from the past with the unseen, unheard and the un-experienced things from the present and create a picture of the future. A future that is possible and filled with productivity, progress and profits for all.
Pit bulls are also known to be really high on love and loyalty for their masters. There are numerous stories about the bond between dogs and man but of all the breeds of dogs, the stories of the pit bull stand out for strength, sturdiness and fierce integrity. Of all the stories about the pit bull’s image, identity, imagination and integrity, the ones that are terrifying are about their fierce tenaciousness and persistence. They say that when a pit bull, if deliberately abused and angered, gets mad and gets a hold of you then it’ll take an army to pry him apart. This is non-give-up-ness is a core trait of a pit-bull. This is a powerful characteristic and the ultimate brand image of the pit bull. There is a lesson to be learned in this for entrepreneurs. This trait of a pit bull, from a positive perspective, is a shining lesson in tenaciousness, persistence and hardiness for entrepreneurs.
 
Raju Mandhyan is an author, coach and speaker.
www.mandhyan.com

The company’s greatest asset

By Tony Samson
CEOs routinely declare in speeches to the troops that people are the company’s greatest assets. Such sentiment is not reflected in the financial statements. Vehicles, computers, and desks are booked as “assets” and depreciated accordingly. While employees rate higher than furniture and fixtures in items to save in a fire, they are still recorded only as cost.
So, when companies are required to cut costs, headcount reduction is at the top of the list, above product launch events and promotional giveaways.
Total compensation costs saved, including benefits and bonuses (with the modifier “fat”) is easily calculated when jobs are eliminated. The possible deterioration of service is not quantified. In investor statements, it is the positions removed that are highlighted, not the ones holding them. While organizational boxes do not have to pay tuition fees and rent, their occupants are another matter. Anyway, boxes have no feelings. Neither do they have any emotional attachments to their calling cards which now only serve as bookmarkers to note the page where they stopped reading to answer a text message.
But what if accountants treat people as assets, even if not the company’s greatest?
An individual can then be depreciated though his useful corporate life. Is the asset carried until retirement age? Hardly. Maybe ten years before that time, attractive exit packages are dangled to a targeted group. Realistically, if depreciation is to be applied, it cannot be longer than the one set for motor vehicles. Obsolescence in terms of technical skills and marketing connections can be factored in.
What is the book value then of a person?
The practice of marking to market relies on the current prices of publicly listed stocks or regularly traded securities. Can the executive be similarly valued? Some method can be devised internally in terms of contribution to revenue or attendance of small meetings, with higher points for those he presides over? When the value an executive adds is diminished, can he be marked down to market?
As in other commodities, seasonal price surges can occur, as in flowers on Valentine’s Day or function room bookings for Christmas parties. Lawyers and PR men may see their value shoot up in times of crisis, like investigations of internal fraud or tax evasion cases. Maybe, HR heads become more valuable in CBA negotiations and pickets over labor-only contracting issues.
As for more objective pricing of human assets, one reliable indicator is the “poaching premium” dangled by headhunters. Someone being recruited by competition at triple her talent fee at negotiation time clearly must have her stock reviewed. (Let her go to the other network which can then be burdened with the new fees?) So, those in entertainment and media have a readier barometer of pricing driven by competition, ratings, and advertising loads. Those poached from one noontime show to another also drive down the market value of incumbents booted out by a “new format.”
But is it as simple to price corporate talents where supply can outstrip demand, even for rocket scientists working on risk assessment, stock price charts and designing derivatives? Some CEOs believe that executives who move frequently to ever higher positions in different companies are “highly marketable” and therefore targeted for retention. The corollary of this principle is that those honored at service awards night must be “unmarketable.”
If an executive has stayed twenty years in one company, is this not a sign that nobody else wants him? Did you say company loyalty?
Thus, the marked-to-market valuation in human resources will conclude that old fogies with their war stories of the good old days when the company had 70% market share need to be pushed out the door. (It’s called early retirement.) In this scheme of things, serving the company for a long time is no longer an indicator of wisdom and experience. It’s simply a product that has stayed on the shelf too long. Shouldn’t this asset be marked down and listed as disposable?
Even if people are a company’s most important assets, they are still the easiest to dispose of. It’s as quick as changing the lock on the office door over the weekend, with the personal effects just outside in a box.
 
A.R. Samson is chairman and CEO, TOUCH xda.
ar.samson@yahoo.com

Iran deals Gilas a heartbreak in qualifiers

By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter
THE Philippine men’s national basketball team’s bid in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers was dealt a major blow after it lost to Iran, 78-70, in their key Group F match on Monday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Saw the wheels on its attack detach in the end, Gilas Pilipinas just could not recover when Iran seized the momentum in the final moments of the match to slump to its second straight defeat in the qualifiers.
The Gilas loss dropped it outside of the top three in their grouping with a 5-5 record, surrendering third place to Japan (6-3) which won over Kazakhstan earlier in the day.
Iran, meanwhile, remained at second at 7-3.
Gilas had a fiery start, led by Marcio Lassiter who was hitting his mark from beyond the arc.
The Philippines raced to a 15-10 advantage midway into the opening quarter.
But the visitors were undeterred though, shooting themselves back in the contest to just trail by a point, 20-19, after the first 10 minutes of the contest.
At the start of the second frame, the Philippines picked things up on both ends of the court.
It would outscore Iran, 6-1, to create a 26-20 separation with 7:47 left in the period.
The two teams went back-and-forth after but Gilas maintained control, up, 39-35, heading into the halftime break.
Iran began the third quarter with more aggressiveness on the lead of big man Meisam Mirzaei.
It would take the lead, 44-42, at the 6:20 mark.
Jayson Castro though would rack up five straight points in the next minute to give Gilas a three-point cushion, 47-44.
Iran kept the pressure on the Philippines only to find a host team ready to keep control of the match.
The count stood at 54-50 with Gilas still on top heading at the end of three quarters.
Gilas began the payoff quarter threatening to pull away.
The nationals sped to a 60-52 lead after three minutes.
But Iran stayed composed, going on an 8-0 blast in the next minute and a half to pull even at 60-all.
The Iranians continued to pour it on after, building a five-point lead, 67-62, with under five minutes left on the clock.
Sensing that the game was slipping from its hands, Gilas regrouped, led by Mr. Castro and June Mar Fajardo.
The Philippines overtook Iran, 68-67, off a triple from Mr. Castro with 2:57 left.
A made basket by Hamed Hosseinzadeh, meanwhile, with 1:59 to go gave Iran back the lead, 69-68.
Mr. Fajardo then scored for the Philippines to push Gilas, 70-69, at the 1:06 mark only to be answered back by Behnam Yakhchalidehkordi to hand the lead once again to Iran, 71-70, with 42 ticks remaining.
Gilas sued for time to set up a play but the three-point attempt by Troy Rosario failed to hit the mark that led to a breakaway layup for Mohammad Jamshidijafarabadi to make it 73-70 for Iran with 26 seconds left.
The Philippines was not able to recover from that after as the Iranians held on for the win.
Mr. Jamshidijafarabadi paced the winning side with 26 points followed by Mr. Yakhchalidehkordi with 21.
For the Philippines it was Mr. Castro who led with 19 while naturalized player Christian Standhardinger had 17 points.
“We are disappointed not only about the game but the whole window. In the end game I think the team showed its immaturity. We are not yet as cohesive a team as we wanted to be,” said Gilas coach Yeng Guiao as he gave his assessment of the match in the postgame press conference.
“Despite that, I think we have a good team. Our chances of making the World Cup may have become slimmer but I still think we can get the job done,” he added.
Next for Gilas is the sixth and final window of the qualifiers in February next year which are both away matches against Kazakhstan and Qatar.
As per tournament format, the top three teams in each of the two groupings advance to the the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

Peso climbs against dollar as US, China declare trade truce

THE PESO continued to strengthen versus the dollar on Monday following the positive developments in the G-20 Summit.
The local currency closed Monday’s session at P52.32 against the greenback, up 13 centavos from the P52.45-per-dollar finish last Thursday.
The peso traded stronger the whole day, opening the session at P52.35 per dollar. It climbed to as high as P52.275 intraday, while its worst showing stood at P52.395 against the US currency.
Trading volume thinned to $965.6 million from the $1.161 billion that switched hands the previous session.
A foreign exchange trader said the peso sustained its strength following the meeting of US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires where they agreed to a 90-day trade truce.
Washington has agreed not to impose the 25% tariffs on Chinese goods totalling $200 billion, while China is set to purchase products from the US to reduce the trade imbalance between the two countries.
Another trader said developments in the G-20 Summit were “quite positive” as risk sentiment prevailed in the market.
However, the second trader excluded the peso, saying it was a laggard compared with other units despite its appreciation yesterday.
“The peso traded within a tight range. It was a laggard wherein the dollar index traded lower, but dollar-peso held the P52.20-P52.30 support,” the trader added.
“We saw that agent banks aggressively bought to support the pair.”
For today, the traders expect the peso to trade within a P52.20-P52.40 range.
“The local currency might strengthen further on bets of lingering [expectations on] the easing local inflation,” the second trader noted.

Stocks surge as US, China suspend new tariffs

By Arra B. Francia, Reporter
LOCAL EQUITIES surged on Monday, as investors cheered the United States and China’s decision to suspend the imposition of new tariffs until next year.
The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) jumped 2.24% or 165.05 points to close at 7,532.90 yesterday, starting the first day of December on a positive note. The broader all- shares index also advanced 1.86% or 82.92 points to 4,524.25.
“This rally is primarily influenced by the talks between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump in the G20 summit after they agreed to suspend the imposition of new tariffs until January next year. So this news buoyed market sentiment as the two countries expressed a conciliatory tone,” Timson Securities, Inc. trader Jervin S. de Celis said in a mobile message.
US President Donald J. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on a 90-day pause on their ongoing trade war, with Mr. Trump saying he will leave tariffs on $200 billion worth of goods at 10% until 2019, as opposed to his earlier plan to raise it to 25%.
The officials will continue to negotiate lingering disagreements on technology transfer, intellectual property, and agriculture over the next 90 days.
“Although the two countries have agreed to suspend the imposition of trade tariffs until January 2019, we’re still not sure if this move will be the start of a de-escalation. We’re yet to see too the effects of this move on the macroeconomic figures of the two countries by January next year,” Mr. De Celis added.
P2P Trade Online Head of Marketing and Development Arbee B. Lu also noted that the PSEi took its cues from abroad, prompting the local market to finally break out of resistance.
“After rising by more than 10% since the trough in mid-November, the PSEi finally managed to break out of resistance today, accompanied by heavy volume no less,” Ms. Lu said in an e-mail.
Index futures in the US are also pointing toward a big surge for Wall Street on Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures already up by more than 400 points on Sunday night. S&P 500 futures, meanwhile, gained 1.5%, while the Nasdaq Composite futures firmed up 1.8%.
All sectoral indices moved to positive territory, led by the property counter which firmed up 2.9% or 104.63 points to 3,705.77.
Holding firms gained 2.75% or 199.05 points to 7,429.95; industrials rose 1.81% or 193.45 points to 10,848.59; mining and oil added 1.27% or 107.85 points to 8,595.48; financials picked up 0.99% or 17.45 points to 1,775.70; while services had a 0.75% uptick or 10.55 points to 1,412.10.
Some 1.49 billion issues valued at P10.22 billion switched hands, slowing from the previous session’s P20.09 billion.
Advancers outnumbered decliners, 115 to 73, while 48 names were unchanged.
Net foreign outflows slimmed to P123.07 million from Thursday’s P680.48 million.

Duterte backtracks on ‘marijuana’ remarks

By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte, whose controversial drug war has prompted international criticism in the course of his administration, said on Monday he smokes marijuana to stay awake and cope with his punishing schedule.
But also that afternoon, following his remarks, he told reporters, “Alam mo naman nagpapatawa talaga ako (You know that I’m just joking).”
In his remarks at the award conferment on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) National Organizing Council held at Malacañang, Mr. Duterte said of his schedule, “It’s a killing activity, and I think (at) my age, ako hindi masyado, kasi nagma-marijuana ako eh para magising (because I smoke marijuana to stay awake).”
He said about his schedule at the recent ASEAN Summit in Singapore, “You know, we start at 8:30 in the morning, and we end up almost 10, 11 (p.m.), nandiyan silang lahat (and everyone is there)…. Baka akala nitong ASEAN Secretariat boy scout kami? ‘Di kaya ‘yan, ‘di kaya (Maybe the ASEAN Secretariat thinks we’re boy scouts? We can’t take that. We can’t).”
“You have to give that to the TWG (technical working group) or at least to the lower echelons….We only take ‘yung pinaka importante (the important conferences),” he added.
He said the heads of states should only be tackling “urgent and immediate concerns” of ASEAN.
In a phone message to reporters, Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III said: “For the information of all: the President told me just now that he has never touched marijuana his entire life.”
Mr. Pimentel added that it was just a “joke he made up in relation to his story that the schedule he was being required to follow was a punishing one, from 8:30 a.m. up to midnight.”
Interviewed by ANC, Mr. Duterte’s spokesman, Salvador S. Panelo, also said Mr. Duterte was just “jesting.”
Sought for comment, Isabela first district Rep. Rodito T. Albano III, principal author of the House Bill 6517 or the Act Providing Filipinos Right of Access to Medical Marijuana, said: “He is fooling you…. He doesn’t smoke in the first place.”
To recall, Mr. Duterte admitted in 2016 using fentanyl.

AFP backs another extension of martial law in Mindanao

THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has prepared a recommendation for the extension of martial law in Mindanao for another year.
“We have recommendations already. Nakikita po namin ang lahat ng (We’ve met with the) regional peace and order councils and also the local government units and even the Comelec (Commission on Elections) and other agencies are recommending for extension of at least one year,” AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito G. Galvez Jr. told reporters at a flag ceremony at the AFP Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo on Monday, Dec. 3.
Following the Marawi Siege of May 23, 2017, President Rodrigo R. Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao, which Congress extended until the rest of that year, and extended anew for 2018.
Last month, Mr. Duterte said he will wait for the recommendation of the military and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Mr. Galvez added, “Because there is really a clamor for the extension considering that the terrorism is still lurking in the area. Nakita natin, nagkaroon tayo ng (We have seen, we had the)…Basilan bombing, and then recently we have an encounter in Sulu, the Sulu problem still persists. Also, we have also some bombings in Isulan and General Santos and also continuous bombing in Maguindanao.”
“So there is really a need to constrict and limit the maneuver space of the terrorists to the maximum, we have a very weak terrorism law so with that martial law (there) is (a) need to completely defeat the terrorism,” said Mr. Galvez.
Mr. Galvez, who is due to retire, said his successor will most likely present the recommendation on Dec. 12 to the Secretary of National Defense.
For his part, PNP chief Oscar D. Albayalde said: “I think the PNP has made itself clear that we support the AFP’s intention also of extension of the martial law. Siyempre pabor sa amin ‘yan (Of course, we favor that), because of the upcoming plebiscite and elections.” — VACF

Malacañang denies hand in tax evasion case vs Rappler

PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte has no hand in the legal battle of Rappler.com and its CEO and executive editor Maria A. Ressa, Malacañang said on Monday.
On Monday, Ms. Ressa posted bail of P60,000 before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 265 following its issuance of an arrest warrant against her in connection with a P294,258.58 tax-evasion complaint filed by the Department of Justice (DoJ).
Ms. Ressa faces four other complaints also filed by the DoJ before the Court of Tax Appeals.
In a Facebook post, Ms. Ressa said: “While I still can’t believe the Philippine government would issue an arrest warrant based on these politically motivated tax evasion charges, I am ready to face them in court. We need to stop the slide to impunity.”
In a press briefing at the Palace on Monday morning, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said “definitely” the President did not have any hand in the legal battle of Ms. Ressa and her company.
Mr. Panelo also said in response to questions, “How can they be persecuted? It’s a question of tax evasion. You violate tax laws then you will be prosecuted.”
“I will continue addressing the charges with nothing other than to show they are politically motivated, and they are manufactured,” Ms. Ressa told reporters.
Mr. Panelo said the President has “too many obligations to fulfill” for him to interfere with the issue. “We have repeatedly said that we have never and we’ll never interfere with the function of the judiciary as well as the other branch. If the judiciary finds probable cause for information filed, then we have to respect the law on the matter.”
For his part, Senator Francis N. Pangilinan said in a statement: “We urge the courts to let due process take its course for Maria Ressa. We condemn the threats, accusations, and harassments against her. We stand with Maria Ressa as she continues to hold the line.”
Senator Risa N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said Mr. Duterte’s administration “is implementing a ‘harass the dissenters, protect the plunderers’ policy.”
The court set Ms. Ressa’s arraignment for Friday.
Rappler has challenged Mr. Duterte frequently, questioning the accuracy of his public statements and scrutinizing his war on drugs and his foreign policies. It drew the ire of Mr. Duterte, who has lashed out at the news site in several public speeches.
Critics said the tax dodging case was an effort to crack down on critical media.
In March, the Securities and Exchange Commission revoked Rappler’s operating license for violating foreign ownership rules. Mr. Duterte’s office has since banned Rappler from covering his official activities.
The news site also faces a cyber libel complaint from a businessman over a 2012 report on human trafficking and drug smuggling.
“More than his inability to tolerate dissent, Duterte’s relentless persecution of media appears to be part of the increasingly authoritarian direction his presidency has taken,” the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement on Sunday.
New York-based Human Rights Watch demanded that charges against Ressa and her news organization be dropped, calling the case “part of the Duterte administration’s campaign to harass, threaten and intimidate critics.” — Arjay L. Balinbin, Vann Marlo M. Villegas, with a report by Reuters

Duterte backs kidnapping charge vs. Satur Ocampo, others

By Arjay L. Balinbin
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) Chief Director-General Oscar D. Albayalde on Monday said a kidnapping case will be refiled against former Bayan Muna representative Satur C. Ocampo and his companions over the transport of minors in Talaingod town, Davao del Norte, on Nov. 28.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte, for his part, said he will support the police and the military in their pursuit of Mr. Ocampo in the courts.
In a news conference on Monday, Dec. 3, Mr. Albayalde said: “A kidnapping case was filed against them pero hindi tinanggap ng piskalya, pero hindi dinismiss.” (The fiscal did not accept the case, but they did not dismiss it either.)
He added: “I just talked with the Regional Director this morning and they will be refiling the case because there are five parents who signed their affidavits and are planning to file a case of kidnapping laban dito kina (against) Satur Ocampo.”
Mr. Ocampo and 17 of his companions, including ACT Teachers Rep. France L. Castro, were charged last Friday, Nov. 30, with violation of Republic Act (RA) 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act in connection with the transport of at least 14 minors in Talaingod.
Also on Monday, Malacañang distanced itself from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr.’s tweet regarding the arrest of Mr. Ocampo.
“As a response to queries arising out of the tweets of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr. who slammed the arrest of former legislator Satur Ocampo, we wish to state that his personal position on the matter does not reflect the official view of the Administration on the issue,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador S. Panelo said in a statement.
In a Twitter post last Saturday, Dec. 1, Mr. Locsin said: “Human trafficking? Bullshit. I won’t even bother to get the other side. I know Satur. We protected him in our Congress against warrants of arrest.”
“Sec. Locsin and Mr. Ocampo served as simultaneous members of the House of Representatives for the 1st District of Makati and Bayan Muna Party-list, respectively, for several years. We therefore consider the remarks of Sec. Locsin as personal sentiments supportive of a friend, being former colleagues with Mr. Ocampo in Congress,” Mr. Panelo said.
Mr. Panelo also said “the request of Mr. Ocampo and his group to have a preliminary investigation to rebut the allegations, and to proffer evidence in support of their defense was granted by Prosecutor’s Office in Tagum City.”
“Presently, they are enjoying their liberty on account of the bail posted by them in court. Those facts alone show they are being accorded due process. Other legal remedies to which they are entitled are available to them. Let the law take its course. We thus reiterate our advice to all parties to trust the process without hasty and premature judgements. Let the legal mechanism work as it should. That is what the Rule of Law is all about. The law hears before it convicts, and it hears before it acquits as well,” he added.
For her part, House Speaker Gloria M. Arroyo called for the “speedy resolution” of the charges against Mr. Ocampo, Ms. Castro, and 16 others.
“I understand that they have been given 10 days to file their counter affidavits in order to refute the charges against them, and I would urge a speedy resolution of the matter within the framework of our judicial system,” the Speaker said in a statement.
Mr. Duterte for his part said, “I support the police and the military….You know, an ordinary person, lalo na kung senador (especially a senator), you must be aware you cannot remove children from one community to another without the consent of the parents….”
He added: “Iyan ang mahirap sa komunista, ginagamit nila ang lumad, kaya karamihan ngayon na namamatay, lumad.” (That’s the trouble with the communists, they use the lumad, so many of those who die are lumad.) “(Seventy-five) 75 of the armed soldiers of the NPA are lumad. Kawawa eh (What a pity)….” — with Charmaine A. Tadalan and Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

Dengvaxia complainants seek to include 2 doctors among accused

THE FAMILIES of eight alleged victims of the Dengvaxia vaccine have asked the Department of Justice to include among the accused Doctor Raymundo W. Lo, deputy executive director for Professional Services at Philippine Children’s Medical Center, and another doctor for facilitating the purchase of the vaccine. In the motion filed through the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), they stated that Mr. Lo and Sonia B. Gonzales purchased Dengvaxia vaccine even before the Food and Drug Administration issued a Certificate of Product Registration. “From the foregoing actuations, the complicity of Dr. Lo and Dr. Gonzales to the purchase of Dengvaxia vaccine with undue haste despite of the fact that it is still on its trial stage is manifest making them liable as the other respondents in this case,” it said. Former Health secretary Janette P. Loreto-Garin and 36 others — including officials of Dengvaxia manufacturer Sanofi Pasteur, Inc. and distributor Zuellig Pharma Corporation — are currently facing 29 complaints of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide and violations of Anti-Torture Act and the Consumer Act of the Philippines. The prosecution in October denied the motion of Ms. Garin to admit Mr. Lo’s affidavit, which questioned the findings of the PAO’s Forensic Team, due to late submission. The PAO claims that 102 children vaccinated with Dengvaxia have already died. — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

Police says NPA’s sparrow unit might stage more killings

PHILIPPINE National Police chief Director General Oscar D. Albayalde yesterday said there is a “strong possibility” that the New People’s Army’s (NPA) hit squad Sparrow Unit might stage more killings after the police discovered they were behind 136 confirmed murders in the past three years. “There is strong possibility that it will stage more hits depending on how the communist movement would want to utilize the SPU/SOG’s specialized capability for small unit missions against vulnerable targets,” said Mr. Albayalde in a press conference at the PNP National Headquarters on Monday, Dec. 3. The police chief made the statement as he retracted his pronouncement on Sunday that the NPA’s Sparrow units have long been gone. “These hit squads are now popularly referred to as the Sparrows. But they are not based in urban areas like the former Sparrow Units, but only get out from the red area (normally rural area) to do special partisan operations, e.g., liquidation, murder or assassination, as directed by the Regional Party Committee.” Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Carlito G. Galvez said the government’s own hit squad should not be called “Duterte Death Squad,” a reference to President Rodrigo R. Duterte, but a counter Sparrow Unit. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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